Year: 1885

page_text: I, ISAAC THOMAS TOWNSEND of West Orchard Works Coventry in the County of
Warwick do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention has for its object improvements in racquet bats which enables me
to make them both light and strong combined with a very elegant appearance.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practice I have appended hereunto a sheet of drawings upon which is illustrated
the frame work of a bat made according to my invention.
Figure 1 is a front view of the frame and handle of the bat.
Figure 2 is a section through the frame on the line 1. 2.
Figure 3 is a section through the root of the handle on line 3. 4.
Figure 4 is a section through the upper part of the handle on line 5. 6 showing
how the head and the handle are united.
Figure 5 is a section through the lower part of the handle on line 7, 8.
The inner part A of the frame of the bat is made from light steel or other very
tough metal which is bent round into the required shape and finishing at any
convenient part of the handle but in the bat shown at the dotted lines c and c¹ just
below the line 5, 6. The shape is maintained and the ends are firmly united
together by means of the bridge E which is of the same section of steel as the
frame A and this bridge is nicely fitted at the ends e¹ and e* against the frame
where it is firmly braized or otherwise secured in a substantial manner which keeps
the two ends a¹ and a³ a set distance apart. This metallic felloe or frame is
stiffened and solidified by the cane band or outer strap B which may be made from a
round cane split down the middle the round part or back part being laid against the
inside or hollow part of the metal frame. Of course in cases where the metal frame
is not quite circular inside or is of different section the cane has to be worked to
fit and properly bed therein though it is not so absolutely necessary that it should
in some sections fit quite so solidly at the bottom as for instance in the section
shown by Figure 6 where the space d is left but care must be taken to obtain a
sufficiently good bearing and hold inside the wings at d¹ and d² in which case some
economy in material and weight will be obtained. This band B is of sufficient
length to extend around the frame and down both sides of the handle to the
n +
A

page_text: bottom. Two short pieces f and f¹ are fitted inside the bridge and then two pieces
of light strong material K and K₁ such as willow wood are fitted inside and bedded
against the round face of the frame A the hollow being continued to the bottom
for these pieces extend to the bottom of the handle as will be seen in the sections
Figures 3, 4 and 5. When these are well fitted the centre piece of cane M is
firmly driven or fixed between these pieces K and K¹ which beds them tightly inside
the ends a¹ and a of the frame A. The whole is now cleaned off and the two
pieces R and S are put on to make up the proper shape of handle required. These
various pieces are all united together with glue and may be finished in a hot iron
press so as to bring out all the glue and to make the joints fine and tight.
The quantity of cane willow and metal used will be according to the weight of
the bat required as more or less of each may be used and even a variation in the
material such for instance as the pieces K being made of ash and even the centre
in exceptional cases-I may of course lap the handle if I choose.
The holes for stringing are made through the metal A and the cane or other
binder B and is merely burried in a groove in the back of B.
Having therfore particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The improvements in racquet bats of a head formed with a metallic inner frame A
having the outer binder B bent around it and continuing down sufficiently low to
unite with or to partly form the handle which is made up with other pieces
substantially as herein set forth.