IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN TENNIS AND SUCH LIKE RACKETS
Year: 1885

page_text: I ANDREW FOSTER of 70 Estcourt Road Watford in the County of Herts Wood
Turner do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN
TENNIS AND SUCH LIKE RACKETS, to be as follows
-
Lawn Tennis and other rackets or bats having each a head or enlarged part with
a distended surface for use in striking, are apt under the strain in use to become
broken sprung or split at or about the part where the handle joins onto the head—
in a lawn tennis racket or bat, at the shoulder where the frame adjoins the wedge
or gussett
To avoid this inconvenience and to strengthen the implement at the part I over-
lay the whole or parts of the shoulders or shoulders and handle with leather, hide,
skin, stringing or other suitable material either in the form of strips sewn or joined
or drawn tight when softened by liquid or bound over or otherwise applied.
The extent of surface covered will depend on circumstances or taste
By these means additional strength may be given to the parts of the implement
where the greatest strain 18 developed in use and the life of the implement much
increased

page_text: I ANDREW FOSTER of 70 Estcourt Road Watford in the County of Herts Wood
Turner do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN
TENNIS AND SUCH LIKE RACKETS and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
It is a well known fact that Lawn-tennis rackets and other rackets or such like
bats used in playing games with balls, or driven articles, by means of the enlarged
heads or parts used for striking are liable to become broken away at the handle
portion, or sprung, or split, under the strain they are subjected to in such use and
this fracture, springing or splitting generally takes place at or about the part of the
implement where the handle portion joins, or divides, and forms, the head portion,
this being, especially in a lawn tennis racket as generally made, the weakest point
in the frame because the greatest strain comes where the frame of the head adjoins
the wedge or gussett at what is called the shoulder, and the object of my invention
18 to give greater strength at this part of the implement without enlarging the
framework or much increasing the weight
In carrying out my invention I overlay, bind, or cover, either the whole of the
shoulders and handle, or the shoulders alone, or parts of them, with leather, hide,
skin, string, or other suitable binding material and such material I apply either in
the form of strips, bands, string or other form and I secure it at the part in the
desired form by sewing or joining, or diawing the same tightly onto the implement
whilst the covering material is in a softened or moistened state or it may be other-
wise applied
The extent of surface of the implement covered or bound, say more or less of the
handle or head framework will depend on circumstances, the strains to be borne or
on taste
By these means great additional strength can be given to the parts of the imple-
ment where the greatest strain in use is developed and the life of the implement
accordingly much increased
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shews a face view of a lawn tennis
racket of which a is the head framework 6 the shoulders and e the handle & the
wedge and e the stringing of the racket for driving the ball
Figure 2 is an edge view thereof
In these views the strengthening material is shown as leather laid on tightly to
form of the upper part of the handle from 1, 1, up over the gussett or wedge and
shoulders, around parts of the frame as far as 2, 2, and sewn in lines indicated by
the dotted lines 3 of the drawing, the said lines of stitching being also continued to
preserve the ordinary contours of the underlying joints of the implement where
such will aid finished effect and where desired ornamental stitching in design may
supplement that for utility
The gut stringing, or equivalent, can as shewn be strung through and through
the covering material and frame of the racket
Cement of waterproofing solution may be applied beneath or over the covering
material.
Figure 3 shows a form the covering material may take when string is used
f. being the string employed

page_text: Having now 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 strengthening of Lawn tennis and such like rackets by overlaying, binding,
or covering the framework or handle or both, in parts with leather, hide, skin,
string or other suitable material in manner and for the purpose substantially as
set forth.