Year: 1885

page_text: We WILLIAM HILLMAN WILLIAM HENRY HERBERT and GEORGE BEVERLEY
COOPER of the Premier Works Coventry in the county of Warwick Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in lawn tennis or racket bats and has for
its chief object the construction of a tennis or racket bat which shall be.light in
weight and yet not liable to warp or break with the additional advantage of a
simple adjustable tension for the threads or guts.
According to our invention we construct the frame of weldless steel or other
tube and in the holes thereof through which the threads or guts pass we fit metal
eyelets to prevent the said threads or guts being cut or worn in the process of
threading or regulating the tension, or we can pass the threads or guts through
mefal eyelets in a leather or like elastic inner frame within the metal or outer
frame.
:
All or part of the longitudinal threads or guts we arrange to pass through a
bridge piece at the handle end of the frame where they are connected to a strong
loop of gut or other suitable material, the latter passing through the handle of the
bat is connected to a knob of wood or other material in the end thereof so
arranged that the loop of gut or other material may be twisted and thereby con-
tracted in respect to its length by which means the tension of the threads or guts
in the frame of the bat may be regulated.
The tension regulator is also applicable to wooden framed bats.

page_text: We WILLIAM HILLMAN, WILLIAM HENRY HERBERT, and GEORGE BEVERLEY
COOPER, all of the Premier Works, Coventry in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 relates to improvements in lawn tennis, or racket bats, and has
for its chief object the construction of a tennis or racket bat which while being
light in weight and not liable to warp or break, has the additional advantage of a
simple adjustable tension for the threads or guts.
We construct the frame of weldless steel or other metal tube, and in the holes
thereof, through which the threads or guts pass, we fit metal eyelets to prevent the
said threads or guts being cut or worn in the process of threading or regulating the
tension.
.
All or part of the longitudinal threads or guts we arrange to pass through a
bridge piece at the handle end of the frame where they are connected to a strong
loop of gut or other suitable material, the latter passing axially through the handle
of the bat, is connected to a knob of wood or other material in the end thereof, so
arranged that the loop of gut, or other material may be twisted and thereby con-
tracted in respect to its length, by which means the tension of the threads or guts
in the frame of the bat, may be regulated.
The tension regulator is also applicable to wooden framed bats.
And in order that our said invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings
more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a face view, Figure 2 is an edge view and Figure 3 is a longitudinal
section flat-wise of a tennis or racket bat with our improvements applied thereto.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross section of the same with the handle removed.
The above mentioned figures are drawn to half the real size of the bat. Figure 5
is a longitudinal section, and Figure is an outside top view of a portion of the
frame drawn full size.
г
a is the outer rim or frame of the bat, which we form, as has before been
proposed, of steel or other metal tube, but we prefer to employ weldless steel tube
for such purpose, a¹ is a bridge piece which is employed to complete the frame of
the bat at or near its junction with the handle b; this bridge piece a¹ is brazed or
otherwise rigidly fixed to the outer rim or frame a.
Around the inner face of the outer rim or frame a and of the bridge piece a¹
holes a³ are formed through which the threads or guts c are passed and around the
outer face of the outer rim or frame a, holes as are formed which whilst facilitating
the threading of the guts or threads c through the holes a² also assist in lightening
the bat

page_text: We also in order to prevent the cutting or chafing of the guts or threads c
against the edges of the holes a fix in such holes metal eyelets a' and thereby
form a rounded edge thereto.
All or nearly all of the longitudinal threads or guts c at the handle end of the
frame a are arranged to pass through the bridge piece a¹ and according to our
invention we extend a number of such threads or guts c beyond the bridge piece a¹
in the form of loops c connecting the said threads or guts c together in pairs;
through these loops c¹ we pass a loop of strong gut or other suitable material d
which latter is passed axially through the handle 6 of the bat at the lower end of
which it is connected to a knob b¹ of wood or other material which is fitted with
capability of rotation in the end of the handle b so that the loop d of gut or other
material may be twisted or untwisted and thereby either contracted or extended in
respect to its length, by which means the tension of the threads or guts c in the
frame may be regulated as required.
The above described means of regulating the tension of the threads or guts c are
equally applicable to wooden framed bats in which latter case the handle would
be formed hollow to permit of the passage therethrough of the double thread
or gut d.
We would here remark that we make no claim to the use of a metal frame, nor
of eyelets to prevent the chafing or cutting of the guts or threads passing through
the holes a².
And we would further remark that the elastic inner frame described in our
provisional specification does not possess such an amount of novelty and utility as
to render it advisable to further describe the same or to make any claim thereto
and we therefore desire to disclaim, and we do hereby disclaim such arrangement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The method of regulating the tension of the threads or guts of a lawn tennis
or racket bat substantially as herein shown and described.
2. A loop or double thread or gut d passed axially through the handle b and
connected at one end to the loops c of pairs of longitudinal threads or guts c, and
at the other end to a knob 6 by which the said double thread or gut d can be
twisted or untwisted substantially as herein shown and described, and for the
purpose stated.