Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 28th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 28th Jan., 1887.
We JAMES MCHARDY Dollar North Britain Scientific Expert, and ROBERT BRAND
Hebron Villa Canaan Lane Edinburgh India Rubber Merchant do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In carrying this Invention into practice, we construct our poles and fixtures so that―.
(a) The net may be fixed and removed with the greatest ease and rapidity.
(b) Any required strain may be procured, almost instantaneously.
(c) The net may be raised or lowered by a touch of the hand.
(d) The ground need not be cut up with holes.
These conditions may be fulfilled somewhat in the following manner :
(a) Two pins of suitable dimensions are provided with holes in their upper ends, of
such size as will just admit the straining rope doubled.
One of these pins is driven into the ground at each end of the net and in a line with
it, at a suitable distance from the intended position of the poles; the net and poles are
then placed upon the ground and a loop of the straining rope is passed through the
holes in the pins, and again into this, at the opposite sides of the pins, a second loop is
entered, whereupon an efficient slip knot is in a manner tied between the material of
the pins and the rope.
While this fixing cannot slip in the direction of the net, it is obvious that the slightest
lug at the extreme end of the rope, will draw the second loop-(which is too thick to
pass through the hole in the pin)-out of the first, which, being no longer jammed, will
instantly slip out of the pin and release the net and poles for removal.
(b) Instead of using one pole and two ropes at each end of the net, we use two poles
and, practically, one rope. The pairs of poles may be, either, suitably hinged together
at their upper ends the
or, rope may be made to fulfill the office of a hinge by being
passed through holes in the poles and tied in a knot at either side of the poles.
When the rope or ropes have been fixed or tied to the pins-as beforementioned-
the poles at either end of the net are erected into a triangle, whose base is directly
under the apex and at right angles to the line of the net. It will be seen that the net

page_text: will be raised or tightened in proportion to the contraction of the base of the triangle:
consequently as the poles are pushed forwards and backwards one and the other will
be released alternately.
The released pole will always fall nearer to the perpendicular, and so increasing the
distance from the base to the apex of the triangle, will tighten the rope which passes
through the apex. It is obvious that, by this means any strain required for a Tennis net,
may be procured without complicated apparatus, and with the least possible trouble.
(c) Again; the net may be raised or lowered, as beforementioned, by a mere push
or pull at the poles, as the case may be.
(d) No holes are required except for the pins which, having been driven in convenient
places, may remain as fixtures. The lower ends of the poles may be rounded or flat, so
that they will leave almost no mark upon the ground; or we may supply suitable
bearings for the poles by covering up the line of the base of the triangle with a rack-
like or grooved board or its equivalent so that all the downward pressure shall be
distributed; or we may supply the poles with rollers to work either upon the ground
or in suitable bearing grooves in which case the act of tightening should be accomplished
either by means of a chord to draw the feet of the poles together or by a ratch hinged
to one pole and locking in the other or the poles may be made a fixture with a suitable
slide base provided with thumb screws or pins for holding the triangle in any given
position.
We prefer to use a single continuous straining rope, but we may construct the parts
so that any net may be readily attached to the poles.
In cases where several nets are used in line with each other, a single rope may be
made to sustain any number of nets and poles, with only two pins in the ground, one
at each extreme end of the nets.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Lawn Tennis Poles and Fixtures for same.
We, JAMES MCHARDY Dollar North Britain Scientific Expert and ROBERT BRAND
Hebron Bank Canaan Lane Edinburgh India Rubber Merchant do hereby declare the
nature of our invention for IMPROVED LAWN TENNIS POLES AND FIXTURES FOR SAME
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Pins of suitable dimensions are provided with holes of such size as will just admit
the straining rope doubled.
A loop of the straining rope is passed through the hole in the pin and again into
this, at the opposite side of the pin, a second loop is entered, whereupon an efficient
slip-knot is, in a manner tied between the material of the pin and the rope.
While this fixing cannot slip in the direction of the net, it is obvious a tug at the
extreme end of the rope will draw the second loop.
We use two poles at each end of the net and, practically one rope. The pairs of poles
may be, either suitably hinged together at their upper ends, or, the rope may be made
to fulfill the office of a hinge by being passed through holes in the poles, and tied in a
knot at either side of the poles. When the rope or ropes have been tied or fixed to the
pins as beforementioned-the poles at either end of the net, are errected into a
triangle whose base is directly under the apex and at right angles to the line of the net.
The lower ends of the poles may be round or flat so that they will leave almost no
mark upon the ground; or we may supply suitable bearings for the poles by covering
up the line of the base of the triangle with a rack-like or grooved board or its
equivalent; or we may supply the poles with rollers to work either upon the ground
or in suitable bearing grooves.
We prefer to use a single continuous straining rope but may construct the parts so
that any net may be readily attached to the poles.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the poles and pins in their simplest forms.
The poles hinged by the rope, or in any suitable manner at
Fig. I
C=
=
The point of contact of the poles.
a and b
Fig. II
=
==
The lower ends of the poles which, when caused to approach each other,
raise the point c and consequently tighten the net.
The pin as used in our invention with an illustration of the knot, as herein-
before described.
a = The hole through the pin, represented by dotted lines.
b = A double or loop of the straining rope passed through a and emerging in the
=
lower loop e.
The loop as carried through from b.
d = A second loon passed into the first c.

page_text: Now the hole a being large enough to admit a double plie of the rope, but too
small to admit four plies of the same, it is obvious that, if the loop c be tightened
upon the loop d (by pulling the single rope at the left side of the figure) the
rope will be so jammed as to form a most effective slip knot.
c = The end of the rope, by which the slip knot may be, at once, undone.
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 poles hinged at their upper ends in the manner hereinbefore described, with
or without extra mountings as explained in our Specifications.
2. The pin, provided with a suitable hole for the purpose of tieing the beforementioned
slip knot.
JAMES MCHARDY.
ROBERT BRAND.