IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING THE NET EMPLOYED IN THE GAME OF LAWN TENNIS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR SUPPORTING CLOTHES LINES AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR . PURPOSES "
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Mitchell Croisdale of the City of Manchester in
the County of Lancaster for an invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
SUPPORTING THE NET EMPLOYED IN THE GAME OF LAWN TENNIS ALSO
APPLICABLE FOR SUPPORTING CLOTHES LINES AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR
. PURPOSES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Mitchell Croisdale
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th May 1882.
JOHN MITCHELL CROISDALE, of the City of Manchester in the County of
Lancaster "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING THE NET EMPLOYED IN THE
GAME OF LAWN TENNIS, ALSO APPLICABLE FOR SUPPORTING CLOTHES-LINES AND
FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
»
In carrying out my invention which is applicable to supporting and regulating
the net employed in the Game of Lawn Tennis and also to clothes-posts for
supporting the clothes line and for other similar purposes I take a pole with by
preference a pulley at its upper extremity and over this pulley I pass the rope to
be tightened. This tightening and regulating operation is effected by attaching
the end of the rope to one extremity of an arm or stud mounted upon the pole and
which arm or stud is capable of sliding along the pole so long as it is held at or
about at right angles thereto, but when inclined in the direction of the pull tightens
itself self-actingly and thus affords a means of regulating the net or clothes line to
the greatest nicety-and this along the whole length of the pole,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Mitchell Croisdale in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th November 1882.
JOHN MITCHELL CROISDALE of the City of Manchester in the County of
Lancaster "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING THE NET EMPLOYED IN THE
GAME OF LAWN TENNIS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR SUPPORTING CLOTHES LINES AND
FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
In carrying out my invention which is applicable to supporting and regulating
the net employed in the game of Lawn Tennis and also to clothes posts for
supporting the clothes line and for other similar purposes I take a pole with by
preference a pulley at its upper extremity and over this pulley I pass the rope to
be tightened.
This tightening and regulating operation is effected by attaching the end of the
rope to one extremity of an arm or stud mounted upon the pole and which arm or
stud is capable of sliding along the pole so long as it is held at or about at right
angles thereto, but when inclined in the direction of the pull tightens itself. self-
actingly and thus affords a means of regulating the net or clothes line to the
greatest nicety-and this along the whole length of the pole.
And in order that this my said Invention may be the more readily understood
and carried into practical effect I have hereunto annexed a drawing illustrative of
my improved Lawn-Tennis apparatus and will now proceed to describe the same
with the assistance of the Figures and letters of reference marked thereon.
:
Fig 1 represents on a small scale a pair of Lawn-Tennis poles and net fitted and
distended in accordance with my invention Fig 2 represents in full. size a front
view of the upper end of one of the poles for distending the net-shewing my
improved tightening apparatus or arm applied thereto and Fig 3 is a plan of the
tightening arm.
In all the views A A are the Lawn Tennis poles which are provided with
spikes at their lower extremity which are forced into the ground in the ordinary
manner.
These poles by preference pass through the cast iron foot plates B B and are
thus steadied in position, such foot plates (a plan of one of which is seen in Fig 4)
being provided with sharpened heels b which are also forced into the ground as
illustrated. CC are the pulleys over which the tightened rope D passes and is
then connected to one extremity of the arm E. This arm E is provided at its
other end with a hole F of slightly larger diameter than the pole, so that when
mounted upon the pole such arm is capable of sliding thereupon so long as it is
held at or about at right angles to the pole but when inclined (as illustrated in the
drawing) in the direction of the pull it tightens itself selfactingly and thus affords
a means of regulating the tightness of the net to the greatest nicety and this along
the whole length of the pole.
Although only shewn as applied to Lawn Tennis apparatus it will be apparent
that this improved tightening apparatus is equally applicable to clothes posts for
tightening clothes lines and for other similar purposes.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention I wish it to be understood that I claim.
The use and application of the improved apparatus for supporting the net

page_text: employed in the game of Lawn Tennis also applicable for supporting clothes lines
and for other similar purposes substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
on the accompanying drawing.
In witness whereof I the said John Mitchell Croisdale have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Twenty fourth day of November in the year of our
Lord One Thousand Eight hundred and Eighty two,
TAT
JOHN MITCHELL (L.S.) CROISDALE