Improvements in Cricket-bats and Lawn-tennis Bats.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1891-Accepted, 25th Apr., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cricket-bats and Lawn-tennis Bats.
I, ALFRED WATKINS TRIMMINGS, Bat-maker, of 600, Coventry Road, Bir-
mingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention consists in the improvements in cricket-bat handles and tennis-bat
handles hereinafter set forth.
Cricket-bat handles and tennis-bat handles are usually made by gluing or
cementing together a number of pieces of cane or other equivalent yielding material,
the solid handle-block of glued together portions being turned into a convenient
shaped handle, the handle being secured to, or amalgamated with, the wood forming
the blade of the bat.
My invention consists essentially in amalgamating with an ordinary cane (or
built up) handle, one; two; or more helical coils of cane or other equivalent
material.
I provide the usual "or any suitable" built up handle-block and turn such
handle-block to a small diameter, suitable to receive my coil or coils.
I next provide a strip or piece of cane or other suitable material and then steam
or otherwise soften such material, and then by winding the strip round a suitable
cylindrical-shaped surface, so convert the straight piece of cane or material into a
helical, tubular coil of the required dimensions.
I next pass the tubular coil over the turned handle-block securing the coil to and
amalgamating the coil with the turned handle-block, by means of suitable glue
or cement.
The volutions of the coil may in some cases be separated, so as to leave a space
between each volute; in other cases the volutions of the coil would touch each other,
thus forming a continuous periphical surface: the handle-block and its coil would
then be turned in the lathe or otherwise converted into a true surface, forming and
constituting the handle of cricket-bat or tennis-bat.
In some cases I prefer to provide a second coil and place it over the first coil;
the angles of the volutions being in the opposite direction to the angles of first
coil, thus crossing the joints of the first coil.
Although one coil will be sufficient on the handle-block of tennis-bat, and two
coils will usually be sufficient on the handle-block of a cricket-bat nevertheless I
may in some cases use three or more coils.
Handles made in the manner hereinbefore set forth can in the building up, be
regulated to any desired state of clasticity or rigidness, in accordance with the
requirements of the trade and of different users of cricket-bats and tennis-bats, a
bat-handle made with one open voluted coil differing entirely from a bat handle
made with two or more coils crossing each other, either with open or closed
volutes.
The handles would be secured to the blades of bats in either of the usual
ways the method of connecting the handle to the blade forming no part of my
invention.
Dated this 27th day of October 1890.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: CABLE L DE MULLICATION.
Improvements in Cricket-bats and Lawn-tennis Bats.
I, ALFRED WATKINS TRIMMINGS, Bat-maker, of 600, Coventry Road, Bir-
mingham, in the County of Warwick, 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 consists in the improvements in cricket-bat handles and tennis-bat
handles hereinafter set forth.
Cricket-bat handles and tennis-bat handles are usually made by gluing or
cementing together a number of pieces of cane or other equivalent yielding material,
the solid handle-block of glued together portions being turned into a convenient
shaped handle, the handle being secured to, or amalgamated with, the wood forming
the blade of bat.
My invention consists essentially in amalgamating with an ordinary cane (or
built up) handle, one; two, or more helical coils of cane or other equivalent
material.
I provide the usual “or any suitable” built up handle-block and turn such handle-
block to a small diameter, suitable to receive my coil or coils.
I next provide a strip or piece of cane or other suitable material and then steam
or otherwise soften such material and then by winding the strip round a suitable
cylindrical shaped surface, so convert the straight piece of cane or material into a
helical tubular coil of the required dimensions.
I next pass the tubular coil over the turned handle-block securing the coil to and
amalgamating the coil with, the turned handle-block, by means of suitable glue
or cement.
The volutions of the coil may in some cases be separated, so as to leave a space
between each volute; in other cases the volutions of the coil would touch each
other, thus forming a continuous periphical surface; the handle-block and its coil
would then be turned in the lathe or otherwise converted into a true surface, forming
and constituting the handle of cricket-bat or tennis-bat.
In some cases I prefer to provide a second coil and place it over the first coil;
the angles of the volutions being in the opposite direction to the angles of first coil,
thus crossing the joints of the first coil.
Although one coil will be sufficient on the handle-block of tennis-bat and two
coils will usually be sufficient on the handle-block of cricket-bat nevertheless I may
in some cases use three or more coils.
Handles made in the manner herein before set forth can in the building up, be
regulated to any desired state of elasticity or rigidness, in accordance with the
requirements of the trade and of different users of cricket-bats and tennis-bats, a
bat-handle made with one open voluted coil differing entirely from a bat-handle
made with two or more coils crossing each other, either with open or closed
volutes.
The handle would be secured to the blade of bat in either of the usual ways; the
method of connecting the handle to the blade forming no part of my invention.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is constructed and used.
Figure 1 represents a bat-handle on which is placed one open voluted coil.
Figure 2 represents a bat-handle on which is placed one closed voluted coil.
Figure 3 represents a sectional view of handle with one coil.
Figure 4 represents a sectional view of handle with two coils.
Figure 5 represents a sectional view of handle with three coils.
Figure 6 represents a complete bat.
Figure 7 represents a pair of open coils crossed.
In carrying out my invention I provide the usual “
or any ordinary" built up

page_text: handle-block and turn or otherwise form such handle-block to a diameter suitable to
receive my coil or coils.
When using one separated voluted coil I place it over the turned handle-block in
the manner represented at a Figure 1.
When using one coil with the volutes touching each other, the appearance would
be similar to that shewn at the (broken off) handle-block Figure 2 and at f
Figure 6.
In
The sectional plan Figure 3 represents one voluted coil over a handle-block.
using two coils the second coil may be secured over the first to lap or cover the
joints b as shewn in extra row of dotted lines underneath, and a third coil could
be put over the second to lap or cover the joints of the second coil, or the second
coil can be put over the first coil with the angles of volutes reversed and crossing
the joints of the first coil as shewn at Figure 7, a third coil could then be put
over the second coil with the angles of volutes inclining in the same direction as the
angles of the volutes of first coil, thus the volutes of second coil would be crossed by
the volutes of third coil.
When placing more than one coil on handle-block I usually prefer to make the
finished diameter of the same dimensions as the finished diameter of a handle-block
with only one coil and therefore in such cases I may turn the central handle-blocks
or cores c smaller than c, or in lieu thereof make the coils d or e thinner than the
one coil a. In other cases I may make my coil-handles of various finished sizes.
In some cases I make my coils out of cane because cane has been well tested and
is considered to have a springing power superior to other vegetable substance of
equal bulk.
In other cases I make my coils out of steel, aluminium or other equivalent
springing material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1st. The making of the handles of cricket-bats or lawn-tennis bats with one
"separated voluted" coil formed out of cane, steel, aluminium or other suitable
material passed over and on to the handle-block of such cricket-bat or tennis-bat.
"closed-
2nd., The making of the handles of cricket-bats or tennis-bats with one
voluted "coil formed out of cane, steel aluminium or other suitable material passed
over and on to the handle-block of such cricket-bat or tennis-bat.
3rd. The making of the handles of cricket-bats or tennis-bats with two, three, or
more voluted coils formed out of cane, steel aluminium or other suitable material
the first coil being passed over and on to the handle-block of such cricket-bat or
tennis-bat; the second coil being passed over and on to the first coil and the third
coil being passed over and on to the second coil, the coils lapping or crossing the.
joints of volutes.
Dated this 7th day of February 1891.
ALFRED WM. TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, Corporation Street, Birmingham,.
Agent for the Applicant.