Improvements in Means and Apparatus for Supporting Lawn- tennis and other like Nets and their equivalents.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 1st June, 1897-Accepted, 17th July, 1897
Improvements in Means and Apparatus for Supporting Lawn-
tennis and other like Nets and their equivalents.
Sir ALBERT ALTMAN, of 54, Aldersgate Street, London, E.C., Knight, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the poles and supporting apparatus of
nets and the like, used in connection with the game of lawn-tennis and for analogous
purposes, and has for its object a simple, effective and ready means of erecting and
adjusting them.
These improvements consist of providing the lower ends of the poles with one or
more sockets adapted to engage and be supported by the upwardly projecting stems
of one or more suitable ground screws.
These ground screws, which are driven into the ground in the usual or any
convenient manner-such as by means of a key, have cross-pins, or other suitable
projections adapted to engage notches in the pole sockets so as to prevent their
turning.
At the other end of the pole, which may be forked, is pivotted a grooved wheel
over which the net supporting cord, or its equivalent is led on its way to the windlass,
which is situated beneath it.
This windlass, with which one or more of the poles may be provided, consists of a
short rod or pin which lies horizontally in the same plane as the net, and is reduced
at one end to enter its bearing in the pole, where it is retained by a disc, hereinafter
to be referred to, which is rigidly secured to its protruding end on the other side of
the pole.
On the other and larger end of this pin, which forms the drum of the windlass, is
a projection to which the net supporting cord or its equivalent may be secured, and a
suitable, cranked handle is also provided with which to operate the windlass.
The disc before referred to is provided with an annular row of holes near its outer
edge, adapted to receive a pin which co-operates with one or more holes suitably
situated on the pole, into which it is inserted for the purpose of preventing the
windlass from running back after the net, its supporting cord or its equivalent, has
been strained.
In practice I prefer to use tubes of metal, bamboo or other suitable material, for
the poles, utilising the bore of same for the socket, and inserting a forked piece at
the top to carry the grooved guide wheel, but I do not restrict myself to this particular
construction.
When only one windlass is used the other end of the net supporting cord or its
equivalent, is suitably secured to the pole or other convenient part at the other end
of the net.
The poles may have suitable stays to give them additional support, in any well
known or convenient manner.
Dated this 21st day of August 1896

page_text: Improvements in Means and Apparatus for Supporting Lawn-
tennis and other like Nets and their equivalents.
Sir ALBERT ALTMAN of 54 Aldersgate Street London E.C. Knight 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 the poles and supporting apparatus of
nets and the like used in connection with the game of lawn-tennis and for analogous
purposes and has for its object, a simple, effective, and ready means of erecting and
adjusting them. These improvements consist of providing the lower end of the pole
with a suitable socket adapted to engage and be supported by the upwardly projecting
stems of suitable ground scrows.
These ground screws which are driven into the ground in the usual or any convenient
manner such as by means of a key, have cross pins or other suitable projections
adapted to engage notches in the pole sockets so as to prevent their turning.
At the other end of the pole, which may be forked, is pivotted a grooved wheel
over which the net supporting cord or its equivalent is led on its way to the windlass,
which is situated beneath it.
This windlass with which one or more of the poles may be provided consists of a
short rod or pin which lies horizontally in the same plane as the net and is reduced
nt one end to enter its bearing in the pole, where it is retained by a disc hereinafter
to be referred to which is rigidly secured to its protruding end on the other side of
the pole.
On the other and larger end of this pin which forms the drum of the windlass is
a projection to which the net supporting cord or its equivalent inay be secured and a
suitable cranked handle is also provided with which to operate the windlass.
The disc before referred to is provided with an annular row of holes near its outer
edge adapted to receive a pin which co-operates with one or more holes suitably
situated on the pole into which it is inserted for the purpose of preventing the
windlass fron running back after the net, its supporting cord, or its equivalent, has
been strained.
In practice I prefer to use tubes of metal, bamboo, or other suitable material for
the poles utilising the bore of same for the socket, and inserting a forked piece at
the top to carry the grooved wheel, but I do not restrict myself to this particular
construction.
When only one windlass is used the other end of the net supporting cord or its
equivalent, is suitably secured to the pole or other convenient part at the other end
of the net.
The poles may have suitable stays to give them additional support in any well
known or convenient manner.
I will now proceed to more particularly describe my invention reference being made
to the accompanying drawings in which like letters indicate like parts :-
Fig. 1. is a front elevation of my improved apparatus for supporting and adjusting
a net, such as is used in playing the game of tennis.
Fig. 2. is an end elevation of the same.
Fig. 3. is a modified form of ground screw and,
Fig. 4 is a detail to be referred to.
A A. are hollow poles adapted to engage and be supported by the upwardly
projecting stems b of suitable ground screws B. These ground screws B which are
screwed into the ground in any convenient manner such as by means of a key C
(see Fig. 4) have cross pins or other suitable projections b' adapted to engage
notches a in the pole socket A'.

page_text: In the upper end of the pole A is fitted a forked part A' in which is pivotted a
grooved wheel a over which the supporting cord d or its equivalent, of a net D is
led on its way to the windlass E which is situated beneath it. This windlass consists
of a short rod or pin E' which lies horizontally in the same plane as the net D and is
reduced at one end e to enter its bearing in the pole A where it is retained by a
dise e' which is rigidly secured to its protruding end e on the other side of the
pole A.
On the other and larger end e¹ of this pin E' which forms the drum of the windlass
is a projection to which the net supporting cord d or its equivalent is secured, and
a suitable crank handle E' is also provided with which to operate the windlass E &
Bo adjust the tension of the net supporting cord d.
The disc e' before referred to, is provided with an annular row of holes e' near its
outer edge, adapted to receive a pin e' which co-operates with one or more holes e
suitably located on the pole A into which the said pin e' is inserted for the purpose
of preventing the windlass E from running back after the tension of the net supporting
cord d has been adjusted.
Instead of using hollow poles they may be made of solid wood or other suitable
material in which case their lower ends would be provided with suitable sockets having
notches a and their upper ends would be provided with suitable forked fittings
adapted to fit over the poles while the windlass would take its bearing in a suitably
bushed hole in the said pole.
I may use a modified form of ground screw B the upwardly projecting stem b³ of
which may have a suitable hole 6x for the reception of a lever or like part with which
to drive it into the ground,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of any said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.
1. In apparatus for supporting lawn tennis and other like nets or their equivalents,
the use of poles whose lower ends are provided with suitable sockets adapted to
engage and be supported by the upwardly projecting stems of suitable ground screws,
the said stems having cross pins or other like projections adapted to enter notches in
the said sockets substantially as described and for the purposes set forth in the
specification.
2. In apparatus for supporting lawn tennis and other like nets or their equivalents,
the combination with a net supporting pole, provided with a suitable guide wheel,
of a windlass consisting of a short rod or pin provided at one end with a suitable
crank and reduced in diameter at the other end to enter a bearing in the net
supporting pole, in which it is retained by a disc having suitable holes adapted
to receive a pin which co-operates with one or more holes in the pole for the
purpose of retaining the same in the adjusted position, substantially as described in
the specification.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting a net supporting
apparatus, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth in the
specification.
CT
100