US1500054A - Construction of racket presses - Google Patents

Description

J. E. COLTMAN CONSTRUCTION OF RACKET PRESSES Filed Aug. 25, 1922 a Sheets-Sheet 1 Jy l 1924.

. J. E. COLTMAN CONSTRUCTION OF RACKET PHESSES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 1 1924, 1,500,054

7 J. E. COLTMAN CONSTRUCTION OF RACKBT PRESSES Filed Aug 25, 1922 :5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented July 1, 1924.

CONSTRUCTION OF BASKET PRESSES.

Application filed August 25, 1922. Serial No. 584,336.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that JAMES EDWIN COLTMAN,

a subject of the King of Great Britain, re-

siding at Ilford, Essex, England, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Construction of Racket Presses, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to construct a racket press which can be clamped automatically and simultaneously at the four corners to a racket or unclamped therefrom without the use of thumb nuts as is now the case, thus obviating the loss of a nut or the trouble of unscrewing the nuts, and at the same time allow for varying the pressure at the corners so as to ensure that the pressure is at all points, even with the varying thickness of the racket.

According to this invention I employ two sets of bars or frames connected together at their corners by means whereby, on the simple movement of a bar or lever, the two sets of bars or frames will be caused to approach or recede from each other.

Such means may consist of screw threaded pins or postsand nuts or plain pins or posts and washers or collars having cam shaped meeting faces, the nuts or collars being connectedby links or levers to a bar or lever so that, on movement of the bar or lever, the nuts or collars will be revolved.

Suitable means may be provided for adjustment to suit variations in the thickness of rackets.

My invention will be clearly understood from the following description aided by the annexed drawings which illustrate two examples of carrying my invention into effect and in which Figure 1 is a plan of a press constructed according to one example of my invention.

Figure 2 is an end view of the press shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 a section through one of the corners and Figure 4 a section on the lines a (1- of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a plan of struction.

Figure 6 an end view of the press shown in Fig. 5.

Figure 7 a section through the lines I) Z) of Figure 5. V

Figure 8 an underview of one corner and Figure 9 a plan view showing a racket 1n position with the press clamped on same.

According to the example shown in Figa modified conures 1 to 4, I take three rods or bars 1, 2, 3 and arrange them so that the two outer bars 1, 3 are at opposite angles to the centre one 2 and I connect the two outer or frame bars 1, 3 at each end by links 4, 4, 5, 5 to the ends of the centre bar 2, the links 5, 5 on one end of the bars being of greater length than those 4, 4 at the other end of the bars.

I employ two sets of these bar frames and connect them together at the ends of the side bars by pins or bolts 6 and screw or cam appliances so that the frames can be drawn together to grip the racket or be moved away from one another to release the racket, whilst the link connections 4, 4, 5, 5 to the centre bar 2 are by separate and ordinary bolts, rivets 7 or equivalent.

Each pin or bolt 6 may consist of a head 8, square shank 9 and a screw-threaded end 10. The links 4, 5 of one frame are formed with clearance holes which encircle and are free to revolve on the pins or bolts next to the heads 8, the bars 1 and 3 are formed with square holes which pass over the square shanks 9 of the bolts 6 and the links 4, 5 of the other frame have square or castellated holes to'receive the correspondingly shaped nuts 11.

Springs 12 encircling the bolts 6 are interposed between the links 4, 4 and 5, 5'

and springs 13 are positioned to encircle the screw-threaded ends 10 of the pins or bolts and press on the nuts 11. The springs 13 and threaded ends of the pins or bolts 6 beyond the nuts 11 are enclosed by covers 14 secured to the bolts by burring or riveting over the ends of the latter.

Now when the frame is collapsed, that is to say when the links 4, 4, 5, 5 are moved by the bars 2 to the position shown in dotted lines Figure 1, the nuts 11 will be turned on the bolts 6 (which are formed in pairs with right and left hand threads) by the links 4, 5 and, under the action of the springs 12, the opposing bars 1, 1 and 3, 3 will be moved further apart. The bars 1, 3 having square holes engaging the square shanks 9 of the pins or bolts 6 will prevent the latter from revolving.

The racket is now inserted between frame bars 1, 1 and 3, 3 and when the links 4, 4, 5, 5 are moved back by the bars 2 to the position shown in full lines Figure 1 the nuts 11 will be turned on the bolts 6 to move the bars 1 and 3 of the opposing bar frames toward one another so as to clamp the racket between them.

By making the connection between the links 4-,, 5 and nuts 11 in the manner described the links can be lifted off the nuts 11 and the nuts 11 be adjusted on the pins or bolts 6 to suit the thickness of the racket to be pressed. The links at and 5 can then be replaced so that the press can be adjusted to suit various thicknesses of rackets and the pair 1-, 4 or the pair 5, 5 of said links can be adjusted to suit tapered rackets.

According to the example shown in Figures 5 to 9 I employ in place of the bars 1, 3 two frames 15, 15 similar to the ordinary racket press now in use and four screw threaded pins or posts 6, each having a flange or disc 8 at one end, such flange being formed with recesses 16, preferably circular, around the circumference, these pins 6 are passed through holes in the corners of the frames 15, 15 with a spiral spring 12 encircling the pins 6 and positioned between the frames 15, 15 so as to normally press the frames 15, 15 apart. I

The flanges 8 abut against the outside of one frame 15 which I will call the bottom frame and on each pin 6 is screwed a nut 11.

Each nut 11 is preferably formed with a square head to engage a square hole formed in one end of a link 4 or 5, the nuts 11 being burred over or otherwise secured to the links 4, 5. The other ends of the links t, 5 are formed with slots 17.

Along the centre of the other frame 15 which I will call top frame, is positioned a bar 2, preferably hollow, and having a longitudinal slot adjacent to the frame 15 and secured to the latter by angle pieces secured to the frame 15 and having projections passing through the slot into the hollow bar so that the bar can slide lengthways on the frame 15 but will at the same time be secured thereto.

The bar2 carries, opposite to theslot just referred to, two studs 18 or pins upon which are mounted rollers, which rollers work in the slots 17 in the links t, The bar 2 is also preferably provided with a handle or knob 19 at one end.

A spring catch 20 is positioned on the top frame 15 to engage in a slot or recess formed in the underside of the bar 2 and thus secure the bar 2 against movement.

The pins 6 and nuts 11 are arranged in pairs, that is to say, the two pins and nuts at the wide end of the press comprise one pair and the two pins at the narrow end comprise the other pair, and one pin of each pair formed one with a right hand thread and one pin of each of the other pair is formed with a left hand thread so that, on moving the ends of the links 1-, 5 in one direction, all of the nuts 11 will move in the same direction along their pins 6.

The studs 18 and rollers on the bar 2 are the same distance apart as the centres of the two pairs of screw pins 6 and the links 4:, 5 on the nuts 6 are of suflicient length to overlap one another with the slots 17 of each pair engaging a stud 18 and roller, that is to say, the slots 17 of two links 5, 5 of the pair at the wider end of the press engage one stud 18 and roller and the slots 17 of the other pair l, 4: engage the other stud 18 and roller. The studs 18 are preferably formed with heads of larger diameter than the width of the slots 17 so as to secure the links 4t, 5 to the bar.

The parts are so arranged that when the bar 2 is moved lengthwise in one direction and the links 4-, l and 5, 5 are at an angle to each other the frames 15 and 15 are moved further apart and the racket can be inserted between said frames. Now on sliding the bar 2 lengthwise in the other direction the links 4, 1 and 5, 5 will be moved and at the same time revolve the nuts 11 on the pins 6 and thus move the frames 15, 15 towards each other against the opposite sides of the racket until each pair of links 4:, 5 are parallel as shown at Figure 9 when the spring catch 20 will engage in the recess or slot in the bar 2 and secure the bar against movement.

To open the press it is only necessary to release the spring catch 20 and move the bar 2 lengthwise in the reverse direction to the position shown in Figure 5.

It will generally be necessary to adjust the press to the particular racket it is to be used with and this can be easily effected by placing the racket in the press, moving the bar 2 lengthwise to close the press on to the racket, and then, by turning the flange 8 on a pin 6 adjusting such pin in the nut 11 to either tighten or loosen the pressure at that part. hen the pin 6 is adjusted a screw 21 or suitable catch can be placed in one of the recesses 16 to prevent the flange 8 from revolving, or the screw 21 can be permanently inserted and in order to adjust the frames 15, 15 said frames may be pressed together to cause the flanges 8 to project beyond that face of the frame 15 with which they engage and free of the screw 21, in which position the flanges 8 maybe turned to the desired position. hen the frames 15, 15 are released they will be caused by the springs 12 to move away from one another, and the pins 21 will then engage in the recesses 16.

Although in both cases I have described and shown a screw connection for opening and closing the bars or frames it is obvious that any other suitable form of mechanism, for example two cam surfaces Working over each other may be employed, in which case I may mount on each pin 6 a washer or end piece having a one, two, three or four lead spiral helical cam on one face and secured against rotation on the pin and may loosely mount on the pin another washer having corresponding cams, in opposed relation to said firstnamed cams, the last-named wash er being secured to one end of a link, and a nutor collar being employed to form a bearing and hold the last-named washer on the pin.

In this case, on moving the bar 2, the Washers connected to the links would revolve on the pins 6, and their cam surfaces would ride over the cam surfaces of the other washers which are secured to the pins and so increase or decrease the distance between the bars or frames.

What- I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. A racket press comprising a plurality of pairs of opposed frame bars having aligned apertures in their ends, pins passing through said apertures connecting the opposed frame bars together, means mounted on each of said pins adapted when actuated to move the opposing frame bars toward and from one another, and means for simultaneously actuating said last-named means.

2. A racket press comprising pairs of opposing frame bars having aligned apertures in their ends, pins connecting the ends of the pairs of bars and slidable in said apertures, means adjustable on said pins for moving said opposing frame bars toward one another, means for simultaneously adjusting said last-named means, and means to prevent said pins from rotating.

3. In a racket press a pair of opposed frames, each comprising a pair of side members and a pair of end members, a plurality of clamping devices each connecting one end of each side member to the adjacent end of the complemental side member of the opposing frame, said clamping devices adapted, when operated, to press said frames together, and means for simultaneously operating said clamping devices.

4. A racket press comprising a plurality of pairs of opposing frame bars, one set of said frame bars having a plurality of pins projecting therefrom and the opposing set of frame bars having apertures in alinement with and adapted to receive said pins, means associated with said last-named frame bars and adjustable on each of said pins for moving said opposing frame bars toward and from one another, and means for simultaneously adjusting said last-named means.

5. In a racket press a frame comprising a pair of side members and a pair of end members, each of said side members having a pin projecting from one of its faces adjacent each of its ends, a second frame mounted in opposed relation to said firstnamed frame comprising a pair of side members each having apertures to receive the pins carried by the side members of the opposing frame, and a pair of end members each composed of a pair of links having their adjacent ends in lapping relation and pivoted together, a rotatable member carried by the outer end of each of said links and mounted on one of said pins and adapted, when rotated in one direction, to cause said opposing frames to move toward one another, and when rotated in the opposite di rection to permit said frames to move away from one another, and a connection between the opposite end members of said lastnamed frame for simultaneously moving said end members and rotating said rotatable members.

6. A racket press comprising parallel pairs of frame bars having aligned apertures in their ends, threaded bolts passing through said apertures, heads at one end of the bolts and nuts threaded to the opposite end whereby the distance between the parallel frame bars may be adjusted for causing limited rotation of said nuts on said bolts simultaneously and for preventing rotation beyond said limits in the adjusted position.

7. A racket press comprising pairs of frame bars, threaded bolts connecting the ends of the pairs of bars and slidable in apertures in said bars, nuts threaded onto said bolts, toggles for simultaneously operating said nuts, and means to prevent said bolts from rotating, and means for locking said toggles in various positions.

8. A racket press comprising pairs of parallel frame bars having aligned apertures in their ends, parallel members connecting said pairs, bolts headed at one end and threaded at the other, passing through and slidable in the apertures in said frame bars, springs on said bolts between said bars, nuts on the threaded ends of said bolts, slotted links secured to said nuts, a rod connected to said links by means slidable in said slots whereby the nuts may be ro tated a limited extent simultaneously, and means for locking said last named rod in various positions of adjustment.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES EDI/VIN COLTMAN.

lfitnesses RICHARD Conn GARDNER, HAROLD Conn GARDNER.

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