US2059917A

US2059917A - Tennis racket

Info

Publication number: US2059917A
Application number: US29717A
Authority: US
Inventors: Spencer Vernon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-07-10
Filing date: 1935-07-03
Publication date: 1936-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 1953-11-03

Description

V. SPENCER TENNI S RACKET Nov. 3, 1936.

Filed July 3, 1935 Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TENNIS RACKET Vernon Spencer, Randwick, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tennis rackets and the like, hereinafter referred to generally as rackets, and has been devised with a view to improving the general construction of the rackets, and of devising means whereby the strings may be adjusted as to tension.

An object of the present invention is to provide a racket which may have one or more of the strings adjusted quickly and readily at any time.

A further object of the invention is to produce a racket in which the frame will not tend to break or crack; in other words the invention aims at the production of a better and stronger frame than is at present in use, and in which the stringing is easily effected and may be adjusted from time to time.

Further objects of the invention are to provide means in which there are no portions of the strings outside the frame to cut or break as in the case when the strings pass through slots or holes as in the ordinary racket frame; and to provide a racket wherein the whole of the strings or any number thereof may be readily replaced.

According to the present invention the frame may be made in accordance with the orthodox shapes, preferably of metal, and is provided with a suitable handle.

The frame is provided with means whereby the complete system of stringing comprising transverse and longitudinal strings or any number of such strings may be secured with respect to the frame.

The present invention enables a complete system of stringing comprising a plurality of interlaced transverse and longitudinal strings, each of which, preferably, has anchoring means at the ends thereof to be attached to the frame in an adjustable manner.

The means for anchoring the strings in the frame, may consist of a knot formed upon one end of the respective strings while at the other end a metal fitting is attached to the string, said fitting being disposed in the frame in a rotatable manner and provided with a pin or other locking means. In some cases a screwed or other fitting may be used for anchoring the ends of the strings to the frame. If desired more than one string may be attached to a single anchoring fitting.

The strings or string are or is inserted in the frame and are brought to the desired tension by adjustment of a rotatable fitting.

In one form of the invention the frame of the racket is made from metal, and has a plurality of holes formed therein from the front face to the rear face thereof and also has a plurality of holes drilled in the frame at right angles to the former holes.

In use the gut forming the strings passes through the transverse holes into the frame member of the racket and is anchored at one end.

The other end of the string is secured to a nipple which is inserted in one of the first mentioned holes and round which nipple the slack in the string is wound by means of a suitable tensioning key, the nipples being prevented from rotating by suitable pins or stops.

Preferably the string is connected to the nipple by being passed through suitable holes bored therein.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practical effect, reference is now made to the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification, wherein:-

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a tennis racket embodying one form of the present improvements.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the racket.

Figure 3 is drawn to a larger scale and illustrates in section the preferred means employed to anchor one end of the strings.

Figure 3A illustrates alternative means for anchoring the strings, as indicated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is also drawn to a larger scale and serves to show one of the nipples constituting the rotatable means employed to bring the strings to the desired tension.

Figure 5 shows the aforesaid nipple in section.

Figure 6 is an enlarged section taken on the plane indicated by the line 6-6 in Figure 4.

' Figure '7 serves to illustrate a modified form of the racket frame which provides for an alternative method of locking the aforesaid nipples.

Figure 8 is a section of the modified frame taken on the plane indicated by the line 8-8 in Figure '7; and

Figure 9 is a section of the modified frame taken on the line 9-9 in Figure 7.

Figure 10 shows portion of the racket frame in section and illustrates a fitting which enables a single strand of gut to be used to provide a pair of parallel strings.

Figure 11 indicates a cross section of the fitting shown by Figure 10.

On reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing it will be seen that the general configuration of the racket conforms to the orthodox shapes now in vogue. The racket illustrated is characterized in that it has a tubular metal frame l5 the ends of which are encased in two wood members IS, the latter being bound together and covered with a sleeve or wrapped in a suitable strip of material to form a hand grip such as H.

In the particular construction illustrated the frame l5 includes a tubular member [8 which is inserted in the throat of the racket and is there welded or otherwise secured in position to take the strain of the central members of longitudinal strings I9.

The longitudinal strings l9 and transverse strings preferably each consist of a single strand of gut, and in this case they are strung in the frame 55 independently of each other.

One end of each of the strings l9 and 20 is knotted as in Figures 3 and 3A, and these ends of the strings are anchored by means of a socket member such as 3| (Figure 3) or alternatively by an externally threaded bush such as 2! (Figure 3A), the bushes 2| being screwed into tapped holes 22 arranged transversely around the inner periphery of the frame [5. The other ends of the strings l9 and 20 are passed through dia metrically disposed holes in rotatable nipples such as 23 (see figures 4, 5 and 6) and are adapted to be held by engagement of the aforesaid tensioning key with said nipples. The said nipples 23 are disposed in holes 24 drilled in the frame l5 from front to rear, and bushes 25 are furnished to prevent the strings l9 and 29 from beingdamaged by chafing against the said frame.

One end of the nipples 23 is drilled and tapped at 26 to provide a socket for a screw threaded tensioning key (not shown) and the other end is drilled diametrically to accommodate a locking pin 27. A plurality of grooves 28 are formed transversely of the holes 24 to receive the locking pins 21.

It will be observed that in Figure 1 the nipples 23 and the bushes 2| for the transverse strings of the racket are arranged in pairs alternately. This arrangement is adopted to preserve balance of the racket about its longitudinal axis.

In stringing a racket according to the present invention the strings are anchored as shown by Figures 3 or 3A though it will be evident that in some cases it may be convenient to anchor a longitudinal string and a transverse string by means of the same bush 2|.

A string having been anchored as explained, its other end is passed through the opposite bush 25 and then diametrically through the holes provided in the adjacent nipple 23 as shown more particularly by Figures 5 and 9. The strings are threaded through the holes of the nipples in the following manner: the nipple 23 is removed from the hole 24 in the frame l5 and the string l9 or 29 is then passed through the bush 25 and then through the lower hole 24. The end of the string is then threaded through the holes in the nipple as shown in Figs. 6 and 9. After the threading operation the nipple is reinserted in the hole 24 of the frame. To allow of the tensicning operation being performed a key having a screwed stem is furnished for use with the racket, and when the string has been attached to the nipple 23 the latter is rotated by the key until the tension in the particular string is as desired. The nipple 23 may then be locked against rotation in the reverse direction by passing a pin 27 through the nipple 23 and allowing the pin to rest in the diametrically disposed groove 28. It will be understood that the manner of fastening one end of the string in the nipple 23 allows of the string being wound upon itself when said nipple is rotated by means of the tensioning key. This arrangement precludes the possibility of the string slipping through the nipple when tension is exerted by the key.

The other strings are tensioned in the frame l5 in a similar manner, the longitudinal strings l9 being interwoven with the transverse strings 29 during the process of stringing.

In the construction of frame illustrated by Figures 7, 8 and 9 a narrow continuous groove 29 is formed in the face of the racket frame and the walls of this groove serve as an abutment for the locking pins 21. The pins 27 in this case do not pass through a hole in the nipples 23, but the nipples have a diametrically disposed slot 30 (Figure 9) wherein the pins 21 are adapted to be fitted. Tension in the strings l9 and 29 is suihcient to cause the pins 2'! to bear firmly against the walls of the groove 29 and they are thus retained in position.

In the modification of the invention illustrated by Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawing, the strings l9 and 2!) may be arranged in pairs each pair comprising a single strand of gut the central portion of which is passed around a roller or curved block such as 32, disposed in the racket frame. The tightening of one string in this case will cause a similar tension to be exerted in the other string of the pair and thereby reduce time taken in tightening the strings.

Other modifications of the invention will present themselves readily and it will be clear that the scope of the invention is not limited to the particular construction herein described.

I claim:

1. An improved tennis racket comprising a tubular metal frame; members encasing the ends of said frame to provide a handle to the racket; strings disposed transversely and longitudinally in said frame; and tensioning means in said frame, to which said strings are attached, said tensioning means including rotatable nipples disposed in holes formed transversely through the said frame, and each of said nipples having in one end a threaded socket for a tensioning key and having two diametrically disposed holes to receive the end portion of one of the aforesaid strings, one of said holes being at the inner end of the said threaded socket; and means in said nipples to lock the latter against rotation.

2. An improved tennis racket comprising a. tubular metal frame, members encasing the ends of said frame to provide a handle to the racket, strings disposed transversely and longitudinally in said frame, and tensioning means in said frame, to which said strings are attached, said tensioning means including rotatable nipples disposed in holes formed transversely through the said frame, the said frame having a continuous groove in its surface between the said holes and disposed diametrically with relation thereto and locking means in all of the said nipples cooperating with said groove.

VERNON SPENCER.