US2074180A - Tennis ball holder - Google Patents

Description

March 16, 1937. F. J. HATLEY TENNIS BALL HOLDER Filed April e, 1936 was I 2.014.

, V 1 T t 2,074,180

TENNIS BALL HOLDER .Fred J. Hatley, Maywood, Ill. Application April 6, 1936, Serial No. 72,872 4 Claims- (Cl. 22M); 1 t This invention relates to tennis ballholders, ingsuch as the belt II. The holder or holders and among other objects aims to provide a simple maybe located in theposltions which are most and efiectivemeans for relieving a tennis player convenient tothe particular player. or the necessity oi'holding spare. tennis ballsin The holder may advantageously comprise a 5 the hand, and yet which will makei't possible single strand of wire (such as spring brass wire 5 tosecure'another ball as conveniently and quickly or 16 to 18 gauge) bent to form the rings and as though it had been carried in the hand. the-hook l6 integral therewith. The .folding or Thenature of the invention may be readily bending of the wireto form thevarious elements understood by reference to one illustrative device maybe considerably .varied. One method of 10 embodying the same and shown in the accombending the wire is illustratedinFig. 3. Asthere l0 panying drawing. shown, a portion adjacent oneend or the wire is In said drawing: I I A bent into the lower loop Ill, the extremity of such Fig. 1 is a perspective view or a single holder portion being indicated at l8; and a portion at secured to the belt of a player; i p j the opposite end or the wire is bent to form the Fig. 2 is aside view of the holder; and upper ring I l, the opposite extremity of the wire 15 Fig. 3 is a rear elevation thereof. being indicated at It and in this case lying adja- Many tennis players find it difiicult to serve or cent. the extremity IS; The intermediate portion toplay effectively while carrying spare [tennis of the wire comprises'the upwardly extending balls, and yet are obliged to do so because of the members and the integral hook member i6 an inconvenience which would otherwise ensue. The which is flared outwardly as indicated at 2| to 20 illustrative device may be carried on the person provide a wider bearing surface. The wire exin such a way as not to interfere with the players tremities l8 and is, together with the members freedom or play; it is adapted to release or. to 20 are preferably bound or anchored together by receivea ball with a single movement of the a binding member in the form of a strap or of clothing of the wearer when not in use. one pointlor the respective rings Ill and I I so as As here shown, the device comprises a pair 01 to give them the necessary anchorage for the resiliently mounted rings In and II, in this case resilient pressure which they are requiredto exert of spring wire, whose diameter is substantially in holding a tennis ball. I! desired, the bindin to less than that of the tennis'ball they are intended action of the member 22 may be supplemented 3 to hold. At one point in the circumference of by solder 23 so as more firmly to anchor the sev--v *each of the rings they are mounted to a base I! eralstrands of the wire against relativedisplacein such a way as resiliently to resist separation; ment inside the member 22. The free end or the In unstrained relationshipthe rings are sepaf loop I6 is arranged so as to converge upon the v 3 rated at one point by a distance A, which is great base l2 thereby making it possible for the hook enough in relation to the diameter or the tennis to grip the portion orthe clothing where applied. ball for the rings to be spread apart by a' tennis I The doubled parts or the wire strand adjacent ball it when the latter is pushed between the the extremity 24 or the hook may advantageously rings (see dotted lines l3 in Fig. 2). when he brought into parallel relationship as illustrated pushed completely into the holder, the rings close at 25 to make it possible to anchor the hook to somewhat (to the positions indicated by the dota button 26 inside the belt. In applying and reted lines at I4 and i5 in Fig. 2) and resiliently moving the holder the button head passes through embrace the. ball ufl i n y firm y to prevent its the flared portion 2| or the hook. The extremity accidental discharge from the holder. Neverthee 24 is outwardly flared to facilitate application.

less, the ball can be withdrawn easily by hand Being made practically wholly from inexpen 45 simply by grasping and pulling it away from the sive' wire the device may be made at extremely rings which thereupon resiliently separate to relow cost. It is so lig t in weight that as many lease the ballr as necessary may be worn by the player without The holder is advantageously provided with consciousness of their presence. 5o

. some means by which it may conveniently be Obviously the invention is. not limited to the attached to and detached from the clothing of details of the illustrative'device since these may the wearer. In the present instance, such atbe variously modified. Moreover it is not intaching means are represented by hook l6 adaptdispensable that all features or this invention be ed to fit over some portion of the wearer's clothused conjointly since various features may be 55 hand; and can be easily disconnected from the a fiat sleeve 22 which provides a firm anchor at 25 r 2 2,074,1ao i used to advantage in different combinations and the attachment of said holder to the clothing sub-combinations. oi the user. Having described my invention, I claim: 3. A tennis ball holder 01 the character de- 1. A tennis ball combination a strand of spring wire, said wire being bent adjacent each end into the form of a ring whose diameter is less than that of a tennis ball, said rings being relativeLv arranged with their planes in outwardly diverging relationship, the remaining portions 01' said wire being bent into parallel relationship at the point of closest convergence of said rings and extending from such point in a direction substantially transverse to the planes of said rings, means for binding said wire together adjacent said point of closest convergence of said rings to anchor said rings, a portion of the wire in parallel relationship being bent over to form a hook for attaching said holder to the clothing of the user.

2. A tennis ball holder of the character described comprising strand of wire bent ring whose diameter is less than that 01' a tennis to anchor said rings to permit relative flexure, Said rings diverging outwardly from the point of anchoring at such relative angle as to be sprung apart upon the insertion of a tennis ball, the remaining portions of the wire extending from the point of anchoring at an angle to the planes of said-rings and being bent to form a hook for holder or the character de-' scribed comprising in strand of wire bent in combination a resilient in combination a resilient adjacent each end into a ring whose diameter is lessthan ball. the portions of scribed comprising the wire at the of anchoring at such relativefangle as to be sprung apart upon the insertion oi a tennis ball,

the remaining portions of the from the point of wire extending thatotatennis anchoring being doubled and. being bent into hook form, the doubled portions 4. A tennis ball holder of the character described FRED J. HA'ILEYi

Images