US2085960A

US2085960A - Racket or bat for tennis or like games

Info

Publication number: US2085960A
Application number: US54931A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donisthorpe Frank Wordsworth
Original assignee: HAZELLS Ltd
Current assignee: HAZELLS Ltd
Priority date: 1934-12-31
Filing date: 1935-12-17
Publication date: 1937-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 1954-07-06
Also published as: BE412889A; FR799614A; DE661058C

Description

July 6, 1931' F. w D'ONISTHORPE 2,085,960

RACKET OR BAT FOR TENNIS OR LIKE GAMES I F iled Dec. 17, 1935 i 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcr.

RACKET R BAT FOR TENNIS 0R LIKE GAMES Application December 17, 1935, Serial No. 54,931

In Great Britain 8 Claims.

This invention relates to rackets or bats for tennis and like games.

The object of this invention is to provide a racket or the like of improved shape which will be more efiicient in use.

' A further object is to provide a racket or the like with reinforcements which will prevent Warp or twist and which will prevent the racket being pulled out of shape by the stringing.

A still further object is to provide means which will serve for supporting the racket during use.

With these and other objects in View theinvention consists in carrying the bow or head of a tennis or other racket from the handle or grip through the medium of side extension members and one or more additional members arranged within the side extension or handle members.

The invention further consists in carrying the bow or head of a tennis or other racket from the 0 handle or grip portion through the medium of a centrally extending member and side extension members preferably arranged tangentially from the said bow or head and meeting at the grip or handle.

The invention still further consists in the provision of wedge shaped reinforcing members between the side members and the bow of the racket through which the stringing is adapted to pass.

The invention still further consists in forming the bow portion of the racket by means of strips bent to form the bow, the ends of one strip being brought together to provide the inner frame and a central stem extending into and forming the centre part of the handle, the ends of the other 5 strip being brought preferably tangentially from the bow and further forming the handle so as to provide direct supports from the grip of the handle to the side of the bow, said bow being further shaped by an arcuately bent insertion at the throat portion of the racket, a throat piece being also inserted at the curved junction of the strip which forms the central stem.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure l is a front elevation of one form of tennis racket constructed according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof,

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail,

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on the line aa,' of Figure l. V

Figure 5 shows a modified form of racket with the side members of a different shape.

Figure 6 is another form of racket in which December 31, 1934 the head is connected'to the handle or grip by four handle members.

Figure 7 shows an alternative method of constructing the racket shown in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a further modification, and

Figure 9 is a still further modified construction.

Referring more particularly to the construction shown in Figures 1 to 4 the frame is formed of two laminated strips of wood I and 2. One laminated strip I comprising for instance three

laminations

3, 4, and 5, is bent to form the bow and the ends are brought together to form the central shaft 6 extending to and forming the centre of the handle 1. At the junction of the inwardly bent ends a throat piece 8 is inserted and an additional arcuately shaped laminated strip 9 is glued or otherwise secured so as to pro-v vide the usual oval shape to the interior of the frame. Around the bow portion thus formed the additional laminated strip or strap 2 is secured. This additional laminated strip 2 comprising, for instance, three laminations it, II, and I2 has its ends tangentially arranged to the medial portion of the bow as shown at I3 and this strip or strap 2 passes directly into the grip portion of the handle 1 and parallel extensions l4 thereof are adapted to further form part of the handle 1. Insertion pieces 15 are provided between the central stem 8 of the handle 1 and the extending portions M of the tangentiallyarranged strips [3 so as to make they grip portion of the handle l'of the desired width. The grip portion of the handle 7 l is further reinforced by pieces I6 glued on to the upper and lower edge faces of the strips 6 and M and the insertion pieces 15 so that the grip portion of the handle 1 can be brought tothe desired shape and section. It will be seen that the grip portion of the handle I is made only of sufficient length to be comfortably gripped and that the strips 5 and i3 can conveniently formadditional grip or handle members. The grip portion of the handle? may be bound with or reinforced by leather tape or the like material I6 in the usual manner. Wedge pieces H are also inserted between the curved portions of the bow and the tangentially arranged members I! so as to reinforce the racket at these places and facilitate the stringing operation. These portions may also be further reinforced by binding tape'or the like it and/or an overlay and binding tape or the like I9 is also provided at each side'of the throat so that the arcuately shaped insertion piece 9 will be. further reinforced. i

It will thus be seen that the frame of the racket will have a substantially triangular shaped,

gap or opening 20 at each side of the main stem 6, which latter is of considerably lighter construction than usual. The bow portion of the racket will thus be carried from the handle grip I by the central stem 6 and. by two outwardly flared members I3 extending directly from the handle grip to the medial portion of the bow b which continue completely round the inner frame member. The outwardly flared members which form part of the outer main frame may be inwardly or outwardly bowed or otherwise suitably curved but are preferably made straight as shown so that they directly support the medial portion of the bow from the handle grip and thus serve to directly take the strain when a ball is hit at either side of the bow. It will be seen that the laminated strip 2 will provide what may be termed a strapped racket.

The bow of the racket is drilled at 2| in the usual manner for the stringing 22 and each wedge shaped piece I1 is drilled for the insertion of the string or gut which is adapted to further secure the wedge shaped pieces I1 in position. These wedge shaped pieces I! are also further drilled or bored at 23 so that a portion of the stringing can be brought from the outside frame into the triangular shaped gaps 20 and threaded through the throat or connected to the throat portion in the usual manner. ranged aperture 23 in each wedge I1 is preferably provided for the ends of the longitudinal stringing, the lateral stringing will be brought out through the wedge pieces I! to the outer frame in substantially the usual manner. Thus any difficulty of threading this new type of racket will be overcome. It will be seen from the above description that the bow of the racket will be supported from the grip portion of the handle I by three limb members, that is, the central member 6 formed by the connected ends of the main or inner frame I and the tangentially arranged ends I3 of the outer frame or strap 2. bow portion of the racket will be of similar section to that usually provided and the weight will not be increased, since the central stem 6 is of considerably lighter construction than the handle stem provided in the usual type of racket.

In the modified construction as shown in Figure 5 the members I3 are curved and bent inwardlyso that parts thereof may be secured to the central stem 6. Thus, parts of the members I3 extend straight upwards for some distance from the grip portion of the handle 1. This method of construction provides a more rigid connection between the grip and the bow which is much stronger than the conventional throat. The members I 3 may be united along the straight portion or may be separate until they reach the grip. If desired, the grip portion may extend further up the handle.

If desired, the ends of the inner laminated strip I need not be glued or secured together. On the other hand they may be spaced apart and if necessary spacing members may be secured between them, thus in efiect producing a racket in which the bow portion is connected to the grip portion by four extending handle members. A slight modification of the main construction is shown in Figure 6 in which the ends 24 of the laminated strip I do not extend to the'centre of the lower end of the bow 25 but are bent downwards and'then converge and meet in the grip member 26. Further wedges 21 may be secured at the joint between the portions 2 5 and the arcuately shaped strip.9. I

This additional angularly ar- Obviously, the:

In a further modified construction as shown in Figure 7, the laminated strip I may be divided at the bow portion. The laminated strip I will then be in two parts 28, curved round so as to form the lower end of the bow 25. In this case the arcuately shaped member 9 is omitted.

In a further modified construction as shown in Figure 8 the central stem 6 need not be formed integral with the bow. In this case the central portion 6 comprises a member 29 separate from the bow and this member 29 is secured to the bow by glue, screws or by any other suitable means. Small wedges 38 may be secured to both sides of the join. The lower portion of the bow may be completed by an arcuately shaped member or if desired a complete oval frame member 3| may be inserted to reinforce the bow portion of the racket.

In a further alternative construction as shown in Figure 9 the portion 6 of the laminated strip I need not extend to the grip portion of the handle, but may be out 01f to provide a projection 3z. This projection 32 will form a convenient support for the bow of the racket during use either alone or by the player gripping it and one of the side members I 3.

Although it is preferred to use laminated wood in the various constructions described, it is obvious that the parts may be constituted of solid strips of wood or metal.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the straps I3 need not be formed integrally with the bow, but might comprise separate members within which a complete bow of oval or any other desired shape may be secured. Further the grip.

portion may be connected to the bow or head by means of more than four handle members. The head or how may be of oval, circular or any other desired shape and may be strung in any convenient or known manner. not limited in its application to tennis rackets, but could also be applied to rackets or-bats for badminton, squash, ping-pong and similar games.

What I claim is:

1. A racket for tennis and like games comprising a bow or head member, a grip member, two handle members diverging from the grip member and adjoining the bow towards its extreme sides and a member extending downwardly from the lower endof the bow, said handle members and last mentioned 'member being spaced apart so that each maybe separately gripped by the hand. r

2. A racket for tennis and like games wherein the bow or head portion of the racket is formed by means of strips bent to form the how, the ends of one strip being brought together to provide the inner frame and a central stem extending into and forming the centre part of the handle, the outer strips or strap being bent round the inner frame and brought substantially tangentially from the bow to form the handle and to provide direct supports from the grip of the handle to the side of the bow.

3. In a tennis racket, as claimed in claim 2,

g the provision of wedge shaped reinforcing mem-- The invention is so that a portion of the string can be brought from the outside of the frame into the triangular shaped gaps formed between the central stem and the tangentially arranged side members.

5. A tennis racket as claimed in claim 2, wherein insertion pieces are provided between the central stem and the extending portions of the side or tangentially arranged strips so as to provide a handle of the desired width.

6. A racket for tennis and like games, comprising a bow member, a grip member, two handle members diverging from the grip member and connected to the bow member at its extreme sides, and a further handle member extending downwardly from the lower end of the bow, the diverging handle members having an uninterrupted length exceeding the distance between the grip member and the nearest point of the bow.

'7. A racket for tennis and the like, comprising a bow or head, a grip member, and three or more independent interconnecting members between the bow and grip member, said interconnecting members being so spaced apart that each may be separately gripped by the hand.

8. A tennis racket including a how, a handle, a skeleton extension between the handle and bow, said skeleton extension being formed by a central stem between the bow and handle, and

side members connected to the handle and diverging relative to the central stem and connected at' their upper ends to the bow to form wedge-shaped spaces, said wedge-shaped spaces providing such area that the central stem or side members may be separately gripped by the hand.

FRANK WORDSWORTH DONISTHORPE.