US335656A

US335656A - Tennis-racket

Info

Publication number: US335656A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1886-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 1903-02-09

Description

(No Model.)

F. W. TAYLOR.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

tUNrrnn Starts ATENT rrron TENNIS- RACKET.

SPECIPICATION forming part oi' Letters Patent No. 335.656, dated February 9, 1 6.

Application filed July 29, 1885.

To all whom it may cocern;

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. TAY- Lo R, a citizen of the United States, and a resident oi' the city and County ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Tennis-Rackets, of which the following is a speeifieation.

The object of my invention is to furnish a ten n is raeket by n eans of which a certain class of players will be more readily enabled to strike balls which bounce close to the grou nd, so as to cause them to rise over the net, and to strike certain balls which are above the leve] ol' their heads in such a way as to drive them to the ground in the opposite court from that in which they stand.

In th 3 acconpanying drawings, forming part oi' this specification, and in which similar lett rs ofrut'erenccindicatesiuilnrparts throughut the several views, Figures l and 2 are a front and side elevation of the ordinary tennis-racket; l.`igs. 3, 4, 5, G, 7, 8, 9, and 10, front and side elevations of various forms of my improved racket.

A is the handle of and O the head.

In Figs. 1 and 2, which are a front and side elc'vation ol" a tennis racket as at present constructed, the axis or center line of the handle A lies in the plane of the net-work of the head C. Certain players have diffioulty in using a racket ol" this form when the ball bounces close the racket, B the neck,

i to the ground or passes above the level of their heads, as the nanner in which they hold the racket is such that in st-iking the ball in these cases the ball is not driven to the oppo site court, as is desired and intended, but passes froni the racket in such a way as either to strike the net or fall outside of the opposite In my raeket, which is intended to the axis or center line a greater or less angle court. obviate this ditliculty, of the handle A makes Serial No. 171943. (Ne model.)

with the head C. The amount of this anglei not material to my invention, for with diifer ent players it will probably be necessary t vary it.

Figs. 3 to 10 represent front and side eleva tions of various forms of my improved racket In Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10 I have fnrnishec the racket, at the point where the handle A joins the neck, with a joint, hinge, or pivot, D, by means of which the angle forned by the axs el' the handle and the plane of the head may be varied. It Will be understood, however, that it is not essential to the workng oi my racket that there should be any such h nge or any means for varying this angle, tor it s probable that most ol' ny improved rackets will have the greater part of the frame ot the head, the ncek, and the handle all made out ol'a single piece ol' Wood bentinto the proper form.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the head C of the racket s shown pivoted to the neck.

In Figs. 9 and 10 the handle A is curved, so that its axis is at an angle witli the center plane of the head C. I

There may be many nore ways of securng the head of the racket to the handle without departing from the spirit ol' ny invention, and it will be understood that I do not desire to linit myself to any particular method oi' attachment or adjustnent.

I claim as new and desire ters Patent- A tennis-raeket in which the center line or axis of the handle is set at an angle with the center plane ol" the network of the head, sub

stantially :s set l'orlh.

' FR EDERICK XV. TAYLOR.

to secure by Leti tn esses:

CLARENCE M. CLARD, GUTLLIAM AUTSEN.