US2004609A - Tennis racket - Google Patents

Description

June ll, 1935. H, JOHNSTON 2,004,609

TENNIS RAGKET med Maron 21, 1952 2 vSmets-sheet 1 ,56 a? 1 L I 'IQ' I', l l I 57 I4 "35 =l 7 42? ,5e

Harry Jhms ton.

. A `CRNEYS June/11, 1935. H. JOHNSTON TENNIS RAcKET Filed March 21, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JLZTTORNEYS Patented June 11, 1935 UNETED STATES "oiFFicE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to sporting equipment and has particular relation to rackets or bats especially applicable for playing tennis, squash, or other games where strung instruments or rackets are employed.

An object of the invention is to construct a rugged but simpliiied racket for the above or removable previously strung insert or inner head frame, the use of which eliminates the necessity of waiting for a racket to be restrung, a common practice with the present type of racket, by making available to the user a convenient source of supply through which such pre-strung inserts of desired tautness or quality of Stringing may be immediately procured and substituted for the damaged one, which may then be discarded if desired. 'Ihis feature is of material benefit to the user as it permits the immediate resumption of play.

Another object of the invention is to provide a removable previously strung insert for a racket which can be removed and left at a re-stringing establishment without leaving the entire racket and in place of which another strung insert may be employed while the rst insert is being reconditioned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a racket having a smooth and rugged frame which is not weakened by having a series of holes proj ecting therethrough, through which rackets ordi-Y narily are strung with the Stringing emerging and lying exposed on the periphery making them vulnerable to damage or severance when coming in violent contact with court projections, and in which a strung insert is employed in such manner that the loops and knots around the periphery of the insert are entirely shielded from the destructive effect of the violent use to which a racket is subjected. f

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of securing racket inserts in frames in such manner that an insert will be tightly held in position as though the two were integral.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel means of securing together the parts of a racket frame by the employment therein'of fiber sleeves glued ,in position between the parts of the frame within drilled openings extending therethrough, thus eliminating the necessity for screws which frequently cut or split the material of the frame during the process of `manufacture and subsequently in the hands of the user, until it is so weakened as eventually to be rendered unsuitable for use.

Another object of the invention is to construct a removable' insert for rackets which requires less material for Stringing than has been required fory other rackets heretofore employed and which'can be returned to the manufacturer thereof for re- Stringing Without the necessity for mailing or otherwise transporting the entire racket.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable balancing element for rackets which can be moved longitudinally of a racket handle until the feel of the racket is-satisfactory to the user. By providing balancing elements of varying Weights and lengths the now present tedious and costly manufacturing process necessary in achieving the extreme accuracy of weight and perfection of balance is materially reduced or` en-V tirely eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to improve the covering of racket handles by providing therefor a iiexible leather or other suitable casing, the edges of which will not be lapped upon the surface of the handle as is now customary in racket construction, but will be turned inwardly with respect to the handle and clamped in position by the latter in such manner that the cover will provide a perfectly smooth gripping surface and will not be easily displaced from the handle of the racket during employment. l A

The invention comprises generally a bent frame the opposite ends of which are secured together within a sectional handle in which is adjustably secured a movable racket balancing member which can be adjusted from one end to the other of the handle until the racket is satisfactorily balanced. The inside of the head framd is tapered from one edge thereof to the other to receive a, correspondingly tapered pre-strung insert which is fastened in the frame b-y screws, after the insert is pressed into such position as to be tightly secured within the tapered interior surface of the frame. The ends of the frame and other parts thereof are secured rigidly together by fiber sleeves projecting through aligned openings in the various parts thereof and secured in position by -glue or other suitable adhesive material. The racket handle consists of a pairof sections, each covered by a strip of leather the 'edges of which are turned inwardly and tightly securedV together when the handle *sectionsl are secured in position upon the end of the frame.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a racket embracing the principles of this invention and with all of the parts thereof assembled and ready for use;

Fig. 2 is aside elevational or edge View of the assembled racket illustrated by Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to that illustrated by Fig. 2 except that a pre-strung insert embraced in the racket is illustrated in a position just after having been removed from the racket frame;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the racket as it might appear looking from the left hand side of Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View of the racket frame as it might appear substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through the racket handle as it might appear in the plane of line 6-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional View of the Vracket handle taken substantially on line 1 1 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is anenlarged plan View of the insert employed in the racket illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the racket'insert illustrated by Fig. 8 and illustrating the method in which the insert is strung and a part of the structure employed for securing the Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the racket taken substantially on line Ill-I8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 11 -is another cross-sectional view of the racket, also taken on Fig. 1, but on line II-II thereof; 1

Fig. 12 is a View of a key or small screw driver which may be `employed in removing the racket insert.

Referring particularly to the drawings: Va racket I6, embracing the invention, comprises essentially a frame I1, `a racket handle I8, and a removable pre-strung insert I9. 1

The frame may be constructed of any suitable material, although,in the embodiment of the invention illustrated it comprises an elongated bar or strip of wood tapered somewhat at the sides to reduce the thickness and weight of the outer end of the racket and rounded off in such tapered regions as is indicated at 2| to provide a smooth, arcuate exterior surface around approximately the outer half of the part of the frame in which the insert I9 is secured. The ends o-fthe bar constituting the frame are bent'together in a region between the insert andthe handle and a triangular block 22 is there employed to ll the space between the inner edges of the bar and the racket insert. The ends of the bar and the triangular block all are secured rigidly together, as isindicated particularly by Fig. 5,V by ber or other suitable sleeves 23 which are glued within aligned openings extending transversely across the aforesaid frame parts. Glued,or otherwise secured to the sides of the frame I1, around the inner edges of the insert securing part of the frame, are a pair of arcuate reinforcingstrips 24 and 26, the ends of which terminate at and merge into the curved exterior surface of the frame.

The two ends of the barforming the frame I1 extend interiorly of the handle I8, from one end thereof to the other, and are there secured by gluing the adjacent surfaces thereof and by gluing the exterior surfaces thereof to the interior surfaces of the handle I8.

,c Within the handle I8 V the frame is provided insert in position; K

with a longitudinally disposed notch or recess 21, formed midway between the opposite edge surfaces thereof, and within which project tongues 28 and 29 extending inwardly from the interior surface of the handle I3. Each of the tongues 28 and 29 is formed on different sections 3| and 32 respectively of the handle I8 and the edges of the sections approach one another approximately midway between the sides of the frame bar ends projecting therein. v -g Disposed within the recess v21, and secured in threads formed on the adjacent interior surfaces of the frame ends and the tongues 28 and 29 during the insertion thereof, is an externally threaded weight 33 which is considerably shorter than the length of the recess and hence can be moved from one end of the recess to the other to balance the racket. a diametrically disposed slot 34 in which a screw driver or other suitable tool can be inserted for turning the weightk and thus changing its position.

The end of the handle is closed by a fibrous or other suitable plate 36, through the center of which an opening large enough to admit the insertion of a standard screwdriver without the necessity for removing the plate, thus giving ready access to the adjustable balancing weight, is provided. This plate is removably secured to the handle by screws 31.

Adjacent the end of the handle but around the exterior surface thereof, is disposed a leather or other suitable ring 38 which is employed principally to buildup the end of the handle to render it more easily and securely held. Secured around `the exterior surface of the handle I8, by any suitable adhesive material, is a leather or other suitable cover 39 which consists of a pair of sections 4I and 42, the edges of which are turned inwardly around the adjacent edges of the handle sections 3i and 32 and are there securely clamped in position when the handle is assembled.

The insert opening formed in the outer end of the frame I1 is taperedslightly from one side thereof tothe other, as is indicated at 43, and the insert I9 is correspondingly tapered in such manner that the two will nt as near perfectly as possible when the racket is assembled.

The insert I9 consists of an arcuate rim 44, formed of any suitable light metal or moulded material, the outwardly curved edges of which seat against the interiorcsurface of the insert opening in the frame I1. By reason of the inherent rigidity of the frame. due to its arcuate crosssectional configuration and the materials employed in its construction, a racket press ordinarily is not required. Midway between the edges of the rim, are formed a plurality of spaced lugs 46 have ing threaded openings therein for receiving screws 41, projecting through openings formed in the frame I1. In these openings in the frame and underneath the heads of the screws 41, are glued or otherwise secured, short fiber sleeves 49 which are compressed against the lugs 46 to take the load caused by tightening the screws 41, thus decreasing the possibility of splitting the frame I1.

When the rim 44 is removed from the frame I1 the insert is strung by threading catgut or other suitable strings 5I across* the rim andbetween openings 52 spaced thereabout, from one end thereof to another and then weaving, between such cross strings, longitudinal strings 53 extending between the sides `of the racket frame. In order to make the` curve of the loops more gradual and to elevate the strings from direct One end of this weight is provided with Contact with the rims of stringing holes, and to give greater resiliency to the insert the loops are underlaid, within the groove, by a string, reed or projection such as is indicated at 55.

In order properly to center the insert within the frame I1, the rim 44 is provided with an outwardly projecting centering lug 56 which is adapted to extend into a slot formed in the block 22 approximately in the center of the racket frame. A key such as that indicated at in Figure 12 is employed for removing or tightening any of the several screws embraced in the racket structure. In assembling the inserts I9 within the frame il, the lug 56 is disposed in the aforesaid notch and on the side of the frame from which the rim can be inserted into the tapering opening in the frame, and the insert is then pressed inwardly with respect to the frame until the two are tightly held together with the opposite edges of the rim midway between the opposite edges of the frame. In this position the screws 4T are inserted within the sleeves 49 and are tightened uniformly against the rim lugs 46.

When the racket requires re-stringing, or when a differently strung insert is desired for play upon a particular occasion, the screws 41 are removed and the insert displaced by pressing on the edges thereof in such manner as to slide the insert gradually, and equally at all points, from within the insert opening. If the removed insert is to be re-strung, another can be inserted in the racket to permit the continuous use thereof while such restringing operation is being performed.

Should the racket be improperly balanced for any player desiring to employ it, a standard screwdriver may be inserted through the opening in end plate 36 and the adjusting weight 33 moved up or down the handle until the desired balance is attained.

The exterior surface of the handle and other parts of the racket are entirely free from outwardly projecting seams or other protuberances and that the strings are so protected by the racket frame as not to be displaced or injured when the racket is struck edgewise against any object which might cut the strings, were the latter exposed.

While the structure, as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form and application of the invention, it is to be understood that other structures differing widely from that herein disclosed are within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. A racket comprising a frame having a pair of parallel bar ends with an elongated recess formed therebetween, a pair of handle sections secured upon said frame and having a pair of tongues projecting into said recess for securing said bar ends in properly spaced relation, and an adjustable weight mounted in said recess between said tongues and the adjacent surfaces of said bar ends.

2. A racket comprising a main frame having transversely tapered inner walls, a secondary rigid and self-sustained string carrying frame having its outer peripheral dimension transversely tapered and adapted to make a wedged frictional engagement with the-inner peripheral walls of said main frame.

3. In a racket of the class described, the combination of a main frame having apertures for securing means extending therethrough, a string carrying frame of concave cross section adapted to fit within and engage the inner periphery of said main frame with the edges of said concave cross section, and having bosses adapted to receive securing means, projecting outwardly from said concavity and adapted to bear against the inner periphery of said main frame and register with the securing means apertures in said main frame.

4. In a racket of the class described, the combination of a main frame, a string carrying frame adapted to be retained within said main frame,V

HARRY JOHNSTON.

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