US3923303A - Racket and string holding elements - Google Patents

Abstract

A racquet has elements to link its stringing to the frame within which the stringing is held. Each element is hooked by means of a lug at one end into the frame and at the other end engages a next adjacent element. At the one end the lug is an S-bend linked to a middle portion of the element by a slight reverse bend. At the other end engagement is achieved by an open hook, linked to the middle portion by a bend in the same direction as the reverse bend. The middle portion and hook lie in one plane, whereas the lug lies in another plant substantially perpendicular to the first plane. The elements hold each other firmly in place around the frame and stringing further secures them in place. The mode of stringing disclosed is advantageous in avoiding acute bending of the strings and disposing the stringing in the plane of the holes into which the elements hook. Only one type of element is required, with a slight modification for only the last element to be put into position.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 Lacoste Dec.2, 1975 1 1 RACKET AND STRING HOLDING ELEMENTS [75] Inventor: Jean Rene Lacoste, Paris, France [73] Assignee: Patentex S.A., Fribourg, Switzerland [22] Filed: Feb. 4, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 439,617

130] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 9, 1973 France 73.04680 [52] U.S. Cl 273/73 D [51] Int. Cl. A63B 51/00 [58] Field of Search..... 273/73 R, 73 C, 73 D, 73 H {56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,733,960 10/1929 Godfrey 273/73 D 3,194,555 7/1965 Humphrey 273/73 D UX 3,630,523 12/1971 Lacoste 273/73 D 3,751,034 8/1973 Portz et al. 273/73 D FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 253,694 8/1964 Australia 273/73 H 209,780 6/1960 Germany 273/73 D 14,147 11/1885 United Kingdom 273/73 D 1,495,578 8/1967 France 273/73 D Primary Examiner-Richard J. Apley Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Karl F. Ross; Herbert Dubno [57] ABSTRACT A racquet has elements to link its stringing to the frame within which the stringing is held. Each element is hooked by means of a lug at one end into the frame and at the other end engages a next adjacent element. At the one end the lug is an S-bend linked to a middle portion of the element by a slight reverse bend. At the other end engagement is achieved by an open hook, linked to the middle portion by a bend in the same direction as the reverse bend. The middle portion and hook lie in one plane, whereas the lug lies in another plant substantially perpendicular to the first plane. The elements hold each other firmly in place around the frame and stringing further secures them in place. The mode of stringing disclosed is advantageous in avoiding acute bending of the strings and disposing the stringing in the plane of the holes into which the elements hook. Only one type of element is required, with a slight modification for only the last element to be put into position.

1 Claim, 9 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,923,303

US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,923,303

RACKET AND STRING HOLDING ELEMENTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION My US. Pat. No. 3 630 523 showed improvements in racquets, particularly metal-frame racquets, according to which the strings were attached to the frame by means of thin elements hooked into holes pierced in the frame.

Each attachment element had at one of its ends a lug for hooking it into a hole in the frame and at the other extremity a hook by which it is engaged onto an adjacent element. Thus the number of holes which have to be pierced in the frame is only half the number of elements and the uniformity of the stringing is improved by making the elements firmer relative to each other.

However, the need to keep the rungs of the stringing at an equal distance one from the other led to the description in the main patent of two main types of elements having either a trapezium shape or a central indentation, these being used according to whether the two runs of one string are parallel or perpendicular to each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is a simpler form of element which not only allows the racquet to be equipped with a single type of element, simply by altering the length of the elements according to the position of the elements around the frame (so as to regulate the spacing of the runs), but also gives a better passage of the strings over the elements and thus a tendency to longer life to the stringing.

According to the invention the hook of the attachment element is made in the form of a loop which is linked to the rest of the element by a bend behind which the string is placed, the string then passing in front of the lug of the adjacent element and between the hook of the first element and the frame, and then behind the adjoining element, near its lug.

The string makes contact with the attachement elements at several places in a way which facilitates the sliding of the strings during stringing and which limits the wear due to their contacts with the elements.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Particular embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of an element embodying the present invention and looking in the direction of arrow A, FIG. 2,

FIG. 2 is a side view looking in the direction of arrow B, FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing how the element can be mounted on the frame of a racquet,

FIG. 4 shows in the same way how an element is hooked onto a previously mounted element,

FIG. 5 shows in perspective two elements hooked one to the other,

FIG. 6 shows in profile and FIG. 7 in plan how to pass a string of which both strands are parallel over two elements hooked to each other, these views being with the various parts somewhat expanded from each other for clarity,

FIG. 8 is a view analogous to FIG. 6 but showing the case where a string has two runs perpendicular to each other, and

FIG. 9 is a schematic and perspective view showing how the element mounted last is held hooked to the one mounted first by the string which passes over these two elements.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 an attachment element attaches stringing to a racquet for tennis or similar games to the frame of such a racquet. It is made, for example, by shaping a piece of circular-section spring steel wire, and has at one of its ends a hook 2 in the form of an open circular loop, the width of the opening being a little greater than the diameter of the wire from which the element 1 is made.

The loop of the hook 2 is linked to the remainder of the element by a bend 3 of approximately 120.

The middle portion of the element is substantially straight and is substantially aligned with the opening of the hook. Thereafter there is a portion 4 slightly bent to the same side as the bend 3 as seen in FIG. 1 while remaining substantially in the same plane as the hook 2. Then the wire is folded back to extend in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the hook 2' and the 'bent postion 4 extend, to form a substantially S-shaped lug 5, having a first bend a connecting portion 5 and a second bend 6 as can be clearly seen in FIG. 2. The included angle within the first bend 6 of the S is about -80 and the first bend 5 of the S extends over less than a semicircle.

In order to put the element in place on the inner periphery of a tubular metal frame 7 surrounding the oval stringed area of a tennis racquet, the first bend 5 of the lug 5', 6 is engaged in the hole 8 provided for this element, while the element is held generally perpendicularly to the frame as shown in FIG. 3. Then the element is turned down towards the frame, arrow C, in such a way that its hook 2 gets positioned around and above the hole 9 intended for the second element 10, identical to element 1.

This element 10 is put in place in the same way as element 1 using hole 9 but when it is turned down towards the frame, care is taken to see that the middle portion engages within the loop of the hook 2 of the first element when, as is apparent from FIG. 4, the element 10 is moved in the direction of arrow C. As the element 10 turns down towards the frame the second bend 6 of its lug engages the hook or loop 2 of the first element to press it between itself and the frame (arrow D).

In FIGS. 3 and 4 the elements are shown as if at a slight angle to a side view (compare FIG. 2) so that the opening of the hook 2 can be clearly seen.

These assembly steps are repeated with subsequent elements in succession all round the inner periphery of the frame until a final element 12 is put in place to close the ring of elements. This final element 12 will be described later.

Each element is thus held in place by its lug 5, 5, 6 the extreme end of the second bend of which comes to bear upon the frame wall adjacent to the hole 8, 9 and by the pressure of the following element on its hook 2. An assembly of elements in their final positions is shown in FIG. 5, which shows also how the frame 7 may be a rectangular-section strip as well as the tube shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The shape given to the elements has been calculated to ensure a suitable arrangement of the strings ll of the racquet.

Whatever position the runs of the stringing have to adopt relative to the frame, the said stringing is disposed in such a way that one of the runs enters into the crook formed by the bend 3 of the element which prevents its displacement laterally in one direction (downwardly as seen in FIG. 7). The string then passes in front of the lug 5 of the following element which prevents its displacement laterally of the frame in the opposite direction (upwardly in FIG. 7). It also passes between the hook 2 of the element 1 and the frame. It then enters into the bend 4 of the element 10 which prevents its lateral displacement in the first-mentioned direction. When tension is applied to the string to tauten the stringing this is taken up by the engagement of the end of the lug upon the frame wall. The mode of stringing applies whether the runs are to be parallel (FIGS. 6, 7, 9) or perpendicular (FIG. 8) to each other.

This way of putting the strings in position allows a last element 12 to be locked onto the first element I mounted on the frame. The element 12 is similar to the other elements but differs only in that the portion of its hook nearest the opening runs almost perpendicularly to the middle portion of the element. Even though the element 1 is firmly fixed to the frame the hook 20 of the element 12 can easily be engaged under the elbow 6 of the lug, as is seen in FIG. 9. The element 12 cannot become unhooked once a string 11 has passed into its bend 3 then under its hook 20 in order to pass the bend 4 of the element 1. Thus the space between adjacent runs of the stringing 11 is substantially predetermined by the outer diameter d (FIG. 6) of the substantially circular open hook 2.

The elements which have just been described can be used for all types of racquets, especially for racquets with tubular metal frames.

It can be seen that the presence of the bends 3 and 4 going in the same direction at each end of the middle portion of each element allows the strings to be placed almost exactly in the median plane of the frame of the racquet, as is shown in FIG. 7, since the strings when they engage in the crook of the bends 3, 4 are approximately on the line joining the center of the open circular loop 2 (which center will be aligned above a hole 8, 9) and the transition between the two bends of the lug 5 (this transition being where the lug eventually engages a hole 8, 9).

Because when it is in place on the frame, each element bears on the wall of the frame by the end of its lug while the following element presses on its hook, the elements are placed under stress, which gives-them an excellent solidarity and good elasticity, and clicking noise which would arise from looseness, will not occur.

The elements 1, l0, 12 are very shallow and lie near the frame, which leaves a maximum area for the stringing and improves the aerodynamic properties of the racquet. The elements may, moreover, be made of quite thick wire, e.g., 2 mm in diameter, which avoids excessively acute bending of the strings where the latter bend around the elements, and gives very robust elements.

The elements can be used to attach only certain of the strings for example near the head or the heart of a racquet (i.e., the portions of the frame respectively mostremote from and nearest to the handle of the racquet), the other strings being mounted in any other manner which is known and suitable. Alternatively such elements may be used for the whole of the stringing, elements of different lengths being used at different areas of the frame to maintain regularity of spacing of the strings.

The form of element shown not only allows the racquet to be equipped with a single type of element, simply by altering the length of the elements according to need, but also ensures a better route for the strings throught the elements and thus longer life to the stringing.

It is self-evident that modifications can be made to the ways of carrying out the invention which have just been described, particularly by the substitution of equivalent tachnical means, without for that reason departing from the scope of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A racket structure comprising:

a racket frame;

a plurality of holes formed along an inner wall of said frame in spaced relationship;

a plurality of interlinked attachment elements made of a wire material and arranged along said frame, each of said elements having an end portion forming an s-shaped lug, a substantially straight elongated middle portion, a bent portion bent away from said straight portion, and another end portion forming a hook substantially shaped as an open circular loop at said bent portion, the lug of each attachment element having a first bend at least partly engaged in one of the holes of said frame, a connecting portion and a second bend extending outside of the respective hole over a length greater than the cross-sectional size of the wire material by a predetermined amount, and the hook of a first attachment element being engaged around the second bend of the lug of a second attachment element adjacent to said first element;

stringing spanning said frame in a plurality of runs, said stringing consisting of a string material having a cross-sectional size not greater than said predetermined amount, and having stringing loops between said runs, each of said stringing loops passing across the bent portion of a first attachment element, then across the hook of said first element between the hook and said frame, around the connecting portion of a second attachment element adjacent to said frist element and finally within the second bend of the lug of said second element, outside of the hook of said first element engaged around the lug of said second element, whereby the space between adjacent runs of the stringing is substantially predetermined by the outer diameter of the substantially circular open hook of each attachment element, and wherein the lugs of the attachment elements and the stringing lie substantially in a common first plane, the hooks and the straight middle portions of said elements lie in a respective first plane.

Claims (1)

1. A racket structure comprising: a racket frame; a plurality of holes formed along an inner wall of said frame in spaced relationship; a plurality of interlinked attachment elements made of a wire material and arranged along said frame, each of said elements having an end portion forming an s-shaped lug, a substantially straight elongated middle portion, a bent portion bent away from said straight portion, and another end portion forming a hook substantially shaped as an open circular loop at said bent portion, the lug of each attachment element having a first bend at least partly engaged in one of the holes of said frame, a connecting portion and a second bend extending outside of the respective hole over a length greater than the cross-sectional size of the wire material by a predetermined amount, and the hook of a first attachment element being engaged around the second bend of the lug of a second attachment element adjacent to said first element; stringing spanning said frame in a plurality of runs, said stringing consisting of a string material having a crosssectional size not greater than said predetermined amount, and having stringing loops between said runs, each of said stringing loops passing across the bent portion of a first attachment element, then across the hook of said first element between the hook and said frame, around the connecting portion of a second attachment element adjacent to said frist element and finally within the second bend of the lug of said second element, outside of the hook of said first element engaged around the lug of said second element, whereby the space between adjacent runs of the stringing is substantially predetermined by the outer diameter of the substantially circular open hook of each attachment element, and wherein the lugs of the attachment elements and the stringing lie substantially in a common first plane, the hooks and the straight middle portions of said elements lie in a respective second plane, substantially perpendicular to said first plane.

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