US2071684A - Badminton racket - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 23, 1937. J. B. DICKSON I BADMINTON RACKET Filed May 26, 1934 I I 1 W Mm I E II .10 72 19.17; ckson,

Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BADMINTON RACKET Application May 26, 1934, Serial No. 727,826

2 Claims.

The invention relates to rackets for the game of badminton, and one object of the invention is to provide a racket having adequate strength and yet of light weight.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a front view of so much of a racket as is necessary to an understanding of my improvement, part of the handle and the bow and throat piece being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental detail section of the handle and hollow steel rod.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l of a modified form of racket. I

In the drawing only a portion of the head is shown, the ends of the bow being indicated at l, the throat piece at 2, and the handle at 3, 4, the latter providing the grip portion. This grip portion of the handle is of wood polygonal in cross section. It may be covered by any suitable slightly yielding grip material Wound thereon, or otherwise applied thereto. The portion 5 of the handle lying between the grip member thereof and the head consists of a hollow steel rod, the wall of which is comparatively thin, i. e., about 0.016" in thickness. This rod provides a light weight, strong handle section. Most of the breakage in badminton rackets occur at this handle section between the grip or hand grasp member of the handle and the head. This intermediate section, if made of wood, must be reduced in thickness to such an extent to keep within the limits of weight that strength must be sacrificed and hence breakage occurs. With the hollow steel rod, however, a reduction in weight, in respect to the minimum of safety in the wooden handle section corresponding to the rod 5, amounts to about of an ounce. This steel tubing is tapered at each end as at B. The upper end lies between the tapered or bevelled ends I of the bow, and extends into the throat piece 2. A pin or screw 9, Fig. 1, extends across the joint between these parts, and through the hollow steel rod at a point below the throat piece, i. e., only through the ends of the bow and the intermediate shaft. Suitable wrapping is applied to the joint as shown at In.

At its lower end the steel tube enters the grip section of the handle, the length of its tapered part where it is held by a pin ll extending through the grip member, the steel tube, and a ferrule l2.

In Fig. 3, instead of using the cross pin for holding the steel tube to the bow and to the grip member respectively, I employ a sleeve l3 of rubberized fabric glued to the wood of the bow and of the throat piece, and vulcanized to the steel tube. This rubberized sleeve is tapered to conform to the shape of the end of the hollow steel rod. It not only unites the hollow rod to the wooden parts, but also aids in uniting the ends of the wooden bow to the throat piece.

The tapered ends of the steel tube are preferably counterparts of each other, so that the tube may be turned end for end in making the assembly, so that either end may be used in connection with either the grip, or the bow.

I claim:

1. A badminton racket comprising a head having a bow of wood, a grip member spaced apart from the bow, and a connection between the bow and grip comprising a single separate tubular metal rod and a cloth fabric sleeve connecting the said tubular metal rod and the wooden bow and united to both.

2. A badminton racket comprising a wooden bow and a throat piece between the bow ends which extend below the throat piece, and with a bore extending upwardly between said bow ends and into the throat piece, a grip member spaced apart from the bow, and a connection between the wooden bow and the throat piece and the grip comprising a single separate tubular metal rod having its end inserted in said bore and secured therein by a cloth fabric sleeve having sufficient vulcanizable material to vulcanize it to the metal rod, said cloth fabric sleeve on its inside being vulcanized to said metal rod and on its outside being adhesively secured to the wooden walls of the bore in the bow ends and throat piece, and extending across the joint between them, and thereby reinforcing the entire connection by securing the ends of the bow and the throat piece together as well as securing the tubular metal rod thereto.

JOHN B. DICKSON.

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