Apparatus for stringing a racket frame

An apparatus for lacing the lateral strings in a racket frame which has already been strung with the longitudinal strings thereof, comprising:

• a horizontally extending lower first beam,
• said lower first beam having in its upper surface, a first longitudinal row of spaced vertical slots, the spacing between said slots at least approximately corresponding to twice the average pitch distance between said longitudinal strings of said racket frame, and a second longitudinal row of vertical slots in said first beam upper surface similar to said first row and staggered with respect to said first row, the slots of the first row and adjacent corresponding slots of the second row together forming a plurality of pairs of slots, the spacing between the slots of each pair being smaller than the average pitch distance between said longitudinal strings, and the upper surface of said lower first beam forming a plurality of string support surfaces between said plurality of pairs of slots,
• an upper second gripper beam extending parallel to and above said lower first beam and vertically movable with respect thereto between an open and a closed position of said apparatus, said second gripper beam comprising gripping means formed on the lower side thereof and in said closed position extending downwardly alongside of said lower beam, said gripping means including a plurality of longitudinally arranged downwardly facing string gripping surfaces each associated with one of said slots of said lower beam, said gripping surfaces being arranged in pairs corresponding to said pairs of slots, and a plurality of downwardly extending lug portions each arranged between the gripping surfaces of at least the majority of the pairs of said surfaces,
• and means for moving said second gripper beam with respect to said lower first beam between said two positions,
• said apparatus being adapted to be mounted crosswise on said longitudinal strings of said racket frame with said lower first beam extending below and said upper second gripper beam extending above said strings,
• whereby in one lateral position of said assembled beams with respect to said longitudinal strings on closing the apparatus, a first group of alternate longitudinal strings are pushed into the slots of said first row of slots by the gripping surfaces associated with said first row of slots;
• whereas, the remaining longitudinal strings forming a second group of strings intermediate of said first group find support on said support surfaces of said lower first beam so as to form a channel between said first and second group of strings allowing a lateral string to be passed therethrough and whereby after lacing in and tensioning said lateral string and again opening the apparatus, the latter can be shifted in the longitudinal and lateral directions on said longitudinal strings so as to position said second group of strings between the slots and associated gripping surfaces of said second row of slots allowing the location of said channel between said two groups of longitudinal strings to be changed when the apparatus is again closed.