US2276056A - Device for firing blank cartridges before microphones - Google Patents

Description

March m 1942 T, M YNA D zmws DEVICE FOR FIRING BLANK CARTRIDGES BEFORE A MICROPHONE Filed Nov. 25, 1939 '2 SheetsShee't l /9 INVENTOR Z Tod Magwd A ORNEY Mawh m 1942. T. MAYNARD 2, 7

DEVICE FOR FIRING BLANK CARTRIDGES BEFORE A MICROPHONE Filed NOV. 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Mar. 10, 1942 DEVICE FOR FIRING BLANK CARTRIDGES BEFORE MICROPHONES 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for firing blank cartridges before a microphone.

It has been found in radio broadcasting and moving picture production that the only realistic sound which will simulate the sound of gunshots, is the actual explosion of a cartridge. Certain difliculties, however, have been encountered in firing blank cartridges, for the reason that the uncontrolled expulsion of gases and the resultant sound waves, especially from the sides of the ordinary firearm, between the barrel and throat, frequently ruptures the membrane or ribbon of the microphone. Other disadvantages are that, due to the confined space of the studio, the flame from the gases coming out of the muzzle and sides of the firearm is apt to set fire to curtains or hangings. The wad of the cartridge is also likely to injure a performer or studio assistant.

It has been attempted to overcome these difficulties by shielding the barrel and throat of the firearm, but due to the construction of the firearm itself, it has been impossible to completely shield the present day firearms, and shielded firearms have been unduly heavy, so the shields used at the present day, for standard firearms, have not been satisfactory.

The principal objects of my invention are to obviate these difficulties by providing a novel form of foolproof device for firing blank cartridges before a microphone, which is so arranged as to mufile the intensity of the sound of the explosion to a point where damage to the microphone will be eliminated, and to prevent travel of the wad of the cartridge beyond the end K of the firing device.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device for repeatedly firing blank cartridges before a microphone, wherein the cartridge and barrel are totally enclosed during firing, to eliminate all possibility of the expulsion of gases and resultant sound waves emanating from the sides of the firing device.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a device for firing blank cartridges before a microphone, which is of a simple and compact, foolproof and safe form, so arranged that the hammer strikes the firing pin with a side blow and a single movement of a firing lever puts the shell in position for firing and cocks and releases the hammer for firing, in a novel manner.

Other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a firing device constructed in accordance with my invention, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in horizontal section;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the device shown in Figure 1, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in longitudinal section;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along lines 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view somewhat similar to Figure 3 but with the parts in a different operative position than in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of the device shown in Figure 1, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in longitudinal section;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view along line 'l'! of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 2;

Figure 9 is an enlarged detail sectional View, showing certain details of the firing pin and hammer; and

Figure 10 is an enlarged isometric view of the hammer and sear.

In the drawings, the embodiment of my invention illustrated is shown as being adjustably mounted on a base l0, by means of a clamp H, having clamping engagement with a post l2, projecting upwardly from said base. Said clamp is secured to a frame I 3 of the firing device, on a laterally projecting bracket I4.

The frame I3 of the firing device is herein shown as being of a box-like construction with a detachable forward end plate l5 and a rear cover plate IS. The upper and lower sides of said frame are rectangularly apertured to form a slidable guide for a cartridge magazine l1, Said rear cover plate serves as a mounting for the firing mechanism in a manner which will hereinafter more clearly appear as this specification proceeds, and said frame and cover plates totally enclose the cartridge during firing except for an apertured portion in said front cover plate, through which the wad of the cartridge travels.

The magazine ll, as herein shown, is a relatively long bar having a plurality of spaced apart chambers I8, is, for receiving blank cartridges l9, l9. Said magazine is guided for movement through the frame l3 in a box-like guide formed by the front end plate l5 and a channelled guide member 20, projetcing rearwardly from said front taken substantially substantially end plate. Said guide member and the apertures in the top and bottom sides of the frame [3 are of such dimensions as to prevent travel of said magazine through said guide when any cartridge of the same caliber as the caliber of the chambers l8, l8 of said'magazine, other than zinein position during firing and to permit said magazine to be advanced, to place the next cartridge in position for firing. The apertures on one side of said magazine serve to permit said magazine to be advanced upwardly through said frame as each cartridge is fired, and the apertures on the other side of said magazine serve to permit said magazine to be held in position during the firing operation. -A,shield-2l is adapted to fit around the lower .part of said magazine, to

hold the blankcartridges, beneath said frame, in

place. Said shield may be hooked to the frame l3 bya hook 22, and mayberemoved when reloading the device (see Figure 2).

A pawl consisting of a yieldably mounted pin 24 extends through an opening 25 formed in one side of the channelled guide member 20, and is adapted to engage certain of the apertures 23, to hold the magazine H in position during firing (see Figures '6 and '7). Said pin ismounted on the free end of a leaf spring 25, secured at its other end to one side of theguide member 20. i

The engaging end of said pin is beveled in .a direction to permit said pin to slip out of its respective aperture, upon upward movement of said'magazine.

A pawl 2'! is provided to engage the apertures 23 on the opposite side of said magazine and advance said magazine to move the next succeeding cartridge in position for firing. Said pawl is pivotally mounted between the bifurcated ends of a rectilinearly movable advancing member 28. Said advancing member is guided for movement along the side of the guide member 28, opposite from the pin 24, by means of a pair of spaced threaded guide pins 29, 29, threaded in the outer side of said guide member and engaging slotted portions 30, 30 of said advancing member.- A tension spring 3| is provided to aid in returning said advancing member and pawl to a position where it may advance the next cartridge into a firing position.

The pawl 21 rides in an elongated slot 32,

formed in the guide member 29, and is held in' engagement with the desired aperture 23 by means of a leaf spring 33, which is secured to the side of the guide 2!! at one of its ends, and engages the outer side of said pawl at its opposite end (see Figure '7). A pin 34 on said pawl serves to limit inward movement thereof.

The advancing member 28 is actuated by a lever 35 (see Figure 5). A pin. 36., projecting from said member, is adapted toengagea slot 31 formed in one end of said lever. Said lever is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the guide ZB and; its end opposite from; said pin and slot has a depending rod 38 pivotally connected thereto. As herein shown, said rod is threaded through a member. 39a, which is pivotally mounted on the endof said lever,-and said rod extends through the bottom of said casing, for adjustment. .Ifdesired, a suitable locking screw.

(not shown) may be provided to hold said rod from movement with respect to said member. A collar 39 is provided on said rod and is adapted to be engaged by a lever arm 40, mounted on a shaft 4|, journaled in the rear cover it. A firing lever 43 is mounted on the outer end of said shaft. Upon movement of said firing lever in a downward firing direction, the free end of the lever arm 40 will engage the collar 39. This will move the threaded rod 33 in a downward direction and cause the slotted end of the lever 35 to move in an upward direction, to move the advancing member 28 and pawl 2'! in a direction to move the magazine I! upwardly and place a cartridge in position for firing.

A firing pin 44 is slidably mounted at one of its ends in an apertured portion of the rear end of the channelled guide 20, and at its-opposite end in a chamber 45.. Said chamber is secured to the rear outer side of the guide 26. The outer end of said firing pin is of an enlarged rounded formation and extends through the rear end of said chamber. Said firing pin is encircled by a spring 46, which is interposed between the outer side of the guide 20 and a collar 41, disposed adjacent said rounded formation, to positively move said firing pin into a retracted position, after the cartridge has been fired.

A hammer 49, movable in a direction to engage the rounded end of the firing pin 44 with a side blow, is provided. Said hammer is pivotally mounted on the rear cover plate IE on a threaded pin 50, and, as herein shown, is of an inverted L-shaped formation, when mounted on said cover plate. One leg of said hammer is provided with a transversely beveled firing end 5|, which is adapted to engage the rounded end of the firing pin (see Figures9 and 10). The other leg of said hammer is adapted to be engaged by the end of a rod 52, slidablymounted in a member 53, which is pivoted on the rear cover plate. A collar 54 is mounted on said member adjacent its end, opposite the member 53, and is'abutted by a spring 55, encircling said rod and interposed between said collar and member, to fire, said hammer when released.

A sear 56 is pivoted on the hammer 49 by means of a threaded pin 5 l,-an-d when in an extended position projects outwardly therefrom in a direction perpendicular to the leg of said hammer, which has the beveled firing end thereon (see Figure 10). A spring 58 is. providedto urge said sear to an extended, position, and engage its lower end with a stop 5.9 on said ha-mmer.

The cartridge is fired by thefiring lever or crank 43 on the shaft 4!, iournale'd in the cover plate IS. A lever 6U ismountedz. on said, shaft inside of the casing l3. and extends from said shaft ina direction directly opposltefrom the lever arm 43. uprightlink 6l is pivoted to the end of the'lever 68 andis slidablyengaged with a pin 62, by means of a, tension spring 63. Said tension spring is secured to, a pin 64 at the upper end of said lever, and projects in- Wardly from ,said'leven, Said pin is adapted to engage the upper side ofthe, end of the sear 56, upon movement of the firing'lever 43 to a return uprightypositicn, and pivot said sear in a downward direction against the'spring 53, so said pin may pass by the end of said sear and return to a position to cook thehammer, as may be seen by broken lines in Figure 3. After the firing lever 43 is in a return upright position, firing of the cartridge is effected by a downward movement thereof. This moves the link 6! up wardly until the pin 64 engages the sear adjacent its end. Further movement of said firing lever causes the pin 64 to engage the lower side of the end of said sear and move the hammer 49 against the compression spring 55 until a point is reached where the end of said sear is released from said pin. The spring 55 then instantaneously pivots said hammer in a downward direction, to engage the beveled portion thereof with the rounded end of the firing pin 44 and fire the cartridge. A stop 66 is provided to limit movement of said hammer. After firing, the spring 63 will return the firing lever in position for firing the next shot.

Upon movement of the firing lever 43 in a firing direction to cock the hammer 49, the lever arm 40 on the shaft 4| will move downwardly to engage the collar 39. This will pivot the lever 35 in a clockwise direction through the rod 38, simultaneously upon cocking of the hammer, and move the magazine upwardly to place the cartridge in position for firing, as has hereinbefore been described.

A safety 67 is provided, to prevent firing ex cept upon manual movement of the firing lever 43. Said safety has an upper beveled or wedgeshaped end and a depending shank which isguided between pins 69, 69, mounted in the rear cover I6. When said safety is in an operative position, its rear side engages the stop 65 and its opposite beveled side engages the hammer 49 to hold said hammer out of engagement with the firing pin 44, and prevent movement of said hammer into a position to depress said firing pin, and fire the shot. The lower end of said safety is forked, and the forked portion thereof extends along opposite sides of a pin 70 projecting from the lever arm 60 in an opposite direction fromsaid arm. Said safety thus moves in an upward direction upon upward movement of the firing lever, to hold the hammer from firing, except when the firing lever is manually moved in a firing direction.

Referring now in particular to the novel arrangement of the barrel of the firing device, for dampening the sound vibrations caused by the explosion of the cartridge to the extent necessary to prevent rupture of the microphone mem brane or ribbon, and the arrangement for preventing the wad from traveling beyond the firing device, a shield ll is provided (see Figures 1 and 2). Said shield has a restricted forward end 72 and is coaxial with an opening 13 in the forward end plate l5, through which the wad travels,

upon firing of the cartridge. Said shield is herein shown as being threaded in a flanged collar M, secured to the outer side of said forward end plate, and with said collar forms a tight joint at said cover, to prevent the expulsion of gases from the side of the firing device.

A barrel #5 of the firing device is disposed within said shield and is spaced equidistantly from the walls thereof. Said barrel is threaded within a flanged sleeve 15, which is secured to the outer side of the plate i 5. Said barrel is provided with a plurality of spaced apart apertures 11, 77 throughout its length. The forward end of said barrel is closed by a stop 18, which is adapted to be engaged by the wad upon firing of the cartridge and break the direct travel of the wad beyond the end of said barrel. An opening 19 is provided just rearwardly of said stop to permit the wad to drop out of said barrel into the shield H.

stantial If desired, an opening may be provided in the lower side of said shield beneath the opening 19, and suitable means may be provided to catch the wads.

It should here be noted that the forces of the gases are such as to expel the wads, which drop into said shield, through the opening in the end of said shield, but are not sufficient to propel the wad with suflicient force to cause damage or in-- jury to a bystander.

It may thus be seen that a device for firing blank cartridges before a microphone has been provided, to simulate the sound of gunshots, which is so arranged as to totally enclose the cartridge and eliminate all breakages or openings between the cartridge chamber and barrel, and thus prevent leakage or expulsion of gasses from the sides of the firing device; and that the apertured barrel and shield encircling said barrel are arranged to dampen the sound vibrations caused by the sound of the explosion to the extent necessary to prevent rupture of the membrane or ribbon of the microphone, but not sufficient to prevent the sound of the explosion of the cartridge from being realistic.

It may also be seen that a novel and safe form of mechanism has been provided for rapidly firing a plurality of cartridges by side blows from a hammer, which is arranged in a simplified manner so that a single movement of a firing lever will put a shell in position for firing and simultaneously cock and release the hammer for firing.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed as limiting my invention to the specific embodiment illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for firing blank cartridges before a microphone, a chamber for receiving a blank cartridge, and means for dampening the intensity of the sound waves of the explosion of said cartridge including a barrel, the sides of said barrel being apertured in a plurality of places throughout the length thereof and the front end of said barrel being closed, in communication with said chamber and extending forwardly therefrom, and a shield encircling and spaced from said barrel and projecting a subdistance beyond the forward end thereof.

2. In an apparatus for firing blank cartridges before a microphone, a chamber for receiving a blank cartridge, and means for dampening the intensity of the sound waves of the explosion of said cartridge including a barrel, the sides of said barrel being apertured in a plurality of places throughout the length thereof and the front end of said barrel being closed, in communication with said chamber and extending forwardly therefrom, and a shield encircling and spaced from said barrel and projecting beyond the forward end thereof, said shield preventing the emanation of gases from the sides of said device and having a restricted open forward end spaced a substantial distance ahead of said apertured barrel.

3. In an apparatus for firing blank cartridges before a microphone, a casing, a shield projecting from said casing, a cartridge chamber coaxial with the longitudinal axis of said shield and opening into said shield, a barrel communicating with and extending from said cartridge chamber, the sides of said barrel being apertured in a plurality of places throughout the length thereof and the front end of said barrel being closed, said casing enclosing said cartridge except: for the opening through said cartridge chamber into said barrel, and said shieldwith saidncasing forming an enclosure to prevent the expulsion of gases from the sides of said firing device.

4. In an apparatus for firingblank cartridges before a microphonaa casing, a shield projecting from said casing, a cartridge chamber coaxial with the longitudinal axis of said shield and opening into said shield, said casing enclosing said cartridge except for the opening through said cartridge chamber into said shield, said shield with said casing forming an enclosure to prevent the expulsion of gases from the sides of said firing device, and a barrel disposed within said shield and coaxial with the longitudinal axis thereof, the sides of said barrel being apertured. throughout the length thereof and the end of said barrel being closed, to dampen the intensity of the sound waves caused by the explosion of said cartridge.

5. In an apparatus for firing blank cartridges before a microphone, a casing, a shield projecting from said casing, a cartridge chamber coaxial with the longitudinal axis of said shield and opening into said shield, said casing enclosing said cartridge except for the opening through said cartridge chamber into said shield, and said shield with said casing forming an enclosure to prevent the expulsion of gases from the sides of said firing device, a barrel disposed within said shield and coaxial with the longitudinal axis thereof, the sides of said barrel being apertured in a plurality of places throughout the length thereof, to dampen the intensity of the sound waves caused by the explosion of said cartridge, and a stop on the forward end of said barrel, to stop the direct travel of the Wad of the cartridge.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a

chamber for a blank cartridge, a firing pin, means for actuating said firing pin, and means for dampening the intensity of the vibration of the sound waves of the explosion of said cartridge and stopping the travel of thewad from said cartridge including a forwardly projecting barrel in communication with said chamber, said barrel having a closed forward end and the sidesof said barrel being-provided with a plurality of apertured portions throughout the length thereof, and a shield spaced from and encircling said barrel.

7. In a firing device for cartridges, a frame, a cartridge magazine guided for movement through said frame, a cover for the rear of said frame, and meansmounted on said frame forsuccessively firing the cartridges in saidmagazine including a hammer pivotally mounted on said cover for movement in a' direction-transverse-to-the cartridge about an-axis perpendicular tothe inner surface of saidcover, a firing lever pivotally mounted on said cover, and a connection between said firing lever and hammer for cocking said hammer and releasing it to fire the cartridgewith a side blow.

8. Ina device-for firing cartridges, a magazine for receiving a plurality of blank cartridges, a frame in which said magazine is slidably guided, a firing pin for successively firing the cartridges in said magazine, a hammer for actuating said firing pin, said hammer being movable transversely of said firing pin about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said pin and having a beveled end, for engaging said firing pin with a side blow, and means for cooking and releasing said hammer including a sear pivotally and yieldably mounted on said hammer,-a member adapted toengage said sear and cock said hammer and a firing lever for actuating said member, and a pawl engaging said magazine and actuated by movement of said firing lever in a firing direction, to move said magazine in a direction to position the cartridge in position for firing.

TODD MAYNARD.

. CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,276,056.

March 10, 19!;2. TODD MAYNARD.

0nd column, lines 11.7 to 52, and 60 to 65, inclusive, claims 1 and 2, re-

spectively, for "barrel; the sides of said barrel being apertur-ed in a:

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

. j CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION; Patent No. 2,276,056. March 10, 19h2.

' TODD MAYNARD.

of the above numbered patent requiring correction as-follov vs: Pag 5-, second column, lines 1;? to 52, and 60' to 65, inclusive, claims 1 ahd 2, re-

spectively, for "barrel, the sidea of said barrel being aperttred iii a.

Henry Ji'rsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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