US3417741A - Apparatus for throwing a disc-shaped target - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 24, 1968 s. HANSEN APPARATUS FOR THHOWING A DISC-SHAPED TARGET Filed 00T.. 22, 1965 United States Patent Ofiice Patented Dec. 24, 1968 3,417,741 APPARATUS FOR THROWING A DISC-SHAPED TARGET Ib Schreiner Hansen, Willesmoesvej 3, Svendborg, Denmark Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 500,722 Claims priority, application Denmark, Oct. 23, 1964, 5,253/ 64 1 Claim. (Cl. 124-8) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A target throwing apparatus for throwing disc-shaped targets and having a throwing arm which is pivotably movable in a plane which is inclined in relation to a horizontal plane and is moved by a power source, preferably a spring. The throwing arm has a sliding and supporting surface for the target during the throwing, the surface being shaped as a right-angled triangle with a maximum width only slightly greater than the radius of the target.

The invention relates to a target trap for throwing discshaped targets, so-called clay pigeons, for target practice. The said apparatus consists of a frame in which a throwing arm mounted to pivot about an upwardly inclining axis is adapted to be swung part of a revolution from its locked position by a prime mover, preferably a spring, so that the clay pigeon, supported on its fiat part by a longitudinal surface of the throwing arm and resting with its peripheral surface in Contact with another surface of the throwing arm, is hurled along the said arm and hence obliquely up into the air.

There are known target traps, in which the clay pigeon is placed in a claw at the end of the throwing arm and released by the claw when the centrifugal force exceeds a certain limit. In calm weather it is posible to throw a clay pigeon about 50 m. by means of such an apparatus, but in a head wind and side wind the performance is much inferior. In recent apparatus, it has become the practice to guide the clay pigeon in such manner that it is caused to rotate on the throwing arm by means of the two said surfaces of the throwing arm which are substantially perpendicular to each other and during the movement of the throwing arm the clay pigeon rolls outwardly running with its edge on the upright surface, supported by the substantially horizontal surface of the throwing arm. Owing to the rotation of the clay pigeon, the effect of the action of the wind is substantially reduced so that the performance under varying conditions of the wind is more uniform.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the aforesaid kind giving a substantially greater rotation to the clay pigeon and consequently a far safer and better performance than the apparatus hitherto known.

This is accomplished in that along part of its length, the surface of the throwing arm supporting the fiat part of the clay pigeon is Iof a width less than the radius of the clay pigeon.

According to the invention such surface of the throwing arm as supports the clay pigeon may appropriately, only at the beginning of the path along which the clay pigeon moves, be so broad that it is able to prevent the pigeon from falling from the throwing arm, whereas its width is gradually decreasing along the said arm, being thus 0f substantially V-shaped contour.

It has been found that the trajectory of the target or pigeon discharged by means of such an apparatus is substantially formed as an arc of a circle, viewed from the side, and substantially as a straight line, viewed from above, even in a strong head wind or side wind.

The reason for these good results is that the friction between the clay pigeon and the throwing arm is substantially reduced by the aforesaid form of the surface of the throwing arm supporting the clay pigeon, so that the clay pigeon is caused to rotate at a significantly higher speed than that attained by any hitherto known apparatus. The rotational speed is so high that when falling on a grass field the clay pigeon rebounds, about 10 m. to one side, substantially at right angles to the trajectory. Such an effect lhas never so far been observed by the apparatus hitherto known.

With an apparatus of the known kind the clay pigeon coul-d `be thrown about 70 m. by means of an 8 mm. spring, whereas with an apparatus of corresponding design and size with an 8 mm. spring the clay pigeon can be thrown m. if the throwing arm is designed in accordance with the present invention.

Another important effect achieved by the invention is that, practically speaking, there is no bursting of the clay pigeon. With the apparatus hitherto known a certain number of clay pigeons are expected to break during the throw. This is, in the first place, inconvenient to the target practice, and, in the second place, it may be erroneously counted as a score.

An embodiment of a target trap according to the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows the trap, viewed in perspective,

FIGURE 2 shows a throwing arm, viewed from the side, in a section on the line II-II of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 3 shows the throwing arm according to FIG- URE 2, viewed from above, and

FIGURE 4 shows the throwing arm according to FIG- URES 2 and 3, viewed from the left-hand side, that is, from the end.

A target trap consists of a frame 1 with a base 2 adapted for attachment to a foundation. In the front end of the frame is a hub 3 in which there is mounted a shaft carrying a crank 4 at its lower end, which is connected with a powerful coil spring 5, and having a throwing arm 6 at its upper end.

In FIGURE 1 the throwing arm 6 is shown in its released state, that is, after having discharged a target. From this position the arm is turned, against the action of the spring 5, in a clockwise direction `until it is aligned with a straight part 7 of the frame 1, in which it may be locked by known means. In this position the apparatus is ready to discharge and the arm and the accumulated spring power may then be released by a suitable releasing means, preferably remote controlled, after which the throwing arm 6, owing to the rapid rotary movement imparted to it by the action of the spring through the crank 4, is brought into the position shown in FIGURE l, whereby a clay pigeon placed on the throwing arm is hurled obliquely up into the air.

As appears from FIGURES 2-4, the throwing arm 6 consists of two rails Sand 9 the upwardly facing surfaces of which form a supporting surface for the clay pigeon, which in FIGURE 3 is indicated by chain-dotted lines and denoted by 10, whereas itis shown in soli-d line in FIG- URE 4. As will be observed, one raii 9 is disposed so as to form an acute angle with the other rail 8, whereby the whole supporting surface for the clay pigeon is of V- shaped contour and thus is of a width decreasing towards the free end of the arm. Thus, rails 8- and 9 dene with their support bracket as shown in FIG. 3, a right triangular outline with a vertex at the free end of the arm and a side opposite the vertex which has a length only slightly greater than the radius of the target.

Attached to the rail 8 is another rail 11 of angular cross section and having a ange 12 which is parallel with the upwardly facing surface of the rail 8 and to which is 3 attached a rubber fillet 13 with which a fluted cylindrical surface 14 of the clay pigeon is in contact. The upright part of the rail 11 is provided with a number of holes 15 serving to reduce the air resistance during the swinging movement of the throwing arm.

As previously described, the apparatus is put under tension by turning the throwing arm 6 according to FIG- URE 1 in clockwise direction, locking it to the frame. A clay pigeon 10 is then placed on the supporting surface constituted by the upwardly Vfacing surfaces of the rails 8 and 9 as indicated in FIGURES 3 and 4, the peripheral fiuted surface 14 resting in Contact with the rubber fillet 13. When the locking mechanism is subsequently release-d, the spring 5 will also be released and swing the arm 6 in counterclockwise direction as shown in FIGURE 1. During this movement the clay pigeon 1,0 rolls outwards along the arm, and as the supporting surface, as seen from FIGURE 3, is of a width decreasing outwards, the friction between the said surface and the downwardly facing surface of the clay pigeon is decreasing too. The flutes 14 ensure in combination with the rubber fillet 13 that the clay pigeon rolls smoothly along the flange 12 on which it is capable of balancing as soon as the arm has attained a certain speed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for throwing a disc-shaped target cornprising a frame, a throwing arm mounted on the frame for pivotal movement about an upwardly inclined axis,

the arm having a free end remote from said axis, means connected to the throwing arm for producing pivotal movement thereof, said throwing arm including two straight rail portions connected together at an acute angle to form a first surface :for slidably supporting a discshaped target, said throwing arm having a second surface adjacent and perpendicular to the first surface for engaging the periphery of the target to produce rotation of the target as it slides along the sliding surface, said first surface being substantially shaped as a right angle triangle having a vertex arranged at 4the free end of the throwing arm and a side opposite the vertex which has a length which is slightly greater than the radius of the target, a bracket supporting said arm, and a shaft coupled to said bracket and mounted in said frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,229,092 6/1917 Kimble 124-8 2,245,258 6/1941 Darrell 124-8 2,531,613 11/1950 Darrell 124-8 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R. 124-43

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