US3552900A

US3552900A - Centrifugal trapshooting device

Info

Publication number: US3552900A
Application number: US732191A
Authority: US
Inventors: Geoffrey Frederick Newill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-08-09
Filing date: 1968-05-27
Publication date: 1971-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-05

Abstract

A TRAPSHOOTING LAUNCHER FOR DISC TARGETS HAVING A MOTOR FOR ROTATING THE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TARGET LAUNCHING ARMS. THE LAUNCHING ARMS HAVE TWO SPRING DETENTS ENGAGING EACH TARGET ON EACH TARGET LAUCHING ARM. ONE DETENT IS MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE AND THE OTHER IS TRIPPED BY A TRIGGER ON THE LAUCHING ARM AFTER THE LATTER HAS ENGAGED A TRIP ABUTMENT ON THE LAUNCHER''S STATIONARY BASE.

Description

Jan. 5, 1 971 s. F. NEWILL 3,552,900

CENTRIFUGAL TRAPSHOOTING DEVICE Filed May 2'7, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 5, 1971 G. F. NEWlLL 3,552,930

CEN'ERIFUGAL TRAPSHOO'IiNG DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5:

Filed May 27, 1968 Jan.5,1 971 LRN EWM 3,552,900

taxmiFue p TRAPSHOOTING nnvrcr. Filed May 27, 1968 4' Sheets-bheet 4 United States Patent 3,552,900 CENTRIFUGAL TRAPSHOOTING DEVICE Geoffrey Frederick Newill, 116 Nibthwaite Road, Harrow, England Filed May 27, 1968, Ser. No. 732,191 Claims priority, applicatigr; great Britain, Aug. 9, 1967,

3 Int. Cl. r41!) 3/04 US. Cl. 124-6 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to trapshooting launchers for projecting disc targets, known as clay pigeons.

The basis of the invention is a launcher comprising a rotary shaft with means for holding and releasing one or more targets under the effect of centrifugal force when the shaft is rotated.

The invention is therefore basically different from the commonly-used launcher which has a spring-loaded arm which is released to move through only an arc of movement to propel a target.

According to the invention, a trapshooting launcher comprises a rotary shaft with a driving means for continuously rotating the shaft in one direction, at least one launching arm extending outwardly from the shaft, mounted to rotate therewith and having means to support and guide a disc target to roll outwardly along and be launched from the arm under the elfect of centrifugal force when the shaft is rotated, means for holding the disc target in the launching arm against the effect of centrifugal force and means for releasing the disc target.

Further features of the invention are included in the description given below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, and are claimed in the appended claims.

The use of a rotary shaft in a launcher depends upon the provision of a suitable drive and an important feature of the invention is that the shaft is driven by a hightorque, low-resistance D.C. electric motor operated by a low-voltage battery. A very suitable motor is a starter motor as used for the internal combustion engines of motor vehicles and which can be run repeatedly for short periods from a 12 volt battery for example. With such a motor drive and battery, the launcher is portable and self-contained which is an important advantage for a launcher to be used on an open range remote from any electrical mains supply. By comparison, an internal combustion engine for example could provide only a relatively complicated and inflexible drive, difficult to control instantaneously.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated, by way of example, on the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show one embodiment of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation and FIG. .3 shows a constructional detail.

FIGS. 4 to 8 show another embodiment of which:

FIG. 4 is a side elevation with half in axial section,

FIG. 5 is a plan of part of a launching arm,

FIG. 6 is a cross-section on the line VI-VI of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is an end elevation of a launching arm, and

3,552,900 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 ice FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of a launching arm to illustrate a detail.

The launcher illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 3 is mounted on a base 1, conveniently the top of a case in which a battery (not shown) is housed and which can also be used as a container for components of the launcher when dismantled for transport.

Beneath the base 1 is mounted an electric motor 2, which is a started motor as mentioned above, of which the shaft 3 protrudes up through the base 1 and carries a cradle 4 in which a pair of launching arms 5 are mounted on hinges 6 (FIG. 3) and inclined upwardly at a suitable angle which may be adjustably fixed by means of supporting bolts 7.

The arms 5 are of channel cross-section of a width somewhat greater than the diameter of a disc target 8 which rests on a pair of low-friction running strips 9, on the web of the arm 5, and laterally against a friction strip 10 of rubber for example, along the inside of one side flange 11 of the arm 5. The target 8 has a knurled or similar rim to roll on the friction strip so that spin is imparted to the target as it is launched.

To launch a pair of targets loaded into the arms 5, the motor 2 is switched on and rapidly accelerates, rotating the shaft 3, cradle 4 and arms 5 at an increasingly speed until the centrifugal force acting on the targets causes them respectively to overcome the frictional restraint of a blade spring detent 12 anchored by one end to the inside of the other flange 13 of the arm 5 and bearing tangentially against the rim of the target with a load which is adjustable by a screw 14.

As each target escapes past its detent 12, it rolls rapidly along the friction strip 10 and is flung from the arm 5 with a high rate of spin about its own axis. The heavier the load imposed by the detent 12, stressed by the screw 14, the longer the period and the higher the speed of rotation of the arm before release and thus the greater the linear speed and flight of the target.

As well as a switch, a brake (not shown) on the shaft 2 is preferably provided for manual or automatic operation after targets have been released so that the launcher can quickly be stopped and reloaded.

With the spring detents 12, the direction of launching of the targets is unpredictable, which suits requirements for some uses, but there is also a requirement for a known direction of launching of one or both targets.

To meet this requirement, for example, one or both spring detents may be replaced by a hinged gate held across the arm 5, to bar escape of the target, by a catch which projects below the web of the arm 5 to strike an abutment trip positioned on the base 1 at an angular position to be encountered by the catch to release the gate and free the target to be launched in the required direction. The catch may be mounted, such as on a weighted blade spring, so that its path progressively lowers, under centrifugal effect, as the rotational speed increases and does not reach the horizontal plane of the abutment trip until a desired speed has been achieved.

The launcher illustrated by FIGS. 4 to 8 resembles in many respects that of FIGS. 1 to 3, similar reference numerals indicating corresponding parts, and it incorporates releasing means for launching each target in a chosen direction past a detent which is tripped to an inoperative position when the launching arm passes through a given angular position in its rotation.

Instead of the supporting bolts 7, each launching arm 5 is supported by a transverse blade spring 15 which rests in inclined slots 16 in the walls of the cradle 4 so as to yield downwardly under the elfect of centrifugal force on the arm as it reaches launching speed.

Each target is held between an adjustable spring detent 12 and another detent in the form of a broad blade spring 17 which acts as a sear to hold the target until the arm has depressed, by downward yielding of the supporting spring 15, sufficiently for a trigger 18, pivoted at 19 through a slot 20 in the web of the arm 5, to encounter a trip abutment 21 or 22 mounted on the base 1. When the trigger encounters a trip abutment it swings to allow the spring sear 17 to rest between the running strips 9 and release the target provided that the arm 5 is also rotating at sufficient speed for the effect of centrifugal force on the target to overcome the frictional restraint of the spring detent 12.

The trip abutments are mounted on the base 1, by a rotatable clamping disc 23, so as to be set at any desired angular position about the axis of the shaft 3 and trip release of a target in the corresponding direction.

The trip abutment 21 is simply a striking plate of a height to be encountered by the trigger 18 when the arm 5 has depressed sufficiently under the effect of centrifugal force beyond a given minimum value according to the speed of the shaft 3. (FIG. 8).

The trip abutment 22 is a striking lever pivoted in a block 24 (FIG. 7) and controlled by a solenoid 25 so as to be raised or lowered under manual, automatic or remote control through a switch.

Both embodiments of the launcher have appropriate electrical and other controls, with suitable safety devices, for the motor, release mechanism and brake.

I claim:

1. A centrifugal trapshooting launching device for disc targets comprising:

(a) :a base;

(b) driving means mounted on said base;

(c) a rotary shaft connected to said driving means for continuous rotation in one direction;

((1) at least one launching arm extending radially outwardly from said shaft and mounted to rotate therewith;

(e) means on said launching arm for supporting and guiding a disc target so that said disc target rolls outwardly along and is launched from said launching arm under the centrifugal force produced when said shaft is rotated;

'(f) means for frictionally holding said disc target in said launching arm against the effect of the centrifugal force produced upon rotation of said shaft up to a given minimum value of said force;

(g) a detent on said launching arm for said disc target;

(h) trigger means carried by said launching arm for tripping said detent to an inoperative position; and

(i) a trip abutment mounted on said base in a position wherein said abutment is engaged by said trigger means during the rotation of said trigger means with said launching arm, said trip abutment causing tripping of said detent upon engagement with said trigger means;

(j) said detent comprising a first spring means engaging said target, said first springmeans being movable downwardly to a target release position after tripping of said trigger means by said trip abutment.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said frictional holding means'comprises a second spring detent carried by said launching arm and having adjusting means for permitting variation in the frictional holding load on the disc target.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said launching arm is pivotally mounted on said shaft about an axis transverse to the axis of said shaft and said shaft carries said first spring means for rotation therewith and for supporting said launching arm at an inclination, with respect to said shaft axis, whereby on rotation of the shaft that component of the centrifugal force acting on the launching arm parallel to the shaft axis causes the spring means to deflect.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, in which control means are provided for selectively moving said trip abutment into or out of the position wherein said abutment is engaged by said trigger means during the travel thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1914 Best 124--8 9/1939 Connell 124-43 UX FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1956 France 1249 W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.