Patent GB-475173-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for projecting centrifugally a series of balls for amusement and other purposes
IPC: A63B69/40
Filed: 1936-05-14
Abstract: 475,173. Game apparatus. BRENNER, J. G. May 14, 1936, No. 13698. [Class 132 (ii)] A centrifugal gun for projecting a stream of balls comprises a tubular shaft through which the balls are fed to a barrel rotatable therewith, the balls being released for projection by escapement mechanism comprising a pair of fingers alternately moved into and out of the barrel and actuated by a fixed cam the axis of which coincides with that of the tubular shaft. The mechanism may be coin-freed. As shown applied to a gun and target game a machine gun replica A is adapted to fire steel balls at a target 21 housed in a cage C. The gun body 1 is carried by a frame 2, Fig. 3, pivoted about a horizontal shaft 3 for limited movement, and the shaft 3 is carried in a frame 4 pivoted about a vertical axis in a fixed frame 8 to permit a limited traversing movement of the gun. Balls are supplied by gravity through a pivotal tube 19, Fig. 3, to the hollow shaft 3 from where they pass into a magazine 13 and are projected through a barrel 14 under centrifugal action, the magazine, barrel 14, and a counterbalancing dummy barrel 17 being rotated with the shaft 3 by a pulley 16 belt driven by an electric motor. An escapement device is provided to ensure that only one ball is projected at each revolution of the magazine 13, and comprises detents 26, '27, Fig. 4, pivoted respectively to arms 24, 25 pivoted at 29 to the magazine. The arms 24, 25 carry rollers 32 forced into engagement with a fixed cam 33 by a spring 34 whereby the detents 26, 27 are alternately retracted from and advanced into the magazine, and being spaced apart a distance corresponding to the diameter of a ball permit one ball to escape at each revolution, the cam being adjusted so that the balls are released when the barrel 14 is approximately vertical whereby the balls will be projected towards the target 21. The balls after projection fall upon the inclined floor 22 of cage C which leads them to a runway 23 connected to the tube 19 there being sufficient balls to provide a continuous stream of balls from the gun. The tube 19 is pivoted to the frame 4, Fig. 3, and to a tube 40, Fig. 1, which with two side slats 39 pivoted thereto forms the runway 23. To prevent the flow of balls to the gun before the barrel 14 has attained sufficient speed, a pivotal finger 42, Fig. 6, projects into the magazine. The finger is rigid with an arm 44 biassed by a spring 43 to a position in which the magazine is blocked, until, when the magazine has reached the required speed the wind pressure on a vane 46 rigid the arm 44 rocks the latter in opposition to the spring until a notch in the finger 42 permits the flow of balls through the magazine. Alternatively the finger 42 may be controlled by a solenoid in the driving motor circuit. Timing-mechanism. The circuit of the electric motor is preferably controlled by a time switch, and, where a plurality of the gun and target devices are arranged side by side, a main time switch may control all of them, each device being isolated if desired by an independent switch. Counters may be provided to indicate the number of times each device is used. Alternatively, two cams driven from the driving motor may determine the time of operation of the apparatus, one of which controls the motor circuit while the other operates a lever to control the ball feed. Target. Comprises staggered vanes 37 on a shaft 35 driving a known counter visible to the manipulator. Alternatively, the target comprises staggered rows of knock-down figures which may be reset by rotation of the spindles on which they are mounted.