Patent Publication Number: US-9851185-B2

Title: Target

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to Italian Patent Application No. 202016000032524, filed Mar. 30, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a target. In particular, the present invention relates to a target for helice shooting. In more detail, the present invention relates to a target for helice shooting provided with a helice and a removable witness cap. 
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
     In the clay target shooting the TRAP is well known, wherein you shoot at a series of clay targets exiting from a box launcher. The shooter, who usually has a double shot firearm, knows the height and direction of the targets, that are launched from the box launcher always in the same way. The ability of the shooter is to intercept each target, taking into account that the time between two targets launches is variable. Usually, there are two box launchers, each one launching targets on trajectories that are at different height from the ground. The targets can have different shapes according to the type of trajectory they shall trace in the shooting area. 
     The trajectory of the axially symmetrical clays targets is usually quite predictable by the most experienced shooters; thus, the axially symmetrical clays have been replaced by flying targets so shaped as to trace more unpredictable trajectories, in order to make hitting the target more challenging. To this end, in the &#39;60s a target, commonly called “helice”, has been designed and constructed; it comprises a central body made of flexible plastic and a helical body, provided with two opposite blades and made of rigid plastic. This kind of targets are used in the discipline called “electrocibles”. The central body of the target, usually named as “witness cap”, is shaped similarly to the convex surface of a clay target. Therefore, the witness cap is connected in a snap-like manner to the helical body, to be detachable from that, which acts as a support of the same witness cap. In some cases, the helical (or finned) body has mushroom-shaped pins, which couple with housings provided in the peripheral part of the witness cap. It should be taken into account the fact that the material of which the witness cap is made is flexible; this means that, when hit by projectiles, it does not break, namely it elastically absorbs the energy of the projectiles, thus receiving a power contribution which influences, although in a limited manner, the motion thereof, given its aerodynamic structure. 
     Hitting the target is very challenging as the helice is flung quickly and at a small distance from the ground, so that it can skim over the ground zigzagging right and left, and then rises with the wind, making sudden and unpredictable swerves, similarly to the pigeons used in the past as moving targets. It should be noted that, according to the rules of this shooting discipline, the target is considered regularly hit only if the witness cap is completely dislodged from the finned body and lands within a given fenced area called ring. Otherwise, the shot is not considered valid. It is clearly understood that the hit received by the target by means of at least one projectile from a group (of spherical projectiles) must cause the fracture of the target and, in particular, of the helical body, thus the definitive separation of the witness cap from the helical body. If this does not happen, a portion of the helical body might remain connected to the witness cap, and the witness cap therefore falls within the ring together with helical body fragments, and this does not constitute a valid shot, i.e. the shooter does not score points. Therefore, the impossibility to guarantee the complete separation of the helical body fragments from the witness cap constitutes an additional risk variable that can compromise the shooter&#39;s performance without reason. Among the causes therefor, just by way of non-limiting example, there is the action of the wind, which could carry the witness cap outside the ring provided as given area to increase the score in the shooting competitions. Obviously, the above mentioned displacement outside the ring is also facilitated by the contribution to the rotation made by the set witness cap-helical body fragments, induced by the additional eccentric thrust transmitted by the shots hitting the target. This additional rotation adds aerodynamic lift to the blades of the helical body, resulting in an uncontrolled movement of the target. 
     In view of the above description, the uncontrolled movement induced by any helical body fragments still attached to the witness cap after the projectile shot can produce a particularly negative result due to the impossibility of controlling the witness cap falling trajectory once the target has been shot. Hence, all the efforts of the shooter to train for the physical and mental competition, can be frustrated. 
     In view of the above description it would be desirable to have available a target that, in addition to limiting and possibly to overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art, defines a new standard for this kind of targets in the “electocibles” discipline. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a target. In particular, the present invention relates to a target for helice shooting. In more detail, the present invention relates to a target for helice shooting provided with a helice and a removable witness cap. 
     The object of the present invention is to provide a target that is simple and economical to be constructed and solves the above mentioned drawbacks. 
     According to the present invention a target is provided equipped with a helical body that can be easily fractured, whose main characteristics will be described in at least one of the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Further characteristics and advantages of the target according to the present invention will be more apparent from the description below, set forth with reference to the attached drawings, that illustrate some non-limiting examples of embodiment, where identical or corresponding parts are identified by the same reference numbers. In particular: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a target according to this invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are two schematic perspective views from the bottom of  FIG. 1  in enlarged scale and with some parts removed for the sake of clarity; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic perspective view of a variant of a detail of  FIG. 1 , with some parts removed for the sake of clarity; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of a variant of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic perspective view of  FIG. 7 , in enlarged scale and with some parts removed for the sake of clarity; and 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic perspective view of a further variant of a detail of  FIG. 1 , with some parts removed for the sake of clarity. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIG. 1 , number  1  indicates, in its entirety, a target for the discipline of “electrocibles”. This target comprises a helical body  10 , made of rigid plastic, and a witness cap  20 , made of flexible plastic, that are snap-coupled together. With particular reference to  FIG. 4 , the helical body  10  comprises a cylindrical annular portion  12  that extends according to a central axis A, from which a pair of helice blades  16  radially extend. The central portion  12  has a given height, is axially delimited by an inner face  120  and by an outer face  122  and is peripherally provided with at least one pair of mushroom-shaped projections  14 , so configured as to be engaged by (and therefore to snap-couple with) the witness cap  20  in correspondence of respective peripheral seats  22 . The mushroom-shaped projections  14  are two, and are diametrically opposite in  FIG. 4 , without however limiting the scope of the present invention. 
     With particular reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , the witness cap  20  has a helical spiral  25  on a respective convex upper face. 
     With reference to  FIG. 4  again, the annular portion  12  has a plurality of crack nucleation elements  30  for the fracture of the target  1 , provided peripherally in the annular portion  12  in order to facilitate the breakage of the helical body  10  when, in use, the helical body  10  is hit by at least one projectile of a group of projectiles. 
     The crack nucleation elements may be actuated in several manners, as it will be described below. One of these elements is shaped similarly to a first groove  34 , with triangular cross-section advantageously directed like the central axis A, as shown in  FIG. 4 , without however limiting the scope of the present invention. The annular portion  12  may also have a plurality of first grooves  34 , uniformly distributed around the central axis A on the inner face  120  of the annular portion  12 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , the annular portion  12  may have a plurality of second grooves  32  delimited by a quadrangular profile, and in particular by a substantially trapezoidal profile. These second grooves are provided in the respective outer face  122  and are uniformly distributed around the central axis A. Each second groove  32  is delimited, at the top in  FIG. 4 , by a cylindrical edge  35 . To each second groove  32  an impression  33  corresponds, that is provided on the inner face  120  and gives the central portion  12  a step-shaped perimeter with substantially constant thickness, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The central portion  12  is provided with a diametric spacer  37 , suitable to give stiffness to the central portion  12  between the two blades  16 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 4  again, it should be noted that the central portion  12  may have adjacent first grooves  34  or a groove  34  may laterally delimit a second groove  32  so as to maximize the probability that the fracture of the central portion  12  is brittle and that the hitting projectiles fracture it in very small fragments, thus completely freeing the witness cap  20 . 
     With particular reference to  FIG. 2 , the height of the cylindrical annular portion  12  is slightly smaller than the height of the witness cap  20 . 
     The use of the target  1  described above can be easily understood from the description above and does not require further explanations. However, it should be useful to specify that the presence of each first and second groove  34  and  32  represents a privileged crack nucleation point for the helical body  10 , allowing to facilitate the fracture thereof (of the helical body  10 ) and therefore allowing the witness cap  20  to follow its trajectory separately from the helical body  10  towards the fenced area in front of the marked space with the shooting stand, so that the shot is considered valid according to the “electrocibles” rules. The profile of the annular portion  12  of  FIG. 5  is undulating and has cylindrical portions  38  arranged between two grooves  32  and marked by at least one triangular notch in the respective outer face  122 , and in particular each notch is constituted by a groove  34 . 
     Lastly, it is clearly apparent that variants and modifications can be done to the target  1  described and illustrated herein without however departing from the protective scope of the present invention. 
     For instance, with reference to  FIG. 6 , the annular portion  12  may be cylindrical outside and grooved inside, with grooves  39  provided only in the inner face  120 . 
     On the other hand, with reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the annular portion  12  may be cylindrical outside and grooved inside with triangular grooves  39  and  41  respectively provided in the inner face  120  and in the outer face  122 , and these grooves  39  and  41  may be alternate so that the profile of the annular portion  12  is substantially undulating. 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the target  1  may be modified so that the annular portion  12  has at least one circumferential third groove  36 , substantially shaped like a helix concentrically with the central axis A. 
     In view of the above description, it is clearly apparent that a target constructed like the target  1  illustrated above solves, in an easy and economical manner, the problem of facilitating the brittle fracture of the helical body, and in particular of the rigid annular portion  12  once this portion has been hit by a projectile and, therefore of facilitating the separation of the witness cap  20 , made of flexible plastic, from the annular portion  12  of the target  1 .