Patent Publication Number: US-4481932-A

Title: Doubles target trap

Description:
DESCRIPTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a device for throwing disk targets, known as clay pigeons. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Trap shooting launchers or target traps are well known and are used to throw frangible objects, such as clay pigeons, into the air for target practice. The targets typically rest on an elongated target throwing arm with the trailing edge formed with a channel shaped rail. A shaft is attached laterally to the arm at one end. Power is supplied to rotate the shaft which, in turn, causes the arm to revolve. Centrifugal forces cause the trap to be thrown from the arm. Power is usually supplied by spring loading the arm or by rotating the shaft with an electric motor. Targets also develop a spin as they roll from the arm which improves their flight performances. 
     As trapshooters become more adept, the challenge of shooting a single target diminishes. Additional targets have been placed on the single arm, and in some cases a second arm has supplied the second target. However, the targets will still have basically the same flight pattern. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 3,179,101, issued to Luebkeman, a target trap is disclosed with two target throwing arms attached to a single shaft. One arm can be adjustably moved about the shaft, causing a lateral angle between the launching arms. When the arms are rotated, the targets are released at divergent lateral angles. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a device which launches one or more targets which can be thrown in varying flight patterns to increase the difficulty in trap shooting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that will release traps to the right, to the center or left. A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for varying elevations, varying speeds and creating trajectories which curve upward or downward at either right, center or left positions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a target trap having two throwing arms. The lower arm is attached to a shaft lateral to the arm. The shaft is attached to the base such that the shaft and lower arm can rotate freely. 
     Power is supplied to the shaft and lower arm by means of a contractile spring or electric motor to supply the necessary rotation. 
     An upper arm is attached to the lower target throwing arm along the trailing edges of the arms. The attachment is by a hinge or such means as will allow the plane of the upper arm to vary with respect to the lower arm from the trailing to leading edge. An adjustible link means on the outside or leading edge of the arms is employed to hold the angles of the planes of the arms formed in the position desired. 
     With the links set, such that the plane of the upper target throwing arm is parallel to the lower arm, traps placed on each arm will be thrown in substantially similar flight paths. Moving one trap towards the outer end of an arm will cause that trap to move more slowly and be released first and towards the right in arms that rotate and release counterclockwise. The elevational angle of release will be the same for both traps, regardless of the lateral path divergence. 
     When the link is adjusted such that the outer edge of the upper target throwing arm is angled upward from the hinge, the trap placed on the upper arm will have a steeper elevational flight path than a target from the lower arm. Also, the angle of the target, as compared to the vector of the force supplied by the spring, causes the target to luff upwards in a curved pattern. 
     Adjusting the link such that the hinge closes slightly and the upper arm dips downward towards the lower arm causes the trap from the upper arm to have a lower flight path than the lower trap. The effect can be varied such that the two traps coming from the upper and lower arms, respectively, can actually cross flight paths. The angle of the trap, as compared to the force vector from the spring, also causes the trap to curve and decreases its velocity relative to the target from the lower arm. 
     The device of the invention thus provides an almost infinite degree of variability for trap shooters. Either arm can be used with either one or two traps. A novice may use the single trap from the lower arm with the predictable angles developed. An intermediate shooter may use only the top arm, but adjusted through the hinging means, such that the trap trajectory may be very steep or shallow. The expert may use two traps on the lower arm, separated by several inches, such that the traps come off at divergent lateral angles. Two traps, separated by several inches on the upper arm with the upper arm angled upward or downward, would result in four targets coming off the device. The traps would have lateral separation, vertical separation, speed differences and differing deacceleration characteristics. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The detailed description of the invention, including a preferred embodiment, is hereinafter described with specific reference being made to the drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the trap in the position with the two throwing arms adjusted to a parallel position and cocked; 
     FIG. 2 is an end view along lines 2--2 of the two arms in the parallel position as shown in FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 3 is an end view of the two arms adjusted such that the leading edge of the upper arm is raised from a parallel relationship in the lower arm. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The trap provided by the present invention includes a tripod base 10 having legs 11 which are adapted to be firmly anchored in the ground. Two vertically extending spaced apart and parallel sheet metal frame members 12 and 13 are mounted on top of the tripod base 10. These frame members have a pair of aligned slots 15 extending therethrough and a large bolt means 16 extending through the plates adjacent the upper front corner. 
     Elevation arm 18 is pivotally mounted on bolt 16 intermediate the length of the arm, and another bolt means 17 extends through the arm rearwardly of bolt 16 and also extends through the upper slot 15. Large thumb nut or adjusting knob 20 is threadably engaged on the end of bolt 17 and can be tightened so as to secure elevation arm 18 at any angle of inclination to thereby vary the angle at which the clay pigeon is launched. 
     Tubular pivot shaft housing 22 is rigidly secured to the forward end of the elevation arm and pivot shaft 23 extends through housing 22 and is held in place by nut 24 threaded on the lower end of the shaft. The upper end of pivot shaft 23 is rigidly secured to the forward end of lower throwing arm 26 to thereby permit the throwing arm to swing about shaft 23. 
     Lower throwing arm 26 is formed having a flat target supporting portion 27 formed with an integral channel shaped rail 28 along its trailing edge. Rubber strip 30 is mounted in the rail by screws 31, the leading edge thereof projecting from the rail for engagement with a target 29 that is to be supported upon portion 27. The longitudinal axis of lower throwing arm 26 extends centrally along rail 28 and said axis projects laterally of the axis of shaft 23. 
     Lower throwing arm 26 is preferably formed from an aluminum stamping so as to be lightweight and is formed with perforations 33 to decrease air resistance and to make the arm lightweight. Arm 26 may be formed of other materials, such as plastic, and the channel shaped rail 28 may be formed separately, rather than integrally with flat target supporting portion 27. 
     Extending downwardly and rigidly attached to the underside of the forward end of lower throwing arm 26 is a swivel yoke shaft 35 on which is swingably mounted swivel yoke 36. The swivel yoke 36 has a rear end portion having an aperture 37 in which one end of large tension spring 40 is connected. The lower end of the yoke shaft 35 has a cotter key 41 fixed therein for holding swivel yoke 36 captive on shaft 35. 
     The other end of large tension spring 40 is connected to the rear end of elevation arm 18 with any suitable means for adjusting the spring tension as is known in the art. 
     Lower throwing arm 26 is releasably held in spring-loaded position by lever 42 pivoted on elevation arm 18 at pivot point 44 and biased for a releasable engagement behind a trigger catch 46 on the lower arm remote from the pivot mounting. A contractile spring 47 engages the lever at one end and at its other end to elevation arm 18. Release of the spring-loaded arm with the target thereon is accomplished by pulling cord 48 connected to the upper end of lever 42, whereupon the arm will swing around the shaft and launch the target therefrom. A suitable base unit is available from Hoppes, Division of Penguin Industries of Coatesville, Pa. 
     An upper target throwing arm 50 formed with a flat target-supporting portion 51 and along its trailing edge an integral channel-shaped rail 52 is hingedly mounted to lower throwing arm 26 with the lower rail 28 hinged to upper rail 52. 
     The hinging action along the trailing edges of the arms can be accomplished by a hinge means, such as a piano hinge, a strip of rubber loosely bolted between the two throwing arms along the rails 28 and 52, or preferably by means of a bolt connecting the rails at both ends of the arms with a rubber doughnut-shaped spacer 56 separating the arms with each bolt 55 passing therethrough. 
     The hinging action of the two arms is accomplished by means of moving the leading edge 57 of the upper target throwing arm 50 up or down relative to the plane of lower throwing arm 26. The rubber doughnut-shaped spacers 56 deform, allowing movement of upper target throwing arm 50 without bending the arm material. 
     Adjustment of the planes formed by lower throwing arm 26 relative to upper target throwing arm 50 is accomplished by link means 58 which is connected to both lower and upper arms and can decrease or increase the gap between the arms at their leading edges. 
     A preferred link means 58 employs bolt 60 extending through flat target-supporting portions 27 and 51. Coil spring 61 is wrapped around bolt 60 in between the two flat target-supporting portions of the arms. Wing nut 62 attached to bolt 60 may then be tightened to pull the leading edge of the upper arm downward towards the lower arm. Loosening the wing nut, in turn, causes spring 61 to push the leading edge 57 of the upper arm upward. 
     The entire upper target throwing arm 50 can be tilted upward or downward from a parallel position, relative to the fixed plane of lower throwing arm 26. Preferably, the upper arm is tilted up or down from its hinge point thirty degrees or less. Such angles give good target trajectories with minimum target breakage. 
     Upper target throwing arm 50 preferably is formed with its integral channel-shaped 52 having a rubber strip 65 formed along upper flange portion 66 to assist in positioning and guiding the target during launching. Upper target throwing arm 50 is also preferably made of stamped aluminum formed with perforations 33 to decrease air resistance and to lower the weight. Any other materials which are light in weight such as plastics or metals may be utilized. 
     In operation, the operator cocks the device by pulling on the arms until trigger catch 46 is caught on lever 42. Large tension spring 40 is thus cocked and, upon cord 48 being pulled, lever 42 releases trigger catch 46 causing the arms to rapidly swing out in a counterclockwise motion until the targets are thrown by centrifugal force. 
     The novel design of the upper target throwing arm 50 and hinging action combined with a base, elevational arm and lower targer arms of prior art devices provides the operator with a greater array of possible trajectories. 
     When link means 58 is adjusted so as to raise the leading edge 57 of upper throwing arm 50, the clay pigeon will leave the upper arm at an angle higher to the direction of force formed by the spring. The clay pigeon would then tend to luff with its bottom against the air causing it to curve upward and to slow down much more rapidly than if the arms were in a parallel position. By moving the pigeon along the length of the upper arm, this steep, upward and curving angle can be developed to the right, center or left position. 
     Likewise, tightening wing nut 62 would cause the arms&#39; leading edge 57 to draw closer to the lower arms&#39; leading edge. A clay pigeon propelled from the upper arm in this position would tend to decrease in velocity and curve downward more rapidly than a pigeon released from a parallel position. It is possible to adjust the position of the clay pigeons on the arms along with the planar adjustment created by the hinges of the arms, such that the trajectories of the lower and upper pigeon actually cross in mid-air. 
     Generally, any number of pigeons could be placed on the two arms. The upper arm, with its unique angling feature, can be used for single or double placement of clay pigeons or only the lower arm can be used. For a greater degree of difficulty, two clay pigeons may be placed on the lower target arm and two placed on the upper target arm, resulting in four targets spaced laterally, vertically and with vastly velocities due to the increased deacceleration of the pigeons when the upper arm is tilted either upwards or downwards in relation to the lower arm. 
     Although the invention has been described in reference to trap launchers with power supplied by a heavy contractile spring, devices powered by electric motors or the like may also be utilized.