Improved Folding Trap or Box for Shooting Purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 25th May, 1893-Accepted, 8th July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Folding Trap or Box for Shooting Purposes.
We JAMES HENRY PRATT, 27 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham Stock and Share
Broker, and CHARLES WILLIAM SUMMERSKILL, Swan Buildings Edmund Street
Birmingham, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
An
A bird trap consisting of six plates or slides so formed and hinged together as to
fold up into a box or cube when used as a trap from which to shoot birds and
capable of being folded flat one upon another for storage or carrying purposes.
alarm is attached to one of the plates or sides consisting of an ordinary gun lock
action and hammer for exploding a cap or cartridge-which hammer is released by
the act of pulling over the trap to liberate the bird. In place of the gun lock
action we can employ revolving disks actuated by a spring which can be wound up
or set and released in like manner. The noise caused by the explosion of the cap
or cartridge or the clattering noise made by the revolving disks is intended to
startle the bird and so hasten its flight.
Dated the Twenty-fifth day of August 1892.
JAMES HENRY PRATT.
CHARLES WILLIAM SUMMERSKILL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Folding Trap or Box for Shooting Purposes.
We JAMES HENRY PRATT Stock & Share Broker, 27 Bennetts Hill
Birmingham CHARLES WILLIAM SUMMERSKILL Engineer, Swan Buildings,
Edmunds Street, Birmingham.do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
An
A bird trap consisting of six plates or sides so formed and hinged together as to
fold up into a box or cube when used as a trap from which to shoot birds and
capable of being folded flat one upon another for storage or carrying purposes.
alarm is attached to one of the plates or sides consisting of an ordinary gun lock
action, and hammer for exploding a cap or cartridge-which hammer is released by
the act of pulling over the trap to liberate the bird. In place of the gun lock
action we can employ revolving dises actuated by a spring which can be wound up
or set and released in like manner. The noise caused by the explosion of the cap
or cartridge or the clattering noise made by the revolving discs is intended to
startle the bird and so hasten its flight.
Fig. 1. in the accompanying drawings represents the trap lying flat or open.
Fig. 2. shows the trap partially folded.
Fig. 3 shows the trap folded in cubical or box form.
Fig. 4. gives the trap folded for storage or carrying purposes.
In these views A. B. C. D. E & F represent the 6 plates or sides of the trap.
G. an alarm consisting of an ordinary gun lock action and hammer. H. a chain or
cord, fixed to the trigger of the alarm at one end and to the bottom plate, F. of the
trap at the other end, and of such a length as to allow of the hammer being set or
cocked when the trap is folded in box form, viz. plates E & F at right angles, and
which tightens and draws the trigger-thereby releasing the hammer of the alarm
as the trap is pulled open & the plates E & F. assume an horizontal position,
Fig. 1. which hammer strikes a cap or cartridge, the explosion of which startles the

page_text: bird & so hastens its flight. In Fig. 1. the plate A. has two of its edges A' A² set
up at right angles-the edge A' is raised sufficiently high to allow plate C. to fold
over A. when plate B has been folded upon it, and A sufficiently high to allow
plate D to fold over the plates A B & C. These 4 plates A B. C & D. then fold
against the back of plate E. which are finally folded upon F. Fig. 4. Plate F.
has 3 turned up shallow sides which receive the edges of plates B. C & D. when
set up in box form Fig. 3. as well as the whole of the plates when folded
flat, Fig. 4. An opening is also made in this plate for the alarm to pass through as
well as for pegs to hold the trap to the ground.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
A folding trap for shooting purposes with its parts so formed and hinged together
as to form a box and yet its parts capable of being folded flat one upon another for
storage or carrying purposes in conjunction with an alarm substantially as herein
shown.
J. W. PRATITERSKILL.
C. W. SUMMERSKILL.