An Improved Spring Trap for Shooting Practice
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Spring Trap for Shooting Practice,
1, JAMES JOHNSTONE, of Novar, Evanton, in the County of Rosshire, Game-
keeper, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements in spring traps for discharging or eject-
ing glass balls or other objects therefrom into the air with great force, in order
that the same may be shot at for the purposes of shooting practice or sport.
In order that my said invention, the particulars of its construction, and the
manner of its use may be fully understood, reference is hereinafter made to the
accompanying two sheets of drawings of which,
Fig. 1 Sheet 1 is a side elevation of my invention, while Fig. 2 is a plan view
of same.
Figs. 3 and 4 are end elevations, the former as viewed from left to right, and
the latter as viewed from right to left of Fig. 1.
Figures 5 and 6 Sheet 2 are enlarged plan views of part of one of the two troughs
in which the balls or other objects are placed, and it is assumed that the said views
and the accompanying explanation thereof will suffice to make understood the
operation of the second trough.
Fig. 7 is a side view of the said trough shewn in Figs. 5 and 6.
Fig. 8 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the catch-lever, shewn in position
in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and hereinafter explained.
My invention consists of a pair of wooden troughs A and B, preferably rectangular
in cross section, and of any suitable dimensions according to the size of the missiles
to be used, and the number it is desired the said troughs shall hold. The said
troughs are elevated at one end into which the balls or other missiles C and C¹
are fed, so that they may travel by the action of gravity to the other or lower
ends of the said troughs, from which they exude as required. The said troughs
are fixed by the means of iron or wooden stays such as a, a, and a², upon and
at a suitable distance above a base or footing D, the said base being mounted
upon a preferably metallic track E, of approximately semi-circular formation,
placed in fixed connection with the ground by the means of any number of
staples or holdfasts such as b, or by any other suitable means. The said track is
slightly raised at c, through which part and the base D passes a bolt d, which
serves to secure D to E, and provide a pivot upon which the former may oscillate
horizontally upon the latter, the former being provided with a roller e (Fig. 1)
to facilitate this. The said base D is normally retained upon E, at or about the
position shewn in Fig. 1, by the tension of an adjustable spiral spring f, but may
be swung into any desired position upon E by a pull imparted by the operator
upon a cord or wire g, in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1, one end of which
said cord or wire is attached to D at h and passes therefrom around a pulley h¹
fixed upon the track E.
Between the troughs A and B is an ejecting lever F, pivotally mounted at a

page_text: point G upon the stays a a, the said lever having connected thereto one end of
a suitable spring, which may be such as j, (Fig. 1) the opposite end of which is
connected to an adjustable screw k, fixed upon the base 1), the tension of which
said spring operates to raise the said lever into the position shewn in full lines
in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, the said lever being provided with a pair of cups such as
and for receiving the balls C when ejected from the troughs A and B as herein-
after explained.
The bolt forming the pivot G also forms a fulcrum for a curved lever H, the
lower end of which has a spring G', and a curve or hook m, the latter adapted
to engage with a pin or projection w upon the lower end of the lever F. The
lever H has, at its upper extremity, an eye H¹, to which is connected one end
of a cord or wire p, which passes therefrom under grooved wheels or pulleys pl
and p upon the base D, and from the latter over a like pulley p³, upon the upper
end of a lever J, the lower end of which said lever is pivotally connected to the
base D at a point r, and is thereat connected to a spring J, which serves to
retain J in a vertical position, the said cord or wire ? passing from p3 to the
position of the operator. The said lever J carries a tappet or pawl, which
normally engages with the bent upper end s of a curved lever K, the lower end
of which is pivotally connected to the base D, and is provided with a spring K¹,
which operates to keep K in a vertical position.
The troughs A and B are each provided with lids or covers L, shewn in Figs. 1,
2 and 3, but removed in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. The lower end of the trough B is
provided upon its inner face with an opening M (Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 7) adapted to
be closed by a door or shutter N, sliding upon a carrier s¹, the said door or shutter
being connected to one end of a cord or wire t, which passes therefrom over and
under grooved wheels or pulleys t¹ and 3, its opposite end being connected at a
point with the lever F, the lowering of F imparting a pull upon t and causing
the door or shutter N to uncover the opening M in B. The lower end of the floor
of B has upon its under surface an arm 0, pivotted thereto at a point 0¹, the
opposite end of 0 being loosely connected to the door or shutter N, and by the
tension of a spring P serves to cause the door or shutter N to close the opening M
in B when the cord or wire t is released. The arm O has upon its upper surface a
post 02, which passes up into B through a crescent shaped slot 0³, and carries
a curved projecting wire O, which serves to stay the progress of the next following
balls C, while the first is being ejected through the opening M, as hereinafter
explained.
In precisely the same manner the trough A is provided with an opening like M,
and a sliding door R, to the latter of which is connected one end of a cord or
wire w, which passes therefrom over and under pulleys w¹ and w³, its opposite
end being connected at a point w³ with the lever H, the lowering of H imparting
a pull upon w, and causing the door or shutter R to uncover the opening in A,
and in precisely the same manner the under surface of the lower end of A has
an arm R', with spring P1, and is loosely connected to the door or shutter R,
the said spring P¹ serving to cause the door or shutter R to close the opening in A
when the cord w is released. In like manner the arm R¹ has a post R2, passing
up into A through a crescent shaped slot R3, provided with a curved projecting
wire R for operating upon the balls or the like C¹ in the trough A. The manner
of operation is as follows.
Given that the troughs A and B have been charged with balls or the like C
and C through their open ends, the operator would stand at a long distance from
the apparatus at the left of Figs. 1 and 2, and by imparting a pull upon the
rope, cord, or wire p, would thereby pull down the lever J into the position shewn
by dotted outline in Fig. 1, and by continuing the pull upon p while J is down,
would pull down the lever H into the position shewn by dotted outline in the
same figure, and such lowering of H would cause its lower end m, by engaging
with the pin n, to raise the lower end, and lower the upper end of the ejecting
lever F until this is in the position shewn by dotted outline in Fig. 1, or until its

page_text: curved uper end S as engaged with a notch T in the lever K (see Fig. 8) whereat
Fwould be retained so lowered by the tension of the spring K. The said lower-
ing of the lever I would impart a pull upon the cord or wire t, and slide back
the door or shutter N, and so disclose the opening M in B, whereat the foremost
ball of the series C would fall into the cup 1, as shewn in Fig. 6, a step V at
the opening M being provided to facilitate this, and at the same time the sliding
back of N would bring the arm O from the position shewn in full lines in Fig. 5,
to that shewn by dotted outline in the same figure and Fig. 6, when the point of
the wire would be in a position to arrest the next following ball, as shewn in
the latter figure and Fig. 7.
'
The said lowering of H would impart a pull upon the cord or wire w, and in like
manner would slide back the door R on A, and disclose the opening therein,
thereby permitting the foremost of the balls C to fall into the cup a step (not
shewn) being provided at the mouth of the said opening to facilitate such fall as
described in relation to the opening M, and such movement of R, would operate
in like manner upon the arm R¹, and cause its wire R to arrest the next following
ball C¹.
The apparatus being now set ready for action, the operator would slacken the
cord p, when the lever J would return to its vertical position (shewn in Fig. 1)
by the tension of its spring J, and such return of J would cause its tappet or
pawl to idly pass the projections of the lever K.
I
P
The operator, if desired by the sportsman, would now pull the cord or the like
until the base D was in such a position upon the track E that the balls may be
ejected in the direction desired, when, at a given signal from the sportsman, the
operator would again pull the cord or the like 2, thereby deflecting the lever J
until its tappet or pawl 2 had collided with the projection s, and pulled back
the lever K sufficiently that the end S of the ejector lever F becomes released
from the notch T, when the said lever F, by the tension of its spring j, would be
rapidly and forcibly returned to a vertical position, or until its motion be arrested
by its heel W, abutting against a rubber block W₁ in the base D, (sée Fig. 4) pro-
vided to deaden the noise of the impact, the sudden stoppage of the return motion
of F by such impact serving to forcibly eject, high up into the air, the balls C
and C, as suggested by the position of those leaving the cups and in Fig. 1.
The return of the levers and H by the tension of their springs, would release
the pull upon the cords t and w, when the doors or shutters N and R would close
over their respective openings by the return motion of the arms O and R', operated
by their springs P and P¹, and such return of the arms O and R', would place their
wires O and R in the position shewn by full outline in Fig. 5, when the next
following balls C and C³, would roll over the low portion of the said wires, and
rest up against their respective doors or shutters N and R (as suggested by the
dotted outline of the foremost of the balls C in Fig. 5), so that when the apparatus
is again operated as described, and the doors or shutters N and R again pulled
back, the said foremost balls would fall into the cups and as previously
described while the points of the wires 0 and R4 would again operate to arrest
the next following balls in the manner before stated.
I may find it convenient to employ suitably curved plates in lieu of the said
wires 0 and R', mounted in connection with the posts 02 and R3, in which case
the said plates would be so curved as to impart the same formation in cross section
as that shewn by the said wires, and operate upon the balls in like manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:1
(1) In an improved spring trap for shooting practice, the construction use and
application of the herein described apparatus, with all the accessories and ap-
pliances constituting the same, connected combined and operating substantially
as herein set forth and shewn.

page_text: (2) In an improved apparatus for shooting practice, the combination of a track
such as E, having pivotally connected thereto a base such as D, upon which is
mounted a pair of troughs such as A and B, carrying glass balls or other missiles
such as C and C, and each provided with an opening covered by doors or shutters
such as N and R, connected by cords or the like, with lever such as F and H,
provided with suitable springs such as j and G₁, the said doors or shutters being
also connected to arms such as R¹ and O, the said base also carrying levers J and K
provided with suitable springs such as J and K', the lever K having a notch T
for engaging with the free end S of the lever F, the lever J having a pawl or
tappet for operating the lever K for the release of the lever F, with a cord
wire or the like such as p, for setting and operating the said apparatus, the whole
connected, combined and operating substantially as herein described and shewn
by the appended drawings.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.