An Improved Spring Trap Shooting Apparatus.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Spring Trap Shooting Apparatus.
I, JAMES JOHNSTONE, of Penninghame Home Farm, Newton Stewart, in the
County of Wigtownshire Scotland, 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 an improved spring trap, for discharging balls or other
objects therefrom into the air, with great rapidity and force, in order that the same
may then be shot at for the purposes of practice, or sport.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I have appended hereunto
a sheet of drawings, in which,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved spring trap or shooting apparatus as it
would appear at the moment of discharging the ball or other object.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of so much of Fig. 1 as is needed to show the
position of the apparatus when the ball or other object is falling into the cup of the
discharging lever or ejector.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide a stand A with legs or feet capable
of being driven into or fastened firmly to the ground by suitable means, upon which
is mounted a base or table B, capable of being revolved upon A, by means of a
vertical bolt a passing through the centre or thereabouts of both A and B, or by
other suitable attachment, by which B may be moved in any horizontal direction
upon A. To the base B are fixed two upright standards C and C¹, through which
passes a bolt or rod D, which forms a swivel for, and is attached to the under
surface of a trough E, in which are placed the balls or other objects to be
ultimately discharged into the air. The said trough may be rectangular in cross
section and is heaviest at its back end, and is provided with a foot or stop piece b
at its back end which resting upon B regulates the angle of E. The front side of E,
or that which faces the observer in Fig. 1, is somewhat less in length than the
opposite side, so that a space exists between the termination thereof and the angular
end c of E. Within the bottom of E facing the said space in the side, I form a
crescent shaped slot e Fig. 2, through which passes a vertical discharge pin F the
lower end of which is rigidly attached to a lever f, pivotted at g and passing under
and in rubbing contact with the bottom of E, and is kept abutting against the
angular end c of E, (which extends below the bottom of E for that purpose) by
the tension of a spring connected to f and preferably as shewn in Figs. 1 and 3.
A sliding door G rests upon the projecting end off and is connected thereto by
a vertical pin or screw i, so that when is caused to oscillate upon its pivot g
G opens or closes (or nearly so) the opening in the side of E, by sliding between E
and a guide piece H. A stay piece is connected to the bottom of H and the
lower end of c, which also serves as a guiding slot for the travel of the lever f.
Upon the vertical standard C, is pivotted at k, an ejector or spring lever I, one end
of which carries a cup J, the opposite end being kept down abutting upon B, by
the tension of a spring 1, one end of which is connected to I at m, the opposite end
being hooked to the base B. To the point m is connected one end of a cord K,
which passes therefrom under a pulley n fixed upon B, between C and C¹, and over
a pulley o fixed to the under surface of H, and is connected to the lever f, by which
it will be understood that if the cup end of I be depressed, the rising of the
opposite end would pull upon K and cause the lever and the sliding door G to
move from their positions in Fig. 1 to that shewn in Fig. 3. Upon the side of the
base B near to C, is a lever L, pivotted at p, attached to the upper end of which
is one end of a cord M which extends therefrom under a pulley N fixed upon B, to
h
j
b

page_text: the hand of the operator. A spiral spring O is connected to L at r and to the
base B, the tension of which tends to keep L in the position shewn at Fig. 1. The
lever L carries a grooved pulley P in such a position that, when the cord M is
pulled by the operator, P engages with a rod or runner R, upon the upper surface
of I. A catch S is swivelled upon the base B at s, and is retained in a vertical
position by the tension of a spiral or other suitable spring t. From the upper end
of S extends & cord to the hand of the operator, and to this is joined a cord w,
which extends therefrom through a hole in the standard C and connected to L at r.
The manner of operation is as follows.
The balls or other objects T are placed in E, the first of which falls to the lowest
point, its progress being stayed by the end c, of E, and the closed sliding door G,
but in reaching this point it has mounted upon, a thin plate W placed in E, in loose
contact with the discharge pin F. The operator then pulls the cord M, and con-
sequently the lever L against the tension of the spring O, and this by means of the
grooved pulley P engaging with the rod or runner R, depresses the ejector or lever 1,
until the cup end thereof engages with the catch S as in Fig. 3. By the depression
of the cup end of I in this manner the opposite end is raised against the tension of
the spring, and the pull thereby given to the cord K operates the lever and the
sliding door G so that when I is in the position shewn by Fig. 3 the door G is open
as shewn in the same fig. The movement of the lever causes a like movement of
the discharge pin F in the slot e, and this giving movement to the tray or plate W,
these collectively push out the lower ball T into the cup J as in Fig. 3, at the same
time the discharge pin F abuts against the next or following ball and prevents that
falling out also. The lowering of L to the position shewn by Fig. 3 tightens the.
cord w which slackens the cord vso that it is impossible to release the catch S, from
its contact with I, by a pull upon the cord v, while L is down, but by slackening
the cord M, L is brought to its normal position as in Fig. 1, by the agency of the
spring O, and the cord w becomes slack as in Figs. 1 and 2, but the ejector lever I
still remains retained in the position shewn by Fig. 3 by the catch S, until the
signal is given to the operator, he then exerts a pull upon the cord
which operates
the catch S, and releases I, which immediately flys up by the agency of the spring 1,
until suddenly stayed by contact with the base B. as in Fig. 1, and the ball or the
like T is ejected therefrom in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1.
V,
The return of I to its original position or that shewn by Fig. 1, slackens the
cord K, and the lever returns to its normal position by the agency of the spring h,
and carries with it the sliding door G, which closes the aperture in E as before, and
the return of the discharge pin F to its first position permits the next ball in E to
replace the one previously discharged, and again take up the position shewn in
Fig. 2, until the operation of placing the same in the cup is repeated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,
1st. In an improved spring trap shooting apparatus the mechanism herein
described, combined, connected, and operating in the manner set forth, and for the
purpose specified, substantially as shewn.
2nd. In an improved spring trap shooting apparatus, the construction and use of
a base B, pivotted upon a suitable stand A, and provided with standards C, C,
carrying a trough E, pivotted thereon at D, and having a sliding shutter G,
connected to a lever f, pivotted at g, carrying a vertical discharge pin F, working
within a slot e, in E, and carrying a tray W. The ejector lever I, pivotted at R,
to the standard C, carrying a cup J. The lever L pivotted at p to the base B, to
which is attached a cord M, passing under a pulley N, a pull upon which depresses L
against the tension of a spring O, which by reason of the pulley P engaging with
a runner R, depresses I, against the tension of a spring 1, until engaged with and
retained by a pivotted catch S. The cord K connected to I, so that by the
depression of I by L as aforesaid K is tightened and caused to operate the lever f

page_text: and sliding door G against the tension of a spring h, by which motion the first ball
or other object is deposited within the cup J. The check cord w, for operating the
cord when L and I are depressed, the whole combined and operating sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein described and shewn by the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 90th day of October 1891.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.