Improvements in Disappearing Targets for Rifle Shooting and the System of Marking.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Nov., 18891
Complete Specification Left, 5th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 1st Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Disappearing Targets for Rifle Shooting and the
System of Marking.
JOHN LEES ASPLAND of No. Mount Street, Albert Square, Manchester, Solicitor
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
My invention is first designed to raise and lower targets for rifle ranges on a new
system, secondly, to provide a system of marking whereby the liability of the marker
to make mistakes is eliminated, and, thirdly, to save the lower part of the frame of
penetrable targets from destruction by the projectiles. I now proceed to describe the
first part of my invention, namely, the system of raising and lowering the target from
a trench or from behind a screen or covered way. Upon a fixed vertical support I
attach by a pivot or pivots one or more levers. One end of the lever or levers is or
are connected to a part or parts of the framework which carries the target (which I
call the target carriage) by a pivot or pivots passing through the lover or levers and
the framework. I prefer to make one at least of these levers a balanced lever, the
fulcrum being on the vertical support. Upon the same lever I fix a suitable handle
or handles in such a position as to be easily used by the marker in raising or lowering
the target. On the opposite side to which I place the lever or levers I place one or
more links. One of these links at least must work in conjunction with one of the
levers by having for its centres of motion the same pivots that one of the levers has.
The other links and levers must be fixed so as to be parallel to the others. The
centres of motion of these are fixed in such a position that when the target is raised
or lowered to a suitable position the edges of the links or levers are in close contact
one with the other on a suitable facing provided for that purpose, so that they lock
together and hold the target rigidly in position. It may be maintained in position by
a suitable catch. Upon the free end of the balanced lever is attached a projection
containing a slot or other device for supporting a marking board. The action of the
combination is as follows. When the free arm is lowered or raised by the marker,
or by other means, the balanced lever imparts motion to the target carriage with the
fulcrum or fulcrums of the lever or levers as centre or centres of motion, and the
end or ends of the lever or levers and link or links as radii. The target thus rising
perpendicularly. The system of marking I adopt is this. I attach a marking board,
which I call the examine signal, to the free end of the lever as above explained, which
rises above ground or falls below it, as the free arm of the lever is raised or lowered.
When the target is lowered into the trench the examine signal rises above ground.
The marker having then examined the target, places in front of the examine signal a
number representing the value of the shot, which I call the score signal, or in case of
a miss, a signal for a miss, which I call the miss signal. The arrangement I prefer
for doing this is to have the score or miss signal attached to the end of a pole of
sufficient length, which is placed by the marker in a slot in front of that carrying the
examine signal. On the target being again raised the marker will remove the score
or miss signal. Whenever the target ceases to be used for the day and is lowered
into the trench or behind the screen or covered way, the examine signal can be
detached from the free end of the lever, so as to show nothing above the level of the
ground. My invention so far as it relates to penetrable targets consists in making
the target frame longer in height than is necessary for the target (and I make this
frame of wood or other suitable penetrable material) so that the top of the lower
transverse part of the frame is below the level of the ground, when the target is in
position to be shot at.
I then colour the canvas or other material stretched or placed on the frame of the
|target, so that that part required for the target is of the tints or colours required, and

page_text: By this
that part of the canvas or other material, which is in excess of the target either green
or some other colour representing the colour of the surrounding ground.
means the lower part of the target frame is safe from injury from shots
striking low.
.ה...
71
1
T
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Disappearing Targets for Rifle Shooting and the
System of Marking.
I, JOHN LEES ASPLAND of Monton Grange Ellesmere Park Eccles in the County
of Lancaster Solicitor 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 is first designed to raise and lower targets for rifle ranges on a new
system. Secondly to provide a system of marking whereby the liability of the marker
to make mistakes is eliminated and thirdly to save the lower part of the frame of
penetrable targets from destruction by the projectiles. I now proceed to describe the
1st part of my invention namely the system of raising and lowering the target from
a trench or from behind a screen or covered way. And in order that this may be
more fully understood I now proceed to describe the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is the front elevation.
Figure 2 is the side elevation.
Figure 3 is the plan.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
Upon a fixed vertical support marked d I attach by a pivot or pivots one or more
levers. But I prefer to use only one lever as shewn in the drawing marked b. One
end of the lever is connected to a part of the framework which carries the target
marked a (which I call the target carriage) by a pivot passing through the lever and
the framework. I prefer to make this lever a balanced lever as shewn in the drawing
the weight being marked the fulcrum being on the vertical support d. Upon this
lever I fix a suitable handle marked G in such a position as to be easily used by the
marker in raising or lowering the target. On the opposite side to which I place the
lever I place one or more links but I prefer to nse two as shewn in the drawing
marked C. One of these links at least must work in conjunction with the lever by
having for its centres of motion the same pivots that the lever has. The other link
or links must be fixed so that all the links are parallel to one another. The centres of
motion of these are fixed in such a position that when the target is raised or lowered
to a suitable position the edge of the links are in close contact with one another on a
suitable facing provided for that purpose, so that they lock together and hold the
target rigidly in position. It may be maintained in position by a suitable catch shewn
in the drawing marked "E." Upon the free end of the balanced lever is attached a
projection containing a slot or other device for supporting a marking board. The
action of the combination is as follows:-
a
When the free arm marked "" is lowered or raised by the marker or by other
means the balanced lever imparts motion to the target carriage marked " " with the
fulcrum of the lever as centre of motion and the ends of the lever and links as
radii; the target thus rising perpendicularly.
The system of marking I adopt is this
I attach a marking board which I call the examine signal to the free end of the
lever as above explained by placing it in a slot marked "H" which rises above
ground or falls below it as the free arm of the lever is raised or lowered. When
the target is lowered into the trench the examine signal rises above ground. The
marker having then examined the target places in front of the examine signal a
number or other device representing the value of the shot which I call the score
signal or in case of a miss a signal for a miss which I call the miss signal. The

page_text: arrangement I prefer for doing this is to have the score or miss signal attached to
the end of a pole of sufficient length which is placed by the marker in a slot in
front of that marked "H" carrying the examine signal. On the target being
again raised the marker will remove the score or miss signal. Whenever the
target ceases to be used for the day and is lowered into the trench or behind the
screen or covered way, the examine signal can be detached from the free end of
the lever so as to shew nothing above the level of the ground.
My invention so far as it relates to penetrable targets consists in making the target
frame longer in height than is necessary for the target (and I make this frame of wood
or other suitable penetrable material) so that the top of the lower transverse part of
the frame is below the level of the ground when the target is in position to be shot at.
I then colour the canvas or other material stretched or placed on the frame of the
target so that, that part required for the target is of the tints or colours required and
that part of the canvas or other material which is in excess of the target either
green or some other colour representing the colour of the surrounding ground. By
this means the lower part of the target frame is saved from injury from shots
striking low.
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