Year: 1888

page_text: 1, ORLANDO PHILANDER BRIGGS of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America,
Inventor 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 :-
This invention relates to a novel toy in shape of a gun or pistol adapted both for
spinning a top and for shooting a ball or marble. The invention consists in the
matters hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawing illustrating my invention,
Figure 1 is a sectional view of the toy when made in the form of a pistol and
entirely of metal.
Figure 2 is a section of the same taken upon line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side view of a top adapted for use with the toy illustrated.
Figure 4 is a fragmentary section illustrating a modification of the top spinning
devices.
The toy herein illustrated as embodying my invention is made principally of
cast metal and in form to resemble a pistol. The said toy is formed in two parts
or sections A A, each consisting of a single casting, the sections being joined together
by rivets a a. A is the barrel part of the pistol formed by opposite longitudinal
recesses in the castings A A, which recesses are arranged to form guides for a longi-
tudinally movable rod B which slides therein. Said rod is moved by means of a
spiral spring C placed between it and a transverse wall a¹ at the inner end of the
barrel. Said rod is provided adjacent to the forward end of the spring with a
depending lug b adapted to engage a detent D which is mounted on a pivot d and
actuated by a spring D². E is a trigger mounted upon a pivot e and provided. with
a horizontal part E¹ having at its forward edge a notch e¹ which engages a pro-
jection d' upon the detent D. By pulling the trigger backwardly the rear end of the
detent D is depressed and the rod B released to allow the spring to throw the same
forward. At its forward end the rod B is provided with a handle B' extending
-through a slot in the barrel to a point below the same in position convenient to be
•
011

page_text: grasped by the hand or finger for compressing the spring. as clearly shown in the
drawing. F is a rack-bar formed or secured upon the outer edge of the rod B
near the rear end of said rod. G is a spring bar provided with a semi-cylindric
socket g arranged opposite the rack-bar F.
H, Figure 3, is the top, which is provided at its upper end with the cylindric,
toothed spindle H². In its main part or body the top may be of any common or
preferred form. The toothed spindle H¹ is adapted to intermesh with the rack-
bar F, while the diameter is such as to fit within the semi-cylindric socket g in
the spring bar G. Said socket is made perfectly smooth so that the toothed spindle
will turn freely therein.
The top is inserted between the rack-bar and spring bar when the rod B is thrust
rearwardly and the spring is compressed, the forward end of the rack-bar at this
time being opposite the socket g. In its forward movement the rear end of the rack-
bar passes to a point forward of said socket. In placing the top in the device the
spring bar Gris thrust outward, to allow the insertion of the spindle between the rack-
bar and the said bar G. A finger piece G is provided upon the said spring bar, for
convenience in thrusting it outwardly. After the spindle H¹ of the top has been
inserted, the top will be held in engagement with the rack-bar by the pressure of
the said bar G. When the parts are in the position described, if the trigger is
pulled and the rod released the rack-bar will be thrown quickly forward, thereby
giving rapid rotary motion to the top, which latter will be released at the moment
that the rack-bar passes forward of the notch or socket g, when the top will drop on
a surface beneath it and continue to spin. The toy is of course held in such
position as to maintain the top-spindle vertical at the moment the top is released.
The toy constructed as above described, is adapted also for shooting balls or
marbles by means of devices as follows:
JJ are spring arms attached to the muzzle of the barrel and extending forwardly
therefrom. At the free ends of said arms are formed cup shaped holders jj,
adapted to sustain a ball or marble j¹ in a position in front of and in alignment
with the rod B. Said rod is made of such length that when released and thrown
forward, in the manner described, it will strike the ball or marble, dislodge it from
said holders jj, and project it forward with considerable force.
In Figure 4 I have shown a somewhat different construction in a means for revolving
the top. In this instance the apparatus is provided with a sliding rod B actuated in the
same manner as is the rod B shown in Figure 1. The said rod B is without any teeth
or rack-bar for engagement with the top, and the latter, indicated at I, is provided with
a smooth or cylindric spindle 1', adapted for contact with the smooth edge of said rod B,
and adapted to be placed between said rod and a spring or yielding bar S arranged
parallel thereto. Said spring bar is attached to the main part of the device by means
of a spring s and is provided with a notch s¹ arranged opposite a shallow transverse
groove in the rod B. Said notches s¹ 6' are adapted to receive the cylindric spindle I¹
of the top and to hold said spindle accurately at right angles to the bar, this being
necessary to insure the spindle remaining engaged with the said rod B and the bar S
when the said bar B is moved end wise in the manner hereinafter described. The spindle
is held in place in said notches by the pressure of said spring arm. The notch s is
arranged at the rear end of the spring rod S, while the notch b' is located at a con-
siderable distance forward of the rear end of the rod B. When the spindle of the top
is placed in said notches s¹¹, in the manner described, the said rod B being at the
rearward limit of its movement and the spring compressed, when the said rod is
released and thrown forward, the spindle I will be rolled along between the edge of
the rod and bar S and a rapid rotary motion will thereby be given to the top, the top
of course being moved bodily forward by the action of the moving rod. The top will
be released at the forward limit of the movement of the rod B by the entrance of the
spindle I' into the recess s² in the surface of the spring bar S. The same result will
be produced, however, in case the rear end of the said rod B passes forward of the
said spindle, which will occur when the parts are proportioned in the particular manner
shown.

page_text: Spring arms T T, provided with sockets t t for holding a marble, are shown in
Figure 4 as located within the barrel A'.
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:
1: The combination with a top provided with a cylindric spindle, of a spinning
apparatus comprising a longitudinally movable rod, a spring for actuating the same, a
detent and trigger for holding the spring compressed and releasing the same, and a
yielding bar opposing said rod, and adapted to hold the cylindric spindle of the top
in engagement with the rod when the latter is moved end wise, substantially as
described.
2-The combination with a top provided with a cylindric toothed spindle, of a
spinning device comprising a longitudinally movable rod provided with a rack bar,
a spring for moving said rod, a detent and trigger engaging the rod for holding the
spring compressed and releasing the same, and a recessed yielding har opposite the
rack-bar and adapted to hold the toothed spindle of the top in engagement therewith,
substantially as described.
3: The herein described toy having the form of a gun or pistol provided with a
barrel and a longitudinally movable rod therein, a spring for actuating the rod, a detent
and trigger for holding the spring compressed and releasing the same, and spring
arms at the end of the barrel provided with holders at their free ends to receive and
hold a ball or marble, substantially as described.
1000