Improvements in and relating to Built-up Shields, chiefly for Military Purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Built-up Shields, chiefly for
Military Purposes.
I, JENS ZINN, of No. 9, Havnegade, Copenhagen, K, in the Kingdom of Denmark,
Architect, 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:-
-
The present invention relates to improvements in built-up shields chiefly for
military purposes, and is particularly applicable for use by the infantry. The main
object of it is to enable a strong and firm shield of any desired size and thickness to
be readily built-up from two or more complete single shields, and as readily
dismounted when required and which shall be easy to erect, transportable, and not
fall to pieces when overturned; a further object being to so construct the component
parts that they form intrenching or other useful implements for use when not
required to form part of a shield, and thus obviate the necessity of carrying special
tools for this purpose.
According to my invention, the shield is composed of one or more single shields
which is or are complete in itself or themselves.
The shields may be constructed to form a miner's or infantry shield, wall, or a
piece of armour which may be of any desired size and thickness. These combina-
tion shields possess the great advantage of being transportable i.e., may be readily
removed and fixed at different places according to requirements or as desired
without necessitating the whole shield being taken to pieces for that purpose.
The characteristic feature of this shield is the rigid connection of the individual
shields, as it is this rigidity which attains the desired aim, viz.: to form from a
greater or smaller number of identical shields (single man shields) a miner's
shield or a wall of armour of any desired size and thickness and that may be
easily transported as a whole without falling to pieces, and again erected as one
piece should it accidentally or otherwise become overturned.
This invention as arranged for an infantry shield is illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 shows a rear elevation of a single shield.
Figure 2 shows a miner's shield, composed of four single shields and two
supporting struts or legs.
Figure 3 illustrates how a number of single shields may be placed and fixed
one behind the other to attain the desired thickness.
Figures 4 and 5 show intrenching implements (spades, pick-axes, axes) with
shafts as represented in Figure 6.
Figure 6 is the pin or bar which serves to hold the plates of armour in position
together as illustrated in Figure 3.
Figures 7 and 8 represent plan and side elevation respectively of an intrenching
implement with an elongated shaft as such implement is used when it is to form
the support for an infantry shield (see Figure 2).
The shield A (Figure 3) which is made of such material and such thickness as
to withstand modern musket shots, bullets, shrapnel etc., is composed of two parts

page_text: or plates A1, A2 hinged together at and so that the shield may be folded
together and opened, i.e., to form a larger or smaller angle. The aperture between
the hinges and forms the embrasure, which is sufficiently big to permit the
man behind the shield a free aim. When the said embrasure is not required for
use it may be closed or covered by the lid B, the latter serving simultaneously
for staying the shield and preventing same from collapsing. A round opening b
is provided in the lid B, which, if required may be closed by a moveable cover
or slide. This opening serves for the reception of the shaft of the intrenching
implement if same is employed to hold together the various component shields
placed one behind the other, as shown in Figure 3.
In order to be able to connect a greater or smaller number of these single
shields to obtain a rigid and durable miner's shield or a piece of armour, each of the
individual shields is provided with connecting studs a, which serve also as
distance pieces when the shields are placed one behind the other to form a wall.
The connecting studs a have holes or slots in them for the reception of wedges or
bolts. After the shields are placed together in position so that the connecting
stud a of the one shield is apposite the connecting stud a on the adjacent shield,
these wedges or bolts are passed through the holes or slots in each pair of the
studs a.
The said wedges or bolts may be secured to the shields by means of small
chains.
By means of these connecting studs with their wedges or bolts it is obvious that
a durable and rigid miner's shield of any desired size may be produced quickly
and easily, and which is removable at will, stands of itself, and if overturned will
not fall to pieces, and on the other hand may be again separated into its component
parts with facility. Such a shield may be supported by intrenching implements
(spades, pick-axes, axes etc.) which possess a shaft C (see Figures 4 to 6) of tubular
cross-section in order to receive elongated bars 1) (see Figures 2, 7, and 8). The
top ends of these elongated bars are so constructed at n that same may be connected
to the connecting studs a near the top edge of the shield, by means of suitable
wedges or bolts. After fixing the shaft to the desired length it will prop up or
support the shield as shown in Figure 2. If it is intended to produce a thick
shield or wall suitable for protection against heavier projectiles, it is simply
necessary to arrange the individual shields A one behind the other as in Figure 3,
and to connect them together by means of a shaft of an intrenching implement,
which passes through the openings in the cover plates 13 of the embrasures. A
row of apertures or slots o is provided in the shaft, which apertures are arranged
as far apart from each other as the length of the connecting studs a, .e., the distance
separating two adjacent shields, and the thickness of one shield. Any desired
number of shields may be arranged one behind the other. After the shaft C has
been passed through the opening b, a wedge 2 (see Figure 3) is passed through that
slot in the shaft C corresponding to the number of shields united together, where-
upon the construction will be quite rigid and firm, as desired.
It is obvious that similarly built-up shields may be placed at the top and bottom
as well as at the sides of such a piece of armour, the various complete shields being
fastened together by means of the connecting studs a and wedges or bolts passed
through a pair of these studs in the way above described. This will ensure a
rigid connection, so that a rigid wall of any desired size and thickness may be thus
obtained.
1 .
:
If such a wall be required for covering field ordnance, machine guns etc., gaps can
be left in the wall in a simple manner, namely, by leaving out one or more shields,
at the places desired.
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. In shields for military and other purposes the combination of means for
hill to his tamnanomile united to farmio. ohiold of ans

page_text: desired size and thickness, consisting in providing each half of the single shield
with the complementary halves of a hinge, an embrasure between the hinge,
guide-cleats on each side of the embrasure, a sliding lid fitting under said cleats,
to cover the embrasure and at the same time give the necessary rigidity to the two
united halves, a hole in said lid, fixed studs adapted to serve both as distance
pieces and as means for connecting the upper ends of the props, or legs, by which
the shield is suported, the said props being-formed into an intrenching or other
useful implement, substantially as and for the purposes described and shewn.
2. A shield for military and other purposes consisting of a plate in two parts
hinged together, an embrasure between the two halves of the hinge, guide-cleats
on either side of the embrasure, a sliding lid fitting under the said cleats and cover-
ing the embrasure, a hole in said lid, distance studs adapted also to serve as means
for connecting a prop or leg to support the shield when erected and the said prop
or leg, all substantially as described and set forth.
3. The combination with a shield for military and other purposes, consisting
of a plate in two parts hinged together, an embrasure between the two halves of
the hinge, guide-cleats on either side of the embrasure, a sliding lid fitting under
the said cleats and covering the embrasure, a hole in said lid, studs adapted to serve
both as distance pieces and as means for connecting a prop or supporting leg
with the shield, of a prop or supporting leg fashioned into an intrenching or other
useful implement.
་
4. In a shield for military and other purposes, the combination of two or more
shields each complete in itself and consisting of a hinged plate, an embrasure,
guide-cleats, a sliding lid to cover the embrasure, a hole in said lid, studs serving
both as distance and connection and studs, and leg or prop for supporting the
shield, all constructed, operated, serving, substantially as and for the purposes
described and set forth.
n: 1:1'. Dit TL
1000
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.