Improvements in Ball Slings.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Slings.
I, JULIUS WALDMANN, of 25 Wasserthorstrasse, Berlin S. in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant, 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 improved automatic ball sling for sporting and playing purposes is made in
the shape of a pistol or gun and consequently permits of an exact aiming thus
enabling the ball to be thrown in any desired fixed direction.
By a simple displacement of the cup or pan of the sling receiving the ball, the
slinging force can be regulated at will, that is to say the slinging force can be
adjusted according to each given aim. The sling offers at the same time a
convenient handle for a bag attached to the said sling and serving to catch and
receive the balls which may be thrown.
The accompanying drawing represents a sling of this kind, made, for example, in
the form of a pistol.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved device.
Figure 2 is a plan,
Figure 3 illustrates separately the catching and receiving bag in perspective.
Upon the wooden body a of pistol shape the slinging spring is fixed in front of
said body, which spring in the example shown consists of two wire arms 662 with
one apex in common. When this spring by overcoming its tension is forced
down out of its upright position, shown in dotted lines, which upright position it
tends to occupy when released, a hook shaped trigger c of the pistol body engages
with the apex of the spring and thus stops the sling in its depressed position.
Thus the releasing of this spring device is effected in a similar manner to the firing
of a pistol or gun, by simply releasing the trigger c.
The slinging spring carries the cup or pan d for receiving the ball to be thrown;
this cup or pan being made displaceable upon the spring, so that by altering its
distance from the centre of motion or fixing poiut of the spring the slinging power
to be produced can be modified. In the example shown the cup d is in a simple
appropriate manner pressed or otherwise fastened in a wire loop e, the extremities e¹
of which, made in form of eyes, surround the two spring arms 6 6 under frictional
contact. In this manner the cup d can be easily displaced and adjusted. Figures 1
and 2 represent the cup in two different positions. In the position shown in
Figure 1, according to which the cup together with the spring 61 63 traverses the
largest possible path, the highest possible slinging power is exerted.
In the sling shown in the drawing I provide an arrangement by which the
releasing of the slinging spring, that is to say, the pulling motion exerted upon
the trigger takes place with a certain report or detonation in the most simple
manner.
This arrangement consists of a simple leaf spring flying flat upon the top
surface of the pistol body a, this leaf spring being rotatably fixed with its front
extremity upon the pistol body. By this arrangement I provide that the leaf
spring, on setting that is to say on forcing down the slinging spring, can be
turned aside, see Figure 2. On subsequently turning this leaf spring back into its
normal position, Figure 1, its free extremity arrives above the wire arm 9
projecting downwards from the slinging spring. When the latter is being released
the wire arm g first lifts the leaf spring and subsequently allows the same to slip

page_text: off and fall back under spring action upon the pistol body a, whereby a report or
detonation is produced. By turning the leaf spring aside this detonating device
can be disengaged, or the same may at will be entirely omitted for sporting
purposes.
In order that the sling may be simultaneously used as a handle or medium for
holding a bag serving to catch balls, so that the person using the sling may not
require any special separate catching device, the front extremity of the pistol body
forms a clamp for receiving the wire hoop h of an appropriate bag i. This bag i
may at the same time serve for receiving a number of balls to be used, by the
player. The wire hoop of the bag is provided with a special ear ', enabling the
bag to be suspended from a wall, a tree or the like (Figure 3). The player using
this sling does not then require a partner but is enabled to throw the ball or balls
in the direction of the bag thus suspended.
The invention is of course not restricted to the constructional form shown that
is to say to the special construction in its details, but the essential feature consists
in constructing a sling acting in an analogous manner to a pistol or gun. A guu
is produced by simply prolonging the body of the pistol and by appropriately
altering the shape to form a gun stock. In this case the slinging spring may
likewise receive a considerable length, whereby of course a proportionately
increased slinging effect is produced, and he apparatus adapted to a greater
extent for sporting purposes.
By constructing the sling in the form of a stol or gun, the important technical
effect is obtained that any object can be a curately aimed at and the ball be
thrown with great steadiness. As regards he construction in detail, the shape
of the spring may of course be modified, for example a leaf-spring may be
employed instead of the wire spring, the ba! cup may be perforated and may for
instance consist of a wire netting, in order to offer as slight a resistance to the air
as possible. The sling is applicable for all kinds of known games, in which a
ball or balls are employed and its use will result in new games, played according
to fixed sporting rules, being invented.
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. A ball sling consisting substantially of a slinging-spring (6' 62) provided with
a ball cup (d), the said spring being fixed upon a pistol-or gun shaped body so
as enable the apparatus to be aimed and discharged like a fire arm.
2. A ball sling of the kind described in the first claim, in which the ball cup (d)
is displaceably arranged upon the slinging spring (61 6), in order to enable the
slinging effect to be regulated.
3. A ball sling of the kind described in the first claim, in which the slinging
spring (b) is made in form of a wire loop, the apex (63) of which serves to fix
the depressed slinging spring in the trigger hook (c).
4. A ball sling of the kind described in the first claim, in which the slinging
spring, when being released, serves simultaneously to carry with it a leaf-spring (f)
producing a report or detonation when released from the slinging spring.
5. A ball sling of the kind described in the first claim, which simultaneously
ɛerves as a handle for a bag i for receiving and storing balls, the said bag being
constructed so as to enable its being suspended from a wall or the like.
Dated this 4th day of April 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.