Improvements in and relating to Toy or Miniature Machine Guns.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 6th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Toy or Miniature Machine Guns.
I, JAMES HUTCHISON, of 8 Regent Place, Shawlands, Renfrewshire, Doctor of
Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction, or
arrangement and combination of the parts and mechanical motions of a toy or
miniature magazine machine gun or guns, and which will quickly fire in succession
any number of peas or other pellets, and be a great source of amusement to children
or adults.
Under one arrangement the new or improved miniature magazine machine gun
would consist of a longitudinal barrel, preferably of a shape resembling an ordinary
machine gun or cannon with a hole or bore through its longitudinal centre in which
would reciprocate from its back end a traversing piston or plunger and which might
be somewhat larger than the bullets or pellets to be fired. The outer end of this
piston would be formed or fitted with a projecting head or crosshead, and an india-
rubber band spring, or it might be a spiral or equivalent spring, would be fitted from
the barrel round this crosshead, so as by its recoil to reciprocate the crosshead
inwards when moved outwards and released by a mechanical movement as hereinafter
described.
A cylindrical or other straight or curved magazine tube containing a quantity of
balls, peas, or other pellets would be mounted over a hole in the top of the gun barrel
either vertically or at an angle over and a little in front of the plunger when it is
drawn back to its full extent, and through which hole the bottom pea or pellet would auto-
matically fall into the longitudinal bore hole of the gun at each backward reciprocation of
the piston within same. A horizontal spindle with driving crank handle attached, would
be mounted in bearings in side carrying standards or brackets, and have two or more
radial levers or curved arms or wipers mounted on it, preferably so as to be rotated or
turned round and act on the inner end of crosshead or a projection on same and pull
or push it back, the required travel against the power of the spring, when a pea or
pellet would fall into the bore of the barrel, and the recoil of the spring would drive
the crosshead and piston forward the moment the wiper passed its acting projection,
with considerable velocity and with a force proportionate to the power of the spring
to propel the pea or pellet forward into the atmosphere. Two or more of these
magazine machine gun barrels could be mounted on the same gun handle, or it might
be a miniature gun wheeled carriage, and in that case the revolving actuating spindle
would be carried across the whole range of guns, in bearing brackets, either above or
below the barrels, projecting from the guns or handles, or carriage when that is used;
and have a set of the radial acting levers or wipers mounted to act on each plunger
head, all divided off equally round the spindle, but so that they would all fire at
different or successive equal times as the wiper spindle was turned by the crank
handle. It will be understood that these toy gün barrels might either be constructed
of wood, vulcanite metal, or other equivalent material, and that the carriage might be
made of wood or metal, and the magazine of thin metal tubes or wood.
In addition to the piston firing the pellet at each forward reciprocation, the back
crosshead may be made with a projecting part which would strike a hard steel or
other metal sounding plate, or open a small valve in an air vessel fitted at the end of
the gun in which the air was compressed by the drawing out of the plunger, in either
case to give a sudden report or detonation at the inward traverse of the head or cross-
head of the piston or this mechanical action might be produced by levers or wipers of
the revolving spindle at the moment of relieving the plunger, and this action in

page_text: striking steel or flint might be made to give a visible spark as well as produce a
sound. And in some cases the pellets themselves might be made of a material to
explode and cause a detonating sound in passing out of the barrel, or when striking
an object. Or other equivalent means may be used to cause a detonation or spark at
each action of the plunger or gun.
Dated the 17th Tom100a
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Toy or Miniature Machine Guns.
I, JAMES HUTCHISON, formerly of 8 Regent Place, Shawlands now of 4 Stuart
Street, Shawlands, Renfrewshire, Doctor of Medicine, 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 has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction or
arrangement and combination of the parts and mechanical actions of a toy or
miniature magazine machine gun or guns and which will quickly fire in succession a
number of peas or other pellets, and be a great source of amusement to children or
adults.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section and Fig. 3 a plan of the toy
or miniature machine gun.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of the gun and Figs. 5 and 6 are back
end elevations of gun batteries.
Under one arrangement as shown at Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the new or improved miniature
magazine machine gun consists of a longitudinal barrel a, preferably of a shape
resembling an ordinary machine gun or cannon with a hole or bore b through its
longitudinal centre in which reciprocates from its back end a traversing piston or
plunger c and which may, if so desired, be somewhat larger than the bullets or pellets
to be fired. The outer end of this piston would be formed or fitted with a projecting
head or crosshead e and an indiarubber band spring fis fitted from the barrel a round
the crosshead e so as, by its recoil, to reciprocate the crosshead inwards when moved
outwards and released by a mechanical movement as hereinafter described. In Fig. 1
the band spring f, is shown attached to the, or one of the trunnions g if two are used,
by a ring hat each side. In Fig. 3 the band at each side is secured to the barrel a
by pins or screws i.
A cylindrical or other straight or curved magazine hollow hemispherical, cup ; or a
tube containing a quantity of balls, peas or other pellets is mounted over a hole k in
the top of the gun barrel either vertically or at an angle over and a little in front of
the plunger, when it is drawn back to its full extent, as indicated, in dotted lines, at
Fig. 2. Through, the hole k the bottom pea or pellet falls automatically into the
longitudinal bore hole 6 of the gun at each backward reciprocation of the piston
within same.
For reciprocating the piston or plunger ca horizontal spindle with
driving crank handle m attached, is mounted in bearings in side carrying standards
or brackets n and has two or more radial levers or curved arms or wipers o mounted
on it, so as to be rotated or turned round and act on the inner end of crosshead, or on
a projection or pin p on same and pull or push it back the required travel, against the
power of the spring, so that a pea or pellet from the magazine ; will fall into the bore
of the barrel. The recoil of the spring, on being released by the arm, o during its
revolution overiding the pin p, drives the crosshead e and piston c forward with
considerable velocity and with a force proportionate to the power of the spring to
propel the pea or pellet forward into the atmosphere. The crosshead e may be cut
away at e¹ to allow for the travel of the arm o.

page_text: Two or more of the magazine machine gun barrels can be mounted on the same
carriage and be operated from the one handle as shown at Figs. 5 and 6. In this case, as
shown, the revolving actuating spindle is carried across the whole range of guns, in
bearing brackets n, and has a set of the radial acting arms o or their equivalent mounted
to act on each plunger head e. The arms o are preferably, as shown, fitted at different
angles to the spindle so that they all fire at different or successive times as the
spindle is turned round by the crank handle m. In Fig. 4 the gun is shown as
mounted on a wheeled carriage as for field artillery. The rubber spring fis or may
be, as shown, replaced by spiral springs p', one at each side, which are connected to
the gun barrel or carriage and to a cross bar q fitted at the back of the crosshead.
The guns, Fig. 6, are fitted with spiral springs pl. The springs for p¹ may be fitted
to the inside of the barrel a, if so desired.
It will be understood that these toy gun barrels might either be constructed of
wood, vulcanite, metal or other equivalent material, and that the carriage might be
made of wood or metal and the magazine of thin metal tubes or wood.
In addition to the piston firing the pellet at each forward reciprocation the back
crosshead e may be made with a projecting part which would strike a hard steel or
other metal sounding plate or open a small valve in an air vessel fitted at the end of
the gun in which the air was compressed by the drawing out of the plunger in either
case to give a sudden report or detonation at the inward traverse of the head or cross-
head of the piston; or this mechanical action might be produced by the levers or
wipers of the revolving spindle at the movement of relieving the plunger and this
action in striking steel or flint might be made to give a visible spark as well as
produce a sound. And, in some cases, the pellets themselves might be made of a
material to explode and cause a detonating sound in passing out of the barrel or when
striking an object. Or other equivalent means may be used to cause a detonation or
spark at each action of the plunger or gun.
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
A toy or miniature machine gun or battery of guns made and operated substantially
as hereinbefore described and shown, under modified constructions on the drawings
annexed.
Dated th: 14L
1000