IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, TOY-ARMS, AND DETONATING TOYS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Germain Canouil and François Armand Blanchon,
of Paris, France, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE-ARMS, TOY-ARMS, AND DETONATING TOYS."
Sealed the 15th January 1867, and dated the 21st July 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Germain Canouil and
François Armand Blanchon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 21st July 1866.
We, GERMAIN CANOUIL and FRANÇOIS ARMAND BLANCHON, of Paris, France,
Gentlemen, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, TOY-ARMS, AND DETONATING TOYS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is, lly, the application to fire-arms, toy-arms,
or detonating toys of Canouil's harmless repeating amorces or primings
patented on the 21st day of
the 21st day of July 1866 (Number 1896); and, 2ly, an
improved arrangement of fire-arms, toy-arms, or detonating toys for allowing
the easy application of the said amorces or primings. The annexed Drawing
represents a longitudinal side view of a toy pistol, so arranged as to allow the
application thereto of one of Canouil's strips of repeating amorces; the
covering plate for the lock and part of the barrel are represented as removed,
and it will be understood that for fire-arms and detonating toys the same
arrangement properly modified according to the nature of the arm or of the
toy may be made use of.

page_text: X represents (shown in red ink) a strip of Canouil's repeating amorce, 2, 2, 2,
being the dots or small portions of the fulminating composition. The trigger
A and the hammer or cock B respectively turn on pins or pivots a and b;
the trigger A is connected in a¹ to a rocking catch D; a pin c connects this
latter to a pushing rod E, which a spiral spring e tends to push towards the
main spring F, the latter being formed merely of a piece of steel wire bent
into the shape shown in the Drawing; the end of the spring F acts in a
recess or notch 9 provided in the lower part of the hammer B between the two
projecting parts h and h. The rocking catch D has a spur d, which, during
the advancing motion, viz., towards the muzzle M, pricks from underneath
into the strip X, whilst during the reeeding motion of the catch this latter is
lowered so far as to prevent the spur from coming in contact with the strip X;
the catch D is further provided with two teeth i and j for acting at the
required moment on the projecting part h. In this arrangement by drawing
t J
the trigger A the hammer B becomes cocked, the catch D pushes the
strip X forward until one of the fulminating dots z lays on the barrel for the
top B¹ of the hammer B to strike on, and thus produce the detonating or
explosion of the dot z..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Germain Canouil and François Armand Blanchon in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GERMAIN
CANOUIL and FRANÇOIS ARMAND BLANCHON, of Paris, France, Gentlemen, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Germain Canouil and François Armand Blanchon, Her, special licence
that we, the said Germain Canouil and François Armand Blanchon, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Germain
Canouil and François Armand Blanchon, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-

page_text: tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, TOY-ARMS, AND DETONATING TOYS," upon"
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Germain Canouil' and
François Armand Blanchón, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and'ascertain the nature of the said Invention; and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, thé said Germain Canouil and François
Armand Blanchon, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in' what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
These improvements in fire-arms, toy-arms, and detonating toy's consist, 1ly,
in the application to fire-arms, toy-arms, or detonating toys of Canouil's
harmless repeating amorces or primings; and, 2ly, in an improved arrange-
ment of fire-arms, toy-arms, or detonating toys for the purpose of allowing the'
application to them for firing of the said amorces or primings.
In Canouil's Patent of the 21rst of July 1866, a description is given of the
above-mentioned repeating amorces or primings, of which latter we claim the
application in general to fire-arms; toy-arms, and detonating' toys. In the
present Specification we will describe one of the various arrangements by
means of which the said repeating amorces or primings may be applied to
fire-arms, toy-arms, or detonating toys, and as an example we will describe
the arrangement of a toy pistol showing this mode of application, whilst by
suitably modifying the said arrangement the same may be applied in an
analogous manner to guns, rifles, pistols, or other fire-arms' intended for war
or other purposes, or to detonating toys, in which primings are made use of
for setting fire to a charge of gunpowder or other detonating medium, or for
giving rise to a loud report.
In the annexed Drawings Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal outside view of a toy
pistol provided with a slip X of Canouil's repeating amorces; Fig. 2 shows a
top view of the pistol; the Figs. 3, 4, & 5 show various views of the pistol,'
with the covering plate Z removed, and in Fig. 3 with part of the barrel C
cut away, in order better to show the relative positions of the various parts,
the Figs. 1, 3, & 5 showing the pistol with the hammer or cock' fallen down
or in the uncocked position, and Fig. 4 in the cocked one.. The Figs. 6, 7,
8, & 11 show views of separate parts, those 6, 7, & 11 on a scale double that
of the Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, & 10, and the Figs. 9 & 10 respectively show
à top and a side view of a slip or strip X of Canouil's repeating amorcés,.

page_text: showing the fulminating dots or primings x, x, x, x, of the strip. In. all
these Figures the same letters refer to corresponding parts.
The cock or hammer A turns on a screw pin a, and has at its lower end a
rounded notch a', situated between two projecting parts a" & a¹¹¹. The
trigger H turns likewise on a screw pin h; by means of these screw pins a, h,.
and the one k, which keeps the main spring L in position, the covering plate Z
is fixed over and shuts the recess N formed in the butt end, and in which
recess are lodged the various parts of the lock; Fig. 8 shows a view taken
from the inside of the said covering plate Z, whilst the Figs. 6, 7, & 11
respectively show a side and a top view of the parts D, E, G, & H, and a
side view of the hammer or cock A. The trigger H is connected by a pin h¹
to a tumbler or rocking catch G, provided with a spur g for causing the strip X
to advance at the required moment towards the muzzle end, for which purpose
the said spur pricks from underneath in the strip X, and causes this latter to
advance for the required length at each time the hammer A falls down, so as
to carry one of the primings or fulminating dots x of the strip X underneath
the end A¹ of the hammer on the barrel C, or on the vent hole in case the
barrel has one. The tumbler or rocking catch G is connected by means of a
pin d to the end of the pushing rod E, which latter by means of a spiral or
other suitable spring D is pushed back towards the butt end of the pistol, so
that after each firing, the trigger being set free, the catch G is carried back
by this rod E by the effect of relaxing or distending of the spring D. The
mainspring L is formed merely of a piece of steel wire bent in the required
shape, and kept in position by the screw pin k in such manner that the free
end of the arm be lodged in the notch a provided in the lower end of the
hammer A, whilst the opposite arm of the spring L rests against the side n
of the recess N. The trigger H and the hammer A work in two slits
provided respectively in the lower and upper sides m¹ & m of the recess N,
which latter is to be covered the plate Z, the upper part p of which latter
is bent at right angles towards the inside, in which part p is provided a longi-
tudinal slit p' situated parallel to the one in which works the hammer; in
this slit p¹ works the spur g of the catch G, whilst the strip X glides in the
opening left between a tongue r and the part p, so as to prevent the strip X
from deviating whilst being carried forward by the spur g. Another tongue r¹
serves as a guide for the rod E. Both tongues r & are fixed against the
inside of the covering plate Z. At its lower end the catch G has two teeth 'g!
& g¹¹, bent up at right angles, on which teeth the projecting parts all of the
hammer is to act at the required moments.
The mode of working this arrangement is as follows:-A strip X of

page_text: Canouil's repeating amorces is inserted in the opening left between the parts
p & r, so that the end of the strip touches the top A' of the hammer A, this
latter being in the uncocked position, viz., in the manner as represented in
Fig. 3; by now pulling on the trigger H this latter in receding will draw
forward the catch G, and drive the rod E towards the muzzle end of the
pistol, so as to coil up or give tension to the spring D, whilst the tooth g¹ of
the catch-G in pushing against the projecting part a" of the hammer A. will
lift this latter into the cocked position, the opposite projecting part a¹¹¹ of the
hammer bending down the arm 1 of the mainspring L, the various parts thus
assuming the position represented in Fig. 4; the spur g having pricked from
underneath into the strip X will carry this latter forward towards the muzzle
end for the distance required for causing one of the primings & to present
itself just above that part of the barrel on which the top A¹ of the hammer
will strike in falling down, and in which part consequently the vent hole is to
be provided in case our arrangement be applied to fire-arms intended for war
or other analogous purposes. Continuing now to pull the trigger the projecting
part a will become liberated from the tooth g', thus allowing the main-
spring L of driving down the hammer A, the arm 1 of the said spring pushing
from underneath against the projecting part al; the top A¹ of the hammer
will thus be caused to strike the priming a situated underneath this top, and
thereby procure the explosion of this priming, which in case of an ordinary
fire-arm will set fire to the charge in the barrel, the rod E and spring D in
such case being, as will be readily understood, situated outside of the barrel C.
But whilst the hammer is thus falling down its straight edge e in gliding over
the tooth g¹ will keep the catch G in the position shown in Fig. 5; if the trigger
be continued to be pulled on whilst in this position the spur g is prevented
from touching the strip X, but the instant the trigger is left free the spring D
in pushing back the rod E and the catch G will cause the latter to recede
with the spur kept down, viz., without touching the strip X, untill the tooth g¹
in gliding over the projecting part all of the hammer allows the various parts
of assuming the position shown in Fig. 3, viz., with the projecting part a" of
the hammer pushing against and applied in the angular opening existing
between the teeth g¹ & g" of the catch G, which latter will have risen suffi-
ciently for causing the spur 9 to prick again from underneath into the strip X
in order to carry this latter forward towards the muzzle end of the barrel C.
For firing the next amorce it will suffice to pull on the trigger, which will
cause the strip X to advance sufficiently for carrying the next or second
amorce of the strip in position on the barrel, and continuing to pull on the
trigger the hammer will be lifted to its full height and at once fall down again

page_text: and thus procure the detonation of this' second amorce, which operation may
in this manner be repeated till all the amorces of the strip have thus suc-
cessively been fired, when another strip X may at once be inserted in the
opening left between the parts p & r, and the firing commenced again in the
manner as has been above described in respect to the first' strip of amorces.
It will be understood that for regular fire-arms; such as guns, rifles, pistols,
or others, the above described arrangement must be suitably modified; and
the necessary means' provided for allowing the introduction of the charge into
the barrel either as a breech or a muzzle loader.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be put into effect, we
wish it to be understood that we do not intend to restrict ourselves to the
precise details of the above described arrangement, as many variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of the
Invention; but what we consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,-
1ly, the application to fire-arms, toy-arms, or detonating toys of Canouil's
harmless repeating 'amorces or primings:
2ly, the general arrangement and combination of parts of the above
described arrangement for applying Canouil's harmless repeating amorces or
primings to fire-arms, toy-arms, or detonating toys.
In witness whereof, I, François Armand Blanchon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight' hundred and sixty-seven.