IMPROVEMENTS IN TOY PISTOLS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jules Louis Ganne, of Cour-Cheverny, France,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TOY PISTOLS."
Sealed the 17th December 1863, and dated the 18th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jules Louis Ganne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th June 1863.
I, JULES LOUIS GANNE, of Cour-Cheverny, France, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TOY PISTOLS,"
to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to a toy pistol, the barrel of which is moveable
and is in the uncocked or an armed position for the greater part concealed in
a fixed breech, thus considerably reducing the length of the pistol, and bringing
the same to such compass as to allow of a child carrying the same in his
pocket as an ordinary plaything.
In the annexed Drawing, Figs. 1 & 2 show longitudinal sectional views of
the pistol, Fig. 1 in the cocked, and Fig. 2 in the uncocked state; in both Figs.
the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is the moveable barrel, which may be pushed backward or forward in.
the interior of the fixed barrel or breech B, in which latter is fixed a central
spindle C, passing through a washer D, gliding in the breech B; another
washer E is fixed towards the free end of the said spindle C in the barrel A,..
and between both washers a spiral spring G, inserted in the barrel A. is curled:

page_text: round the spindle C, which spring G, when the barrel A is pushed forward,
viz., drawn partly out of the breech B, becomes bent and is kept in this position
by means of the upper part of the trigger H acting as a stop by the effect of
the spring I. On pulling the trigger the spiral spring G on relaxing will carry
the barrel A partly back into the breech B, and thereby cause the plug K, fixed
at the muzzle of the barrel A, to strike against a percussion cap provided at the
free end of the spindle C. The plug K turns round a pin L. Fig. 2 shows the
muzzle in the opened and Fig. 1 in the closed position, in which latter the bent
part M of the plug K is kept hold of by a projection N fixed at the muzzle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jules Louis Ganne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
. 18th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULES
LOUIS GANNE, of Cour-Cheverny, France, Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth-day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Jules Louis Ganne, Her special licence that I, the said 'Julės Louis Ganne,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jules
Louis Ganne, my 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, th
Channel Islands; and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TOY
PISTOLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the, said Jules Louis
Ganne, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under,
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent
d
!
;
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said Jules Louis Ganne, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner. the same is to be per-..
formed, to be, particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement

page_text: These improvements relate principally to a toy pistol, the barrel of which is
moveable, and is, when the pistol is in the uncocked state, partly concealed
in a fixed butt-end, thus considerably reducing the length of the pistol, and
bringing the same within such compass as to be easily carried in the pocket
by a child as an ordinary plaything.
In the annexed Drawings various views are given of my improved toy pistol,
and of separate parts and modifications thereof, some parts being represented
partly cut away.
The Figs. 1 and 2 represent two longitudinal sectional views of my improved
toy pistol, Fig. 1 representing the same in the cocked and Fig. 2 in the
uncocked state; the same consists of a hollow butt-end a, b, c, d, by preference
made of zinc, of a cylindrical bore from a, b, to l, l, in which the barrel o, p, q,",
is allowed to glide freely forward and backward. At the under side of the
butt-end is fixed a spring g, for actuating the trigger e, e¹, e³, turning on a
pivot m in a forked support m². In the further end of the cylindrical part
a, b, l, l, of the butt-end, a rod n is fixed in a washer 1, 1, kept in position by
means of a gudgeon j; a spiral spring J is wound round this rod n, between
the washers, fixed towards the free end n¹ of the said rod and the bottom
part or plug of the barrel o, p, q, r, through which plugf the rod n is allowed
to glide freely; it is on the free end n¹ of the rod n that is put the percussion
cap, the explosion of which is wished to be produced by the toy pistol; the
shape of this end n¹ must be such as to effectuate with the greatest easiness
the explosion of the percussion cap, when by the receeding motion imparted to
the barrel o, p, q, r, the steel plate, washer, or anvil k, with which the outer
end of this barrel is provided, is caused to strike against the percussion cap on
the end n' of the rod n, and in order to obtain this explosion with facility, the
said end n¹ must present a sharp or small surface, such for instance as shown
respectively in side and in front views in the Figs. 6 & 6a, 7 & 7a, 8 & 8a,
9 & 9a, and both this end n¹ and the plate or anvil k should be of well-
tempered steel. Round the end of the barrel o, p, q, r, is fixed a projecting
part y, holding the pivot z, round which turns the plate k, shown separately in
front view in Fig. 3, and provided with holes k¹ for the air to escape through
at the moment of the explosion of the percussion cap; the plate k is further
provided with a hook a, which, in turning the plate round the pivot z, may
either take over the projection y, and thus be fixed in position with the barrel
shut, as represented in Fig. 1, or be disengaged therefrom, and leave the
barrel open, as shown in Fig. 2. This arrangement might be replaced by
those represented in sectional views in the Figs. 4a, 46, and 4c, in outside
view in Fig. 4d, and respectively in longitudinal, sectional, outside, and front

page_text: In the
views in the Figs. 5, 5a, and 56, this latter mode being preferred.
sectional view, Fig. 4a, a screw plug A is fixed on the barrel end, this latter
part being provided for this purpose with a male screw, corresponding with the
female screw of the plug A, in the inside of which latter is fixed a short stem
B for the percussion cap to be put on, whilst the end n¹ of the rod n serves as
an anvil for this cap to strike against, and thereby produce its explosion. In
Fig. 46 a moveable gudgeon D serves as an anvil for the percussion cap, fixed
on the end n' of the rod n to strike against. In Fig. 4c, E represents a plug
entering into the muzzle of the barrel, which plug is kept in position by means
of a gudgeon E¹ passing through the said plug and the barrel, thus causing the
plug to serve as an anvil for the percussion cap to strike against. In the out-
side view, Fig. 4d, the plug F is fixed on the muzzle of the barrel by a bayonet
joint, a pin i fixed to the barrel entering into the double bent slit G provided
in the plug F; in these Figs. 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, the further end only .or muzzle
of the barrel is represented, and the remainder cut away. In Fig. 5a the
barrel is provided with two depressions H & H¹, situated opposite to each other,
one on each side of the barrel, and forming projections in the inside of this
latter, whilst the plug I is likewise provided on two opposite sides with two
depressions h and h¹, forming grooves for the projections H and H¹ to enter
into, and thus form two bayonnet joints.
The mode of arming or cocking and of firing my toy pistol is as follows:-
Fig. 2 shows the pistol in the uncocked state, viz., with the muzzle of the
barrel open, so as to allow of putting a percussion cap on the end n¹ of the
rod n; this being done, for cocking the pistol, the butt-end a, b, c, d, and the
barrel o, p, q, r, are drawn in opposite directions to each other, so as to assume
the position represented in Fig. 1, viz., with the spiral spring J bent or con-
tracted, the barrel o, p, q, r, being kept in position by means of the projecting
part e of the trigger, the lower part 2 of this latter being pushed down by the
effect of the spring 9, whilst the projecting part e comes to rest against the
lower side of the butt-end, the trigger being allowed to turn freely in the slit b',
provided in this lower side b, d. For firing, the end e² of the trigger is drawn
back in the same manner as this is done for firing ordinary pistols or similar
fire-arms, by the effect of which the part e', in escaping from behind the plug f
of the barrel, will allow the spring J to unbend or extend itself, the front end
of the spring pushing against the washer s fixed to the rod n, whereas the
further end of the spring J acts against the plug for back end of the barrel,
and thus drives this latter back, which will cause the plate k to strike against the
percussion cap on the end n' of the rod n, and thus procure the explosion of
the cap.

page_text: One of the advantages my improved toy pistol presents over those hitherto
known is, that the explosion of the percussion cap is obtained by means of a
spring of only a trifling force, and of comparatively small stroke, for which
purpose also, as already mentioned above, the end n¹ of the rod n and the
plug or anvil for the percussion cap to strike against must both be made of
well-tempered steel, and the said end n¹ have a sharp or tapering shape.
In order further to allow of the pistol being manufactured very cheaply, I
prefer to have the butt-end made of cast zinc, and the barrel of brass tubing.
Instead of percussion caps, other explosive media might be employed with my
toy pistol, such, for instance, as fulminating peas, or bits of paper, chips of
wood, or very thin sheet metal, or other similar very thin material, provided
with a small dot of any suitable fulminating compound.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of my Inven-
tion, and the manner of working the same, I wish it to be understood that I
do not intend to restrict myself to the precise details of the arrangements
described, nor to the metal or material of which these pistols or the various parts
may be made, nor to the exact shape or sizes of the same, as many variations
may be made therefrom without departing from the principle of the Invention;
but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,
providing toy pistols with a moveable barrel, which, on firing, is by means of a
spring partly drawn in the butt-end, and thereby causes a small anvil or plate
to strike against and procure the explosion of a percussion cap applied to the
end of a fixed rod.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jules Louis Ganne, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-three.