Improvements in Targets, and Indicators therefor.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 6th Oct., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Targets, and Indicators therefor.
I, CHARLES SCHIFFERDECKER, of Fort Assinaboine, in the County of
Choteau and State of Montana, Soldier, 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:—
My invention relates to improvements in targets such as are used in rifle
practice, and the objects of my invention are to produce a target having sub-
stantially the usual appearance, and made up of a series of sections carrying
slidable buttons adapted to be pushed inward under the impact of a bullet; to
provide an indicator having spaces or sections thereon appropriately numbered and
corresponding in location with the location of the target sections; to arrange an
indicating pointer which is normally held within or flush with the face of the dial
but is adapted to project therefrom, there being an indicating pointer for each
section of the dial; and to provide electrically operated mechanism the circuit of
which is closed by the impact of a bullet on the target, and which mechanism is
adapted to release a pointer of the indicator at the exact locality in which the
bullet has struck the target.
It will be observed that this arrangement enables an indicator to be arranged
at the shooting stand, and the exact effect of a shot may be at once ascertained
without delaying or troubling to inspect the target. To these ends my invention
consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be
hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings forming a part of this Specification, in which similar letters and figures of
reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which,
Figure 1 is a broken elevation of the target.
Figure 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the push buttons on the target
and of one of their electrical connections.
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the connections between the target and
the indicator.
Figure 4 is a face view of the indicator dial.
Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the indicator and of the
electrically operated mechanism for releasing one of the indicating pointers.
Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the target push buttons.
The target 10 may be of any desired size and shape, and is provided with a
holding frame 11, which is divided into sections 12 and 13 in the usual way, the
sections 12 being of segmental shape and arranged radially and at regular intervals,
while the sections 13 form the bull's eye of the target.
The sections forming the body of the target are preferably dovetailed together,
as shown at 11 in Figure 1. The sections 12 and 13 are filled with push
buttons 12 which form the face of the target and which are held parallel with
each other. These buttons as illustrated are of the same shape as the sections 12,
but they may be of any other desired shape.
The buttons 12 have rearwardly extending bolts 14, which project through the
back of the target and are adapted to slide as illustrated in Figure 2, each bolt
having on the end next the button a shoulder 15, against which presses the spiral
spring 16, which spring encircles the bolt and lies in an enlarged portion of the
bolt bore, as shown clearly in Figure 2.

page_text: Each bolt is provided with an insulating sleeve 17, which is countersunk in the
bolt so that its outer face shall be flush with the face of the bolt and this sleeve
rests normally in a conducting plate 18, which is secured in the target back and
encased in insulating material 18ª. The bolts 14 project through the back of the
target and the rear end of each bolt is screwthreaded and provided with a nut 19
which limits the forward movement of the bolt and of the push button.
Formed on the rear end of each bolt is a conducting plate 20, which keeps the
nut from unscrewing and to which a wire a¹ is connected, and this wire leads to
one pole of the battery A, including in its circuit one of the indicator magnets as
hereinafter described; while the other pole of the battery connects by the wire a
with the conducting plate 18.
As the insulating sleeve 17 rests normally against the conducting plate, the
circuit is kept open, but when the button 12 is forced back, the conducting
portion of the bolt comes opposite the plate 18 and the circuit is thus closed.
The target frame 11 rests upon a suitable base 21, which lies upon the ground, and
the target is held upright by braces 22 and 23, the former extending diagonally
upward from the base 21, and having its upper end secured to the side edge of the
target as shown at 24 in Figure 3, and its lower end fastened firmly to the base by
a pin 25, which passes downward through the base and into the ground.
The pin
also fastens the outer end of the brace 23, which extends just above the base and
is secured to the target frame. It will be understood that the target may be
braced in any other suitable manner if desired. The wires a preferably are
united to form a cable 25ª, (see Figure 3) and a hanger 25 may be suspended
from the brace 22, and connected to a clamping-ring 25° in which is held a
sleeve 25 forming a holder for the cable. The indicator has a dial 26 which is
divided into sections 27 and 28 corresponding to the sections 12 and 13 of the
target and the radial rows of sections 27 are numbered consecutively from one to
twelve like the dial of a clock, as shown in Figure 4.
The sections are numbered in substantially the usual way, so that the score of
a person's shooting may be reckoned in the customary manner, each shot counting
according to its distance from the bull's eye.
The
Behind each section 27 and 28 of the dial is a tube 29 in which is held a sliding
plunger 30, having at its former end a reduced pointer 31, which lies normally
flush with the face of the dial, but which protrudes when the plunger 30 is
released. The plunger 30 has a lug 32, which slides in a longitudinal slot 33
in the tube 29 and is adapted to engage a catch 36 on the armature lever 37,
which lever thus serves to retain the plunger and pointer in their normal
positions. The plunger 30 is normally thrown out by a spring 35 which encircles
a pin 35 which enters a bore in the plunger, the pin being formed on the inner
side of a screw cap or plug 34, which closes the end of the tube 29.
armature lever 37 is fulcrumed near the centre as shown at 38 and one end of
it extends opposite the magnet 39 held on a support 40, and which connects with
the battery A and with a target push button as above described. It will be
seen that when the magnet is energized, the lever 37 will be tilted so as to
move the catch 36 and release the plunger 30, the latter immediately sliding
forward so as to display the pointer 31. If desired an electric bell of the usual
kind may be included in the circuit so as to ring at the same time that the
pointer is displayed.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows. When a bullet strikes one of the
push buttons 12" the button is forced backward against the tension of its spring 16,
thus forcing the conducting portion of the bolt 14 into contact with the plate 18
as already described. This closes the circuit which is from the battery A through
the wire a', the plate 18, the bolt 14, the wire a, and the magnet 39 back to the
battery. When the magnet 39 is energized it releases the appropriate pointer
as above described which being pushed out on the face of the dial shows in
which section of the target the bullet has struck and the score may thus be
made up from the dial as well as from the target.

page_text: 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. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising a sectional target, each
section having a depressible face, an indicator having sections corresponding to
those of the target, a pointer for each section of the indicator, and electrically-
operated mechanism set in operation by the depression of the target sections
and adapted to operate the indicator pointer, substantially as specified.
2. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising a target made up of sections,
each section of which is provided with inwardly movable buttons, and an indicator
having a dial face divided into sections corresponding with those of the target,
spring-pressed pointers adapted to protrude through the faces of the dial sections,
electrically operated mechanism for releasing the pointers, and circuit-closing
devices for said mechanism operated by the depression of one of the target
buttons, substantially as specified.
3. The combination with the indicating dial provided with pointers and
electrically operated means of displaying them, of the target buttons having
rearwardly-extending shanks, a conducting plate through which the shanks of
the target buttons slide, insulating sleeves on the shanks of the target buttons
adapted to lie normally opposite the conducting plates, and electrical connections
between the conducting plate, the button shanks, and the indicating mechanism,
substantially as specified.
4. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination with the indicating
dial, of a slidable pointer adapted to move through the face of the dial, means, as
a spring, for throwing the pointer outward, a catch for holding the pointer against
the tension of the spring, and an electro magnet for releasing the catch, substantially
as specified.
5. The combination with the perforated dial of the indicator, of spring-pressed
plungers arranged behind the perforations, and provided with pointers to slide
through the said perforations, lugs on the plungers, swinging levers to engage the
said lugs, and electro-magnets for tilting and raising the levers, substantially as
specified.
Dated this 6th day of April 1894.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.