US1289621A - Toy automobile and rapid-fire gun. - Google Patents

Description

1. B. BLACKSHEAR.

TOY`AUTOMOB|LE AND RAPID FIRE GUN.

APPLICATION F|LED1AN.4.191B.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

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JAMES BAYARD BLACKSHEAR, OF HONOLULU, TERRITORY OF HAWAII.

TOY AUTOMOBILE AND RAPID-FIRE GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ilec. 31, 19.18.

Application filed January 4, 1918. Serial No. 210,355.

To all 107mm t may concern:

lie it known that l. Jmlns B. Bnxcirsrrnan, a citizen of the l'nited States. and a resident, of the city and county of Honolulu. Territory of llawaii. have vinvented a new and lmproved Toy Automobile and ltapid-l"irc (tun. of which the following is a full, clear7 and exact description.

My invention relates to a toy. and more particularly to a toy the body of which simulates an armored automobile and which is equipped with a rapid lire. gun automatically fed and discharged in unison with the propulsion of the automobile.Y

Objects of the invention are to provide in a toy of the indicated character a rapid fire gun coordinated with the structure and propelling means of the automobile; to provide for automatic 'feeding of the projectiles with the minimum liability of the feed means becoming choked: and to insure the unfailing discharge of the projectilel in single session.

More specifically the invention has for objects to provide a novel operating means for the plunger of the gun and a novel arrangement of devices for actuating said operating means by a spring motor. which is geared also with the driven axle of the automobile to propel the latter. Y

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 1-1, Fig. :2. with the parts in the position occupied after the discharge of the projectile;

Fig. 2 is a plan View;

Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal vertical section of the gun and the plunger operating means;

Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section on the line L -4. Fig. 1. the crank shaft for actuating the plunger operating means being at a diHerent. angle from that illustrated in Fig. 1:

Fig. 5 is a detail in horizontal section on the line 5-5, Fig. 1.

In Carrying out my invention in practice in accordance with the illustrated exampley a body 10 is provided and given generally a form to simulate an armored automobile.

The body has a. front axle 11 and a rear driven axle 12. wheels 13.

A gun 14 is mounted in the body and in the illustrated example the gun has a bracket 1T secured to a transverse shaft or rod 1G. The muzzle. of the gun projects through the front of the automobile while the breech and the operating mechanism yare within. A plunger 1T is provided. the forward end extending into the, gun barrel aml the rear portion having guided movement. in the frame 13 rigid with the gun. The plunger is acted upon b v a coil spring 19 surrounding the same, `said spring abutting at its rear end against the rear end of the frame 18 and at its forward end against. an adjustable set collar 20 for varying thc tension of the spring. An operating bar 21 has an articulated connection with the plunger 1T as by a pivot 2Q and said bar extends through a suitable guide such as the slot 23 in a bracket Q4 at the interior of the body 10. The rear end of the bar 21 may extend through a slot in the back of the body for manual operation of the-gun should that be desired. Means is provided to automatically actuato the operating arm 21 from a drive shaft '26. For the purpose shaft a motor spring 29 in a spring barrel 28 loose on said shaft. The inner end of the spring is secured to the shaft 2G and the outer end to the barrel Q8. The shaft Q6 is adapted to be turned for winding the spring b v means of a key Q7 receivable on said shaft at the exterior of the body 10 after the manner of a clock spindle. Rigid with the spring barrel 28 or otherwise arranged to turn therewith is a gear wheel 30 which meshes with a pinion 31 on a crank shaft 32. the crank 33 of which turns beneath the operating arm 21 and is adapted to engage in a notch 21a at the lower edge thereof in the turning of the shaft 3Q. the arrangement being such that at each revolution of the shaft 32 the. crank 33 thereon Will automatically engage in the arm 21 to place the spring 19 under tension and then automatically release the bar to permit the reaction of the spring to force the plunger forwardly for discharging the projectile. 0n the shaft Q6 also is a ratchet wheel 31 engaged by a holding pawl 35 on a stud shaft 3G. the pawl being subject to a spring 37 secured at one end to a .stud 33 or the like.

The pivotal connection of the bar 21 with and these have running' there is mounted on said..

the plunger permits of raising said bar out of the path of the crank 32, whereby the bar may be manually operated independently of the motor-driven means; and also, since the mere lifting of said bar throws the same out of operative connection with the crank, the period of firing by the motor-driven means may be thus manually controlled.

The. spring 29 constitutesalso the propelling means for the automobile for which purpose the rear axle 12 has driving connection through a gear train with the shaft 26. In the illustrated example the gear pinion 30 meshes with a pinion 39 on a shaft 40,

Athe latter shaft having also a pinion 41 meshing with a kpinion 42 on the axle 12. A suitable governor is providedy in connection with the gear train, there being shown a known form of fan governor 43 on the shaft 40. v g

The projectiles 44, which consist of balls, are contained in a magazine 45 simulating a turret and from the bottom of the magazine a feed tube 46 extends downwardly and communicates with a vertical breech opening 47 in the gun 14 leading to the bore thereof. In the bore a depression 48 is roduced in line with thebreech o ening 4 to retain a ball 44unti1 forcibly ejected by the plunger 17. In order to prevent the balls' from crowding together at the mouth of the feed tube 46 and choking the latter, I provide a vguard in the form of a dome or shell 49 in the turret magazine 45 over the said feed tube, .the said guard having lateral inlet openings 50 in the sidesthereof to admit the balls from various directions in limited number while preventing the weight of the mass from being imposed upon the balls being fed. To charge the magazine the cap 51 thereof is removable and has a knob 52 or the like.

With the above described construction the spring having been wound and tending to turn the shaft 26 forwardly through the gear elements 30, 31, the crank shaft 32 will be turned rearwardly, each revolution engaging the crank 33 with the notch 21a of operating arm 21 so that simultaneously with the driving axle 12 through the described clock train, the arm 2l will be drawn rearwardly with each revolution of the shaft 32 and then released, the balls 44 gravitationally and automatically feeding in single succession in front of the plunger 17 as the latter is withdrawn in the compression of the spring 19. Thus, a rapid fire of vthe projectiles will take place with the prolpulsion of the toy, and if it be desired'to 'manually restrain the body 10 from forward movement, the operating arm 21 may be manually actuated by grasping the rear end thereof at the slot 25. It will be observed that the operating arm 21 rests freely in the guide 24 at the bottom ofthe slot 23 and is intermittently engaged and disengaged by the actuating crank 33 when the shaft 32 is permitted to turn so that the operating bar is free to be manually controlled when desii-cd. It will be evident also that the automay be maintained by blocking up the front wheels.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l 1.. A toy automobile including a gun thereon, a motor on the automobile drive means to propel the automobile by said motor, and means to automatically feed and discharge the gun by the operation of said motor simultaneously with the operation of said drive means.v

'2. A toy of the class described including'a gun, a spring-pressed plunger, an operating bar pivotally connected with the plunger, and a rotary element turning in a path to engage said'bar at each revolution to give a rearwardmovement-to the plunger and then disengage said bar to release the plunger, the pivotal connection of the said bar permitting of the latter being swung out of the path of said rotary'element to be manually controllable independently of said rotary element.

- 3. A toy of the class described includingaI structure, a gun thereon, means to feed projectiles to the breech of the gun, a springpressed plunger operating inv said gun, a drive axle on said structure arotary element, means to give a forward movement to the drive axle and simultaneously a rearward movement to the said rotary element, and a bar pivoted at its forward end to said plunger and-lying at its rear end" in the path of movement of said rotary element to be intermittently engaged by the latter to give a rearward movement tothe plunger and compress its spring and then disengage the operating bar to release the plunger and permit reaction of said spring.

4. A toy of the class described including a structure, a gun mounted thereon, a springpressed plunger operating in said gun, an

operating bar pivoted at one end to the rear end of said plunger, a guide element in which said bar is rockable and slidable, a

rotary element turning in a path to inter- 1E mittently engage and then disengage said bar, ,and means to actuate said rotary element, the pivotal connection of the bar serving to cause said bar normally to gravltationally tend to lie in the path of the rotary element but permitting of the bar being swung away from said path to be manually controllable independently of said element.

5. A toy of the class described including a gun, a spring-pressed plunger operating in said gun, a bar ivoted at its forward end to the rear end o the plunger, means to support the bar to permit it to have sliding and rocking movement, said bar having a notch at the under side, a shaft having acrank adapted to turn rearwardly in a path to engage in the said notch, and means to drive said shaft, the pivotal connection of said bar permitting the swinging of the same out of the path of the crank to free the bar of the control of the crank.

6. In a toy of the class described, a gun, means to discharge a projectile from said gun, a magazine above the gun, a feed tube leading downwardly from the magazine to the breech of the gun to gravitationally feed projectiles, and a guard over` the mouth of said feed tube, said guard having a closed top and having inlet openings variously disposed about the guard at the sides for the entrance of projectiles from the magazine in various directions to the feed tube.

JAMES BAYARD BLAOKSHEAR.

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