US2689733A - Flying target - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 21, 1954 c. R. LIVERMON 2,689,733

FLYING TARGET Filed July 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR ATTORNEYS Sept. 21, 1954 c. R. LIVERMON 2,689,733

FLYING TARGET Filed July 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR c241 H. mm

IQI/LQ WYMUL ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 21, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLYING TARGET Carl R. Livermon, Roxobel, C. Application July 2, 1953. Serial No. 365,620

4 Claims. 1

The present invention is an improvement upon the target holders described in my Patents Nos. 2,481,522 and 2,620,189.

Extensive experience under varying conditions such as variations in the dexterity of different persons in operating the target holder, variations in the strength or vigor and manner of throwing the target, variations in the hardness of the surface upon which the target falls, variations in the distance from which the target is shot and the size of the shot and accidents such as the target striking a tree at short range, etc., have revealed certain defects which my present invention is designed to avoid.

A particular object of my present invention is to provide a target holder which is substantially proof against any accidental release of the target 1. e. a target holder in which the strains and stresses applied in throwing the target, in striking it with bullets and in its contact with the ground and other object will not release the target. To this end I have provided positive means for tensioning the inner and outer conical surfaces of the holder on the target and for locking the parts under such tension by means of a latch which is substantially proof against accidental opening but at the same time simple and easy to operate.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a front elevational view of the holder with the inner and outer conical portions separated to permit the insertion of a target,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the holder with the parts in closed relative position but with the target omitted,

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of a modified form of the inner conical portion of the target holder,

Fig. d is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2 looking in thedirection of the arrows,

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the target and holder with the front portions of the target and the outer conical portion of the holder cut away to reveal the relationship of the parts and Fig. 7 is a plan view of a target.

Referring to the drawings 1 is the outer cone and 2 the inner cone of the holder. The inner cone 2 is formed of spirally twisted steel wire and is provided at its upper end with the integral half ring or hook 3 and at its lower end with the integral longitudinal projection 4 and loop 5 to which the latch member 6 and weight 1 are (Cl. Wit-105.4)

2 attached. The latch member consists of a straight rod with the loop 8 at one end engaging the loop 5 and the loop 9 at the other end to which the throwing ring 10 is attached. The cone 2 is carefully shaped so that as it is stretched when the latching member 6 is turned from its position in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 2 it will accurately fit the outer cone l and exert a substantial pressure on the target so that the latter will be firmly held between the two cones as shown in .6. The weight ring 1 is attached to the "ring 5 by several links of chain H.

The outer cone I is provided at the beginning of its topmost turn with the laterally extending half loop 12 and at the end of said last turn the half loop 13. Half loop 13, as appears in Figs. 1, 3 and 6 has the downwardly extending hook M which is adapted to engage the half loop i2. The bottom turn of the outer cone I is formed into the closed ring l5.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3 the inner cone 2 instead of extending into the integral projection 4 and ring 5, has its end turn formed into the ring I 6 which holds the short rod I! having the loop It at one end and the loop l9 at the other end, the latter being connected to the latch member 6 and to the chain H.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, 20 is the target preferably formed of paper or thin cardboard and optionally provided with the tongue 2| and the slit 22 so that it can be bent to a frusto conical shape and secured. In practice I have found that the tongue and slit need not be used and may be omitted.

In operation of the holder the inner and outer cones l and 2 are separated as shown in Fig. 1, the target 20 is wrapped around the inner cone, the outer cone is pushed up over the inner cone and the lower end of the target, the latching member 6 is pulled downwardly and then swung upwardlyand sprung into half loop I 3 and the hook It is then pushed over and dropped into the half loop I2. The operation as described may appear to be complicated but can be performed, after a little practice, in a few seconds. When the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 6 the target and holder are ready to be thrown as described in the patents referred to above.

To remove a used target and replace it with a new one the hook I4 is pushed upwardly to release it from the half loop l2, the latch memher 6 is swung out of the half loop I3 and dropped to the position shown in Fig. l and the inner and outer cones are separated and the used target removed. The new target is then inserted as described above.

It is noted that the half loop I3 serves to catch and hold the latch member 6 until the hook I4 is inserted in the half loop I2 and that once these parts are assembled the latch member 6 cannot move and cannot be released excepting by pushing the hook I4 upwardly to release it from the half loop [2. This is very easy to do by the pressure of the thumb but rarely occurs accidentally. The hook 14 preferably is bent or curved slightly so that it must be pushed inwardly and upwardly to release it from the half loop l2. Thebend 13a at the base of the half loop I3 preventsthe upper end of the latch member 6 from swinging around between the topmost and the next adjacent turn of the outer cone. As-appears in Fig. 5 the upper end of the latch member 6 is completely surrounded by portions of the half loops l2 and I3 and the next to the topmost turn of the cone I and is thus prevented from moving in any direction.

The hook 3 serves as a finger grip for holding the inner cone 2 when the device is being opened and closed.

I claim:

1. A target holder comprising an outer frusto conical member formed of resilient wire, the topmost turn of said member having an outwardly extending half loop at the beginning thereof and another outwardly extending half loop adjacent the end thereof, a hook extending downwardly from the last named half loop and adapted to engage the first named half loop, an inner frusto conical member formed of resilient wire and adapted to fit into said outer conical member and a latch member pivotally secured to the lower end of said inner frusto conical member and adapted to be swung around the lower end of said outer irusto conical member and to be engaged with the second named half loop.

2. A target holder as defined in claim 1 in which the two frusto conical members are of such relative' size that the inner member is slightly stretched and the outer member is slightly compressed when the latch member is swung around the lower end of the outer member.

3. A target holder as defined in claim 1 in which the free end of the latch member carries a throwing ring.

4. A target holder as defined in claim 1 in which the lower end of the inner frusto conical member is attached to a weight.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 153,717 Magerhaus Aug, 4, 1874 223,023 Bakewell Dec. 30, 1879 250,101 Powell Nov. 29, 1881 1, 3 ,8 Warren Oct, 1'7, 1933 2,481,522 Livermon Sept. 13, 1949 2,620,189 Livermon Dec. 2, 1952

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