US2726870A - Moving target apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 13, 1955 A. L. AUGER 2,726,870

MOVING TARGET APPARATUS Filed Jan. 21, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 13, 1955 Filed Jan. 21, 1953 A. L. AUGER MOVING TARGET APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States PatentO 2,726,870 MOVING TARGET APPARATUS Albert L. Anger, Rochester, N. H. Application January 21, 1953, Serial No. 332,215 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-105.2)

This invention relates to moving target apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus wherein a target is mounted on a carriage adapted to travel across the general line of fire in a target-practice pit, or the like, with the target, which may be in the form of an animal, simulating the running or leaping motion of the animal as it is carried from one to another limit of travel of the carriage.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a moving target which can more nearly simulate the running or leaping motion of an animal than has been possible with the prior moving targets of which I am aware. According to the invention, a target in the form of a particular animal is carried at a relatively fast rate across a shooting pit, or the like, and simultaneously is actuated to simulate a running or leaping motion of the particular animal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a moving target apparatus wherein the target is mounted on a power-driven carriage and is actuated on the carriage by the carriage-driving means to simulate the motion of a running or leaping animal as the carriage travels between two limits across a shooting pit, or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a moving target apparatus wherein the target is mounted on a power-driven carriage and is actuated on the carriage by the carriage-driving means to simulate the motion of a running or leaping animal, with means for selectively adjusting the target to vary the motion of the actuated target as the carriage moves across a shooting pit or the like from one limit to another of carriage travel.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a moving target apparatus wherein a moving target has a main body insert portion of inexpensive material which is readily removable to permit substitution of a new insert whenever desired.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve the structure, operation and ctficiency of moving targets and more especially such a target which is actuated on a travelling carriage to simulate the motion of a particular game animal.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of moving target apparatus embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, on a larger scale, but omitting the target;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 2, in cross-section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the upper platform or shelf, showing the lever-locking mechanism in locking relation to the control lever;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view in cross-section on line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view in cross-section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. l, on a larger scale than Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a target-carrying carriage is indicated generally at 10 and has a generally horizontal platform 12 on the under side of which two front wheels 14 and two rear wheels 16 are mounted for engaging the tracks 18 which may extend a suitable distance transversely of the general line of fire in a target practice pit, or the like.

Any suitable means may be provided for driving the carriage 1% in one or in both directions along the tracks 18. As herein represented, a conventional gas engine 20 drives the carriage along the tracks 18, it being mounted on platform 12 and having a pulley 22 fixed onits shaft 21. A relatively long belt 24 engages around engine pulley 22 and around the larger diameter pulley 26 fixed on a shaft 28 which is mounted transversely of the carriage in suitable bearings 30. Another pulley 32, having substantially smaller diameter, is fixed on shaft 28 with a belt 34 engaging around it and around a pulley 36 which is fixed on a relatively short shaft 38 which is mounted in a bearing 40 on the upstanding support 42. A smaller diameter pulley 44 also is fixed on shaft 38 with a belt 46 engaging therewith and with a larger diameter pulley 48 fixed on the rear axle to which the rear wheels 16 are secured.

Belt 24 extends loosely around pulleys 22 and 26 but is adapted to be tightened by actuation of an idler pulley 59 which is carried on the shorter arm 52 of a bellcrank lever 52 whose longer arm 52 is adapted to be manually actuated to bring idler pulley 50 into tighteningengagement with belt 24. Lever 52 is pivotally mounted at 54 on a bracket 56 which depends from an upper platform or shelf 58 spaced substantially above platform 12 by the brackets or legs 69. A spring 62 constantly biases lever 52 in counter-clockwise direction about its pivot 54 in Figs. 1 and 3 thereby to maintain idler pulley 50 out of engagement with belt 24 excepting when it is locked in engagement with the belt by means later to be described herein.

When idler pulley 59 is out of engagement with belt 24, the loose belt tends to slip on pulley 26 without driving the latter pulley. The invention, however, ensures that pulley 26 will remain at rest whenever idler pulley 50 is out of engagement with belt 24, it being assumed that engine 20 is operating continuously. Pulley 26 has a relatively wide and smooth annular surface 27 (Fig. 3) for coaction with a brake shoe 64 which is constantly iased by spring 66 into braking engagement with the surface 27. The brake shoe 64 is at one end of a shaft 68 which is slidably and non-rotatably mounted in a bearing 79. Spring 66 is coiled around shaft 68 and is under compression between the brake shoe and bearing 7! The other end of shaft 68 has substantial projection beyond bearing 70 and has a collar 72 fixed thereon in spaced relation to bearing 7%) when brake shoe 64 is engaged with pulley surface 27. A brake-actuating yoke 7 is fixed on the shorter arm 52 of bell-crank lever 52 and straddles shaft 68 between bearing 70 and collar 72. Hence, when bell-crank lever 52 is actuated clockwise in Fig. 2, to bring idler pulley 50 into tightening engagement with belt 24, the yoke 74 acts against collar 72 to disengage brake shoe 64, whereby pulley 26 will be rotated and the carriage will be driven along the tracks 18. When idler pulley 50 is lifted out of engagement with belt 24, brake shoe 64 becomes engaged to positively stop the carriage. As represented in Fig. 2, yoke 74 stops against bearing 70 to limit the counter-clockwise movement of lever 52 as viewed in Fig. 2. The platform is slotted at 13 to accommodate the belt 24 and pulley 26.

Referring to the top plan view of Fig. 4, the upper platform or shelf 58 is slotted longitudinally at 76 and the longer arm 52* of bell-crank lever 52 extends upward through this slot for coaction with a locking member 78 which is pivotally mounted at 89 on the upper 3 side of platform or shelf 58. Locking member 78 is in the nature of a latch and is constantly biased clockwise, in Fig. 4, about its pivot 80 by-the compression spring, 82. One end portion of latch member .78 is formed with a shoulder 78 for engaging back of lever arm 52 when it is moved from its full line position of Fig. 2 to its dotted line locked position of Fig. 2. When the lever arm 52 passes the shoulder 78 in moving to its locked position, the latch member snaps into locking engagement there with to hold it in its dotted line position of Fig. 2, with idler roll 50 in tightening engagement with belt 24. A

' stop 84 is provided to limit clockwise movement of latch member 78, as viewed in Fig. 4. Release of latch member 78 may be accomplishedby means of an actuator 86 fixed to the latch member 73 and projecting to each side of the carriage 10 where it may be actuated by a person beside the moving carriage, or the actuator arm 86 may project to locations for being engaged and actuated by fixed abutments as the carriage reaches a predetermined stop position along tracks 18.

I Engine 29 may be provided with a clutch lever 88 by means of which the pulley 22 may be connected for rotation in either direction so that the carriage .10 may be driven in either direction along tracks 18, and the actuator 86 may be actuated by an abutment at one side of the carriage when the carriage is travelling in one direction, and by an abutment at the other side of the carriage when the carriage is travelling in the opposite direction. According to the invention, a target 90 is mounted on carriage 10 and simulates a running or leaping action as the carriage moves along tracks 18. The target 90, as herein represented, is in the form of a deer fixed at the upper end of a post 92 which may be removably secured at its lower end in a yoke element 94 on the upper end of a target-actuating shaft 96. Target 90 preferably is formed of sheet material, such as wood, relatively stiff cardboard, or any comparable suitably rigid material, and may be shaped to simulate any animal or any desired object. As herein represented, the main body of the deer is in the form of an insert 98 which is readily removable and held removably in place by any suitable means, such as the pivoted button elements 160. The insert 98 is divided into any suitable number of score areas, each having a different scoring value. Five areas are shown, having scoring values of 10, 15, 20, and 30 points respectively. Inexpensive cardboard inserts 98 may be employed so that an insert may be used by only one person in a single competition and be then thrown away. Each person entering into any particular competition may have his or her own insert 98 and at the end of the competition the inserts may be compared to determine the winget 90 wherein the insert 98 is a paper board sheet seated junction with the traveliof carriage 10 simulates the running or leaping motion of the target animal. Adjustment of bushing 116 on arm 112Will change the arc of swing- I ing actuation of the target which may be varied to pro- I duce the effect of a. relatively smoothly running animal or a leaping animal, with permitted variations in degree between the two extreme conditions. t will be obvious that arm 112 may be considerably lengthened, if desired, to increase the permissible leaping effect, by suitably slotting the platform 12 to accommodate the longer arm and its attachments. e I

Fig. 7 illustrates one satisfactory construction of taragainst a shoulder 91 extending all around the inner edge track between ,two substantially spaced locations, a tar- V connected to said target suPP rt below its pivot and margin of a frame portion of the target, with any suitable number of the button elements 1430 serving to removably retain the insert in its frame. Both sides of the insert may be similarly marked into scoring areas having indicated scoring values, sothat the target may be turned around in yoke 94 after the carriage 19 has moved in one direction'across a pit, or the like, and the head end of the animal then will be leading when the carriage is propelled in the opposite direction across the pit. V

Variations in the without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims, and it is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. moving target apparatus comprising, in combination, a track, a carriage adapted to travel along the get support pivotally mounted on the carriage, a target mounted on said support and spaced a substantial distance above the pivot of the support, and actuating means responsive to movement of the carriage along said track for elfecting reciprocating actuations of said target gen erally in the directions of extent of said track throughout any periodof travel of the carriage along said track.

2. A moving target apparatus comprising, in combination, a track, a carriage adapted to travel along the track between two substantially spaced locations, a target support pivotally mounted on the carriage, a target mounted on said support and spaced a substantial distance above the pivot of the support, power means on ning score. If desired, the different score areas of an insert 93 may be differently colored or otherwise made visually distinct from each other.

As best seen in Fig. 5, the targetactuating shaft 96 extends slidably through a guide bushing 192 which is swivelled at 104 on the upper end portion of the upstanding support 42 which extends upward from platform 12 towhich its lower end is secured as at 106. Pulleys 36 and 44 are secured to shaft 38 at that end portion of the shaft which extends out of bearing 40 at one side of support 42 and the other end of the shaft 38 has fixed thereon the T-shaped fitting 108 from which the arms 110, 112 extend in opposite directions. Arm 110 has a weight 114 at its free end, and arm 112 has a bushing 116 slidable thereon and adapted to be secured in selected positions'along arm 112 by means of the finger screw 118. Bushing 116 has the trunnion 128 projecting therefrom, and the lower end of target-actuationg shaft 96 is pivotally connected to trunnion 120 as at 122. Hence, when pulley 36 is rotated, the lower end of target-actuating shaft 96 is carried around the axis of shaft 38 with the actuating shaft sliding in swivelled bushing .102, as

best seen in Fig. 6, and the target 90 is actuated'so as to said carriage for driving the carriage along said track,

actuatingmeans connected to said target support below its pivot and responsive to carriage-driving operation of said power means for effecting reciprocating actuations of said target generally in the directions of extent of said track whenever said carriage is driven along said track, and leverage means on said carriage'operable to stop the travel of the carriage notwithstanding continued operation of said power means.

3. A moving target apparatus comprising, in combination, a track, a carriage adapted to travel along the track between two substantially spaced locations, a target support pivotally mounted on said carriage, power means on said carriage for driving the carriage in either direction along said track, actuating means connected to said target support below its pivot and responsive to carriage-driving operations of said power means for ef-. fecting reciprocating actuations of the support about its said pivot, a target having a leading portion and a lagging portion, means at said power means for reversing the direction of drive of said carriage by said power means, and means on said target support for selectively securing said target to the support substantially above the pivot of the support with said leading portion of the target positioned to lead the lagging portion when details of construction may be made said target being actuated with its said support generally in the directions of extent of said track.

4. A moving target apparatus comprising, in combination, a track, a carriage adapted to travel along the track between two substantially spaced locations, a target support pivotally mounted on said carriage, a target mounted on said target support at a location substantially above the pivot of the support, power means on the carriage for driving the carriage along said track, actuating means connected to said target support below its pivot and responsive to movements of the carriage along the track for efiecting reciprocating actuations of the target generally in the directions of extent of said track, said power means including a transmission belt engaging around two pulleys, a brake biased toward engagement with one of said pulleys, said belt being relatively loose and adapted to slip on said one pulley when said brake is engaged and holding said one pulley against rotation, means operable to simultaneously move said brake out of engagement with said one pulley and to tighten said belt around said one pulley thereby to effect drive of said one pulley by said power means, latch means operable for holding said brake out of engagement with said one pulley so long as said belt is in tightened condition, and trip means for releasing said latch thereby to effect braking of said one pulley and simultaneous loosening of said belt to stop the carriage while said power means continues to operate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 547,141 Crutchfield Oct. 1, 1895 667,505 Cox Feb. 5, 1901 1,061,577 Whitney May 13, 1913 1,566,479 Horvath Dec. 22, 1925 1,647,616 Goodrich Nov. 1, 1927 2,060,405 Widmeier Nov. 10, 1936 2,076,357 Tempest Apr. 6, 1937 2,600,929 Shapiro June 17, 1952 2,637,554 Terreson May 5, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,212 Great Britain 1910

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