Centrifugal spring type article projecting device
United States Patent Martin Apr. 29, 1975 CENTRIFUGAL SPRING TYPE ARTICLE PROJECTING DEvIcE [76] Inventor: Edward J. Martin, 4909 Fremont Ave., Minneapolis, Minn. 55409 [22] Filed: Jan. 22, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 325,870  
 [52] U.S. Cl. 124/8; 124/34; 124/36; 124/43; 124/41 [51] Int. Cl. F41b 7/00 [58] Field of Search 124/8, 7, 36, 41, 29, 42, 124/34, 43; 43/41 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 706,342 8/1902 Porterfield 124/8 1,162,118 11/1915 Wildcr 1,867,578 7/1932 Lorimcr 2,351,869 6/1944 Mossberg..... 3,529,589 9/1970 Esscr 124/41 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 131,563 2/1949 Australia 43/19 Primary E.mminer-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne Attorney, Agent, or FirmH. Dale Palmatier; James R. Haller [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus for throwing targets, including clay targets as used in the sport of trap shooting. The apparatus has a novel spring firing mechanism which creates a whip-like throwing action to propel the target into the air. The firing mechanism includes a coil spring which has an upper end portion that extends outwardly and provides the sole attachment of a target holder to the coil spring. There being no obstruction to movement of the target holder during a throwing motion a whipping action results when the coil spring tries to unwind from a tensioned condition.  
 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CENTRIFUGAL SPRING TYPE ARTICLE PROJECTING DEVICE This invention relates generally to devices adapted for use in target shooting, by means of throwing a target into the air to be fired upon by one or more contestants. One of the advantages of this invention is that it can be used and operated by a single person, who can be the same person who shoots at the target. The invention is adapted especially for throwing clay targets such as are commonly used in the sport of trap shooting, although an alternative embodiment of the invention is adapted for throwing other objects.  
  Briefly, the invention comprises a support stock similar to a rifle or shotgun stock which is attachable to support legs for securely mounting it against the ground or other mounting surface. A coiled-spring target throwing mechanism is attached to the support stock, and is controllable by means of a&#39;trigger mechanism. The trigger may be activated directly, or remotely by means of a tripping lanyard which extends through the support stock to the remote firing location. The novel support stock also enables the firing of the target thrower from the shoulder as a conventional rifle-like device. The novel spring throwing action creates a whip-like throwing motion to quickly propel a target into the air. The sudden target motion created by a whip-like throwing action is a desirable advantage in the sport of clay target shooting.  
  These advantages, as well as other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof.  
  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the target throwing apparatus.  
  FIG. 2 is a side elevation view in partial cross section showing the stock and trigger mechanism.  
  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the trigger mechanism.  
  FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a portion of the target holder and spring throwing mechanism, and illustrates the latching means for restraining the target holder against the trigger mechanism.  
  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate target thrower which is attachable to the present invention.  
  Referring first to FIG. 1, the invention is shown in perspective view. A support stock 1, preferably constructed of wood or plastic, is illustrated anchored to the ground by means of anchoring pin 2. Anchoring pin 2 has an eyelet at its upper end for feeding lanyard 3 through stock 1. The other end of the target thrower has two support legs 4 which securely anchor the target thrower to the ground. The combination of support legs 4 and anchoring pin 2 form a tripod mounting arrangement which gives stability and secure positioning for the target thrower.  
  The lanyard 3 is shown passing through support stock 1 to trigger 5 where it is attached. Trigger 5 is attached to support stock 1 internally, as will be explained hereinafter. A support bracket 6 is attached by means of screws or other mounting means to the upper surface of stock 1. A second support bracket 7 is similarly attached to the lower surface of stock 1. The ends of support brackets 6 and 7 protrude beyond the end of stock 1 and are adapted to hold a coil spring 8, which is used for propelling the target. One end of coil spring 8 is affixed to mounting support bracket 7 and the other end of coil spring 8 extends outwardly for attachment to the target holder 10. Attachment to target holder 10 is accomplished by means of clamping bracket 9 which is shown in partial view in FIG. 1. Target holder 10 is shown in its extended position in FIG. 1, as would be the case after the target has been released; clay target 11 is shown in target holder 10 for purposes of illustration.  
  Target holder 10 has a trigger latch 12 which secures target holder 10 against the trigger mechanism prior to firing the apparatus. This operation will be discussed in more detail hereinafter.  
  FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 1. The stock is shown in partial cross section to illustrate the trigger mechanism and the feed-through holes for lanyard 3 and anchor pin 2. As is apparent from the drawing, the lanyard feed-through hole extends through stock 1 at a position which allows lanyard 3 to be freely guided and attached to trigger 5.  
  Trigger 5 has a trigger spring 20, one end of which rests against stock 1 and the other end of which rests against the upper portion of trigger 5. Trigger spring 20 returns trigger 5 to its normal position after the trigger has been pulled for firing. Trigger 5 pivots about mounting bolt 21, which is best illustrated in FIG. 3. When trigger 5 is pulled backward by means of the connection of lanyard 3 the trigger pivots about mounting bolt 21, thereby causing the upper portion of trigger 5 to recede into stock 1. Thus, when trigger 5 is at its rearmost position the upper portion of trigger 5 is recessed within support stock 1.  
  FIG. 2 also illustrates trigger latch 12 held behind the upper portion of trigger 5, which is the position of trigger latch 12 prior to firing the apparatus. Trigger latch 12, because of its connection to target holder 10, holds the target holder adjacent the top surface of stock 1 until trigger 5 is pulled. In this position, trigger latch 12 restrains the target holder against the force of coil spring 8.  
  FIG. 2 also illustrates the connection of coil spring 8 to support bracket 7. The bottom end of coil spring 8 passes through a hole in support bracket 7 where it is fastened by means of a threaded end or other convenient attaching means. The upper end of coil spring 88 is securely attached to target holder 10 by means of clamping bracket 9. This clamping bracket is comprised of two channels which are removeably clamped to the end of coilspring 8. The entire coil spring is mounted between support bracket 6 and support bracket 7 by means of threaded eye bolt 22. The lower end of eye bolt 22 is used for mounting support legs 4.  
  FIG. 3 illustratesthe trigger mechanism in end view, partially in cross section. Trigger mounting bolt 21 is shown passing through stock 1, with trigger 5 positioned approximately midway through stock 1. The upper portion of trigger 5 is formed into a ramp 31. This ramp serves to enable trigger latch 12 to slide into its locking position over the upper portion of trigger 5; as trigger latch 12 is moved into its locking position it forces trigger ramp 31 downward, and when trigger latch 12 clears trigger 5 the trigger spring 20 snaps trigger back to its normal position. In this position, trigger latch 12 is locked between the upper portion of trigger 5 and guard 32. Guard 32 prevents an untimely firing of the apparatus which could occur if trigger latch 12 were to slip upward over the top end of trigger 5. Guard 32 is also shown in perspective view in FIG. 1.  
  FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a portion of the target holder, showing the relationship between the respective ends of the target holder 10 and the apparatus connected to these ends. Trigger latch 12 is shown in its locked position behind trigger ramp 31, as exists prior to firing the target thrower. When in this position, trigger latch 12 restrains target holder 10 against the force of coil spring 8, which is in its constrained position. Coil spring 8 is shown attached to target holder 10 via clamping bracket 9. For purposes of clarity, guard 32 is not shown in FIG. 4. When trigger 5 is pulled the upper portion of trigger 5, including ramp 31, recesses downward into stock 1. This allows trigger latch 12 to respond to the outward force of coil spring 8 and to snap away from the trigger mechanism. The target holder likewise snaps outward, assuming a final position similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein the target is hurled from the apparatus.  
  FIG. 4 illustrates that clamping bracket 9 is attached to coil spring 8 at a significant distance, up to several inches, from the point where the coil spring emerges from its connection to support bracket 6. This length of unrestrained coil spring serves to create a whip-like action when trigger 5 is pulled; i.e., the spring uncoils more rapidly than target holder 10 can immediately track, with the result that target holder 10 is snapped beyond the normal open rest position of coil spring 8. This action gives additional throwing force to propel the target into the air.  
  An alternative target holder 51 is illustrated in FIG. 5. This target holder is cylinderical in shape, and is adapted for throwing of objects such as cans. A can 53 is shown placed within target holder 51 in preparation for firing the apparatus. In a manner similar to target holder 10, target holder 51 is attached to clamping bracket 9, which in turn is clamped to coil spring 8. A trigger latch 12 is also used in this alternative embodiment for restraining the target holder prior to firing the apparatus. It can be appreciated that the use of a target holder such as illustrated in FIG. 5 causes the hurled object, i.e., can 53, to propel outwardly from the open end of target holder 51 into the air. Other forms of target holders are equally adaptable for use with this invention, and are principally dependent upon the shape and size of the object to be used as the target.  
  In another alternative form of the invention, the forearm portion of the wooden stock 1 may be extended into close proximity to the shank portion of eyebolt 22 to bear against the coiled portion of the spring 8. The coiled portion of the spring will be positioned by the stock in eccentric relation to the eyebolt shank and will be retained against transverse movement and against other movement or deformation which might tend to adversely affect the smooth swinging motion of the straight throwing arm portion of spring 8 and target holder 10.  
  Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention, its detailed description is not intended as a limitation on the various constructions usable for implementation of the apparatus, the scope whereof is hereinafter defined in the appended claims.  
 I claim:  
  1. A shoulder of ground-mountable throwing apparatus for throwing targets, comprising:  
 a. a stock having a rearwardly-extending, shoulderfitting end and having an upper and lower bracket attached to its respective upper and lower edges and projecting beyond its forward end;  
 b. a target holder having a shape adapted for holding a target;  
 c. a coil spring mounted between said upper and lower brackets, and an eyebolt passing between the brackets and spring and mounting the spring between the brackets, said spring having one of its ends fixedly attached to one of said brackets and having at its other end spring end means projecting outwardly from said brackets to permit the target holder to have a whipping action during a target throwing operation; said target holder being clamped to said spring end means at a distance removed from said brackets; the spring end means providing the sole permanent connection between the target holder and the brackets and providing the target holder with an otherwise unrestrained path of movement during a target throwing operation, and  
 d. a latch arm at the target holder end furthest removed from said coil spring for moving said target holder to a position adjacent said stock in opposition to the torsional winding spring force of said coil spring;  
 e. a trigger mechanism pivotally mounted to said stock, said mechanism having an upper shoulder positioned to encounter and restrain said latch arm, and a lower trigger member retractable rearwardly to cause said upper shoulder to recede and release said latch arm;  
 f. a pair of support legs connected to the bracket at the forward end of the latter for supporting the forward end of the apparatus above a mounting surface; and  
 g. means for securing said rearwardly extending shoulder-fitting end of the stock to a mounting surface.  
 2. A target-throwing apparatus as claimed in claim 1,  
 further comprising:  
 e. means for securing a lanyard to said trigger member, including a passage extending rearwardly through said stock for routing the lanyard.  
  3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said trigger mechanism further comprises a trigger return spring attached about said trigger pivot point to bias said trigger mechanism upper shoulder in a protruding position from said stock.  
  4. An apparatus as claimed in 1 wherein said target holder is clamped to said projecting coil spring end means at a distance of at least one inch from the coil spring.  
  5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for securing said stock to a mounting surface further comprises a passageway through said stock from its top to bottom edges, and an anchoring rod of a diameter to fit through said passageway.  
  6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pair of support legs are attached to the eye of said eyebolt.  
  7. A generally rifle-shaped target throwing apparatus having a stock and trigger mechanism, comprising:  
 a. a spring-actuated target launcher attached at the end of said stock, said launcher comprising upper and lower brackets attached to upper and lower edges of the stock and projecting forwardly of the stock, a coil spring mounted between the brackets by an eyebolt passing through the brackets and spring, the spring having one of its ends attached to said stock and having at its other end an elongated spring end means projecting outwardly from said stock;  
 b. a target holder clamped to said elongated spring end means at a distance removed from the brackets, the spring end means providing the sole permanent connection to of the target holder the launcher and providing the target holder with an otherwise unrestrained path of movement during a target throwing operation, said spring end means permitting the target holder to have a whipping acthe coil spring being mounted at the forwardmost end of the apparatus.