US2695173A - Remote scoring target - Google Patents

Description

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F. STERNE REMOTE SCORING TARGET M 9 l 3, 2 V. o N

Filed Dec. 9, 195o 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR i90/7k .Sfar/7e B l Y I ATTO RN EVS Nov. 23, 1954 F STERNE I y f 2,695,173 E REMOTE SCORING TARGET Filed Dec. 9. 1950 A 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS NOV. 23, 1954 STERNE REMOTE SCORING TARGET 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 9, 1950 INVENTOR @rf/e ATTORNEY.:

0447, y0u/1.7, BY

United States Patent O 2,695,173 REMOTE SCORING TARGET Frank Sterne, New York, N. Y. Application December 9, 1950, Serial No. 200,029 4 Claims. (Cl. 273 102.2)

This invention relates to targets for bullets such as are discharged from ries, pistols and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to targets which indicate and record at a distant point the value and the location of each hit on the target.

It is an object of this invention to provide improved targets of the character described. It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved sectionalized target and improved means for accurately recording at a distant point which section of the target has been hit. Another object of the invention is to provide a target aving means to prevent the rcocheting and rebounding of bullets from the face thereof, and to guide the spent bullets. Still another object of the invention is to provide a target having a perforable face which may be Jeasily and quickly removed after use and replaced with a fresh target face.

The desirability of having a target which will accurately record the value of each hit automatically at point distance from the target has been recognized heretofore. In most cases, it is desired that the recording mechanism be located at the point of firing. Such a target shouldv record not only the value of each hit, but also the location of the hit on the target, so that the individual who is shooting can make the proper correction or allowance in an attempt to bring the next shot into the bulls-eye. Practical means for accomplishing the desired results have not been available heretofore. Moreover, the recording targets of the prior art often presented unusual appearances and were not adapted to use of the conventional 'target face design consisting simply of a plurality of concentric circles on a plane surface. Bullets striking the recording targets of the prior art also were liable to rico- 'chet or rebound, endangering personnel, as well as exposed portions of the target recording mechanism and nearby structures.

According to the present invention a target is provided which, from the shooters standpoint, has the appearance of the conventional target, but which will record iinmediately at the ring point, the location on the target as well as the value of each hit. This recording is performed entirely automatically, thus eliminating the possibility of error which is always present with manual recording. Because the recording is performed automatically, the necessity for having someone continuously in the butts to record the hits on each target and to repair and replace the targets is eliminated. Moreover, the ricocheting and rebounding of the bullets from the target is prevented and the spent bullets are guided below to be collected so that the metal may be salvaged as scrap.

The preferred embodiments of the invention have been selected for purposes of illustration and description and are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the target, most of the perforable aiming cover being broken away to disclose the construction of the sectionalized impact plate which stops the bullets;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the target, substantialy on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the target, showing the electric switches and the means for selectively actuating these switches when a hit is scored on the front of the target;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of one of the electric switches and the switch actuating mechanism, taken from substantially the same point of observation as Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view substantially of the encircled portion shown in Fig. 2, and also is a view substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4'

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing the edges of two adjacent sections of the sectionalized impact plate, for example on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the electric switch, taken substantially on line 7 7 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the target, the remote indicating and scoring device, and the interconnecting electric cable;

ig. 9 is a perspective view of an upper corner of the target, show' g one form of means for mounting the perforable aiming cover, on which the target design is repiroduced, in the front of the sectionalized impact plate; an

Fig. 10 illustrates diagrammatically the staggering of plate segments when the target is divided into a large number of sections.

'I'he target is supported in a suitable framework. In one of the illustrative embodiments, this framework comprises two vertical side members 31 which are connected to the side edges of the target back plate 32. The back plate is a rectangular steel plate of approximately the same size as the target face. The side members may extend below the bottom of the back plate, as shown, for convenience in mounting the target in ani' upright position. In the illustrative embodiment, the side members 31 are structural angles which extend along and in back of the side edges of the target back plate. The back plate desirably is spaced forwardly from the back sides of the angles 31 by a plurality of spacer blocks 33, and these parts may all be secured together in known manner, for example, by bolts passing through the back plate, the spacer blocks, and the back sides of the structural angles, as shown. The side members 31 may be connected across the top of the target by a member 34, conveniently a structural angle extending along the top edge of the target back plate 32 and in back of the upper ends of the vertical side members 31.

Located between the vertical side members 31, in

lfront of the back plate 32 and substantially coextensive therewith, is the impact plate against which the bullets impinge. This impact plate, preferably made of hard steel so that it will not be indented or otherwise damaged by the bullets, is divided into a plurality of sections which are numbered 1 through 23 on the drawings for convenient reference. The front surfaces of these sections 1 through 23 are preferably flat and are substantially flush with each other so as to present a iiat surface which is broken only by very narrow spaces separating the sections from each other.

"of the impact plate so as to prevent any binding or contact between the edges of a section when hit and pushed or tilted back by a bullet, and the edges of the adjacent sections. This object may be accomplished by chamfering the adjacent edges of the sections 1 through 23, substantially as shown in Fig. 6. Use of the chamfered edges also will minimize any danger of a portion of a bullet entering and jamming between adjacent sections. A As may be seen in Fig. l, the central part of the impact plate is divided into sections whose sides are dened by a plurality of concentric circles and radial lines. The central section 1 is round and is of the same size as the bulls-eye of the aiming cover which is to be used. The sections 2 through 5 make up a ring which has the same overall diameter as the diameter of the first marker ring surrounding the bulls-eye on the aiming cover, and the sections 6 through 13 make up a ring which hasthe same overall diameter as the diameter of the `second marker ring surrounding the aiming bulls-eye. The margin of the impact plate may be divided into sections by faaufs4 radialV lines, or by vertical lines, or by a combination of the two, as shown. It will-be understood, of course, that the particular number and the division of the sections herein disclosed are merely illustrative and will vary for target designs having smallerA or. larger numbersof counting rings. The impact plate should be divided into sections which make up a plurality. of concentric rings egual in number and size to the rings on the face of the aiming cover which is to be shot at. of sections, the more precisely willthe hits on the target be spotted on the remote indicator.

The sections 1 through. 23 of the impact plate are individually mounted so that they are movable by flexing or otherwise in the stopping of a bullet. ln the preferred embodiment herein disclosed, there are three plungersSS, secured to the'baclik of eachof the impactV sections. The arrangement of thev plungers on the backs of the impact plate sectionswillvary somewhat, depending on the shapes of the sections, but will be such that a bullet hitting anywhere on thel front of a section will result in the actuation of anelectricalswitch for. the purpose and in the manner to be described:hereinafter. In general, it may be said that when three plungers are employed they will be spacedv widely apart to form a` triangle. A smaller number. of plungersper. section may be adequate where the sections are small insize.

As may be seen in Figs. 4 and 5, each .plunger 35 passes through a cylindrical bearing 36 and then through a hole` in the target back plate 32. The inside diameter of the bearings 36,is somewhat greater than the outside diameter of the plungersSS, sothat there will be no.

binding inthe event that a plunger is tilted slightly as itvmoves in its., bearing. The bearings 36 may. be providedk with anged end portions; 37' for convenience in securing the bearings to the back plate 32, for. example, by. means ofbolts 38.

It is;desired to keep-each section of the impact plate in` a forward position, and any suitable means may. be employed for this purpose. ForV example, surrounding each bearing 36' is a helical recoil spring 39, with its associatedend retainers 40, one resting against the back of the impact plate section and the other against the heads of the bolts 3S. The plunger 3Sl may be provided near. itsrear end with a. circumferential groove to receive a split spring retaining ring 4l. This retaining ring 41 will be inserted inthe groove ofthe plunger after the latter has been pushed back through the back plate tocompress the recoil spring 39 partially` and to expose the groove on the rearLside of the back plate. This retaining ring 41 is larger than the -hole through the back plate 32 and the ring holdsthe plunger. 35 againstremoval from the hole through the back plate, with the recoil spring 39. pressing theretaining ring. 41Y firmly against the, backv of the back plate 32. lnthe illustrative embodiment, movement of the plungerto therear, as when the impactplate section is struck by. abullet, islimited byengagement. of the plate section with the endofthe plunger bearing 36.

The rear ends. of the plungersSrfor each section ofv the impactplate are connected together by a link. In the illustrative embodiment, where there are three plungers for each section, the endsofthe plungersare connected by a TL-shaped spider 42; These spiders can be seen in Fig. 3, and-:the details ofia suitable connection between an end of one of the spider arms anda plunger are disclosed in Figs.. 4 and 5; As shown, the spider arms are provided with holes .near their ends .to receive screws 43 which engage tapped holes in the rear ends of the plungers 35.

Secured on the. rear of the backplate 32, as-bymeans of brackets 44, are a plurality of suitable small, snap.- action, electric switches 45, one foreach spider.

such manner'that movement of anyplunger 35v to the rear, causedby a hit on the connected impact plate section, will cause. the spider to actuate the associated switch. When T-shaped spiders are employed, the switches preferably willbe mounted adjacent the uprightleg of each,

a very vsmall movement of the-plunger, Awhile at the same The greater the numberv These switches are mounted in the rear of the` spiders 42, in`

time permitting a considerably greater movement of th plungerV without damage tothe switch. Switches-suitable4 for this purpose are available commercially, for example, switches manufactured by the Micro Switch Corporation of Freeport, Illinois. These switches may be designed for operation with normally open electric circuits, or normally closed circuits, or they may be provided with three terminals as shown in the drawings, permitting operation with either type of circuit, asdesired.

The switch-plunger 46 projects from the switch toward the target back plate32 andy preferably is actuated by an arm 47, pivotally connected to the switch casing. One face of the pivoted switchA arm 47 normally rests against the end of the plunger 46, while the other face of the arm rests against the back of the spider-42.

Thus, it will be seen that movement to the rear by one or more of the plungers connected to a section of the impact plate, such as occurs when the section is struck by a bullet, willv cause the associated spider to turnl the switch arm 47. and close or open an electric circuit; def pending on whether the system is designed for: operationr on a normally open or normally` closedcircuit; Actuation of the switch in this manner will operate thedistant` recording mechanism, as` willbe described' moreV fully hereinafter.

It has already been pointed-outthat'the rangeof move-v ment of the plungersl 3S to the rear is limited. A hit on the impact plate section-will not necessarilypushvall three connected'plungers to the rear as far as it is p ossible for themto move. This willdepe-nd in part onthe location of the hit on the impact plate section. The recoil springs 39! willreturn the'plungersto their for? ward' positions promptly followinga hit on theA impact section and unless additional means. are provided', the electric switch 45 may remain actuated only for a veryshort period of time following a hit.-

ln order to insure efficient operation of the distantrecordingrnechanism, any suitable mechanical-or electrical arrangement may be provided. In the-preferred operation, it i`sdesirable to equip each switch with-adevic'e which will increase the time interval' during which the switch remains in actuated condition follow-ing ahit. lnthe illustrative embodiment, for example, the free end ofthe switch arm 47 'is provided-with a weight 48,1 such as a small block of lead. Momentum impartedto this weight whenthe switch arm is actuatedfbymovement ofthe spider willcause movement of 'the switch-arm toits full limit, thus insuring'actionof the electric switch-fora sufliciently long time interval to cause operationofthe distant recording mechanism.

The terminals of the switches 45- are connected by; means of a multiple conductor electric-cable 49-'to-adis tantrecording device S. Grdinarily this recorder'will be located at the tiring point, so as to letfthe'personwho is doing the shooting know immediately just whereeach shot has hit thetarget. Preferably, the-recorder will have the-appearance of a diminutive target, including* aV face which is marked offorgdivided'to Acorrespond to--theV divisionsof-the sectionalized impact plate of the target each division or section ofthe recorder face having-its;V

andmay include theordinarymechanism-that will-'alsof Vshow accumulations,

The target cover at which aim actually isl takenprefi erably is a sheet S2 stretched' taut inA front offthe-sectionalized impact plate and spacedashort distance )therefroni. This-aiming covertpreferablywillb'e a textilereinforced' rubber sheetandit maybe somewhatvelastic; This aiming cover willbe held taut position'across thefront of the target framework comprisingthe side mem-A bers 31y andthe top connecting member/Mbyfsuitable means, for'example, by aplurality oficlips 531secured: to the edges of the cover 52`and extending around theA edgesmf the frame-work` into lslots-5 4.:-'th-roughth'e sides of the members 31 and 34. The lower edge of the-aiming cover can be held taut by similar clips engaging slots in a cross member 55 extending between the vertical side members 31 of the framework, below the target back plate 32. The front of the aiming cover 52 has reproduced thereon the conventional target design, comprising a central bulls-eye anda plurality of concentric scoring circles.

As previously pointed outythe bulls-eye on the aiming cover 52 corresponds in size tothe impact plate section 1 and lies directly over this section, and the concentric scoring circles on the aiming Acover are of the same size as the concentric zones on the sectionalized impact plate. Hence, a hit through the bulls-eye of the aiming cover will be scored on the recorder 50 as a bulls-eye, that is in section 1, and a hit through any of the concentric scoring circles of the aiming cover will be accurately shown on the diminutive target recorder.

Bullets passing through the perforable aiming cover 52 and eXpending their force against the sectionalized impact plate will drop down through the space between the aiming cover and the impact plate and may be collected for salvage as scrap. To this end, the cross member 55 may be provided with one or more openings which permit the spent bullets to drop directly into a suitable container located below the target. The cross member 55 may be spaced slightly below the lower edge of the sectionalized impact plate, so that any spent bullets which may accumulate thereon will not cause a false indication on the recorder, or interfere in any way with the reliable operation thereof. The cross member 55 may be secured to the vertical side members 31 so as to be readily removable, for example, by means of bolts and wing nuts Escape to the side or upwardly of any bullet which strikes the impact plate a glancing blow is prevented by the target framework members 31 and 34. Any bullet rebounding from the impact plate will be stopped by the aiming cover and then will drop into the scrap container.

Referring now to Fig. l0 there is shown another Satisfactory method of switch operating means when the target is divided into a large number of sections Which would not allow the impact plates to be placed in the same plane, and therefore, the ligure shows the impact plates positioned in different planes so as to allow the edges of one plate to overlap those of adjacent plates. This arrangement allows more efficient operation of the target structure.

When it is desired to use a silhouette target at the target structure point, a like silhouette type, preferably of paper or the like, will be placed over the face of the hit indicator 50 and the shots on the target structure will be easily noted on the face of the hit indicator. When a bulls eye target is employed at the target structure, then a bulls eye type of paper or other translucent material can be placed over the front of the lamps in the hit indicator so that the person firing will be able to note the place where the hits are made on the target structure.

The disclosures herein provide an improved type of target structure at the target itself, and a full combination of all of the target operating mechanism that includes the target and the hit indicator or recorder which is usually mounted very close to the person firing so that the point of hitting the target will be transmitted quickly and will be retained on the indicator for a predetermined length of time, thus allowing the person firing to make record of his hit.

It will be particularly noted that the impact of the bullet in the target structure functions to operate a complete target indicating system which has many advantageous features. One of these features is safety Wherein it is not necessary that a person be in the target pits to point out the place of actual hit. Another advantageous feature is that the person firing can note immediately the point of hit and can make such records as he may desire. Another feature is that a new or substitute face or cover may be presented over each of the target and indicator. Such a face or cover may have any particular design on it or have a design of any desired size so that the lirings are representative of different distances (yardage). The placing of different covers or target distances in front of the target structure itself may be accomplished by having a different set of designs ing a plurality of perforations through which the ends of the aforesaid plungers protrude, bearings for said plungers, said bearings being slightly larger than the plungers and secured to the back plate, means limiting the range of movement of the plungers in their bearings, resilient means pressing the segments away from the back plate in the direction toward the ring point, a T-shaped spider for each segment of the mi ings being slightly larger than to the back plate and acting to limit the range of movement of the plungers in their bearings, resilient means pressing the segments forwardly away from the back plate, a connecting link for the plungers of each segment, the connecting links being located to the rear of said back plate with the ends of each link secured to the ends of the plungers protruding through the back plate, an

the plungers and secured plate adjacent the links, and means for actuating one of the switch mechanisms by its associated link when any plunger connected to the link is moved rearwardly a small distance, as by the impact of a missile against the face of the segment.

3. A target according to claim 2 including, in combination, a correspondingly sectionalized, diminutive target recorder located at the point of firing, electrically operated, visual indicating means for each segment of the sectionalized recorder, and electrical circuits interconnecting each switch of the target with the indicating means in the corresponding segment of the recorder, so that a hit on any segment of the target will automatically and temporarily operate the correspondingly positioned indicating means on the diminutive target recorder.

4. A target comprising, in combination, a sectionalized impact plate consisting of a plurality of flush, intertting segments of divers shapes which are separated from each other at their adjacent edges by distances substantially less than the diameter of the missiles to be projected against the target, a back plate in the rear of said impact plate, `.a plurality of plungers secured to and projecting rearwardly from each segment of the impact plate, openings through the back plate through which the rear ends of the plungers extend, a bearing for each said plunger in which the plunger can slide, means securing the said plunger bearings to the back plate, each of said.v bearingsi extendingzmost.. of'. the; distance; between. an impact plate: and. said 1 backzpatey and acting to: limit; the' rearwardmovementof said impact plate, resilient means"- References CitedV in -the lefof. this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Da Number' tei Ullman Sept.. 21, 1880 Number:

Name- Date Rice Apr. 12, 1910 Ellisv Oct 3, 1911 Hanson sept'. 23, 1919 Michaudl Jan. 3, 1922 Lamb May- 16, 1933 Browning Aug. 8,- 1939 Gartreil Dec. 26,v 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great-Britain 1910

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