Target mechanism

June 1, 1937

2,082,218

B. RADTKE ET AL

TARGET MECHANISM

Filed Nov. 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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BY

THEIR ATTORNEY.

June 1, 1937. b. radtke et al 2,082,218

TARGET MECHANISM Filed Nov. 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

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Patented June 1, 1937

2,082,218

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,082,218

TARGET MECHANISM

Bruno Radtke and Earl Gosswiller, Chicago, III., assignors to Exhibit Supply Company, Chicago, III., a corporation of Illinois

Application November 20, 1936, Serial No. 111,836

Claims.

This invention relates to target mechanisms, and has among its important objects a provision of a target structure including a rotatable member with target characters delineated thereon and 5 light-transmitting areas therethrough, together with a photo-cell movably mounted behind the target member in a path substantially across the path of the light-transmitting areas, and means for moving the target member and the photo10 cell in timed relation so that the two are in operative relationship at a particular instant of time.

A more particular object is the provision of a rotatable target-bearing member having a plu15 rality of target characters delineated thereon and each character having a light-transmitting area, and means for supporting a photo-sensitive device behind a target member for movement into and out of position relative to the light-trans2o mitting areas, together with power-driven mechanism for driving the movable member and the photo-cell supporting means in timed relation in such manner that as each target character is brought into view and reaches a determined po25 sition, the photo-sensitive device will be in a critical position in which it may be struck by a light flash from an electric gun.

Other and more specific objects of operation and function will appear as the following de30 scription proceeds in view of the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the target .structure, illustrated in use with a light gun.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section along lines 2—2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the target housing and rotatable target member, taken along lines 3—3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail of the adjustable photo-cell housing;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the target mechanism, as seen along lines 5—5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective 45 of the movable cell support and driving means therefor; while

Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram.

While the target mechanism of our invention is not restricted to use with light guns, it is es50 pecially suitable for such purpose, and in the preferred embodiment shown is utilized in conjunction with an amusement target apparatus of the type having a gun adapted to emit a flash of light upon the operation of the trigger, and 55 having a moving target and a photo-cell asso(Cl. 124—15) ciated with the target and adapted to be struck by a light flash from the gun to operate a signal or other instrumentality and indicate that a hit has been made.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention 5 as shown for example in Fig. 3, the target structure includes a suitable housing 10 in which is rotatably mounted a target disc 12 on which are delineated a plurality of target characters or ducks 14, 15, 16, and 17, and each of these char- j₀acters is provided with a light-transmitting aperture 14', 15', 16', and 17', respectively, through which light may pass to the region behind the disc 12.

As seen in Fig. 2, a vertical partition 18 is pro- 15 vided in the housing behind the target disc 12, and the latter rotates upon a shaft 20 to which the disc is secured by means of a pair of hub members 21 and 22, the shaft extending rearwardly of the partition 18 through a bracket 24 „_Qfor engagement with a driven gear 26. The gear ^z26 is meshed with a driving worm 28 on a universal connecting rod 30 journaled at one extremity in a bracket 24 (Fig. 5), and drivingly connected with the speed reducer unit 32 of the driving motor 34. This arrangement is effective ⁰to provide for a relatively slow rotation of the disc to bring the individual target characters into view with a speed which will permit the marksman to take a fair aim. : ₃θ

Behind the target disc and the supporting panel 18 is a pair of supporting rails 36 carrying at one extremity a photo-cell housing 38 (Fig. 4), and at their opposite extremities these rails are pivoted on a stud shaft 40 secured between the ₃₅opposite arm portions 41 and 42 of a bracket 43. Intermediate their extremities, the rails 36 are provided with a driving arm 44 having an angled portion 45 strapped across the rails and secured thereto by any suitable means, such as spot welding or the like. The driving arm 44 is adapted to be connected with a cam-driven arm, to be described in detail hereafter, so as to pivot the rails 36 about the pin 40, and cause the photo-cell housing to be reciprocated substantially along a ₄₅vertical path which is substantially radial to the disc shaft 20, and in order to permit light passing through the target disc to reach the photocell, the partition 18 is provided with an elongated vertically extensive slot or window 19 posi- 50 tioned to correspond to the path of reciprocation of the cell housing.

The cell housing or mounting unit 38 includes a socket base 46 in which the photo-cell 47 is seated, the base being secured to· a cross-plate 48 which 55

2,082,218 is hinged, as at 50 (Fig. 4), to a cross-strap 52 attached to the rails 36 by any suitable means, preferably spot welding, the rails 36 having for this purpose if desired, oppositely disposed and 5 inwardly turned ears or edge portions 54 to provide adequate contact surface for the bottom face of the strap 52. Cross-plate 48 may be tilted in a vertical direction about the axis of the hinge 50 to adjust the position of the photo-cell and its 10 active element relative to the average level of the light gun, and the right-hand or outer extremity of this plate 48 as seen in Fig. 4 is provided with a set screw 49 threadably engageable with an angle 51 attached to one of the rails 36.

At the side adjacent the inner wall of the partition 18, the cell base 46 has a vertically extending front shield plate 56, provided at its vertical edge portions with a pair of opposite edge flanges 57 adapted to fit at their lower extremities against 20 the vertical side wall portions of the socket base 46, and to be secured to the latter by welding or other desired means. The shield plate 56 is also provided with an elongated vertical window or slot 58 which is positioned opposite the active ele25 ment of the photo-cell, and extending toward the target disc and into the slot 19 of the partition, is a cylindrical shield 60 axially aligned with the approximate center of the photo-cell element and secured to the shield 56 by means of a pair of 30 diverged ears 61 fitted into slots adjacent the vertical extremities of the shield slot 58 in the shield 56. The partition slot or window 19 is so dimensioned that as the rails 36 pivot about the pins 40, the shield tube 60 has adequate clearance 35 as it reciprocates vertically in the slot 19 and extends therethrough with its axial extremities terminating immediately behind the target disc 12, so that light passing through the latter may be directed along the axis of the cylindrical shield 40 and onto the photo-cell.

It is desirable to provide the photo-cell with a cover plate 39 having a lip 39' which hooks into the upper lateral edge of the front or shield plate 56, thus assuring that any extraneous light will 45 not excite the cell.

Means for reciprocating the photo-cell includes a pair of spaced, driven arms 66, pivoted at one extremity on a bracket 67 attached to the inner side of the partition 18, and having at their oppo50 site extremities a roller 68 supported on a pin 69 between the arms, and also having a depending guide Anger 70. Intermediate the extremities of the rails 66 is an adjustable link comprising a pair of longitudinally expansible arms 71 and 72, 55 provided with set screws 73 extending through longitudinal slots 74 in the bar 72 and into the bar or arm 71, to clamp the two arms into a desired extended relation, the upper extremity of this expansible link being pivotally connected as at 60 75 to drive arm 44 on the rails 36.

As seen in Figs. 2 and 5 particularly, the disc shaft 20 carries a driving cam 76 rotatable with the shaft and having its peripheral cam track or edge engageable with the roller 68 on the driven 65 arm 66, with the depending guide finger 70 bearing against the surface of the cam plate to assure that the roller will not be dislodged from driving engagement with the lower portion of the cam track.

The target mechanism also includes a score indicating mechanism in the form of a plurality of lights 80, aligned in a channel-shaped lamp housing 82 extended horizontally across the housing, and attached to the walls thereof by means of 75 brackets 83 as seen in Fig. 2, the open side of the channel or lamp housing confronting the transparent panel 11 of the target structure so that each lamp is positioned behind an indicium character painted or otherwise provided on the panel along with the scenic background matter 5 delineated thereon. When any of the lights 80 are illuminated, the corresponding score indicating number behind which that particular lamp is placed will be visible on the panel 11.

The several lamps 80 may be illuminated in 10 sequential order by means of a commutator switch 84 (Fig. 5), having a plurality of fixed contacts 85 and a movable contact arm 86 rotated in steps by a suitable ratchet mechanism driven by a driving solenoid 87 from an initial and 15 non-indicating position to an advanced score indicating position, and releasable for return from advanced position to normal position by means of a reset solenoid 88, the plunger of which is attached to a reset arm 89 which is pivotable by the 20 solenoid to release the movable contact arm 86 for return movement toward initial position under the urgence of its reset spring which is energized when the switch is stepped into advanced position. ²⁵

The commutator switch mechanism does not form a part of the present invention per se, and is therefore not described in detail, any suitable electrically driven stepping switch being optional in the circuit. However, it may be indicated that 30 the advancing solenoid 87 is energized through a circuit controlled by the photo-electric cell 47, whereas the reset solenoid may be controlled by a coin operated switch (not shown).

An amplifier 90 is adapted to operate a relay 35 92 by impulses received from the photo-cell 47 through a flexible conductor cable 91 interconnecting the photo-cell and the amplifier input, and the relay 92 controls the energization of the relay 87 through its relay switch 93. 40

In the operation of the device, the motor 34 is energized from any suitable source of electric power, thus driving the shaft 30 through the speed reducer 32 and rotating the worm 28, which in turn drives the gear 26 on shaft 20. Thus both 45 the target disc 12 and the cam 76 are rotated in step, so that each of the several target characters or ducks 14 are periodically brought into view from behind the background scenery on the transparent panel i I and before the view of the 50 marksman. As the disc rotates the cam 76 likewise rotates, and the cam track thereof is so formed or evolved that the supporting arms or rails 36 for the photo-cell housing 38 are pivoted about the pin 40 through the agency of the 55 driven arm. 66 and its connecting link 71—72 with the rails 36 as the roller 68 rides around the cam. Thus the photo-cell housing 38 reciprocates along a substantially vertical line, and the formation of the cam is such that as each of 60 the apertures 14', 15', etc. of the several target characters approaches a critical position before the slot or window 17, the small aperture or window 58 in the photo-cell shield 56 will likewise have assumed a critical position relative to· the particular aperture or light-transmitting area of the particular target character in position at the moment.

In the embodiment shown for example in Fig. ₇₀3, it may be said that there is only one position in which the photo-cell may be excited by a flash from the gun, and that position corresponds in the illustration to the instant when the window 58 of the photo-cell housing is substantially in 75

2,082,218 alignment with the center of the light opening in the target character.

It should be further observed, however, that the light-slit or window 58 in the cell housing is 5 elongated in the direction of travel in the housing, and this slit may be so dimensioned relative to the size and shape of the opening in the target character that as the cell housing, and consequently the light window, moves upwardly or 10 downwardly along its substantially linear vertical path, the cell may be exposed to a light flash for a greater or shorter length of time as may be desired.

To illustrate the varying positions and dimen15 sional characteristics of the light openings such as 14', it will be observed that the opening 15' in the duck 15 is directed along a different axis from either the opening 14' or 16' in the adjacent target characters, while the opening 17' is dif20 ferent both in dimension and shape from the others. The period of time in which a hit may be scored when shooting at the target 17, is appreciably shorter and requires a more critical aim than that for the other three targets, it being 25 observed that the opening is not only differently shaped but is less than half the area of the other openings.

A further advantage of the relatively movable targets and photo-cell lies in the fact that the 30 light window in the housing may be substantially constricted for the purpose of excluding as much extraneous light as possible, while at the same time exposing the active elements of the cell to a maximum area of the light flash from the gun 35 as the window 58 moves along its critical path, and as illustrated particularly in the showing of Fig. 3. In short, while the light opening before the photo-cell is small, yet the relative movement of the cell and the target together with the par40 ticular dimensioning of the light opening and the formation of the cam as it effects the reciprocatory movement of the cell support, may be regulated between wide limits to give a relatively long period of time in which the photo45 cell is in striking position or view, or the apparatus may be regulated with respect to speed of movement and size of opening in such manner that the cell will sweep across the light pervious area very rapidly, resulting in only a very brief 50 instant during which the cell may be struck. Likewise, the shape of the opening may be arranged SO· that differing areas of each target character may be the effective scoring or vulnerable regions.

When the marksman succeeds in accurately fixing his gun upon the target character and causing a light flash to impinge upon the photocell 47, the amplifier 90 is actuated and in turn the relay 92 energized to close its switch 93, 60 thereby energizing the winding of the solenoid 87 from a main power source so· as to step the movable contact arm 86 (Figs. 5 and 7) in advancing movement over one of the contacts 85 for each hit scored, until a predetermined num65 ber of shots have been taken and the apparatus is deenergized or otherwise automatically rendered inoperative by suitable mechanism. The next user of the machine, by deposit of a coin or operation of a similar releasing or controlling 70 instrumentality, may energize the solenoid 88 and trip the arm 89 to release the movable contact arm 86 for movement under its return spring back to initial position, thus extinguishing any or all . of the several lamps 80 which may have been 75 illuminated when the marksman scored.

It will be apparent that various modifications and arrangements may be made in the embodiment shown herein for illustrative purposes, and it will be apparent that the specific mechanisms and relationship of parts herein recited are rep- 5 resentative of only one of the numerous manners in which the invention may be carried out, and we therefore do not desire to be restricted to the precise structure and function of the invention herein disclosed except as may be provided in the 10 appended claims.