Target stand

May 26_r 1942. ¢. _w cates 2,284,510

TARGET STAND

Filed May 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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May 26, 1942.

2,284,510

C. W. CATES

TARGET STAND

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Patented May 26, 1942

2,284,510

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,284,510 TARGET STAND Carl W. Cates, Kansas City, Mo.

Application May 28, 1941, Serial No. 395,658

Claims. (CI. 273—102)

This invention relates to an improved construction of target stand for indoor or outdoor shooting galleries, and more particularly to a target stand having means for turning the target holding frame for swinging a target disposed 5 therein from a position facing to the front to a position at right angles or edgewise thereof.

It is a particular aim of the invention to provide a target stand for shooting galleries having means operated from a position remote to the 10 target stand for swinging the target from a position facing the marksman to a position at right angles thereto to provide means whereby the stand may be used for competitive rapid fire shooting wherein the contestants are allowed 15 only a certain amount of time for firing a certain number of shots at the target, and so that when the period expires the target can be swung to a position in which it cannot be hit by the marksmen. 20

Still a further aim of the invention is to provide a battery of target holding stands having common operating means for swinging all of the targets simultaneously into positions facing a number of marksmen or into positions crosswise 25 thereof so that a number of marksmen may fire simultaneously in rapid fire competition and with the assurance that each marksman will have exactly the same amount of time to fire a given number of shots with the target facing him. 30

Still another aim of the invention is to provide a target stand of simple construction wherein all the operating parts are concealed within or behind the tubular standard to protect the parts from stray bullets to eliminate the necessity of 35 having to provide a barricade in front of the target stand.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, which 40 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein—

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a target stand constructed in accordance with the invention, 45

Figure 2 is a top plan view showing two of the target stands arranged side by side,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the plane of the line 50 3—3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 4—4 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view 55 taken substantially along the plane of the line 5—5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a part of the upper portion of the target stand, taken substantially along a plane indicated by the line 6—6 of Figure 3, and

Figure 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the target stand taken substantially along a plane indicated by the line 7—7 of Figure 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, 10 designates generally the target stand in its entirety constructed in accordance with the invention, having a base, designated generally 11, and including three angle iron members 12, one of which, as best seen in Figure 2, is arranged crosswise in front of the stand 10 and the other two of which project rearwardly therefrom in converging relationship relatively to one another. The three angle iron members 12 are connected together in any suitable manner, as by means of welding, and each is provided with a horizontal side (3 and an upright side 14. The horizontal sides 13 are adapted to rest on a suitable supporting surface as indicated by the line 15 in Figure 1, and are adapted to be secured thereto by fastenings 16 extending through the sides 13. An upright tubular standard 17 has its lower end disposed in the opening formed by the three members 12, which opening is sized to snugly receive the lower end of the standard 17 which is secured therein in any suitable manner as by means of welding, as indicated at 18.

The standard 17 is provided with an open upper end in which is mounted a cup shaped member 19 having a flange 20 at its upper end which rests on the upper end of the standard 17 for supporting the cup shaped member 19 therein. The cup shaped member 19 contains anti-friction roller bearing means 21 and is provided with a centrally disposed opening 22 in the bottom thereof. A shaft 23 extends through the opening 22 and is provided with a crosshead 24 at its upper end, which is disposed above the upper end of the standard 17. The crosshead 24 is provided with a depending socket 25 which engages the upper end of the shaft 23 and which is secured thereto by means of a pin 26, as best seen in Figure 5. The lower portion of the socket 25 is reduced in diameter and engages the antifriction bearing means 21. A cap 27 is mounted on the upper end of the standard 17 and is held in place thereon, by means of a set screw 28, and engages the flange 20 for holding the cup shaped member 19

2,284, positioned in the upper end of the standard 17. The cap 27 is provided with an opening 29 in its top through which the restricted portion of the socket 25 projects and the enlarged upper portion of the socket 25 combines with its restricted lower portion to form an annular shoulder 30 which rests on top of the cap 27 to prevent downwarp sliding movement of the shaft 23 relatively to the standard !7.

Any conventional type of target holding frame 31 may be detachably connected by means of nut and bolt fastenings 32 to the crosshead 24 and supported thereby above the standard 17. The target holding frame 31, as illustrated, includes a base portion 33 and upright end portions 34 which portions 33 and 34 are provided with communicating grooves 35, as seen in Figure 2, for engaging edge portions of a target 3S which is . thereby removably supported in and above the target holding frame 31.

Referring particularly to Figures 3 and 5, a bearing 37 is removably mounted in the standard 17, near its lower end. The standard 17 is provided with a drilled opening 38 which registers with a drilled recess 39 in the bearing 37 for receiving a set screw 40 for removably securing the bearing 37 in the standard 17. The shaft 23 is journaled near its lower end in the bearing 37 which is provided with a radial passage 41 which extends from the bore or opening 42 into the inner end of the recess 39. The set screw 40 is provided with, a longitudinal bore 43 which combines with the recess 39 and passage 41 to provide a lubricating port for the bearing 37. The outer end of this lubricating port is equipped with a grease fitting 44 which is removably mounted in the outer end of the bore 43.

A sleeve 45.is keyed to the shaft 23 and engages the lower end of the bearing 37 to prevent the shaft 23 from sliding upwardly relatively to the standard 17. As seen in Figure 7, sleeve 45 is detachably connected to the shaft 23 by set screws 46. The standard 17 is provided with a horizontally disposed elongated slot or opening 47 through which extends an arm 48 which is connected to the sleeve 45. A perpendicular barrel 49 is also connected to the sleeve 45 and is provided with an internally threaded lower end for receiving a plug 56 which forms a stop for an expansion coil spring 51 which is disposed in the barrel 49. A ball shaped plunger 52 is mounted in the upper end of the barrel 49 and is urged upwardly by the spring 51. The bearing 37 is provided with an arcuately shaped groove . 53 in its underside in which the ball shaped plunger 52 seats and against which it frictionally engages to prevent the shaft 23 from turning freely in the standard 17.

As seen in Figure 4, the front member 12, of the base 11, is provided at one end thereof with a rearwardly extending bracket 54 which is provided with an upwardly projecting stud 55 on which a bell crank 56 is pivotally mounted at its apex. One arm 57 of the bell crank 56 is pivotally connected at its free end to an end of a link 58, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected at 59 to the free end of the arm 48. The other arm 60 of the bell crank 56 has a wire 61 attached to its free end. Wire 61, as seen in Figures 2 and 4, extends forwardly from the target stand 10 to any remote position, not shown, where if can be operated manually for turning the bell crank 56 in a clockwise direction, as seen in Figure 4, to swing the arm 48 in a clockwise direction to revolve the shaft 23. A con510 tractile coil spring 62 is attached at one end thereof to the arm 57, adjacent its free end, and is anchored at its opposite end to the base 11 for normally urging the bell crank 56 to turn in 5 a counterclockwise direction.

The slot 47 is of sufficient length to permit the arm 48 to swing through an arc of approximately 90 degrees so as to cause the shaft 23 to turn one-quarter of a revolution. When the arm 48 10 is in the position, as seen in Figures 4 and 7, the target holding frame 31 will be parallel with the front of the stand 10 so that the target 36 will be facing a marksman, not shown, located somewhere in front of the stand 10. By pulling on 15 the wire or cable 6i the arm 48 will be turned, as previously explained, in a clockwise direction through the bell crank and link connection 56 and 58 until it moves from engagement with one end of the opening 47 to engagement with the 20 opposite end thereof which will constitute a swing of substantially 90 degrees to thereby turn the shaft through an arc of 90 degrees to swing the target holding frame 31 and the target 36 to a position at right angles to its position of Figure ₂₅ 1, or crosswise to the front of the stand 10. When the cable 61 is released the spring 62 will cause the parts to swing in a counterclockwise direction until the arm 43 strikes the first mentioned end of the slot 47, as seen in Figure 7, at 30 which time the target holding frame 3 ί and target 36 will have been returned to their original positions of Figure 1, parallel to the front of the stand 10. It will thus be seen that the target stand 10 is adapted for use for rapid fire or time 35 shooting where the marksman is given a certain period of time to fire a certain number of shots at the target 36. The target 36 is disposed edgewise to the marksman and the cable is then released to allow the target 36 to swing to a posi40 tion facing the marksman in which position it is left for the prescribed time interval so that the marksman can fire at the target. When the time interval has elapsed, by pulling on the cable 61 the target 36 is moved to a position _ι1μ_ edgewise of the marksman again so that he can no longer fire at the target.

As illustrated in Figure 2, a battery of target stands 10 may be arranged in a row and the arms 48 of each target stand connected by a -₀ common link 58' to the arm 57 of the bell crank 56 so that all of the targets 36 will be simultaneously swung to positions facing the marksmen or edgewise thereto, so that a number of marksmen may shoot in competition simultaneously and so -- that each marksman will have exactly the same amount of time to fire at his target. The operation of the battery of target stands 1Θ will be identical with that of a single stand 15.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to as ⁶⁰ only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed.