US1397135A - Amusement device - Google Patents

Description

J. G. MALOUF.

AMUSEMENT DEVlCE.-

APPLICATION FILED FEB;27,1920.

Pmmm Nov. 115; 119212.

amusement nnen.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedhlov; 15.; 1921..

Application tiled February 27, 1920. Serial No. 381,903.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Jenner G. .MALOUF, a

' citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of the city of Niagara Falls, county of Niagara, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful' improvements in Amusement Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact. descri tion.

y device relates generally to amusement devices and more particularly to that type which may be used at summer resorts, and is of the type in which an imitation bomb is carried by an imitation airplane and which maybe dropped at any point in the travel of the airplane at the will of the operator.

The principal objectot my invention has been to provide a device of this nature which shall not only be durable in its construction,

but to provide one which shall develop the lib judgment and test the skill of the operator. The above objects have been accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, portions thereof being broken away for convenience of illustration, and showing the electrical circuits, diagrammatically.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary, plan view of the bomb dropping device of my invention.

Fig. 3 'is a front elevation of a portion of the same.

Figs. 4 and 5 show consecutive positions of a art of the bomb dropping device.

ig. 6 is an end elevation of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, "fragmentary viewot a modified term of device for carrying a plurality of bombs.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the bomb showing its looped hanger.

My device comprises in general, an imitation airplane 10, carrying an imitation bomb 11, and supported by a trolley 12, which is mounted on wires 13 and 14.

The airplane is provided with a fuselage 15 having wings 16, and carrying at its middle portion a small, electric motor 17. The electric motor is provided with a torwardly extending shaft 18 which causes the propeller 19 to be operated. The shaft 18 has a thimble 20 secured to its forward end. The-thimble 20 is provided at its rear end with a flange 21 and also with a set screw of the other.

22, whereby it maybe securely fastened to the forward end of the shaft 18. Mounted upon the forward end of the thimble 20 is a sleeve 23. -The sleeve is provided on its forward end with a stem 24, on which the propeller 190i the airplane is rigidly attached. The

sleeve 23 is arranged to have sliding engagement with the thimble 20, and the amount of relative motion between these two parts is limited by a pin 25, carried by the thimble 20 and in engagement with a cam-shaped slot 26 formed in the sleeve 23. 4 The sleeve 23 is provided at its rear end with a flange 27 which is connected with the flange 21 of the thimble by means of a plurality of light, helical springs 28. The flange 27 is provided with an annular groove 29 with which the yoke 30 of the bomb dropping device is engageable.

The bomb dropping device comprises a bracket 31, which is secured preferably to the side of the fuselage 10 by any suitable means. An operating rod 32 is slidably carried by the bearings 33 and 34 of the bracket 31 and has its forward end 35 bent inwardly preferably at right-angles and has the yoke 30 secured to the extreme inner end thereof. A slot 36 is provided in the side of the fuselage for the passage of the end 35 of the rod. Two flanges 37 and 38 are provided at the rear end of the bracket 31.

These flanges carry pins 39 and 40, respectively. The pins extend through the space provided between the flanges 37 and 38 and the outer end of one overlaps the outer end The pins are arranged one above the other, so that there isa space provided between their adj aeent outer ends. 4.1 is a trigger which is secured to the rear end of the rod 32 and is movable by means of the rod within the spacebetween the flanges 37 and 38. Suitable apertures are provided so that the trigger may move over the pins 39 and 40. A longitudinal slot 42 is provided in the trigger which extends from its lower end up to a point beyond the location of the upper pin d0 carried by the flange 38. The bomb 11 is supported by a looped hanger or book 43 which is located within the slot 42 of the trigger when the bomb is being supported by the bomb dropping device.

The fuselage 10 is connected preferably by means of a stem 4rd to the trolley 12. This trolley is provided preferably with rollers 45, 46 and d7. The rollers d5 and 46 are preferably insulated from the trolley 12 and to each is connected one of the motor leads 48. The wires 13 and 14 are secured to fixed supports 49 and 50 by any suitable means, and helical springs 51 are preferably provided at the ends of the wires, whereby they are kept taut. In the diagram shown in Fig. l, 5.2 represents a suitable source of electrical current, one side of which is connected with a rheostat 53 by means of a lead 54. The other side of the source of power is connected preferably to the wire 13 by means of a lead 55. The wire 14 is connected to the rheostat 53 by means of a lead 56 through a switch 57.

In Fig. 7 I show a modified form of a bomb dropping device in which provision is made for holding a number of bombs, to be dropped in succession. In this form the bracket 60 is provided with three flanges 61, 62 and 63. 64 is the operating rod. which carries a trigger 65 between the flanges 61 and 62 and a trigger 66 between the flanges 62 and 63. The flanges 61 and 62 each carry, respectively, a pin 67 and 68, arranged in similar manner to the pins 39 and 40 of the other form of the device above described. The flange 63 is provided. with two pins 69 and 70, arranged one above the other and pointing toward the flange 62. The flange 62 is also provided with two pins 71 and 72. The pin 71 projects into the space between the ends of the pins 69 and 70, and the pin 71 is arranged below the pin 69. The ends of the pins 71 and 72 extend inwardly beyond the ends of the pins 69 and in a similar manner to the pins 39 and 40 of the form just above described. The pin 70 is located between the pins '71 and 72. In this form of device the trigger 65 controls a bomb '73, and the trigger 66 controls a bomb 74.

It will be clear that when the switch :57 is closed, current will flow from the source of power 52 over lead 54, through rheostat 53 switch 57, lead 56 to the wire 14. It will pass from the wire 14 throughroller 46 and to the motor 17 through one of the leads 48. The current will return to the source of power overrthe otherlead 48, roller 45, wire 13, :and lead 55. When the current is flowing through the motor, it will, of course,

be rotated and thepropeller thereby operated. The speed of the motor, and hence the rate of travel of the airplane, may be governed by the rheostat 53. It will be clear that when the propeller 19 is rotated it will move forwardly, and the pull upon the stud 24 of the sleeve 23 will pull the sleeve forwardly on the thimble 2.0, to the limit of the slot 26 and against the tension of the springs 28, after which the propeller will draw the airplane forwardly. As the sleeve 23 is moved forwardly in relation to the fixed parts of the airplane, it will be clear that the operating rod 32 also ha moved forwardly in the bracket 31. When the device is set and ready to be operated a bomb 11 is supported by means of the hanger 43 to the upper pin 40 and wlthin the slot 42 of the trigger 41. When the relative motion, just above referred to, occurs, it will be clear that the trigger 41 will pin 40 and drop it upon the pin 39 to the position shown in Fig. 4. As long as the motor is rotating the propeller will be ex- 'pull the hanger 43 of the bomb ofl' from the erting a pull, inasmuch as the wires 13 and 14 are inclined upwardly and gravity tends to return the airplane to its initial starting point. But just as soon as the motor is stopped the springs 28 will pull the sleeve 23 back to its initial position upon the thimble 20, thereby sliding the operating -rod in the reverse direction and returning to the pin 67 and discharge it from the device. During this first starting and stopping of the motor the bomb 74 will be dropped from the pin 69 to the pin'71 and oil from this pin to the pin 70. When the motor is again started the trigger 66 will push the bomb 74 from the pin 70 and drop it upon the pin 72. The second stoppage of the motor will serve to actuate the trigger 66 so that the bomb 74 will be dropped from the pin 72 and bethereby released. It is obvious that if three bombs are provided, another flange would be arranged on the bracket and three sets of pins would be provided. In such a form the three bombs would be dropped successively, one at each starting and stopping of the motor.

The object of this device is to drop the bomb on to a target 75 arranged at some point along the floor line 76. Inasmuch as the bomb is finally released by stopping the motor, the switch 57 is o ned at the time when the operator judges t e bomb to be over the target 75. i

While I have shown and described an airplane carrying a releasable bomb, it is obvious that any other supporting element, either movable or stationary, could be employed and that any suitable object other than a bomb,may be carried by the supporting element and thereby accomplish substantially the same result. For the sake of-convenience and brevity in the appended claims, I have referred to the airplane as the supporting element, and to the bomb as the releasable object and I do not wish to be confined to the use of an air lane and abomb as preferably and spec cally shown and ing means carried by described herein, the object releasing mechanism being clearly capable of advantageous use in other combinations than those herein shown and described.

Obviously some modifications of the details herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims, and I do not,'therefore, wish to be limited to the exact embodiment herein shown and described, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An amusement device characterized by having a movable supporting element, propelling means for the element, an object detachably supported by the element, and means controlled by the movement of the propelling means for releasing the object step by step v 2. An amusemen device characterized by having a supporting element, propelling means for the element, an object detachably supported by the element, and object-releasthe element and comprising an operating rod, means controlled by the movement of the propelling means for moving the rod, and means controlled by the rod for releasing the object step by step.

3. An amusement device characterized by having a supporting element, propelling means for the element, an object detachably supported by the element, and object releasing means carried by the element and comprising a slidably mounted operating rod,

. means controlled by the propelling means for moving the rod, and means controlled by the rod for releasing the object step by step.

4:- An amusement device characterized by having, in combination with a releasable object, an object supporting means, propelling means for the supporting means, an object releasing means comprising a trigger, mechanically operated means for actuatin the trigger, and slidable means associate with the trigger and actuated by the movement of the propelling means for releasing the object step by step.

5. An amusement device characterized by having, in combination with a releasable object, provided with a hanger, an object releasing means comprising a trigger, means for actuating the trigger, spaced flanges, a

plurality of rigidly mounted supports oppositely arranged between the flanges and as sociated slidably mounted upon the supports, whereby the object is released step by step.

6. An amusement device characterized by having, in combination with a releasable object, provided with a hanger, an object with the trigger, the object being releasing meansoomprising a trigger, means for actuating the trigger, spaced flanges a plurality of rigidly mounted supports arranged between the flanges, and associated with the trigger, the supports being spaced apart and having their free ends overlapping each other, the object being slidably mounted upon the supports, whereby the object is released step by step.

7. An amusement device characterized by having, in combination with a releasable object, provided with a hanger, leasing means comprising a trigger, a slidably mounted operating rod carrying the trigger, and means for moving the rod,

whereby the object is released step by step.

8. An amusement device characterized by an object re-- having, in combination with a releasable object, an object releasing means comprising a trigger, a. slidably mounted operating rod carrying the trigger, power means for actuating the rod in one direction, and resilient means for actuating the rod in the opposite direction.

9. An amusement device characterized by having a supporting element, a motor carried by the supporting element, a pro; peller for the element, means connecting the propeller and the element for producing an axial movement of the propeller independent of the movement of the supporting element, an object supported by the element, and means controlled by the axial movement of the propeller for releasing the object step by step.

10. An amusement device characterized by having, in combination with a support,- ing element and an object releasing means, a motor, a shaft for the motor, a thimble carried by the shaft, a sleeve carried by the thimble, a propeller carried by the sleeve, means connecting the sleeve and the thimble, and means connecting the sleeve with the releasing means. i

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto

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