US3066939A - Lasso practicing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 4, 1962 D. E. SPROUT LASSO PRACTICING APPARATUS Filed May 1'7, 196].

INVENTOR 0/71 E 551 0 u r ATTORNEY Unite This invention relates to an apparatus or device of simple construction adapted to be utilized for practicing lassoing or roping.

More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide an apparatus simulating a steers head and defining a target over which the noose of a lariat is thrown.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus wherein the horns are swingably mounted so that after the noose of a lariat has been successfully thrown over the dummy steer head, the noose can be disengaged from the device by a pull exerted on the lariat at a point remote from the device, so that the user is not required to move from his throwing position in order to detach the lariat noose from the apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roping apparatus including pivotally mounted horns which are gravity urged to normal extended positions relative to one another and which are capable of swinging upwardly by the pull of a lariat noose thereon to substantially parallel positions, from which the noose can be readily disengaged from the horns, for releasing the horns which are then returned automatically by gravity to their normal extended positions relative to one another.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing the lasso practicing apparatus as it will appear when a lariat noose is about to be disengaged therefrom;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1 but showing the horns, in full lines, in normal extended positions relative to one another;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken sub stantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the lasso practicing apparatus in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 7 and includes a hollow body member 8 of a rigid sheet material having a lower end 9, an upper end 10, an outer or rear Wall 11, an inner or front wall 12, and corresponding side edges 13. The body member 8 is substantially wider at its lower end 9 than at its upper end 11] and the width thereof, as measured between the side edges 13, is substantially greater than its thickness, as measured between the walls 11 and 12. Accordingly, the side edges 13, which are convexly rounded in cross section, as seen in FIGURE 3, extend upwardly in converging relation to one another.

The piece of sheet material 14 from which the body member 8 is formed has overlapping edges 15, as seen in FIGURES 3 and 5, which are disposed substantially medially of the front wall 12 and which are provided with longitudinally spaced aligned openings 16 to receive nut and bolt fastenings 17, by which the edges 15 are secured together. A stake 18 is disposed against the exterior side of the front wall 12 and has openings 19 aligning with the openings 16 and through which the bolts of the fastenings rates Patent 9 ice 17 extend, for additionally securing the stake 18 rigidly to the body member 8. The stake 13, which is rigid, extends substantially below the bottom 9 of the body 8 and terminates at its lower end in a point 20. The upper end of the stake 18 is rolled outwardly to form a sleeve 21 which is disposed crosswise thereof and beneath and adjacent the upper end 10 of the body. An intermediate portion 22 of a rod 23 is journaled in the sleeve 21, and said rod has elongated end portions forming brace legs 24 which extend outwardly from the intermediate portion 22 in diverging relation to one another. The brace legs 24 are substantially straight, except that said brace legs are provided with downwardly curved tapered terminals 25. The two brace legs 24 combine with the stake 18 to form a tripod support for the body 8.

The upper ends of the walls 11 and 12, at the side edges thereof, and the upper ends of the edges 13 are cutaway or recessed to form corresponding notches 26 at the ends of the elongated open top 10 of the body 8. A somewhat elongated channel shaped member 27 is secured in the open upper end it between the notches 26 by bolts of nut and bolt fastenings 28 which extend through the upper portions of the rear wall 11 and front wall 12 and through upper portions of the side walls 29 of the insert 27, adjacent the ends of said insert, as best seen in FIGURES 3 and 4. The insert 27 has a bar 30 extending across the top thereof, between the walls 29, and which bar is disposed between and spaced from the fastenings 28.

A pair of elongated horns 31 and 3 2 have inner ends disposed in the open top 10 in spaced apart end-to-end relation to one another. Upper portions of the inner ends of the horns have extensions which are rolled to form barrels or sleeves 33 which are disposed beyond. the inner ends of the horns and crosswise thereof. The barrels or sleeves 33 are journaled on the bolts of the fastenings 28 and are disposed within the insert 27. The horns 31 and 32 are rigid and preferably hollow and have complementary outer end portions 34 which taper to rounded points and which are curved rearwardly so as to extend away from the front side 12 and across the plane of the rear side 11. Portions of the horns 31 and 32 are normally supported in the notches 26 so that said horns are disposed substantially coplanar, as seen in full lines in FIGURE 2, and at approximately a right angle to the stake 18. The horns 31 and 32 can be swung upwardly about their pivots 28 to positions substantially parallel to one another and to the stake 18, as seen in dotted lines in FIGURE 2, the bar 30 preventing swinging movement of the horns 31 and 32 toward one another beyond their dotted line positions of FIGURE 2, so that the pivots 28 are disposed between the axes of said horns. Thus, the preponderance of the weight of the horns is located outwardly with respect to the pivots 28 so that the horns will normally return by gravity from their dotted line to their full line positions of FIGURE 2.

The brace legs 24 are swung outwardly from the body 8 to approximately the positions thereof as seen in FIG- URES 1 and 5, after which the lower stake end 21 and the brace leg ends 25 are driven into the ground 35 for supporting the body 8 at an incline as seen in FIGURE 1 with the front side 12 constituting the underside thereof. The extent that the tripod legs 24 are swung away from the body 8 can be varied to vary the inclination at which the body will be supported by the tripod. The user of the apparatus 7 stands at a distance therefrom and to the right thereof as seen in FIGURE 1 for throwing a l-ariat 36 in an effort to loop the lariat noose 37 over the outwardly extending horns 31 and 32 and around the body 8, beneath said horns. If the effort is successful, the lariat user, not shown, may disengage the noose 37 from the apparatus 7 without moving from his throwing position.

This is accomplished by pulling on the lariat 36 in a direction away from the apparatus 7 or from left to right of FIGURE 1. Such a pull will cause the noose 37 to be restricted and to slide up the body 8 and tripod legs 24 into engagement under the horns 3.1 and 32. The pressure of the noose on the undersides of the bonus will swing said horns upwardly from their full line to their dotted line positions of FIGURE 2. As the horns swing upwardly, the partially open noose 37, as seen in FIG- URE 1, will slide up the horns and off the tapered ends 34 thereof, for thereby disengaging the lari-at from the apparatus 7, so that it can be retrieved and thrown again by the user. It will also be readily apparent that as soon as the noose 37 moves out of engagement with the horns 31 and 32, that said horns will be returned by gravity to their aligned full line positions of FIGURE 2, so that the apparatus 7 is again in a position to provide a target for the next throw of the lariat.

The apparatus 7 may bemade in various sizes. The span of the body 8, between its edges 13 may be equal to the width of a steers head and the span of the extended horns 31 and 32 may correspond to the span of the horns of a steer, or said apparatus may be made in smaller sizes for use as a toy by children. In its larger size, the apparatus 7 is well adapted for use by adults to practice lariat throwing.

The brace legs 24 are folded against the from body side 12 for storage of the apparatus 7 when not in use.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A lasso practicing apparatus comprising a body member simulating a steers head, an adjustable tripod support having one leg attached to the body member for supporting the body member at an incline, said body member having an open recessed upper end, a pair of horns, means pivotally connecting said horns to the upper portion of said body member for swinging movement of the horns relative to the body member about substantially parallel axes between an extended position substantially in alignment with one another and supported by the recessed upper end of the body member and raised positions extending upwardly from the body member and disposed substantially parallel to one another.

2. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 1, said means being disposed whereby the horns are gravity urged downward from said last mentioned parallel positions thereof.

3. A lasso practicing apparatus comprising a body member having a lower end and a recessed upper end, supporting means connected to and supporting the body member at an incline, a pair of horns having adjacent ends disposed in the upper end of said body member, means pivotally connecting said adjacent horn ends to the body member for swinging movement of the horns relative to the body member about substantially parallel axes between extended positions with the adjacent horn ends disposed substantially in alignment with one another and folded positions in which the horns extend upwardly from the body member and are disposed substantially parallel to one another.

4. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 3, stop means disposed between said pivot means for limiting swinging movement of the horns toward one another and for positioning the horns, in the folded positions thereof, whereby the horns are gravity urged to swing downwardly toward extended positions.

5. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 4, said recessed upper end having aligned portions for receiving and supporting the horns in the extended positions thereof.

6. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 3, said body member being hollow and having upwardly converging convexly rounded side edge portions, a rear side and a front side, the spacing between said front side and rear side being substantially less than the spacing between said side edge portions, and the inner ends of said horns being disposed within the recessed upper end of the body member and between and spaced from the upper ends of said side edge portions in both the extended and folded positions of the horns.

7. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 6, said horns being of a length such that the spread of the horns in the extended positions thereof is substantially greater than the width of the upper end of the body member.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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