Cloth Tow Target Exchange Device (1944)

7/27/2019 Cloth Tow Target Exchange Device (1944)

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2 , 4 3 5 , 9 8 0e b . 1 7 , 1948. M _ [ _ _ PYLET O W T R G T E X C H A N G E DEVICE

Filed O C T . . 2 5 , 1944

INVENTOR./VQI//N _ /DVLE l ./

BY

7/27/2019 Cloth Tow Target Exchange Device (1944)

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P a t e n t e d F e b . 17,194 8 ' i l Y .

U N I T E D S T A T E S2,435,980

2 , 4 3 5 , 9 8 0 ' r o w TARGET E ' X C H A N G E l D E v I c E M a r v i n L . P y l e , L o s A n g e l e s ; ' C a l i f f

A p p l i c a t i o n o c t e t - e r 2 5 1 9 4 4 ' , s e r i a l f N o f . : 5 6 1 x 2 9 5 "Y 1 cina; (cine-_1055351

( G r a n t e d u n d e r n i e - - a c t o f > Maren 3 ; l i s t s - i a samended A p r i l 3 0 , 1 9 2 8 ; 3 7 0 0 . G . 7 5 7 )T he i n v e n t i o n d e s c r i b e d herein may be manufactured and used b y o r f o r Government f o r governmental p u r p o s e s , without the payment t o meo f any r o y a l t y t h e r e o n .This i n v e n t i o n r e l a t e s t o a e r i a l tow t a r g e t s an dmore p a r t i c u l a r l y t o d e v i c e s f o r exchanging t a rg e t s a t the end o f a tow l i n e while an airplanei s i n f l i g h t .T he u s u a l tow t a r g e t exchange d e v i c e comprisesa mechanism adapted t o be towed by an a i r p l a n ea t the end o f a tow l i n e , the mechanism beingadapted t o r e l e a s a b l y s e c u r e an a i r l l e d s l e e v ea f t e r i t has been h i t by a n t i - a i r c r a f t f i r e an d subs t i t u t e a new s l e e v e t h e r e f o r , as described i n theU n i t e d S t a t e s P a t e n t t o Foulk N 0 . 1 , 9 7 1 , 3 4 0

granted August 2 8 , 1 9 3 4 . T he ne w s l e e v e i s a ttached t o the tow l i n e a t the a i r p l a n e end t h e r eo f by means o f a , s l i p r i n g adapted t o s l i d a b l yencompass t h e l i n e , t h e s l e e v e then b e i n g s l i da l o n g t h e tow l i n e t o t h e exchange d e v i c e by v i r t u eo f t h e forward f l i g h t o f t h e p l a n e . Upon t h ea r r i v a l o f t h e s l i p r i n g a t the end o f the tow l i n ei t engages the exchange d e v i c e , actuating a detentmechanism t h e r e i n t o r e l e a s e the h i t t a r g e t s l e e v ewhich s thus dropped t o the ground, the ne w t a rg e t s l e e v e then moving i n t o p o s i t i o n whereat t h es l i p r i n g t h e r e o f i s a r r e s t e d by t h e d e t e n t mechanism, and s i n p o s i t i o n t o be i i r e d upon. A s i l l u st r a t e d i n F i g . 1 o f the drawing, one o f the drawb a c k s o f p r e s e n t t a r g e t exchange d e v i c e s r e s i d e si n the f a c t that a t the p o i n t o f attachment bet w e en the t ow l i n e and the exchange d e v i c e a c e rt a i n amount o f a n g u l a r i t y e x i s t s . b e t w e e n t h e towl i n e an d the forward p o r t i o n o f t h e d e v i c e due t os w e r v i n g o f t h e a i r p l a n e an d changing wind cond i t i o n s a c t i n g on the tow l i n e and the t a r g e t . Asa r e s u l t o f t h i s angular r e l a t i o n t h e s l i p r i n g o ft h e ne w t a r g e t s l e e v e cannot s l i d e smoothly fromthe t ow l i n e t o the exchange d e v i c e an d a t t h ep o i n t o f attachment t h e r e b e t w e e n , which i s t h ev e r t e x o f t h e a n g l e , the s l i p r i n g b r i n g s a shockf o r c e t o bear which i s a t times s u f f i c i e n t t o c u tthe tow l i n e a t t h i s p o i n t , t h e exchange mechanism and t h e s l e e v e b e i n g t h u s l o s t . T he p r i nc i p a l o b j e c t o f my i n v e n t i o n i s t o overcome t h i sd i c u l t y a n d , a c c o r d i ng l y , I p r o v i d e a t a r g e t e xchange d e v i c e c o m p r i s i n g a u n i v e r s a l j o i n t i n c o rp o r a t e d t h e r e i n between t h e f r o n t p o r t i o n t h e r eo f , l . e . , the nose p i e c e , which i s attached t o thetow l i n e , and the detent mechanism. Such as t r u c t u r e p r o v i d e s f o r a s u b s t a n t i a l l y s t r a i g h tpath betwe en t h e tow l i n e an d t h e nose p i e c e o ft h e exchange d e v i c e s o t h a t t h e s l i p r i n g has subs t a n t i a l l y p a s s e d beyond t h e tow l i n e b e f o r e i t canb r i n g any s h o c k f o r c e t o b e a r , t h e s h o c k f o r c e

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2t h e n b e i n g t a k e n by t h e body o f t h e d e v i c e whichi s s u b s t a n t i a l l y s t r o n g e r i n s h e a r than t h e towl i n e and u n l i k e l y t o b e c u t by t h e s l i p r i n g .A e t a i l e d d i s c l o s u r e o f my invention now o ll o w s with r e f e r e n c e t o t h e appended drawing i nw h i c h :F i g . 1 i l l u s t r a t e s a conventional tow t a r g e t exchange d e v i c e f o r t h e purpose o f c l e a r l y demons t r a t i n g the d i s t i n c t i o n i n o p e r a t i o n between myi n v e n t i o n and p r i o r d e v i c e ;F i g . 2 i l l u s t r a t e s a g e n e r a l view o f the improvedtow t a r g e t exchange d e v i c e ; andF i g . 3 i l l u s t r a t e s t h e i n v e n t i o n i n o p e r a t i o n .With r e f e r e n c e t o F i g . 2 , t h e r e i s d i s c l o s e d a t owt a r g e t e x c h a n g e d e v i c e h a v i n g a body c o m p r i s i n g

a nose p i e c e I adapted t o be att ached t o a t ow l i n e( n o t shown) an d a r t i c u l a t e d t o an elongatedhousing element o f a d e t e n t mechanism, genera l l y i n d i c a t e d by A , through a c o n v e n t i o n a l u n iv e r s a l b a l l and s o c k e t j o i n t s t r u c t u r e c o m p r i s i n ga b a l l 3 and the u n i v e r s a l l y movable s o c k e t s o rr e t a i n i n g m em b e r s 5 an d 6 secured t o nose p i e c eI and the mechanism p o r t i o n o f the b o d y , r es p e c t i v e l y , t h e s a i d a r t i c u l a t e d body b e i n g o f s u bs t a nt i al l y c y l i n d r i c a l s h a p e t o p e r m i t u n o b s t r u c ted passage o f an exchange t a r g e t from the nosep i e c e and o v e r t h e b a l l and s o c k e t j o i n t t o thed e t e n t mechanism o f t h e housing element whenthe nose p i e c e and the housing element a r ea l i g n e d . T he detent mechanism i s o f convent i o n a l form and comprises a t r i g g e r 8 cooperatingwith a catch or detent l e v e r 9 and a l e a f springi I l . T he s t r u c t u r e and the operation o f the me chanism i s s u b s t a n t i a l l y t h e same a s t h a t d e s c r i b e din the aforementioned Uni te d States Patent toF o u l k N o , 1 , 9 7 1 , 3 4 0 , t h e o p e r a t i o n b e i n g d e p e n dent upon engagement o f a s l i p r i n g I l o f a ne wt a r g e t s l e e v e ( n o t shown) with t h e t r i g g e r 8t h e r e b y A a c t u a t i n g t h e l e v e r 9 a g a i n s t t h e b i a s o fs p r i n g I 0 , t h e hook I 2 on l e v e r ` 9 r e l e a s i n g thes l i p r i n g I 3 o f t h e h i t t a r g e t s l e e v e ( n o t shown)which i s c a r r i e d o f f by t h e a i r c u r r e n t an d d r o p st o t h e g r o u n d .

In f l i g h t , a s shown i n F i g . 3 , a tow l i n e I 5b e i n g a t t a c h e d t o n o s e p i e c e I an d b e i n g p u l l e di n the - d i r e c t i o n o f the a r r o w , the tow l i n e I 5 a ssumes a s u b s t a n ti a l l y s t r a i g h t l i n e with r e s p e c t t othe nose p i e c e I du e t o the u n i v e r s a l j o i n t pr ovided between the nose p i e c e I an d the d e t e n tmechanism A . A c c o r d i n g l y , a s l i p r i n g I ' I o f as u b s t i t u t e t a r g e t s l e e v e I 8 w i l l have s u b s t a n t i a l l ya st raightpath i n p a s s i n g from t h e tow l i n e I 5t o and o v e r the nose p i e c e I , the shock due t oa n g u l a r i t y between t h e tow l i n e an d t h e r e l e a s emechanism A e i n g t a k e n a l o n g t h e b o d y o f t h e

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3d e v i c e , and o s s o f t h e d e v i c e due t o c u t t i ng o f t h etow l i n e b e i n g t h e r e b y e l i m i n a t e d .Having thus d e s c r i b e d my i n v e n t i o n and t h emanner i n which i t overcomes disadvantages o fprior c o n s t r u c t i o n s , I claim:A ow target exchange device comprisi ng a bodyincluding a nose p i e c e adapted t o be attachedt o a t ow l i n e and an e l o n g a t e d housing el ementhaving t h e r e i n a . d e t e n t mechanism adapted t or e l e a s a b l y secure a t ow t a r g e t . and a universalj o i n t comprising a r e t a i n i n g m e m b e r secured t os a i d nose p i e c e and a second retaining membersecured t o s a i d housing el ement and a s p h e r i c a lm e m b e r r e t a i n e d between s a i d r e t a i n i n g m em b e r swhereby s a i d body i s p i v o t a l l y a r t i c u l a t e d i n t e rmediate s a i d nose p i e c e and s a i d housing e l ement f o r t h e purpose o f p r o v i d i n g a s t r a i g h t path

for movement f an exchange t a r g e t b e t we en s a i d

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tow l i n e an d s a i d n o s e p i e c e , s a i d body b e i n g o fs u b s t a n ti a l l y c y l i n d r i c al s h a p e t o p e r m i t u n o b ~s t r u c t e d passage o f the exchange t a r g e t fromthe nose p i e c e t o the detent mechanism o f thehousing e lement when s a i d nose p i e c e and housing element ar e a l i g n e d . MARVIN L . PYLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are o f record i n thei l l e o f t h i s p a t e n t : l

UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date

45,720 Ingalls ____________ __ Jan. 3 , 18651,319,565 Burney __________ __ Oct. 21, 1 9 1 91,971,340 Foulk ___________ __ A u g . 28 , 1 9 3 42 ,382 ,854 Brickman ________ __ Aug. 14, 1 9 4 5