Feb. 17, 1948.

M_ [__ PYLE
TOW TRGT EXCHANGE DEVICE
Filed OCT.. 25, 1944

2,435,980

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

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Patented Feb. 17,1948

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UNITED STATES
2,435,980
'row TARGET E'XCHANGEl DEvIcE
Marvin L. Pyle, Los Angeles; 'Califf

Application octet-er 251944', serialfNof.: 561x295"

Y 1 cina; (cine-_1055351

(Granted under nie-- act of> Maren 3; lists-ias

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757)
The invention described herein may be manu factured and used by or for Government for gov ernmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon. This invention relates to aerial tow targets and 5

2
then being taken by the body of the device which is substantially stronger in shear than the tow line and unlikely to be cut by the slip ring.
A detailed disclosure of my invention now fol

more particularly to devices for exchanging tar

gets at the end of a tow line while an airplane

is in flight. The usual tow target exchange device comprises a mechanism adapted to be towed by an airplane 10 invention and prior device; at the end of a tow line, the mechanism being Fig. 2 illustrates a general view of the improved adapted to releasably secure an air lled sleeve tow target exchange device; and after it has been hit by anti-aircraft fire and sub Fig. 3 illustrates the invention in operation. stitute a new sleeve therefor, as described in the With reference to Fig. 2, there is disclosed a tow United States Patent to Foulk N0. 1,971,340 15 target exchange device having a body comprising granted August 28, 1934. The new sleeve is at a nose piece I adapted to be attached to a tow line tached to the tow line at the airplane end there (not shown) and articulated to an elongated of by means of a, slip ring adapted to slidably housing element of a detent mechanism, gener encompass the line, the sleeve then being slid ally indicated by A, through a conventional uni along the tow line to the exchange device by virtue versal ball and socket joint structure comprising of the forward flight of the plane. Upon the a ball 3 and the universally movable sockets or arrival of the slip ring at the end of the tow line retaining members 5 and 6 secured to nose piece it engages the exchange device, actuating a detent I and the mechanism portion of the body, re mechanism therein to release the hit target sleeve spectively, the said articulated body being of sub which is thus dropped to the ground, the new tar 25 stantially cylindrical shape to permit unobstruct get sleeve then moving into position whereat the ed passage of an exchange target from the nose slip ring thereof is arrested by the detent mecha piece and over the ball and socket joint to the nism, and is in position to be iired upon. As illus detent mechanism of the housing element when trated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, one of the draw the nose piece and the housing element are backs of present target exchange devices resides 30 aligned. The detent mechanism is of conven in the fact that at the point of attachment be tional form and comprises a trigger 8 cooperating
tween the tow line and the exchange device a cer
with a catch or detent lever 9 and a leaf spring

lows with reference to the appended drawing in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a conventional tow target ex change device for the purpose of clearly demon strating the distinction in operation between my

tain amount of angularity exists .between the tow iIl. The structure and the operation of the mech line and the forward portion of the device due to anism is substantially the same as that described swerving of the airplane and changing wind con in the aforementioned United States Patent to ' ditions acting on the tow line and the target. As Foulk No, 1,971,340, the operation being depend a result of this angular relation the slip ring of ent upon engagement of a slip ring Il of a new the new target sleeve cannot slide smoothly from target sleeve (not shown) with the trigger 8 the tow line to the exchange device and at the therebyA actuating the lever 9 against the bias of point of attachment therebetween, which is the 40 spring I0, the hook I2 on lever `9 releasing the vertex of the angle, the slip ring brings a shock slip ring I3 of the hit target sleeve (not shown) force to bear which is at times sufficient to cut which is carried off by the air current and drops the tow line at this point, the exchange mecha to the ground. nism and the sleeve being thus lost. The prin In flight, as shown in Fig. 3, a tow line I5 cipal object of my invention is to overcome this 45 being attached to nose piece I and being pulled diculty and, accordingly, I provide a target ex in the -direction of the arrow, the tow line I5 as change device comprising a universal joint incor sumes a substantially straight line with respect to porated therein between the front portion there the nose piece I due to the universal joint pro of, l. e., the nose piece, which is attached to the vided between the nose piece I and the detent tow line, and the detent mechanism. Such a mechanism A. Accordingly, a slip ring I'I of a structure provides for a substantially straight substitute target sleeve I8 will have substantially path between the tow line and the nose piece of a straightpath in passing from the tow line I5 the exchange device so that the slip ring has sub to and over the nose piece I, the shock due to stantially passed beyond the tow line before it can angularity between the tow line and the release

bring any shock force to bear, the shock force 55 mechanism A being taken along the body of the

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device, and loss of the device due to cutting of the tow line being thereby eliminated. Having thus described my invention and the
manner in which it overcomes disadvantages of prior constructions, I claim: A tow target exchange device comprising a body including a nose piece adapted to be attached

tow line and said nose piece, said body being of substantially cylindrical shape to permit unob~
structed passage of the exchange target from the nose piece to the detent mechanism of the housing element when said nose piece and hous ing element are aligned.
MARVIN L. PYLE.

to a tow line and an elongated housing element having therein a. detent mechanism adapted to
releasably secure a tow target. and a universal 10

joint comprising a retaining member secured to said nose piece and a second retaining member secured to said housing element and a spherical member retained between said retaining members

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent: l UNITED STATES PATENTS

Number
15
45,720 1,319,565 1,971,340 2,382,854

Name

Date
1865 1919 1934 1945

whereby said body is pivotally articulated inter

mediate said nose piece and said housing ele ment for the purpose of providing a straight path for movement of an exchange target between said

Ingalls ____________ __ Jan. 3, Burney __________ __ Oct. 21, Foulk ___________ __ Aug. 28, Brickman ________ __ Aug. 14,