The present invention relates generally to toy projectile launching devices, including air-guns and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to toy guns and to improvements in toy guns that launch soft gel-beads or gel-balls. Prior art of this nature can be found in several subclasses of USPC Class 124 and elsewhere.
Many toy guns that fire frangible projectiles are known in the art. For example, paintball markers popularly referred to as “paintball guns” have been used for marking in forestry and cattle ranching. In some cases, law enforcement employs markers to aid in crowd control and other situations where less-than-lethal force is desired. The markers launch a projectile typically using compressed gas, such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Compressed gas is supplied from a supply tank which is typically mounted within the paintball gun. In some cases, the markers may be equipped with pressure regulators.
Numerous projectile firing toys and paintball guns of different designs have became popular in the last several years for a variety of simulated battle games (e.g., capture the flag). which receive compressed gas at a relatively high pressure and deliver the gas at a reduced, more consistent pressure for propelling the projectile.
Of course, particularly in the case of toys, and especially with the case of projectile launching toy guns, safety is a paramount factor. One important safety factor relates to the type of projectile that the gun fires. Relatively hard pellets or BB's can produce injury as is well know in the art. Relatively softer projectiles such as conventional paintballs provide a great deal of entertainment but, in some case, especially those involving misuse, human injury can occur from impacting paintballs. Partly to reduce potential injury, relatively soft “gel balls” have recently become increasingly popular. Many of the old prior art designs for firearm-like toys that fire paintballs or other projectiles have been adapted for gel ball use. Such prior devices may be known by a plurality of popular names, such as “bead blasters,” “gel-ball” guns, “gel-bead” guns, and other terms. Most involves a hydrated bead of approximately 7.5 mm. diameter that is selectively fired from the gun.
However, many of the older designs lack modern aesthetics, and they can be relatively boring and conventional in appearance. With the advent of relatively inexpensive computer chips and circuits, a “modern” toy gel ball gun should include various “bells and whistles.” In particular, modern consumers of such toys expect a modern, high-tech look and appearance, along with modern features. For example, flashing lights that can respond to firing or other gun functions have been found desirable with consumers. Lighting possibilities can provide interesting optical effects, involving one or more LED's, that can be fired serially or concurrently. This can be combined with interesting audible sounds.
The prior art is diverse. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,456 issued Jun. 3, 1997 discloses a gun suitable for firing paintballs or pellets using compressed gas in response to a trigger activating an internal hammer.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,033,276 issued Oct. 11, 2011 shows a prior art projectile launcher that include a gas storage chamber containing compressed gas for firing projectiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,485,173 issued Jul. 16, 2013 discloses an air soft gun including a compressed, propellant gas container for firing pellets. Firing is accomplished with a pistol grip extending from a receiver and including a magazine assembly and trigger assembly.
U. S. publication No. 2008/0060630 published Mar. 13, 2008 discloses a compact paintball marker that holds and fires paintballs with compressed gas.
U. S. publication No. 2010/0126486 published May 27, 2010 discloses a compact paintball marker with a compact trigger assembly.
U. S. publication No. 2010/0224179 issued Sep. 9, 2010 discloses a pneumatic gun with an easily removable bolt at the rear of a receiver.
U. S. publication No. 2011/0114072 published May 19, 2011 shows a pneumatically powered projectile launching device using compressed gas controlled by a valve.
U. S. Publication No. 2013/0061840 published Mar. 14, 2013 shows various loading systems for pneumatic guns. The pneumatic gun has a receiver with the first and second loading port disposed to permit loading either by gravity or forced loading such as from a magazine. The barrel can be locked to the receiver to permit loading through only one of the two ports depending on the orientation in which it is locked to the receiver and permits selective loading through only a selected port at any time. Some toy guns of this general type enable the use of both vertically upwardly extending and downwardly extending magazines.
The prior art lacks an efficient plastic gel-ball gun with internal illumination for producing pleasing aesthetic effects in conjunction with firing.
This invention provides an improved and illuminated toy “gel-ball” or “gel-bead” firearm, in the form of a simulated rifle, and an illumination system for such toys.
The advantages described herein for toy gel-ball guns offer numerous functional and aesthetic novelties and features. The illumination system can be employed with or retrofitted to a variety or modern gel ball guns of various types and sizes and shapes, including simulated rifles and pistols made by various manufacturers. Major structural portions of the plastic case are made of translucent plastic to enable LED-generated light to pass through for observation by the user. Various lights (preferably LED's) are disposed at selected locations within the toy gun to produce stimulating and exciting visual effects that are appealing to the shooter. The preferred LED's can be readily seen through the translucent, plastic gun case.
The various lights or LED's are selectively, electrically activated in response to the OEM trigger assembly associated with the toy gun to provide dramatic lighting effects. Especially when the lighting system is combined with modern computer control, numerous visible and entertaining light patterns, linked to the activation of various gun features, are provided. Computer generated light patterns can be combined with selected color effects to provide even more aesthetic effects. Selected driver circuits activated by the gun's trigger assembly, and powered by the gun's internal batteries, selectively drive the LED's to provide different lighting effects associated with different gun settings. For example, when the gun is disposed in the safety mode, no illumination occurs. When disposed in a shooting mode, the LED's display a preselected pattern. A different illumination scheme may be associated with both the “single-shot” or semi-auto mode, and the “full auto” mode provided by modern gel-ball toy guns.
Importantly, a first basic lighting display is activated by the trigger when shooting in a single shot or semi-automatic. Then, in response to continued trigger deflection, which establishes a “full automatic” mode, a different lighting pattern may be effectuated.
Thus a basic object is to provide an improved toy gel ball or gel bead gun which selectively provides desirable and pleasing optical or lighting effects.
Another primary object is to provide an illumination system adapted to be retrofitted to plastic gel ball toy guns to produce desirable optical displays and effects when firing.
Another fundamental object is to provide an illuminated gel ball gun which appeals to and entertains the user.
Yet another object is to provide illumination effects with or upon an “air soft” type toy gun.
Thus it is an object to provide a “gel ball” or “air soft” toy gun with illuminated function indicators.
A related object is to provide an illuminated, toy gel ball gun which uses compressed gas, springs, electrical apparatus, or other conventional and well known means for selectively firing.
Another important object is to provide visual lights in a toy gun of the character described.
A further object is to provide an “airsoft” or “gel ball” or “gel-bead” gun which will be easily and quickly be recognized as a toy by adults, or law enforcement personnel, for example, to maximize the user's safety.
Similarly, it is an important object to provide an illuminated, toy gel ball gun that provides different visible light signals in response to the selection or a activation of various gun options.
Another important object is to provide a toy gun for firing gel balls that provides easy-to-use color indications of the function selected.
Another basic object is to provide a toy gel ball gun to the character described that can provide LED-generated optical effects in response to firing or other gun functions.
Still another important object is to provide users of the toy gun with various display options corresponding to chosen gun functions.
It is also a basic object to provide a retrofittable arrangement for optical and lighting features that can be employed with numerous prior art air soft, paintball and/or pellet guns or the like that use a variety of propulsion and firing systems.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, along with features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear or become apparent in the course of the following descriptive sections.
In the following drawings, which form a part of the specification and which are to be construed in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals have been employed throughout wherever possible to indicate like parts in the various views:
For purposes of disclosure the following references are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,634,456, 8,033,276, 8,485,173, and, U. S. Publication Nos. 2008/0060630, 2010/0126486, 2010/0224179, 2011/0114072, and 2013/0061840.
With initial reference directed now to
Preferably the toy gun 10 comprises an elongated body 12 terminating in an extensible shoulder stock 14 that is foldably connected to the gun with a hinge 16 (
A downwardly projecting pistol grip portion 22 borders a conventional, arcuate trigger guard 23 that surrounds a trigger 24, which is part of a trigger assembly that is connected to battery power. A detachable magazine 25 filled with hydrated gel balls includes electrical gearing to feed expanded gel balls upwardly into the action. A plurality of conventional gel balls, roughly 0.125 inches in diameter when dry, are conventionally disposed within the magazine 25. After exposure to water, the hydrated gel balls expand prior to being loaded into the magazine 25. Gel balls are fed vertically upwardly into the action by internal, electrically powered gears within the magazine 25. A wide variety of other projectile feeding mechanisms for gel balls and the like are well known in the art. Projectile feeding may be accomplished by other means, such as springs etc. Gel balls are discharged through barrel 26 and out of the simulated flash suppressor 26A (
In the illustrated embodiment motors and gears within the magazine 24 convey gel balls upwardly for firing. The instant invention will, however, function with other feed systems, such as vertically uprising magazines that feed gel balls downwardly for firing. The magazine makes electrical contact with the internal circuitry with suitable electrical contacts at the magazine top.
Preferably, many of the toy gun's plastic body parts, such as side panels 30 (
The battery 17 is of the lithium ion type, nominally providing 7.4 volts. A motor and gear pack 33 disposed within the pistol grip 22 (
Referencing
An alternative LED controller 60 (
The mag feeder 160 is driven by line 161 from the trigger assembly 144. A “Select” switch represented schematically by box 164 enables the toy gun to be switched between “off”, semi-automatic, and full automatic functions, communicating on line 165 running to the mag feeder. The output of the mag feeder 160 appearing on line 168 reaches a buffer circuit 169 that leads to the second LED driver circuit 172 that may comprise one or more of the previously described drivers 50 and/or 60. Various colored LED's 175, 176, and 177 are actuated by driver circuit 172. Color selection may be established by color select circuit 180, and the blinking rate can be established or changed by flash control circuit 182. Buffer 169 can output on a line 185 to actuate an optional “on-off” indicator 187.
Thus with a plurality of internally located, separate LED's of varying colors, the selected functions of the toy gun 10 may be monitored, with pleasing aesthetic visual effects generated by the selection and blinking of various colored LEDs in various sequences or patterns.
Instructions for Use:
The preferred water beads or gel bead diameter is 7.5 mm. To prepare the dry water beads correctly, they could be poured into a small container for subsequent hydration. The correct amount of ammo beads to water is one teaspoon to 10 oz. of clean water. The beads are soaked for approximately four hours for proper hydration and expansion. If beads dry, they t will begin to shrink and can cause damage or jam up the gun 10.
The folding stock must be swiveled from the shipping position to the operational position. When swung approximately 90 degrees it locks in place linearly with the rest of the structure. The magazine is loaded by pouring in the water beads. Once the magazine 24 is filled, it may be inserted into the magazine well, and pushed upwardly until there is a click to ensure the magazine is correctly positioned. The shot selection levers 40, 40A on both the right and left sides is positioned to select “safety” or OFF, SEMI and AUTO. OFF is the safety and will lock the trigger, not allowing the to fire. SEMI setting allows for single shots with each pull of the trigger. AUTO allows for continuous firing (
Basic safety guidelines require the user to:
a) Watch the muzzle and always keep it pointed in a safe direction at all times;
b) Always assume the toy gun is loaded;
c). Be sure of the target and what is in front of it and beyond it;
d) Keep your trigger finger outside of the trigger guard until ready to shoot;
e) Never aim at or fire at a child or other human being or pet animal, etc.;
f) Storing the unused toy in a safe and secure dry area away from children to prevent unsupervised or unauthorized use. It is recommended to keep the Lightning Blaster Pro-LED™ in a secure dry area.
After finished use, remaining water bead ammo should be removed from the magazine. Water bead ammo residue from inside the magazine and the magazine well should not be allowed to accumulate.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is well adapted to obtain all the ends and objects herein set forth, together with other advantages which are inherent to the structure.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations.
As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
This utility conversion patent application is based upon pending U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 63/257,369, filed 19 Oct. 2021, and entitled “Translucent Toy Gel Ball Gun with Illumination”, by inventors David A. Collins and James H. Buie, II, which is hereby incorporated by reference, and from which priority is claimed.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63257369 | Oct 2021 | US |