In general, the present invention relates to the structure of pneumatic launchers that are specifically designed to launch ball projectiles. More particularly, the present invention relates to launchers with mechanisms that convert non-linear motion of components into linear motion that creates pressurized air within a launcher.
Toy projectile launchers in the form of toy guns, toy bows, and the like have existed for centuries. Toy projectile launchers utilize a variety of mechanisms to launch projectiles into flight. For example, a toy bow and arrow would typically use a string to launch an arrow into flight. A toy dart gun would typically use a compressed spring to launch a toy dart into flight. If the toy projectile is a lightweight ball, such as a foam ball or cork ball, pneumatics are typically used to launch the projectile into flight. Such pneumatic launchers are traditionally called pop guns in the toy industry due to the popping sound produced when the projectile is launched. In a pop gun, a ball projectile is typically positioned at the end of a tube. A piston is then moved in the tube, or the tube is compressed, to create pneumatic pressure. The pneumatic pressure forces the ball projectile out of the tube with enough velocity for the toy ball to fly toward a target.
In many pop gun designs, the air compression is created by manually forcing a piston through a tube or collapsing a telescoping tube. Accordingly, the functionality utilized by the toy governs much of the design of the toy. That is, a long tube must be provided with handles to manipulate the tube. The handles provided may have different shapes, but the pop gun tends to have the general elongated appearance of a tube. This may not be desirable. Such prior art pop guns are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. D832,370 to Chen and U.S. Pat. No. D832,939 to Chen.
Another disadvantage of traditional pop guns is that the pneumatic force used to launch the projectile is highly dependent upon the strength of the child using the pop gun. The pneumatic force is directly proportional to the manual force applied to the pop gun. There is no mechanism that provides some mechanical advantage to increase the forces being applied. Accordingly, strong children can launch projectiles faster and farther than other children. This can detract from the play value of the toy since the toy does not perform the same for all children.
A need therefore exists for a new pop gun design that enables the pop gun to be configured in new and interesting ways that do not necessarily resemble an elongated tube. Likewise, a need exists for a new pop gun design that has an applied mechanical advantage to the launching of projectiles, therein making the toy gun consistent for all users. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.
The present invention is a manually operated toy pneumatic launcher for launching a ball projectile. The pneumatic launcher has a housing with a first section and a second section that move relative to each other. At least one handle extends from the second section, wherein the handle is free to rotate through a range of motion.
A base tube is affixed to the second section of the housing. A launch tube is affixed to the first section of the housing. The launch tube extends into the base tube creating a telescoping tube assembly of a changeable length.
A mechanism is provided that is powered by the handle moving through its range of motion. The mechanism includes a gear box, a lever arm and a slide that act together to linearly move the first section of the housing relative to the second section. This selectively changes the length of the telescoping tube assembly, therein enabling the telescoping assembly to draw, compress and release air in the launching of the projectile ball.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Although the present invention pneumatic launcher can be embodied in many ways, only one exemplary embodiment is illustrated. The exemplary embodiment is shown for the purposes of explanation and description. The exemplary embodiment is selected in order to set forth one of the best modes contemplated for the invention. The illustrated embodiment, however, is merely exemplary and should not be considered a limitation when interpreting the scope of the appended claims.
Referring to
Referring to
A gear box 34 is provided inside the body section 22. The gear box 34 has a pinion gear 36 that is engaged simultaneously by both the gear heads 30. Accordingly, when the diverging handles 24 are rotated about the pivot pins 32 through the range R1, the gear heads 30 rotate and the rotational energy is transferred directly to the pinion gear 36 of the gear box 34. The diverging handles 24 are long and provide significant torque to the pinion gear 36. This mechanical advantage causes the pinion gear 36 to rotate rapidly when only light forces are applied to the diverging handles 24. The result is that the strength of the person squeezing the diverging handles 24 together has little effect on the operation of the pneumatic launcher 10.
A lever arm 38 is provided on the exterior of the gear box 34. The lever arm 38 is affixed to a shaft 40 that is turned by the gear box 34. When the diverging handles 24 are in their open configuration, the gear box 34 rotates the lever arm 38 to face away from the diverging handles 24. See
A cam pin 42 extends from the lever arm 38. The cam pin 42 engages a cam slot 44 in the base of a U-shaped slider 46. The U-shaped slider 46 has a base 48 and two extender arms 50, 51 that extend in parallel at right angles to the base 48. As the lever arm 38 rotates, the cam pin 42 moves in the cam slot 44 and the rotational movement is converted into linear movement. Accordingly, the two extender arms 50, 51 move back and forth in the directions of arrow 53 as the diverging handles 24 power the gear box 34 and the gear box 34 moves the lever arm 38. Mounting holes 52 are formed in the extender arms 50, 51 for a purpose that is later explained.
A base tube 54 is attached to the body section 22. The base tube 54 is a hollow tube having an open end 56 and a closed end 58. The base tube 54 is disposed about a central axis 60, wherein the central axis 60 is parallel to the direction of movement of the extender arms 50, 51 on the U-shaped slider 46. The base tube 54 is attached to the body section 22. Accordingly, when the U-shaped slider 46 is moved by the lever arm 38, the extender arms 50, 51 of the U-shaped slider 46 move in parallel to the central axis 60 of the base tube 54 both above and below the base tube 54.
A plunger assembly 62 is provided. The plunger assembly 62 contains the launch tube 16. The launch tube 16 has its discharge end 14 and an open second end 64 that passes into the open end 56 of the base tube 54. The launch tube 16 has an outside diameter that is smaller than the inside diameter of the base tube 54. The launch tube 16 also has an inside diameter that is larger than that of the ball projectiles 12. The discharge end 14 of the launch tube 16 contains a restriction 66 that restricts the discharge end 14. The restriction 66 is preferably resilient and is slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball projectiles 12. However, due to the materials used to make the restriction 66 and the ball projectiles 12, the ball projectiles 12 can be forced through the restriction 66 if biased with sufficient force. A mount 68 is also attached to the exterior of the launch tube 16 near its discharge end 14. The mount 68 connects the launch tube 16 to the head section 18 of the decorative shell 20. In this manner, the launch tube 16 and the head section 18 move in unison as a single piece.
The head section 18 of the decorative shell 20 has posts 70 that extend into the mounting holes 52 in the extender arms 50, 51 of the U-shaped slider 46. In this manner, any lateral movement of the extender arms 50, 51 in the direction of arrow 53 is directly transferred to the head section 18 and the launch tube 16. It will therefore be understood that by moving the diverging handles 24 through their range of movement, the head section 18 and launch tube 16 move laterally relative to the body section 22 and the base tube 54.
A seal 72 is attached to the launch tube 16 near its second end 64. The seal 72 and the second end 64 of the launch tube 16 pass into the open end 56 of the base tube 54. Accordingly, the launch tube 16 and the base tube 54 create a larger telescoping tube assembly 65 of a first length. The length of the telescoping tube assembly 65 changes as the launch tube 16 moves within the base tube 54.
One or more ball projectiles 12 are inserted into the launch tube 16 through the restriction 66 at the discharge end 14 of the launch tube 16. Once in the launch tube 16, the ball projectile 12 is biased against the restriction 66 by an annular spring head 74 and spring 76. As the ball projectile 12 is biased against the restriction 66, the ball projectile 12 seals the discharge end 14 of the launch tube 16 and the pneumatic launcher 10 is ready to fire.
Referring to
It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention that is illustrated and described is merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to that embodiment. For instance, the shark motif can be changed to other animals and objects. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20240068768 A1 | Feb 2024 | US |