HK1202613B - Air path and safety valve system for toy launchers - Google Patents

Description

Air passage and safety valve system for toy launcher

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to air passage and safety valve systems for toy launchers (e.g., toy air guns), and more particularly, to an air passage and safety valve apparatus that more efficiently utilizes compressed air generated by a toy launcher and provides a sequence of compressed air bypassing the launch area.

Background

Toys and other devices that eject projectiles by the release of compressed or extended springs or by other means to compress air are well known and disclosed in several prior patents. Earlier patents disclose variations of different valves, while later patents disclose safety valves in toy launchers and air guns. For example, U.S. patent No.1,441,975 to Edelin in 1923 for "Pneumatic Toy Pistol (Pneumatic to Pistol)" is intended to disclose an air gun in which compressed air is generated by a piston driven by a compression spring in a cylinder and which includes a valve and a BB (BB-like) like projectile in a barrel. The valve includes a first fixed tube having an opening, the first tube being disposed at a top end of the cylinder, and a second tube slidable in the first tube and also having an opening. The opening in the second tube is not aligned with the opening in the first tube when the valve is closed, and the two openings are aligned when the valve is open. Alignment of the openings is accomplished when a nut disposed at the top of the piston engages a spring biased pin attached to the second tube. Typically, the valve is biased closed. Binding occurs when the piston reaches the end of its upward movement in the cylinder so that the open valve allows a blast of compressed air to exit from the cylinder through the valve, impacting the projectile and causing its ejection. U.S. patent No.5,343,850 to Steer in 1994 for "Double Shot Projectile Launcher" is intended to disclose a Double barrel Launcher using bellows for generating a blast of compressed air. The path of the compressed air is determined by manipulating the trigger that controls the slide valve. The slide valve aligns the openings to open an air path to one of the two projectile support launch tubes. When the slide valve is not aligned with the opening to the launch tube, the air passageway is blocked.

U.S. patent No.5,373,833 to "projectile shooting Air Gun With Air bag" (r) also issued to D' Andrade in 1994 is intended to disclose an Air Gun having an Air pump and Air bag combination that generates a blast of compressed Air and a chamber surrounding a spring biased valve. The trigger pulls the planar valve member away from the valve seat to release compressed air to a barrel with a soft foam dart that is placed on a launch tube, an early attempt at a safety feature. Another U.S. patent No.5,476,087, entitled Model Gun With Automatic Bullet supply Mechanism (Model Gun With Automatic Bullet supply Mechanism), issued in 1995, also used a simple spring-biased valve to communicate the compressed air source With the projectile.

The Safety valve appears in U.S. patent No.5,515,837 (issued in 1996) to Nin and D 'Andrade and entitled "Safety vent For multiple-shot catapult Air Gun" (issued in 1996), and U.S. patent No.5,529,050 (issued in 1996) to D' Andrade and entitled "Safety vent For projectile Shooting Air Gun" (issued in 1996). The '837 and' 050 patents are intended to describe toy air gun safety valves for launching soft foam darts, where the valve does not open unless the dart inserted into the launch tube has a predetermined shape that matches the configuration of the valve so that the dart can push the valve to an open position. The' 837 patent also discloses a rotating launch tube magazine, a series of spring-biased pins on the magazine, a second valve in the form of hinged flaps, and a trigger, with one pin next to each of the launch tubes. Pulling the trigger ejects the dart and rotates the magazine to align another tube of the magazine in front of the pressurized air tank. When the magazine is rotated, a spring-biased pin on the magazine next to the tube extends outward to swing the hinged flap from the closed position to the open position, regardless of whether the launch tube is loaded or unloaded. Compressed air generated by the air gun passes through the second valve and then through the safety valve in an axial direction. Also in 1996, U.S. patent No.5,535,729 entitled "projectile launcher" issued to Griffin and Boyle purportedly discloses an air gun having fixed multiple launch tubes and a rotatable cylinder and piston for directing a blast of compressed air to a distribution manifold that directs air sequentially to each of the launch tubes, whether loaded or not. The compressed air is first directed axially from the piston, then radially through one of the distribution channels, and finally axially to the aligned launch tube.

Two more recent patents, U.S. Pat. nos. 7,287,526 and 7,481,209, issued to Bligh, Mead and Brown, both entitled "toy projectile Launcher With Slidable Outer Cylinder and fixed inner compression Member (toypjectle Launcher With Slidable Outer skirt fastener and Stationary inner compression Member"), the later patent being a division of the earlier patent, intended to disclose a safety valve for an air gun. Moving the slider generates a blast of compressed air and, once actuated, the air flows in an axial direction to the valve. The published U.S. application No.2011/0146645, listing Chor-MingMa as inventor's "Toy Air Gun (top Air Gun)", is intended to disclose a device of fixed multiple cartridges having a piston and cylinder arrangement, a pressure chamber at the forward end of the piston and cylinder arrangement, and a rotatable disc having a single port in the pressure chamber that moves to the next cartridge for each shot index (extended). The compressed air generated by the piston enters the pressure chamber and exits axially through the single port.

These patents and applications, and the disclosed devices, have some interest, however, they do not teach an effective safety valve with serial delivery (clamping) functionality.

Disclosure of Invention

In accordance with the present invention, advantageous methods and several apparatus are described in the form of a novel air passageway and an improved safety valve for delivering a blast of compressed air in series in a toy air gun. The compressed air moves from one shot to another in a series of stages to set the next loaded shot based on the position of the relief valve. For example, after a projectile is ejected from a multi-barrel air gun, the gun may be cocked and immediately re-fired because in a toy gun the air passage for one blast of compressed air can bypass the barrel from which the projectile has been ejected to allow the flow of compressed air to the next loaded barrel. The barrels may even be loaded randomly and this compressed air will flow to the first loaded barrel, skipping the intervening empty barrels. The improved relief valve disclosed in detail herein allows for the lateral entry of bursts (blasts) of compressed air and is more efficient. The apparatus is also simple to construct, structurally robust, compact, automated, and relatively inexpensive.

Briefly summarized, the present invention is directed to an air path and safety valve system for a toy launcher comprising a plurality of launching zones, each of which is loadable with a projectile to be launched; an air passageway structure operatively connected in series to each of the plurality of launch sites to enable a source of compressed air to be communicated to each of the plurality of launch sites; a plurality of valve members, each valve member being associated with a launch zone of the plurality of launch zones and being movable between a rearward position to enable compressed air to cause a loaded projectile to be launched from the launch zone and a forward position to enable compressed air to bypass the launch zone, the air passage structure and plurality of valve members enabling a blast of compressed air to be serially transferred from one or more unloaded launch zones to a loaded launch zone; and a plurality of springs, each spring associated with a valve member of the plurality of valve members for biasing the valve member from the rearward position to the forward position, and wherein loading the projectile in the launch zone causes the valve member to move from the forward position to the rearward position.

The invention also relates to a method of making a toy air gun, said method comprising the steps of: forming a housing; mounting a plurality of projectile cartridges to the housing; mounting an air passage structure in operative communication with the cartridge, the air passage structure having a fixed air passage channel and a plurality of chambers; forming a plurality of valve members, each valve member having a front section, a rear section having side and rear openings, and a non-perforated wall separating the front and rear sections, the front section having a configuration for engaging a projectile having a predetermined shape and a side opening for receiving a blast of compressed air; mounting each of the plurality of valve members to a cavity in an airway passage of the air passageway structure such that each valve member is longitudinally movable between forward and rearward positions and each of the plurality of valve members is capable of receiving a blast of compressed air in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the valve member; and inserting a plurality of springs in the air path structure, each spring for biasing an associated valve member in a forward direction.

Brief description of the drawings

For the purposes of facilitating an understanding of the invention, the drawings and detailed description illustrate embodiments of the invention, from which the structure, construction and operation, process, and many of the associated advantages of the embodiments can be readily understood and appreciated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view, partially broken away, of an embodiment of a toy gun apparatus with eight cartridges, having an inventive air passage structure and an improved safety valve.

Fig. 2 is a schematic enlarged front view of the toy gun apparatus illustrated in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic enlarged sectional view of an air passage structure formed as a block having an air passage channel and four valve parts mounted in the channel.

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of the valve member of the improved relief valve.

Fig. 5 is a schematic isometric view of an air path structure, four barrels, each loaded with a projectile, and four valve components, with the valve components in their open rearward positions.

Fig. 6 is a schematic isometric view of the air passage structure shown in fig. 5 with one projectile being fired and the associated valve member momentarily held in an open rearward position.

Fig. 7 is a schematic isometric view of the air passage structure shown in fig. 6 with the valve member associated with the empty cartridge in the closed forward position.

Fig. 8 is a schematic isometric view of another embodiment of a toy gun apparatus with three cartridges having a different form of air passage structure.

Fig. 9 is a schematic isometric view of yet another embodiment of a toy air gun having four cartridges.

Fig. 10 is a schematic front view of the toy air gun shown in fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 in fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 in fig. 10.

FIG. 13 is a schematic isometric view of a nail plate having four nails.

Fig. 14 is a schematic axial side view of the upper end of the cylinder and the circular air passage structure.

Fig. 15 is a schematic front view of the apparatus shown in fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a flow chart of a method of making a toy air gun having an air passage structure and a safety valve.

Description of the embodiments

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the described embodiments. Various modifications, equivalents, changes, and substitutions will now become apparent to those skilled in the art. Any and all such modifications, variations, equivalents, and alternatives are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims set forth below.

Referring now to fig. 1 and 2, a toy air gun 100 is illustrated. The air gun includes a housing 102; a multiple or multiple launch area in the form of eight cartridges 104,106,108,110,112,114,116,118 in a two-per-four cartridge aligned configuration; two air path structures arranged in parallel, only one of which 120 is shown, each air path structure being operatively connected to one of two four-aligned cartridge arrangements; a trigger 122; two sources of compressed air, only one of which 124 is shown, each communicating with one of the air passageway structures and from there to one of the aligned cartridge arrangements; and a handle 126. The compressed air source may take any of a number of forms as indicated in the above-identified patents. By way of example only, a common source of compressed air is a spring-driven piston moving in a cylinder as shown here in fig. 11. A pump-action slider 130 mounted to the lower portion of the housing 102 is used to cock the air gun by compressing the drive spring. Air gun barrels are shown loaded with projectiles, such as by NERF^TMA dart 132,134,136,138,140,142,144,146 made of brand foam (a solid, spongy porous material).

Toy air gun 100 has the ability to fire darts from all eight barrels, firing two darts at a time after cocking the air gun prior to each firing, due to the operative cooperation of the air passage structure and the improved safety valve described below. The compressed air is automatically directed in an air path structure where no action is required by the user and the air path channels in the air path structure are fixed from one loaded cartridge to the next with no moving parts. The empty cartridge is skipped or bypassed. This serial transfer of multiple compressed air streams allows for rapid firing of a multi-barrel air gun, which is a major advantage of the present invention. A magazine, or canister containing multiple darts is not required, although these may be used with minor modifications to the various air gun embodiments mentioned herein.

Each air passage structure (e.g., air passage structure 120) may include a block 150, as shown in fig. 3, having a fixed air channel 152. The blocks are operatively connected to the cartridges 104,106,108,110 aligned in a straight configuration. The air passage structure is extremely flexible so that many different barrel layouts can be configured, such as circular, somewhat cylindrical, a three-in-one barrel layout as shown in fig. 8, or a four-in-one circular layout as shown in fig. 9-15. Referring now to fig. 3, the fixed airway passage 152 begins with a first air inlet 154, a first valve member chamber 156, a first air outlet 158, and a first transfer tube 160 that communicates with a second air inlet 162, a second valve member chamber 164, a second air outlet 166, and a second transfer tube 168. The second transfer tube 168 communicates with the third air inlet 170 and from the third air inlet 170 to a third valve member chamber 172, a third air outlet 174, a third transfer tube 176, a fourth air inlet 178, and a fourth valve member chamber 180. The valve member chamber forms a valve seat for the valve member, such as a front valve seat 177 in the chamber 180 and a rear valve seat 179 in the chamber 156, as the valve member moves between the forward and rearward positions. The number of chambers in the compressed air path may be more or less than the four shown here. Mounted between the cartridges 104,106,108,110 and the block 150 is a peg board 182, which peg board 182 includes four pegs or posts 183,184,185,186 that extend into the cartridges 104,106,108,110, respectively. The peg board, cartridge and peg may be made as a single unitary structure as shown.

The cascade of connected valve element chambers can be increased by adding more chambers and associated inlet, outlet and transfer tubes until the compressed air of the system dissipates sufficient energy, commonly expressed as a "pressure drop," so that the dart can no longer be ejected with sufficient force to have play value. In other words, when the compressed air does not have sufficient force to eject the dart in the intended manner, the practical limit of a burst of compressed air passing serially from each chamber through the air passage structure to the loaded cartridge is reached. Factors that can change the energy available for dart ejection include the length and width of the cylinder and piston, the spring rate of the piston spring, and the diameter of the channel. As mentioned above, the block may be rectilinear as shown in fig. 3, or appear cylindrical, in which case the airway passage is generally circular as shown in fig. 14 and 15.

Movable within the chamber 180,172,164,156 in block 150 and somewhat movable within the cartridges 104,106,108,110 are multiple or multiple valve members, such as four valve members 190,192,194,196, each of which is associated with a respective one of the valve members for controlling the movement of compressed air in the air passage 152. Each valve member is movable in the block, through the pegboard, and into the associated cartridge between a first, open or rearward position and a second, closed or forward position in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the associated cartridge (e.g., longitudinal axis 198 in fig. 5) or along the longitudinal axis of the valve member itself. The spike plate 182 includes two arcuate openings for each valve member to allow passage of the arcuate arms of each valve member, only one of which 199 is shown in fig. 3 (in phantom) for the valve member 196, which is described below with reference to fig. 4. The valve elements 190,192,194 illustrated in fig. 3 are in the rearward, open position because each respective barrel 104,106,108 has been loaded with a dart, respectively, that has forced the associated valve element rearward. However, the lower valve element 196 in fig. 3 is illustrated in a forward, closed position because the previous dart 138 loaded in the associated barrel 110 has been discharged and no longer holds the valve element 196 open. With the valve member 196 in the forward position, a blast of compressed air can no longer travel into the cartridge 110. Instead, compressed air is directed along the air channel 152 through the valve element 196 toward the next valve element 194 and the cartridge 108 because the cartridge 108 is loaded with the dart 136. As explained below, the position of the valve element determines whether a blast of compressed air is directed to a dart in an associated barrel or, if no dart is present in the associated barrel, towards a subsequent valve element in a stage (stages). The series of stages is referred to herein as a "cascade of serial transfers".

Each valve member has a generally cylindrical shape, such as the valve member 196 in FIG. 4, with a front section 200, a rear section 202, an internal, non-perforated dividing wall 204, and an outer O-ring 206. Each valve member is located in a valve member cavity, such as valve member 196,194,192,190 in cavity 156,164,172,180, respectively. Each of the plurality of valve members is also associated with a biasing spring 210,212,214,216, such as spring 216 in FIG. 3 associated with valve member 196, which is used to bias the associated valve member from the rearward position to the forward position. The forward section 200 of the valve member in fig. 4 includes a specific configuration, such as two extending arcuate arms or segments 220,222 separated by two grooves 224,226, which grooves 224,226 behave like ports to receive and pass a blast of compressed air in an efficient and low pressure drop manner (represented by arrow 228). The cavity is slightly oversized and the valve member travels within the cavity, as shown in fig. 3, however, when in the forward position (e.g., the position of the valve member 196), the O-ring 206 seals the air passage channel of the cavity 156 from the associated cartridge 110 and directs the compressed air back through the rear section 202 of the valve member, as represented by arrows 230,232 in fig. 4, toward the first air outlet 158. When in the rearward position (e.g., the position of the next valve element 194 in fig. 3), in serial order, the valve element's O-ring seals the rear portion of the chamber 164 so that compressed air is directed to the associated barrel 108 and loaded dart 136. The peg plate 182 includes arcuate openings to enable the arcuate arms 220,222 of the valve member to move forward and rearward.

The rear section 202 of the valve member 196 in fig. 4 is tubular with an open rear end 240 and a side port 242. An associated or corresponding biasing spring, such as spring 216, is located in the rear section 202 and serves to urge the valve member forwardly toward the cartridge. In the barrel prior to discharge are darts 132,134,136,138, shown in FIG. 5, which are manually inserted by the user of the toy air gun. The center portion (open center) of the dart's opening is placed on the pin, the center portion of the opening 244 of the dart 136, e.g., fig. 3, is placed on the pin 245, and the annular back wall of the dart engages a corresponding valve member, e.g., the back wall 246 of the dart 136 engages an arm of the valve member 194, which is the same for the arms 220,222 of the valve member 196, causing the dart to push the valve member back to an open position and compress an associated biasing spring, e.g., spring 214. The rearward open position of the valve member 194 in the cavity 164 may be compared to the forward closed position of the valve member 196 in the cavity 156.

Even when the air gun is turned vertically downward, the frictional force between the outer surface of the dart and the inner surface of the barrel is sufficient to maintain the dart in the barrel with the associated valve member in the rearward position because under such conditions the biasing spring does not have sufficient force to overcome the frictional force and cause the valve member to move to the forward position. Note that when the valve element is in the rearward position, the O-ring blocks the air outlet (e.g., O-ring 248 of valve element 194 blocks second air outlet 166 in fig. 3) and opens a path for a blast of compressed air to pass from the air inlet into the barrel (e.g., second air inlet 162 and barrel 108) and into the center portion of the opening of the loaded dart (e.g., dart 136 loaded in barrel 108).

The block and barrel, valve components, cylinder and piston, and housing may all be made of suitable plastic(s), as is well known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively, the gun device may be made of metal or a combination of metal and plastic. Also alternatively, instead of a cartridge, the launch pad may be designed to launch a ball, a disc or a BB.

In operation, a blast of compressed air may be generated by a rapidly moving piston in a cylinder, and in the illustrated toy air gun, is moved from the cylinder to the first air inlet 154 at the end of the piston movement, as shown in fig. 5, through the slot 224 of the valve member 196 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis 198 of the barrel and transverse to the direction of movement of the valve member as shown by arrow 228. The transverse or radial movement of a blast of compressed air into the valve member is different from the normal and inefficient axial movement of compressed air into and around the valve member, thereby shooting the dart but also dissipating energy on closing the valve member. In contrast, in the embodiment shown and described herein, the blast of compressed air moving into the valve element 196 performs two functions, first, as shown in fig. 6, the compressed air shooting or launching the dart 138, and second, the compressed air momentarily maintains pressure against the front surface 232 of the valve element wall 204 in fig. 3 to hold the valve element in the rearward position and prevent the valve element from moving immediately forward due to the biasing force of the spring 216. The short delay prevents an undesirable dissipation of a blast of compressed air in a direction other than that for the dart. However, once the compressed air is dissipated over the discharged dart, the biasing spring is able to push the valve member 196 forward to the closed position shown in fig. 7. The arrangement shown is very efficient because air enters the valve member from the side with little energy dissipation, because this blast of compressed air is not used to close the valve member to block the cartridge.

After the valve member 196 is moved to the forward position, the O-ring 206 and valve member wall 204 block the cartridge and the valve member aligns the side port 242 of the rear section 202 of the valve member with the first air inlet 154. After cocking the air gun again and actuating the cocking, the next burst of generated compressed air passes through the first air inlet 154, through the port 242 of the rear section 202 and out the open rear end 240 of the valve member 196. The high pressure of the compressed air against the rear surface 234 of the wall 204 and the O-ring 206 ensures that the air flows backwards. The compressed air flows through the first valve member with a very low pressure drop. Once this blast of compressed air exits the rear end 240, the air flows along the first transfer path 160 to the first air outlet 158 and laterally through the second air inlet 162 to the slot of the next valve member 194. Thereafter, the jet of compressed air causes the dart 136 to be ejected. If the second cartridge is empty, the valve member 194 is biased to the forward position and the flow of compressed air is serially transmitted through the valve member 194 to the third air inlet 170 and the next valve member 192. If the next cartridge 106 is loaded with darts, the darts are ejected. If the cartridge 106 is empty, the compressed air flows to the fourth air inlet 178 and the next valve component 190.

The serial transfer process just described can be repeated in succession for connected valve components, as long as sufficient pressure remains in the stream of compressed air to accurately fire the dart. The low pressure drop of the compressed air entering the valve member laterally and the low pressure drop of the compressed air passing through the rear section of the valve member associated with the empty cartridge meet the efficiency goals of the present invention.

It is noted that throughout this specification, words such as "forward", "rearward", "upward", "downward", "front" and "rear", "above" and "below", and similar terms, refer to parts or components of the gun device when viewed relative to other parts or in relation to the position of the device in the drawings, as would typically be held and moved during play when operated by a user, or to component movement based on the illustrated configuration.

Two more toy gun embodiments 250,252 are shown in fig. 8 and 9, respectively. The air gun 250 of fig. 8 has a housing 254, three cartridges 256,258,260, an air passage structure 262, three valve components, two of which 264,266 are partially shown, and a handle 268. Within the grip 268 is a cylinder, piston spring combination, similar to that shown in fig. 11, along with a cocking handle 270 connected to the piston at one end and extending from the bottom of the grip 268 at the other end. A pivoting trigger 272 is also mounted to the housing 254.

The alternative toy air gun 252 of fig. 9 (and also shown in fig. 10-15) has a housing 280, four launching zones (e.g., four cartridges 282,284,286,288), an air passage structure 290 operatively connected to each of the cartridges, a trigger 292 mounted to the housing 280, and a combination of a cylinder 294, a piston 296, and a piston spring 298 in a handle 300. A handle 302 extends from the grip 300 and is used to snap the piston 296 into place. Within the air passage structure 290 are four valve components, of which only two 304,308 are shown. For reference purposes, the longitudinal axis 312 of the cartridge 286 in FIG. 12 is illustrated. The piston 296 may include a notch 314 to enable the piston to be held in place by a lug (tab)316 below the trigger 292. The firing mechanism 292 is pivotally connected to the housing with a pin 318. The dart 320,322,324,326 is shown loaded in the barrel.

The air passage structure 290 of the toy gun 252 is similar to the block and air passage channels shown and described with respect to fig. 3, except that the block and air passage channels are arranged in a circular configuration as best shown in fig. 14 and 15. As shown in fig. 11 and 15, the airway passage 330 of the air passageway structure 290 includes a first inlet 332, a first valve member cavity 334, a first outlet 336, a first transfer tube 338, a second inlet 340, a second cavity 341, a second outlet 342, a second transfer tube 344, a third inlet 346, a third cavity 348, a third outlet 350, a third transfer tube 352, a fourth inlet 354, and a fourth cavity 355. Arrows 356 in fig. 11 indicate airflow.

Each of the relief valve members is formed similar to the valve member shown and described with respect to fig. 4. For example, the valve member 308 in FIG. 12 has a generally cylindrical shape with a front section 360, a rear section 362, a dividing wall 364, and an O-ring 366. The forward section 360 has two arcuate arms (only one of which 368 is shown) separated by a compressed air receiving slot, and the aft section 362 includes a side port 374 and an open aft end 376. A biasing spring 378 is disposed in the rear section 362.

In fig. 13, disposed between the cartridge 282,284,286,288 and the air channel structure 290 is a spike plate 380. Mounted to the pegboard 380 are four pegs or posts 382,384,386,388. The arcuate arms of the valve element extend through the spike plate 380 so that contact with an inserted dart can be made. The peg is part of the safety feature of the toy gun because the peg prevents an undesirable projectile from being loaded into the barrel.

At the upper part of the cylinder 294, the generated compressed air is directed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge and the underlying valve member. Thus, a blast of compressed air need only flow between the curved arms, resulting in little energy loss or pressure drop. In operation, the toy gun 252 functions much like the toy gun 100 of FIG. 1 in that after a user pulls the trigger 292, causing rotation about the pin 318 and removal of the lug 316 from the notch 314, the piston is released. The piston can spring rapidly upward under the influence of the spring 298 and compress air in front of the rapidly moving piston. The compressed air 356 flows through the forward section of the valve member 304 to cause the dart 320 in the barrel 282 to be ejected. If the cartridge is already empty, the compressed air is passed in series to the next valve element to eject the dart 322 in the next cartridge 284. If the cartridge 284 is also empty, the compressed air is serially passed to the next valve element 308 to eject the dart 324 in the cartridge 286. If the barrel 286 is also empty, the compressed air is passed in series to the next valve element to eject the dart 326 in the barrel 288. Similar to the air passage structure 120 in fig. 3, the user can reload the barrels that were earlier set in the serial delivery sequence before all the initial darts that were later set in the sequence are discharged. For example, the cartridges 282 may be reloaded after darts in the cartridges 282,284, and 286 are ejected. The next burst of compressed air will again exit the dart in the barrel 282 and thereafter the next burst of compressed air will be serially delivered to the dart 326 in the barrel 288 because the barrels 284,286 are empty. This feature allows the user to reload some or all of the cartridges during the pause of the game and not have to worry about which dart is to be ejected with the next burst of compressed air. The air path structure will automatically direct compressed air to the first loaded cartridge in sequence.

The operation of the embodiment illustrated in fig. 9-15 is the same as that already described for the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1-7.

Alternatively, the housing may have a different shape than shown (e.g., look more like a real gun) or have a popular theme like STAR WARS.^TMThe design of (3). The cylinder, piston and spring combination may be laid out in a more horizontal configuration, as would be the case with the air gun 100 in fig. 1. The specific configuration of the forward section of the valve member may also be varied. E.g. shortThe ports may replace the arc-shaped wall sections or some other configuration may be used to match the shape of a particular projectile. Also alternatively, the housing may take the form of a device other than a toy gun. For example, the housing may be a launcher for launching a soft foam rocket, ball or disk, or a bow for launching a soft foam arrow. Instead of a barrel, the projectile may be loaded into a tube. Instead of a trigger, the firing device may comprise another type of actuator (e.g. a lever) and instead of a piston in a cylinder combination, other generators of compressed air may be used (e.g. a bellows). Alternatively, the toy gun device may also include a projectile magazine, a magazine or a canister loaded with a plurality of projectiles to sequentially load the projectiles into a firing or shooting position.

The toy air gun and improved safety valve disclosed in detail above efficiently utilize compressed air and allow serial transfer in a simple, efficient and safe manner, and each of the air guns and safety valves described also has a robust but relatively simple structure that can be produced at a reasonable cost.

The present invention also includes a method 400 for making a toy air gun, such as those shown in fig. 1, 8, and 9, comprising the steps of: forming a housing 402; mounting a plurality of projectile cartridges and an air path structure to the housing 404, the air path structure having a fixed air channel; forming a plurality of valve members 406, each valve member having a front section with a configuration for engaging a projectile having a predetermined shape and a side opening or groove for receiving compressed air, a rear section with a side opening and a rear opening, and a wall separating the front section from the rear section; mounting a plurality of valve members to cavities in the air channel structure 408 to be movable between forward and rearward positions and to receive compressed air in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the valve members; and inserting a plurality of springs in the air passage structure 410, each spring for biasing an associated valve member in a forward direction.

Based on the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided a detailed disclosure of an improved safety valve for a toy air gun and a disclosure of a method for making the improved safety valve. While particular embodiments of the relief valve have been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. It is therefore intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. The subject matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.

Claims (20)

1. An air path and safety valve system for a toy launcher, the air path and safety valve system comprising:

a plurality of launch zones, each launch zone being loadable with a projectile to be launched;

an air passage structure operatively connected in series to each of the plurality of launch sites to enable communication of a source of compressed air to each of the plurality of launch sites;

a plurality of valve members, each valve member associated with one of the plurality of launch zones and movable between a rearward position to enable compressed air to cause a loaded projectile to be ejected from the launch zone and a forward position to enable compressed air to bypass an unloaded launch zone, the air passage structure and the plurality of valve members enabling a blast of compressed air to pass in series from one or more valve members in an unloaded launch zone to valve members of a loaded launch zone; and

a plurality of springs, each spring associated with a valve member of the plurality of valve members for biasing the valve member from the rearward position to the forward position, and wherein loading a projectile in a launch zone causes the associated valve member to move from the forward position to the rearward position.

2. The air path and safety valve system of claim 1, wherein:

the air passage structure includes a fixed air channel.

3. The air path and safety valve system of claim 1, wherein:

the air passageway structure includes a plurality of cavities in the airway passage, one cavity for each of the plurality of valve members.

4. The air path and safety valve system of claim 1, wherein:

the associated valve member moves from the rearward position to the forward position after a projectile is ejected from the launch area.

5. The air path and safety valve system of claim 1, wherein:

each valve member is configured such that a blast of compressed air is delivered in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the valve member.

6. The air path and safety valve system of claim 1, wherein:

each valve member includes a front section, a rear section, and a non-perforated wall separating the front and rear sections.

7. The air path and safety valve system of claim 6, wherein:

the front section of each valve member includes a projectile-movable structure having a predetermined configuration and a side opening for a blast of compressed air to enter and exit the projectile and temporarily maintain the valve member in the rearward position.

8. The air path and safety valve system of claim 7, wherein:

the rear section of each valve member includes a side opening and a rear opening.

9. The air path and safety valve system of claim 1, wherein:

the air passageway structure includes a fixed air passageway channel and a plurality of cavities in the air passageway channel, one cavity for each of the plurality of valve members.

10. The air path and safety valve system of claim 9, wherein:

the associated valve member moves from the rearward position to the forward position after a projectile is ejected from the launch area.

11. The air path and safety valve system of claim 10, wherein:

each valve member comprises a front section, a rear section and a non-perforated wall separating the front and rear sections;

the front section of each valve member including a projectile-movable structure having a predetermined configuration and a side opening for a blast of compressed air to enter and exit the projectile and momentarily maintain the valve member in the rearward position; and is

The rear section of each valve member includes a side opening and a rear opening.

12. The airway and safety valve system of claim 11 comprising:

nailing a plate; and

a plurality of staples mounted to the staple plate; and wherein

Portions of the front section extend through openings in the nail plate.

13. An air path and safety valve system for a toy air gun, the air path and safety valve system comprising:

a plurality of barrels, each barrel configured to receive an inserted projectile to be ejected;

an air passage structure having a fixed air passage channel, said air passage structure being operatively connected in series to each of said plurality of cartridges to enable communication of a source of compressed air;

a plurality of valve members, each valve member associated with a cartridge of the plurality of cartridges and movable in the cavity of the air channel between a rearward position to enable a blast of compressed air to cause an inserted projectile to be ejected from the cartridge and a forward position to enable compressed air to bypass the cartridge when unloaded, wherein the air passage structure and the plurality of valve members enable a blast of compressed air to be serially transferred from one or more valve members associated with an unloaded cartridge to a valve member associated with a loaded cartridge; and

a plurality of springs, each spring associated with a valve member of the plurality of valve members for biasing the valve member from the rearward position to the forward position, and wherein insertion of a projectile in the barrel causes the associated valve member to move from the forward position to the rearward position.

14. The air path and safety valve system of claim 13, wherein:

upon receiving a blast of said compressed air to said valve member of a loaded cartridge, said associated valve member remains in said rearward position shortly before moving to said forward position.

15. The air path and safety valve system of claim 14, wherein:

each valve member comprises a front section, a rear section and a non-perforated wall separating the front and rear sections;

the front section of each valve member including a projectile-movable structure having a predetermined configuration and a side opening for a blast of compressed air to enter and exit a loaded projectile in an associated barrel and momentarily maintain the valve member in the rearward position; and is

The rear section of each valve member includes side and rear openings to facilitate a blast of compressed air to bypass the associated cartridge.

16. A method for making a toy air gun, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a housing;

connecting a plurality of projectile cartridges to the housing;

mounting an air passage structure in the housing in operative communication with the cartridge, the air passage structure having a fixed air passage channel and a plurality of cavities;

forming a plurality of valve members, each valve member having a front section, a rear section having side and rear openings, and a non-perforated wall separating the front and rear sections, the front section having a configuration for engaging an inserted projectile having a predetermined shape and a side opening for receiving a blast of compressed air;

mounting each of the plurality of valve members to a cavity in the airway passage of the air passageway structure such that each valve member is longitudinally movable between forward and rearward positions and each valve member of the plurality of valve members is capable of receiving a blast of compressed air in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the valve member; and

a plurality of springs are inserted in the air passage structure, each spring for biasing an associated valve member in a forward direction.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

each valve member is mounted so as to be movable from the forward position to the rearward position when a projectile is inserted into an associated barrel to engage the valve member.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

each valve member is formed to enable a blast of compressed air to eject a projectile loaded into an associated barrel and to temporarily maintain the valve member in the rearward position.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising the steps of:

mounting each of the plurality of valve members such that a blast of compressed air can bypass an associated cartridge via the side opening and the rear opening flowing through the second section of the valve member.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising the steps of:

mounting a source of compressed air to the housing in operative communication with the air passage channel of the air passage structure.