Foam dart having a safety cap

• US 10,222,184 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2018
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Easebon Services Limited
• Original Assignee: Easebon Services Limited
• Inventors: Chia, Francis See Chong, Xia, Xubin
• Primary Examiner(s): Niconovich, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US16/008,699
• Time in Patent Office: 264 Days
• Field of Search: 473572, 473578, 473582
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/745 the core being made of plastics; Compounds or blends of plastics and other materials, e.g. fillers
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/003 Darts
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/08 Arrow heads; Harpoon heads

Abstract

A toy dart includes a deformable cap that safely impacts a target. The cap includes two layers of substantially parallel hollow passages that provide spaces that allow the cap to deform. The lower layer, having two hollow passages, is supported by exterior posts and an interior wall between the two hollow passages. The upper layer, having three hollow passages, is supported by exterior posts and interior walls that are laterally offset from the interior wall of the lower layer. The upper and lower layers are separated vertically by a substantially flat divider. Due to the difference in the number of hollow passages and interior walls in each layer, the upper layer is more rigid than the lower layer such that the lower layer of the cap deforms more than the upper layer of the cap upon initial impact with the target.

Claims

1. A toy dart, comprising:

an elongate dart body having a head end and a tail end that extend in a longitudinal direction; and

a deformable dart cap affixed to the head end of the elongate dart body, the deformable dart cap having;

(a) a first tier having a bottom that abuts the head end of the elongate dart body;

(b) a first wall having a top edge and a bottom edge, wherein the first wall is attached to a top of, and substantially perpendicular to, the first tier along the bottom edge of the first wall, wherein the first wall is situated in a first position so as to divide the top of the first tier into substantially equal parts;

(c) a second tier that is substantially flat and is attached to the top edge of the first wall;

(d) second and third walls that each have a respective top edge and bottom edge, wherein the second and third walls are attached to a top of, and substantially perpendicular to, the second tier along the respective bottom edges of the second and third walls, wherein the second and third walls are situated in second and third positions, respectively, each of which is offset laterally from a position of the first wall such that the first wall is not substantially in alignment with the second or third walls;

(e) a third tier that is attached to the respective top edges of the second and third walls;

wherein each of the first, second and third tiers are substantially parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction; and

(f) at least two exterior posts that extend between the first and third tiers and are spaced away from the first, second and third walls,

wherein the first and second tiers, the first wall and the at least two exterior posts define first and second hollow passages between the first tier and the second tier, wherein the second and third tiers, the second and third walls, and the at least two exterior posts define third, fourth and fifth hollow passages between the second tier and the third tier, and wherein the first, second, third, fourth and fifth hollow passages extend substantially parallel to one another in a second direction of the deformable dart cap that is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

2. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the at least two exterior posts that are spaced from one another by approximately 180°

.

3. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second hollow passages is substantially rectangular in cross-section.

4. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein at least one of the third, fourth, and fifth hollow passages is substantially rectangular in cross-section.

5. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the at least two exterior posts comprise a first set of exterior posts between the first tier and the second tier and a second set of exterior posts between the second tier and the third tier.

6. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth hollow passages extends from a respective first opening on an outer surface of the deformable dart cap to a respective second opening on the outer surface of the deformable dart cap.

7. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the deformable dart cap comprises a material with a Shore A durometer that is within a range of between 20 to 40.

8. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the deformable dart cap comprises a material with a Shore A durometer of approximately 30.

9. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the deformable dart cap has a Shore A durometer that is within a range of between 20 to 80.

10. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the deformable dart cap has a Shore A durometer that is within a range of between 40 to 70.

11. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the deformable dart cap has a Shore A durometer of approximately 70.

12. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the elongate dart body is substantially cylindrical.

13. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein a top of the deformable dart cap is curved.

14. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein a top of the deformable dart cap is substantially flat.

15. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the deformable dart cap further comprises a suction cup at a top of the deformable dart cap.

16. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein a top of the deformable dart cap has a diameter of approximately 12.5 mm.

17. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the deformable dart cap comprises thermoplastic rubber (TPR) that is injection molded.

18. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein a top of the deformable dart cap is shaped as a spherical segment, spherical frustum, or spherical dome.

19. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the deformable dart cap is integrally formed.

20. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the first and second hollow passages are approximately equal in cross section.

21. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the first wall is located substantially midway between the at least two exterior posts.

22. The toy dart of claim 1, wherein the third, fourth and fifth hollow passages comprise two outer hollow passages and a third, inner hollow passage situated between the two outer hollow passages.

23. The toy dart of claim 22, wherein the two outer hollow passages are approximately equal in cross-section, and wherein the third, inner hollow passage has a larger cross section than each of the respective cross-sections of the two outer hollow passages.