High efficiency battery operated water gun

• US 4,706,848 A
• Filed: 10/06/1986
• Issued: 11/17/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HIAC VII Corporation, Larami Limited
• Original Assignee: Bruce M D'Andrade
• Inventors: D'Andrade, Bruce M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rolla, Joseph J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUPPERT, MICHEAL
• Application Number:
  US06/915,418
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 239/99, 239/101, 239/331, 417/415, 417/471, 222/78-79, 222/333, 222/336, 222/340, 222/383
• US Class Current: 222/79
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0037 Pressurisation by a piston

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a toy water gun which is battery operated. The present invention water gun has a housing which has a general configuration of a gun with a barrel and a handle. A water reservoir is located within the housing and a battery operated pumping system is also located within the housing. In addition, there is a pick up tube and a water tube, one being connected to an intake valve and the other being connected to the exhaust valve of the pumping system. The water tube which is connected to the exhaust valve is connected to a spray nozzle at its opposite end which is attached to the end of the barrel of the housing of the gun. A battery chamber is also located within the housing and electric circuitry is included which connects the battery chamber to the drive motor and to a switch which is connected to a trigger on the gun. The battery operated pumping system has a drive motor, a gear system, a drive shaft, a cam, a spring-loaded push rod, a main spring, an intake valve and an exhaust valve. Uniquely, the cam is a step-function drop off cam which operates to load the push rod and a main spring and then releases these so that the main spring operates the push rod to do the primary work of the piston within the pump system.

Claims

1. A toy water gun which comprises:

(a) a housing having the external appearance of a gun which includes a barrel and a handle;

(b) a water reservoir located within said housing;

(c) a battery operated pumping system located in said housing, which includes;

(i) a drive motor;

(ii) a gear system connected at one end to said drive motor and at the other end to a drive shaft;

(iii) a drive shaft being drivable from and movably connected to said gear system at one end and connected to a cam at its opposite end;

(iv) a cam connected to said drive shaft and being drivable thereby and being movably connected to a spring-loaded push rod said cam being a step-function drop off cam capable of loading said push rod and releasing said push rod in a step-function drop off fashion such that spring action will drive said push rod;

(v) a spring-loaded push rod movably connected to said cam at one end and loadable thereby and connected to a piston at its opposite end;

(vi) a main spring having adequate tension upon loading and release to drive said push rod;

(vii) a piston movably connected to said push rod; and

,

(viii) an intake valve and an exhaust valve connected to said piston, thereby creating a pump;

(d) a pickup tube connected to said intake valve at one end and connected to said water reservoir at the other end;

(e) a water tube connected at one end to the exhaust valve and at the other end to a spray nozzle;

(f) a spray nozzle attached to said water tube and located at the end of the barrel of said housing;

(g) a battery chamber located within said housing;

(h) electrical circuitry connected to said drive motor and to said battery chamber and including an open circuit/close circuit switch;

(i) a trigger movably connected to said housing and further connected to said open circuit/closed circuit switch;

such that when water is placed within said water reservoir, and batteries are placed within said battery chamber and the trigger is pulled, the electrical circuitry is completed within the battery, the aforesaid motor is operated, the motor drives said gears and driveshaft, said cam is rotated and cycled so as to move said push rod back and load same by closing said spring, and upon cycling through its step function drop off, releasing said push rod and spring such that said spring drives said push rod forward, so as to create a pumping action and so as to pump water from said water reservoir through said intake valve, through said exhaust valve, through said water tube and through said nozzle to create a series of spurts of water drawn from the reservoir and out the end of the nozzle in a repeating water gun fashion.

2. The toy water gun of claim 1 wherein said battery operated pumping system is operable with batteries having approximately three volts.

3. The toy water gun of claim 2 wherein the battery chamber is structured to receive two batteries of AA size.

4. The toy water gun of claim 1 wherein said stepfunction drop off cam is a non-uniform vise cam having an early rapid rise and a later slower rise before drop off to reduce energy requirements.

5. The toy water gun of claim 1 wherein said toy gun is a pistol.

6. The toy water gun of claim 5 wherein said water reservoir is located in the handle of said housing and said pumping system is located in the barrel of said housing.

7. The toy water gun of claim 5 wherein said water reservoir is located in the barrel of said housing and said pumping system is, at least in part, located in said handle.

8. A toy water gun which comprises:

(a) a housing having the external appearance of a gun which includes a barrel and a handle;

(b) a water reservoir located within said housing;

(c) a battery operated pumping system located in said housing, which includes;

(i) a drive motor;

(ii) a gear system connected at one end to said drive motor and at the other end to a drive shaft;

(iii) a drive shaft being drivable from and movably connected to said gear system at one end and connected to a cam at its opposite end;

(iv) a cam connected to said drive shaft and being drivable thereby and being movably connected to a spring-loaded push rod said cam being a step-function drop off cam capable of loading said push rod and releasing said push rod in a step-function drop off fashion such that spring action will drive said push rod;

(v) a spring-loaded push rod movably connected to said cam at one end and loadable thereby and connected to a piston at its opposite end;

(vi) a main spring having adequate tension upon loading and release to drive said push rod;

(vii) a piston movably connected to said push rod; and

,

(viii) an intake valve and an exhaust valve connected to said piston, thereby creating a pump;

(ix) a return spring which is connected to said piston and pushes the piston against said push rod towards said cam so as to aid in the loading of said push rod and main spring and so as to reduce the electrical energy requirements;

(d) a pickup tube connected to said intake valve at one end and connected to said water reservoir at the other end;

(e) a water tube connected at one end to the exhaust valve and at the other end to a spray nozzle;

(f) a spray nozzle attached to said water tube and located at the end of the barrel of said housing;

(g) a battery chamber connectively located to said housing;

(h) electrical circuitry connected to said drive motor and to said battery chamber and including an open circuit/close circuit switch;

(i) a trigger movably connected to said housing and further connected to said open circuit/closed circuit switch;

such that when water is placed within said water reservoir, and batteries are placed within said battery chamber and the trigger is pulled, the electrical circuitry is completed within the battery, the aforesaid motor is operated, the motor drives said gears and driveshaft, said cam is rotated and cycled so as to move said push rod back and load same by closing said spring, and upon cycling through its step-function drop off, releasing said push rod and spring such that said spring drives said push rod forward, so as to create a pumping action and so as to pump water from said water reservoir through said intake valve, through said exhaust valve, through said water tube and through said nozzle to create a series of spurts of water drawn from the reservoir and out the end of the nozzle in a repeating water gun fashion.

9. The toy water gun of claim 8 wherein said battery operating pump system is operable with batteries having approximately three volts.

10. The toy water gun of claim 9 wherein the battery chamber is structured to receive two batteries of AA size.

11. The toy water gun of claim 8 wherein said stepfunction drop off cam is a non-uniform vise cam having an early rapid rise and a later slower rise before drop off to reduce energy requirements.

12. The toy water gun of claim 11 wherein said cam is a non-uniform step-function drop off cam.

13. The toy water gun of claim 8 wherein said toy gun is a pistol.

14. The toy water gun of claim 13 wherein said water reservoir is located in the handle of said housing and said pumping system is located in the barrel of said housing.

15. The toy water gun of claim 13 wherein said water reservoir is located in the barrel of said housing and said pumping system is, at least in part, located in said handle.

16. The toy water gun of claim 8 wherein said cam is a non-uniform step-function drop off cam.