Toy water guns

• US 5,029,732 A
• Filed: 07/17/1989
• Issued: 07/09/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blue Box Toy Factory Limited 12TH Floor East Ocean Centre 98 Granville Road Tsimshatsui East Kowloon Hong Kong
• Original Assignee: Blue Box Toy Factory Limited
• Inventors: Wong, Siu L. E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huppert, Michael S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pomrening, Anthoula
• Application Number:
  US07/380,356
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 222/78, 222/79, 222/379, 222/375, 137/533.21, 137/533.31, 417/552
• US Class Current: 222/79
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0018 the gas being compressed utilising a manual piston pump
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0071 characterised by special valve arrangements

Abstract

An inlet valve for a toy water gun comprising an outer hollow sleeve molded from sythetic plastics material having an upstream end and a downstream end, water from a reservoir being arranged to be in communication with the downstream end, an annular seating at the upstream end, and a central plunger molded from synthetic plastics material, the plunger comprising a head having an annular sealing surface capable of engaging the annular seating and sealing thereagainst, an integral shaft slidably received within the hollow sleeve, a stop at the end remote from the head which together with the head retains the shaft in the hollow sleeve, and a passage between the shaft and the hollow sleeve to allow the passage of water past the plunger when the head is not engaged on the seating.

Claims

1. In a toy water gun of a type comprising a pump which includes a piston movable along a cylinder and inlet and outlet valves for pumping water from a reservoir and delivering it under pressure to a nozzle, an inlet valve comprising:

a sleeve molded from synthetic plastic material having an upstream end and a downstream end, water from said reservoir being arranged to be in communication with said upstream end, an annular seating having a hollow frusto-conical seat surface at said downstream end; and

, a central plunger molded from synthetic plastic material, said plunger comprising a head having an annular sealing surface of a open frusto-conical shape corresponding to the frusto-conical shape of said annular seating capable of engaging said annular seating and tightly sealing thereagainst by the pressure of water pressing the head of said plunger against said annular frusto-conical surface of said sleeve when the pump is activated, an integral shaft slidably received within the sleeve, a stop at the end remote from the head which together with the head retains the shaft in the sleeve, and passage means between the shaft and the sleeve to conduct water past said plunger when said head is not engaged on said seating.

2. A toy water gun according to claim 1 wherein the piston in said pump is hollow and supports said inlet valve, water from said reservoir passing along said hollow interior of said piston and through said valve into said cylinder as said piston is withdrawn along said cylinder.

3. A toy water gun according to claim 1 wherein said outlet valve comprises a spring loaded ball which bears against a seating surrounding a bore.

4. A toy water gun according to claim 1 and further comprising a first hollow handle portion including an integral first handle, that said first portion containing said reservoir and supporting the piston of said pump, and a second hollow portion including an integral second handle and carrying the cylinder of said pump and into which said piston projects, said second handle portion supporting the nozzle, said first and second portions being telescopically mounted relative one another between advanced and retracted positions and movement of the portions between those said positions reciprocating said piston along said cylinder and the resulting pumping action ejecting squirts of water from said nozzle.

5. A toy water gun comprising a water reservoir, a pump for supplying a discrete amount of water under pressure from the reservoir, an outlet nozzle linked to the pump for receiving water from the pump to be emitted as a high speed squirt of water, manually actuated means for operating the pump, a cylinder forming part of said pump, a piston movable along said cylinder, an inlet and an outlet valve for said pump, said piston being hollow and supporting said inlet valve, water from said reservoir passing along said hollow interior of said piston and through said valve into said cylinder as said piston is withdrawn along said cylinder, said inlet valve comprising:

a sleeve molded from synthetic plastic material having an upstream end and a downstream end, water from said reservoir being arranged to be in communication with said upstream end;

an annular seating having a hollow frusto-conical seat surface at said downstream end; and

,

a central plunger molded from synthetic plastic material, said plunger comprising a head having an annular sealing surface of an open frusto-conical shape corresponding to the frusto-conical shape of said annular seating capable of engaging said annular seating and tightly sealing thereagainst by the pressure of water pressing the plunger against said sleeve when the pump is activated, an integral shaft slidably received within the sleeve, a stop at the end remote from the head which together with the head retains the shaft in the sleeve, and passage means between the shaft and the sleeve to conduct water past said plunger when said head is not engaged on said seating.

6. A toy water gun according to claim 5 and further comprising a first hollow handle portion including an integral first handle, that said first portion containing said reservoir and supporting the piston of said pump, and a second hollow portion including an integral second handle and carrying the cylinder of said pump and into which said piston projects, said second handle portion supporting the nozzle, said first and second portions being telescopically mounted relative one another between advanced and retracted positions and movement of the portions between those said positions reciprocating the piston along the cylinder and the resulting pumping action ejecting squirts of water from said nozzle.

7. A toy water gun of a type comprising a pump for pumping water from a reservoir and delivering it under pressure to a nozzle, said pump comprising:

a) a cylinder mounted within said gun; and

,

b) a hollow piston slidably mounted within said cylinder, said piston comprising;

(1) a sleeve having an upstream end in communication with said reservoir and a downstream end in communication with said nozzle, said sleeve having therein a hollow seat molded from synthetic plastic and having an annular frusto-conical seat surface diverging in the direction of said downstream end;

(2) a central plunger molded from synthetic plastics slidably mounted in said sleeve, said plunger comprising a head integral with a central shaft, said head having a frusto-conical surface positioned to engage and tightly seal against said seat surface in response to pressure of water developed against said head by movement of the piston in the downstream direction; and

,

(3) passage means in said sleeve surrounding said shaft to conduct water past said plunger when said head is disengaged from said seat surface in response to flow of water through said sleeve when the piston moves in the upstream direction.