Electric pump toy water gun

• US 5,586,688 A
• Filed: 11/25/1994
• Issued: 12/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johnson Researach and Development Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Johnson Researach and Development Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Johnson, Lonnie G., Applewhite, John
• Primary Examiner(s): KAUFMAN, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US08/344,875
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 222/61, 222/79, 222/175, 222/333, 222/396, 222/401, 446/405, 446/473, 200/82 R
• US Class Current: 222/61
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0021 the gas being compressed by non-manual pumping means, e.g. an electric pump
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0028 the gun having an unpressurised liquid reservoir

Abstract

A water gun 10 having a storage tank (18), a pressure tank (19) and an electric pump (28) for conveying liquid from the storage tank to the pressure tank. The conveyance of liquid into the pressure tank causes the liquid to be pressurized by air compressed within the pressure tank. A safety switch (42) limits the pressurization of the liquid. The pressurized liquid is released through a nozzle (21) coupled to the pressure tank.

Claims

1. A portable water gun comprising a housing defining a barrel, a handle and a trigger;

a storage reservoir adapted to hold liquid;

a pressure tank adapted to hold liquid;

a pump for drawing liquid from said storage reservoir and depositing the drawn liquid into said pressure tank;

an electric motor coupled with said pump, an electric power supply electrically coupled with said electric motor;

conduit means for conveying liquid from said pressure tank to ambience adjacent an end of said barrel; and

control means coupled to said trigger for controlling the flow of liquid through said conduit means upon actuation of said trigger.

2. The portable water gun of claim 1 further comprising limiting means for limiting pressure within said pressure tank.

3. The portable water gun of claim 2 wherein said limiting means comprises a pressure sensitive electric switch coupled to said electric motor.

4. The portable water gun of claim 3 wherein said pressure sensitive electric switch is adjustable to vary the pressure at which the switch is actuated.

5. The portable water gun of claim 4 wherein said pressure sensitive electric switch comprises a switch housing, a cap threadably mounted to said switch housing, a movable member movably mounted within said housing, said movable member having a conductive bridge, an electric conductor coupled to said electric motor having ends mounted to said switch housing spatially from each other and contactable with said conductive bridge, a spring mounted between said cap and said movable member for biasing said movable member toward a position wherein said conductive bridge contacts said conductor ends, and second conduit means in fluid communication with said pressure tank so that fluid pressure within said pressure tank forces said movable member in a direction opposite to the direction of force of the spring and whereby the threaded position of the cap varies the compression of the spring to vary the fluid pressure necessary to overcome the spring force to move the conductive bridge from contact with the conductor ends.

6. The portable water gun of claim 1 wherein said storage reservoir comprises a flexible container sized and shaped to be worn as a vest and an elongated tube extending from said container to said housing.

7. The portable water gun of claim 1 further comprising a check valve for preventing water within said pressure tank from returning to said storage reservoir.

8. A portable water gun comprising

a housing defining a barrel and a handle;

a trigger;

a liquid storage reservoir;

a liquid pressure tank;

an electrically motorized pump;

an electric power source coupled to said electrically motorized pump;

first conduit means for conveying liquid contained within said storage reservoir to said electrically actuated pump;

second conduit means for conveying liquid from said electrically actuated pump to said pressure tank;

third conduit means for conveying liquid from said pressure tank to ambience; and

control means coupled to said trigger for controlling the flow of liquid through said third conduit means upon actuation of said trigger,

whereby liquid within the storage reservoir is pumped into the pressure tank through the first and second conduits thereby compressing air within the pressure tank so as to pressurize liquid therein which is controllably released from the pressure tank through the third conduit means by actuation of the trigger controlled control means.

9. The portable water gun of claim 8 further comprising a limiting means for limiting pressure within said pressure tank.

10. The portable water gun of claim 9 wherein said limiting means comprises a pressure sensitive electric switch coupled to said electric motor.

11. The portable water gun of claim 10 wherein said pressure sensitive electric switch is adjustable to vary the pressure at which the switch is actuated.

12. The portable water gun of claim 11 wherein said pressure sensitive electric switch comprises a switch housing, a cap threadably mounted to said switch housing, a movable member movably mounted within said housing, said movable member having a conductive bridge, an electric conductor coupled to said electric motor having ends mounted to said switch housing spatially from each other and contactable with said conductive bridge, a spring mounted between said cap and said movable member for biasing said movable member toward a position wherein said conductive bridge contacts said conductor ends, fourth conduit means in fluid communication with said pressure tank so that fluid pressure within said pressure tank forces said movable member in a direction opposite to the direction of force of the spring and whereby the threaded position of the cap varies the compression of the spring to vary the fluid pressure necessary to overcome the spring force to move the conductive bridge from contact with the conductor ends.

13. The portable water gun of claim 8 further comprising a check valve for preventing water within said pressure tank from returning to said storage reservoir.