Water gun with removable pre-pressurizable cartridge

• US 6,345,732 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2000
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Larami Limited
• Original Assignee: Larami Limited
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Jeffrey, Skinner, George L.
• Primary Examiner(s): JACYNA, J CASIMER
• Application Number:
  US09/592,498
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 222/79, 446/473
• US Class Current: 222/79
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0018 the gas being compressed utilising a manual piston pump
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0065 with removable storage tanks

Abstract

Toy water guns having removable pre-pressurizable water cartridges and the pre-pressurizable cartridges themselves and water charging systems for them. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a toy water gun having a pre-pressurizable water cartridge which can be charged using a pump located on the water gun or an auxiliary adapter connected to an external pressurized water source for quickly charging the pre-pressurizable water cartridge either installed in the water gun or separately, the pre-pressurizable water cartridges, recharge adapters and methods of filling the pre-pressurizable cartridges when installed in a water gun and when removed from a water gun.

Claims

1. A toy gun for discharging a fluid under pressure, the toy gun comprising:

a housing;

a trigger movably connected to the housing;

a pre-pressurizable fluid storage cartridge removably connected to the housing, the fluid storage cartridge being pressurizable with a fluid prior to connecting the fluid storage cartridge to the housing;

a release valve fluidly connected to the fluid storage cartridge and connected to the trigger to permit a discharge of fluid from the toy gun;

a nozzle in fluid communication with the release valve; and

a path of fluid communication connected between the fluid storage cartridge and the release valve;

wherein operation of the trigger discharges pressurized fluid from the fluid storage cartridge through the path of fluid communication and through the nozzle.

2. The toy gun as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle is adapted for insertion into a quick charge device which is adapted to force fluid from the quick charge device through the nozzle and the path of fluid communication and into the fluid storage cartridge to pressurize fluid within the storage cartridge.

3. The toy gun as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pump connected to the housing and in fluid communication with the fluid storage cartridge, the pump being adapted to transfer air to the fluid storage cartridge.

4. The toy gun as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pump includes a pump handle adapted for manual actuation by a user.

5. The toy gun as claimed in claim 2 wherein the cartridge includes a charge valve assembly.

6. The toy gun as claimed in claim 5, wherein the charge valve assembly is connectable to a receiver in the housing and to the quick charge device.

7. The toy gun as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle is part of a nozzle assembly and the nozzle assembly further comprises a discharge opening of a first size and a recharge opening of a second size, larger than the first size.

8. The toy gun as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle assembly further comprises a nozzle housing and a sliding nozzle member slidably disposed in the nozzle housing, the sliding nozzle member including the discharge opening and at least one channel formed between the sliding nozzle member and the nozzle housing.

9. The toy gun as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pressure release valve is connected to the path of fluid communication.

10. The toy gun as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pump includes a pump valve assembly and is configured such that the pump handle extends from a front of the gun and can be grasped by a user to manually pump air into the fluid storage cartridge.

11. The toy gun as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cartridge includes a charge valve assembly.

12. The toy gun as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cartridge includes an over-pressure relief valve.

13. The toy gun as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing includes a quick release locking device releasably securing the cartridge to the housing.

14. A toy gun system adapted to discharge a stream of liquid under pressure, comprising:

a toy gun and a recharging adapter, the toy gun including;

a housing;

a nozzle assembly at a discharge end of the housing;

a pump connected to the housing;

a pre-pressurizable fluid storage cartridge removably connected to the housing;

a path of fluid communication connected between the fluid storage cartridge and the nozzle; and

the recharging adapter including;

a receptacle adapted to receive the nozzle assembly;

a valve body slidably disposed in the receptacle;

a fluid channel located in the valve body; and

a connector adapted for connection to an external source of pressurized liquid,

wherein insertion of the nozzle assembly of the toy gun into the receptacle of the recharging adapter displaces the valve body to an open position, and allows fluid from an external source of pressurized fluid to travel through the valve body, the nozzle assembly and the path of fluid communication and into the fluid storage cartridge, pressurizing fluid in the storage cartridge

and wherein insertion of the charge valve assembly of the cartridge, which has been removed from the toy gun housing, into the receptacle of the recharge adapter allows fluid from the external source of pressurized fluid to travel through the charge valve assembly and into the fluid storage cartridge, pressurizing fluid in the storage cartridge.

15. The toy gun system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the nozzle assembly comprises a nozzle housing, a sliding nozzle member slidably disposed in the nozzle housing, a nozzle opening in the sliding nozzle member, and at least one channel between the sliding nozzle member and the nozzle housing.

16. The toy gun system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the nozzle opening has a size that is smaller than the at least one channel.

17. The toy gun system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the sliding nozzle member is movable from a first position in which the at least one channel is closed to a second position during recharging, in which the at least one channel is open, the sliding nozzle member being normally biased to the first position.

18. The toy gun system as claimed in claim 14, wherein a pressure release valve is provided in fluid communication between the cartridge and the pump.

19. The toy gun system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the path of fluid communication communicates with a valve assembly connected to the pump.

20. The toy gun as claimed in claim 14 wherein the cartridge includes a charge valve assembly.

21. The toy gun as claimed in claim 20, wherein the charge valve assembly is connectable to a receiver in the housing and connectable to the recharge adapter.

22. The toy gun as claimed in claim 14, wherein the cartridge includes a pump valve assembly.

23. The toy gun as claimed in claim 22, wherein the pump valve assembly includes an over-pressure release valve.

24. A method of operating a toy gun system comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a toy gun having a housing, a pre-pressurizable fluid storage cartridge removably connected to the housing and being pressurizable with a fluid prior to connecting the fluid storage cartridge to the housing, and the toy gun further having a charge valve assembly, a nozzle, a pump, and a path of fluid communication between the cartridge, the nozzle, and the pump;

(b) pressurizing air within the fluid storage cartridge by at least one of;

(i) pumping air via the pump to the fluid storage cartridge;

(ii) inserting the nozzle in a receptacle of a recharging adapter and allowing pressurized fluid to flow from the recharging adapter through the nozzle and into the fluid storage cartridge; and

(iii) inserting the charge valve assembly of the fluid storage cartridge which has been removed from the housing into the receptacle of the recharging adapter and causing the charge valve assembly to open to allow pressurized fluid to flow from the recharging adapter into the fluid storage cartridge, removing the fluid storage cartridge from the recharging adapter and inserting the fluid storage cartridge into the gun;

(c) discharging the cartridge by displacing the release valve via a trigger connected to the release valve to eject a stream of fluid from the toy gun; and

(d) recharging the toy gun in accordance with step (b).