High-power squirt gun

• US 6,994,126 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2003
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Frank Marino
• Original Assignee: Frank Marino
• Inventors: Marino, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUST, TIMOTHY LEWIS
• Application Number:
  US10/658,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20040045981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 141/18, 141/21, 141 25- 27, 141/67, 141/114, 141/383, 141/384, 141/392, 222/38, 222/78, 222/79, 222/324, 222/340, 222/372, 222/380, 222/401, 222/402, 222384-387, 222/494, 222/495
• US Class Current: 141/26
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0009 the pressurised liquid being contained in an expandable chamber, e.g. a bladder or a chamber with a spring-loaded slidable wall
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 9/0025 the pressurised liquid and the compressed gas being physically separated from each other, e.g. by a movable wall

Abstract

A squirt gun includes a hollow housing in the form of a gun with a liquid dispensing assembly within the housing. The liquid dispensing assembly includes a rigid pressure vessel having either a gas-filled compressible bladder or a spring-loaded piston disposed within. The vessel is connected to a flexible tube with a nozzle at one end, and the gun is adapted to receive and expel water to and from the vessel through the nozzle. A pivotable trigger cooperates with the flexible tube to either enable both the receiving and expelling, or to deny the expelling of the water. To fill the gun, water is forced into the vessel under pressure, which compresses the air bladder or the piston to retain that pressure within the water-filled vessel. To expel the retained water, the trigger is moved to an “open” position, which allows the water to be forced from the pressurized water-filled vessel, through the nozzle, and from the gun as the air bladder or the piston expands. An adapter is provided which is threadable on a faucet, for filling the squirt gun with water at the pressure of the water supply.

Claims

1. In a squirt gun of the type comprising a housing having a hollow interior portion, a filling passageway between the housing'"'"'s hollow interior portion and the housing'"'"'s exterior, and a squirting passageway between the housing'"'"'s hollow interior portion and a nozzle at the housing'"'"'s exterior, and having an actuatable trigger having a first position in which communication through the squirting passageway from the housing'"'"'s hollow interior portion to the nozzle is denied, and a second position in which communication between the housing'"'"'s hollow interior portion to the nozzle is enabled, the improvement whereby the hollow interior portion comprises a rigid vessel with one or more openings communicating with the passageways, said vessel comprising therein a resiliently compressible element, and whereby the gun is adapted to receive water at a positive pressure through the filling passageway and into said vessel and said pressure causes said element to compress, and whereby, when the trigger is in the first position, the water received into said vessel is retained therein under pressure and, when the trigger is actuated into the second position, said retained water is forced from said vessel by the decompression of said element and through the squirting passageway and the nozzle to the housing'"'"'s exterior.

2. The improvement of claim 1, in which said vessel further comprises an insertion opening for installation of said element into said vessel and means for sealing said insertion opening to seal said vessel and retain said element therein.

3. The improvement of claim 2, in which said element is attached to the interior of said vessel only at or about said insertion opening.

4. The improvement of claim 3 in which said squirting passageway is said filling passageway and said one or more openings communicating with the passageways is one opening.

5. The improvement of claim 4 in which said insertion opening is disposed substantially apart from said opening communicating with the passageways and comprises a means by which said element is so attached to the interior of said vessel thereat or thereabout.

6. The improvement of claim 5 in which said element further comprises an attachment feature, and said means by which said element is attached comprises a fastening member adapted to capture said attachment feature and retain said element at or about said insertion opening.

7. The improvement of claim 6 in which said fastening member further comprises said means for sealing said second opening.

8. The improvement of claim 3, in which said vessel further comprises pressure-release means for limiting the maximum pressure of water received therein.

9. The improvement of claim 7, in which said vessel further comprises pressure-release means for limiting the maximum pressure of water received therein.

10. The improvement of claim 1, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a spring, a gas-filled bladder, and a resilient mass.

11. The improvement of claim 1, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.

12. The improvement of claim 2, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.

13. The improvement of claim 3, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.

14. The improvement of claim 4, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.

15. The improvement of claim 5, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.

16. The improvement of claim 6, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.

17. The improvement of claim 7, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.

18. The improvement of claim 8, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.

19. The improvement of claim 9, in which said resiliently compressible element is taken from the group including a compression spring, a compressible gas-filled bladder, and resiliently compressible mass.