US2925276A - Toy projectile - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16, 1960 LECLERC 2,925,276 1 TOY PROJECTILE Filed Dec. 5, l957 INVENTOR ARMAND a. LEOLERC ATTORNEY United states Patent D TOY PROJECTILE Armand J. Leclerc, Leominster, Mass.

Application December 5, 1957, Serial No. 7(l0,810 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-106) This invention relates to a new and improved toy projectile in the nature of a molded plastic bullet for toy guns and simulated firearms of the type which eject a projectile toward a target etc., usually under spring compression.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a safe, relatively soft and resilient but bodily selfsustaining elastic hollow bullet or projectile for the purpose stated, to the end that the bullet although projected with some force will not break articles or injure anyone struck thereby but at the same time the projectile will be stiff enough, i.e. self-sustaining, in order to function properly in the projecting apparatus as for instance including the compression spring which is released in order to provide for the ejection of the bullet or projectile through the barrel of the toy gun.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of a toy bullet as above described made of molded plastic,

e.g., polyethylene, for proper elasticity, strength and softness and including a new and improved hollow member in the shape of a bullet or ball cartridge having a reduced forward end portion, said forward end portion be ing reduced in thickness toward a central opening therefor which provides a very soft forward portion for the bullet, preventing damage or injury under impact of the special soft, forward portions thereof. I

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the new projectile;

Fig. 2 is an end view, looking in the direction of arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an opposite end view on an enlarged scale, looking in the direction of arrow 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the bullet impinging upon a solid surface; and

Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged sectional view illustrating the forward portion of the bullet and the construction thereof.

In carrying out the present invention, the bullet or projectile comprises a molded plastic hollow body preferably using polyethylene or some similar substance in the molding operation to provide a resilient, elastic, deformable but self-sustaining object. This is shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive as a generally cylindrical hollow body generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The Wall thickness thereof is comparatively slight but is made sufi'icient for the self-sustaining function' and also to' provide enoughbody to the material so as to simulate areal bullet or ball cartridge.

At the forward end of the bullet or projectile, the

same is rounded and blunt and provided with a reduced opening indicated at 12. This. opening is formed by the surrounding wall material at the edge portion'14 thereof which is suitably reduced or thinned down and inwardly directed, see particularly Figs. 4 and 6.

The opposite or rear end of the cylindrical bullet or projectile is completely open as at 16 and this end of the device may be square-ended or as desired. In this case it is the rear end 16 of the bullet which normally will contact the compression spring and itself is used-to compress the spring. There is provided a relatively firm end portion not reduced in thickness as it is at the forward end at 14, but a very short circular recess at 18 may be made to'receive and position the end of a coiled compression spring.

Fig. 5 shows the bullet striking a solid wallor the like indicated in broken lines as at 20. The impact is illustrated by the distort-ion and expansion of the material laterally as at 22. This distortion would not'occur if the forward end of the bulletwere not reducedas to It will be seen that this invention provides an all-plastic, molded, one-piece unitary elastic projectilefor use in toy firearms, the same being resilient and deformable and being completely safe both from the standpoint of breakage of fragile artcles and injury to anyone'who may possibly be struck by the novel bullet. Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in' the claim, but what I claim is: 1 p

A toy projectile comprising a resilient plastic onepiece hollow cylindrical elastic body, th'ebody being open at both ends and from end-to-end and having a wall of generally uniform section, said wall section being of slight thickness compared to the over-all diameter of the body, the latter being easily deformable but normally self-sustaining, one end of the body being rounded and blunt, the wall of the body at said blunt end being gradually reduced in thickness to a relatively fine edge, the wall adjacent said edge being inwardly'directed on a curve to form the said rounded end, the opening at said rounded end being reduced in diameter relative to the inner diameter of the body, and said rounded end and reduced wall thickness at the rounded end forming ,a relatively softer forward nose'for the projectile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Christensen May 30, 1944 2,925,276 Patented-Feb. 15,1960 i

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