AU2007101130A4

AU2007101130A4 - Toy

Info

Publication number: AU2007101130A4
Application number: AU2007101130A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Boguslaw Orlowski
Original assignee: Prime Time Toys Ltd
Current assignee: Easebon Services Ltd
Priority date: 2004-09-16
Filing date: 2007-11-28
Publication date: 2008-01-31
Anticipated expiration: 2013-05-16
Also published as: AU2007100041B4; AU2007100041A4; AU2007100041B9; AU2007101130B4

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: Prime Time Toys, Ltd.

Boguslaw Orlowski DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, of 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia "Toy" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 1 Q\OPER\Dlf\OVE11BER 2007\30421348 28 NOV07 DIV DOC 1/07 P IOPER'DIf,31)42 49 27 No. 17 dl\ doc-211 1;2(x)7

-I-

0 Z TOY 00oO Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toy such as for squirting water.

Background of the Invention Squirt guns are well known in many forms in the prior art. Numerous squirt guns and squirting toys are made and have been made over the years for use by persons while swimming in or standing adjacent to a swimming pool, which are adapted to quickly take in water from the swimming pool for squirting. One such toy is called Water StixTM and is sold by Hearthsong Inc. This toy, representative of many such squirting toys, is basically comprised of a housing having a nozzle at its squirting end. A piston, which includes a graspable handle, is adapted to slide within the housing so that, when the nozzle end of the housing is submerged in the pool and the piston is pulled backwards, water is drawn into the housing through the nozzle. And when the piston is subsequently forced forwardly, that water is forced from the housing, through the nozzle, towards a target, in a powerful stream.

Additionally, many squirt guns of the prior art are constructed in a manner that entraps air and thereby inadvertently enables those guns to partially float in water. The degree of such buoyancy is relative to the amount of water that has been taken into the gun and the longevity of such buoyancy is relative to the to the amount of air leakage from the housing.

There are also floating toy "swimming noodles" in the prior art, which are made of resilient floating closed-cell polymer foam. These toys are used to provide buoyancy to the user while swimming. Because these toys are often left floating in the pool when not in use, their softness eliminates the safety threat that they would otherwise pose.

P IOPER)H\3(~42 3I)3 27 No% M7 do doc-2~'I I112,17 S-2- Z Summary of the Invention 00 In accordance with the invention there is provided a squirting toy comprising a housing Ccontaining a chamber, a hole in a first end of the housing and a piston slidably engaged S 5 with an interior wall of the chamber and connected to a shaft, the shaft extending from a _second end of the housing and having a handle external to the housing; and a soft shell disposed over a portion of the housing, the soft shell displaces sufficient water to provide Nbuoyancy to keep the toy afloat in water when the chamber is filled to its maximum capacity with water.

Preferably, the soft shell is disposed over substantially the entirety of the housing.

Preferably, the toy further comprises a handle soft shell disposed over a portion of the handle.

Preferably, the toy further comprises an external profile of the housing is the same shape as an external profile of the soft shell.

Preferably, the soft shell has a right circular cylindrical shape.

Preferably, said chamber has a volume, said volume capable of expansion or contraction by movement of the piston, whereby said toy is adapted to inhale water through the hole during expansion of said chamber while the hole is submerged and eject water through the hole during contraction of said chamber.

The shell of the preferred embodiment may be similar in size and shape to a "swimming noodle", and therefore more attractive to a child who is familiar with such.

A more complete understanding of the invention will be realized upon review of the following description and drawings of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

P \OPERDR J4W21 2I 7 No, 07 d do-28,l /2117 -3- Z Brief Description of the Drawings 00 Figure 1 is an action view of a squirting toy according to the preferred embodiment of the O invention showing water being expelled therefrom.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through the toy of Figure 1 in its retracted/empty state.

Figure 3 is an enlarged partial section of the toy of Figure 1 floating in water.

Figure 4 is an action cross-sectional view in showing the intake of water into the toy of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an action cross-sectional view in showing the expulsion of water from the toy of Figure 1.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment The Preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 1 though 5, where there is depicted a toy 100 for squirting a water stream 102, and which is adapted to float on the water surface 104.

The toy comprises a rigid tubular housing 106 that encloses a hollow cylindrical chamber 110. The forward end 112 of the tubular housing is closed except for a small hole 114.

Piston 116 slides longitudinally within chamber 110 and is sealed against the cylindrical inner surface 120 of the chamber by o-ring 122, which is seated within groove 124 of the piston. The piston separates the chamber 110 into a forward portion I lOA and a rear portion 110. The piston 116 is rigidly connected to shaft 124 at the forward end 126 thereof. Slide bushing 128 supports shaft 124 at the rear end 130 of the tubular housing 106, while allowing longitudinal movement relative thereto. Handle portion 132 is rigidly connected to shaft 124 at the rearward end 134 thereof. Expansion of the handle portion 132 relative to the tubular housing 106, while hole 114 is below the water surface 104, as depicted in Figure 4, causes water to be inhaled into the expanding forward chamber portion I 10A, through hole 114. Subsequent retraction of the handle portion 132 relative to P 'OPER\DHOW21 I 27 No, (17 doc2K1.' Ii/ill S-4- Z the tubular housing 106 causes that water to be exhaled through hole 114 in a powerful 00 stream 102.

Tubular shell 138, preferably made of closed-cell polyethylene foam, surrounds tubular housing 106, to provide both a soft protective surface and buoyancy. Other materials may be substituted for polyethylene foam, such as ethylene vinyl acetate closed-cell foam.

SHandle portion 132 also includes handle shell 140, which is preferably made of the same foam, and is rigidly connected shaft 124 by means of support bushings 144 and 146.

Alternatively, other materials having sufficient buoyancy, softness, and water impermeability, such as polyurethane foam, may be used for both the tubular and handle shells. Or the shells could instead be replaced by blow molded or rotationally molded airfilled cylindrical bladders. When the handle portion is retracts as in Figure 2, the shells create a similar appearance and feel to those of a common "swimming noodle".

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the applicable arts that the foregoing is merely one of many possible embodiments of the invention, and that the invention should therefore only be limited according to the following claims.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims

1. A squirting toy comprising a housing containing a chamber, a hole in a first end of the housing and a piston slidably engaged with an interior wall of the chamber and connected to a shaft, the shaft extending from a second end of the housing and having a O handle external to the housing; and a soft shell disposed over a portion of the housing, the soft shell displaces sufficient water to provide buoyancy to kcep the toy afloat in water Swhen the chamber is filled to its maximum capacity with water.

2. The squirting toy of claim 1 wherein the soft shell is disposed over substantially the entirety of the housing.

3. The squirting toy of claim 1 further comprising a handle soft shell disposed over a portion of the handle.

4. The squirting toy of claim 1 wherein an external profile of the housing is the same shape as an external profile of the soft shell.

The squirting toy of claim 1 wherein the soft shell has a right circular cylindrical shape.

6. The squirting toy of claim 1 wherein said chamber has a volume, said volume capable of expansion or contraction by movement of the piston, whereby said toy is adapted to inhale water through the hole during expansion of said chamber while the hole is submerged and eject water through the hole during contraction of said chamber.