GB2145340A

GB2145340A - Water pistol

Info

Publication number: GB2145340A
Application number: GB08318288A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Mak
Original assignee: MAK S IND Co Ltd
Current assignee: MAK S IND Co Ltd
Priority date: 1983-07-06
Filing date: 1983-07-06
Publication date: 1985-03-27
Also published as: GB8318288D0

Abstract

A water gun comprises an actuating member (3) slidably mounted on a barrel (6) of the gun body for hand operated back and forth movement and defining a variable volume pumping chamber (7) with said body barrel, a one-way inlet (8) to the said chamber from a water storage space in the gun body to admit water to the chamber during forward movement of the said actuating member to expand the chamber, and a one-way nozzle outlet (9) from the chamber to expel water therefrom during rearward movement of the actuating member to contract the chamber. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Water gun This invention relates to water guns. Toy water guns for firing water jets have until now been operable by means of a trigger. On pulling the trigger, water is forced out of a nozzle of the gun and air is admitted to the gun's water storage space.

This arrangement has limitations as regards the quantity of water which may be fired in one operation of the trigger and also as regards the distance which the ejected water may be made to carry.

Further, such guns do not give a very realistic sensation of the positive act of shooting.

According to the present invention there is provided a water gun having an actuating member slidably mounted on a barrel of the gun body for hand-operated back and forth movement and defining a variable volume pumping chamber with said body barrel, a one-way inlet to the said chamber from a water storage space in the gun body to admit water to the chamber during forward movement of the said actuating member to expand the chamber, and a one-way nozzle outlet from the chamber to expel water therefrom during rearward movement of the actuating member to contract the chamber.

With such an arrangement, upon forward movement of the actuating member a pressure reduction is produced in the variable volume pumping chamber compared to that in the water storage space of the gun. As a result, water is sucked into the chamber through the one-way inlet. Subsequent rearward movement of the actuating member forces water out of the gun through the oneway nozzle outlet. The size of the chamber, and the rate of change of the volume thereof during the rearward (firing) movement of the actuating member, may readily be made such as to substantially increase both the quantity of water fired and the range thereof upon each operation of the actuating member, as compared with the performance of a known trigger-operated water gun.

To provide a realistic appearance the said actuating member preferably takes the form of an extension of the said barrel of the gun body. Thus, in a preferred form of the invention the said variable volume chamber is defined in a cylindrical barrel of the said actuating member slidably mounted on the said body barrel, the said one-way inlet to the chamber being located in the front end of the body barrel and the one-way nozzle outlet being located in the front end af the actuating member barrel.

Preferably, again to enhance realism, the said actuating member is provided with a laterally extending hand grip for operating it. Preferably the said actuating member is axially rotatable on the gun body to move the said hand grip to alternative positions of use including ones in which it extends laterally on either side of the gun body.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an assembled water gun according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the water gun in partial cross-section; Figure 3 is an exploded view of the one-way inlet valve to the variable volume pumping chamber; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view showing such inlet valve and its associated parts, assembled; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the one-way nozzle outlet from the said chamber; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the assembled water gun in another position of operation.

The water gun 1, as shown in Fig. 1, consists of two main parts movable relative to one another, these parts being a main body 2 and an actuating member 3.

Turning now to Fig. 2, the body2 of the water which is fillable through an opening closed by a removable plug 4. A cylindrical barrel 5 of actuating member 3 is slidably mounted on a cylindrical barrel 6 of body 2 so as to define a cylindrical chamber 7 of variable volume between a one-way inlet valve 8 in the front end of the body barrel 6 and a one-way outlet nozzle valve 9 in the front end of the barrel 5 of actuating member 3. Valve 8 is supported by a fitment 10 which is an airtight friction fit in the front end of barrel 5. Water is fed to valve 8 from the storage space in the main body 2 via plastics tube 11. The limits of sliding movement of barrel 5 on barrel 6 are determined by a flange 12 on body 2 abutting with a flange 13 on actuating member 3.

The structure and operation of inlet valve 8 is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. The valve comprises a steel ball 14 housed in a tubular insert 15 receiving the delivery end of the plastics tube 11 and resilient plastics leaflets 16 on a further insert 17. Water flowing from right to left as seen in the Figures pushes steel ball 14 against leaflets 16, but may flow past the ball and between the leaflets into the chamber 7. On the other hand flow of water from left to right pushes ball 14 away from the leaflets to engage a shoulder 18 of insert 15 and thus block off the tube 11, thereby closing the valve.

Outlet valve 9 of the actuating member 3 is shown in Figure 5 and operates in much the same way as does valve 8. The valve 9 consists of a steel ball 19 in a fitment 20 which has a hole 21 at its rearward end of smaller diameter than the ball 19 and a nozzle 22 at its forward end with resilient plastics leaflets 23 positioned around it. As in valve 8 water flowing from right to left pushes ball 19 onto leaflets 23. The water may then flow around the ball, between the leaflets, and out through the nozzle 22. Flow (of air) in the opposite direction is prevented by the ball 19 blocking the whole 21.

A cycle of the process for firing water out of the nozzle of the actuating member 3 of the gun starts with the member 3 in the position shown on ghost lines in Figure 2. Upon moving the member 3 forwardly to the position shown in full lines, relative to the main body 2, valve 8 moves rearwardly along the barrel 5. Both valves 8 and 9 only allow flow from right to left and hence this motion results in a reduction in pressure in chamber 7, rela tive to that in the storage space of main body 2.

Consequently, water in body 2 is sucked into chamber 7 via plastics tube 11. The second stage in the firing of water from the gun is the movement of actuating member 3 back to the position shown in ghost lines in Figure 2. Now valve 8 moves forwardly in barrel 5 and water in chamber 7 is ejected through the nozzle of the actuating member. This two stage firing process may be repeated until the water contained in the main body 2 is exhausted.

Figure 6 shows that main body 2 and actuating member 3 may be rotated relative to one another so that member 3 extends laterally. This makes operation of the gun easier as an operating hand gripping the member 3 will not then come into contact with body 2 upon rearward movement.

Claims

1. A water gun having an actuating member slidably mounted on a barrel of the gun body for hand operated back and forth movement and defining a variable volume pumping chamber with said body barrel, a one-way inlet to the said chamber from a water storage space in the gun body to admit water to the chamber during forward movement of the said actuating member to expand the chamber, and a one-way nozzle outlet from the chamber to expel water therefrom during rearward movement of the actuating member to contract the chamber.

2. A water gun as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said variable volume chamber is defined in a cylindrical barrel of the said actuating member slidably mounted on the said body barrel, the said one-way inlet to the chamber being located in the front end of the body barrel and the one-way nozzle outlet being located in the front end of the actuating member barrel.

3. A water gun as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said actuating member is provided with a laterally extending hand grip for operating it.

4. A water gun as claimed in claim 3,wherein the said actuating member is axially rotatable on the gun body to move the said hand grip to alternative positions of use including ones in which it extends laterally on either side of the gun body.

5. A water gun as claimed in any of the preceding claims, having abutments on said actuating member and gun body defining limits on the back and forth movement of the actuating member.

6. A water gun as claimed in any of the preceding claims, including a water delivery tube extending to the said one-way inlet of the variable volume pumping chamber from the lowest region of the said water storage space.

7. A water gun as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the said one-way inlet comprises a valve including a movable ball for blocking off one end of a water flow tube and flexible leaflets for preventing the bail from blocking off the other end of the tube.

8. A water gun as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the said one-way nozzle outlet comprises a valve including a movable ball for blocking off one end of a water flow tube and flexible leaflets for preventing the ball from blocking off the other end of the tube.

9. A water gun substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.