GB2206058A - Toy firearm - Google Patents

Description

220 60 58 TOY FIREARM 1 A Toy firearms are known which operate with

explosive caps, and can be equipped with an automatic feed mechanism.

Toy firearms are also known that operate with water, wherein a squirt of water is ejected through operation of the control.

The invention concerns a toy firearm that has both a firing mechanism for feeding in a strip of ammunition and detonating the caps on this strip and also a pump-action propulsion and ejection mechanism for forming squirts of liquid taken from a reservoir.

The toy firearm in question can comprise both a casing with a handle, a slide housing for an ammunition strip and a trigger-release feed mechanism, and also a casing with a reservoir. a pumping mechanism and a launching tube with nozzle for ejecting squirts of liquid; the casing with reservoir and pumping mechanism can be in front of the casing with the firing mechanism, and exhibits a second handle with triggeraction control for the pump.

In an alternative embodiment. the toy firearm can comprise a unified control system for the cap-firing mechanism and the pumping mechanism, capable of actuating both mechanisms simultaneously. The unified control can be effected by means of a lever in front of the butt of the firearm designed to thrust against the rod of the pumping mechanism and the control device for the feed and firing mechanism.

The firearm casing can form the reservoir for the liquid and exhibit a hollow in the side - which can be closed with a cover - serving as a housing for the feed and detonating mechanism; the said hollow forms the slide housing for the ammunition and is penetrated by the mechanism's trigger device, whilst the Pump Piston rod passes through the reservoir wall as far as the lever by which it is controlled.

The invention will be more readily understood if the specification is studied in conjunction with the attached drawings; these illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, by way of a non-limiting example. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a very schematic longitudinal sectional view-of an initial embodiment, with two separate control mechanisms; Fig. 2 represents, in longitudinal section. another embodiment. with a single combined control mechanism; Fig. 3 represents a diagrammatic horizontal section. showing several different levels; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 represent transverse sections following the lines IV-IV, V-V and VI-VI in Fig. 2; Figs. 7 and 8 represent sections following the lines VII-VII and VIIIVIII in Fig. 2; Fig. 9 represents an external view of the toy firearm.

As illustrated in the attached drawings. to take Fig. 1 first. the numerals 1 and 3 indicate two sections coupled together and contiguous lengthwise belonging to one and the same toy firearm. The section 1 is designed to house a feed and detonating mechanism for the caps on an ammunition strip. whilst the section 3 is designed like a water pistol.

More precisely., section 1 exhibits a handle 5 in the shape of a pistol butt and a guard 7 for a trigger 90 the Latter being hinge-mounted and partially pivotable round a pin 10. A slide housing 12 for ammunition M runs through the casing of section 1. the ammunition being in the form of a flexible strip of synthetic thermoplastic resin comprising a number of caps equidistantly positioned in a line and a system of lateral toothing to facilitate feed-in. The housing 12 has an entry aperture 12A at the rear and a forward exit aperture 12B at a higher level. The feed and firing mechanism is of a traditional typeo and is not therefore described in detail; apart from the trigger 9. pivoted so that it can move freely round the pin 10. it comprises a resilient feed-in detent 14working in conjunction with the ammunition toothingo and a firing-pin 16 which is resiliently cocked by a trigger attachment 9A and is abandoned by this attachment when the firing-pin spring has been loaded; the firing-pin is released in this way and strikes the cap which has in the meantime been positioned in alignment with the detonating area by the end of the firing-pin 16. Section 1, thereforeo functions like a toy firearm 11 - 3 wherein a cap is automatically fed in and detonated every time the trigger 9 is pressed.

The section 3 in front of section 1 is separated from the latter by a diaphragm 18. This section 3 has an attachment 20 at the bottom which is also a handle and with which is incorporated a guard 22 for a trigger device 24. Section 3 is designed with a barrel 26 as the front part, and is made so as to constitute a water pistol; in detail, the casing of this section 3 forms a reservoir 28 for the liquid to be ejected, with a stopper 30 for refilling. Inside the reservoir 28 is a pump 32, with a cylinder 34 and a piston 36, the latter being of one piece with the rod 38 on the trigger device 24 so that it can slide when operated by the latter. A counteracting spring 40 reacts against the piston 36 and also constitutes the reaction spring for the trigger device 24. The pump is completed by a delivery valve 42 coupled to a part ofthe suction tube 44 extending inside the attachment 20 forming part of the reservoir 28; a delivery valve 46 is coupled to a section of tubing 48 that is curved in shape so as to reach the barrel 26; at the end of this tubing, and so at the end of the barrel, there is fitted an ejecting nozzle 50. When the reservoir is filled, pressure on the trigger device 24 produces a delivery stroke on the part of the pump 32 so that a charge of liquid is propelled by the pump through the section of tubing 48 and the nozzle 50, for the said charge of liquid t,be ejected; when pressure on the trigger device is released, the spring 40 returns the piston 36 to the rest position, causing Liquid to be sucked up from the section of tube 44.

To sum up, the toy firearm can be used separately as an automatic detonating firearm and as a water-jet firearm.

Fig. 2 and the following figures illustrate an embodiment in which the detonating and water-ejection functions are combined.

in this version, the toy firearm is in the form of a toy pistol with a butt 52 and a front part 54 serving as a barrel. The casing of the toy firearm comprises two housings 56 and 58 joined along the median plane and together forming a reservoir for liquid which is accessible through an aperture that can be closed with a stopper 60. The two housings 56 and 58 are substantially symmetricalp except that at the side of the housing 56 there is an extensive exterior hollow 56A, which does not of course form part of the reservoir. The hollow 56A can be closed with a cover 62, fitting appropriately into the housing 56 and so completing the toy firearm's casing. In the reservoir formed by the two housings 56 and 58 a pump 64 is installed, consisting of a cylinder 66 and a piston 68, 4 with an extension rod 70 - slidable and watertight - emerging from the wall of the reservoir formed by the butt 52. The piston 68 is urged in the suction stroke by a spring 72 and is thrust into the action of delivery by mebns of a control device that is described later. The pump 64 comprises a suction valve 73 joined to a section of tubing 74 for sucking up liquid from the bottom of the reservoir. that is to say. from the bottom of the part formed by the butt; the said pump also comprises a delivery valve 76 which is joined to a section of delivery tubing 78 in the upper part of the reservoir terminating in a nozzle 80 aligned with the front end of the barrel. so as to cause jets of water to be ejected. All these components are fitted inside the reservoir formed by the two housings 56 and 58.

The exterior hollow 56A on the other hand. that is to say the space between the said hollow and the cover 62. contains a feed and firing mechanism for an ammunition strip M. having a row of explosive caps and with lateral toothing to facilitate feed-in. From the bottom of the hollow 56A and the interior wall of the cover 62 there extend rims defining the profite of a slide housing 82 for the ammunition M. this slide housing extending from the rear wall of the casing (whither the hollow 56A extends) up to an intermediate point at the top of the said casing where the ammunition emerges. The hollow also accommodates a triggeroperated feed-in and detonating mechanism of a type that is known per se. and will not therefore be described in detail; this mechanism, indicated by the generic numeral 84. comprises specifically a firing-pin 86. resiliently cocked and pivoted on a pin 88. a hinged control device 90 pivotable round a pin 92. and a resilient feed-in lever 94 working in conjunction with the ammunition toothing. The device 90 has an attachment 90A which extends beyond the side wall of the hollow 56A to enable it to be controlled; this attachment extends alongside the rod 70 to a position in front of the butt 52.

Immediately in front of the butt 52 is a lever control device 96 hinged to the casing at the bottom at 98 and in the form of a U-section. as can be seen in detail in Fig. 8. This lever control device is designed to come into contact with both the exterior end of the rod 70 and the exterior end of the attachment 90A so that both these devices can be actuated at the same time when the lever 96 is moved in the direction of the arrow f96, in such a way that the trigger-operated feed-in and detonating mechanism 84 and the pump 64 are both acted on simultaneouslyo so that the firearm effects a"detonation and ejects liquid at one and the same 1 time. A watertight system will obviously be installed round the rod 70, to prevent any leakinge but in any case the hollow 56A in which the ammunition M is accommodated is completely insulated against any possible penetration by the liquid.

It should be understood that the drawings illustrate only one possible version by way of example, as a practical demonstration of the invention, which can take the form of a variety of embodiments and arrangements without any departure from the scope of its underlying concept.

Claims (7)

1. A toy firearm that has both a firing mechanism for feeding in a strip of ammunition and detonating the caps on this strip and also a pumpaction propulsion and ejection mechanism for-forming squirts of liquid taken from a reservoir.

2. Toy firearm according to Claim 1.. characterized in that it comprises both a casing with a handle, a slide housing for an ammunition strip and a trigger-release feed-in mechanism. and also a casing with a reservoir. a pumping mechanism and a launching tube with nozzle for ejecting squirts of liquid.

3. Toy firearm according to Claims 1 and 2. characterized in that the casing with reservoir and pumping mechanism is in front of the casing with the firing mechanism. and exhibits a second handle with trigger- action control for the pump.

4. Toy firearm according to Claim 1. characterized in that it comprises a unified control system for the cap-firing mechanism and the pumping mechanism. capable of actuating both mechanisms simultaneously.

5. Toy firearm according to Claims 1 and 4. characterized in that the unified control is effected by means of a lever in front of the butt of the firearm designed to thrust against a rod of the pumping mechanism and the control device for the feed and firing mechanism.

6. Toy firearm according to Claims 1, 4 and 5. characterized in that the casing of the firearm forms the reservoir for the liquid and exhibits a hollow in the side - which can be closed with a cover - serving as a housing for the feed and detonating mechanism. the'said hollow forming the slide housing for the ammunition and being penetrated by the mechanism's trigger device. whilst the pump piston rod passes through the reservoir wall as far as the lever by which it is controlled.

7. A toy f irearm serving as a combined water and explosive cap gun, substantially as described with reference to Figure 1 or Figures 2 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.

Ptiblished 1988 at The Patent Office, State House. W 71 High Holborn, London WC1R 4TP. Fwther copies mkv be obtained from The Patent Office, Sales Branch. St Ma-y, Cray. Kent BR5 3RD Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd. St Mary Cray. Kent. Con. 1'87.