US20110030667A1

US20110030667A1 - Auto-loading bullet magazine for toy gun

Info

Publication number: US20110030667A1
Application number: US12/536,816
Authority: US
Inventors: Nien-Chun Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-08-06
Filing date: 2009-08-06
Publication date: 2011-02-10

Abstract

An auto-loading bullet magazine includes a magazine unit defining therein a bullet chamber and a bullet-loading passage; a bullet loading unit, which has a bullet-shifting wheel mounted near the inlet of the bullet-loading passage for shifting bullets from the bullet chamber into the bullet-loading passage, a ratchet wheel and a first spiral spring that is coupled between the bullet-shifting wheel and the ratchet wheel for enabling the ratchet wheel to rotate the bullet-shifting wheel; and a power input unit, which includes a reel for rotating the ratchet wheel in one single direction, a pull rope for a user to pull to rotate the reel and a second spiral spring coupled to the reel for reversing the reel.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bullet magazine for toy gun and more particularly to an auto-loading bullet magazine, which allows quick loading of bullets and storage of power for continuous loading of bullets.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Conventional toy guns, such as gas guns, air guns, BB guns, toy electric guns and paint bullet guns, commonly have a bullet magazine detachably attached to the bottom side to supply bullets. A bullet magazine for this purpose generally comprises a bullet chamber for accommodating bullets, a bullet-loading passage disposed at one lateral side relative to the bullet chamber and extended to the top side of the bullet magazine, and a bullet-shifting wheel and a driving wheel arranged at the bottom side of the bullet-loading passage. To use the bullet magazine, bullets, such as BB bullets or paint bullets, are accommodated in the bullet chamber. Thereafter, the user rotates the driving wheel 5 or 6 times, driving the bullet-shifting wheel to shift the bullets from the bullet chamber into the bullet-loading passage. However, in a survival game, a player needs to shoot continuously. When the bullets in the bullet-loading passage are used up, the player must rotate the driving wheel 5 or 6 times to drive the bullet-shifting wheel in shifting the bullets from the bullet chamber into the bullet-loading passage. Loading bullets in this way takes much time. Therefore, a user usually carries multiple bullet magazines that have bullets fully filled therein for replacing the empty bullet magazine. However, carrying multiple bullet magazines to participate in a survival game, the user would be unable to move conveniently.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a bullet magazine for toy gun that enables the user to load bullets rapidly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide an auto-loading bullet magazine that enables the user to reload the bullets rapidly and allows bullet loading power to be stored so that when the bullets in the bullet-loading passage are being released, bullets can be loaded into the bullet-loading passage rapidly and continuously.
To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, an auto-loading bullet magazine comprises a magazine unit, a bullet loading unit and a power input unit. The magazine unit defines therein a bullet chamber and a bullet-loading passage. The bullet loading unit comprises a bullet-shifting wheel mounted near the inlet of the bullet-loading passage for shifting bullets from the bullet chamber into the bullet-loading passage, a ratchet wheel, and a first spiral spring that is coupled between the bullet-shifting wheel and the ratchet wheel for enabling the ratchet wheel to rotate the bullet-shifting wheel. The power input unit comprises a reel for rotating the ratchet wheel in one single direction, a pull rope for a user to pull to rotate the reel, and a second spiral spring coupled to the reel for reversing the reel.
Based on the aforesaid structural design, a user can repeatedly alternatively pull the pull rope of the power input unit and let go of the pull rope to rotate the ratchet wheel of the bullet-loading unit in one single direction rapidly. Rotating the ratchet wheel causes the first spiral spring to move the bullet-shifting wheel in loading bullets from the bullet chamber into bullet-loading passage. After the bullet-loading passage has been filled up with bullets, the bullet-shifting wheel is stopped and the ratchet wheel is continuously rotated to tighten up the first spiral spring, thereby storing power for further rotating the bullet-shifting wheel in loading bullets from the bullet chamber into the bullet-loading passage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an auto-loading bullet magazine in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the auto-loading bullet magazine in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is another exploded view from a different angle of the auto-loading bullet magazine in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional assembly view of the auto-loading bullet magazine in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the present invention, showing the pull rope being pulled.

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of the present invention, showing bullets loaded into the bullet loading passage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in the annexed drawings in detail, an auto-loading bullet magazine in accordance with the present invention comprises a magazine unit 1, a bullet loading unit 2 and a power input unit 3.
The magazine unit 1, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, defines therein a bullet chamber 11 and a bullet-loading passage 12. The bullet-loading passage 12 has an inlet 121 in communication with the bullet chamber 11, and an outlet 122 at an opposite side of the magazine unit (see FIG. 1). According to the present preferred embodiment, the magazine unit 1 comprises a plastic shell 13 that has said bullet chamber 11 and said bullet-loading passage 12 defined therein, and a metal shell 14 that surrounds the plastic shell 13.
The bullet loading unit 2, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, is coupled to the inlet 121 of the bullet-loading passage 12; it comprises a bullet-shifting wheel 21, a ratchet wheel 22 and a first spiral spring 23. The first spiral spring 23 has an outer end 231 fastened to the bullet-shifting wheel 21, and an inner end 232 fastened to the wheel shaft 221 of the ratchet wheel 22 for enabling the ratchet wheel 22 to rotate the first spiral spring 23 and the bullet-shifting wheel 21. According to the present preferred embodiment, the bullet-shifting wheel 21 and the first spiral spring 23 of the bullet loading unit 2 are mounted inside the plastic shell 13; the ratchet wheel 22 of the bullet loading unit 2 and the power input unit 3 are mounted on the outside of the plastic shell 13 for enabling the wheel shaft 221 of the ratchet wheel 22 to be inserted through the plastic shell 13 and coupled to the first spiral spring 23. Thus, the user can rotate the first spiral spring 23 and the bullet-shifting wheel 21 from the outside.
The power input unit 3, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, comprises a reel 31, a pull rope 32 and a second spiral spring 33.
The reel 31 is adapted to rotate the ratchet wheel 22 in one single direction. The pull rope 32 is wound on the reel 31. The second spiral spring 33 is mounted in the reel 31. According to the present preferred embodiment, the reel 31 is coaxially connected to one side of the ratchet wheel 22, having at least one arched spring strip 311 located on its one side. The arched spring strip 311 has a pawl 312 extending from the free end and forced into engagement with the sloping teeth 222 around the inner periphery of the ratchet wheel 22 for enabling the reel 31 to rotate the ratchet wheel 22 in one single direction. Further, the reel 31 has a recessed hole 313 at the center for accommodating the second spiral spring 33. The second spiral spring 33 has an outer end 331 affixed to the inside of the recessed hole 313, and an inner end 332 affixed to a fixed axle 34 in a flat circular box 341 that houses the reel 31. Further, the reel 31 has a wire groove 314 around the periphery. The pull rope 32 has its inner end affixed to the inside of the wire groove 314 and its outer end provided with a knob 321.
Based on the aforesaid structural design, as shown in FIG. 5, a user can hold the knob 321 with one hand and then repeatedly alternatively pull the pull rope 32 of the power input unit 3 and release the force to rotate the ratchet wheel 22 of the bullet-loading unit 2 due to the engagement between the pawl 312 of the reel 31 and the sloping teeth 222 of the ratchet wheel 22. As shown in FIG. 6, rotating the ratchet wheel 22 causes the first spiral spring 23 to move the bullet-shifting wheel 21, thereby loading bullets 4 from the bullet chamber 11 into bullet-loading passage 12. After the bullet-loading passage 12 has been filled up with bullets 4, the bullet-shifting wheel 21 is stopped from rotating and the ratchet wheel 22 will continue to rotate to simply tighten up the first spiral spring 23 to store power therein. Once the bullets are released from the outlet 122 of the bullet loading passage 12, the stored power will cause the bullet-shifting wheel 21 to rotate and load bullets 4 from the bullet chamber 11 into the bullet-loading passage 12. When the user releases the pull rope 32 after the pull rope 32 is pulled from the reel 31, the second spiral spring 33 reverses the pull rope 32 into the wire groove 314 of the reel 31, allowing the reel 31 to be rotated to transfer power to the bullet-loading unit 2.
According to the design of the power input unit 3, the reel 31 and the ratchet wheel 22 are rotated several turns when the user pulls the pull rope 32 once, driving the bullet-shifting wheel 21 to load bullets 4 from the bullet chamber 11 into the bullet-loading passage 12 rapidly while tightening up the first spiral spring 21 to store power. Therefore, the invention achieves loading of bullets continuously and rapidly.
A prototype of auto-loading bullet magazine has been constructed with the features of FIGS. 1˜6. The auto-loading bullet magazine functions effectively to provide all of the features disclosed earlier.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An auto-loading bullet magazine, comprising a magazine unit, a bullet loading unit and a power input unit, said magazine unit defining therein a bullet chamber and a bullet-loading passage, said bullet-loading passage having an inlet in communication with said bullet chamber and an outlet, said bullet loading unit being mounted near the inlet of said bullet-loading passage and comprising a bullet-shifting wheel, a ratchet wheel and a first spiral spring, wherein:

said power input unit comprises a reel adapted to rotate said ratchet wheel in one single direction, a pull rope wound on said reel for a user to pull to rotate said reel, and a second spiral spring coupled to said reel for reversing said reel.

2. The auto-loading bullet magazine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reel is coaxially connected to one side of said ratchet wheel, having at least one arched spring strip located on one side thereof, each said arched spring strip having a pawl extending from a free end thereof and forced into engagement with sloping teeth around an inner periphery of said ratchet wheel for enabling said reel to rotate said ratchet wheel in one single direction.

3. The auto-loading bullet magazine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reel has a recessed hole at the center thereof; said second spiral spring is mounted in said recessed hole of said reel, having an outer end affixed to said recessed hole and an inner end fastened to a fixed axle.

4. The auto-loading bullet magazine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said fixed axle is located at the center of a flat circular box that houses said reel.

5. The auto-loading bullet magazine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reel has a wire groove; said pull rope has an inner end affixed to said wire groove of said reel and an outer end provided with a knob.

6. The auto-loading bullet magazine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first spiral spring has an outer end fastened to said bullet-shifting wheel and an inner end fastened to said ratchet wheel.

7. The auto-loading bullet magazine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said magazine unit comprises a plastic shell defining therein said bullet chamber and said bullet-loading passage; said bullet-shifting wheel and said first spiral spring of said bullet loading unit are mounted inside said plastic shell; said ratchet wheel of said bullet loading unit and said power input unit are mounted outside of said plastic shell.

8. The auto-loading bullet magazine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said magazine unit further comprises a metal shell surrounding said plastic shell.