US2836008A - Toy rocket - Google Patents

Description

May 27, 1958 R. P. NICHOLS TOY ROCKET Filed Aug. 2. 1954 INVENTORf ROBERT. P. NICHOLS ATTORNEY I a l 2,836,008

Patented May 27, 1958 TOY ROCKET Robert P. Nichols, Akron, Ohio Application August 2, 1954, Serial No. 447,270

Claims. (Cl. 4674) This invention relates to toys, and in particular, relates to toy rockets that are propelled by an explosive charge.

In the past, many and varied forms of explosive toy rockets have been introduced in the known prior art. In general, the majority of these toy rockets have been fired by striking the rocket casing against a hard object such as the ground or cement, the arrangement being such that the impact of hitting the ground is transferred through the rocket casing to explode a percussion cap. This arrangement has been found to be extremely dangerous, in view of the fact that there is no control over the angle at which the rocket casing strikes the ground, with the result that when the rocket body per se, is exploded from the casing by virtue of the impact, the same may fly upwardly in any direction. This uncontrolled discharge has often times been known to result in injury, inasmuch as the discharged rocket may inadvertently strike the eyes or other sensitive organs of the person using the device. Attempts at overcoming this inherent danger have normally been directed towards the manual gripping of the rocket casing, and pounding of the same on a hard object. However, these attempts have not met with uniform success, due to the fact that the person gripping the rocket casing was apt to receive serious, and sometimes permanent, powder burns as a result of the explosion of the percussion cap in an area of close proximity to the users hand. Other inherent difficulties that have characterized the known prior art relate to the difliculties encountered in properly loading and discharging the rocket to receive a satisfactory performance.

It has been discovered that if an improvedtype of exploding mechanism is employed in conjunction with the known prior art devices, that an improved firing will be obtained, with the result that the toy rocket can be safely fired in a predetermined direction without the presence of any danger whatsoever to the user thereof.

Accordingly, it is one object of this invention to provide an improved type of toy rocket, the operation of which is characterized by extreme safety to the user.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a toy rocket that is propelled by an explosive charge that operates within a confined area that is safely enclosed and spaced with respect to the hands of the user.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a toy rocket that operates as a gun device, whereby the toy rocket may safely be propelled from the gun portion per se in a predetermined direction.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a rocket device that is simple in operation and accordingly economical to produce.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the brief specification considered and interpreted in the light of the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away and 2 in section and illustrating the improved form of toy rocket.

Figure 2 is a view taken on the lines 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view taken on the lines 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the firing chamber.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular, to Figure 1 thereof, the improved toy rocket mechanism, generally designated as 10, is shown as including a tubular rocket body 11, loosely mounted on a cooperating tubular extension 12 of a gun-shaped rocket mount 13 for propulsion therefrom upon actuation of a springoperated striker arm 14, in a manner to be described.

As is best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the handle 15 of the rocket mount 13 is hollowed out as at 15a, for reception therein of an arched coil spring 16, the free end 16a, of which, connects with the striker arm 14 to form a spring-loaded detonator for effectuating the necessary impact to detonate the explosive and accordingly to propel the rocket body 11 with respect to the rocket mount 13. Free movement of the striker arm 14, together with the spring 16 to the expanded position indicated by chain dotted lines in Figure 1, is permitted by slotting the back wall 17 of handle 15 at 18.

For the purpose of providing the detonating impact adjacent the spaced free end of the tubular extension 12, the same (tubular extension 12) is shown as carrying an axially shiftable shaft 20, the opposed ends of which are provided with enlarged cylindrical heads 21 and 22, the arrangement being such that the axial distance between the heads 21 and 22 is greater than the overall axial length of the tubular extension 12, whereby the shaft 20 may be shifted axially with respect to the member 12.

' The rocket member 11 that is received upon the tubular extension 12, is shown in Figure 1, as including a tubular sleeve 25 that'has one axial end 25!: thereof, provided with a tapered nose portion 26, of soft or resilient material. This nose portion 26 abuts an internally positioned cup member 27, that is cooperatively engageable with the head 21 and is shaped so as to define a seat 2711 that is capable of receiving a percussion cap 28. To further increase the effectiveness of the engagement between the internal wall of the cup 27 and the head 21, the internal wall of the cup 27 may be provided with a radial undercut 29 that receives an 0 ring 30. The structure of the rocket member 11 is completed by equipping the opposed axial end of the rocket sleeve 25 with the conventional fins 31, 31 that are shown in Figure 3 as being arranged at right angles with each other.

In use or operation of the improved rocket mechanism 10, the rocket body 11, defined by sleeve 25, is first held in a vertical position with the nose 26 being pointed towards the ground. At this point, a percussion cap may be dropped in the open end of the sleeve 25 adjacent the fins 31, 31, and the cap 28 will, by operation of gravity, fall downwardly, internally of the sleeve 25, until the same rests against the seat 27a that is defined by the cup 27. In this position the tubular extension 12 of the gun mount may be inserted interiorly of the sleeve 25 of the rocket body 11 and may be moved axially with respect to the sleeve 25 until the head 21 thereof engages the percussion cap 28 that is seated on the cup 27.

At this point, the assembled rocket mechanism 10 is ready for firing, and the user may merely grip the handle 15 and then withdraw the striker arm 14 against the force of spring 16 to the chain-dotted position of Figure 1. Release of the striker arm 14 from this chaindotted position Will result in the same (striker arm 14) being rapidly urged to the left of Figure 1 at which time the face'14a thereof will engage the cylindrical head 22 and will transmit an impact thereto. 1 This impact will be transmitted axially from the head 22 through shaft 20, into head 21 for eventual transmittal against the percussion cap 28 that is seated on cup 27. This impact will explode the percussion cap 28 with the result-that the expanding gases created by the explosion will operate to move the cup 27 to the left of Figure 1, thus resulting in flight of the rocket with respect to the rocket mount 13.

It will be seen from the'foregoing that a toy rocket has been provided wherethe explosion does not occur at the point of original impact, but rather occurs at a spaced point that is defined by the cup 27 and head 21. This explosion is carefully confined interiorly of the tubular member 25 of the rocket member 11, and there is no possibility of any person being hurt as a result of the firing of the apparatus. It has been further shown how the cooperation between the rocket 11 and the extension 12 permits the rocket to be pointed prior to launching so that the same may be directed away from the user to avoid injury.

It is to be specifically understood that'a representative embodiment of the invention has been above-described in conjunction with the disclosure of this invention. It is manifest that certain modifications of the invention could be specifically resorted to without the exercise of invention. In this regard, it is apparent that modified types of rocket mounts other'than the gun shaped mount shown in conjunction with Figures 1 to 3 of the drawing, could be employed, so long as the principle of confining the explosion to an enclosed point that was spaced with regard to the original point of impact was employed.

Accordingly, modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A projectile toy of the character described, comprising; a rocket support having a tubular extension; a nonresilient cylindrical impact member received interiorly of said, tubular extension; a striker head shiftably carried by said support and being movable into and out 4 fact that said impact head includes a shaft, the opposed ends of which are defined by cylindrical heads of enlarged diameter whereby axial movement of said impact head with respect to said tubular extension is limited.

3. A project toy of the character described, comprising; a housing having a tubular extension; a shaft received interiorly of said tubular extension in axially shiftable relationship therewith and having the opposed axial ends thereof projecting beyond the axial ends of said tubular extension; a striker head shiftably carried by said housing and being movable into and out of engagement with one projecting axial end of said shaft; a tubular rocket body telescopically received over said tubular extension and said shaft in relatively movable relationship therewith; and a cup member positioned interiorly of said tubular rocket-body to define an axial wall for the internal cavity thereof; the internal sidewalls of said cup member being engageable with one projecting free end of said shaft to define therewith a firing chamber within which may be received a percussion cap.

4. The device of claim 3 further characterized by the fact that an O ring is positioned between the internal wall of said cup and an external wall of said shaft whereby said firing chamber is sealed upon telescopic engagement of said cup and said shaft. 7

5. A projectile toy of the character described, comprising; a support having a tubular extension; a shaft received in said tubular extension and projecting beyond the opposed ends thereof; an impact head carried bysaid shaft adjacent one axial end thereof; a rocket body telescopically received over said tubular extension and said shaft; a nonresilient, axial wall member, fixed securedly axially of said rocket body adjacent one axial end thereof; and a striker member carried by said support and being engageable with one axial end of said shaft whereby impact between said striker member and said shaft will move said impact head into striking engagement with axial wall member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Petersen June 14,

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