Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ~ :
. ;.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION ; .:
The present invention is directed toward a toy
water squlrt yun, and more parkicularly to such toy water
squirt guns that use a sel~-contained pumping means to draw
water from a storage reservoir, compress an air cushion
with the drawn water, and store the water pressurized by
the compressed air in a second pressurized reservoir. The
10 water is then released in a ~ :
,: ., ' .
' "~
: ~ . .
~ ".....
' ':
2~48S69
-2- : .
selective mannex through a narrow nozzle, causing
the stored water to be propelled forward in a
narrow stream. .
2. Prior_Art Statement ~.
Water gun~ have for decades been a very
popular child's toy. Since the toy industry is
very competitive, hundred~ of different style
water gun~ have been dsveloped in an attempt to
pro~it rom the toy'~ inherent popularity. The
mo3t traditional ~orms of water gun~ are activated
by a pumping action, either manually through the
trigger or automatically through a battery
operated motor. Such pump aation water guns work,
but the gun3 are limlted in the di~tance the water
: 15 traveled, the amount of water projected and the
duration of the pumping cycle. In an attempt to :.
: ~ .
~ 2
2~S~9
-3- :
improve upon water guns, the toy industry has
developed pressure activated water guns. Such
pressure water guns work upon the principle of
pxessure differentials between the water held
within the toy and the atmosphere. The water
within the toy is held at a pressure higher than
that o the ambient air, As a xe3ult, when the
water within the to~ i~ given an avenue o~ e~aape,
the water will stream out llnder the pressure.
Prior art that shows pressure dif~erential type~
of water guns are exemplified by the following:
U. S. Patent Number 3,197,070 to Curtis F. ; ;
Pearl ek al, shows a water gun activated by
trapping water in a aollapsible area. A~ th~
device i~ collapsed, the pressure of the water
~ . .
~ :: builds, spraying the water out of the one small
,"~ ,.','~.
~ 3- ~
~. . .
~ ; : . -' ": ' ':
. , ~. :.
-4- 20~
orifice left within the pressured volume. Once
the confined volume is fully collapsed, the re-
expansion of the volume draws forth more water
from a reservoir, thus priming the water gun for
another cycle. The water being pressurized is
lLmited to the volume of the collapsible volume.
The Peaxl invention cannot store pres~urized water
~or u~e at a later time, nor can the pre~sure of
the water be increased by cycling the pumping
action of the invention while restraining water
discharge.
U. S. Patent Number 4,854,480 to Robert S.
Shindo and U. S. Patent Numher ~,735,~39 to
Michael E. Salmon et al, both show koy water
devices that use an elastic bladder to pressurize
water. The bladders are filIed with high pressure
..
-5~ 5~9
water, and the bladders respond by elastically
deforming. The source of pressurized water is
then removed and the water within the expanded
bladder is held in place by a clamping device
activated by a trigger. The water gun i~ used by
selectively releasing the water from the expanded
bladder.
Water guns have also been developed that use
, .......... ...... ...... ............................................................. ...~ .
air pressure to pressurize watar and ~orce water
khrough squirt channels. Such toys that use air
pumps to pressurize water are exempli~ied by the
. ,: ...:" .
~oLlowing:
U. S. Patent Mumber 4,214,674 to Jones et al,
' ~;~" '`'
3how~ a two-piece appaxatus consisting o~ a
. .
~ 15 pre~surized water reservoir and a discharging gun.
.
; . ~ Air i~ introduced into the water reservoir via a
..",~.,
: _5_ ~:
2~3S~9
hand operated pump. The air pressurizes the
water, forcing it up through the di.scharging gun~ :
where the rate of discharge can be regulated by a
trigger.
Thus, although prior art doe show toy water
guns that have collapsible water chambers and
sel~-contained pumping mean~, prior art neither
teaches nor ~ugge~ts a toy water gun that U9~S a .-
self-contained water pumping device to draw both
water and air from a ~torage reservoir, pressurize
air with the water drawn, and store the
pre~surized air and water in a ~econd pre~surized
reservoir, where it can accumulate until
di~charged. Additionally, tha safety of the
invention i~ a~sured by a triggering device that
: automatically and ~a~ely di~charges pre~surized
-7~
water when over pressurized, until the maximum
allowable pressure is reached~
SUMM~RY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward a
toy water gun which i8 operated by selectively
releasing water from a pressurized watex
reservoir. The pre~ent invent~on has a manuall~
operated pump incorporated into the design. As
the pump is cycled, water and air is drawn from a
~, . . .
water storage tank. Once drawn, the water and air
are forced into a second pres~ure reservoir. As
the amount of water and air forced into the
pre~sure reservoir increases, the pre~sure of the
air displaced by the water within the pressure
reservoir increases. The pressure of the air and
water within the pressure reQervoir increases with
7 -
~ : : t
-8
each cycle of the pump, until the pump can no
longer overcome the pressure of the air and water
within the pressure tank. The pressurized air and
water within the pressure tank has an avenue of
release that is regulated by the trigger mechanism
of the invention which has a ~afety pressure
release withln it~ de~ign. When no ~orco i~
applied to the trigger, the pres~urized water and
air are hçld at bay with no means of release.
When force is applied to the trigger, the heavier
water is irst released from the bottom of the
pressurized container and i9 channeled through a
narrow nozzle. The e~cape ~f the pre~surized
water through the narrow nozzle creates a stream
o~ propelled water that lasts as long a~ the
trigger is engaged or until tbe pre~sure witbin
:
-.9 -
the pressurized container equals the ambient ~ir
pressure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
-,
The invention will be more fully understood
by referring to the following detailed ~
~ : '
specifications, the above speciication and the
claims set forth herein, when taken in connection
with the drawings appended hereto, wherein:
. ,: .
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one
preferred embodiment to the present invention; and
:: - ,' .
Figure 2 shows a partially fragmented side
view of the embodiment depicted in Figure 1,
".,',.,",
i.llustrating the claimed inner mechanisms. ~
:.::
~ ."'''"
: . .
'~
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TXIE PRESENT_INVENTION
The present .invention is, as mentioned,
directed toward a toy water gun that uses a
manually operated pump to draw and pressurize ~
water and air, storing the wat~r and air under : ~.
pressure until selectively discharged. The
science of pres~urized waker toy~ is not new, and
over the years many d.lfferent de~igns have been
developed utilizing a pumping action to pressurize .
water. As applied to the art of toy water squirt
guns, the most common type of device involves a
two-stroke pump, wherein the pump draws water into .
a chamber through a large orifice during the
priming ~troke, and forces water out of the -~
cham~er through a very narrow orif.ice during the
..
compression ~troke. This simple system forms the
~ ~ t. :~ .
569
basis of thousands of devices in addition to water
,~.
guns, such as non-aerosol dispensing devices for
hair spray, perfume, window cleaner., and countless
.. -, , ,- ~ .
other products that are dispensed in a narrow
.. .. .
stream or mist.
The problem with simple two-~troke ~quirting : ;
systems i9 that the ~mount o~ 1uid that ca~ be
.;, ..:,
expelled i~ limited to the ~olume oP the
compressible area; also, the pressure of the
~ . . ~ .
liquid exiting the device is dependent directly : .:
.. :
upon the force being applied during the time of
expul~ion. Consequently, when water i8 squirted
in thi~ manner, only a small volume is released
with each pumping actlon. When attempts are made ..
to increase the amount of water propelled by
increa~ing the volume of the compressible area,
- . - . .
~ ~ J, : ,' '
S69
-12-
the pumping action cannot displace the water at a
high pressure, resulting in expulsion of water at
low pressures.
Water guns need the characteristic of
squirting a large volume of water at high
pressure~. The higher the pressure, the longer
the di~ta~ce the water can be propelled, thu~
increasing the range and power o~ the water gun.
~he pre~ent invention water gun uses a common two-
stroke pump to store and pressurize large amounts ~.
of water. The present invention draw~
prede~ermined volumes of water and air from a
storage container, pressurizes air with ~he drawn
,.
water and deposit~ the pressurized air and water
:~ 15 in a second storage tank, where it remains under ..
: . . pres~ure. As more and more water and air are ~.:
~,"''"',
-12- .
i : ,
356~ -
-13
drawn, press~rized and deposited within the second
stor~ge container, the volume and the pressure of
the stored water increa~es, compressing the air :
within the second container. The water propelled
by the compressed air can then be selectively
relea~ed through a narrow oriice, creating a ~.
stream of propelled water. The double tank sy~tem
of the present inventlon allow~ the u~ex oP the
. invention to determine the volume and pressure of ;~
the water to be discharged, and also allow~ a user :
to refill and replace the non-pre~surized water
storage tank without disabling the water gun'~ ;
ability to di~aharge water. The double tank
system gives water gun~ a varleky of firing
characteristic3 that i9 uni~ue in the art of toy
water guns, allowing an operator to choose and ;.
.. :.
-13- ~ :
t ' '' ~ ,
69
-14-
adjust the range and power of the water gun.
The present invention also has other
advantages over other pressurized container water
guns, in that, instead of pumping only air into a
chamber that already contains water, the present
invention pumps water into a chamber which i9
~illed with air. The pumping o~ water i8 more
ef~icient than the pumping o air, thus le~s
pumping ~trokes are required and higher pressures
are easier to achieve.
When designing toys involving pressurized air
and water, the problem becomes one o~ ~a~ety.
.
Toys are designed to be inexpensive so a~ to be
widely marketable. A8 such, most toys are made of ~;
plastics or other inexpensive material~. Such ~-
materials do not have laxge tensile strength3 or
:
~ 14-
.
-15- 2~4~5~9
fatigue characteristics, and therefore do not lend -~.
themselves well to containing pressurized fluids.
Plastic containments of pressurized liquids, if
not properly designed, can rupture and explode, .~
causing injury. The present invention has a :
unique design that allows for both the use of high
pressure air and the elimination of potential
xupturing hazards. The present-invention has a ;.
cylindrical pressurized reservoir with a single
, .
opening. The single orifice, in conjunction with
the generous radii used at the cylinder ends,
serve to maintain the integrity of the water
reservoir walls and minimize the stres~ points
:. . ~. :
throughout the material of the pre~surized .:
.. .
reservoir, thereby allowing for the safe use of
~ pressures generated by the present invention. ..
. . .
. ,, . :
.... -15-
~ 2~5~9
-16-
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, one
preferred embodiment of the present invention 1 is
shown. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the
present invention 1 and Figure 2 shows a
fragmented side view of the present invention,
exposing the internal mechanisms with like parts
belng like numbered. As shown from Figures 1 and
2, the embodiment ~hown of the present invention
has two tanks, a water storage tank 38 and a
pressurized tank 3. 30th tanks 38, 3 attach to a
main housing 60 that is shaped generally in the
form o~ a gun having a handle 95, trigger 65 and .
barrel 81. ~he water storage tank 38 i held
firmly to the hou~ing 60 with a hoop 37. The hoop
37 minimizes the stresses on the tapered neck of
the storage tank 3e as tho water 69 within shifts
.'
~,
-17~ 6
during movement.
Referring now solely to Figure 2, the inner
workings of the present invention 1 can best be
visualized and explained. Water 69 is placed
within water storage tank 38. The water S9 is
introduced in one of two way~. Fir3t, the water
69 can be poured through the optional ~illing cap
83, or the water ~torage tank 38 can be removed
~rom the housing 60 and water can be poured
through the neck opening of the storage tank 38.
The water storage tank 38 i~ ~hown in Figure ~ as
being bottle shaped, with a neck terminating in a
threaded head 28. The ~torage tank 38, in the
shown embodiment, screws into the housing 60.
However, it should be understood that the storage
tank 38 can be formed unistructurally with the
;20~8~6~ :
-18-
housing 60, and if so formed, the optional filling
cap 83 would become a necessary part ofthe
design. It should also be understood that the
storage tank 38 can be formed in any shape or ~
size, as long as the design holds and stores .
water.
Water 63 and air 35 axe drawn from the
~torage tank 38 through an ori~ice 29 that
connect~ with the storage tank 38. The invention
}0 will draw either water 63 or air 35 from the :~:
.: ,
storage tank 38, depending on the orientation o~
the Lnvention when the operator draws materials
~rom the storage tank 38. As water 69 or air 35 ..
are taken ~rom the storage tank 38, a partial
: vacuum iu produced within. The vacuum i8
: eliminated by a vent valve 19 that allows air 35
~ f~`f~ }~
5~9
-19~
to enter into the storage container 38 as the
vacuum developsO The vent valve 19 is biased by a
. .,
spring 9 in the closed position, preventing water
from escaping, and an optional elastomeric washer
7 helps seat the vent valve 19, enhancing its
ability to prevent the escape of water. It should
be understood that although a vent valve 1~ is tho
be~t mode of the invention, the invention mAy
~unction without such a valve so long as the ;~
storage container has an open vent to the ambient
air. Similarly, an elastomeric seal 25 can be .
used to help seat the water storage tank 38
against the housing 60, the elastomeric seal
having an orifice therethrough, allowing for the
~: .
passaga of the dr~w tube 29 and the vacuum venting
passage 2~1.
,
- 1 9 -
2~ 6
-20-
The force drawing the water 69 or air 35 from
the storage tank 38 i5 created by the movement of
the piston 33 within its cylinder 34. The
movement of the piston 33 within the cylinder 34
has two-cycle strokes, a priming stroke where
water 69 or air 35 are drawn forth from the water
~torage xe~ervoir 38, and a compre~ion ~troko
wherein water 69 or ai.r 35 are di~placed by the
piston 33. The priming stroke starts when the ..
piston 33 i8 retreated within it~ cylindsr 34,
creating a large volume chamber 15. The vacuum
created by the expanding chamber 15, draw~ water
69 or air 35 through the draw tube 2.9 and into the
chamber 15. The flow of water 69 or air 35 into
the expanding chamber 15 open~ a one-way valve
,` ,' .
thak i~ normally bia ed in a closed po~ition. The :::
' ~ :
-21-
one-way valve that i5 shown in ~igure 2 consists
of a ball 30 that is biased against an
,elastomeric seal 11 by a spring 13. As a vacuum
is created by the piston 33, the force o~ the
spring 13 is overcome and the ball 30 drops away
from the elastomeric seal 11, allowing water 69 or
air 35 to pa95- As the pi~ton 33 is advanced
within its cylinder 34, the com~res~ion ~trok~
begins and water 69 or air 35 now within the
chamber is compressed, closing the one-way valve
by assisting the spring 13 to push the ball 30
against its seal.11. Although a ball and seal
one-way valve is illustrated, it should be
understood that any design of a one-way valve
; 15 would work within the present invention as long as ~ :
. .
the valve made ~ seal that is both air and water ; ;
, .
. -21- -
2~ 35;69
-22-
tight.
The compression stroke created by the
advancement of the piston 33 within the cylinder
34 causes the water 69 or air within the chamber
.
15 to become pressurized. The watex 69 or air 35,
as a result of the diminishing volume of the
chamber 15, opens a second one-way valve that
leads to the pre~surized ~torage tank 3. A~ the
piston 33 is reciprocated within its cylinder 34,
water 6~ or air 35 is repeatedly drawn from the ;.
storage tank 38 and deposited into the pressurized ~ .
storage tank 3. As more and more water 69 or air .
35 is drawn and forced into the pres~urized :~
storage tank 3, the pressure with tank 3 increases
until the force used to drive the piston 33 can no :~-
~ .'': .
longer overcome the stored pressures, or until the
'., ' .: '
2-
. .. ~ .
. ~ -
? ~
2 ~ 8S6
-23-
pressure is released through the safety trigger
65.
The movement of the piston 33 within cylinder
34 draws water 69 or air 35 from storaga tank 38
through an orifice 29. However, when the storage
tank 34 is positioned so that the air 35 within
the storage tank 38 i9 in contact with the orifice
29, the movement o the piston 33 will draw air 35
into the pumping chamber 15. When the pumping
chamber 15 i~ compressed, the air 35 will become
pressurized and flow into the pressurized storage
tank 3, forming an air aushion, whLle not ;;`.
increa~ing the pressure o~ any water ~1 present ~ ;
within the pressurized storage tank 3. By having ;
lS a pumping action that can introduce both air 92 -
and water 91 into the pressurized storage tank 3,
.
~ 23- :
-24- ~ 5~
the pressure of the air 35 can be increased above
that available by an air pumping system alone ~ ~:
becau~e of the inefficiency of a normil hand pump,
The pumping of water 91 is more efficient than
that of air 92 because of the incompressibility of
liquids, therefore the work available from th0
pumping ~y~tem i~ maximized when used to pump
,; . '
water again~t an air cushion.
The operation of the pumping action is :.:
achieved by the piston 33 being driven by a piston -:
'::
rod 31 that is affixed to a handle 73. The handle
:
73, a~ shown in thi~ embodiment, is slidably
.
attached to the barrel 81. As the handle 73 is ~ :
. ... .. .
manually reciprocated along the barrel 81, the
motion is transferred to the piston 33, creating
.-: .
the de~ired pumping efect. Although a linear .
'
.,. :. . .
.
-2~ .
~ : ~ .- .
t, - .
3569
-25-
.
pumping action is shown, it should be understood
that a variety of orientations ancl multiple
linkage configurations could be mc3nipulated by a
user to create the desired pumping motion~ -
Once the desired pressure i6 obtained within
the pressurized tank 3, the water 91 stressed by
the compressed air 92, is discharged by
~electively opening a~ exit ori~ice to tha
surrounding ambient air. The pressure ~ ;
differential between the ambient air and the water :~
9l cause~ the water 91 to stre~n out. In the
shown embodiment of the present invention, the ..
pathway connecting the pressurized tank 3 to the
ambient alr i~ a pair o~ tubes, a flexible exit
tube 67 and a pump connection tube 47. As wat-r l -
or air leaves the pumping chamber 15, it passes by :
: .
: '
~ . . .
2~ 356~ :
-26-
a one-way valve 43 and into a T-shap~d connection
53. The T-shaped connection 53 on one side
attacheq to the flexible exit tube~ 67, and on the
other side attaches to connection tube 47. As
water or air is forced into the T~haped :-.
connection 53, the water or air tries to enter .
both the exit tube ~7 and the connection tube 47.
However, the exit tube 67 1~ clo~ed by the trigger
pinch bar 63, leaving the connection tube 47 a~ . .
.~ :
the only pathway through which the water may pas3.
. . ~ , .
The connection tube 47 leads to the pressure tank
3, consequently all or air water expelled by the
... ..
pump i~ led into the pres~ure tank 3. When
pres~u~ized water 91, stored within the pressure ; :;
tank 3 i5 to be di~charget, the trigger 65 i8
depressed. The trigger 65 is formed with a pinch
' ' ~ .: ..
~ -~6~
.
: . .
S6~
-27-
bar 63 that is biased against the exit tube 67 by
a spring 57. As the trigger 65 is depressed, the
bias of the spring 57 is overcome and the pinch
bar 63 is lifted away from the exit tube 67.
With the exit tube 67 open, the integrity of the - ;
pressure tank 3 i8 now breached and the
pre~suri~ed water 91 is offered an avenue of
escape to the a~ent air. The pre~ure
differential between the pressurized water 91 and
the ambient air causes the water 91 to flow back
out through the connection tube 47, through the T- ; .
~haped connection 53 and through the exit tube 67,
until the water 91 i~ di~charged khrough the exit
orifice 75 fonmed at the end of the exit tube 67.
The amount of pressurized water 91 being
, :
.;
di3charged through exit orifice 75 ic controlled ~
.
~ 27- :
;~41~569
-28-
by the user in a variety of ways. A user can
control the amount of water discharged by
controlling the depression of the trigger 65. If
the triqger 65 is depressed and let in that
position, the pressurized water 91 will be
discharged until the pressure tank 3 is empty, or ;
until the pressure of the compressed air 92 equals
that of the ambient air. The user may choo~e to
.
discharge the pressurized water 91 selectively,
depressing the trigger 65 for short periods of ;:.
time, resulting in numerous shots being allowed
before the pressure tank 3 needs to be refilled.
A user may also choose to vary the pressure and
amount o~ water being discharged by selectively ~:
adding the air 92 within pressure tank 3. The
more water 91 or air 92 i~ added, the higher the
28-
~ . .. ..
:~ ,
2~4~ii6~
-29-
pressure and the farther and longer the invention
may propel water.
As mentioned, the present invention water gun
'
is operated by selectively releasing the
prsssurized water 91 through a narrow nozzle 75.
The selective release of the pressurized water is
controlled by the trigger mechanism of the water
gun. Slnae the pre~ent invention has the abll:lty
- to operate at high pressures, the trlgger release
mechanism performs two functions. First, it
controls the amount of water released, and second,
the trigger mechanism serves as a safety valve.
The trigger 65 o~ the present invention has a
pinch bar extension 63 that pinches the exit
' '
hosing 67 for the pressurized water 91 against a
top 59 that is part of the main housing.
29-
-30-
The pinch bar 63 is biased against the stop
59 by a calibrated spring 57. The spring 57 is
held at one end by a formation 55 of the main
housing. ~ -
The strength of the spring 57 in its biased
configuration is calibrated, 90 that when the ;~ - -
pressure of water 91 within the exit tubing 67
reaches a predetermined maximum valve~ the 8pring
57 will allow the pinch bar 63 to rise and water
67 will be released until a sa~e pressure is - : :
maintained. : ~ :
Figures 1 and 2 show only one embodiment of
the present invention, and although ~hese igures
show the be3t mode o~ the invention, it should be
under~tood that the present in~ention can be
' '''.
practiced in many form~ other than that shown.
.
: ~ '"''.
: "
;: ~ ~ ' ' ' ' .
~ ~ t ' '' ,' ' :''
~4~
-31~
The basis of the present invention is a double
tank desi~n that uses a manual wal:er pump and a
series of one way val~s and tubes to draw ambient
water from one tank, pumping said water into a :::
second tank, where it i5 presssurized again~t an
air cushion and discharge that water selectively
to the amblent air. The illustrated embodim~nt
shown in Figures 1 and 2 shows a design ~or the
present invention that i8 both effîcient and :
inexpensivQ to manufacture. It should therefore
be understood that in light of the appended
claim~, the invention may he practiced other than
is speci~ically desc~ibed, and indivldual parts
may be modified or connected in orientatians othe~
than those shown.
'':
.
: ' '
-31- :
~ ~ . .-. .
.:. .
