US2566487A - Water pistol - Google Patents

Description

J. GORA ET AL Sept. 4, 1951 WATER PISTOL Filed May 21, 1947 Patented Sept. 4, 1951 WATER PISTOL John Gora and John Dale Scarbrough, Wyandotte, Mich., assignors to All-Metal Products Company, Wyandotte, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1947, Serial No. 749,526

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-79) ject related to that last stated is to provide such a repeating water gun incorporating a water tank from which relatively small quantities of water may be drawn for successive discharges as above indicated, the discharges being effected by novel means including a piston and cylinder and a storage tank, no valving means whatever being required between the cylinder and the tank, and the entire mechanism incorporating only a single valve, which is so arranged as to close the discharge orifice of the cylinder at all times except while the trigger is actually being pulled.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a toy water gun so constructed that although the external casing, preferably formed to simulate a hand weapon, may be economically stamped of light gauge sheet steel, those of the internal part which are contacted by water are formed of non-rusting materials such as inexpensive molded plastic, the plastic components and other internal elements being properly positioned within the casing by the interfitted configuration of these parts and of the portions of the casing with which they engage so that no special holding means i required to maintain the proper relative positioning of the working parts.

Still another object is to provide a water-discharging toy having novel means for drawin successive charges of water from a storage tank to a discharge cylinder and for effecting discharge of the individual charges upon actuation of a trigger.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent upon consideration of the present disclosure in its entirety.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view principally in substantially central longitudinal section of a toy water pistol constructed in accordance with the present invention, certain internal portions being shown in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing only the front portions of the gun and with the operating parts in a different position; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the line 4-i of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, reference character l0 designates generally a casing indicated as formed of sheet metal and which may, as shown, be contoured to simulate a hand weapon or an imaginary or futuristic version of such a weapon. The casing is interiorly hollow, and includes a hand grip portion l2 adjacent which is a trigger l4 projectin upwardly into and pivoted within the casing as upon a transverse pin 15. The casing may also include a forward portion it contoured to generally simulate a barrel, and a rearwardly extending overhanding portion IB contoured to simulate generally the portion of an automatic weapon which carries the slide and other related parts. The portion It serves as a housing for a water tank 20, which also projects over and partially into the hand grip l2. The water tank may be formed of molded plastic and provided with a filler opening 22 having a neck portion 24 which extends upwardly through an opening 25 in the top of the casing. If desired, the tank may also carry an upwardly extending finlike member 25 formed of colored plastic or other ornamental material adapted to project above the casing through an opening 28 and serving as an ornamental representation of a back sight. The sight portion 25' and filler neck 24 will be seen to provide interlocking engagement with the casing tending to prevent dislodgment of the tank, downward movement of the tank within the gun being prevented by the fact that the tank projects into the rear portion it of the casing.

An integral nipple 30 extends forwardly from a lower portion of the ,tank within the casing and a tube formed of rubber or other suitable material and designated 32 is fitted upon the nipple and extends forwardly to a second nipple 34 projecting downwardly and rearwardly from a cylinder 35 mounted in the forward extremity of the barrel portion It. The cylinder 35 is open at its rear end, arranged upon an axis substantially parallel with respect to that of the barrel portion, and is provided with a centrally disposed front opening 36. Cylinder 35 may also be formed of plastic material, and the "passage 38 which extends through the nipple 34 opens into the interior of the cylinder at a point substantially midway of the length thereof, defining a water-inlet port 33. The forward extremity of the barrel portion I6 is contoured to fit the exterior of the cylinder snugly, the cylinder engaging portion thus defined comprising a reduced cylindrical section I! of the casing. The nipple 34, projecting downwardly behind the reduced section ll, positively lock the cylinder against forward movement.

A muzzle cap is fitted upon and projects forwardly from the cylinder 35 having a rearwardly extending cylindrical flange portion 42 which overlies and is rigidly attached to the front extremity of the cylinder 35, to which it may be secured by cement. The rear end of the flange 42 abuts the forward extremity of the reduced muzzle portion ll of the barrel, so that when the sections 35, 49 are secured together they are positively locked against rearward movement by engagement between flange 42 and reduced muzzle portion ll. The portion of muzzle cap it which extends forwardly from the flange 42 is reduced to provide a shoulder 4 which partly overlies the front end of cylinder 35.

The rim portion 37 of a fiat washer-like resilient valve member 55 is retained between shoulder 25- and the front of the cylinder 35. nap valve portion 66 which is integral with the rim portion =2? which is defined by a cut-out area 8 comprising an incomplete circle which so separates the central. valve portion 36 from the rim portion 4? that the central valve portion is in effect hinged by the integral neck constituted by the portion of the valve disk which is not cut out. The valve disk assembly thus formed may be comprised of resiilent material such as rubber, and it will be noted that the diameter of the valve portion 36 is somewhat less than the internal diameter of the cylindrical opening ii in muzzle cap Opening 4| is coaxial with the cylinder fhe valve portion is urged against the head of the cylinder 35, to seal the opening 36, by a helical compression spring 52 housed within the chamber ti in muzzle cap 46 and reacting at its forward end against the front wall of the cap, which is centrally pierced by a small hole 55 which determines the diameter of the water jet.

A piston is reciprocable within the cylinder 25 and may be of double cupped configuration as shown and actuatable by means of a rod 56 secured to the piston and projecting rearwardly therefrom substantiallyaxially through the bar rel porti of the casing. The piston may be formed ii- E13 piece of rubber or rubber-like material EllOWi'l. The rear extremity of the rod 68 is bent laterally as indicated at 5'1, such laterally bent portion engaging within an opening in trigger arm ti], and pivotal connection being thereby provided between the rod 55 and the arm 65!, which will be seen to form an integral upward continuation of the trigger I l lying within the casing.

torsion spring 62 wrapped about the trigger pin l5 has one arm 53 reacting against the tri ger arm i i to urge it and the connected piston 55 rearwardly, the other arm 66 of the spring reacting do\=. 'nwardly against the bottom of the casing.

The tri ger i and trigger arm 6:: may comprise a unitary member of channel section, This part may be folded from a strip of sheet metal which is preliminarily pierced as indicated at 65, the pierced opening being formed inthe portion of the sheet which becomes the bight of the subsequently folded channel. The side webs of the channel-sectioned trigger and trigger arm assembly are also formed outwardly upon either side of the pierced area to enlarge the opening, and the tube 32 extends through such opening without interfering with free movement of the trigger and arm.

It is believed that the operation of the gun will be apparent from the foregoing, but it may be briefly summarized as follows: When the trigger is pulled, the initial forward movement of the piston 55 closes off the water inlet port 33, trapping in the cylinder the water which has previously flowed thereinto. Continued forward movement of the piston drives the water out through the opening 36, valve portion 46 being forced open as indicated in Fig. 3 and the water being thereby ejected through the hole 54. When the trigger is released to permit the piston to return to the position shown in Fig. l, the valve portion 46 closes immediately as the piston starts back, and rearward movement of the piston accordingly reduces the pressure within cylinder 35 below atmospheric, so that as soon as the front skirt of the piston clears the port 533, a quantity of water rushes into the cylinder to tend to equalize the pressure differential thus created between the cylinder and the tank it.

It will be seen that if the gun is held approximately horizontal or with the muzzle pointed downwardly, which are the most common positions in which the pistol would be carried and held by the user, the hydrostatic head tends to keep the cylinder 35 full, although it will also be appreciated that since there is no inlet for air into the cylinder, the water will remain trapped therein for a long period of time in any event, ready for discharge upon the subsequent actuation of the trigger in the manner previously described.

It will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the fair and intended scope of the subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. In a liquid discharging gun construction, a hollow casing having a barrel portion terminating in a muzzle, a hand grip portion, and a hollow casing section overlying said hand grip portion, a liquid storage tank roused at least partly within said hollow casing section, a cylinder located within said barrel portion adjacent to the muzzle, a piston reciprocable within the cylinder, a trigger movably carried by the casing, a piston-actuating arm within the casing actuatable by the trigger, a liquid conduit connecting the tank to the cylinder, a portion of said tani: being interfitted with said casing to retain the tank against movement in one direction, and a filler portion carried by said tank projecting through and from said casing and restraining said tank against movement in another direction with respect to the casing.

2. In a liquid discharging gun construction, a hollow casing having a barrel portion terminating in a muzzle, a hand grip portion, and a hollow casing section overlying said hand grip portion, a liquid storage tank housed at least partly within the hollow casing section, a cylinder located within said barrel portion adjacent to the muzzle, arranged substantially parallel to the barrel and having an opening facing rearwardly with respect thereto, a piston reciprocable within the cylinder, a trigger pivoted in said casing and projecting downwardly therefrom adjacent the hand grip portion, such trigger having an arm projecting upwardly into the casing between said tank and cylinder, a liquid conduit connecting the tank to the cylinder, link means extending longitudinally through said barrel portion and 5 connecting said arm to said piston, the outer end of said cylinder projecting beyond the muzzle portion and being provided with an outlet opening, check valve means normally closing said outlet opening but adapted to be opened by pressure within the cylinder, and a muzzle cap portion secured to the projecting portion of said cylinder and enclosing said valve and provided with a discharge orifice.

JOHN GORA.

JOHN DALE SCARBROUGH.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file or this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 608,666 Garrett Aug. 9, 1898 1,223,655 Arden Apr. 24, 1917 2,060,297 Fox Nov. 10, 1936 2,109,589 Horwitt Mar. 1, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 355,763 Great Britain Feb. 20, 1930

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