Patent ID: 7458485
Filing Date: 2008-12-02
Classification: F41B

Abstract:
1. A toy water gun, comprising: a housing having a front end and a rear end; a chamber supported by said housing for containing a liquid; a conduit for establishing fluid communication between said chamber and a discharge orifice disposed proximate a front end of said housing; a trigger mechanism comprising a trigger and at least one resilient spring; a fluid transfer system operative to develop forces for causing a stream of liquid to flow through said conduit and out of said discharge orifice upon actuation of said trigger mechanism; and a rotatable nozzle assembly dimensioned and arranged to spin in a single direction about an axis of rotation while receiving a stream of liquid via the discharge orifice, said rotatable nozzle assembly having a cup-shaped portion formed by an end wall and a circumferential wall of said nozzle assembly, said end wall and said circumferential wall of said cup-shaped portion forming sides of an interior cavity in fluid communication with said discharge orifice such that fluid exiting said discharge orifice enters and fills said interior cavity, a nozzle through-hole is disposed in said bottom wall in communication with said interior cavity and offset from said axis of rotation, wherein said nozzle assembly ejects the stream of liquid from said interior cavity through said through-hole as said nozzle assembly ejects the stream of liquid from said interior cavity through said through-hole as said nozzle assembly spins to thereby obtain a helical flow pattern when said housing is held steady, said nozzle assembly being driven to rotate in said single direction by one of a motorized drive assembly and energy imparted by moving liquid; wherein said nozzle assembly further includes a pivotably movable nozzle member offset from the axis of rotation, said nozzle member having a distal section defining a nozzle orifice and a substantially spherical proximal section retained in fluid communication with said through-hole, whereby a user can adjust at least one of a diameter and a pitch of said helical flow pattern.