Abstract:
A kit for making a toy gun. The kit can include a set of instructions instructing the user on the proper process for making a toy gun, and a proper process for learning about gun safety while making the toy gun. The kit can comprise a plurality of blocks which can be made from any material but can be made from wood. These blocks can be glued or coupled together. The gun can ultimately be used to shoot elastic elements such as rubber bands.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application hereby claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Titled “Gun Safety Teaching Method” by the same inventor and filed on Oct. 31, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The invention relates to a kit for making a toy gun, which can include a gun safety teaching method, a method for assembling a toy gun.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     The invention can relate to a toy gun comprising a trigger, a barrel and a handle. The toy gun can be used for teaching gun safety and for firing elastic projectiles such as rubber bands. The barrel can comprise an inner barrel section, and an outer barrel section. The handle can be coupled to the barrel on the outer barrel section. There can also be a post coupled to the trigger, wherein the trigger is movable in a trigger slot formed between the barrel and the handle. The trigger can be spring loaded using an elastic element coupled to the handle. This elastic element can be used for interacting with the post in the trigger, to drive the trigger back into its resting position.  
         [0004]     There can be at least one additional post coupled to said the handle wherein the rubber band is coupled to this post.  
         [0005]     This handle can include a first block having a hole, a plurality of bottom handle blocks, a plurality of outer blocks, and a plurality of inner cover blocks, wherein the bottom handle blocks, the plurality of outer blocks and the inner cover blocks are all coupled to the first block.  
         [0006]     The barrel can include a plurality of barrel side pieces, a front barrel piece and a stock, wherein the barrel side pieces are coupled to the front barrel piece and the stock to form the barrel.  
         [0007]     This gun can be formed from a kit for making a gun. This kit can include a set of unassembled components including a trigger, a plurality of barrel elements in the form of a elongated blocks, a plurality of handle elements in the form of elongated blocks. The kit can also include a set of instructions for putting the plurality of barrel elements, and the plurality of handle elements, together. In this case, the trigger, the plurality of barrel elements and the plurality of handle elements can be in the form of wood blocks. The kit can also include at least one post that is insertable into the trigger. There can also be another post that is insertable into either a barrel or a handle. The kit can also include elastomeric elements in the form of rubber bands.  
         [0008]     Inside the kit can be a set of instructions which can include a process for assembling a toy gun.  
         [0009]     This process can include a step of coupling a plurality of elongated blocks together to form at least one handle  
         [0010]     Another step can include coupling another set of blocks together to form at least one barrel. Another step can include slidably inserting at least one trigger into a hole in the gun.  
         [0011]     For this assembly process, a user can use glue to assemble these pieces together. The user can then insert at least one post into the trigger. The user can also insert at least one post into the barrel. The user can then couple the rubber band to the post on the barrel. Next, the user can insert the trigger into a region between said handle and the barrel.  
         [0012]     This process for instructing an individual on assembling a gun can also include a process for teaching a person about gun safety. This process can include the steps of assembling a barrel from a plurality of blocks and then instructing the user of the significance of the barrel. The next step can include assembling the handle from a plurality of blocks and then instructing the user of the significance of the handle. The next step can include inserting the trigger into the gun and then instructing the user of the significance of the trigger. Another step can include loading the gun and then instructing the user of the role of ammunition.  
         [0013]     With the assembly of this relatively harmless toy gun a user can learn gun safety while enjoying the time spent with handicrafts as well. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose at least one embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.  
         [0015]     In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:  
         [0016]      FIG. 1A  is a side view of the toy gun;  
         [0017]      FIG. 1B  is a back view of the toy gun;  
         [0018]      FIG. 1C  is a side perspective view of the toy gun;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2A  is a flow chart for the assembly of the gun;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2B  is a flow chart for the alternative method for assembling the gun;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart for assembling the barrel;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart for assembling the handle;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5A  is a flow chart of the first stage of assembling the trigger;  
         [0024]      FIG. 5B  is a flow chart for the second stage for assembling the trigger;  
         [0025]      FIG. 5C  is a flow chart for arming the gun;  
         [0026]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the first assembly stage of the barrel;  
         [0027]      FIG. 7  is the next assembly stage of the barrel;  
         [0028]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the next assembly stage of the barrel;  
         [0029]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the assembled barrel and the trigger;  
         [0030]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the first assembly stage of the handle;  
         [0031]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the next assembly stage of the handle;  
         [0032]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the next assembly stage of the handle;  
         [0033]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the next assembly stage of the handle  
         [0034]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the next assembly stage of the handle;  
         [0035]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the next assembly stage of the handle;  
         [0036]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the final assembly stage of the handle;  
         [0037]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view showing the barrel being coupled to the handle;  
         [0038]      FIG. 18  is a perspective close up view of the barrel which is coupled to the handle;  
         [0039]      FIG. 19A  is a perspective view of a first step of the trigger being coupled to the handle;  
         [0040]      FIG. 19B  is a perspective view of a second step of the trigger being coupled to the handle;  
         [0041]      FIG. 20  is a flow chart showing the process for teaching an individual about gun safety; and  
         [0042]      FIG. 21  is a simplified flow chart teaching the process for teaching an individual about gun safety. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0043]     Referring in detail to the drawings,  FIGS. 1A, 1B , and  1 C show three different views of an assembled toy gun.  FIG. 1D  shows a kit which can be used to assemble the gun as well. This assembled toy gun includes a plurality of different pieces which can be put together to form three main parts of the gun, the barrel, the trigger and the handle.  
         [0044]     The barrel  11  is formed from a plurality of different elements including two barrel side pieces  12   a  and  12   b , a stock piece  15 , and a front barrel piece  17 . Barrel  11  is designed to receive and target ammunition which can be in the form of a rubber band  90 .  
         [0045]     Barrel side pieces  12   a  and  12   b  are formed substantially identical to each other and are in the form of blocks that are in the form of elongated blocks that are substantially rectangular in cross section. Stock  15  is coupled to barrel side pieces  12   a  and  12   b  and is formed wider than the remaining barrel elements  12   a  and  12   b . Stock  15  is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 6  wherein stock  15  is formed as a flat block having an angled end forming a block having a trapezoidal cross-section. Stock  15  also has a hole  15   a  for receiving a band post  19 . Front barrel section  17  fits between barrel side pieces  12   a  and  12   b  and is also disposed adjacent to stock  15 .  
         [0046]     There are also two rear barrel sections  20   a  and  20   b  wherein these rear barrel sections are formed as blocks which can have a substantially rectangular cross-section. These elements  20   a  and  20   b  are coupled to outer surfaces of barrel sections  12   a  and  12   b  to act as spacers for rubber band  90 .  
         [0047]     Trigger section  40  includes a trigger  42  and a trigger wedge  44 . Trigger  42  is in the form of an elongated block having a flat first end  42   a  and an angled opposite end  42   b.    
         [0048]     First end  42   a  of trigger  40  forms the finger contact point for a user. In most cases, a user would use his or her index finger to press on first end  42   a . Opposite or second end  42   b  is used as a band contact point. This angled end is designed to accommodate band  14  as it extends across a back end of the gun.  
         [0049]     Trigger wedge  44  is in the form of a triangular shaped block  44  which can be coupled to stock  14 . Trigger wedge  44  can also be used for an inside handle section  50 .  
         [0050]     Handle section  50  is in the form of multiple blocks which can be coupled together. First block  52  is in the form of a main block section that is trapezoidal in shape having two substantially parallel sides and two opposite ends that are not parallel to each other. There are also a plurality of outer blocks which  54   a ,  54   b ,  54   c , and  54   d  which can form front and back blocks on both sides of first block  52 .  
         [0051]     Additional bottom handle blocks  56   a  and  56   b  are coupled to a bottom section of main handle block  52  below outer blocks  54   a ,  54   b ,  54   c , and  54   d  to form a butt of the gun.  
         [0052]     There are also inner cover blocks  58   a  and  58   b  which can be coupled to first or base block  52 . Inner cover blocks  58   a  and  58   b  are shaped so that they can be coupled to main block  52  while still providing an area for a trigger to slide.  
         [0053]     This device which can be formed into a gun can be made from a plurality of different pieces which can be of any known material but can, for example be made from wood, plastic, metal or any other known material.  
         [0054]     In one embodiment the gun can be in the form of a wood based gun wherein the pieces for assembly are made from wood. The materials necessary for this process are the pieces of the gun as described above and ordinary wood glue.  
         [0055]      FIG. 2A  is a flow chart showing the basic process for assembling the gun while  FIG. 2B  is the flow chart showing an alternative basic process for assembling the gun. The basic process starts with step  10  which includes assembling the barrel. This step is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 3 . The next step  20  involves assembling the handle. This step is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 4 . Step  30  involves coupling the barrel to the handle and then coupling the first rubber band to the gun. This step is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 5A . Step  40  involves assembling and inserting the trigger and is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 5B , while step  50  involves loading the gun which is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 5C . Alternatively,  FIG. 2B  shows steps  100 ,  110 ,  120 ,  130  and  140 , which differ from steps  10 - 50  in that the handle is assembled before the barrel.  
         [0056]     Turning to  FIG. 3 , which outlines the steps for assembling the barrel, step  11  involves coupling a first barrel side piece  12   a  , with a front barrel piece  17  as shown in  FIG. 6 . Front barrel piece  17  has a first end  17   a  and a second end  17   b . Two or three drops of glue can be used to couple these two parts together. The first step as shown in  FIG. 6  is to place the two parts together with two ends being even, such that first end  17   a  is positioned even with an end of first barrel side piece  12   a.    
         [0057]     In the next step  12 , as shown in  FIG. 7  the stock  15  can be coupled to this first side piece  12   a . The first end  15   b  of stock  15  is positioned adjacent to a second or back end  17   b  of front barrel piece  17 . The second end  15   c  of stock  15  is slanted and is designed to allow a trigger to extend there-through. These two pieces can be coupled to each other via glue. When these two pieces are put together, the glue is then wiped away. A top end  15   c  is placed flush with a top end of barrel side piece  12   a.    
         [0058]     Next, in step  13 , as shown in  FIG. 7  the user can “lubricate” the back end  15   c  of the stock by using a pencil having a graphite tip. At this point, a user can simply press and rub the graphite tip of the pencil on back end  15   c  to lubricate this angled end.  
         [0059]     In step  14 , as shown in  FIG. 8  the opposite side barrel piece  12   b  can be joined to the remaining portion of the barrel. The user can place glue on an inside face of side barrel piece  12   b  and then press these two parts together to join them so that the outer edges of each barrel piece  12   a  and  12   b  are flush against each other. Once this opposite side barrel piece  12   b  has been coupled to the remaining part of the barrel, the user should check to see if trigger  42  slides within a slot formed between first barrel piece  12   a  and second barrel piece  12   b  (See  FIG. 9 ). If the trigger does not fall within the slot, the user should use an emery board to file down the opening for the slide of the trigger.  
         [0060]     Next, in step  15 , the user can join the two barrel rear sections  20   a  and  20   b  to the back end of the barrel  20  as shown in  FIG. 9 . The user should make sure that these barrel rear sections  20   a  and  20   b  are flush against a back end of the two barrel pieces  12   a  and  12   b . Again, after the coupling of these two elements together, the user should use an emery board to check that the trigger slides between these two sections as shown in  FIG. 9 . If the trigger does not slide properly, the user should use an emery board to file this down to widen the opening.  
         [0061]     Simultaneously, or either before or after the assembly of the barrel, the user can assemble the handle or grip. For example, in step  21 , as shown in  FIG. 10 , the user should take the base or first block  52  and couple its bottom end  52   a  with bottom handle blocks  56   a  and  56   b . The user should review to make sure that bottom handle blocks  56   a  and  56   b  are flush with the bottom edge of bottom end  52   a . During this step, the user should also write on the opposite end  52   b  of first block  52  with a pencil to apply a graphite lubricant to top or opposite end  52   b  as shown in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0062]     Next in step  22 , the user couples two of the outer blocks  54   a  and  54   b  to the first block  52  as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . While the glue is still wet, the user can place this handle section on a table or flat surface to align the parts with the edges.  
         [0063]     Next in step  23  as shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15  the user cap apply or couple inner cover blocks  58   a  and  58   b  to first block  52 . Inner cover blocks  58   a  and  58   b  are in the shape of a trapezoid with one elongated side and an opposite shorter side. These inner cover blocks should be coupled to first block  52  so that a hole  52   d  in first block  52 , remains exposed.  
         [0064]     Next, in step  24 , as shown in  FIG. 16  the user glues or couples the remaining outer blocks  54   c  and  54   d  to main block  52  to complete the construction of the handle grip.  
         [0065]     In step  30  the barrel can be coupled to the handle such that when this occurs the user can also couple the first rod  19  and elastic element or rubber band  80  to the gun as well. For example, in step  31 , as shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18  the user can then couple the handle to the barrel of the gun. At this stage, it is important to test and to confirm the positioning of the barrel with the handle. Before applying any glue, the user can slide the handle along the bottom edge of the barrel so that the handle lines up with the front edge of the barrel rear sections  20   a  and  20   b . At this point, the user should check to see if the trigger will slide through the opening created by this connection. If the opening for the trigger is too large, then the user can file down the connection ends of the handle to narrow the gap. At this point, once the trigger fits in a proper sliding movement, the user can then glue the barrel to the handle.  
         [0066]     In step  32  the user can insert a band post  19  into hole  15   a  in stock  15  (See  FIG. 19A ). Once the band post has dried, the user can then take a size  32  rubber band  80  and insert it through the hole  52   a  in first block  52 . A user can use a tooth pick to insert this rubber band into hole  52   d . At this point, the trigger should slide easily within the handle. If it doesn&#39;t then a user can use an emery board to smooth out the lining of the passage.  
         [0067]     In step  41 , as shown in  FIG. 19A  the user can lubricate a trigger block or element  44  in the form of a triangle wedge by writing on a first surface  44   a  of trigger element  44  wherein this first surface is for receiving the trigger. Next, the user can apply glue to the long back side  44   b  of wedge  44  so that it can be applied to the barrel section. Before applying wedge  44  to the barrel section, in step  43 , trigger  42  should already be placed inside the gun as described in step  42 .  
         [0068]     In step  43 , as shown in  FIG. 19B , the user can then insert an additional band post  21  into trigger  42  by inserting it into trigger hole  42   c . Before gluing band post  21  into trigger  42  the user should test to see how the trigger slides inside its trigger slot. The trigger should be positioned so that band post  21  is disposed between the two strands  80   a  and  80   b  of the rubber band  80 . At this point, with post  21  disposed inside of trigger  42 , the user should check to see if trigger  42  slides efficiently within this trigger slot. If the trigger slides effectively, then the user can glue post  21  to trigger  42 . If the trigger does not slide effectively, then the user can remove trigger  42  and continue to sand the trigger and the trigger slot using an emery board to make sure that the trigger slides efficiently. Once this has been accomplished, in step  44 , the user can insert post or rod  21  into trigger  42  and glue it therein and then insert trigger  42  into the trigger slot. In step  45 , the user can then move or wrap rubber band ends  80   a  and  80   b  around trigger post  21  so that trigger post  21  can oscillate between these to band ends.  
         [0069]     In step  50  a user can then load the gun. For example, the user can take a rubber band  80  and apply it to the gun barrel so that it stretches from a front end of the barrel to a back end of the barrel as shown in  FIG. 1A . In step  51 , the user can place rubber band  90  over the front end of the barrel. Next, in step  52 , the user can widen the rubber band over the barrel. In step  53 , the user can place the back of the rubber band over the back end of the gun. Finally, in step  54 , the user can pull the trigger  42  on the gun, driving trigger  42  up through the gun to press rubber band  90  up away from the back end of the barrel so that the rubber band  90  snaps forward to fire.  
         [0070]     Simultaneous with the instructions on assembly, and the process for building the gun, the user can also learn about gun safety. For example, as shown in  FIG. 20 , in step  201 , when a user assembles a barrel, the instructions can also teach the user about the significance of the barrel in relation to the rest of the gun. This teaching can include teaching the user about the significance of a loaded gun. In particular, the instructions teach the user about the importance of never assuming that the gun is not loaded. Next, in step  202 , when the user is building the handle, the instructions can also teach the user about the significance of the handle in relation to the rest of the gun. During this step, the instructions can teach the user about the importance of securing a gun such as in a locked box or in a holster. In addition, the instructions can also teach the user about how to recognize an unsecured gun. In step  203  the user can then couple the handle to the barrel of the gun, while the instructions teach about the importance of gun safety. In step  204 , the user can insert and couple the trigger into the gun, while the instructions teach about the significance of the trigger with relation to the gun and gun safety. Finally, step  205  can include loading the gun while teaching the user about the importance of gun safety with respect to a loaded gun.  
         [0071]      FIG. 21  shows a simplified version of the process as shown in  FIG. 20  wherein in step  301  the user can assemble the gun. In step  302  the instructions can teach about gun safety simultaneously with the assembly of the gun. Finally in step  303 , the user can fire the gun.  
         [0072]     Accordingly, while at least one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.