Abstract:
An apparatus includes two halves of a rail-to-rail coupler, wherein each half carries at least one rail engagement formation comprising at least two teeth separated by at least one notch to enable engagement with a portion of a rail associated with a toy gun that incorporates at least one rail stop; and at least one passage is formed through each half that aligns with the at least one passage formed through the other of the two halves to provide a dart storage position into which a dart may be inserted when the two halves are assembled together to engage a rail associated with a toy gun.

Description:
REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This Utility application claims the benefit of the filing date of Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/389,188 filed Feb. 19, 2016 by Benjamin D. Burge, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Various embodiments are directed to the field of rail-to-rail couplers to couple two or more devices to each other via elongate rails carried by each, and that may also retain related cylindrical articles inserted into apertures of the couplers. More specifically, embodiments are directed to rail-to-rail couplers to couple two or more toy guns (often referred to as “blasters” to distinguish them from real firearms), cameras and/or camera accessories by clamping onto elongate rails and/or mounting shoes having cross-sections similar to such rails. 
         [0003]    Such rails are often carried by one or more external portions of typical “blasters” to enable the attachment of various accessories, including so-called “scopes” (often little more than a plastic tube that may or may not include clear sheets of plastic that take the place of real lenses), real scopes that provide some degree of viewing magnification and/or low-light viewing, ammunition holders (often small plastic parts that are able to hold one or more foam darts, plastic darts, rubberized plastic discs, foam balls, sponge-like balls, arrows with or without rubberized and/or foam tips, etc.), handles, lights, microphones, cameras, camera flashes, bipods, tripods and/or still other camera-related accessories. 
         [0004]    Hasbro, Incorporated is the manufacturer of a very large line of these blasters under their Nerf trademark. Many of these are designed to fire a foam dart formed from ½″ diameter hollow foam rods that usually have some form of rubberized and/or elastic foam tip glued or otherwise bonded onto one end. Others of such darts may have pieces of hook-and-loop type fastening material glued or bonded onto one end, possibly onto such a rubberized and/or elastic foam tip on that end. These foam darts (typically about 2 to 3 inches long). have become so very pervasive in the toy industry, that they have become something of a de facto standard that many competitors copy the design of when they offer competing blasters. 
         [0005]    The Nerf blaster product line has been known to use other types of “ammunition” such as the recently introduced “Mega” darts that are of substantially the same structure, but larger in all dimensions—typically ¾″ diameter hollow foam rods with a rubberized tip glued onto one end, and typically about 3 to 4 inches long. Various competing product lines to the Nerf blaster product line have also used other darts of similar configuration, but differing dimensions. 
         [0006]    Mattel Corporation is the manufacturer of one competing line of blasters under their newly created BoomCo trademark. Many of these are designed to fire a plastic dart formed from ⅜″ diameter hollow plastic tubing material that resembles the material from which drinking straws are often made. Like the Nerf foam darts, the BoomCo plastic darts usually have a rubberized tip glued (or otherwise connected to) one end of the main drinking-straw-like body. 
         [0007]    Although Mattel has introduced their own competing type of “ammunition” as an alternative to the ½″ diameter foam darts offered by Hasbro, Mattel has adopted a rail design for the attachment of accessories that is dimensionally very similar to the “tactical rails” offered by Hasbro. More specifically, both types of rail are generally connected by a ½″ wide narrower portion to an external surface of a blaster, while the rails themselves are about ¾″ wide. 
         [0008]    Other manufacturers of blasters, and other toys of other varieties that fire paint balls, marker balls and even small arrows or bolts have adopted and use rails on their products that adhere to the shape, dimensions and other characteristics of either of both of the Picatinny Rail or the Weaver Rail. Picatinny Rail was adopted by the U.S. military as a standard (MIL-STD-1913), and became the basis of a newer standard adopted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the NATO Accessory Rail (NAR) or STANAG 4694. The specifications of MIL-STD-1913 and the derivative STANAG 4694 are each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
         [0009]    Both Hasbro (as Nerf) and Mattel (as BoomCo) offer various attachments that slide onto their respective rails from one of the ends of the rails, and are designed to engage a rail stop or other formation incorporated into (or otherwise connected to or associated with) the rails at a position where such slide-on accessories are then caused to stop moving therealong. Over time, various vendors (including those with 3D printers) have sought to create their own accessories designed for attachment to such blasters via such rails. Unfortunately, unlike what is typically encountered in the manufacturing of Picatinny rail and the various derivatives discussed above, the manufacturing tolerances employed by Hasbro and Mattel in their rails have been sufficiently “loose” as to frustrate efforts to develop such attachments. Hasbro and Mattel typically design their own slide-on accessories with rail engagement formations made of plastic that is sufficiently flexible as to accommodate such variances in rail dimensions. In contrast, the PLA and ABS plastics typically used in the making of plastic parts by 3D printers are usually too stiff. 
         [0010]    As a result, some of such vendors have taken to designing their accessories to employ various clamping mechanisms, many employing screws or other such hardware, to impart a degree of adjustability in their designs to accommodate these variances in rail dimensions. 
         [0011]    More recently, Hasbro, Incorporated has begun to offer video cameras that designed to be coupled to many of their blasters by gripping the rails thereof with a clamping mechanism. It should be noted that such video cameras, which can include relatively heavy battery power supplies, are among the heavier attachments offered by Hasbro, as well as other entities, for attachment to such rails. This use of a clamping mechanism by Hasbro for such cameras is believed to be the first instance of Hasbro employing a clamping mechanism with any accessory intended to be mounted to blasters by such rails. 
         [0012]    Sharing similar dimensions and other physical attributes to the rails provided by such toy manufacturers as Hasbro and Mattel are the mounting shoes employed for decades by manufacturers of cameras and accessories for cameras. More specifically, many cameras for decades have offered a single “hot shoe” or “cold shoe” mounting point on the top surface thereof for the attachment of a flash. A hot shoe is distinguished from a cold shoe in that a hot shoe includes an electrical contact that enables a camera to trigger operation of the flash through the hot shoe, thereby obviating the need for an external cable between the camera and the flash. A cold shoe provides the physical mounting capability of a hot shoe, but not the electrical contact and corresponding ability to control operation of a flash. 
         [0013]    Since the introduction of both varies of shoe mounting point, at least the cold shoe variety has gone on to be adopted by many camera manufacturers and manufacturers of accessories for cameras to either alternatively or additionally provide a mounting point for the mounting of an external microphone and/or external lights to cameras. Indeed, such extensive use has been made of the such mounting points that various mounting point expansion accessories have also been offered that mount to the single shoe mounting point often provided by a camera to then provide two or more shoe mounting points to enable the attachment of multiple other accessories, simultaneously. 
         [0014]    It appears that, possibly by happenstance, the cross-section of such mounting shoes very closely resemble the cross-section of the rails provided on the casings of blasters offered by both Hasbro and Mattel. It has become increasingly commonplace for those who engage in the recreational activity of using such blasters in playtime “combat” (e.g., so-called “Nerf wars” or “Humans vs. Zombies” games) to mount video cameras to their blasters to generate “point-of-view” videos of their “combat” exploits from a perspective aligned with the barrels of their blasters. Many of the same vendors offering 3D printed attachments for use with such rails have sought to create various camera mount adapting attachments to enable the attachment, to such rails, of cameras that use the typical ¼″ tripod screw mount or the hinged camera mount more recently introduced and popularized by GoPro, Incorporated. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0015]    Embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler described and depicted herein may include two largely identical halves that employ one or more screws and aligned screw apertures to enable the rail-to-rail coupler to be clamped onto such a rail carried by one or more blasters, and/or onto shoe mounts carried by one or more cameras and/or camera accessories, by tightening the two halves together. Also incorporated into embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler described and depicted herein are other aligned passages of larger dimension than the screw apertures to provide one or more storage positions for one or more foam or plastic darts of the type used by such blasters, and/or to receive one or more threaded rods used to support other accessories for blasters and/or cameras. 
         [0016]    Pairs of such aligned passages may take the form of passages with substantially round cross-sections that align between the two halves such that such pairs of aligned passages each hold a single dart of a particular diameter for which the pair of aligned passages was designed. Such round cross-sections may be defined by relatively smooth cylindrical surfaces and/or cylindrical surfaces that define female threads to engage the male threads of various cylindrical objects, such as threaded rods, shafts and/or bolts. 
         [0017]    Alternatively or additionally each such a pair of aligned passages may have a more complex cross-sections that may resemble two intersecting round cross-section passages that each open up into the other such that their otherwise round cross-sections partially overlap. In essence, each of such passages is made up of two intersecting round portions that are each given a diameter intended to accommodate a dart and/or threaded rod of a different diameter from the other. The resulting cross-section defines a pair of inwardly extending intrusions that serve to partly surround a dart inserted into either of the two round portions, and that more specifically aid in holding a dart of the smaller of the two diameters within the one of the two round portions that is given the smaller diameter to match that smaller diameter dart—thereby preventing that smaller diameter dart from simply falling or otherwise migrating into the larger diameter portion of the passage. Again, each of the two halves of the rail-to-rail coupler may have matching aligned ones of such complex cross-section passages to define a dart storage position and/or receiver of threaded rods that is able to receive and retain one of a smaller diameter dart (or one of a smaller diameter threaded rod) or one of a larger diameter dart (or one of a larger diameter threaded rod). 
         [0018]    Embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler described and depicted herein may also carry rail engagement formations made up of multiple “teeth” separated by “notches” that allow the rail engagement formations to engage a portion of a length of a rail that includes one or more railstops. Such railstops may be positioned within recessed portions of the rail to provide a physical stop to control the positioning of accessories that are configured to be slid onto a rail from one or the other end thereof. After considerable study of the rails of multiple Hasbro and Mattel blasters, patterns of dimensions of teeth and/or notches that are able to accommodate a wide variety of the different studied rails, and perhaps at multiple different locations along at least some of the different rails. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    A fuller understanding of what is disclosed in the present application may be had by referring to the description and claims that follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a rail-to-rail coupler carrying rail engagement formations configured to engage rails of blasters and/or onto mounting shoes of cameras and/or camera accessories; 
           [0021]      FIG. 1B  is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 1A  that differs from the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 1A  by the quantity and configuration of teeth and gaps between teeth of the rail engagement formations thereof; 
           [0022]      FIG. 1C  is a perspective view of one of the two halves of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 1B ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 1D  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIGS. 1B-C  that additionally includes positioning formations to engage railgaps formed in rails; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 1E, 1F and 1G  are cross-sectional views of different portions of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 1H  is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 1A  that differs from the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 1A  by the cross-section of the rail engagement formations thereof; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIGS. 1B-C  that additionally includes alignment formations carried by facing surfaces of the two halves thereof; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  FIG. 1A  that additionally includes phosphorescent material that defines at least portions of one or more of the screw apertures and/or other passages thereof; 
           [0028]      FIG. 3B  is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIGS. 1B-C  that additionally includes phosphorescent material that defines at least portions of one or more of the screw apertures and/or other passages thereof; 
           [0029]      FIGS. 3C, 3D, 3E and 3F  are cross-sectional views of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  FIGS. 1B-C  that differs from the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIGS. 1B-C  by the cross-section of one or more of the passages thereof; 
           [0031]      FIG. 4B  is an elevational view of the one of the halves of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 4A  depicting and showing details of one of the cross-section of one of the passages thereof. 
           [0032]      FIGS. 4C and 4D  are elevational views of other embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 4A  that each differ from the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 4A  in the cross-sections of one or more passages thereof; and 
           [0033]      FIG. 4E  is an elevational view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler of  FIG. 4A  that additionally includes phosphorescent material lining at least portions of the screw apertures and/or other passages thereof. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0034]      FIGS. 1A through 1H , taken together, provide perspective, exploded perspective and cross-sectional views of differing embodiments of a rail-to-rail coupler  1000 . As so depicted, the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  may be made up of two mating halves  100   a  and  100   b  that may be clamped together to cause rail engagement formations  130  thereof to engage rails  930  of toy guns  903  (often referred to as “blasters”) and/or mounting shoes  940  (sometimes referred to as “cold shoes” or “hot shoes”) of cameras and/or accessories for cameras  904 . As also depicted, such clamping action may be effected through use of one or more screws  159  (or other elongate fasteners such as pins, rivets, etc.) extending through one or more corresponding aligned pairs of screw apertures  150  that extend into and/or through the halves  100   a  and/or  100   b . As also depicted, pairs of aligned passages  190  may be formed through the halves  100   a  and  100   b  to allow darts  999  to extend therethrough for storage therein. 
         [0035]    Each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may be formed using any of a variety of fabrication techniques from any of a variety of materials or combinations of materials. In some embodiments, each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may be injection molded from any of a variety of thermoplastics materials. In other embodiments, each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may be formed through additive manufacturing techniques, such as any of a variety of available three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques. In still other embodiments, each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may be mechanically milled and/or laser cut from metal, wood and/or plastics material(s). In embodiments in which thermoplastics materials are used, such thermoplastics materials may include polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and/or glycol-modified PET (PETG). 
         [0036]    Turning more specifically to  FIGS. 1C-D , each of the rail engagement formations  130  may include one or more teeth  133  shaped and sized to engage corresponding elongate recess(es)  931  and/or  941  of a rail  930  and/or of a mounting shoe  940 , respectively. Correspondingly, each of the rail engagement formations  130  may also define one or more elongate recesses  131  that parallel an elongate path along which the one or more teeth  133  may extend, and are shaped and sized to receive one or more outwardly projecting edges  933  and/or  943  of the rail  930  and/or of the mounting shoe  940 . Additionally, separating two or more of the teeth  133  of one or more of the rail engagement formations  130  may one or more gaps  132 . As depicted, in some embodiments, each such gap  132  may share a recessed surface with a corresponding elongate recess  131 . Each of the gaps  132  may be shaped and sized to receive a corresponding railstop formation  932  of a rail  930 . Turning more specifically to  FIG. 1D , one or more of the rail engagement formation  130  of one or both of the halves  100   a  and/or  100   b  of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  may additionally include one or more rail positioning formations  134  to engage one or more corresponding railgaps that may be formed in a rail  930 . 
         [0037]    Stated differently, and turning again to both  FIGS. 1C and 1D , for each of the rail engagement formations  130 , the one or more teeth  133  may be shaped and sized to extend from a recessed surface of the elongate recess  131  and any gaps  132 , and toward a rail  930  or a shoe  940  to engage the elongate recess  931  or  941 , respectively, thereof. Correspondingly, an edge  933  or  943  may be shaped and sized to extend from a recessed surface of an elongate recess  931  or  941  of a rail  930  or a mounting shoe  940 , respectively, and toward a rail engagement formation  130  to engage the elongate recess  131  thereof. Also correspondingly, where a rail  930  is to be engaged, a railstop formation  932  may be shaped and sized to extend from a recessed surface of the elongate recess  931  of a rail  930 , and toward a rail engagement formation  130  to engage a gap  132  thereof. Alternatively or additionally, and turning more specifically to  FIG. 1D , where a rail  930  is to be engaged, a rail positioning formation  134  may be shaped and sized to extend from a recessed surface of an elongate recess  131  of a rail engagement formation  130 , and toward a rail  930  to engage a railgap  934  thereof. 
         [0038]    Turning more specifically to  FIGS. 1A-D , each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may be of an elongate shape, and each may carry at least a pair of the rail engagement formations  130 . Each of the rail engagement formations  130  may be of elongate configuration and positioned to extend along the lengthwise dimension of one of the halves  100   a  and  100   b . As also depicted, pairs of the edges  933  and/or  943  of rail(s)  930  and/or mounting shoe(s)  940  may extend outwardly and in opposite directions therefrom. When the halves  100   a  and  100   b  are clamped together to cause the rail engagement formations  130  thereof to engage rail(s)  930  and/or mounting shoe(s)  940 , each of the rail engagement formations  130  may extend lengthwise alongside and parallel with the lengthwise orientation of the edges  933  and/or  943  of the rail(s)  930  and/or mounting shoe(s)  940 , respectively, that each of the rail engagement formations  130  are caused to engage. Thus, when the halves  100   a  and  100   b  clamped together, teeth  133  of the rail engagement formations  130  of each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  are caused to extend towards each other. 
         [0039]    Turning more specifically to  FIGS. 1B and 1G , with a single rail engagement formation  130  of each half  101   a  and  101   b  of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  engaging a rail  930  or a mounting shoe  940  in the manner just described from opposite sides, such a rail  930  or a mounting shoe  940  may be clamped therebetween. With a rail  930  or a mounting shoe  940  so clamped, the blaster  903  associated with the rail  930  or the camera or camera accessory  904  associated with the mounting shoe  940  may be securely coupled to and retained by the rail-to-rail coupler  1000 . Also, as specifically depicted in  FIG. 1G , through such use of two or more corresponding pairs of rail engagement formations  130  of the halves  101   a  and  101   b , the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  may be employed to securely couple the rails  930  of multiple blasters  903 , the mounting shoes  940  of multiple cameras and/or camera accessories  904 , or the rail(s)  930  and the mounting shoe(s)  940  of a combination of one or more blasters  903  and one or more cameras or camera accessories  904 . 
         [0040]    Turning more specifically to  FIGS. 1A-B  and  1 E-F, the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may have aligned screw apertures  150  formed therein and/or therethrough. More specifically, as depicted in  FIG. 1E , aligned screw apertures  150  may be formed through each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b . Alternatively, and as depicted in  FIG. 1F , one of the halves  100   a  may have one of the aligned screw apertures  150  formed through it, while the other of the halves  100   b  may have the other of the aligned screw apertures  150  formed to extend into it, but not all the way through it. As also depicted in both  FIGS. 1E-F , one of the aligned screw apertures  150  may be defined to be narrower (e.g., of a smaller diameter) than the other. As a result, the threads of a corresponding screw  159  may easily slide through the wider one of the aligned screw apertures  150  (e.g., the one of the aligned screw apertures  150  with the larger diameter), but may then engage the inner surface of the narrower one of the aligned screw apertures  150 . However, the larger diameter of the one of the aligned screw apertures  150  that has the larger diameter may be selected to be smaller than the diameter of the head of the screw  159  such that the head of the screw  159  may be used relied upon to press against the outward surface  115  of one of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  as part of drawing that one of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  toward the other. Thus, through rotation of the screw  159  to cause the threads thereof to engage the inner surface of the narrower one of the aligned screw apertures  150 , the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  may be drawn towards each other such that facing surfaces  111  of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  are be at least pulled towards each other. As a comparison of  FIGS. 1E and 1F  additionally reveals, one of the aligned screw apertures  150  may have a widened portion near an outward surface  115  of one of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  to at least partially retain the head of the screw  159 . 
         [0041]    Turning more specifically to  FIGS. 1A-B  and  1 G-H, the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may also have aligned passages  190  formed therethrough. More specifically, as depicted in  FIGS. 1G-H , aligned passages  190  may be formed through each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b . As also depicted in both  FIGS. 1G-H , unlike the aligned screw apertures  150 , the aligned passages  190  may be defined to have the same diameter. As a result, the aligned passages  190  formed through each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may both be shaped and sized to engage the outer cylindrical surface of a dart  999  with similar magnitude of friction to thereby removably retain the dart  999  within the aligned pair of passages  190  following the clamping together of the halves  100   a  and  100   b.    
         [0042]    Referring to all of  FIGS. 1A-H , it is made clear that the passages  190 , as well as the screw apertures  150 , extend in a direction that is transverse at right angles to the facing surfaces  111 , and thus, is transverse at right angles to the direction in which the halves  100   a  and  100   b  move towards each other when pulled towards each other as part of being clamped together. 
         [0043]    As comparison of  FIG. 1H  to  FIGS. 1A-G  additionally reveals, the embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  of  FIG. 1H  differs from those of  FIGS. 1A-G  in that the rail engagement formations  130  of the embodiment of  FIG. 1H  are shaped and sized to engage a Picatinny variant of rail  930 , with its pointed edges  933 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 2 , provides a perspective view of another embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  of  FIG. 1A , but with the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  pulled away from each other and slightly rotated relative to each other to enable the facing surfaces  111  of both to be seen. As depicted, at least a portion of the facing surface  111  of each of the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  may carry one or more alignment projections  113  and/or one or more alignment recesses  112  to interfit in a manner that serves to ensure proper alignment of the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  relative to each other as they are drawn together as part of being clamped together. As recognizable to those skilled in the art, depending on the dimensions of one or more rails  930  and/or one or more mounting shoes  940  that may be clamped between opposing rail engagement formations  130  of the two halves  100   a  and  100   b , the facing surfaces  111  of the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  may be pulled toward each other during clamping, but may only partially come into contact with each or may not come into contact with each other, at all. Also, although one or more of the screws  159  may cooperate with corresponding pairs of the aligned screw apertures to exert some degree of control over the alignment of the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  as they are pulled towards each other, the degree of control so exerted may not be enough to fully properly align them, especially if the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  are unable to be brought close enough together to cause the facing surfaces  111  to come into contact. 
         [0045]    The alignment projections  113  and corresponding alignment recesses  112  may be shaped and sized so as to cause an interfitting interaction among the alignment projections  113  and between the alignment projections  113  and the alignment recesses  112  to occur as the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  are pulled towards each other and before the facing surfaces  111  would meet. As a result rotational and/or translational movement of one of the halves  100   a  or  100   b  relative to the other in a direction transverse to the direction of the clamping motion of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  towards each other may be prevented. As a result, the facing surfaces  111  do not need to meet to ensure proper alignment of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  when clamping one or more rails  930  and/or one or more mounting shoes  940 . 
         [0046]      FIGS. 3A through 3F , taken together, provide perspective, exploded perspective and cross-sectional views of further embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  in which one or more of the aligned screw apertures  150  and/or one or more of the aligned passages  190  are lined with phosphorescent material  120 . As familiar to those skilled in the art, so-called “Nerf Wars” and/or situations under which cameras may be need to be set up to capture images may involve activity in conditions of little or no ambient lighting such that the act of inserting objects into apertures and/or passages may be made more difficult as such apertures and/or passages may become difficult to see. With one or more of the screw apertures  150  and/or one or more of the passages  190  lined with phosphorescent material  120 , the act of briefly shining a flashlight into one or more of such screw apertures  150  and/or passages  190  may cause such material to emit some amount of light for a brief period, thereby making such screw apertures  150  and/or passages  190  more visible in such compromised lighting conditions for a brief period of time. 
         [0047]    Turning to  FIGS. 3A and 3C -F, an outwardly facing portion  125  of the phosphorescent material  120  may be allowed to be visible through portions of the outward surfaces  115  of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  through which one or more of the screw apertures  150  and/or one or more of the passage  190  extend. More specifically, while the majority of the outward surfaces  115  may be made from a non-phosphorescent material  110 , a ring of the phosphorescent material  120  that lines one or more of the screw apertures  150  and/or one or more of the passages  190  may be allowed to be visible at the outward surfaces  115  such that the facing portion(s)  125  thereof forms part of the outward surfaces  115 . This may be done to enhance the improved visual guidance of the locations of such screw aperture(s)  150  and/or passage(s)  190  in conditions of little or no lighting. 
         [0048]    Turning to  FIGS. 3C-F , in some embodiments, the phosphorescent material  120  may, in addition to lining one or more of the screw apertures  150  and/or one or more of the passages  190 , form much of the core material from which each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may be formed, with the non-phosphorescent material  110  serving to form a “shell” that surrounds much of such a core of the phosphorescent material  120 . The cross-sectional views provided by  FIGS. 3C-E  substantially mirror the cross-sectional views provided by  FIGS. 1E-G , respectively, to thereby provide depictions of embodiments of the structure shown in each of  FIGS. 1E-G  in which the phosphorescent material  120  makes up much of the material from which each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  are formed.  FIG. 3F  provides a cross-sectional view of a pair of aligned passages  190  that is similar to that provided in  FIG. 3E , but the embodiment of  FIG. 3F  differs in that the cylindrical inner surface  199  of the depicted pair of aligned passages  190  is formed to define female threads to engage male threads  995  formed on a shaft, bolt, threaded rod, etc. that may thereby be threaded into one or both of the depicted aligned passages  190 . 
         [0049]    The use of the phosphorescent material  120  to form much of the core material of each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  may provide a greater volume therein of the phosphorescent material  120  to be energized by radiant energy (e.g., light) provided through one or more of the screw apertures  150  and/or passages  190  to thereby subsequently cause the phosphorescent material  120  to emit light for a brief period of time. The phosphorescent material  120  may be any of a variety of materials that include phosphorescent pigment, dye, and/or other form of phosphorescent component material. In some embodiments, the phosphorescent material  120  and the non-phosphorescent material  110  may be formed together, as by 3D printing in which both a filament of the phosphorescent material  120  and a filament of the non-phosphorescent material  110  are both fed to a 3D printer to form each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b . In other embodiments, the core portion of each of the halves that is made up of the phosphorescent material  120  may be formed entirely separately from the shell portion of each of the halves that is made up of the non-phosphorescent material  110 , and then the core and shell portions may be subsequently assembled together to form each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b.    
         [0050]    Turning to  FIG. 3B , as depicted, in some embodiments, the core portion of each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  that is made up of the phosphorescent material  120  may be made more fully accessible at the facing surfaces  111 , with the shell portion that is made up of the non-phosphorescent material  110  forming only the outermost surrounding portion of each of the facing surfaces  111 . This may be deemed desirable to allow the two core portions to be greatly exposed to each other when the two halves  100   a  and  100   b  are clamped together such that light shined into one or more of the screw apertures  150  and/or one or more of the passages  190  of one of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  is able to more easily penetrate through the phosphorescent material  120  of the one of the halves  100   a  and  100   b , and penetrate into the phosphorescent material  120  of the other of the halves  100   a  and  100   b , thereby allowing the phosphorescent material  120  of both halves  100   a  and  100   b  to receive exposure to such radiant energy and to thereby be caused to subsequently emit light for a brief period of time. 
         [0051]      FIGS. 4A through 4E , taken together, provide exploded perspective and elevational views of further embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  in which one or more of the aligned screw apertures  150  and/or one or more of the aligned passages  190  are or a more complex cross-sectional shape than the simpler circular cross-sections depicted in the preceding FIGURES. As previously discussed, there are multiple differing shapes and/or sizes of darts. Also, where one or more of the aligned passages  190  are threaded (as depicted in  FIG. 3F ) and/or are otherwise sized or configured to receive rods, shafts, etc., such objects to be so inserted may be of differing dimensions. Thus, it may be deemed desirable to increase the utility of one or more of the passages  190  and/or to make greater use of the available surface area of each of the outward surfaces  115  by forming one or more of the passages  190  to accept darts and/or rods/shafts/bolts of differing dimensions. 
         [0052]    By way of example, and turning more specifically to  FIGS. 4A-B , one or more of the pairs of aligned passages  190  may be formed to have a cross-sectional shape made up of an intersecting pair of circular shapes that are of different diameters in which each of the two diameters are meant to correspond to the differing diameters of two different cylindrical objects, such as the depicted larger and smaller diameter darts  999  and  998 , respectively. The degree to which the two circular shapes intersect each other may be selected to ensure that there is enough of the smaller diameter circular shape that remains outside of the larger circular shape to surround more than 180 degrees worth of the exterior cylindrical surface of the corresponding smaller diameter object (e.g., the smaller diameter dart  998 ) to enable the corresponding smaller diameter object to be retained within the portion of such a passage  190  that is defined by the smaller diameter circular shape, and not be released into the other portion of such a passage  190  that is defined by the larger diameter circular shape. 
         [0053]      FIGS. 4C-D  provide elevational views of outward surfaces  115  of other embodiments of one or both of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  in which other examples of more complex cross-sectional shapes are formed therethrough. While the complex cross-sectional shape depicted  FIGS. 4A-B  allow either one smaller diameter object or one larger diameter object (e.g., one of the smaller diameter darts  998  or one of the larger diameter darts  999 ) to be inserted and retained therein, the complex cross-sectional shapes depicted in  FIGS. 4C-D  allow differing quantities of smaller diameter versus larger diameter objects to be inserted and retained therein. More specifically, the complex cross-sectional shape of  FIG. 4C  allows either one larger diameter object to be inserted and retained therein, or a quantity of one to four smaller diameter objects to be inserted and retained therein. In contrast, the complex cross-sectional shape of  FIG. 4D  allows either one larger diameter object to be inserted and retained therein, or a quantity of one or two smaller diameter objects to be inserted and retained therein. Still other complex cross-sectional shapes for one or more of the passages  190  are depicted in the above-referenced U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/389,188 filed Feb. 19, 2016, which is again incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
         [0054]    As a comparison of the various figures herein reveals, the rail engagement formations  130  of different embodiments of each of the halves  100   a  and  100   b  include differing quantities and locations of the gaps  132 . It should be noted that, although the figures herein have depicted a relatively uniform spacing of the gaps  132  along the lengths of the depicted ones of the rail engagement formations  130 , embodiments are possible in which one or more of the rail engagement formations  130  may include differing quantities of the gaps  132  spaced at non-uniform intervals to accommodate the different locations of railstops  932  along the different rails  930  of various different blasters  903 . As depicted in the figures of the above-referenced U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/389,188, the rails  930  carried on different portions of different ones of the blasters  903  manufactured by Hasbro, Incorporated under the brand name Nerf may be of differing lengths and may have differing quantities of the railstops  932  at differing positions along the lengths thereof. Thus, in some embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000 , multiple gaps  132  may be formed in the rail engagement formations  130  such that the teeth  133  thereof may be divided at different locations and, as a result, have differing lengths, to accommodate different combinations of blasters that may be deemed desirable to support. 
         [0055]    By way of example, it may be deemed desirable to position one or more gaps  132  along the rail engagement formations  130  of an embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  to support various specific combinations of specific blasters  903 , such as combinations of flywheel-based blasters with spring-based blasters. As familiar to those skilled in the art, flywheel-based blasters offer the ability to rapidly launch multiple darts quite quickly with relatively rapid use of one or two trigger buttons by one or two fingers of a single hand. Unfortunately, the electric motors of flywheel-based blasters tend to be relatively noisy, and there is often a need to first turn on the electric motors and wait a period of time for the flywheels that launch darts to spin up to an effective launching speed before further operating the flywheel-based blaster to actually begin launching darts. The spinning up of the motors can have the undesirable result of giving away the position of the operator of the flywheel-based blaster to others at a time before the operator while the operator is forced to wait before being able to launch any darts. In contrast, spring-based blasters can be operated in a manner in which they remain silent up until the moment a trigger is operated to launch a dart, thereby enabling stealthier use of spring-based blasters. The disadvantage to spring-based blasters is often the need to perform a time-consuming, separate and distinct priming action to prime the spring thereof before the spring-based blaster is able to then launch another dart. It is this separate and distinct priming action, typically performed with the other hand than the one used to operate the trigger, that results in spring-based blasters being slower then flywheel-based blasters in their rate of fire. 
         [0056]    Being able to use an embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  to couple together a flywheel-based blaster  903  and a spring-based blaster  903  enables a single person to more easily gain the benefit of both. By coupling particular blasters  903  together in particular combinations using the rail-to-rail coupler  1000 , a spring-based blaster  903  may be coupled to a flywheel based blaster  903  at a location relative to the flywheel-based blaster  903  that enables operation of the spring-based blaster  903  with one hand and the operation of the flywheel-based blaster  903  with the other. Due to the physical shapes, sizes, and other physical configuration details of different flywheel-based blasters  903  and spring-based blasters  903 , some combinations thereof may prove more easily functional than others. Also, the degree of functionality may be dependent on coupling such pairs of blasters  903  together such that they are given one or more particular relative locations that provide ergonomic relative locations of handles and/or that ensure that various moving parts of one or both blasters  903  are free to move without colliding with parts of the other. 
         [0057]    To increase the ease with which an embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  may be used to create such a combination of blasters  903  coupled together in a manner that provides such ergonomic and/or functional benefits, one or more gaps  132  may positioned along the lengths of one or more of the rail engagement formations  130  at locations selected to guide the positioning of the rail engagement formations  130  relative to particular rails  930  carried by each of two blasters  903  of a particular pair of blasters  903 . By so guiding the relative locations of such an embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  and each of the two blasters  903 , the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  serves to guide the positioning of the two blasters  903  relative to each other. In some of such embodiments, various indicia may be printed, molded, engraved and/or otherwise disposed adjacent one or more of the gaps  132  formed along the length of one or more of the rail engagement formations  130  that may specify the locations at which a railstop  932  of a particular rail  930  of a particular blaster  903  is to be positioned as part of using an embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  to couple that particular blaster  903  to another particular blaster  903  to form a particular combination of the two particular blasters. The figures of above-referenced U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/389,188 include depictions of multiple ones of such combinations of blasters  903  using an embodiment of the rail-to-rail coupler fabricated using a 3D printer. 
         [0058]    It should be noted that, despite the depiction herein of various embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler with particular quantities, shapes and/or sizes of the aligned screw apertures  150 , the aligned passages  190  and/or the gap  132 , other embodiments of the rail-to-rail coupler  1000  depicted and described herein are possible that include different quantities, shapes and/or sizes of these features. It should also be noted that, despite the depiction herein of the aligned screw apertures  150  and the aligned passages  190  being positioned in a linear arrangement that follows the length of the elongate shape of the embodiments depicted and described herein, other embodiments are possible in which these features are not arranged in such a linear arrangement. 
         [0059]    Although the invention has been described in a preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the manner of manufacture may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended to protect whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.