Abstract:
A toy grenade has a container enclosed in a casing consisting of two separable half oval-shaped casings. The container is filled with a mixture of powder and color dye and compressed air. The top of the container is normally retained by a spring biased elongated rod pressed down by a pivotal handle which is mounted by a removable pull pin. The grenade may be activated by removing the pull pin such that the elongated rod will retract to open the top of the container so that the compressed air will cause two casing halves to separate and the mixture of powder and color dye will spread in the air over the intended target area.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to a toy weapon and more particularly to a toy grenade operative for creating a warfare environment in playing a war game 
   2. Background Art 
   War game is immensely popular among some adults, in which opposing teams of people are dressed in army fatigues and using simulated weapons which can be operated to shoot non-harmful ammunition at one another. The ammunition imposes on the target with a color mark to indicate that the latter having been shot or hurt in a simulated manner. Other simulated weapons may also be used. However, most of the simulated weapons heretofore are unable to provide any effective simulated warfare environment or condition without causing some inherent harm to the players. Also, some toy weapons are complex in construction such that they are costly to fabricate and they are generally self destructive similar to genuine weapons so that they are not re-usable after operated and thus they unnecessarily increase the cost of playing the war game. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a toy grenade which can be operated to create an effective simulated warfare condition. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy grenade which are may be re-assembled for further use after operated. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy grenade which is simple in construction. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification in which 
       FIG. 1  is side perspective elevation view of the toy grenade of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front perspective elevation view of one half of the casing of the toy grenade. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective elevation view of the toy grenade of the present invention showing the component parts therein. 
       FIG. 4  is a partial sectional side elevation view showing the separation of the component parts after the grenade has been activated. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   With reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various views, the grenade  10  of the present invention has two generally half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  which are engageable with one another to form an egg-shaped casing similar to a genuine grenade. Although an egg-shaped shape casing is shown as an exemplary embodiment of the toy grenade, the casing may be of any other shape such as a cylindrical shape similar to that of a conventional genuine grenade. The outer surface of the half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  may also be provided with a pattern of grooves  13  similar to that of a genuine grenade. The half oval-shaped casing  11  has a closed semi-circular bottom panel  14  with a linear outer edge  15 . Engageable hinges  16  and  17  are formed at the lower corners of the outer edge  15  of the half oval-shaped casing  11  and similar hinges  18  and  19  are provided at the lower corners of the outer bottom edge of the half oval-shaped casing  12  such that the two half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  may be hingedly mounted together at the bottom with a hinge pin  20 . The casing  10  may be opened by pivoting the two half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  apart from one another relative to the bottom hinge mounting. The casing  10  has an upper opening  21  which may be formed by equal U-shaped cut-outs  22  and  23  provided in the half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  respectively. The opening  21  is surrounded by a short upstanding neck  24  formed by equal semi-circular arcs  25  and  26  formed on the half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  respectively. A first horizontal support arm  27  is formed in the half oval-shaped casing  11  and it is located at a predetermined distance below the opening  21 . A guide opening  28  is located adjacent to the free end  29  of this first horizontal support arm  27 . Similarly a second horizontal support arm  30  is formed in the half-oval casing  12  and a second guide opening  31  is located adjacent to the free end  32  of the second horizontal support arm  30 . The second horizontal support arm  31  is also located in a spaced manner above the first horizontal arm  27 . A cap  33  is mounted at the top of the casing  10 . The cap  33  has a square base portion  34  and a vertical through opening  35  extending through its base portion  34 . The square base portion  34  has dimensions equal to those of the opening  21  of the casing  10  and its has grooves  36  and  37  formed on two opposite sides therein such that the square base portion  34  is mounted to the top of the casing  10  by slidably engaging the grooves  36  and  37  with ridges  38  and  39  formed in the inside surface of the neck  24  of the casing  10  so as to maintain the cap  33  fixedly mounted in place as well as maintaining the half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  mounted together at the top. The square base portion  34  has a circular top plate  40  which covers over the top surface of the top opening  21  of the casing  10 . A cylindrical sleeve  41  extends vertically upward from the circular top plate  39 . The outer cylindrical side wall of the sleeve  41  is spaced from the inner side wall of the through opening  35  of the cap  33  such that a cylindrical space  42  is provided between the sleeve  41  and the through opening  35 . A spiral compression spring  43  is slidably located within the cylindrical space  42 . The upper end of the spiral compression spring  43  normally extends above the upper edge of the through opening  35 . An elongated rod  44  is mounted slidably through the cylindrical sleeve  41 . The elongated rod  44  has a top circular push plate  45  having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the through opening  35  of the cap  33  but equal to the outer diameter of the spiral compression spring  43  and it has an upper portion  46  having a diameter equal to the inside diameter of the cylindrical sleeve  41 , and a lower portion  47  extending downwards slidably through the guide opening  31  of the horizontal support arm  30 . 
   A generally inverted L-shaped pivot arm  48  is pivotally and removably mounted to the cap  33  by a removable pull pin  49  extending through a horizontal through opening  50  formed in the cap  33 . The pivot arm  48  has a handle portion  51  and a flat plate portion  52 . A hook-shaped end  53  is formed at the free end  54  of the flat plate portion  52 . The hook-shaped end  53  is operable to latch with tabs  55  and  56  located at the top edge  57  of the cap  33  located opposite to the mounting of the pull pin  49 . The pivot arm  48  may be mounted to the cap  33  by first latching the hook-shaped end  53  with the tabs  55  and  56  and then pivoted downward as shown by the curved dotted line  58  in  FIG. 1  until its mounting openings  59  is aligned with the horizontal through opening  50  of the cap  33  so that the pull pin  49  may then be inserted through the aligned openings to lock the pivot arm  48  at the downward latched position  60 . At the downward latched position, the flat plate portion  52  of the pivot arm  48  would press the elongated rod  44  downward to its lowest position with the circular push plate  45  lying within the through opening  35  and the spiral compression spring  43  in a compressed state in the cylindrical space  42 . 
   A slide clamp  61  is mounted in a horizontal position in the half oval-shaped casing  12 . The slide clamp  61  consists of two plates  62  and  63  having a curved middle portions  64  and  65  extending outwards opposite to one another. The two plates  62  and  63  are mounted side by side together with mounting and adjustable screws  66  and  67 . A vertical through opening  68  is formed between the two curved middle portions  64  and  65  of the plates  62  and  63  when they are mounted together. The lower portion  47  of the elongated rod  44  extends slidably through the opening  68  when the elongated rod  44  is pushed downwards into the cap  33  by the flat plate portion  52  of the pivot arm  48 . The lower portion  47  of the elongated rod  44  will also extend through the opening  28  of the second horizontal arm  27  of the half oval-shaped casing  11 . The second horizontal arm  27  will position below the slide clamp  61  when the two half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  are mounted together. 
   A powder container  69  is located in the casing  10 . The powder container  69  consists of a receptacle  70  having a top panel  71 . An access opening  72  is formed in the top panel  71  and a filling opening  73  is formed in the bottom panel  74  of the container  69 . The filling opening  73  is aligned with an opening  75  formed in the bottom panel  76  of the half oval-shaped casing  12  when the powder container  69  is located within the casing  10 . A biased air valve  77  is mounted at the aligned filling opening  73  and opening  75  of the half oval-shaped casing  12 . A sealing plug  78  which may be made of rubber material is mountable at the access opening  72  for covering the latter. A spacer cap  79  is placed on top of the powder container  69 . An vertical column  80  extends upwards vertically from the top surface of the spacer cap  79 . The top end  81  of the vertical column  80  is in contact with the lower end  82  of the elongated rod  44  when the latter is at the lower position. 
   Two torsion springs  83  and  84  are mounted on the edges of the half oval-shaped casing  12 . The free end portions of these torsion springs  83  and  84  will extension into the half oval-shaped casing  11  to engage with the free end edges of two horizontal plates  85  and  86  which will pivot the torsion springs  83  and  84  against their spring force when the two half oval-shaped casing  11  and  12  are mounted together. 
   In fabrication, the container  69  is filled with colored powder such as wheat powder mixed with a color dye. A compressed air is injected into the container  69  through the air valve  77 . 
   In use, the toy grenade  10  of the present invention is activated by pulling the pull pin  49  out of the cap  33  and then pivoting the pivot arm  48  upwards before throwing the toy grenade  10  to a target location. With the pivot arm  48  pivoted upwards, the elongated rod  44  is no longer pressed down by the flat plate portion  52  of the pivot arm  48 , so that the elongated rod  44  will be pushed outwards from the cap  33  by the spring force of the compressed spiral spring  43  and the lower end  82  of the elongated rod  44  will retract upward from the top end  81  of the vertical column  80  of the spacer cap  79 . The compressed air within the container  69  will force the sealing plug  78  to separate from the access opening  72 . The compressed air together with the spring force of the torsion springs  83  and  84  will cause the half oval-shaped casings  11  and  12  to disengage from one another and the compressed air will cause the colored powder to emit from the container  69  to spread in the air in the target location simulating a warfare condition. The retracting time of the elongated rod  44  may be varied by adjusting the mounting and adjustable screws  66  and  67  to change the clamping force exerting on the elongated rod  44 . 
   After use, the container  70  may be re-filled with a mixture of color dye and powder and the other component parts may then be re-assembled and the container  70  be re-charged with compressed air by injecting it into the container through the air valve  77 . 
   While there have been described and illustrated preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.