Abstract:
A toy water gun has a hand pump for pressurizing a reservoir of water and a trigger which controls a valve for allowing pressurized water to squirt from a nozzle when the trigger is pulled. A spring wire which normally urges the trigger toward a rest position engages a contact in response to pulling of the trigger whereby a circuit is completed to energize a motor which drives a slider-crank mechanism for causing reciprocation of the water gun&#39;s barrels, and to energize a sound circuit for simulating the sounds of gun fire.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to children&#39;s toy water guns of the type modeled after a carbine and having a large water reservoir. More specifically, the invention teaches how to provide such a water gun with the capability to squirt water from a plurality of barrels which reciprocate in out of phase synchronization as water is ejected through them, and to emit sounds associated with the firing of a weapon.  
           [0002]    It is known to make water guns having an electrical pump and an electrical noisemaker. In such water guns the trigger is connected to the actuator of an electrical switch in series with a battery and an electric pump. A noisemaker may also be connected to the battery through the switch. Pulling the switch closes a circuit between the battery and pump thereby causing the pump to continuously force water from a reservoir. Such electric water guns are relatively expensive to manufacture, and short lived when subjected to handling by children in their play environments due to the fragility of the electric pumps. Moreover, such pumps draw relatively large currents from the batteries which must be frequently replaced at further expense.  
           [0003]    It is also known in the art to make water guns having a mechanical pump with a plunger in the shaper of the gun trigger. Pulling the trigger forces the plunger into a chamber thereby forcing air into a reservoir filled with water. With each stroke of the trigger, a volume of water is displaced from the reservoir through a nozzle. Such water guns are generally silent and have no moving parts other than the trigger which is actuated by finger pressure and a return spring which restores the trigger to its rest position after each pull. Although inherently more reliable and less expensive than electrically operated water guns, manual water guns of this type are unable to provide children with the thrill of hearing weapon sounds as the water is “fired” from the gun, or to squirt long duration, continuous streams, of water.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings of prior art water guns in teaching how to make a mechanically actuated water gun which can be operated to expel long duration continuous streams of water without any requirement for an electrical power supply, yet which can also emit gun-like sounds, and causing the barrels of the gun to reciprocate, when the trigger is pulled via motor driven slider-crank mechanism connected to the barrels, and an electronic sound system, both of which are connected to a switch actuated by the trigger.  
           [0005]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a water gun which can squirt water from a plurality of reciprocating barrels while emitting sounds associated with the firing of a weapon.  
           [0006]    Another object of the invention is to provide a water gun which can continuously emit pressurized water from a reservoir while operating an electrical sound generator.  
           [0007]    Still another object of the invention is to provide a water gun with a trigger having the feel of a conventional water gun trigger and the ability to emit sounds similar to those of a more expensive electrical pump operated water gun.  
           [0008]    A further object of the invention is to provide a water gun with barrels that reciprocate as water is manually pumped through nozzles in the barrels.  
           [0009]    Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following drawings and description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views.  
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is an exterior side elevation view of an assembled toy water gun in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is an interior side elevation view of the toy water gun of FIG. 1 in a disassembled condition with trigger removed.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a an enlarged fragmentary view showing a portion of the toy water gun as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4A is a fragmentary plan view showing the barrel assembly of the toy water gun of FIG. 1 in a first disposition in use.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4B is a fragmentary plan view showing the barrel assembly of the toy water gun shown in FIG. 4A in a second disposition in use.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4C is a fragmentary plan view showing the barrel assembly of the toy water gun shown in FIG. 4A in a third disposition in use.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5A is a fragmentary plan view showing the trigger assembly of the toy water gun of FIG. 1 in a first disposition in use.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5B is a fragmentary plan view showing the trigger assembly of the toy water gun shown in FIG. 5A in a second disposition in use.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view showing an opposite side of a portion of the toy water gun as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an electric circuit for operating the toy water gun in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0020]    Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a water gun  1  having a housing  3  molded from plastic in the general shape of a futuristic carbine. A grip  5  extends downwardly from the main body  7  of the housing  3 . The grip  5  has horizontally running, vertically spaced, ridges  9  and grooves  11  at its sides and rear, for preventing slippage in the palm of a hand, and notches  13  at its front for receiving the fingers of the gripping hand. Two barrels  12 ,  14  extend from the front of the water gun  1 .  
         [0021]    A generally rectangular trigger guard  15  extends from the front of the grip  5  along the underside of the main body  7  and surrounds a trigger  17  having a surface  18  adapted to be pressed by an index finger for operating the water gun. On top of the trigger is a wall  16  (see FIG. 5A) from which a projection  20  extends rearwardly in axial alignment with a substantially cylindrical plunger  22  reciprocally slideable in a hollow cylinder  24  which leads into a water reservoir  26  having a filling opening which is covered by a threaded cap  28  best seen in FIG. 2.  
         [0022]    Referring to FIG. 3, a hand pump  79  has a cylinder  81  in communication with the reservoir  26 . A plunger  83  is slideable within the cylinder  81  and has a handle  85  for reciprocating the plunger  83  to pump air into the reservoir  26  for pressurizing the water with it.  
         [0023]    A plastic hose  30  has one end connected to a boss  32  surrounding an opening in the wall of the cylinder  24  and an opposite end connected to a central valve port  34  in a three-way valve  36 . A forward valve port  38  of the three-way valve  36  is connected to an inlet port of a T-fitting  40  having two outlet ports  42 ,  44 . A hose  46  extends from one port  42  to an inlet opening  48  in a nozzle  50  mounted within a barrel  12  of the water gun  1 . A hose  52  extends from the other port  44  of the T-fitting  40  to an inlet opening  54  in a nozzle  56  mounted within a barrel  14  of the water gun  1 .  
         [0024]    A hose  58  has one end connected to the third port  60  of the three-way valve  36  and an opposite end connected to a relief nozzle  62  mounted on the butt end of the water gun  1  enabling communication between the ambient atmosphere and the reservoir  26 .  
         [0025]    With the trigger  17  at its rest position, passage of pressurized water from the reservoir to the hoses  46  and  50  is blocked. When the trigger  17  is pulled to its firing position, passage of pressurized water from the reservoir to the hoses  46  and  50  is enabled and water under pressure in the reservoir  26  is forced through the hoses  30 ,  46  and  52  and expelled through the nozzles  50 , and  56  on respective barrels  12 , and  14 .  
         [0026]    As can best be seen in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the trigger  17  has a floor  19  which projects rearwardly and terminates in an edge  21  engageable with a length of an electrically conductive resilient spring wire  23 , a segment of which is wound about a screw  25  threaded into an aperture  27  in a boss  29  integral with the interior of the housing  3 . The spring wire  23  urges the trigger in a forward direction toward a rest position for the trigger  17  as can best be seen in FIG. 5A. When finger pressure is applied to the trigger surface  18 , the trigger  17  moves rearwardly, pivoting the spring wire  23  back about the screw  25  and urging a free end  33  of the spring wire  23  into contact with a contact in the form of a cylindrical sleeve  35  made of a conductive metal and circumscribing a boss  37  integral with the interior of the housing  3 . A securing screw  39  is threaded into the boss  37  for holding the sleeve  35  in place.  
         [0027]    Referring additionally to FIGS. 6 and 7, an end of the spring wire  23  opposite the free end  33  is electrically connected to one terminal of a power supply  47  in a compartment  49  within the housing  3 . The opposite terminate of the power supply is connected to the sleeve contact  35 .  
         [0028]    The power supply contains three size C, 1½ volt batteries  51  connected in series for producing a voltage of 4½ volts. Connected in parallel with the series combination of the power supply  47  and a switch assembly  53  defined by the spring wire  23  and contact  35  are a motor assembly  55  and a sound assembly  57 .  
         [0029]    The motor assembly  55  includes a direct current motor  59 , having a unidirectionally rotatable armature  61  which is part of a slider-crank mechanism. The sound assembly  57  includes a microcircuit with a memory on which there are digitally stored sounds imitative of the firing of an automatic weapon, a digital to analog converter, an amplifier and a speaker for producing audible sounds as will be known to those skilled in the art.  
         [0030]    When the free end  33  of the spring wire  23  engages the contact  35 , the motor  59  is energized, and its armature  61  rotates. Referring to FIGS.  4 A- 4 C, the slider-crank mechanism includes a T-slide  63  slideably mounted on the housing of the motor assembly  55  an having an axial slot in which a boss  65  and cover screw  67 , connected to the housing of the motor assembly  55 , are received. A crank mounted on the armature  61  has a pin  69  disposed in a transverse slot  71  of the T-slide  63  for causing the T-slide  63  to reciprocate in an axial direction parallel to the barrels  12  and  14  as the motor armature  61  rotates.  
         [0031]    A lever  71  is pivotally mounted, at a center opening, over a boss  73  and cover screw  75  fixed to the housing of the motor assembly  55 . A pin  75  on the T-slide  63  extends through an aperture adjacent one end of the lever  71  and is received in an aperture in the slideably mounted barrel  14 . A pin  77  extending from the barrel  12 , transverse to its axis, is received in an aperture adjacent an opposite end of the lever  71 . As the motor armature  61  rotates, the T-slide  63  reciprocates axially, causing the lever  71  to pivot back and forth, and the barrels  12  and  14  to reciprocate in synchronization, 180 degrees out of phase.  
         [0032]    In use, the cap  28  is removed from the reservoir  26  and the reservoir  26  is filled with water, after which the cap  28  is replaced to seal the reservoir  26 . The pump handle  85  is then reciprocated to force air, under pressure, into the reservoir.  
         [0033]    When the trigger  17  is pulled, fluid communication between the reservoir  26  and nozzles  50 ,  56  permits water, under pressure, to be forced from the reservoir  26  through the nozzles  50 ,  56 . Pulling of the trigger also urges the spring arm switch member  23  against the conductive sleeve  35  for completing a circuit between the power supply  47  and motor  59 , thereby causing the motor armature  61  to rotate, and the barrels  12 ,  14  to reciprocate as water is squirted from the nozzles  50 ,  56 . Closing of the switch member  23  also energizes the sound assembly  57  which emanates sounds simulating gunfire.  
         [0034]    It is to be appreciated that the foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention to which modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.