Patent ID: 7537001

Claim:
A toy gun that uses pressurized air to launch an elongated dart, comprising: an air pressure source; a trigger mechanism for selective control of the air pressure source; a barrel in communication with the air pressure source and having first and second ends, the first end positioned to receive pressurized air from the air pressure source upon activation of the trigger mechanism, the barrel defining a chamber adapted to receive the elongated dart; an elongated dart having a rear bore located in the chamber; the barrel having an inner surface with a restriction proximate to the second end, the restriction reduces a barrel cross-section, taken in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the barrel, to a size corresponding to a size of the elongated dart; and an inner post positioned in the chamber and located at the first end of the barrel to receive pressurized air provided to the barrel for release inside the chamber at a location spaced from the first end of the barrel, the inner post and the inner surface of the barrel forming an annular space that receives an end portion of the elongated dart therein with a portion of the inner post located in the rear bore of the elongated dart so that the pressurized air released through the inner post initially pressurizes the rear bore of the elongated dart and pressurizes the chamber outside of the elongated dart between the first end and the restriction as the dart passes off of the inner post.