Patent ID: 8132563

Claim:
An air gun comprising: a trigger assembly moveable between a cocked position and an uncocked position; a gas spring assembly including a compression cylinder and a piston slideably disposed about and moveable along a longitudinal axis relative to said compression cylinder between a compressed position and an uncompressed position, wherein said gas spring assembly is configured for compressing a gas within said compression cylinder in response to movement of said piston from said uncompressed position into said compressed position to load said gas spring assembly in preparation for firing a projectile when actuated by said trigger assembly; and a latch assembly moveable along said longitudinal axis relative to said trigger assembly and said gas spring assembly, said latch assembly including a first end and a second end spaced from said first end along said longitudinal axis with said first end releasably latched to said trigger assembly when said trigger assembly is in said cocked position and said first end de-latched from said trigger assembly when said trigger assembly is in said uncocked position, and said second end releasably latched to said piston of said gas spring assembly when said piston is in said compressed position and said second end de-latched from said piston of said gas spring assembly when said piston is in said uncompressed position.