WATER ARROW PROJECTING BOW

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed toward a

pressurized toy water gun bow for projecting

5 water arrows and more particularly to such toy

water gun bows that use self-contained means of

pressurizing a water reservoir with air, creating

a pressure differential between the contained

water and the ambient atmosphere and utilizing

10 this pressure differential to propel water from

the toy in a predetermined manner to create an

"arrow" of water.

2. Prior Art Statement

Water guns have for decades been a very

15 popular child's toy. Since the toy industry is

very competitive, hundreds of different style

water guns have been developed in an attempt to

profit from the toy's inherent popularity. The

most traditional forms of water guns are

activated by a pumping action, either manually

5 through the trigger or automatically through a

battery operated motor. Such pump action water

guns work, but the guns are limited in the

distance the water traveled, the amount of water

projected and the duration of the pumping cycle.

10 In an attempt to improve upon water guns, the toy

industry has developed pressure activated water

guns. Such pressure water guns work upon the

principle of pressure differentials between the

water held within the toy and the atmosphere.

15 The water within the toy is held at a pressure

higher than that of the ambient air. As a

result, when the water within the toy is given an

avenue of escape, the water will stream out under

pressure.

Two primary types of pressure activated

5 water toys exist. The first type is when the

water itself is worked to a pressure higher than

that of the ambient air. This type of water gun

is exemplified by the following:

United States Patent No. 3,197,070 to Curtis

10 F. Pearl et al, shows a water gun activated by

trapping water in a collapsible area. As the

device is collapsed, the pressure of the water

builds, spraying the water out of the one small

orifice left within the pressured area. Once the

15 confined area is fully collapsed, the re-

expansion of the area draws forth more water from

a reservoir, thus priming the water gun for

another cycle.

United States Patent No. 4,854,480 to Robert

S. Shindo and United States Patent No. 4,735,239

5 to Michael E. Salmon et al, both show toy water

devices that use an elastic bladder to pressurize

water. The bladders are filled with high

pressure water, and the bladders respond by

elastically deforming. The source of pressurized

10 water is then removed and the water within the

expanded bladder is held in place by a clapping

device activated by a trigger. The water gun is

used by selectively releasing the water from the

expanded bladder.

15 The second type of pressure activated water

toys are toys that use air pressure to force

water through squirt channels. Such toys that

use this technology are exemplified by United

States Patent No. 4,214,674 to Jones et al. The

Jones patent shows a two piece apparatus

5 consisting of a pressurized water reservoir and a

discharging gun. The Jones patent has a hand

operated air pump but differs from the present

invention in that it is not a bow, it does not

have a one piece self-contained pressurization

10 system, and it lacks the valve configuration

needed to support such a self-contained system.

Additionally, the present invention has the

capability of working at very high pressures and

incorporates safety criteria into its design to

15 eliminate the inherent dangers of high pressure

liquids.

United States Patent No. 4,911,364 is

directed to a water gun which is encompassed in a

bow handle and utilizes a bow string to impart

strong force to fire the gun. It does not

5 utilize increased air pressure on water to propel

water by opening a release means.

United States Patent No. 3,877,611 covers a

combination bow/water gun and includes water

storage in the bow handle. It fires a slug of

10 water using a plunger but does not use air to

pressurize water in its storage reservoir nor

utilize a pull mechanism to open a release means

upon release of the pull mechanism.

Thus, the prior art does teach the use of

15 toy water guns that operate by the pressurization

of stored water, but the prior art does not teach

or suggest a toy water gun bow that has a self-

contained means of pressurizing stored water with

air, and has a valve configuration that allows

pressuring inlet air and exiting pressurized air

5 and water to exit the stored water reservoir

through and by the same opening. Thus, the water

gun of the present invention may be a one piece

unit with a high pressurization capacity which

results in ease of both use and manufacture.

10 Also, the prior art fails to teach or suggest the

use of highly pressurized air with toy water gun

bows and fails to recognize the needed design

criteria and safety allowances to eliminate the

traditional hazards of producing, storing and

15 discharging high pressure liquids.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a toy water bow

which is operated by selectively releasing water

from a water reservoir that is pressurized with

air. The present invention is a one piece device

5 formed in the general shape of an archery bow

that has a manually operated air pump

incorporated into it. The air pump pressurizes a

water reservoir and consequently exerts pressure

on water contained therein. The pressurized air

10 and water have an avenue of release that is

regulated by a pull mechanism of the invention.

When no force is applied to the pull mechanism,

the pressurized air and water are held at bay

with no means of release from the reservoir.

15 When force is applied to the pull mechanism in a

predetermined manner, water is released from the

pressurized reservoir and is channeled through a

narrow nozzle. The escape of the water through

the narrow nozzle creates a stream of propelled

water in the form of an "arrow" of a

5 predetermined length. The shooting may be

repeated until the water is consumed or until the

pressure of the reservoir equals that of the

ambient air.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

10 The invention will be more fully understood

by referring to the following detailed

specifications, the above specification and the

claims set forth herein, when taken in connection

with the drawing appended hereto, wherein:

15 Figure 1 shows a vertical cross-sectional of

one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention is, as mentioned,

directed toward a toy water gun bow that uses air

to pressurize water in a storage reservoir and to

5 propel the water through a narrow nozzle.

Pressurized water toys are not new; they have

been in existence for decades. Water pressure

has been used in the toy industry for everything

from launching toy rockets to propelling toy

10 cars. Pressurized water toys come in two primary

types. First are water toys that use mechanical

means to directly compress and pressurize water.

Such toys represent a majority of the water toys

manufactured today, and are exemplified by

15 traditional water guns that use a trigger

operated pump or a battery powered motor to

squirt small amounts of water.

The problem with toys that directly pump

water is that to achieve the required pressure

for a satisfactory squirt, a small diameter

5 piston is required. This in turn limits the

amount of water that can be squirted in each

shot. In addition, the speed at which the pump

is activated, whether manually or by motor,

affects the distance of the shot, and it requires

10 many cycles to project any significant amount of

water.

To solve these, toy manufacturers have

turned to the technology of compressed air to

pressurize a reservoir of water. Air is

15 compressed to high pressures and this high

pressure can be transferred to stored water.

This technology is easily adapted to a child's

strength and allows a relatively large amount of

water to be pressurized at one time. This large

reserve of pressurized water allows a water gun

5 to fire a large continuous stream of water at one

time without the need for repeated pumping

cycles.

The problem with air pressurized toys is one

of safety. Toys are designed to be inexpensive

10 so as to be widely marketable. As such, most

toys are made of plastics or other inexpensive

materials. Such materials do not have large

tensile strengths or fatigue characteristics, and

therefore do not lend themselves well to

15 containing pressurized fluids. Plastic

containments of pressurized liquids, if not

properly designed, can rupture and explode

causing severe injury. The present invention has

a unique design that allows for both the use of

high pressure air and the elimination of

5 potential rupturing hazards. The present

invention has a cylindrical water reservoir which

is attached to the housing of the bow. There is

a single orifice, in conjunction with the

generous radii used at the cylinder ends, to

10 serve to maintain the integrity of the water

reservoir walls and minimize the leak points

throughout the material of the water reservoir at

its connection to the housing, allowing for the

safe use of high pressures while relying upon a

15 single orifice for pressurizing air to enter and

pressurized air and water to exit the reservoir.

The present invention was designed so that both

the pressurized air from the air pump and the

exiting pressurized water utilize the same

opening without back flow problems to either.

5 Additionally, since the water reservoir must be

periodically refilled with water, a separate fill

cap may be used, or in a preferred embodiment,

the water reservoir has only one opening and is

designed to detach from the air pump inlet and

10 the pressurized water outlet so that ambient

pressure water can be added.

The present invention is generally a toy

device formed in the general shape of a bow that

has a manually operated air pump incorporated

15 into the design. The air pump pressurizes a

water reservoir and consequently pressurizes the

air so as to exert pressure on water contained

therein. The pressurized air and water have an

avenue of release that is regulated by a water

release means which itself is actuated by a pull

5 mechanism of the invention. When no force is

applied to the water release means, the

pressurized water is held at bay with no means of

release from the reservoir. When force is

applied to the water release means via the pull

10 mechanism, water is released from the pressurized

container and is channeled through a narrow

nozzle. The escape of the pressurized water

through the narrow nozzle creates a stream of

propelled water that lasts for a predetermined

15 amount of time, e.g. by regulation of recovery of

closure of the water release means. Repeat shots

can be made until the water supply is exhausted

or until the pressure of the water equals that of

the ambient air. Water is added to the present

invention by removing either a fill cap or the

5 entire water reservoir from the gun, filling the

reservoir and reattaching the cap or reservoir.

Upon reattachment, there is an orifice which

serves as both the entrance point of pressurized

air from the air pump, and the exit point of the

10 pressurized air and water. This single orifice

water reservoir exit design holds the integrity

of the reservoir's walls intact, allowing the

water reservoir to hold high pressures without

fear of rupture. Additionally, the danger of

15 rupture is eliminated by a release means device

that automatically and safely discharges

pressurized water when over pressurized, until

the maximum allowable pressure is reached.

The present invention water gun bow is, as

mentioned, operated by releasing the pressurized

5 water through a narrow nozzle. The release of

the pressurized water is controlled by the pull

mechanism which actuates the water release means.

Since the present invention has the ability to

operate at high pressures, the water release

10 means performs two functions. First, it controls

the amount of water released and, second, it

serves as a safety valve. The release means of

the present invention pinches the exit hosing for

the pressurized water. The pinching force is

15 created by a spring. When the water release

means is actuated, the spring bias of the

pinching member is overcome and water is

released. Similarly, when the pressure in the

water reservoir reaches beyond safety

limitations, the force of the compressed air will

5 overcome the spring bias of the pinching member

allowing air and/or water to be released until

the pressure within the reservoir reaches a safe

level.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a

10 vertical cross-sectional view of one preferred

embodiment of the present invention toy water gun

bow 1 in the general shape of a bow, having a

main housing 7 with extending bow arms such as

arm 3, bow string 5 and pull mechanism handle 9.

15 The detachable water storage reservoir 15 is held

to the main housing 7 via an attachment collar 19

and reservoir mount 21. The air pump of the

present invention is embodied within the main

housing 7 but the handle to the pump is a slider

handle 45 attached to the piston rod 49 that

5 travels along, and is guided by the piston

cylinder 43.

To fill the water reservoir 15 with water,

the water reservoir 15 must be detached from the

main housing 7 by unscrewing the threaded collar

10 19 from the sympathetically threaded reservoir

mount 21. Water is then placed into the

reservoir 15 and the water reservoir 15 is

rethreaded into position. Once filled with

water, the toy water gun bow 1 is operated by

15 pressurizing the water reservoir 15 with air.

Air is forced into the reservoir by the relative

movement of the piston 51 within the air pump

cylinder 43. The piston 51 is operated by the

pump rod 49 that connects the piston 51 to the

slider handle 45. The slider handle 45 is

5 operated manually by the user of the toy water

gun bow 1. A user holds the slider handle 45

with one hand and the bow 1 at grip handle 8 with

the other. The slider handle 45 is then moved

back and forth along the length of the cylinder

10 43. The back and forth action is transferred to

the piston 51, which forces air past an 0-ring

valve 53 and through openings, such as orifice

63, and through a one way flow valve 57, which

seats on rest 55. The air exits at opening 59,

15 through connector 61, flexible inlet tube 37

(connected to mount 21 at coupler 31) into inlet

orifice 33, single orifice 17 and into the water

reservoir 15. Air is continuously added to the

water reservoir 15 until a desired pressure is

reached.

5 Once under pressure, the water in reservoir

15 is prevented from flowing freely through the

outlet tube 23 by a pinch bar 81 that clamps the

outlet tube 23 against a stop 82 that is part of

the main housing 7. The pinch bar 81 is biased

10 against the outlet tube 23 by a calibrated spring

87. The spring is held at one end by a formation

85 of the main housing 7 and at the other end to

pinch bar 81 at opening 83. The strength of the

spring 87 in its biased configuration is

15 calibrated, so that when the pressure on the

water within reservoir 15 and within the outlet

tube 37 reaches a predetermined maximum valve,

the spring 87 will allow the pinch bar 81 to rise

(open) and water will be released until safe

pressure is maintained.

5 Absent an automatic water release for an

overly high pressure, water is released in the

following manner. The user holds housing 7 at

handle 8 in one hand and pulls on pull mechanism

handle 9 and this compresses spring 91 via piston

10 rod 71 and piston 73. 0-ring 75 allows air into

cylinder 93 but not out and thus acts as a one

way valve. When handle 9 is released, bow string

5 and spring 91 push the handle 9, piston rod 71

and piston 73 inward compressing air and pushing

15 plunger 97. Plunger 97 is connected to cylinder

93 so cylinder and plunger move together to push

against pinch bar. Plunger 97 pushes against

pinch bar 81 to open outlet tube 23 as the

transferred force applied to the pinch bar 81

acts in opposition to the biasing force of spring

5 87. When the force of the plunger 97 overcomes

the force of the spring 87 the pinch bar 81 is

lifted from the outlet tube 23 and water is

allowed to pass through the outlet tube 23. The

outlet tube 23 terminates at a nozzle head 13

10 attached to housing 7 by nozzle housing 11

(preferably in the shape of an arrow head) .

Water streams out of the narrow opening 41 as

long as compressed air remains between piston 73

and plunger 97. The compressed air is allowed to

15 leak through opening 79. After all compressed

air has leaked out then pinch bar and spring 87

return plunger 97 to the at rest position and

exerts pressure by way of the pinch bar to the

outlet tube. Opening 79 in plunger 97 is

calibrated to retain enough compressed air to

5 move plunger 97 and to leak the air for a length

of time so a slug of water is ejected for a

predetermined amount of time in the form of an

"arrow" shot.

It is understood that although the invention

10 described within the above specification shows

the best known mode of the present invention, the

invention may be formed, shaped, practiced, or

made of differing materials than is specifically

described within. For example, the pull

15 mechanism could open the pinch bar or other

release means upon pulling instead of releasing

so as to allow the user to control the duration

of the shot. Likewise, other release means than

a pinch bar could be used, e.g. a gate valve or

other valve or closing mechanism. Also, the

5 storage reservoir could be of a different shape

and could be integrated further into the design,

and/or multiple tanks could be used.

Further, as used in this invention, the

claimed storage reservoir could be used in

10 conjunction with an alternative water source.

Other variations should be deemed to now be

within the purview of the artisan without

exceeding the scope of the invention.

15