Apparatus For Shooting
An apparatus for shooting is disclosed, incorporating a chamber, a gas injection nozzle at the rear end of the chamber connecting to a pressurized gas source, a tubular structure at the front end of the chamber for propelling bullets, and a trigger mechanism for releasing pressurized gas from the gas source into the chamber, wherein the tubular structure includes a nozzle at the front end for molding the bullet from moldable material. The apparatus can mold bullets from moldable material immediately before propelling the bullets, wherein a user can easily changes the size and shape of the bullets by installing different nozzles. The use of moldable material as bullets also provides safety and is suitable for toys, war game weapons, and riot control weapons.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for shooting, and more particularly to shooting by gas propulsion bullets made of modeling clay.
2. Description of Related Art
Toys are one of the most important entertainments for kids as well as adults. Toys such as robots, military models or action figures are always accompanied with guns or shooting weapons that never shoot. This not only disappoints those who want their toys to be as real as possible, but also greatly reduces the fun of playing with these toys. For war game fans, they have always been dreaming of toys with the function of launching missiles, shooting cannons or bullets to make the game more exciting and interesting.
Although guns or shooting apparatuses are readily available in the market as toys, for instance air gun or air compression type shooting apparatus, their structures are too complicated and they have too many components to be put inside toys like the gun of a miniature soldier model. Obviously, there is a need for a new shooting mechanism to make the implementation of shooting in small toys feasible.
Nowadays the bullets used by toy guns or similar shooting apparatuses are made from plastic or metal. These bullets are shaped and sized when produced, and each type suits only specific gun models. This is inconvenient for players, because they need to buy various types of bullets from time to time. If the bullet can be readily made and formed with the desired shape and size, it will bring a great convenience to the users.
Furthermore, most existing bullets usually do not adhere to the target they hit, and those that do are associated with powerful, but dangerous, shooting apparatuses that fire bullets powerfully enough to penetrate into objects, making them unsuitable to be used as a toy. It is evident that, if the bullets would stick onto the target, it will be much easier to figure out the point of impact, and to see if it is a hit or miss.
Additionally, it can be imagined how troublesome it will be if a new bullet has to be loaded every time a shot is fired. Preloaded bullets together with a continual shooting mechanism can make the toy easier to play and more interesting, without bothering the players with the need to keep loading bullets for every new shot.
It is the object of the present invention to overcome substantially, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the disadvantages of existing arrangements.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with a preferred aspect of the invention, there is provided a shooting apparatus comprising: a chamber; a gas injection nozzle at the rear end of the chamber connecting to a pressurized gas source; a tubular structure at the front end of the chamber for propelling bullets; and a trigger mechanism for releasing pressurized gas from the gas source into the chamber; wherein the tubular structure comprises a nozzle at the front end for molding the bullet from moldable material.
The shooting apparatus can further comprise a first piston at the rear end of the tubular structure, the rear portion of the tubular structure being positioned within the chamber; means for mounting the tubular structure for sliding movement between a first position wherein the nozzle is retracted from the moldable material and a second position wherein the first piston is in proximity to the forward end of the chamber, the nozzle being protruded to mold bullets from the molding material; means for isolating the chamber and the tubular structure when the tubular structure is not in the second position, wherein the gas pressure in the chamber urges the first piston, and therefore the tubular structure, to the second position from the first position; means for discharging the gas pressure of the chamber into the tubular structure to propel bullets molded and held by the nozzle when the tubular structure is at the second position; and a resilient member for urging the tubular structure backward from the second position to the first position when the chamber gas pressure is discharged.
The shooting apparatus can further comprise a second piston being disposed in the chamber and coupled to the rear end of the chamber by a resilient member urging the second piston forwardly; and a channel through the first piston wherein the second piston blocks the channel until the tubular structure slides to the second position, during which time the air pressure is discharged from the chamber into the tubular structure.
The second piston comprises a conical head fitting into the channel of the first piston.
The shooting apparatus can further comprise an auxiliary channel for directing the gas pressure from the chamber to the tubular structure when the tubular structure is at the second position, the auxiliary channel being blocked when the tubular structure is not at the second position.
The shooting apparatus can further comprise a bullet strap for storing the moldable material, wherein the bullet strap comprises two conveyors for holding and transporting the moldable material therebetween.
The shooting apparatus can further comprise means for translating the forward sliding movement of the tubular structure to scrolling movement of the bullet strap.
The conveyors can have slots or ridges for gears to engage with.
The nozzle can be, for example, in the shape of a funnel, an hourglass, or a funnel with an extended cylindrical outlet.
The moldable material comprises colored material at the front portion such that the bullet leaves a colored mark upon hitting a target; and lubricant at the rear portion to facilitate the propagation of the bullet through the barrel.
The front end of the gas injection nozzle and the rear end of the tubular structure can be made of flexible material, such as rubber.
The bullet strap comprises a series of cartridges connected with each other, wherein each of the cartridge houses a lump of the moldable material.
The moldable material can be, for example, modeling clay or modeling dough.
These and other objects, aspects and embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Methods and apparatuses for shooting modeling clay bullets are described hereinafter. In the following description, numerous specific details, including manufacturing materials, device structures, and the like are set forth. However, from this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and/or substitutions can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In other circumstances, specific details may be omitted so as not to obscure the invention.
Where reference is made to any one or more of the accompanying drawings to steps and/or features, which have the same reference numerals, those steps and/or features have for the purposes of this description the same function(s) or operations(s), unless the contrary intention appears.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, moldable material such as modeling clay is used as the material for making bullets. It can be shaped into many desired forms as well as many sizes. Moreover, bullets can be easily made by filling the outlet with an appropriate amount of modeling clay until the device runs out of modeling clay. The more modeling clay used to make a bullet, the more air pressure is built within the chamber before projecting the bullet, hence providing a greater propulsive force to shoot the bullet over a longer distance.
In order to identify the point of impact at the target, U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,294 discloses a bullet structure having a Velcro fabric attached thereto. Such a bullet adheres to a target after impact if made of the corresponding Velcro fabric. However, such an arrangement requires the target to be made of Velcro fabrics in order to have the bullet adhered to the point of impact. In the present invention, the modeling clay bullet itself can stick to most solid surface due to its adhesive nature.
In one embodiment of the present invention, it can mold bullets from moldable material immediately before propelling the bullets, wherein a user can easily changes the size and shape of bullets by installing different nozzles.
Moreover, due to the soft texture of moldable material such as modeling clay, bullets molded therefrom provide a smaller collision force on the target and are therefore suitable for toys, war game weapons, and riot control weapons where safety is a critical issue.
As shown in
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a continual shooting mechanism for shooting apparatuses using a modeling clay bullet. The shooting apparatus comprises a bullet strap that contains a plurality of cartridges. Each cartridge is loaded with at least one bullet made of modeling clay. On the bullet strap, there is provided securing slots for a gear to engage. As such, a mechanical translation system such as a gear set can move the strap, and sequentially shift the cartridges over the gas chamber outlet. When the receiving position of a cartridge is coupled to the outlet of the gas chamber, the gas in the gas chamber discharges through the outlet and applies pressure on the bullet in the cartridge. As the pressure accumulates to a certain level, it eventually overcomes the adhesive force between the bullet and the cartridge, and the bullet is propelled into the air.
The bending barrel 601 allows the bullets to be shot out at various positions of the model toy instead of a fixed position aligned with the bullet cartridge 605. The nozzle 603 can be either in various shapes such as funnel-shaped, hourglass-shaped, or funnel-shaped with an extended cylindrical outlet as described in
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, a modeling clay bullet is molded by a nozzle immediately before the bullet is shot out. The modeling clay used as bullet material is made into strip and carried by conveyors. The nozzle moves in and out of the modeling clay to continuously mold and shoot out bullets. At the same time, the conveyor is shifted across the nozzle to supply new modeling clay for bullet molding.
The conveyor can be driven by the movement of the nozzle.
A gas supply 810 is coupled to the end of the fixed tube 803. Gas is injected from the gas supply 810 through a gas injection nozzle 811. The pressure inside the gas chamber formed by the back piston 807 and the fixed tube 803 can be controlled by a pressure controller 812 with a switch 813 to control the gas flow from the gas supply 810. A bypass channel 830 is arranged to connect the front and rear portions of the fixed tube 803 as separated by the back piston 807. After loading the conveyor 802 in the fixed tube 803 as shown in
In
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the barrel may have helix-shaped grooves in the inner surface for imparting a spin to the bullets.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the gas supply can be a pressurized gas cylinder to make the shooting apparatus portable as well as handy to carry.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the shooting apparatus has more than one outlet so multiple bullets can be simultaneously shot out.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITYIt is apparent from the above that the arrangements described are applicable to the toy and weapon industries.
The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.
Claims
1. A shooting apparatus comprising:
- a chamber having a front end and a rear end;
- a gas injection nozzle at the rear end of said chamber connecting to pressurized gas source;
- a tubular structure at the front end of said chamber for propelling bullets, the tubular structure having a front end and a rear end; and
- a trigger mechanism for releasing pressurized gas from said gas source into said chamber;
- wherein said tubular structure comprises a nozzle at the front end for molding said bullet from moldable material.
2. A shooting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a first piston at the rear end of said tubular structure, a rear portion of said tubular structure being positioned within said chamber;
- means for mounting said tubular structure for sliding movement between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position, said nozzle is retracted from said moldable material, and in the second position, said first piston is in proximity to the front end of said chamber, said nozzle is protruded toward said moldable material to mold bullets from said molding material;
- means for isolating said chamber and said tubular structure when said tubular structure is not in said second position, wherein the gas pressure in said chamber urges said first piston and therefore said tubular structure to said second position from said first position;
- means for discharging the gas pressure of said chamber into said tubular structure to propel bullets molded and held by said nozzle when said tubular structure is in said second position; and
- a first resilient member for urging said tubular structure rearwardly from said second position to said first position when the gas pressure in said chamber is discharged.
3. A shooting apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:
- a second piston being disposed in said chamber and coupled to the rear end of said chamber by a second resilient member urging said second piston forwardly;
- a channel through said first piston, wherein said second piston blocks said channel until said tubular structure slides to said second position, during which time air pressure is discharged from said chamber into said tubular structure.
4. A shooting apparatus of claim 3, wherein said second piston comprises a conical head fitting into said channel of said first piston.
5. A shooting apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an auxiliary channel for directing gas pressure from said chamber to said tubular structure when said tubular structure is in said second position, said auxiliary channel blocked when said tubular structure is not in said second position;
6. A shooting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a bullet strap for storing said moldable material, wherein said bullet strap comprises two conveyors for holding and transporting said moldable material therebetween.
7. A shooting apparatus of claim 6, further comprising means for translating the forward sliding movement of said tubular structure to scrolling movement of said bullet strap.
8. A shooting apparatus of claim 6, wherein said two conveyors have elements for gears to engage with.
9. A shooting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said nozzle is of the shape selected from the group consisting of funnel shape, hourglass shape, and funnel shape with an extended cylindrical outlet.
10. A shooting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said moldable material comprises:
- colored material at a front portion such that the bullet leaves a colored mark upon hitting a target; and
- lubricant at a rear portion to facilitate the propagation of the bullet through said tubular structure.
11. A shooting apparatus of claim 1, wherein a front end of said gas injection nozzle and the rear end of said tubular structure are made of flexible material.
12. A shooting apparatus of claim 6, wherein said bullet strap comprises a series of cartridges connected with each other, wherein each said cartridge houses a lump of said moldable material.
13. A shooting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said moldable material is selected from the group consisting of modeling clay and modeling dough.
14. A shooting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said nozzle has a sharp edge at a front end for cutting said bullet out of said moldable material.
15. A shooting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a barrel with helix-shaped grooves in the inner surface for imparting a spin to said bullets.
16. A shooting apparatus of claim 6, wherein said bullet strap comprises protruding portions to push said gas injection nozzle backward after firing a bullet, said gas injection nozzle then blocking the gas supply from said gas source; and
- recess portions to allow said gas injection nozzle to move forward, said gas injection nozzle then ceasing to block the gas supply from said gas source, and a bullet is propelled by the increased air pressure.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 9, 2007
Publication Date: Aug 14, 2008
Inventor: Chun Hing Chung (Hong Kong)
Application Number: 11/673,409
International Classification: F41B 11/00 (20060101);