Projectile launcher apparatus with magazine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10648764-B2
Application number	US-201816139073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2018
Priority date	Oct 10, 2017
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A toy launcher apparatus of a soft foam dart where the dart is loaded onto a spike in a firing chamber by a pusher panel that presses against the nose of the dart. The apparatus includes a dart magazine with a feed mechanism. The pusher panel is followed by a barrier sleeve that prevents the next uppermost dart in the magazine, which is being biased upward by the feed mechanism, from causing either the uppermost dart or the second uppermost dart to distort and cause a jam. The barrier sleeve also prevents the magazine from being loaded through a top opening until the uppermost dart in the firing chamber is launched. Near the end of a cocking cycle, the pusher panel, which is connected to a cam follower tab that engages a cam member, moves away from a launch path of the dart in the firing chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A projectile launcher apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a projectile magazine connected to the housing for storing a plurality of projectiles;
a firing chamber mounted in the housing;
an energy source mounted to the housing rearward of the magazine for launching a projectile;
a trigger mounted to the housing for releasing the energy source; and
a cocking mechanism operatively connected to the housing and to the energy source, the cocking mechanism being mounted to the housing to move rearward and forward and includes a pusher panel mounted to engage a projectile in the magazine and push the engaged projectile rearward into the firing chamber.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the pusher panel moves rearward and forward with the cocking mechanism and also laterally from a first projectile engaging position to a second position spaced away from a launch path of the projectile.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein:
the pusher panel is located in the launch path of the engaged projectile when in the first position.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein:
the pusher panel is connected to a cam follower tab; and
the cocking mechanism includes a cam member mounted to the housing wherein the cam member and cam follower tab enable the pusher panel to move from the first position to the second position.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the magazine is located forward of the firing chamber and the energy source.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the cocking mechanism includes a barrier member for preventing a next to uppermost projectile in the magazine from interfering with an uppermost projectile in the magazine.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the cocking mechanism includes a barrier member for preventing insertion of a projectile above an uppermost projectile in the magazine.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the barrier member prevents a next uppermost projectile in the magazine from interfering with the uppermost projectile in the magazine.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein:
the pusher panel moves rearward and forward with the cocking mechanism and also laterally from a first projectile engaging position to a second position spaced away from a launch path of the projectile.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein:
in the first position the pusher panel is located in a launch path of the engaged projectile.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein:
the pusher panel is connected to a cam follower tab; and
the cocking mechanism includes a cam member mounted to the housing wherein the cam member and the cam follower tab enable the pusher panel to move from the first position to the second position.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein:
the magazine is located forward of the firing chamber and the energy source.

13. A toy dart launcher apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a dart magazine connected to the housing to enable support of a plurality of soft foam toy darts and a feed mechanism;
a firing chamber mounted in the housing;
a trigger mounted to the housing;
an energy source mounted to the housing for launching a dart; and
a cocking mechanism operatively connected to the housing and to the energy source, the cocking mechanism including a barrier mounted to the housing to prevent a next to uppermost dart in the magazine from interfering with an uppermost dart and to prevent loading of a dart until after the uppermost dart is launched, a pusher panel connected to the barrier and movable between a first position where the pusher panel is enabled to engage and push the uppermost dart rearward into the firing chamber and a second position where the pusher panel is enabled to move laterally away from the dart in the firing chamber, a cam follower tab mounted to the pusher panel for moving with the pusher panel, and a cam member mounted to the housing for engaging the cam follower tab for moving the pusher panel from the first position to the second position.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein:
the barrier selectively prevents insertion of a dart into the top of the magazine.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein:
the pusher panel moves laterally to a longitudinal axis of the launch apparatus when moving from the first position to the second position.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein:
in the first position the pusher panel is located in a launch path of the uppermost dart and in the second position the pusher panel is located spaced away from the launch path of the dart in the firing chamber.

17. A method for assembling a toy projectile launching apparatus comprising the steps of:
forming a housing;
mounting a projectile magazine to the housing for supporting a plurality of toy projectiles and a feed mechanism;
mounting a firing chamber in the housing rearward of the magazine;
mounting a trigger to the housing;
mounting an energy source to the housing for launching a projectile; and
mounting a cocking mechanism to the housing and to the energy source, the cocking mechanism including a pusher panel wherein the pusher panel is enabled to engage and push an uppermost projectile rearward into the firing chamber.

18. The method of claim 17 , including the steps of:
establishing a linear launch path for the projectile in the housing;
establishing a first position for the pusher panel in the launch path and a second position spaced away from the launch path;
mounting a cam follower tab to the pusher panel for moving with the pusher panel; and
mounting a cam member to the housing for engaging the cam follower tab to move the pusher panel from the first position to the second position.

19. The method of claim 18 , including the step of:
mounting a barrier to the cocking mechanism to prevent an adjacent projectile in the magazine from interfering with an uppermost projectile and causing a jam inducing distortion.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein:
the barrier prevents insertion of a projectile above the uppermost projectile.

Assignees

• Hasbro Inc

Inventors

• Spielberger Lee
• Lallier John Paul
• Shing Bun Alan Wong
• Wan Yin Jack Tang
• Hing Tong Martin Leung

Classifications

• F41B7/006 Primary

  Adaptations for feeding or loading missiles from magazines · CPC title

• F41B11/89

  for toys · CPC title