Toy launch apparatus with open top dart drum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513075-B2
Application number	US-201514791292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2015
Priority date	Jul 8, 2014
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Several embodiments of toy dart launch apparatus are disclosed including two crossbows with stretchable cords, a spring driven apparatus and an apparatus with battery operated rotatable wheels. Each apparatus includes an open top drum for receiving and storing darts. The darts are tubular and formed of soft foam. The drum includes an open outer surface with spaced recesses so that loaded darts are exposed, the darts being received by a spike in each recess. The recesses also include protrusions for restraining the stored darts on the spike, and a platform is mounted in the crossbows to support each dart when the released stretched cord impacts the dart. In the case of a rotating wheel arrangement, there is no need for spikes on drum or a platform.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A toy dart launch apparatus comprising:
a housing;
an energy generating mechanism mounted to the housing for discharging a dart having a deformable wall;
a trigger operatively connected to the energy generating mechanism; and
a generally cylindrical drum having an open, uncovered circumferential surface when mounted to the housing, the cylindrical drum having a longitudinal axis, and a plurality of spaced apart recesses in the circumferential surface, each recess extending parallel to the longitudinal axis and structured to receive and store a dart prior to launch, the dart having a deformable body, wherein each recess of the plurality of recesses is structured to leave a portion of the body of a received dart accessible, exposed and uncovered when the drum is mounted to the housing, and a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion mounted in a recess extending parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein each protrusion is located and structured to help restrain the dart received by the recess, and each protrusion is covered by a dart loaded in the recess.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the energy generating mechanism is a pair of spinning wheels.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the energy generating mechanism is a stretchable string or cord.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions is mounted to a corresponding recess of the plurality of recesses.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , including:
a plurality of spikes mounted to and extending parallel to the longitudinal axis, each spike of the plurality of spikes being operatively aligned with a corresponding recess of the plurality of recesses.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , including:
a plurality of second protrusions, each of the second protrusions being mounted to a corresponding spike and being oppositely disposed from a corresponding protrusion of the first mentioned plurality of protrusions.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , including:
a platform mounted to the housing and positioned to engage a dart mounted to the drum when the dart is engaged by the energy generating mechanism.

8. A method for assembling a toy dart launch apparatus comprising the steps of:
forming a housing;
mounting an energy generating mechanism to the housing for engaging and causing the toy dart to discharge;
mounting a trigger to the housing;
connecting the trigger to the energy generating mechanism for activating the energy generating mechanism;
forming a generally cylindrical drum, the cylindrical drum having a circumferential surface, a longitudinal axis, a plurality of spaced apart recesses in the circumferential surface, and a plurality of protrusions, each recess extending parallel to the longitudinal axis and structured to receive and store a deformable dart prior to launch, each protrusion extending parallel to the longitudinal axis located and structured to help restrain the dart received by the recess the received dart covering the protrusion, and the circumferential surface between each of the recesses being clear of any structure; and
mounting the drum to the housing wherein the circumferential surface of the drum is uncovered and each recess of the plurality of recesses is structured to leave a portion of the dart uncovered.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , including the step of:
locating a plurality of second protrusions on the drum, each second protrusion of the plurality of second protrusions located opposite a corresponding protrusion of the first mentioned plurality of protrusions.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , including the step of:
mounting a spike to the drum parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drum and in alignment with a recess of the plurality of recesses.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8 , including the step of:
mounting a platform to the housing to bear against a dart when the dart is engaged by the energy generating mechanism.

12. A dart magazine for a toy dart launch apparatus comprising:
a cylindrical housing having first and second ends, a circumferential surface and a longitudinal axis;
a support structure connected at the first end of the cylindrical housing;
a plurality of recesses formed in the circumferential surface of the cylindrical housing, each of the recesses extends parallel to the longitudinal axis from the support structure at the first end to the second end of the cylindrical housing, and each of the recesses includes a curved wall that in a section view disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis is a portion of a circle;
each recess of the plurality of recesses for receiving a cylindrical dart having a deformable wall, the wall having an outer surface exposed without any cover after the dart is received by a corresponding recess and until the dart is discharged from the dart launch apparatus;
the circumferential surface of the cylindrical housing between recesses being uncovered and clear of any structural element; and
a plurality of protrusions extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical housing, each protrusion being mounted to the curved wall of a corresponding recess and being covered by a dart loaded in the recess, and each protrusion enabling the wall of a received dart to be deformed.

13. The dart magazine apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , including:
a plurality of posts attached to the support structure at the first end of the cylindrical housing and extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical housing, each of the posts being spaced away from the curved wall of a corresponding recess and spaced away from the circumferential surface of the cylindrical housing.

14. The dart magazine apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , including:
a plurality of second protrusions, each second protrusion being mounted to a post wherein the wall of the dart is received between the second protrusion on a post and the corresponding first mentioned protrusion on a corresponding recess curved wall, and each second protrusion being covered by a loaded dart.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein:
each second protrusion is oppositely disposed from a corresponding protrusion of the first mentioned plurality of protrusions.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , including:
a platform mounted to the apparatus and positioned to engage a dart mounted to the drum at the time the dart is being launched from the drum.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , including:
a platform mounted to the apparatus and positioned to engage a dart mounted to the drum at the time the dart is being launched from the drum.

Assignees

• Hasbro Inc

Inventors

• Lallier John Paul
• Nugent David Michael
• Mermelstein Katherine A
• Keska Tadeusz W

Classifications

• F41B11/89

  for toys · CPC title

• F41B11/54

  the projectiles being stored in a rotating drum magazine · CPC title

• F41B7/08

  Toy guns {, i.e. guns launching objects of the gliding type, e.g. airplanes, parachute missiles (F41B7/006 and F41B7/02 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F41B5/12

  Crossbows · CPC title

• F41A17/46

  Trigger safeties, i.e. means for preventing trigger movement (F41A17/02 - F41A17/40 take precedence) · CPC title