Toy projectile launcher apparatus
AssigneeHasbro, Inc.
InventorsRobert James VICTOR, Meredith Brooks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Several variations of a toy projectile launcher apparatus for discharging EVA balls. The apparatus includes a housing, a barrel portion, a grip portion, a trigger, a ram movable in the housing, a carriage also movable in the housing, a negator spring, handles for cocking the apparatus, and a lever pivotally mounted to a shaft in the housing just behind a ball to be discharged. In operation, a user pulls a handle rearward to move the ram and carriage and extend the spring. Pulling the trigger disengages the ram to impact the lever causing the lever to slap the ball to cause discharge of the ball. The lever and the shaft may be moved from side to side to cause the ball to be discharged straight ahead or curved to the left or right.
Claims17
A projectile launcher apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a longitudinal axis;
- structure connected to the housing for providing energy to discharge a projectile mounted to the housing;
- structure connected to the housing for imparting discharge energy to the projectile, the structure for imparting discharge energy being movable in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing for curving a projectile upon discharge;
- and
- structure connected to the energy imparting structure for moving the energy imparting structure.
A projectile launcher apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a handle mounted to the housing and movable between forward and rearward positions for extending a launch spring located in the housing;
- a lever connected to the housing by a rotatable shaft for imparting discharge energy to the projectile, the lever being movable laterally;
- structure mounted to opposite ends of the shaft for enabling a user of the launcher apparatus to move the lever and the shaft in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft;
- and
- a ram in operable engagement with the handle and the launch spring for impacting the lever to cause the lever to pivot and hit the projectile in a predetermined location.
A method for making a toy launcher apparatus capable of discharging spherical projectiles, the steps of the method comprising:
- providing a housing having a longitudinal axis;
- connecting structure to the housing for providing energy to discharge a projectile;
- connecting structure to the housing for imparting energy to the projectile;
- and
- connecting structure to the energy imparting structure for moving the energy imparting structure in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.