US2802298A - Bubble gun - Google Patents

Description

M. LARIN Aug. 13, 1957 BUBBLE GUN- Filed July 1-, 195s This invention relates to improvements in bubble producing guns.

A particular object of my invention is to provide ay gun for producing bubbles from the muzzle end thereof with a substantially sealed magazine for containing a bubble forming liquid and means operable for dispensing predetermined quantities of the liquid from the magazine to the muzzle end of the gun and foremitting a forced stream of air toward said orifice whenV the liquid is ldisposed across the path of the air stream. n 1

Another object is to provide an air current for increasing the volume and velocity of the air stream to thereby increase the bubble production capacity of the gun.

A furtherobject is to provide a liquid dispenser which While dispensing predetermined quantities of liquidV ensures that the liquid containing magazine is in a sealed condition to prevent leakage from said magazine.

A still further object is to provide a toy gun which is ready at all times to produce and eject bubbles therefrom and which is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to assemble and operate.

A particular feature of my gun is that the muzzle end of the gun isprovided with an arrangement of elements which serve to accumulate soap liquid in a suitable posi' tion about the ejection orifice for sustained feeding of the liquid into the path of the air streamy so that a larger number of bubbles can be formed during a single operation than has heretofore been possible. i i

Another feature consists in the provision of a trigger mechanism having a compression device which is designed to act against an air storage bulb in such av manner as to substantially completely 'deliate the bulb.

Still another feature consists in the provision of a freely movable ball within the muzzle end of thefgun which serves to close the muzzle orilice to prevent leakage of liquid dispensed from the magazine when the gun is not in use, said ball also serving to induce the liquid to form a film across the orifice in readiness for an air stream. l

The above and other objects, advantages and features characteristic of my invention will be understood more readily from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. l is an elevational view of a gun embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the interior mechanism in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along the lines 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of Fig. l. v

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5 indicatesy a shell formed of two complementary half-sections land joined along vertical meeting edges to simulate a configuration of a gun including a hand grip 6, a bulb States i atent f housing 7, a barrel 8, a muzzle 9 and a magazine 10. The forward edge of the hand grip 6 and lower edge of housing 7, adjacent the magazine 10, is slotted, as indicated at 11 to provide an opening through which a trigger mechanism 12 is swingable. Trigger 12 is provided with an upwardly extending yoke 14 which is piv otally connected to trunnions 15 extending inwardly from the side walls of each shell half-section for swinging movement of the trigger about a horizontal axis.

AA rubber bulb 17 'is positioned in the bulb housing 7 of the shell halfsections with its tubular exhaust-intake end 13 directed toward the muzzle end of the gun and terminating adjacent the rear of the barrel 8. The inner edge of trigger 12 has a substantially heini-spherical compression member 19l secured thereto which is adapted to compress the bulb 17 when the trigger is squeezed. The configuration of member 19 is such that it provides substantially complete deflation of the bulb when the trigger is rotated about itshorizontal axis toward said bulb. Bulb 17 is provided with an air breathing vent 20 in the spherical pcrtion'thereof which is closed by contact of the hemi-spherical compression member 19 during squeezing of the trigger 12. As soon as the trigger pressure is released it is returned to its forward position by the biasing action of return spring 21 permitting air intake through breathing vent y20 to accelerate inflation of bulb 17. v

An air expelling tube 22 is mounted in the barrel 8 with one end eccentrically fitted in a plug 23 in the exhaust-intake end k18. The plug 23 disposes the rear end of expelling tube 23 eccentrically of the end y18 of bulb 17 and the tube is secured inthat position between front and rear stabilizers 24 which project inwardly from the barrel side walls against the tube so as to direct the forward end of the tube in alignment with an expelling orifice 25 in the muzzle 9. The eccentric mounting and the stabilizing of tube 22 tends to prevent rotation of the bulb 17 which would displace the breathing vent 2t) relative to the hemi-spherical member 19. It is important that the vent 20 be closed by member 19 when the trigger is squeezed to ensure that a maximum amount of air isV expelled under force through the tube 22.

The barrel 8 is provided with series of air vents 27 which are located rearwardly of the exhaust end of tube 22. The forward or exhaust end of tube 22 is also positioned adjacent the muzzle 9 but rearwardly of the orifice 25 for a sufficient distance in order that expulsion of air from tube 22 may create a vacuum around the end of the tube to which air from the vents 27 is sucked in a manner which increases the volume and velocity of the air stream as it travelsv to the oriiice 25. The volume of air which is thus expelled through the orifice is therefore substantially greater than the original volume of air expelled from the bulb 17 and the velocity of the air is greatly accelerated by reason of the ow of air from the air vents 27 into the vacuum created by the expulsion of air from tube 22. Air vents 27 also provide air supply for refilling bulb 17 which would otherwise draw air through oriiice 25. It will be seen that this latter would create an undesirable condition for reasons which will become more apparent hereinafter.

The magazine 10 has a substantially funnel shaped intake opening 29 which facilitates the filling of the magazine with a liquid soap without spilling same. A suitable stopper 30 is removably fitted in opening 29 and may be provided with an extension member 31 and a retaining bar 32 which, when the stopper is removed from the opening 29, engages the inner wall of the magazine to retain said stopper in suspension. The magazine has a horizontal discharge sleeve opening 34 into the muzzle end of the un. A two-way valve, including inner and outer Valve g members and 36 at opposite ends of a stem 37, is mounted in sleeve 34. The inner valve 35 has an extension rod 38 which projects rearwardly through a closetting orifice in a boss 40 in the rear wall of the magazine. The outer end of rod 38 is provided with a bill hook 41 which lies across the path of a horizontal hookengaging bar 42 carried by the yoke 14 of trigger 12. A spring 43 around rod 3S between the end wall of the magazine and inner valve member 35 normally closes the inner valve 35 against the inner end of sleeve 34 and thereby spaces the outer valve member 36 from the outer end of sleeve 34.

The inner surface of muzzle 9 is provided with a series of stepped corrugations 44 aroundY the upper and side surfaces adjacent a ball seat 45 at the inner end of orifice 25 and a ball gutter 46 alongI the lower surfaces leading to seat 45 along which a ball 47 is guidedY to seat 45 to close the orifice 25.

In order to operate the gun it is first canted, muzzle downwardly, so that ball 47 travels down gutter 46 into seat 45 to close orifice 25. The trigger 12 is then squeezed to open the inner valve member 35 and to close the outer valve member 36 so that a quantity of liquid soap fills the sleeve 34. When the trigger is released, spring 43 closes valve 35 and opens valve 36 permitting the quantity of liquid soap in sleeve 34 to ow toward the muzzle`9 so that quantities of soap adhere to the stepped corrugations 44, the gutter 46, around the ball 47, and form a film across the seat 45 of orifice 25. When the gun is in the downwardly canted position the ball 47 in seat 45 closes orifice 25 to prevent leakage of the soap from the gun. By raising or levelling the gun muzzle, ball 47 is unseated, rolling down gutter 46 without disturbing the soap film. The gun is now ready for action and squeezing of the trigger 12 compresses the bulb 17 to expel a jet of air through tube 22. The air Y from tube 22 together with the acceleration of air from vents 27 impinges against the soap film around orifice 25 causing an emission of up to approximately 30 soap bubbles from the muzzle of the gun. In this connection it is pointed out that, as the bubbles are emitted through the orifice, the soap film, adhering by capillary action to the corrugations44, gutter 46, and similar surrounding portions, is drawn toward the orifice from these surrounding portions by the skin action of the soap film and bubbles are discharged through the orifice as long as the forced air is impinging on the soapy lmat the orifice.

The second mentioned trigger action, in addition to expelling air against the film of soap around the muzzle oriiice, opens the valve 35 to permit filling of sleeve 34. When the bubbles have been' expelled from the gun a downward cant of the muzzleprior` to releasing the trigger will fill the sleeve 34 with` a new supply of liquid. Subsequent release of the trigger opens valve36 discharging the liquid soap which is carried down gutter 46' to where the ball 47 is positioned across the orifice 25. Now the gun is ready for action as previously described. It will be appreciated that, since the orifice 25"is usually coated with a film of soap liquid, it would not be desirable for the air to be drawn through the orifice to reinilate the bulb 17. This is overcome by the fact that the barrel 8 is provided with a sufiieientnumber of-vents 27 to supply an adequate amount of air to `permitiinfiati'on ofthe bulb without breaking the film` over orifice' 25; The breathing vent 2li alsofserves` to accelerate inflation of the' bulb when contact is broken with the hemisphe'rical compression member EL When the gun is tilted with the muzzle down the ball 47 rests in the seat 45 across the orifice 25 and serves as a closure valve to prevent any ofI the liquid soap in the muzzle ofy the gun from escaping through the orifice. As valve 35 is closed` the liquid soap in the magazine cannot escape. Thus the gun may be carried'about without the usual disadvantages. of leakage of-the liquid Acontents normally encountered in guns of a similar type.

The gun may also be used as a water pistol by immersing it in water to cover the vents 27 and orifice 25. Squeezing and releasing the trigger while under water will fill the bulb with water. This will not, however, affect the gun as a bubble producer as it will be automatically converted to a bubble gun, ready for immediate action as soon as the water has been expelled.

What I claim is:

1. A bubble dispensing gun comprising a shell shaped to provide a hand grip section, a bulb housing section located above said hand grip section, a barrel section extending forwardly of said bulb housing section, a muzzle section having a discharge orifice in the forward end of said barrel section and a magazine section for containing a bubble forming liquidv located below said barrel section and rearwardly of the muzzle section; a passage between said magazine and muzzle, closure means for said passage between said magazine and said muzzle, said closure means being normally biased to retain said liquid in the magazine, a flexible bulb mounted in said housing with its discharge end and expansible portion in alignment with said barrel, said bulb having its discharge end connected to the rear end of said barrel, a compression means operable within said shell to compress said bulb for emittingV a forced stream of air from said bulb toward said discharge orifice, and further means connected to said compression means and operable for actuating said magazine closure means to dispense a predetermined quantity of said liquid from the magazine into the said muzzle to formA affilm across said orifice in response to operationl of` said compression means. p

2. A bubble dispensing gun as set forth in claim l, in which said compression means for emitting a forced stream of air comprises a trigger mechanism swingable about a horizontal axis and having a compression member at the end remote from said axis movable with said trigger mechanism into deflating compression with the expansible portion of said bulb, an air expelling tube having one end connected to the discharge end of said bulb, said expelling tube extending forwardly through a substantial portion of` said barrel and having its forward exhaust end directed toward and rearwardly spaced from said orifice, and means for accelerating and increasing the volume of said air stream.

3. A gun as set forth in claim 2, in which said last mentioned means comprises a plurality of air vents in the defining wall of said barrel section of the gun, said vents being located rearwardly of the exhaust end of the expelling tube, the latter being located a predetermined distance from the muzzle orifice to provide a mixing chamber intermediate said exhaust end of the tube and said muzzle in which suction created from the expulsion of air from said tube produces an accelerated flow of air through said vents and into the air stream in said mixing chamber as said air stream is being directed toward said muzzle orice.

4. A gun as set forth in claim 2, including an air breathing vent in said expansible portion of said bulb, said vent being located with respect to said compression member so that the latter covers said vent during compression of the bulb, said vent being exposed upon release of said trigger mechanism to accelerate inllation of the bulb.

5. A gun as set forth in claim l, in which said closure means comprises a two-way valve member for opening one end of the passage and closing the other end, said further means being operably connected to said valve member and said compression means for simultaneously opening the magazine side of the passage and closing the muzzle side to receive therein a predetermined quantity of liquid during compression of said compression means and then for closing said magazine side and opening said muzzle side in response to release of said compression means to discharge only said predetermined quantity of liquid into the muzzle end of the gun, said muzzle end of the gun being also provided with a valve 5 8 seat at the inner end of said orifice, a gutter along the References Cited in the le of this patent bottom wall leading from the two-way valve passage to UNITED STATES PATENTS said Valve seat at the muzzle end along which gutter said

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