Paper Airplane Launcher Toy

Abstract

The present invention relates to a toy which holds and launches multiple paper airplanes. It utilizes a user input device, such as a trigger or button, to initiate firing. On initiation one or more paper airplanes are advanced into a spinning wheel, which is powered by an electric motor, that accelerates the paper airplanes out of the toy. Upon leaving the toy, the paper airplanes fly through the air to their target.

Claims

1. A paper airplane launcher toy comprising: a channel, a user input device, a pushing mechanism, a wheel, and an electric motor, wherein: a) the channel holds a plurality of stacked paper airplanes; b) the user input device actuates the pushing mechanism; c) the pushing mechanism synchronously or asynchronously moves the plurality of paper airplanes into contact with the wheel; d) the wheel is driven by the electric motor; and e) the wheel accelerates paper airplanes fed by the pushing mechanism out of the launcher.

2. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 1 further comprising: a guide fin, wherein: a) the guide fin penetrates the lengthwise crevice on the top surface of paper airplanes; and b) the guide fin maintains crosswise stability during the pushing mechanism's movement of paper airplanes to the wheel.

3. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 1 further comprising: a rate-limiting structure, wherein: a) the rate-limiting structure physically blocks a proper subset of paper airplanes being synchronously moved by the pushing mechanism; b) the remaining paper airplanes being synchronously moved by the pushing mechanism: i. are not blocked, ii. are moved into contact with the wheel by the pushing mechanism, and iii. are accelerated out of the launcher by the wheel.

4. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 1 further comprising: a guide fin, and a rate-limiting structure, wherein: a) the guide fin penetrates the lengthwise crevice on the top surface of paper airplanes; and b) the guide fin maintains crosswise stability during the pushing mechanism's movement of paper airplanes to the wheel. c) the rate-limiting structure physically blocks a proper subset of paper airplanes being synchronously moved by the pushing mechanism; d) the remaining paper airplanes being synchronously moved by the pushing mechanism: i. are not blocked, ii. are moved into contact with the wheel by the pushing mechanism, and iii. are accelerated out of the launcher by the wheel.

5. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 1 further comprising: a detection sensor, wherein: a) the detection sensor is toggled by the presence or absence of paper airplanes; and b) a state of paper airplane absence interpreted by the sensor interrupts or prevents: i. the user input device's actuation of the pushing mechanism ii. the pushing mechanism's movement of paper airplanes into contact with the wheel, and/or iii. the wheel's acceleration of paper airplanes out of the launcher.

6. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 2 further comprising: a detection sensor, wherein: a) the detection sensor is toggled by the presence or absence of paper airplanes; and b) a state of paper airplane absence interpreted by the sensor interrupts or prevents: i. the user input device's actuation of the pushing mechanism ii. the pushing mechanism's movement of paper airplanes into contact with the wheel, and/or iii. the wheel's acceleration of paper airplanes out of the launcher.

7. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 3 further comprising: a detection sensor, wherein: a) the detection sensor is toggled by the presence or absence of paper airplanes; and b) a state of paper airplane absence interpreted by the sensor interrupts or prevents: i. the user input device's actuation of the pushing mechanism ii. the pushing mechanism's movement of paper airplanes into contact with the wheel, and/or iii. the wheel's acceleration of paper airplanes out of the launcher.

8. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 4 further comprising: a detection sensor, wherein: a) the detection sensor is toggled by the presence or absence of paper airplanes; and b) a state of paper airplane absence interpreted by the sensor interrupts or prevents: i. the user input device's actuation of the pushing mechanism ii. the pushing mechanism's movement of paper airplanes into contact with the wheel, and/or iii. the wheel's acceleration of paper airplanes out of the launcher.

9. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 5 further comprising: a feed-blocking structure, wherein: a) the feed-blocking structure physically blocks all paper airplanes being moved by the pushing mechanism; b) the feed-blocking structure is retracted, such that it will not physically block all paper airplanes being moved by the pushing mechanism, if the detection sensor interprets a state of paper airplane presence.

10. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 6 further comprising: a feed-blocking structure, wherein: a) the feed-blocking structure physically blocks all paper airplanes being moved by the pushing mechanism; b) the feed-blocking structure is retracted, such that it will not physically block all paper airplanes being moved by the pushing mechanism, if the detection sensor interprets a state of paper airplane presence.

11. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 7 further comprising: a feed-blocking structure, wherein: a) the feed-blocking structure physically blocks all paper airplanes being moved by the pushing mechanism; b) the feed-blocking structure is retracted, such that it will not physically block all paper airplanes being moved by the pushing mechanism, if the detection sensor interprets a state of paper airplane presence.

12. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 8 further comprising: a feed-blocking structure, wherein: a) the feed-blocking structure physically blocks all paper airplanes being moved by the pushing mechanism; b) the feed-blocking structure is retracted, such that it will not physically block all paper airplanes being moved by the pushing mechanism, if the detection sensor interprets a state of paper airplane presence.

13. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 5 wherein: a) the detection sensor is a depressable detector switch; and b) the detector switch is depressed by the wing or base surface of paper airplanes loaded in the channel or being moved by the pushing mechanism.

14. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 6 wherein: a) the detection sensor is a depressable detector switch; and b) the detector switch is depressed by the wing or base surface of paper airplanes loaded in the channel or being moved by the pushing mechanism.

15. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 7 wherein: a) the detection sensor is a depressable detector switch; and b) the detector switch is depressed by the wing or base surface of paper airplanes loaded in the channel or being moved by the pushing mechanism.

16. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 8 wherein: a) the detection sensor is a depressable detector switch; and b) the detector switch is depressed by the wing or base surface of paper airplanes loaded in the channel or being moved by the pushing mechanism.

17. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 13 further comprising: an elastic containment structure, wherein: a) the elastic containment structure applies pressure against the opposite side of the paper airplane surface which depresses the detector switch; and b) the elastic containment structure includes a cavity for the detector switch such that the detector switch is exclusively depressed by objects between the elastic containment structure and the detector switch and not the elastic containment structure itself.

18. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 14 further comprising: an elastic containment structure, wherein: a) the elastic containment structure applies pressure against the opposite side of the paper airplane surface which depresses the detector switch; and b) the elastic containment structure includes a cavity for the detector switch such that the detector switch is exclusively depressed by objects between the elastic containment structure and the detector switch and not the elastic containment structure itself.

19. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 15 further comprising: an elastic containment structure, wherein: a) the elastic containment structure applies pressure against the opposite side of the paper airplane surface which depresses the detector switch; and b) the elastic containment structure includes a cavity for the detector switch such that the detector switch is exclusively depressed by objects between the elastic containment structure and the detector switch and not the elastic containment structure itself.

20. The paper airplane launcher toy of claim 16 further comprising: an elastic containment structure, wherein: a) the elastic containment structure applies pressure against the opposite side of the paper airplane surface which depresses the detector switch; and b) the elastic containment structure includes a cavity for the detector switch such that the detector switch is exclusively depressed by objects between the elastic containment structure and the detector switch and not the elastic containment structure itself.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 depicts a cutaway view of the internals of a paper airplane launcher toy with three loaded paper airplanes; and

[0026] FIG. 2 depicts a cutaway view of the internals of a paper airplane launcher toy with three loaded paper airplanes and a partially-pulled trigger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Reference will now be made to several potential embodiments of the present invention. Each detail is provided as an explanation of the present subject matter, and should not be construed to narrow the metes and bounds of the invention's broader conception. While the subject matter will be described in conjunction with particular embodiments, it will be apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the art that many further modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit thereof. Thus, it is intended that the present subject matter covers such modifications and variations, inasmuch as they would come within the scope of the appended claims.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, the paper plane launcher toy takes the general shape of a toy gun. The user input device is a trigger, and the device is hand-held.

[0029] In FIG. 1, the trigger [1] is in the non-depressed position. Loaded in the channel [4] are three standard paper airplanes which include a ridge in their vertical bases as a result of the way they were folded. As this is a profile view, the wings of the paper airplanes are coplanar with the line-of-sight perspective. The outline of the vertical base of the bottom stacked paper airplane [6] is visible in the channel [4], along with the aforementioned ridge in this paper airplane's vertical base [8]. The other two paper airplanes [9] stacked on top of the bottom paper airplane [6] are blocked from advancing further forward by the a rate-limiting structure [10]. Only the wing profiles of these two paper airplanes [9] have been included for clarity. The base structures of these two paper airplanes, while omitted, nest in the base structure of the bottom paper airplane [6]. The structure holding the rate limiting structure [10] in its fixed position above the channel [4] has been omitted for clarity. The wheel [3] is directly driven by the electric motor [2]. When the trigger [1] is pulled, it mechanically advances the pushing mechanism [7], which slides along the vertical base of the bottommost paper airplane [6] until it contacts the ridge [8], at which point the paper airplane [6] would begin to be pushed forward until it reached the wheel [3] and experienced an acceleration out of the launcher.

[0030] In FIG. 2, the trigger [1] has been partially pulled, which has advanced the pushing mechanism [7] forward. At this point the pushing mechanism [7] has already began pushing the bottom paper airplane [6] forward, specifically by pushing against the ridge [8] in the bottom paper airplane's vertical base. The other two paper airplanes in the launcher [9] continue to be blocked by the rate-limiting structure [10]; this embodiment only launches a single paper airplane at a time.

[0031] The embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 includes an electronic depressable detection sensor [5] which is depressed by the bottom loaded paper airplane [6]. When the detection sensor [5] is not depressed, an interruption in the power source for the electronic motor [2] stops the wheel [3] from spinning.

[0032] It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, because certain changes may be made in carrying out the above constructions set forth without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.