Toy water gun actuation mechanism

Abstract

A toy water gun actuation mechanism for controlling opening of a valve with a base, a trigger, a coupling member being configured to be connected to the valve member and including a movably supported blocking member with an abutment that enables a valve to be opened and closed in a given period if the blocking member is in a blocking position and if the coupling member is in the a first position, the abutment then being positioned in trajectory of the coupling member defined by a movement of the coupling member from the first position into a second. If the blocking member is in its non-blocking position, the abutment is located outside the trajectory. A first elastic member is connected to the trigger and to the coupling member, The trigger has a pusher dog configured to move and/or release a movement of the blocking member into a non-blocking position.

Claims

1. A toy water gun actuation mechanism for controlling opening of a valve with a valve member wherein the valve member has a closed position and an open position, the water gun actuation mechanism comprising: a base, a trigger, being movably supported relative to the base and having at least an actuated position and a non-actuated position, a coupling member configured to be connected to either or both of the valve member or to a valve member connection rod, wherein the coupling member is movably supported relative to the base at least from a first position to a second position; a blocking member with an abutment movably supported relative to the base and relative to the coupling member, the blocking member having a blocking position and a non-blocking position, when the blocking member is in the blocking position and when the coupling member is in the first position, the abutment being positioned in a trajectory of the coupling member defined by a movement of the coupling member from the first position into the second position, when the blocking member is in a non-blocking position, the abutment is located outside the trajectory being defined by the movement of the coupling member a first elastic member is connected to the trigger and to the coupling member, the potential energy being stored by the first elastic member being increased, when the trigger is moved from the non-actuated position towards the actuated position while the coupling member is maintained in the first position by the blocking member, the trigger having a pusher dog configured to move and/or release a movement of the blocking member from the blocking position into the non-blocking position when the trigger is moved from the non-actuated position towards the actuated position.

2. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 1, further comprising: a slider, the slider being: movably supported relative to the base and having a third position and a fourth position, releasably coupled to the trigger, configured to connect the trigger with the first elastic member when coupled to the trigger, and configured to disconnect the trigger from the first elastic member when not coupled to the trigger.

3. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 1, further comprising: the trigger, the slider, or both being configured to movably support a locking member having a locking position and a non-locking position, the locking member, when in the locking position, being configured to provide a positive locking and/or an interference fit between the trigger and the slider, thereby coupling the slider to the trigger, the locking member, when in the non-locking position, being configured to release the positive locking and/or the interference fit, respectively, thereby uncoupling the trigger and the slider.

4. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 3, further comprising: the locking member, when in the locking position, being in the trajectory of the coupling member when moving the coupling member from the first position to the second position, the coupling member being configured to entrain the locking member into the non-locking position when moving the coupling member from an intermediate position to the second position.

5. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 3, further comprising: the locking member configured to be biased towards the locking position.

6. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 4, further comprising: the locking member configured to be biased towards the locking position.

7. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 2, further comprising: the trigger, the slider, or both, being configured to movably support a locking member having a locking position and a non-locking position, the locking member, when in the locking position, being configured to provide a positive locking and/or an interference fit between the trigger and the slider, thereby coupling the slider to the trigger, the locking member, when in the non-locking position, being configured to release the positive locking and/or the interference fit, respectively, thereby uncoupling the trigger and the slider.

8. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 3, further comprising: the locking member, when in the locking position, being in the trajectory of the coupling member when moving the coupling member from the first position to the second position, the coupling member being configured to entrain the locking member into the non-locking position when moving the coupling member from an intermediate position to the second position.

9. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 7, further comprising: the locking member, when in the locking position, being in the trajectory of the coupling member when moving the coupling member from the first position to the second position, the coupling member being configured to entrain the locking member into the non-locking position when moving the coupling member from an intermediate position to the second position.

10. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 2, wherein the slider, when in the fourth position, is configured to be biased towards the third position.

11. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 7, wherein the slider, when in the fourth position, is configured to be biased towards the third position.

12. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 2, further comprising one or both of: at least a portion of the coupling member being in the trajectory of the slider, when moving the slider from the fourth position to the third position and when the coupling member has not been shifted back into its first position; and at least a portion of the slider being in the trajectory of the coupling member, when moving the coupling member from the second position to the first position and when the slider has not been shifted back into the third position.

13. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 3, further comprising one or both of: at least a portion of the coupling member being in the trajectory of the slider, when moving the slider from the fourth position to the third position and when the coupling member has not been shifted back into its first position; and at least a portion of the slider being in the trajectory of the coupling member, when moving the coupling member from the second position to the first position and when the slider has not been shifted back into the third position.

14. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 13, further comprising: when the blocking member is in the non-blocking position and if the coupling member is in the first position, then at least a portion of the blocking member is in the trajectory or the trigger when moving the trigger towards the non-actuated position, and in that the trigger is configured to entrain the blocking member into the blocking-position when moving the trigger into the non-actuated position, while the coupling member is in the first position.

15. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 1, further comprising: when the blocking member is in the non-blocking position and if the coupling member is in the first position, then at least a portion of the blocking member is in the trajectory or the trigger when moving the trigger towards the non-actuated position, and in that the trigger is configured to entrain the blocking member into the blocking-position when moving the trigger into the non-actuated position, while the coupling member is in the first position.

16. The toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 2, further comprising: when the blocking member is in the non-blocking position and if the coupling member is in the first position, then at least a portion of the blocking member is in the trajectory or the trigger when moving the trigger towards the non-actuated position, and in that the trigger is configured to entrain the blocking member into the blocking-position when moving the trigger into the non-actuated position, while the coupling member is in the first position.

17. A liquid dispensing or dosing device, comprising: a housing, and/or a liquid tank having an outlet; and/or a valve with a valve conduit, a valve inlet port, a valve opening, a valve outlet port and a movably supported valve member, wherein the valve member has closed position in which the valve member closes the valve opening and an open position in which the valve member releases the valve opening; a tube with a tube wall providing a fluid communication of the outlet of the liquid tank with the inlet port of the valve conduit; and/or a nozzle being in fluid communication and/or integral with the outlet port of the valve; and/or the device comprising the toy water gun actuation mechanism of claim 1, wherein the valve member is attached to the coupling member and configured to entrain the valve member from the closed position into the open position if the coupling member is moved from the first position into the second position.

18. The device of claim 17, the device further comprising: a rod having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end is attached to and/or unitary with the valve member and the distal end is attached to and/or unitary with the coupling member.

19. The liquid gun of claim 17, further comprising: the liquid tank being a pressure tank configured to contain a pressurized liquid; the base being integrated into a liquid gun housing; the base being unitary with the liquid gun housing; or any combination thereof.

20. The liquid gun of claim 18 further comprising: the liquid tank being a pressure tank configured to contain a pressurized liquid; the base being integrated into a liquid gun housing; the base being unitary with the liquid gun housing; or any combination thereof.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) In the following, embodiments will be described by way of example, without limitation, with reference to the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows an actuation mechanism in an initial state.

(3) FIG. 2 shows the actuation mechanism in first stage of operation.

(4) FIG. 3 shows the actuation mechanism in a second stage of operation.

(5) FIG. 4 shows the actuation mechanism in a third state of operation.

(6) FIG. 5 shows the actuation mechanism in a fourth state of operation.

(7) FIG. 6 shows the actuation mechanism in a sixth state of operation.

(8) FIG. 7 shows the actuation mechanism in a seventh state of operation.

(9) FIG. 8 shows the actuation mechanism in a eighth state of operation.

(10) FIG. 9 shows the actuation mechanism returning back to the initial state.

(11) FIG. 10 shows a potential non-precise return to the initial state.

(12) FIG. 11 shows the potential non-precise return to the initial state corrected.

(13) FIG. 12 shows the actuation mechanism of FIGS. 1 to 11 installed in a toy water gun, being an example for a liquid dispensing apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(14) An actuation mechanism 1 in FIG. 1 has a base 30 forming a housing. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 an optional over for closing the base 30 has been omitted to visualize the different positions of the parts and their interaction.

(15) As shown in FIG. 1, the actuation mechanism 1 has a coupling member 50 being configured to be coupled to a valve member, e.g. to (or via) a valve rod 25 having a longitudinal axis 2. The coupling member 50 provides an interface which may be adapted to any valve. As shown, the coupling member 50 may for example have an optional recess for receiving the distal end of the valve rod 25 in what is referred to herein as the front side 53 of the coupling member 50. The arrow 3 thus indicates the forward direction 3 and the arrow 4 the rearward direction 4.

(16) The valve rod may be firmly attached to the coupling member, but as well with a predefined mount of axial play, which eases assembly the final liquid dispensing device and further contributes to its reliability and hence quality. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 11, the distal end of the valve rod 25 may extend through an opening into a chamber of the coupling member 50. A lock nut, a retaining ring and/or any other type of axial fastening means 27 may abut the valve sided portion of the chamber wall and thereby entrain the valve member and/or the valve rod 25 in case the coupling member 50 is moved towards the second position, i.e. in the rearward direction 4 (see e.g. FIG. 3). When moving the coupling member 50 towards its initial first position, the distal end face of the valve member and/or of the valve rod 25 may abut the valve facing portion of the chamber wall and thereby entrain the valve and/or the valve rod 25 (see e.g. FIG. 9).

(17) The coupling member 50 may be movably supported by the base 30. The base 30 thus provides a support structure and one could as refer to the base 30 as support 30 or housing bottom 30. The at least two opposed plain bearing surfaces 35 can extend at least substantially parallel to the forward direction 3 thereby enabling a movement of the coupling member 50 in between of a first position (being shown in FIG. 1) and a second position as shown in FIG. 4.

(18) The actuation mechanism may further comprise a trigger 90. The trigger 90 provides a user interface to open the valve for a duration being defined by the actuation mechanism 1. To this end, the trigger 90 is movably supported by the base 30 and can be moved from a non-actuated position (FIG. 1) into an actuated position (see FIG. 3). Like the coupling member 50, the trigger 90 may as well be movably supported by at least two opposed plain bearing surfaces 39 of the base 30. The trigger 90 may be biased towards the non-actuated position, e.g. by a return spring (omitted in the figures) or any other elastic member and/or potential energy storage.

(19) As can be seen in FIG. 1, a first elastic member 57 (hereinafter first spring 57, to render it more vivid) may couple the coupling element 50 with the trigger 90, for example via a slider 70, being releasably coupled to the trigger 90. The optional slider 70 may as well be movably supported relative to the base 30, for example by plain bearing surfaces 37 being formed like the plain bearing surfaces 35 and 39 by opposing wall structures of the base 30.

(20) The actuation mechanism 1 may further comprise an optional blocking member 60, having a blocking position (FIG. 1) and a non-blocking position (FIG. 3). The blocking member 60 can be biased by an elastic member 67 (and/or any other kind of potential energy storage) towards the blocking position. The direction of movement of the blocking member 60 is not parallel to the direction of movement of the coupling member 50. In an example, the optional blocking member 60 is movably supported by the base 30, e.g., by plain bearing surfaces enabling a movement of the blocking member 60 at least substantially orthogonal to the movement of the optional coupling member 50 and/or of the optional trigger 90 and/or of the optional slider 70. Again at least substantially orthogonal includes orthogonal, and also includes deviations that can be accepted. For example, deviations from the orthogonal direction by an angle α.sub.o can be accepted, in particular if the absolute value of the angle α.sub.o is smaller or equal than an angle α.sub.c, wherein α.sub.c∈A={30°, 20°, 10°, 5°, 2.5°, 1°, 0.5°, 0°}, which can be expressed by the relation |α.sub.o|α.sub.c.

(21) In FIG. 1 the blocking member 60 is shown in the blocking position. An abutment 56 of the coupling member 50 abuts blocking member 60, or in more detail an abutment 65 of the blocking member 60, thereby preventing the coupling member 50 to follow the trigger 90, towards its actuated position—until the blocking member 60 is moved into its non-blocking position being shown in FIG. 3.

(22) As can be seen in FIG. 1, the blocking member 60 may have an optional first recess 61 and/or an optional second recess 62. An optional first protrusion 51 of the coupling member 50 may extend through the optional second recess 62 of the blocking member 60. A step in the first protrusion 51 may provide the abutment 56 of the coupling member 50. In other words, the protrusion 51 may have at least two sections, a first section 511 with a reduced diameter and a second section 512 with an increased diameter, wherein the step 56 may separate the first section 511 and the second section 512. The second section 512 may be closer to the center of gravity of the coupling member 50 and the first section is farther from the coupling member 50 than the second section 512.

(23) As can be seen e.g. in FIG. 1 (cf as well FIGS. 2 to 11), he blocking member 60 may further comprise the first recess 61 through which a protrusion 91 of the trigger extends. The protrusion 91 is as well referred to as pusher dog 91 and may have a surface being inclined relative to a movement of the trigger towards its actuated position and/or relative to the boundary of the first recess 61. Thus, when moving the trigger 90 from the position in FIG. 1 towards its actuated position as shown in FIG. 2, the inclined surface 911 is moved towards the boundary of the first recess 61. The length of the pusher dog 91 can be dimensioned such that the inclined surface 911 reaches the boundary of the first recess 61 if or shortly before the trigger 90 reaches its actuated position, as shown in FIG. 3. Shortly before may be understood for example, the trigger travelled at least one of 50%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90% or 95% of the path from the non-actuated position of the trigger 90 to the actuated position of the trigger 90 when the inclined surface 911 contacts the blocking member 60. Moving the trigger 90 further thus shifts the blocking member 60 into the non-blocking position, as shown in FIG. 3. Only to avoid misunderstandings, it is noted that FIG. 2 shows the trigger at an intermediate position when being moved towards the actuated position.

(24) Going back to FIG. 1, it can be seen, that the slider 70 may be releasably coupled to the trigger 90: For example, the trigger 90 may movably support a locking member 80 in a recess 98 of the trigger 90. The recess 98 can disable a movement of the locking member 80 in the direction of the movement of the trigger, but allows the locking member 80 to be moved at least substantially orthogonal to the trigger 90 and/or the slider 70. An optional elastic member 87 may bias the locking member 80 into a recess 78 (see FIG. 4) of the slider 70, thereby coupling the slider 70 to the trigger 90 as shown e.g. in FIGS. 1 to 3. Thus, if the locking member 80 is in the locking position, the slider 70 follows a movement of the trigger 90 towards the actuated position of the trigger 90. The locking member 80 may comprise an optional abutment 85 can be inclined relative to the direction of movement of the locking member 80. This optional abutment 85 may be located in the trajectory of coupling member 50, when moving the coupling member 50 from the first position (as shown in FIG. 2) to the second position (as shown in FIG. 4). The distance of the abutment 85 of the locking member 80 spaced from the portion 58 of the coupling member 50 can be configured to abut the abutment 85 of the locking member 80 by at least one of 50%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90% or 95% of the distance between the portion 58 in the first position and the portion in the second position. Thus, when the portion 58 of the coupling member 50 configured to abut the abutment 85 almost reaches its second position, it abuts the abutment 85 and further moving the coupling member 50 into the second position moves the locking member 80 into the unlocking position (see FIG. 4).

(25) At this point it is noted that it does not matter if the locking member 80 is movably supported by the trigger 90 or the slider 70 or the base 30. For example, similar to the depicted example, the slider 70 may have a recess movably supporting the locking member 80 and the trigger 90 may have a recess into which the locking member 80 may movably engage, to thereby couple the slider 70 and the trigger 90. In other words, the coupling works as well, if the locking member 80 is movably supported by the slider 70 and/or the base 30. In all cases the coupling member 50 may by an abutment 85, be enabled to move the locking member 80 into the non-locking position in which the locking member 80 decouples the trigger 90 and the slider 70.

(26) Operation of the actuation mechanism 1 will be explained in the following by going through the sequence of FIG. 1 to FIG. 11.

(27) FIG. 1 shows the starting positions of the optional coupling member 50, the optional slider 70, the trigger 90, the optional blocking member 60 and of the optional locking member 80, i.e. the trigger 90 is in its non-actuated position, the coupling member 50 is in the first position and the slider 70 is in the third position. The blocking member 60 is in the blocking position and the locking member 80 is in the locking position. Thus, the blocking member 60 inhibits a movement of the coupling member 50 towards the second position and the slider 70 is coupled to the trigger 90. All elastic members 57, 67, 77, 87 may e.g. be relaxed, at least the stored potential energy may have a local minimum in the operation cycle. A certain pretension of bias is allowed, but each potential energy stored by a respective elastic member has a minimum.

(28) In order to open the valve, i.e. to move the coupling member 50 towards the second position a user may move the trigger 90 towards the actuated position (see arrow 4). As can be seen in FIG. 2, in which the trigger 90 is still being moved, the trigger 90 entrains the slider 70 due to the closed releasable coupling as provided by the locking member 80. The potential energy being stored by the first elastic member 57 and by the optional second elastic member 77 are each increased due to moving the trigger 90. The optional pusher dog 91 still moves relative to the optional blocking member 60, without interacting with the blocking member 60.

(29) As soon as the pusher dog's inclined surface 911 abuts the blocking member 60, the user continues moving the trigger 90 into the actuated position and the blocking member 60 is moved into the non-blocking position as shown in FIG. 3. In other words, the pusher dog 91 releases the coupling member 50, and the coupling member 50 is accelerated by the first elastic member 57 towards the slider 70 and/or the trigger 90, entraining the valve member (see FIG. 3). The valve thus starts to be opened, very swiftly, due to the preload of the first elastic member 57.

(30) When the coupling member 50 reaches its second position, the portion 58 of the coupling member 50 configured to abut the abutment 85 of the locking member 80 thereby shifting the locking member 80 into the un-locking position. The coupling between the slider 70 and the trigger 90 is released. It is noted that the time when the coupling is released does not depend on an any user interaction or input-once the blocking member 60 has been moved into the non-blocking position by pulling the trigger 90 into the actuated position.

(31) Once the coupling is released, the slider 70 is driven by the second elastic member 77 from the fourth position (see FIG. 4) towards the third position, thereby abutting and hence entraining the coupling member 50, which results in closing the valve again. In this example the coupling member 50 has an optional abutment surface 59. The optional abutment surface 59 may be located at the slider 70 facing side of an optional second protrusion 52 of the coupling member 50. Relevant is only that the optional abutment surface 59 is in a trajectory of the slider 70 when the slider 70 is moved from the fourth position to the third position.

(32) Stages of the movement of the slider and of the coupling member back into their respective initial positions are shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 8. Comparing FIG. 4 with FIG. 5, it can be seen that the coupling member 50 in its second position does not abut the slider, thereby ensuring that the locking member 80 may be reliably moved into the non-locking position as shown in FIG. 4. Thereby, the slider 70 is decoupled from the trigger 90 and driven by the preloaded second elastic member 77 towards the abutment surface 59 of the coupling member. As can be seen in FIG. 6 the slider entrains the coupling member towards the first position when being moved towards the third position. Hence, once the trigger 90 has been shifted into the actuated position, the coupling member 50 moves from the first position into the second position and back into the first position independently from the user's interaction with the trigger 90. The opening time and the time required to close the valve is hence fully determined by the actuation mechanism, thereby reproducibly enabling very short valve opening times, which provide the impression of releasing water bullets through the valve of a correspondingly equipped toy water gun or of any other device which requires an exact timing of opening and/or closing of the valve.

(33) To configure the actuation mechanism 1 for the next cycle, the user simply has to push the trigger back into the non-actuated position. Alternatively or in addition, the trigger may be preloaded into the non-actuated position. In this case the user simply releases the trigger. This may as well be cared for by an optional further elastic member. This movement back to the non-actuated position is shown in FIG. 9: The pusher dog 91 releases the blocking member 60 and it may be moved into the blocking position by the elastic member 67. Similarly, the locking member 80 is moved into the locking position, i.e. the locking member engages into the recess 78 of the slider 70. Now the cycle may be restarted by a user moving the trigger into the actuated position.

(34) FIG. 10 shows a case, in which by chance the coupling member 50 did not fully return into the first position. The blocking member 60 thus cannot reengage, i.e. a movement of the blocking member 60 back into the blocking position is blocked by the second section 512 of the first protrusion 51. In this unlikely event, shifting the trigger 90 back into the initial non-actuated position causes portion 58 of the protrusion configured to abut the locking member 80 to be abutted by the locking member 80, maintaining or moving the locking member 80 in the non-locking position, but as well moving the coupling member 50 into the first position as shown in FIG. 11. The blocking member 60 may subsequently be moved by the elastic member 67 back into the blocking position. Releasing the trigger 90 may cause the trigger to slightly shift away from the coupling member 50 due to force exerted by the elastic member 87 onto the locking member 80 and the trigger 90 as well as the locking member 80 each return into their initial position, i.e. into the non-actuated position and into the locking position, respectively, as depicted in FIG. 1.

(35) FIG. 12 shows a toy water gun 100 being a liquid dispensing and dosing device 100 with the actuation mechanism of FIGS. 1 to 11. A pressure tank 115 may be in fluid communication via a tube 130, being defined by a tube wall 131, with an inlet port 123 of a valve 120 or more precisely with a valve inlet port 123 of a valve conduit 121. The valve conduit 121 further has a valve outlet port 125 being in fluid communication with a nozzle 140. The coupling member 50 is coupled to a valve rod 25 of a valve member 126, being in this example a valve plunger. But ball valves may be used as well. Pulling a trigger device 150 shifts the trigger 90, being force transmittingly connected to the trigger device 150, from the non-actuated position into the actuated position and thereby initiates opening of the valve 120. Once the trigger device has been moved back into its initial depicted non-actuated position the cycle may be repeated.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(36) 1 actuation mechanism 2 longitudinal axis 25 rod/valve rod 27 axial fastening means 30 base 35 plain bearing surfaces 37 plain bearing surfaces 39 plain bearing surfaces 50 coupling member 51 first protrusion 52 second protrusion 53 front side of the coupling member 50 511 first section of first protrusion 512 second section of first protrusion 56 abutment of coupling member 50 57 first elastic member/spring 58 portion of coupling member configured to abut abutment 85 of locking member 80 59 abutment surface 60 blocking member 61 first recess 62 second recess 65 abutment of blocking member 60 67 elastic member/spring 70 slider 77 second elastic member 78 recess 80 locking member 85 abutment 87 elastic member/spring 90 trigger 91 pusher dog 911 inclined surface 98 recess housing locking member 80 100 toy water gun/liquid dispensing or dosing device 110 housing of device 100 115 liquid tank 120 valve 121 valve conduit 123 valve inlet port 124 valve opening/valve seat 125 valve outlet port 126 valve member 130 tube 131 tube wall 140 nozzle 150 trigger device