US20120208426A1

US20120208426A1 - Bubble Shooter Toy

Info

Publication number: US20120208426A1
Application number: US13/028,333
Authority: US
Inventors: Wen-Chuan Kuo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-02-16
Filing date: 2011-02-16
Publication date: 2012-08-16

Abstract

A bubble shooter toy constructed of a gun-shaped housing having a trigger disposed on a portion of the gun-shaped housing, a liquid receptacle, an air blast blower, a muzzle installed at one end of the gun-shaped housing and defined by at least one bore for discharging bubble, and a liquid extraction unit for passing a soapy solution from the liquid receptacle to the bore for discharging bubble. A displacement crank has been arranged to press on air bags within the housing such that when a trigger is in a pressed position, the hydraulic and air pressure are extended through the gas and liquid pipes within the toy, thereby producing bubbles. The resulting bubble-producing mechanism is useful for streamlining mechanical operation of the toy. The lack of liquid extraction motor in place allows for simplified integrity and lower production cost of the toy.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of this invention relates to a toy, particularly a bubble shooter toy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A bubble shooter toy is a toy shaped in the form of a trigger actuated design that is widely popular for children of young ages for its function to produce a colorful bubble-filled atmosphere. The bubbles can be normally produced with an electric motor (also known as micro electric machinery) by blowing air at the shooter toy's muzzle having a bubble outlet wherein a soap film is produced across the bubble outlet after the muzzle is dipped and then removed from a soapy solution. Traditional bubble shooter toys as disclosed in previous references have been known to use a motor as a means for pumping out a soapy solution from a container as part of the bubble extraction operation. However, critical reviews have mostly criticized this use of said motor-mediated technology as numerous problems have been found including complex assembly structure, high production cost, high performance failure rate, and short product life. Other shortcomings include inefficient energy consumption during loading of soapy solution, and high usage cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore the object of this invention to propose a bubble shooter toy of the kind that solves problems prevalent in the prior art and has objectives and advantages including, but not limited to, simple assembly structure, low production cost, and longer product life.
According to the present invention, the bubble shooter toy comprises a gun-shaped housing, a trigger disposed on a portion of the gun-shaped housing, a liquid receptacle, an air blast blower, a muzzle installed at one end of the gun-shaped housing and defined by at least one bore for discharging bubble, a liquid extraction unit for passing a soapy solution from the liquid receptacle to the bore for discharging bubble. The liquid extraction unit aforementioned is an assembly characterized by a plurality of gas bags, a micro liquid pump enclosed within the liquid receptacle, a gas tube for connecting the plurality of gas bags to the micro liquid pump, a liquid pipe for connecting the micro liquid pump to the bore at the muzzle, a displacement crank that is actuated to press relatively on the plurality of gas bags in association with the movement of the trigger, a replacement spring for restoring the displacement crank to the displacement crank's original position when the displacement is relocated. In addition to the important structural characteristic of such liquid extraction unit, the displacer is arranged to press on the gas bags so as to discharge the gas therefrom when the trigger is pulled, and the soapy solution is drawn out of the liquid receptacle through the liquid pipe to reach the bore at the muzzle, wherein such movement is an after-effect resulting from a negative pressure formed when the trigger is released.
In one aspect related to simplifying the assembly structure and tuning down the volume of the liquid extraction unit, the liquid extraction unit includes a pump casing, a liquid flow inlet, an air suction passage, and a liquid flow outlet. The liquid flow inlet is located on a first end within the pump casing, wherein the liquid flow inlet has a unidirectional liquid inflow valve. The air suction passage is located on a second end within the pump casing that is directly opposite to the first end, wherein the air suction passage is connected to the gas tube. The liquid flow outlet is positioned at the middle portion of the pump casing and attached substantially oblique to the pump casing, wherein the liquid flow outlet is connected to the liquid pipe and has a unidirectional liquid outflow valve.
In another aspect related to simplifying the present invention's assembly structure and enhancing its reliability, the displacement crank includes a drive lever that is rotatably secured by a shaft mechanism onto the drive lever's middle portion to the gun-shaped housing, and wherein the drive lever has a first tip point resting on the gas bags and a second tip point resting on the trigger such that the first tip point advances while the second tip point retreats to press on the gas bags when the trigger is pulled.
In another aspect related to simplifying the present invention's assembly structure and facilitating its operation, the air blast blower includes an air blower box, a fan installed inside the air blower box, and a gear transmission set placed on an exterior of the air blower box for motorizing the fan, wherein the trigger is secured by a shaft mechanism onto the air blower box, and the trigger contains on its interior a face gear component for coupling with and motorizing the gear transmission set.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the bubble shooter toy according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric component view of the bubble shooter toy taken from a first side of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an isometric component view of the bubble shooter toy taken from a second side of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an orthographic view of the component configuration of a pocket-size liquid pump of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, shown therein are views of a preferred embodiment of the bubble shooter toy. The bubble shooter toy comprises a gun-shaped housing 1, a trigger 2 disposed on a portion of the gun-shaped housing 1, a liquid receptacle 3, an air blast blower 4, a muzzle installed at one end of the gun-shaped housing and defined by at least one bore 10 for discharging bubble, a liquid extraction unit 5 for passing a soapy solution from the liquid receptacle to the bore for discharging bubble. In one desirable configuration for the purpose of facilitating operation and simplifying the assembly structure of the present invention, the liquid extraction unit 5 aforementioned is an assembly characterized by a plurality of gas bags 51, a micro liquid pump 52 enclosed within the liquid receptacle 3, a gas tube 53 for connecting the plurality of gas bags 51 to the micro liquid pump 52, a liquid pipe 54 for connecting the micro liquid pump 52 to the bore 10 at the muzzle, a displacement crank 55 that is actuated to press relatively on the plurality of gas bags 51 in association with the movement of the trigger 2, a replacement spring 8 for restoring the displacement crank 55 to the displacement crank's 55 original position when the displacement crank 55 is relocated. During practice of the present invention, this design enables the displacement crank 55 to press on the gas bags 51 so as to discharge the gas therefrom when the trigger 2 is pulled, and the soapy solution is drawn out of the liquid receptacle 3 through the liquid pipe 54 to reach the bore 10 at the muzzle, wherein such movement is an after-effect resulting from a negative pressure formed when the trigger 2 is released, and thereby achieving the objective of liquid extraction. Noteworthy results from implementing such means of liquid extraction include easier user operation, simpler product manufacture, reduced production cost, and longer product life due to utilizing a mechanical system including components such as the trigger, displacement crank, and gas bags to replace the need for a motor-driven mechanism as disclosed in prior arts.
In one aspect of the preferred embodiment, the design and arrangement of the bore 10 at the muzzle can be adjusted according to the user's requirement. For instance, the gas bags 51 can be structured to be circular and also of other desirable forms.
In another aspect for effectively downsizing the volume of the present invention, the gas bags 51 are disposed adjacent to the air blast blower 4, and have extendible mechanical structure, as shown in the drawings.
Turning now to FIG. 4, showing another aspect of the micro liquid pump 52 for simplifying assembly structure, downsized volume, and lower production cost, the micro liquid pump 52 includes a pump casing 521, a liquid flow inlet 522, an air suction passage 523, and a liquid flow outlet 524. The liquid flow inlet 522 is located on a first end within the pump casing 521, wherein the liquid flow inlet 522 has a unidirectional liquid inflow valve 525. The air suction passage 523 is located on a second end within the pump casing 521 that is directly opposite to the first end, wherein the air suction passage 523 is connected to the gas tube 53. The liquid flow outlet 524 is positioned at the middle portion of the pump casing 521 and attached substantially oblique to the pump casing 521, wherein the liquid flow outlet 524 is connected to the liquid pipe 54 and has a unidirectional liquid outflow valve 526.
As a feasible measure to further reduce production cost, a bumper strip 527 can be installed within the pump casing 521 for blocking a movement of the unidirectional liquid inflow valve 525, wherein the unidirectional liquid inflow valve 525 is arranged to traverse upwardly and rearwardly within the liquid flow inlet 525. The unidirectional liquid outflow valve 526 is arranged to traverse horizontally within the liquid flow outlet 526.
In another aspect of the preferred embodiment for rendering the present invention easier to use and more reliable, the displacement crank 55 includes a drive lever 551 that is rotatably secured by a shaft mechanism onto the drive lever's 551 middle portion to the gun-shaped housing 1, and wherein the drive lever 551 has a first tip point resting on the gas bags 51 and a second tip point resting on the trigger 2 such that the first tip point advances while the second tip point retreats to press on the gas bags 51 when the trigger 2 is pulled. Furthermore, the displacement crank 55 further includes a film drawing lever 552 which extends to reach the bore 10 at the muzzle and is arranged to traverse upwardly and rearwardly in dependence on the movement of the drive lever 551. The drawing lever 552 moves upwardly when the drive lever 551 recedes, moves rearwardly so as to make the soapy solution form a layer of film at the bore 10 at the muzzle when the drive lever 551 restores to its original position after receding in response to the upward motion of the drawing lever 552. The air blast blower 4 includes an air blower box 41, a fan 42 installed inside the air blower box 41, and a gear transmission set 43 placed on an exterior of the air blower box 41 for motorizing the fan 42, wherein the trigger 2 is secured by a shaft mechanism onto the air blow box 41. Furthermore, the trigger 2 contains on its interior a face gear 21 component for coupling with and motorizing the gear transmission set 43 so as to simplify the coupling mechanism between the trigger 2 and the gear transmission set 43, and to facilitate operation of such device.
The working principle supporting the operation of the preferred embodiment is hereby presented. As suggested in FIG. 2 the drive lever 551 is positioned in front of the gas bags 51 when the trigger 2 is not pulled. The drive lever 551 does not press on the gas bags 51 while the trigger 2 is in its non-pulled state. The face gear 21, which can be eclipse-shaped, interlocks with a gear component within the gear transmission set 43. As suggested in FIG. 3, during the time when the trigger 2 is pulled, this interlock is therefore capable of setting the other gear components within the gear transmission 43 and the fan 42 in motion, wherein the fan 42 can consequently send air flow through the bore 10 at the muzzle to blow bubbles. Also benefiting from the same interlock between the trigger 2 and the gear transmission set 43 is that the face gear 21 contained in the trigger 2 can send one end of the driver lever 551 to advance forward, while also send an opposite end of the driver lever 551 to press on the gas bags 51, resulting the gas bags 51 to release the gas therein to discharge through the gas tube 53. During the time when the trigger 2 is released after being pulled, the trigger 2 returns to its original position before the strained state, and the drive lever 551 also returns to its original position before the strained state due to a replacement spring 8, thereby removing the imposed pressure on the gas bags 51. In the meantime, a negative pressure is created within the now-restored gas bags 51, such pressure difference created therefrom draws the gas upward through the gas tube and the air suction passage 523; the unidirectional liquid inflow valve 525 within the liquid flow inlet 522 is moved upward under the siphoning effect within the air suction passage 523. The soapy solution contained within the liquid receptacle 3 would then enter through the liquid flow inlet 522 into the pump casing 521, and exits through the liquid flow outlet 524 to reach the bore 10 at the muzzle via the liquid pipe 54. Bubbles are finally created at the bore 10 at the muzzle where bubbles are blown from the soapy solution by forces including the air flow from the fan 42 and the up-down movement of the drawing lever 552 that moderates the forming of the bubbles. In an attempt to avoid undesirable externalities, such as spilled soapy solution near the muzzle's bore 10 area, from affecting the normal operation of the present invention, a splash receiver 11 can be disposed below the bore 10, the splash receiver 11 can be connected by a recycling spout 8 to the liquid receptacle 3.
In an aspect of the preferred embodiment, a decorative accessory 9 can be installed onto gun-shaped housing for aesthetic purposes. The accessory herein may include toy figures in the forms including animal pets, and other desirable subjects.
It is understood that this preferred embodiment of the present invention offers consumer-satisfactory advantages including assembly structure simplicity, product endurance, easy-to-use operation, long product life, low production and utility cost.
The preferred embodiment described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claims attached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A bubble shooter toy, comprising:

a gun-shaped housing; a trigger disposed on a portion of the gun-shaped housing; a liquid receptacle; an air blast blower; a muzzle installed at one end of the gun-shaped housing and defined by at least one bore for discharging bubble; a liquid extraction unit for passing a soapy solution from the liquid receptacle to the bore for discharging bubble, wherein the liquid extraction is characterized by a plurality of gas bags, a micro liquid pump enclosed within the liquid receptacle, a gas tube for connecting the plurality of gas bags to the micro liquid pump; a liquid pipe for connecting the micro liquid pump to the bore at the muzzle; a displacement crank, the displacement crank actuated to press relatively on the plurality of gas bags in association with movement of the trigger; and a replacement spring for restoring the displacement crank to the displacement crank's original position when the displacement is relocated, whereby the displacer is substantially arranged to press on the gas bags so as to discharge the gas therefrom when the trigger is pulled, and the soapy solution is drawn out of the liquid receptacle through the liquid pipe to reach the bore at the muzzle, wherein such movement is an after-effect resulting from a negative pressure formed when the trigger is released.

2. The bubble shooter toy of claim 1 wherein the micro liquid pump has a pump casing; a liquid flow inlet located on a first end within the pump casing, wherein the liquid flow inlet has a unidirectional liquid inflow valve; an air suction passage located on a second end within the pump casing that is directly opposite to the first end, wherein the air suction passage is connected to the gas tube; a liquid flow outlet positioned at the middle portion of the pump casing and attached substantially oblique to the pump casing, wherein the liquid flow outlet is connected to the liquid pipe and has a unidirectional liquid outflow valve.

3. The bubble shooter toy of claim 2 further comprising a bumper strip within the pump casing for blocking a movement of the unidirectional liquid inflow valve, wherein the unidirectional liquid inflow valve is arranged to traverse upwardly and rearwardly within the liquid flow inlet; the unidirectional liquid outflow valve is arranged to traverse horizontally within the liquid flow outlet.

4. The bubble shooter toy of claims 1 wherein the displacement crank includes a drive lever that is rotatably secured by a shaft mechanism onto the drive lever's middle portion to the gun-shaped housing, and wherein the drive lever has a first tip point resting on the gas bags and a second tip point resting on the trigger such that the first tip point advances while the second tip point retreats to press on the gas bags when the trigger is pulled.

5. The bubble shooter toy of claims 2 wherein the displacement crank includes a drive lever that is rotatably secured by a shaft mechanism onto the drive lever's middle portion to the gun-shaped housing, and wherein the drive lever has a first tip point resting on the gas bags and a second tip point resting on the trigger such that the first tip point advances while the second tip point retreats to press on the gas bags when the trigger is pulled.

6. The bubble shooter toy of claims 3 wherein the displacement crank includes a drive lever that is rotatably secured by a shaft mechanism onto the drive lever's middle portion to the gun-shaped housing, and wherein the drive lever has a first tip point resting on the gas bags and a second tip point resting on the trigger such that the first tip point advances while the second tip point retreats to press on the gas bags when the trigger is pulled.

7. The bubble shooter toy of claim 4 wherein the displacement crank further includes a film drawing lever which extends to reach the bore at the muzzle and is arranged to traverse upwardly and rearwardly in dependence on the movement of the drive lever.

8. The bubble shooter toy of claim 1 wherein the gas bags are disposed adjacent to the air blast blower, and have extendible mechanical structure.

9. The bubble shooter toy of claim 1 wherein the air blast blower includes an air blower box, a fan installed inside the air blower box, and a gear transmission set placed on an exterior of the air blower box for motorizing the fan, wherein the trigger is secured by a shaft mechanism onto the air blower box, and the trigger contains on its interior a face gear component for coupling with and motorizing the gear transmission set.

10. The bubble shooter toy of claim 1 further comprising a splash receiver below the bore, and a recycling spout connecting the splash receiver to the liquid receptacle for directing liquid therefrom to the liquid receptacle.

11. The bubble shooter toy of claim 1 further comprising a decorative accessory located installed gun-shaped housing.