Search

EP-4284529-B1 - WATER PROJECTILES AND TOY WEAPON THEREFOR

EP4284529B1EP 4284529 B1EP4284529 B1EP 4284529B1EP-4284529-B1

Inventors

  • GANOR, LIRAN
  • LIVNE, Yigal

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220125

Claims (7)

  1. Apparatus comprising: one or more fillable containers (35) in fluid communication with a primary channel (32), said primary channel (32) being in fluid communication with a fluid entrance opening (31) which is attachable to a fluid source, said one or more fillable containers (35) being made of a material that ruptures upon propelling said one or more fillable containers (35) against a target; each of said one or more fillable containers (35) comprising a one-way valve (33) configured to allow fluid to flow through said primary channel (32) into a corresponding one of said one or more fillable containers (35) and to seal each of said one or more fillable containers (35) with the fluid therein; and said one or more fillable containers (35) are individually separable with the fluid therein, each of said one or more fillable containers being separable from the primary channel such that the one-way valve remains intact after separation, wherein cut lines (36) are formed in said material at boundaries of said one or more fillable containers (35) so that said one or more fillable containers (35) are individually separable with the fluid therein along the cut lines (36).
  2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure relief valve (37) in fluid communication with said one or more fillable containers (35).
  3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the fluid is flowable via said primary channel (32) simultaneously to all of said one or more fillable containers (35).
  4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein said one or more fillable containers (35) and said cut lines (36) are formed from a continuous film material.
  5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each said one-way valve (33) is torn away from a valve branch (33A) located on said primary channel (32).
  6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein said one or more fillable containers (35) contain colors or substances (72).
  7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein said one or more fillable containers (35) comprises weakened areas (60) that cause the fluid to burst initially out of said weakened areas (60).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to water guns or weapons, and particularly to a water weapon that launches a water projectile and to the water projectiles used in the weapon. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Water guns that eject a stream of water are a well-known toy for children. These guns have been designed to eject the stream of water in a number of ways. The most common method of ejecting water has been by a manual pump coupled to the trigger of the gun. The pump is actuated by the pressure exerted by one finger of an operator upon the trigger; thus, the pump typically cannot generate enough pressure to eject the water a lengthy distance. Additionally, these types of pumps work on the actuation of a compression piston which creates single, short bursts of water. Water guns have also been designed with small electric pumps which expel a stream of water from a tube coupled to the pump. Toy water guns have also been developed which eject a stream of water by exerting pressure on the water within the gun greater than ambient pressure and controlling the release of water through a control valve. The water is expelled from the gun due to this pressure difference. The pressurization of the water has been achieved in a variety of manners and the pressure is high enough to eject the water a lengthy distance. US2006240740A1 discloses examples of continuous balloon structures. SUMMARY The present invention seeks to provide a novel water projectile and a novel water weapon, as is described more in detail hereinbelow. The invention uses water projectiles, that is, sachets, pouches, bags, or other compartments or containers, which are launched by the water weapon or any other method, such as being launched or thrown manually. The material of the projectile bursts or ruptures upon the projectile impacting against a person or object, thereby releasing the water from the projectile. The invention is set out in the appended set of claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a simplified pictorial illustration of a water projectile weapon, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;Fig. 2 is a simplified sectional illustration of the water projectile weapon, taken along lines B-B in Fig. 1;Fig. 3 is a simplified top-view illustration of the water projectile weapon;Fig. 4 is a simplified sectional illustration of the water projectile weapon, taken along lines A-A in Fig. 1;Fig. 5 is a simplified pictorial illustration of fillable containers for use as water projectiles, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;Figs. 6A and 6B are simplified pictorial illustrations of fillable containers for use as water projectiles, in accordance with other non-limiting embodiments of the present invention;Fig. 6C is a simplified pictorial illustration of tearing out the fillable containers (which now become the water projectiles), and shows that the one-way valve of each water projectile remains intact, sealing the liquid inside the water projectile;Fig. 7A is a simplified pictorial illustration of playing with the water projectiles, including filling an array of containers, carrying the array of containers, and manually throwing water projectiles at another player or other target;Fig. 7B is a simplified pictorial illustration of the array of containers with weakened areas that cause the liquid to burst initially out of the weakened areas in a random pattern or in a particular "water bomb" pattern on another player or other target;Fig. 7C is a simplified pictorial illustration of filling an array of containers, in which the containers contain colors or substances, such as but not limited to, sprinkles, powder, strings, threads and more;Fig. 8A is a simplified pictorial illustration of filling the fillable containers, tearing off one of the containers for use as a water projectile, loading the water projectile into the drum magazine of the water weapon and launching the water projectile from the water weapon by pulling the trigger, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;Fig. 8B is a simplified pictorial illustration of another array of fillable containers, in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, in which the entire array may be inserted as a cylindrical roll array into the drum magazine of the water weapon and filled with liquid while in the drum magazine, and the water projectiles may be individually stripped (torn) from the array by the action of the carriage moving past the magazine and tearing an individual water projectile from the array which is then launched from the water weapon; andFig. 8C is a simplified pictorial illustration of yet another array of fillable containers, in accordance with yet another non-limiting embo