Toy launch apparatus with momentum feature
A toy launch apparatus for discharging soft foam darts, the launch apparatus having a cylinder, a piston, a launch spring and a dart tube. An air chamber with variable volume is formed between the cylinder and the piston and is divided into two or more sections, a first section where there is little or no resistance to relative movement between the cylinder and the piston so that there is a momentum gain, and a second section where there is rapid compression and increasing pressure to cause a loaded dart to be discharged. A third section may be a transition section between the first and second sections.
1. A toy launch apparatus comprising:
a housing configured to receive one or more projectiles at the housing;
a cylinder mounted to the housing;
a piston mounted in the cylinder to enable relative movement between the cylinder and the piston;
a launch spring connected to the piston and the cylinder for causing the relative movement of the cylinder and the piston, the launch spring being movable between a cocked configuration and a relaxed configuration;
a variable volume air chamber formed in the cylinder between the cylinder and the piston, the air chamber having a predetermined first length when the launch spring is in the cocked configuration and a predetermined second length when the launch spring is in the relaxed configuration;
air escape structure in communication with the air chamber for allowing air located in the air chamber to easily escape during relative movement of the cylinder and the piston when the length of the air chamber is between the first length and a third length that is shorter than the first length and greater than the second length, wherein the air escape structure includes the cylinder having a first inner diameter when the length of the air chamber is between the first length and the third length and the air escape structure includes the cylinder having a second smaller inner diameter when the length of the air chamber is between the third length and the second length, and wherein the air escape structure enables air forward of the piston to be easily expelled during the relative movement between the cylinder and the piston when the length of the air chamber is between the first length and the third length; and
an air passageway for communicating air enabling the piston to expel air from the cylinder to launch the one or more projectiles from the housing during the relative movement between the cylinder and the piston when the length of the air chamber is between the third length and the second length with rapidly increasing pressure in the second portion of the cylinder.
2. The toy launch apparatus of claim 1 , including:
a dart receiving tube connected to the cylinder; and
an air passageway beginning at the piston and extending to the dart receiving tube.
3. The toy launch apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
air in the air chamber is able to pass around the piston when the piston is moving in the cylinder between the first and third lengths of the air chamber.
4. The toy launch apparatus of claim 3 , wherein:
air in the air chamber is unable to pass around the piston when the piston is moving in the cylinder between the third and second lengths of the air chamber.
5. The toy launch apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the structure is configured to enable air to escape during the relative movement between the cylinder and the piston when the length of the air chamber is between the first length and the third length, while air is not allowed to escape with the structure during the relative movement between the cylinder and the piston when the length of the air chamber is between the third length and the second length.
6. The toy launch apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
the structure is configured to enable air to escape around the piston during the relative movement between the cylinder and the piston when the length of the air chamber is between the first length and the third length.
7. A method for making a toy launch apparatus, the steps of the method comprising:
forming a housing configured to receive one or more projectiles at the housing;
mounting a cylinder to the housing, the cylinder having a first portion and a second portion;
mounting a piston in the cylinder to enable relative movement between the cylinder and the piston;
mounting a launch spring connected to the piston and to the cylinder for causing the relative movement of the cylinder and the piston;
forming an air chamber in the cylinder wherein air in the air chamber is enabled to escape easily when there is relative movement between the piston and the cylinder and the piston is in the first portion of the cylinder, and air in the air chamber rapidly increases in pressure when there is relative movement between the piston and the cylinder and the piston is in the second portion of the cylinder; and
forming a first structure in the first portion of the cylinder to enable air to escape easily and a second structure in the second portion of the cylinder to cause an increase in air pressure by forming the cylinder to include a greater inside diameter in the first portion of the cylinder than in the second portion of the cylinder.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of mounting the cylinder includes the step of:
directing air from the air chamber to a dart receiving tube when the piston is in the second portion of the cylinder.
9. A toy launch apparatus comprising:
a housing configured to receive one or more projectiles at the housing;
a cylinder mounted to the housing, the cylinder having a first portion and a second portion;
a piston mounted in the cylinder configured to enable relative movement between the cylinder and the piston as the piston moves from the first portion to the second portion;
a structure to enable air forward of the piston in the first portion of the cylinder to be easily expelled during the relative movement between the cylinder and the piston enabling the air to escape from the first portion of the cylinder, wherein the structure comprises the first portion of the cylinder having a first diameter and the second portion of the cylinder having a second diameter, the first diameter being greater than the second diameter;
an air passageway for communicating air when the piston is in the second portion of the cylinder enabling the piston to expel air from the second portion of the cylinder during the relative movement between the cylinder and the piston in the second portion of the cylinder enabling rapidly increasing pressure in the second portion of the cylinder to launch the one or more projectiles from the housing.
10. The toy launch apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the piston is sized such that when in the first portion the piston fits loosely allowing air to escape around the piston, and when in the second portion the piston fits snugly such that air is not allowed to escape around the piston.
11. The toy launch apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the structure is configured to enable air to escape from the first portion of the cylinder when the piston is in the first portion, and when the piston is in the second portion air is not allowed to escape with the structure.
12. The toy launch apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the structure is configured to enable air to escape around the piston when the piston is in the first portion, and when the piston is in the second portion air is not allowed to escape around the piston.
13. The toy launch apparatus of claim 9 , comprising:
a launch spring mounted in the housing configured for causing the relative movement of the cylinder and the piston.
14. The toy launch apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the cylinder is positioned to be stationary in the housing.
15. The toy launch apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a projectile receiving tube with the piston being connected to the projectile receiving tube and moving with the projectile receiving tube.
16. The toy launch apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising an inner tube within the cylinder wherein the piston is part of the inner tube.
17. The toy launch apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the inner tube includes the air passageway for directing air to the passageway.
18. The toy launch apparatus of claim 17 , wherein:
the launch spring is positioned around the inner tube and between the inner tube and the cylinder.