US2450830A - Pea shooter - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 5, 1948. E. w. HELBERG EI'AL PEA SHOOTER Fil ed Sept. 26, 1945 IIIll/l/llfllll/ llllllllllrl m g M Patented Oct. 5, 1948 oFFici:

PEA SHOOTER Edwin W; l-lelberg, Chicago, and Vernon C. Helberg, Evergreen Park, Ill.

Application September 26, 1945, Serial No. 618,658 7 This inventionrelates in general to toys, and

more particularly to those devices commonly known as pea shooters.

The ordinary and well known pea shooter. consists simply of a tube; one end of which is placed in the mouth of the user, who customarily car- The primary purpose of our present invention Claims. (Cl. 124-12) is to provide a toy which will protect the user I from injury caused by running the tube into his mouth or down his throat.

Another object is to provide a toy'of the character indicated, in which a quantity of the peas or similarmissiles can be stored in a magazine which is embodied in the structure of the toy. The magazine which will hold a substantial number of missiles makes the carrying of such missiles in the users mouth entirely unnecessary While our invention contemplates a magazine in which a substantial number of missiles may be stored for use and automatically deliveredas they are successively expelled, it also provides for the feeding of the missiles into the device singly by hand, if for any reason the user should prefer.

Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. l with portionsof the device shown in section; V r

Fig. 4 is a plan viewof the device illustrated in Fi .1; and i Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmental sectional View similar to the disclosure of Fig. 3, but showing the flexing of the missile holding fingers when the user'blows through the tube to expel a missile therefrom.

By reference to the drawing it will be observed that the device comprises a tube indicated generally by reference character 6 looped or coiled to provide a single convolution with the ends I and 8 of the tube disposed preferably in substantially a common plane and projecting in opposite directions. The tube, made of light metal, plastic or other suitable material, may be reversible, that is, the mouth may be applied to either end and the missile will be projected from the opposite end when the user blows forcibly into the tube. Preferably, however, one end is rolled back asindicated at ill to provide a mouth piece, and the here is slightly reduced to prevent the passage at that point of a missile approximating in size the ever, is much less than that of a straight tube of equal length, so that the device can be readily carried wholly concealed in the users pocket. Furthermore, since the end to which the mouth is applied extends only a short distance from the convolution of the tube, the convolution will prevent the end from being accidentally jammed down the users throat or into his mouth in such a manner as to cause serious injury. The inner wall of the tube is provided interme diate its ends, that is, at the bottom of the convolution, with an opening 9 through which the missiles to be projected by blowing are delivered into the tube. A magazine adapted to contain a substantial number of missiles and which obviates the carrying of such missiles in the users mouth, comprises a cylindrical member I I of metal, plastic or other suitable material, the upper end of which is notched as indicated at [2 (Fig. 2) to interlock with the tube 6, and its lower end is telescoped over the upper portion of a base I3 formed of rubber or similar elastically resilient material notched at its lower extremity, as indicated at M, to straddle the lower portion of the tube convolution. By pressing downwardly upon the cylinder H the base l3 can be compressed sufiiciently to permit the upper end of the magazine to bedisengaged from the tube 6 and tilted sideways to permit the filling of the magazine through the open upper end. When filled or replenished, the magazine may be tilted back into the position shown in'the drawings where it will be held by engagement of the notch I2 with the overlying tube under the pressure exerted-by the resiliency of the base I3.

It will be noted that the side walls of the cylinder II are provided with perforations l5 overlapping the upper edges of the base l3 surrounded by the cylinder walls. These openings are of sufficient size to permit one of the missiles l6, such as peas, beans, or other pellets, to be inserted through the opening into the magazine. From Fig. 2 it will be observed that the upper margin of the base It is pressed inwardly by the insertion of a missile, After the missile has been introduced the displaced margin will resume its normal position and prevent escape through the openings l5 of any of the missiles from the magazine.

For the purpose of holding a missile which has passed from the magazine into the tube so that such missile will not roll through the tube and be delivered into the mouth of the user, or'become lost in the event the toy should be inverted, and for the further purpose of insuring that only one missile will be delivered intothe tube before an ejection by blowing is performed, we have provided -a plurality of holding fingers l 'formedby slitting the lower endof a tube l'8.formed of light weight rubber or rubberized fabric possessing a slight degree of resiliency and substantial flexibility. From Fig. 3 it will be observed that one of the missiles l6 delivered by the magazine into the tube is heldby'the fingers I! so that it will not become displaced byjany movement of.the tube, but will remain immediately. beneath thethroat of the magazine so as to.prevent the delivery of any further missiles until the one already in the tube is discharged.

'Erom'Fig. 5. it will be apparent that when air isblown through the tube from left to right view ing this figure, thefingers at the right of the missile. will be flexed so as to, permit the projection of the missile fromthe tube, while those at'the left will be flexed upwardly by'the air stream to .temporarily hold the superposed missiles from falling into the tube and atthe same time to substantially close or atv least obstruct the'throat of the magazineto minimize the loss of 'airipressurefrom the tube upwardly through the magazine. will, therefore, be carried by the air pressure through the remainder-of. the tube and discharged at the .end 'I,'Which in the instance illustrated becomes the delivery end of the tube.

The curvature of the tube serves to increase tosome extent the velocity of the missile being discharged over the velocity of a similar missile discharged by the same airpressure in-a straight tube, for the reason that centrifugal force will cause both the missile and the impellingair to hug the outer wall of the tube, thereby concentrating the air pressure back of the missile soas to utilize to the maximum extent the eifectiveness of the -'air stream.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that we have provided a pea shooter which embodies a tube-of considerable-length in a compact structure so designed that it cannot be swallowed-or jammed into the users throat. The tube is capable of use as a shooter-without the magazine attachment. In such case the tube woul'd'preferably be imperforate from end to end. form here illustrated, however, the tube is equipped-with a .magazine adapted to containza substantialrnumber ofimissiles which are retained until projected in the intended manner, thus .obviating any danger of swallowing :such missiles. The magazine when, positioned in the convolution of the tube is closed, so. as-toprevent The missilealready in the; tube In the .1

loss of missiles therefrom, but may be readily displaced at its upper end for refilling by simply forcing the magazine cylinder downwardly against the resiliency of the base I3 until its upper end is freed from the tube. The flexible holding fingers prevent loss of missiles, insure feeding of the missiles from the magazine one at a. time only,.and serve.as..a.substantial.closure or obstruction'toprevent loss of air pressure from the tube through the magazine.

The structural details illustrated and described may obviously be varied within considerable lim- -'-its without; exceeding the scope of our inven- -;tion asdefinedinthe following claims.

1. A pea shooter comprising an open ended tube in theform'of a-single convolution coil having itsends projecting in opposite directions.

2. A pea shooter comprising an open ended tube in the form of a single convolution coil having its ends projecting in opposite directions with the longitudinal axes of said projecting ends disposed substantially in a common plane.

'3.A pea-shooter comprising an open-ended tube coiled into a single convolution with its-ends projecting in opposite directions, -one endof said tube being folded backuponitself to provide a mouthpiece "surrounding the tube.

- 4. A pea shooter comprising an openended tubecoiled into a-singleconvolution with its ends projecting in opposite directions at the top of the convolution-and provided-in the inner'wall of the lower portionof the 'coil with anopening, amagazine extending diametrically-within the-coil and engaged at its ends therewith to frictionally hold the magazine' against displacement, said -magazinecommunicatingwith the interior of the coil through said opening and said magazine being provided with an opening-through' a side-wall thereof for the loading oflmissiles into 'the magazine.

5.*-A pea -shooter-oomprising an-open ended coiled-tube having its open ends "extending in I opposite "directions at the "top of thecoil and being provided-atthe-bottom of the coil with an opening, 'aanagaZine positioned 'within the coil-so as tocommunicaite with the interior thereof through said-opening, 'said magazine extending diametrically (of the coil and being shaped for interlocking-engagement with the coil whereby the magazine is -'retained-'against displacement.

EDWIN W. il-TELBERG.

VERNON C. HELBERG.

"REFERENCES T'ICITED The followingrreferences 'are'of record in the file,of-this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 28,698 Stevens June 12, 1860 278,005 Fredricks et al May 22, 1883 565,423 Becket a1 Aug. 11, 1896 629,182 Wise July 18 1899 921L764 Wheeler May 18,1909 1,152,447 Sproull Sept. 7, 1915 1,290,050 -Bay et' a1 -Jan. 7, 1919 2,427,490 Berrayarza et al. Sept. 16, 1947 FOREIGN. .PA'IIENTS Number 'iCountry Date 161,298 "Germany Dec. '15, 1903

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