Air Gun Having A Safety Nozzle

Abstract

The safety nozzle on this air gun has rearwardly directed bores having oddly-shaped rearward openings to make plugging difficult. Radial holes in a forward sleeve and a diametrically disposed pin reduce dynamic pressures and noise levels.

Description

This invention relates to a safety air gun. More specifically, this invention relates to an unusually effective safety nozzle which, at the same time, provides acceptable dynamic output pressures and noise levels.

With the air guns of the prior art not equipped with safety features, air discharging from the gun nozzle has accidentally propelled articles toward workmen causing injury. Injury has also been involved in the use of nonsafety guns when a workman, horsing around, has intentionally used the nozzle as a gun to project objects toward fellow workmen, or has engaged the discharged end of the nozzle with the skin or buried it in a body opening of a fellow workman causing fatal or near fatal absorption of air into the blood stream.

In the prior art, attempts to provide safety nozzles have simply involved the formation of radial openings in a barrellike discharge tube of the air gun. This expedient has not been effective in that these openings have been rather easy to plug. Such nozzles have had, in addition, the objectionable disadvantage that they have been unduly long and many have had objectionably high dynamic pressures emerging from the open end despite the provision of the safety openings. High noise level has also been an objection.

In the embodiments of the present invention, unusually effective safety means are provided in the form of rearwardly facing holes which are virtually impossible to plug. Also provided are breakup means cutting down the dynamic pressure emitted from the discharge opening as well as reducing the noise level. With these advantages is the additional benefit that embodiments under the present invention may be much shorter than the safety nozzles of the prior art.

Other objects and features will be apparent from the following specification including the drawings all of which disclose a nonlimiting example embodying the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of an air gun equipped with a nozzle embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the nozzle.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, an air gun equipped with a nozzle embodying the invention is generally designated 10 in FIG. 1. The gun 12 comprises a housing 14 having an internal passage connected to a hose H. The passage internally in the gun is intercepted by a conventional transverse valve 16 and the passage terminates in an internally threaded discharge opening 18 (FIG. 4).

The nozzle 20 comprises a tubular body 22 which at one end is threaded as at 24 and engages the internal threads of the opening 18. The body is formed with an enlarged head 25 and a delivery passage 28 extends axially through the body. A plurality of bores 30 are formed in the head 26 and arranged in a circular array about the passage 28. Because the body is of reduced diameter leftward of the head 26 (FIG. 4), the bores emerge as partly circular openings where they intercept the shoulder 32 and form channels 34 in the neck of the body which terminate in beveled surfaces 36.

A tubular sleeve 38 has one end snugly embracing the head 26 in a press fit and extends out beyond the head for a distance as shown. Radial openings 40 are formed in the sleeve 38 and a diametrically disposed pin 42 is anchored in appropriate holes in the sleeve.

The advantages of the various features should be noted. An essential feature is the rearwardly directed bores 30 which, as they emerge rearward from the body 26, provide extremely difficult orifices 32, 34, 36 to plug. Also, their rearward direction yields the additional advantage that if the entire nozzle is buried in a body opening, rearwardly directed air would emerge from the bores 30 with such force as to break any seal between the skin and the nozzle or gun. Bores 30 as well as openings 40, of course, perform an aspiration function.

Because the escape bores 30 are rearwardly directed, there is no real necessity for great length as has characterized earlier air gun safety nozzles. As a result, the present nozzle, made shorter, operates at a considerably reduced noise level. Having the end of the passage 28 close to the end of the sleeve 38 does not increase substantially the dynamic pressure because of the provision of the pin 42 which breaks up the direct shot of air and diffuses it. The pin in turn does not increase the noise level because the openings 40 diffuse the shock waves.

The invention may be described in the following claim language:

Claims

I claim:

1. A safety device comprising an air gun having a valve disposed transverse to the passage of air through the gun and having a nozzle mounting about the air outlet, a safety nozzle comprising a tubular body having at one end attachment means complementing the nozzle mounting and attached thereto, the body being formed with an enlarged head on the other end and having a delivery passage extending on the axis of the body from one end to the other and a plurality of circularly arranged bores extending longitudinally of the head and disposed about the passage and extending backward to the rear face of the head, a tubular sleeve having one end snugly embracing and attached to and extending outward from the head, the sleeve having a plurality of openings therethrough adjacent the head, and a pin disposed diametrically across the sleeve to partly guard the head end of the delivery passage.

2. A safety device as described in claim 1 wherein the bores are uniform and larger in diameter than the radial enlargement of the head from the adjacent part of the body and portions of the bores extend longitudinally into the adjacent part thereby presenting holes which are difficult to plug.

3. A safety device comprising an air gun having a valve and having a nozzle mounting having the air outlet, a safety nozzle comprising a tubular body having at one end attachment means complementing the nozzle mounting and attached thereto, the body being formed with an enlarged head on the other end and having a delivery passage extending on the axis of the body from one end to the other and a plurality of circularly arranged bores extending longitudinally of the head and disposed about the passage and extending backward to the rear face of the head and continuing as channels in the portion of the body behind the head, a tubular sleeve having one end secured about and extending outward from the head, the sleeve having a plurality of openings therethrough adjacent the head.

4. A device as described in claim 3 wherein a pin is disposed diametrically across the sleeve to partly guard the head end of the delivery passage.