Combined Blow Gun And Darts

Abstract

A combined blow gun and darts wherein the blow gun includes a substantially elongated tubular member, a mouthpiece mounted on the end of the tubular member, a plurality of magnets secured to the tubular member in proximity of the mouthpiece and a plurality of darts held in position on the gun by the magnets, and wherein each of the darts consists of a cylindrical body section whose diameter is substantially slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular member for free sliding movement of the dart through the tubular member, a pointed metallic rod mounted at the axis of the cylindrical body section and extending forwardly thereof, and the forward peripheral edge portion of the cylindrical body section being slotted to stabilize the dart while in flight.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates directly to blow guns.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There has been little advancement of the art of blow guns for many centuries since its advent before the discovery of gun powder. The blow guns used by natives consist of a hollow reed with a dart that was stabilized in flight by feathers attached to the body portion of the dart. In recent years, improvements made to the ancient blow gun consisted of replacing the hollow reed with a tubular member and the feathers on the dart by a solid body member. However, the dart gun still remained inaccurate in its shooting ability and inefficient in converting lung power to propulsion of the dart. The present dart guns are very inefficient as there is a considerable loss of propulsion power, which at its best is limited, due to the use of feathers or ill fitting darts. In addition, the darts have a tendency to either tumble or stray from their line of flight because of a lack of an effective means of stabilizing the dart in its flight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention contemplates among its objects to provide a combined blow gun and darts which permits the blowing of the dart out of the blow gun at a high velocity and compelling the dart to maintain a substantially straight or true path toward its target.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combined blow gun and darts with magnets mounted on the blow gun for maintaining darts in position on the gun accessible for use by gun users or for storing purposes.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a dart with a cylindrical body portion made of wood, plastic and the like with serrations or grooves formed about its periphery at the forward edge portion thereof to provide a stabilization effect to the dart while in flight.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of my combined blow gun and darts partially broken away at the mouthpiece showing darts in position thereon with the dotted line showing the dart in the mouthpiece when ready for being blown from the gun.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the flight of the dart as it moves through the blow gun.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross sectional views taken along the lines 3--3 and 4--4 respectively of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are cross sectional views taken along the lines 5--5, 6--6 and 7--7 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of my blow gun with the mouthpiece partially cut away.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a dart.

Referring to the drawing wherein like numerals are used to designate similar parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 refers to a blow or dart gun constructed in accordance with my invention and the numeral 11 referring to my improved darts. The blow gun 10 consists of an elongated tubular member 12, preferably made of aluminum and having a constant and even bore 13 along its full length. At one end there is mounted a mouthpiece 14 consisting of a small section of a tubular member fitted over the end portion of the tubular member 12 and having an outwardly flared end portion 15 for accommodating a person's lips as the user places his mouth there against for blowing the dart 11 at a target.

Mounted on the outer surface of the tubular member is a plurality of magnets 20 glued or otherwise secured thereto. One of the magnets 20 is placed in the vicinity of the mouthpiece at a distance about equal to the length of a dart. The function of the magnets 20 is to secure in position on and in the tubular member 12 a plurality of darts 11 accessible to the user of the blow gun 10. The magnets also serve to store the darts 11 so that the latter cannot become separated from the gun 10 nor become lost.

The dart 11 is provided with a body portion 21 of cylindrical shape and made of wood, plastic and the like. The diameter of the body portion 21 is such that it fits snugly yet loosely without binding in the tubular member 12. The forward edge portion 23 of body portion 21 is provided with a plurality of slots or grooves 22 that extend longitudinally along the outer surface from the forward edge of the body portion 21 for a distance of about one-third of the total length of the body portion 21. These grooves 21 compel the darts 11 to revolve within the tubular member 12 as they are being blown therethrough to provide stability to the flight of the dart while in free flight toward the target. Extending from the forward end portion 23 of the body portion 21 at its axis is a rod 24, pointed at its free end 25 for penetrating a target. The rod is preferably made of steel that is attracted by the magnets 20 for maintaining the darts 11 in position on the blow 10 gun as shown by FIG. 1.

In the normal use of my blow gun 10, the darts 11 are placed on and in the blow gun adjacent to the magnets 20 with the steel rods 24 of the darts adjacent the magnets 20 whose attraction maintain the darts 11 in position thereon. The dart 11 which is in the barrel 13 of the blow gun 10 as shown by FIG. 1 with that dart 11 inserted only partially within the mouthpiece 14 to permit the dart 11 to tilt and the steel rod 24 to swing toward the magnet 20 due to the magnetic attraction of the magnet 20 whereby the dart 11 is held in position at the mouthpiece 14 of the dart gun 10. When it is desired to fire the dart 11, the user pushes the dart 11 inwardly, that is at the mouthpiece 14, to cause the dart 11 to center itself in the tubular member 12 and assume the position shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 1. Now by placing his lips at the flared end 15 of the mouthpiece 14 and blowing therethrough, the dart 11 will be propelled through the tubular member 12 and rotates as it emerges from the blow gun to fly at a high rate of speed in a true flight to the target.

Claims

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A combined blow gun and darts comprising an elongated tubular member having a mouthpiece at one end, a plurality of magnets secured to the outer surface of said tubular member, one of said magnets being in proximity of said mouthpiece, a plurality of darts, each dart having a cylindrical body member and a pointed steel rod extending forwardly of said body member at its axis, said dart having slotted portions extending longitudinally from its forward edge portion on the surface of said cylindrical body member and a steel rod extending forwardly of said body member along its axis.

2. The structure as recited by claim 1 wherein said magnet positioned in proximity of said mouthpiece is of sufficient strength to magnetically attract a dart placed partially in the tubular member whereby said dart is permitted to tilt with said steel rod extending in a direction of said last named magnet to hold said dart in position in said dart gun.

3. The structure as recited in claim 2 wherein said slotted portions terminate in spaced relation to the rearward edge portion of said body member.

4. The structure as recited by claim 3 wherein said mouthpiece is provided with a flared free end portion for receiving the lips of a user.