Hand-held powder launcher

Abstract

A hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher having a reusable body assembly and a replaceable barrel assembly. The body assembly has a handle with a cavity to house a replaceable pneumatic cartridge, a puncture tip in the cavity, a trigger movable between a normal position and a launch position, and a safety to prevent the trigger from being accidentally actuated. The barrel assembly removably secures to the body assembly and has a first cavity that houses a burst cap, and an adjacent powder chamber. After the cartridge is pierced, gas builds up until the burst cap bursts, allowing the high-pressure gas to propel the payload out of the barrel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher, comprising:
 a reusable body assembly, comprising:
 a handle body having a first end and a second end, an outer surface, an opening adjacent the first end leading to an internal cavity to house a pneumatic cartridge, the internal cavity extending from the first end of the handle body to the second end of the handle body and having a conical taper leading to a first end of a bore distal the first end of the handle body, the bore having a second end, the second end of the bore being adjacent a reverse conical taper portion of the cavity, the second end of the handle body having a male thread extending therefrom, and a transverse opening in the handle body adjacent the second end of the handle body; 
 a puncture tip having a portion in the bore; 
 a trigger extending through the transverse opening in the handle body, the trigger having a stop extending from a sidewall of the trigger, the trigger further having a transverse opening extending through the sidewall of the trigger, the trigger movable between a normal position and a launch position; 
 a bias member in the handle body biasing the trigger to the normal position; 
 a safety comprising a collar wall with a first opening in the collar wall for the trigger and a second opening in the collar wall for the stop extending from the trigger sidewall, and a trigger cover extending from the collar wall, wherein the safety is rotatable from a first position wherein the trigger cover covers the trigger to a second position where the trigger cover does not cover the trigger; 
 a safety guard stop connected to the handle body and engaging the safety; 
 an end cap removably secured to the handle body at the first end of the handle body to close the cavity at the first end of the handle body; and, 
 a compression spring connected to the end cap and residing in the internal cavity of the handle body; 
 a glass breaker connected to the end cap and residing outside the internal cavity of the handle body; and, 
   a replaceable barrel assembly removably connected to the second end of the handle body, comprising:
 a barrel having an outer surface, a first end, a second end, and a cavity extending from the first end to the second end, wherein the cavity has an internal female thread at the first end of the barrel, wherein the cavity has a first section with a first diameter at the first end, a powder chamber with a second diameter adjacent the second end, and bore joining the first section and the powder chamber, the bore having a diameter smaller than the first diameter and the second diameter; 
 a burst cap in the first section of the cavity distal the first end of the barrel and adjacent the bore in the cavity, the burst cap being made of a thin sheet of plastic material having a thickness of between 0.003 inches and 0.005 inches; 
 a locking nut in the first section adjacent the burst cap to retain the burst cap adjacent the bore; 
 a powder payload in the powder chamber; and, 
 a plug in the powder chamber adjacent the second end of the barrel. 
   
     
     
         2 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 1 , wherein the collar wall has a plurality of detents to receive a protrusion extending from the safety guard stop. 
     
     
         3 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 1 , wherein the handle body has a groove in an outer surface of the handle body adjacent the transverse opening in the handle body, wherein the groove houses the safety guard stop. 
     
     
         4 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 1 , wherein the barrel is generally cylindrical and made of a rigid material. 
     
     
         5 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 1 , wherein the plug is made of a polyurethane foam that is pressure fit into the powder chamber at the second end of the barrel. 
     
     
         6 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 1 , wherein the puncture tip has a central bore therethrough to allow high pressure gas released from the cartridge to pass into the cavity of the reverse conical taper at the second end of the handle body. 
     
     
         7 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 1 , wherein when the trigger is moved radially inwardly into the handle body a tip of the cartridge aligns with the transverse opening in the trigger to allow the tip of the cartridge to pass through the transverse opening in the trigger body to engage the puncture tip for dispelling gas propellant from the cartridge. 
     
     
         8 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 1 , wherein the safety rotates about a portion of the outer surface of the handle body adjacent the transverse opening in the handle body. 
     
     
         9 . A hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher, comprising:
 a reusable body assembly, comprising:
 a handle body having a first end and a second end, an outer surface, an opening adjacent the first end leading to an internal cavity to house a pneumatic cartridge, the internal cavity extending from the first end of the handle body to the second end of the handle body, the second end of the handle body having a male thread extending therefrom, and a transverse opening in the handle body adjacent the second end of the handle body; 
 a puncture tip in the internal cavity; 
 a trigger extending through the transverse opening in the handle body, the trigger having a transverse opening extending through the sidewall of the trigger, the trigger movable between a normal position and a launch position; 
 a bias member in the handle body biasing the trigger to the normal position; 
 a safety comprising a collar wall with a first opening in the collar wall for the trigger, and a trigger cover extending from the collar wall, wherein the safety is rotatable from a first position wherein the trigger cover covers the trigger to a second position where the trigger cover does not cover the trigger; 
 an end cap removably secured to the handle body at the first end of the handle body to close the cavity at the first end of the handle body; and, 
 a compression spring connected to the end cap and residing in the internal cavity of the handle body; and, 
   a replaceable barrel assembly removably connected to the second end of the handle body, comprising:
 a barrel having an outer surface, a first end, a second end, and a cavity extending from the first end to the second end, wherein the cavity has an internal female thread at the first end of the barrel, wherein the cavity has a first section with a first diameter at the first end, a powder chamber with a second diameter adjacent the second end, and bore joining the first section and the powder chamber, the bore having a diameter smaller than the first diameter and the second diameter; 
 a burst cap in the first section of the cavity distal the first end of the barrel and adjacent the bore in the cavity, the burst cap being made of a thin sheet of plastic material; and, 
 a locking nut in the first section adjacent the burst cap to retain the burst cap adjacent the bore. 
   
     
     
         10 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 9 , wherein the internal cavity of the handle body has a conical taper leading to a first end of a bore distal the first end of the handle body, the bore having a second end, the second end of the bore being adjacent a reverse conical taper portion of the cavity. 
     
     
         11 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 9 , wherein the internal cavity has a bore, and wherein the puncture tip partially resides in the bore. 
     
     
         12 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 9 , wherein the trigger has a stop extending from a sidewall of the trigger, and wherein the safety has a second opening in the collar wall for the stop extending from the trigger sidewall. 
     
     
         13 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 9 , further comprising a safety guard stop connected to the handle body and engaging the safety. 
     
     
         14 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 9 , further comprising a glass breaker connected to the end cap and residing outside the internal cavity of the handle body. 
     
     
         15 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 9 , wherein the burst cap has a thickness of between 0.003 inches and 0.005 inches. 
     
     
         16 . A hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher, comprising:
 a reusable body assembly, comprising:
 a handle body having a first end and a second end, an outer surface, an opening adjacent the first end leading to an internal cavity to house a pneumatic cartridge, the internal cavity extending from the first end of the handle body to the second end of the handle body, the second end of the handle body having a first mating member, and a transverse opening in the handle body adjacent the second end of the handle body; 
 a puncture tip in the internal cavity; 
 a trigger extending through the transverse opening in the handle body, the trigger movable between a normal position and a launch position; 
 a bias member in the handle body biasing the trigger to the normal position; 
 a safety to prevent the trigger from being actuated; and, 
 an end cap removably secured to the handle body at the first end of the handle body to close the cavity at the first end of the handle body; and, 
   a replaceable barrel assembly removably connected to the second end of the handle body, comprising:
 a barrel having an outer surface, a first end, a second end, and a cavity extending from the first end to the second end, wherein the cavity has a second mating member to mate with the first mating member at the first end of the barrel, wherein the cavity has a first section with a first diameter at the first end, a powder chamber with a second diameter adjacent the second end, and bore joining the first section and the powder chamber, the bore having a diameter smaller than the first diameter and the second diameter; and, 
 a burst cap in the first section of the cavity distal the first end of the barrel and adjacent the bore in the cavity, the burst cap being made of a thin sheet of plastic material having a thickness of between 0.003 inches and 0.005 inches. 
   
     
     
         17 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 16 , further comprising a locking nut in the first section adjacent the burst cap to retain the burst cap adjacent the bore. 
     
     
         18 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 16 , wherein the first mating member is a male thread component, and wherein the second mating member is a female thread component. 
     
     
         19 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 16 , wherein the safety comprising a collar wall with a first opening in the collar wall for the trigger, and a trigger cover extending from the collar wall, wherein the safety is rotatable from a first position wherein the trigger cover covers the trigger to a second position where the trigger cover does not cover the trigger. 
     
     
         20 . The hand-held single-use pneumatic powder launcher of  claim 16 , wherein the trigger has a transverse opening extending through the sidewall of the trigger.