Bb peashooter

Abstract

A kit for shooting a BB through a peashooter, comprising a tubular peashooter with an opening in the tube that has an opening diameter, inner and outer walls, a tube thickness, and a tube length, and a BB with a BB diameter.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to peashooters, and in particular, to a novel projectile for use with a peashooter.BACKGROUND[0002]A peashooter is a toy version of a blowgun or blowpipe. It is used as follows: A projectile, usually a dried pea, seed, or spitball, is loaded into one end of a generally 8 inch tube, the other end of which is blown through forcefully by the user. The force of the air launches the projectile, which may be sent in any direction by positioning of the tube. Peashooters have long been a favorite of both children and young at heart adults, but the types of ammunition heretofore used are limited. Moreover, as most of this ammunition is irregular in shape, the trajectory of the projectile may be difficult to anticipate, making aiming difficult. Therefore there is a need for a new type of peashooter ammunition that is regular in shape and smooth.[0003]Pea shooting is a competitive sport, notably in the United Kingdom. In such competitio...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]The preferred peashooter is a 12 inch long tube, but may be between 6 and 18 inches long in some embodiments. The use of the preferred 12 inch tube over more standard 8 inch peashooters allows for better aiming as the end of the tube is further from the user's mouth so that he or she may better assess exactly where it is pointing and what angle and positioning would best aim toward the target. The tube is preferably made of a rigid plastic, but may be made of a variety of materials. The tube has an inner wall, an outer wall, and an opening. The tube's opening should fit fairly snugly around the BB of the kit so that there is only a nominal space around the BB between the BB and the inner walls of the peashooter. As discussed below, the preferred BB is approximately 0.236 inches in diameter, which is the diameter of a standard airsoft BB. The preferred tube opening is therefore preferably approximately 0.240 inches in diameter, but may be up to 0.400 inches. The tube has a thickness around the opening between the inner and outer walls of the tube that is preferably between 1 and 2 mm. The plastic that makes up the tube may be of any color and may be translucent. A logo or other writing may be included on the outside of the tube.

[0008]The preferred BB of the present invention is an airsoft BB, which is spherical and made of plastic. In some non-preferred embodiments, the BB is pointed and may be made of materials other than plastic. The preferred BB is approximately 0.236 inches in diameter but may be of any diameter so long as the diameter of the BB is less than the diameter of the opening of the tube of the kit. The preferred spherical BB is perfectly regular, so it will have a more predictable trajectory than projectiles used with peashooters heretofore. Unlike an irregular pea, a BB moving through a peashooter is like a bullet going through a gun barrel, so the BB may be shot better and at longer ranges. Additionally, the perfect roundness of the BB and the standard size of the BB within the standard size of the peashooter avoid getting ammunition stuck in the peashooter, which is a common problem with peas as ammunition.

[0009]The small difference between the diameter of the BB and the opening diameter of the tube of the peashooter that creates only a very small space between the BB and the inner wall of the peashooter is a key aspect of the present invention. As discussed above, projectiles used with peashooters in the past, such as peas, vary greatly from projectile to projectile, or from pea to pea. One pea may barely fit within the peashooter so that it may get stuck within the peashooter. The next may have a diameter half of that of the peashooter's opening so that much of the air used as a propellant goes right through the tube without being used as force for the pea. In such situations, the trajectory of the pea is very unpredictable because of the reactions between the air streams going straight through the tube and those that are used to propel the small pea. Having uniform sized BBs used with a uniform sized pea shooter eliminates such uncertainties. Moreover, with only a very small space between the BB and the inner wall of the peashooter, almost all of the force from the air is being used to create sufficient pressure behind the BB to propel the BB forcibly and predictably every time. Some space is necessary to overcome or eliminate frictional forces between the BB and the inner wall of the peashooter, but having only a small space is sufficient for this while also providing the benefits discussed above.

Problems solved by technology

One pea may barely fit within the peashooter so that it may get stuck within the peashooter.

In such situations, the trajectory of the pea is very unpredictable because of the reactions between the air streams going straight through the tube and those that are used to propel the small pea.

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