Projectile firing toy

Abstract

A toy for firing projectiles comprising or including a frame and an arm pivotally mounted to the frame and able to move between a first position and a second position, wherein in use, a projectile equipped with or being an elastic member can be launched by the toy by engaging the elastic member with the arm and moving the projectile relative to the arm such that the elastic member is extended and the arm is in the second position, and subsequently releasing the projectile to cause the projectile to be launched by virtue of transfer the stored energy in the elastic member, wherein the arm is able to move to the first position so as not to interfere with the trajectory of the launched projectile.

1 . A toy for firing projectiles comprising or including:
 a frame,   an arm pivotally mounted to the frame and able to move between a first position and a second position,   wherein in use, a projectile equipped with or being an elastic member can be launched by the toy by engaging the elastic member with the arm and moving the projectile relative to the arm such that the elastic member is extended and the arm is in the second position, and subsequently releasing the projectile to cause the projectile to be launched by virtue of transferring the stored energy in the elastic member, wherein the arm is able to move to the first position so as not to interfere with the trajectory of the launched projectile.   
     
     
         2 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein the arm is restricted from pivoting past the second position by a stop. 
     
     
         3 . The toy of  claim 2  wherein the stop is formed integrally with the frame. 
     
     
         4 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein the arm is biased to the first position by a biasing means. 
     
     
         5 . The toy of  claim 4  wherein the biasing means is a spring. 
     
     
         6 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein the arm includes an engagement region at or near its distal end suitable for engaging the elastic member with the arm. 
     
     
         7 . The toy of  claim 6  wherein the engagement region is a notch or recess in the distal end of the arm. 
     
     
         8 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein the frame includes a user-grippable handle. 
     
     
         9 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein the frame includes a catching region suitable for catching the or a projectile. 
     
     
         10 . The toy of  claim 9  wherein the catching region comprises a net provided supported by the frame. 
     
     
         11 . A toy set for firing projectiles comprising or including:
 a frame,   an arm pivotally mounted to the frame and able to move between a first position and a second position,   at least one projectile equipped with or being an elastic member,   wherein a said projectile can be launched by engaging the elastic member with the arm and moving the projectile relative to the arm such that the elastic member is extended and the arm is in the second position, and subsequently releasing the projectile to cause the projectile to be launched by virtue of a transfer of the stored energy in the elastic member to the projectile, the arm being able to move to the first position so as not to interfere with the trajectory of the launched projectile.   
     
     
         12 . The toy set of  claim 11  wherein the arm is restricted from pivoting past the second position by a stop. 
     
     
         13 . The toy set of  claim 12  wherein the stop is formed integrally with the frame. 
     
     
         14 . The toy set of  claim 11  wherein the arm is biased to the first position by a biasing means. 
     
     
         15 . The toy set of  claim 14  wherein the biasing means is a torsion spring. 
     
     
         16 . The toy set of  claim 11  wherein the arm includes an engagement region at its distal end suitable for engaging the elastic member of a projectile with the arm. 
     
     
         17 . The toy set of  claim 16  wherein the engagement region is a notch or recess in the distal end of the arm. 
     
     
         18 . The toy set of  claim 11  wherein the frame includes a user-grippable handle. 
     
     
         19 . The toy set of  claim 11  wherein the frame includes a catching region suitable for catching a projectile. 
     
     
         20 . The toy set of  claim 19  wherein the catching region comprises an opening in the frame and a net provided around the opening so that a projectile may be caught in said net after passing through said opening. 
     
     
         21 . A toy for firing projectiles comprising or including:
 a frame,   an arm pivotally mounted to the frame and able to move between a first position and a second position,   wherein in use, a projectile equipped with or being an elastic member can be launched by engaging the elastic member with the arm and moving the projectile relative to the arm such that the elastic member is extended and the arm is in the second position, and subsequently releasing the projectile to cause the projectile to be launched by virtue of the stored energy in the elastic member, the arm being caused to move from the second position to the first position by the launched projectile such movement being in a direction parallel to the trajectory of the projectile.   
     
     
         22 . A projectile for use with the toy of  claim 1 , the projectile comprising:
 a main body, and   an elastic member extending from the main body.   
     
     
         23 . A projectile for use with the toy of  claim 21 , the projectile comprising:
 a main body, and   an elastic member extending from the main body.