Manually cocking spring-powered projectile launcher

Claim 1

A projectile launcher comprising: a housing means for forming a barrel and at least one hand grip; said housing means including a pair of longitudinal sections secured together by releasable fasteners; each of said sections being recessed so as to define an inner bore when said sections are secured together; said bore including a compartment, a projectile launching channel, and a slot portion communicating said launching channel with said compartment; an elongate cocking bar; an impact plunger having a projectile discharge portion slidably disposed in said channel and having forward and rearward ends; said discharge portion including a trigger engaging portion at the bottom thereof; said plunger including a cocking aperture located in a rear portion thereof and being aligned with slots in said housing sections to removably receive said cocking bar completely through said aperture and slots so as to be grippable by both hands of an operator; said cocking bar, when drawn rearwardly, being operable to shift said plunger rearwardly toward a cocked position; said plunger including a web portion extending upwardly from said discharge portion and being slidable in said slot portion of said bore, said discharge portion being of greater thickness than said slot portion to retain said discharge portion in said channel; an elongate, flexible spring element disposed in said compartment; one end of said spring element being anchored at a point near the front end of said housing; the other end of said spring element being operably connected to said web portion so that rearward movement of said plunger toward a cocked position tensions said spring; trigger means at the rear of said housing for engaging said trigger engaging portion and latching said plunger and said spring element in a cocked condition; said trigger means being operable to unlatch said plunger to allow said spring element to propel said plunger forwardly; and a freely rotatable pulley located in said compartment above said launching channel and intermediate the ends of said spring when said spring is tensioned; said spring passing around and being in contact with said pulley when in a tensioned condition so as to be guided thereby; said front anchoring point of said spring being disposed above the point of operable connection between said spring and said web portion so that said spring, in a tensioned condition, is inclined so as to apply an upwardly and forwardly directed force to said plunger; said point of operable connection between said spring and said web portion being spaced from said front and rear ends of said plunger.