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Login Toy gas fired missile and launcher assembly, United States Patent 6055910 Abstract: A toy gas-fired missile and launcher assembly whose missile is composed of a soft head and a tail extending therefrom formed by a pisto n The piston is telescoped into the barrel of a launcher having a close d end on which is mounted an electrically-activated ignitor, the air spa ce between the end of the piston and the closed end of the barrel defini ng a combustion chamber. Joined to the barrel and communicating with the chamber therein is a gas intake tube having a normally-closed inlet val ve. To operate the assembly, the operator places the inlet tube with its valve open adjacent his anal region from which a colonic gas is dischar ged. The piston is then withdrawn to a degree producing a negative press ure to inhale the gas into the combustion chamber to intermix with the a ir therein to create a combustible mixture. The ignitor is then activate d to explode the mixture in the chamber and fire the missile into space.
Denise J Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hopgood, Calimafde Kalil & Judlowe Claims: We claim: 1 A toy gas-fired missile and launcher assembly for use by a human opera tor comprising: A a missile composed of a head and a piston extending axially from the h ead; B a barrel for launching the missile whose piston is telescoped in the b arrel, a negative pressure being produced when the piston is pulled out, said barrel having a closed end in which is mounted an electrically-act ivatable ignitor, a combustion chamber being defined between said closed end of the barrel and an end of the piston when it is fully inserted in the barrel; C Means to feed a combustible gas mixture into said chamber, including a n intake tube communicating with said chamber and having a normally-clos ed valve and an inlet to the tube, the inlet of the intake tube being pl aceable adjacent an anal region of the operator from which colonic gas i s emitted whereby when the piston is pulled out the resultant negative p ressure acts to inhale the colonic gas into said chamber to produce the combustible gas mixture; and D means to apply an activating voltage to said ignitor to explode said m ixture, thereby launching the missile. Description: BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1 Field of Invention This invention relates generally to toy gas-fired missiles, and more part icularly to a toy gas-fired missile and launcher assembly in which the e xplosive mixture for propelling the missile is derived from colonic gas discharged by the operator of the toy. Because flatulence may be socially embarrassing, it is one of the mo st common complaints encountered in medical practice. Although a number of factors have been implicated in its pathogenesis, sometimes no cause can be found and it may therefore prove refractory to treatment. Thus, s erious discussions of flatulence have led to little more than home remed ies, largely empirically derived. A number of variables determine the volume, composition and frequency of flatus (Fardy and Sullivan, 1988). These include age, heredity, stress, diet and antibiotics. Normal individuals eating a typical diet produce 4 00 to 1,600 ml of flatus per day (Levitt, 1971). The composition of flat us varies dramatically among individuals. In order of decreasing prevalence in normal ind ividuals, these are nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane and oxyg en (Van Ness and Cattau, 1985). The odor associated with flatus is due to hydrogen sulfide, skatole, indo le, volatile amines and short-chain fatty acids. These substances are de tectable by olfactory neurons in concentrations as low as 10 parts per b illion (Levitt and Bond, 1970, Boucher, 1980). The least signifi cant contributor of intestinal gas volume is the diffusion of gas from t issues and vasculature to the bowel. Under normal conditions, this const itutes only a few percent of the total volume, and the primary component is carbon dioxide (Danhof, 1968). Another more minor component of gas p roduction is from the acidification of bicarbonate in intestinal secreti ons. The primary gas produced in this manner is also carbon dioxide, mos t of which is absorbed in the upper gut (Bouchier, 1980). The percentage of nitrogen in flat us increases with air swallowing (Rider and Moeller, 1960), and postpran dial bloating secondary to air swallowing is exacerbated by fat indigest ion, which delays gastric emptying (Polish and Kadish, 1968; The least understood mechanism of intestinal gas production is that from bacterial fermentation in the colon (Friedman, 1991). Fermentation of in digestible polysaccharides by colonic bacteria results in dramatic incre ases in hydrogen production and flatus passage. In legumes, for example, raffinose and stachyose have been implicated as the major oligosacchari des that provide the substrate for colonic bacteria. Cellulose, which is the main component of the tough outer coating of beans, also is nondige stible and provides a similar substrate (Van Ness and Cattau, 1985). Aside from occasional caveats found in textbooks concerning the dangers o f electrocautery and the subsequent explosion of the colon during surger y (Levitt and Bond, 1978), or anecdotal accounts of flatus ignition, the re is little scientific discourse on the combustive properties of flatus . A recreational activity practiced by some individuals is ignition of one' s own flatus. This is performed by using a lit match or candle, or a cig arette lighter. So widespread is this activity that there are web sites on the Internet devoted exclusively to explaining proper lighting techni ques. A major drawback of this popular practice is that it usually involves the hazardous coupling of fire, combustible gases and inebriated participan ts. Reports of serious burns to body parts are not uncommon, this being especially true when the participants remove their clothing. SUMMARY OF INVENTION In view of the foregoing, the main object of this invention is to provide a safe toy which exploits the combustible properties of flatus to fire a toy missile into space. More particularly an object of this invention is to provide a toy gas-fir ed missile and launcher assembly collect in a combustion chamber an expl osive mixture derived from a colonic mixture emanating from the operator of the toy. Among the significant features of the invention are the following: A the toy assembly includes a hand-held unitary launcher. B Little skill and minimal safety precautions are required to operate th e launcher; C While the assembly explodes a mixture of air and colonic gas, it is ha zard-free, for the explosive is safely confined. Briefly stated, these objects are attained by a toy gas-fired missile and launcher assembly whose missile is composed of a soft head and a tail e xtending therefrom formed by a cylindrical piston. The piston is telesco ped to the cylindrical barrel of a launcher having a closed end on which is mounted an electrically-activated ignitor, the air space between the end of the piston and the end of the barrel defining a combustion chamb er. Joined to the barrel and communicating with the chamber therein is a gas intake tube having a normally-closed inlet valve. To operate the assembly, the player who may be fully clothed places the i nlet of the tube with its valve open adjacent his anal region from which a colonic gas is discharged. The piston is then withdrawn to a degree p roducing a negative pressure to inhale the gas into the combustion chamb er to intermix with the air therein to create a combustible mixture. The ignitor is then activated to explode the gas in the chamber and fire th e missile into space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and features thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherei n; Head 10 is preferably in the form of a ball molded of open-cell flexible foam synthetic plastic material, such as polyurethane, whereby the ball is soft and compressible. The cylindrical tail 11 which functions as a p lunger or piston is molded of light weight synthetic plastic material, s uch as closed-cell rigid foam plastic. Th...
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