主权项 |
1. An apparatus for launching items to recipients, said apparatus comprising:
a support base; a cannon body on said support base, and said cannon body having a proximal end portion, a distal end portion defining a muzzle, and an interior chamber communicating with a discharge opening at a distal face of the muzzle; a container for holding the items and including an open top, and said container being movable within the interior chamber of the cannon body towards and away from the discharge opening of the muzzle; at least one biasing member securing the container to the cannon body, and the at least one biasing member being structured and disposed for urging the container towards the discharge opening of the muzzle when the at least one biasing member is tensioned by moving the container from a normally relaxed position and away from the discharge opening and towards a rear portion of the interior chamber to a loaded position; a trigger and locking assembly comprising:
a trigger arm having a first end and an opposite second end that is exterior of the cannon body, and the trigger arm being movable relative to the cannon body between a cocked position and a firing position;a target on the second end of the trigger arm;a retainer mechanism structured and disposed for releasably holding the container in the loaded position;a lever mechanism for moving the container from a first position to at least one loaded position, and the lever mechanism being connected to the retainer mechanism and including a lever arm extending out from the interior chamber of the cannon body to an exterior of the cannon body, and the lever arm including a handle on a distal end thereof, and the lever arm being structured and disposed for releasably locking the at least one loaded position;a plurality of wheels for engaging an inner surface of the cannon body within the interior chamber to guide movement of the trigger and locking assembly within the interior chamber;the trigger arm being operatively linked to the retainer mechanism for actuating the retainer mechanism to release the container therefrom upon movement of the trigger arm from the cocked position to the firing position; andwhereby impacting the target with an external force moves the trigger arm from the cocked position to the firing position to actuate the retainer mechanism and thereby release the container from the loaded position, such that tension of the at least one biasing member causes immediate acceleration of the container through the interior chamber of the cannon body and towards the discharge opening, whereupon deceleration and stopping of forward movement of the container results in the items being launched out from the open top of the container and in a scattered array through the surrounding atmosphere. |