Constant Pressure System
The Constant Pressure System, or CPS, is a powerful design used for certain water guns. CPS water guns are powered by a rubber bladder inflated with water. It is patented by Hasbro Inc as "bladder water gun."[1]
Design
All Constant Pressure water guns have a rubber bladder, which is either shaped like a balloon (spherical) or is a length of latex rubber tubing (cylindrical). Latex rubber tubing is also known as surgical tubing. Water is pumped from the water gun's reservoir (water storage tank) and into the rubber bladder, inflating it. Then the trigger is pulled, which opens a valve, allowing the bladder to push the water out of the nozzle. Due to the nature of the latex, the stream produced is constant, and has the same range and power throughout the entire shot (hence the name).[2]
Some bladder water guns, such as Speedloaders[3] , Water Worms[4] , and Super Chargers[5] , are inflated with water directly from a garden hose using a quick-fill device (QFD). This allows faster filling, but sometimes makes them limited since they require a hose to work.
History
The Constant Pressure System was used for the first time when Larami Toys released the Super Soaker CPS 2000 in 1996. To this day, the CPS 2000 is still the most powerful water gun ever, with an output of 28 oz. per second, and a range of 50 feet.[6] After the CPS 2000, Larami released several other CPS models from 1996 to 2002. These include the CPS 1000, CPS 1500, CPS 2500, CPS 3000, CPS 1200, CPS 1700, CPS 1700, CPS 2100, CPS 4100, CPS 1-3-5, and CPS Splashzooka.[7] During this time, some other water guns were released that also used CPS technology, under Super Soaker's Super Charger and Monster lines.[8]
In 2002, the Super Soaker brand was taken over by Hasbro, along with the CPS patents.[9] Hasbro mostly released smaller air pressure water guns, although they continued to make a few water guns with CPS technology. These included the Aquapack Devastator, the Flash Flood, the Arctic Blast, the Hydroblitz, and the Hydro Cannon.[10]
Some companies have used rubber bladders in their water guns regardless that it is patented. These include the Speed Loader line from 1999[11] , the Water Worm[12] , and a few Water Warriors blasters. In the case of Water Warriors, Hasbro ended up suing them over the patent.
Legal Issues
[13] In 2010, Buzz Bee Toys Inc. was successfully sued by Hasbro Inc. for a patent infringement. Hasbro claimed that Buzz Bee Toys infringed on a patent related to its Nerf Super Soaker water toy. Although it is unknown exactly what the dispute was over, it is strongly suggested that Hasbro was suing for the Water Warriors Hydro Power water guns, which were becoming too similar to Hasbro's Constant Pressure System. Since then, the Water Warriors line hasn't contained a single Hydro Power water gun.[14]
References
- ^ "Patent US6012609 - Bladder water gun". Google Patents. Google. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "How water guns work". Physics. Super Soaker Central. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ "Water Gun / Water Blaster Product Analyses Listings (Wild Water Weapons)". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Water Worm (3lbs)". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Water Gun / Water Blaster Product Analyses Listings (Elastic Super Chargers)". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Super Soaker CPS 2000". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Water Gun / Water Blaster Pruduct Analyses Listings (CPS search)". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Water Gun / Water Blaster Product Analyses Listings (Larami elastic pressure search)". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "History of the Super Soaker (paragraph 25)". iSoaker. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Water Gun / Water Blaster Product Analyses Listings (Hasbro elastic pressure search)". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Water Gun / Water Blaster Product Analyses Listings (Wild Water Weapons)". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Water Worm (3lbs". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Hasbro sues other toy makers over patents". 2 June 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Water Gun / Water Blaster Product Analyses Listings / Soaker Database (water warriors blasters)". The Armoury. isoaker.com. Retrieved 20 March 2012.