US 11,859,939 B2
Air gun with automatic cocking
Eric A. St. Phillips, Fairport, NY (US); and John A. Kowalczyk, Jr., Fairport, NY (US)
Assigned to Crosman Corporation, Bloomfield, NY (US)
Filed by Crosman Corporation, Bloomfield, NY (US)
Filed on Mar. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/696,632.
Prior Publication US 2023/0296349 A1, Sep. 21, 2023
Int. Cl. F41B 11/646 (2013.01); F41B 11/54 (2013.01)
CPC F41B 11/646 (2013.01) [F41B 11/54 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An air gun comprising:
a housing defining a chamber;
a barrel extending from and in communication with the chamber;
a cocking mechanism at least partially disposed in the chamber and configured to prepare the gun to fire a projectile from the barrel, the cocking mechanism comprising:
a compression tube comprising a sidewall extending between a closed end and an open end and defining a compression tube volume, the compression tube being disposed in the chamber and movable relative to the chamber between a firing position and a cocking position;
a piston having a piston sidewall extending between a first piston end and a second piston end and a sear proximate the second piston end, the piston extending through the open end of the compression tube such that the first piston end is disposed in the compression tube volume and the piston being movable between a cocked position and a fired position;
a spring in communication with the piston and configured to bias the piston toward the fired position; and
an actuator assembly for moving the compression tube between the firing position and the cocking position, the actuator assembly comprising:
a lead screw having a longitudinal axis generally parallel to the barrel;
an actuator coupled to the lead screw and configured to rotate the lead screw about the longitudinal axis; and
a carriage coupled to the compression tube and movable along the lead screw; and
a hollow probe extending from the closed end of the compression tube in a direction away from the compression tube volume, the hollow probe defining a channel in fluid communication with the compression tube volume,
wherein, with the compression tube in the firing position and the piston in the fired position, the actuator causes the carriage to move the compression tube to the cocking position, movement of the compression tube to the cocking position causing the piston to compress the spring such that the searing surface engages with a trigger to secure the piston in the cocked position, and
wherein, with the piston secured in the cocked position, the actuator causes the compression tube to return to the firing position.