How the Super Soaker's Pinch-Trigger and Built-In Tank Work
A 1994 patent by Lonnie Johnson for a high-pressure toy water gun featuring a built-in, non-detachable tank pressurized by a hand pump and controlled by a simple pinch-valve trigger.
Original patent title: “Pinch trigger hand pump water gun with non-detachable tank”
A 1994 patent by Lonnie Johnson for a high-pressure toy water gun featuring a built-in, non-detachable tank pressurized by a hand pump and controlled by a simple pinch-valve trigger. Granted to Individual in 1994 with 21 claims and 27 forward citations, and it is now in the public domain.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a high-pressure toy water gun that uses compressed air to shoot a continuous stream of water. A hand pump built into the gun's body forces air into a non-detachable external water tank, pressurizing the air and water inside. A flexible tube runs from the bottom of this tank, through the gun's barrel, to the nozzle. To keep the water from shooting out immediately, a spring-loaded metal bar pinches this tube shut. When you pull the trigger, it lifts the pinch bar off the tube, allowing the highly pressurized water to escape through the narrow nozzle in a powerful, steady stream.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover water guns with detachable water tanks that screw off to be refilled.
- Does not cover water guns that use motorized or electric pumps to pressurize the water.
- Does not cover trigger mechanisms that use traditional sliding piston valves instead of pinching a flexible tube.
- Does not cover pressurized water guns where the pressurized chamber is completely separate from the main water reservoir.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
Instead of a complex, expensive, and leak-prone mechanical valve, the trigger uses a simple spring-loaded bar to pinch a flexible tube shut. Even cleverer: if the air pressure inside the tank gets dangerously high, the pressure itself forces the pinch bar open slightly, acting as an automatic safety release valve.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Larami Super Soaker models with fixed, non-removable tanks
Classic air-pressurized toy water blasters from the mid-1990s
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent represents a key evolution of Lonnie Johnson's famous Super Soaker technology. By integrating a non-detachable, high-pressure tank directly onto the gun's frame and using a simple pinch-tube trigger, it made high-power water guns cheaper to manufacture, safer, and less prone to leaking than earlier models with removable bottles.
Filed
April 23, 1992
Granted
April 26, 1994
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Hasbro, which acquired Larami (the original licensee of Lonnie Johnson's patents), continues to dominate the water blaster market with the Super Soaker brand, while competitors like Buzz Bee Toys have built similar pressurized systems.
Market impact
This design allowed manufacturers to produce high-pressure water blasters with fewer moving parts, reducing production costs and eliminating the structural weaknesses of removable pressurized bottles, which were prone to cracking or flying off under high pressure.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a high-pressure toy water gun that uses compressed air to shoot a continuous stream of water. A hand pump built into the gun's body forces air into a non-detachable external water tank, pressurizing the air and water inside. A flexible tube runs from the bottom of this tank, through the gun's barrel, to the nozzle. To keep the water from shooting out immediately, a spring-loaded metal bar pinches this tube shut. When you pull the trigger, it lifts the pinch bar off the tube, allowing the highly pressurized water to escape through the narrow nozzle in a powerful, steady stream.
The clever bit
Instead of a complex, expensive, and leak-prone mechanical valve, the trigger uses a simple spring-loaded bar to pinch a flexible tube shut. Even cleverer: if the air pressure inside the tank gets dangerously high, the pressure itself forces the pinch bar open slightly, acting as an automatic safety release valve.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover water guns with detachable water tanks that screw off to be refilled.
- Does not cover water guns that use motorized or electric pumps to pressurize the water.
- Does not cover trigger mechanisms that use traditional sliding piston valves instead of pinching a flexible tube.
- Does not cover pressurized water guns where the pressurized chamber is completely separate from the main water reservoir.
Patent Journey
From filing to expiry
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
29/40
Moderately cited
Claim breadth
14/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$16K – $51K
Midpoint $32K · expired or expiring · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
21 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Johnson, L. G., & D'Andrade, B. M. (1994). How the Super Soaker's Pinch-Trigger and Built-In Tank Work (U.S. Patent No. 5,305,919). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5305919/super-soaker-water-gun
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
Embed
Add this patent to your site
Drop this plain-English patent card into any blog post or article — free, no signup. It always links back to the full breakdown here.
<div data-patentlens-widget data-patent-number="US5305919"></div> <script src="https://patentbrief.org/embed.js" async></script>
Stay in the loop
Get a weekly digest of new patents.
One email per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Keep exploring
Related patents you should know
US 4683195 · 1987
How to Make Billions of Copies of a DNA Segment
This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a method to rapidly create many copies of a specific piece of DNA or RNA, enabling its detection and analysis.
Cetus Corp
US 8697359 · 2014
How to Edit Genes in Human Cells Using an Engineered CRISPR System
This patent describes an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 system for precisely cutting DNA in eukaryotic cells to change how genes work, opening the door for gene editing in complex organisms.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
US 7657849 · 2010
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
Apple's 2010 patent describes unlocking a device by dragging a specific graphical image across the touchscreen along a predefined path, a gesture that became iconic with the original iPhone.
Apple Inc
US 4733665 · 1988
How Doctors Implant a Permanent Stent Using a Balloon
This patent describes the method for placing a permanent, expandable wire mesh tube inside a blood vessel or other body tube using a balloon-tipped catheter to widen it and keep it open.
Expandable Grafts Partnership
US 4405829 · 1983
How RSA Public-Key Encryption Keeps Digital Messages Secret
This patent describes the foundational RSA algorithm, a method for securely sending messages where anyone can encrypt a message using a public key, but only the intended recipient can decrypt it using a secret private key.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
US 4575330 · 1986
How 3D Printers Build Objects Layer by Layer from Liquid
This patent describes the foundational method for 3D printing, where a machine builds a three-dimensional object layer by layer by hardening a liquid material with light or other energy.
UVP Inc
Semantically similar
You might also find these interesting
More to explore
More in Consumer Electronics
US 7657849 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
US 7479949 · 2009 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls
US 4528643 · 1985 · FPDC Inc
How Stores Make Custom Products On-Demand with Remote Approval
US 7469381 · 2008 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge
New to patents?
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How the Super Soaker's Pinch-Trigger and Built-In Tank Work cover?
A 1994 patent by Lonnie Johnson for a high-pressure toy water gun featuring a built-in, non-detachable tank pressurized by a hand pump and controlled by a simple pinch-valve trigger.
Who owns patent US 5305919?
Individual owns this patent, granted in 1994.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 5305919 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 27 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent represents a key evolution of Lonnie Johnson's famous Super Soaker technology. By integrating a non-detachable, high-pressure tank directly onto the gun's frame and using a simple pinch-tube trigger, it made high-power water guns cheaper to manufacture, safer, and less prone to leaking than earlier models with removable bottles.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover water guns with detachable water tanks that screw off to be refilled.
Same assignee
More from Individual
Patent monitoring