I've also included the most interesting water rocket and compressed air rocket patents I found and listed patent applications, too (the longest numbers preceded by year of application). In some cases I didn't use the vague patent title and substituted a more descriptive one in the file name since any check of one's patents on hand can be more easily determined by the patent number and not the title.
I would like to have the many more solid propellant model rocket patents which I expect must exist but which I didn't find using my keywords. If you have a patent number I don't have in the list below, please list it here.
Patent search done at:
https://www.uspto.gov/patents-application-process/search-patents
20020020401A1 - Toy Rocket Set (Compressed air tube launched).pdf
20030194943A1 - Model Rocket Motor Retainer Apparatus.pdf
20040102130A1 - Flyable Model Rocket (Made from cardboard cutouts).pdf
20040159740A1 - Hydrogen Powered Toy Rocket Utilizing Hydrogen From The Electrolysis Of Water.pdf
20050009440A1 - Air-Water Powered Rocket Toy With Inflatable Fuselage.pdf
20050085153A1 - Toy Rocket Launch Pad With Directional Safety Valve (Another bellows launcher).pdf
20060225716A1 - Rocket Launcher Toy (Stomped air bellows type compressed air rocket).pdf
20070012305A1 - Toy Water Rocket Launcher (Uses city water pressure to compress air).pdf
20070077852A1 - Toy Rocket Launcher For Multiple Soft Toy Rockets.pdf
20080289530A1 - Airborne Device Such As Model Rocket With Light And Sound For Observing And Retrieving.pdf
20090104839A1 - Launching Device For Toy Rocket (Water rocket).pdf
20120138037A1 - EZ-Launch Two Liter Pop Bottle Launcher.pdf
20140120797A1 - Glide-A-Raptor.pdf
20140370776A1 - Method And Apparatus For A Two-Stage Model Rocket (Estes-Cox).pdf
20170009440A1 - Compressed Air Power Systems That Use Stored Energy to Propel Toy Items.pdf
2841084 - Toy Rocket (First 'model rocket' patent).pdf
2918751 - Reaction Propulsion Toy.pdf
2927398 - Multiple Stage Rocket (Water rocket).pdf
3029704 - Steam Powered Rocket And Launcher Therefor.pdf
3049832 - Two-Stage (Water) Rocket.pdf
3082666 - Method And Appartus For Propulsion (Manned steam rocket).pdf
3292302 - Multistage Model Rocket (Estes staging method).pdf
3363559 - Resistance Fuse Wire (Estes igniter - original).pdf
3422763 - Rocket Engine Igniter (Model rocket electrical type).pdf
3452471 - Model Boost Glider.pdf
3503333 - Resistance Fuse Wire (Estes igniter - later patent).pdf
3510980 - Propelled Toy Arrangement And Method (Water rocket with side 'chute ejection).pdf
3646887 - Model Rocket And Shock Chord Retainer Therefor.pdf
3650214 - Toy Rocket And Gas Propellant System.pdf
3662685 - Firing Means For A Model Rocket.pdf
3719145 - Recovery Device Ejection Baffle System for Minaiture Rockets.pdf
3721193 - Multi-stage Model Rocekt Assembly (Centuri staging method).pdf
3736836 - Launching Pad Assembly For Model Rockets (Centuri).pdf
3741120 - Metal Foil Ignitor (Centuri).pdf
3785083 - Reaction Toy Arrangement And Method (Multistage water rocket).pdf
3787013 - Foldable Kite And Rocket Launching Means Therefor.pdf
3795194 - Model Rocket (Recessed motor, ducted & finless).pdf
3805355 - Fixture for Model Rocket (Fin jig).pdf
3820275 - Toy Rocket Motor with Pressure-Responsive Means Activated by Propellant Pressure.pdf
3844557 - Rocket Motor Driven Model Racing Vehicle.pdf
3888178 - Model Rocket-Glider.pdf
3903801 - Model Rocket and Recovery Device Therefore.pdf
3912562 - Low Temperature Gas Generator Propellant.pdf
3937191 - Rocket Launcher Including Remotely Releasable Pin Latch (Estes freon rockets).pdf
3942441 - Model Rocket-Glider 2.pdf
3943656 - Two Stage Freon Rocket.pdf
3943656 - Two Stage Rocket with Pressure Responsive Means for Frictionally Engaging Second Stage.pdf
3977120 - Toy Rocket Glider.pdf
4038776 - Rocket Toy (Compressed Air Launched).pdf
4257152 - Centuri Fin Alignment Jig.pdf
4257152 - Fin Assembly System for Model Rockets (Centuri fin jig).pdf
4355577 - Model Rocket Propulsion System.pdf
4374493 - Ultra-light Model Rocket Construction.pdf
4466213 - Aerial Flight Device (Spiral recovery of rocket).pdf
4655137 - Igniter For Model Rocket Engine.pdf
4687455 - Telescoping Body Tube Recovery System Deployment.pdf
4930393 - Model Rocket Launch System.pdf
5004186 - Finlock Alignment Mechanism For Rockets (Aerotech).pdf
5004441 - Estes Model Rocket Car.pdf
5054397 - Parachute Ejection And Recovery System For Rockets (Aerotech's mesh baffle system).pdf
5123355 - Foil Laminated Plastic Reloadable Rocket Motor Igniter (Aerotech Copperheads).pdf
5183960 - Ejection Charge Jettisoned Nose Ballast for Boost Gliders.pdf
5212946 - Reloadable-Modular Solid Rocket Motor.pdf
5267885 - Through the Wall Fins (Centuri).pdf
5312286 - Flying Toy (Balloon propelled lightweight rockets or planes).pdf
5410966 - Centuri Igniter.pdf
5413514 - Helicopter Recovery Rocket.pdf
5507451 - Shutlle Launch System For Model Rocket.pdf
5507541 - Shuttle Launch System for Model Rocket.pdf
5509354 - Centuri Igniter Plug-Holder.pdf
5538453 - Compressed Air Rocket Launcher.pdf
5549497 - Toy Rocket with Velocity Dependent Parachute Release.pdf
5579636 - Pyrotechnic Valve, Igniter And Combustion Preheater For Hybrid Rocket Motors (Aerotech).pdf
5653216 - Compressed Air Rocket & Launcher.pdf
5712446 - Flat-Sided Modle Rocket And Method Therefor.pdf
5780765 - Igniter and Pyrogen Compound.pdf
5785278 - Pressure Dependent Parachute Release Device For Air-Water Rockets.pdf
5881706 - Toy Rocket Launcher (Easy to DIY water rocket hold-down & release system).pdf
5886282 - Electrical Rocket Igniter.pdf
5951354 - Rocket Side Parachute Deployment Hatch.pdf
6022260 - Kit For Constructing A Model Rocket (Accordioning cardboard).pdf
6073086 - Time Of Motion, Speed, And Trajectory Height Measuring Device.pdf
6155173 - Model Rocket Motor Retainer.pdf
6321737B1 - Toy Rocket Launcher (Compressed air rocket).pdf
6361393 - Magnetic Impulse Reaction Driven Toys (Magentic repulsion toy rocket launcher).pdf
6460531B1 - Toy Rocket Launcher (Rotary bellows launcher).pdf
6478648B1 - Toy Rocket with Parachute Hatch Release.pdf
6568170B1 - Baking Soda and Vinegar Plastic Bottle Rocket.pdf
6586170 - Rocket With High Pressure Fueling Module (Water bottle rocket).pdf
6679155B1 - Hydrogen Powered Rocket (Another H2-O2 explosion propelled rocket).pdf
6926576B1 - Rocket with Backwards Gliding Recovery.pdf
6957526 - Pressure Actuated Toy Rocket System (Soda-vinegar plastic bottle rocket).pdf
7252079 - Safe Air-Pressure-Launched Toy Rocket System (Palm closed air valve on ram cylinder).pdf
7537508B1 - Carbide Model Rocket.pdf
7900621B2 - Mass Launch Water Rocket System.pdf
8006936B1 - Chute Tamer Patent.pdf
8998669B2 - 2-stage Model Rocket (Estes Pro Series II E2X).pdf
A clever item from a patent listed above which could be 3D printed which shows one of the reasons I like looking at patents. Note how the balloon fill neck is folded back over the device at the nozzle to hold the device in place.:
I didn't find a toy on the market which used that patent nor did I find a 3D file of anything similar on Thingiverse. However, I did find this neat item on Thingiverse during my search:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1936208
[video=youtube;wl0n9UZzOhQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl0n9UZzOhQ[/video]