Dual-pressure electronic paintball gun

• US 5,878,736 A
• Filed: 06/26/1998
• Issued: 03/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kee Action Sports LLC (Kore Outdoor Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brass Eagle LLC
• Inventors: Lotuaco, Nicanor D. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Eldred, J. Woodrow
• Application Number:
  US09/105,051
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 124/71, 124/72, 124/73, 124/75, 124/82
• US Class Current: 124/71
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/52 the projectiles being loosely held in a magazine above the gun housing, e.g. in a hopper
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/57 Electronic or electric systems for feeding or loading F41B11/53 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/62 with pressure supplied by a gas cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/722 for controlling gas pressure for loading or feeding only
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/723 for controlling gas pressure for firing the projectile only
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/724 for gas pressure reduction

Abstract

A gas-powered paintball gun has two pressure regulators which supply two different gas pressures for gun operation: a lower-pressure gas for quickly but gently loading balls into the chamber of the gun, and a high-pressure gas for consistently and efficiently propelling balls out of the barrel. A further aspect of the invention resides in the arrangement of the bolt under a removable cover, which gives easy access to the bolt, the breech and the barrel to enable these parts to be cleaned without major disassembly of other parts of the gun.

Claims

1. In a gas-powered gun for firing balls dispensed serially from a magazine into the gun, the gun adapted to be connected to a source of pressurized gas and having trigger-activated valving for controlling the flow of gas within the gun, a barrel with a chamber at the rear thereof, a breech behind the chamber for receiving one ball at a time through a ball feed port from the magazine, and a bolt slidable within the breech and the chamber to advance a ball from the breech into the chamber and close off the feed port so that gas pressure behind the ball forces the ball out of the front of the barrel, the improvement comprising:

a high-pressure regulator for supplying gas to said chamber at a substantially constant relatively high pressure to force the ball out of said barrel; and

a low-pressure regulator for supplying gas at a substantially constant relatively lower pressure for moving said bolt forwardly to advance a ball into said chamber.

2. A gun according to claim 1 wherein said regulators are in serial fluid communication, with the input side of said low-pressure regulator receiving relatively high-pressure gas from the output side of said high-pressure regulator.

3. A gun according to claim 1 wherein said regulators are located at the rear of the gun.

4. A gun according to claim 3 wherein said low-pressure regulator is located below said high-pressure regulator.

5. A gun according to claim 1 further comprising a pneumatic cylinder in fluid communication with said low-pressure regulator and having a piston rod mechanically linked to said bolt for moving said bolt under the influence of said lower-pressure gas.

6. A gun according to claim 5 wherein said pneumatic cylinder is a double-acting pneumatic cylinder which moves said bolt forwardly and rearwardly.

7. A gun according to claim 6 wherein said valving comprises a trigger-activated multi-way solenoid valve and a control circuit which controls the flow of said lower-pressure gas into said pneumatic cylinder.

8. A gun according to claim 7 wherein when said trigger is depressed, said control circuit causes said solenoid valve and said pneumatic cylinder to drive said rod forwardly for a predetermined interval of time to allow the ball to be advanced into said chamber and be fired, and thereafter to drive said rod rearwardly to return said bolt to its rearmost position.

9. A gun according to claim 7 wherein said pneumatic cylinder is located below the axis of said barrel, chamber and breech, and said rod moves parallel to said bolt.

10. A gun according to claim 9 further comprising a carrier attached to and movable coaxially with said rod, and a link interconnecting said carrier and said bolt.

11. A gun according to claim 6 wherein said pneumatic cylinder is located below the axis of said barrel, chamber and breech, and said rod moves parallel to said bolt.

12. A gun according to claim 11 further comprising a carrier attached to and movable coaxially with said rod, and a link interconnecting said carrier and said bolt.

13. A gun according to claim 12 wherein said bolt is hollow with an opening at its front end which is smaller than the diameter of a ball, a blind rear end, and an inlet port in its bottom surface for admitting said relatively high-pressure gas into the interior thereof when the gun is fired.

14. A gun according to claim 13 wherein said breech has a high-pressure gas port in the bottom thereof in fluid communication with said high-pressure regulator, said high-pressure gas port and said inlet port being located relative to one another such that they are in registry only when said bolt has moved forwardly to advance a ball into said chamber and close said ball feed port.

15. A gun according to claim 14 further comprising:

a high-pressure gas valve for controlling the flow of said relatively high-pressure gas to said high-pressure gas port, said high-pressure gas valve having a forwardly protruding valve stem coaxial with said carrier;

a hammer behind and movable coaxially of said carrier;

a hammer spring between and urging apart said carrier and said hammer;

a sear pivoted to said hammer and engageable with said carrier to releasably lock said hammer and said carrier together so that they can move as a unit; and

a fixed abutment engageable by said sear near the forward end of its travel to pivot said sear out of engagement with said carrier,

whereby when the gun is fired, said rod moves forwardly and carries with it said carrier, said hammer, said link and said bolt to advance a ball into said chamber and close off said ball feed port and, when said sear then encounters said abutment, said hammer is released from said carrier and is thrust rearwardly by said hammer spring to strike said valve stem and momentarily open said high-pressure gas valve to allow said relatively high-pressure gas to enter said bolt and propel said ball out of said barrel.

16. A gun according to claim 15 wherein said valving comprises a trigger-activated multi-way solenoid valve and a control circuit which controls the flow of said lower-pressure gas into said pneumatic cylinder.

17. A gun according to claim 16 wherein when said trigger is depressed, said control circuit causes said solenoid valve and said pneumatic cylinder to drive said rod forwardly for a predetermined interval of time to allow the ball to be advanced into said chamber and fired, and thereafter to drive said rod rearwardly to return said carrier and said bolt to their rearmost positions and cause said sear to reengage said carrier.

18. A gun according to claim 17 further comprising a bolt cover partially forming said breech and removably secured to the rear of the gun behind said ball feed port, said bolt cover, when removed, exposing said bolt and allowing said bolt to be disengaged from said link and removed from the gun, thereby facilitating cleaning of said bolt, said breech, said chamber and said barrel.

19. A gun according to claim 18 wherein said bolt cover is slidably retained on the gun.

20. A gun according to claim 5 further comprising a bolt cover partially forming said breech and removably secured to the rear of the gun behind said ball feed port, said bolt cover, when removed, exposing said bolt and allowing said bolt to be disengaged from said rod and removed from the gun, thereby facilitating cleaning of said bolt, said breech, said chamber and said barrel.

21. A gun according to claim 1 further comprising a bolt cover partially forming said breech and removably secured to the rear of the gun behind said ball feed port, said bolt cover, when removed, exposing said bolt and allowing said bolt to be disengaged from said link and removed from the gun, thereby facilitating cleaning of said bolt, said breech, said chamber and said barrel.