Dual-pressure electronic paintball gun

• US 6,065,460 A
• Filed: 12/31/1998
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US09/223,566
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 124/82, 124/83, 124/73, 124/74, 124/75, 124/72, 124/70
• US Class Current: 124/72
• 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 having 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 bolt cover forming at least an upper part of the rear portion of 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 and removed from the gun, thereby facilitating cleaning of said bolt, said breech, said chamber and said barrel.

2. A gun according to claim 1 wherein said bolt cover is slidably retained on the gun.

3. A gun according to claim 1 wherein said bolt is driven by a mechanism located below said bolt including an upwardly extending link which engages said bolt, said bolt being disengageable from said link by upward movement of said bolt.

4. A gun according to claim 3 wherein said bolt cover is slidably retained on the gun.

5. In a gas-powered gun for firing balls dispensed serially from a magazine into the gun, the gun having 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 bolt cover slidably retained on the gun, 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 and removed from the gun, thereby facilitating cleaning of said bolt, said breech, said chamber and said barrel.

6. In a gas-powered gun for firing balls dispensed serially from a magazine into the gun, the gun having 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 bolt drive mechanism located below said bolt comprising an upwardly extending link which engages said bolt, said bolt being disengageable from said link by upward movement of said bolt, and

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.

7. A gun according to claim 6 wherein said bolt cover is slidably retained on the gun.