Compact compressed gas launching device

Abstract

A paintball gun comprised of a simplified firing system that eliminates many of the seals and complexity of a typical gun that uses the bolt as a spool type valve. The gun contains a bolt with a gas chamber around it, one seal inside of it, and one seal on its outside. A cylinder rod inside the bolt pushes the bolt forward against a spring using pressurized gas routed via a pilot valve, moving the bolt into the fire position. In the fire position the rear of the bolt moves off the inner seal, allowing compressed gas stored around the bolt to move into and thru the bolt, firing the paintball. Releasing pressure from behind the cylinder rod allows the spring to push the bolt rearward and seal the gas chamber. The simplified mechanism should be more consistent, allow more shots per tank and require less maintenance than other guns.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a paintball gun showing the bolt in the loading position

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view similar to FIG. 1 that shows the bolt in the firing position

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view similar to FIG. 1 that shows the bolt in the about-to-fire position

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view close up from FIG. 3 showing the bolt in the about-to-fire position

Claims

1. A gas powered gun comprising: a gun barrel,a cylinder containing a piston slidably movable between a loading position in which the leading edge of the bolt is sufficiently withdrawn to permit a projectile to be fed into the cylinder through an opening in the side thereof, and a firing position in which the piston has moved fowardly to cause the leading edge of the piston to engage the projectile and move the projectile fowardly into the barrel,a trigger operable to cause the piston to move from the loading position to the firing position,a pressurized gas supply,said cylinder having a primary chamber thru which the piston extends, said pressurized gas supply supplying pressurized gas to the chamber,said piston having a longitudinally extending passage extending from the front to the rear of the piston.said chamber containing a tube that extends from the rear of the chamber into the inside of the piston,said chamber containing a seal on the forward end that seals against the outside of the piston preventing gas from the chamber flowing around the outside of the piston to the barrel,said tube containing a seal on its outside that seals against the inside passage of the piston and prevents gas from the primary chamber flowing thru the piston when the piston is in the load position and allows gas to flow thru the piston when the piston is in the fire position,

2. A gun according to claim 1 wherein the piston is moved forward from the load to the fire position by a the application of the pressurized gas to the rear of a secondary piston that extends axially from the front of the piston rearward thru the piston internal passage toward the rear of the piston and whose end resides inside a cylinder in the tube that extend from the rear of the primary chamber

3. A gun according to claim 2 wherein said application of the gas supply to secondary piston is achieved via a valve that is operatively connected to the trigger whereby movement of the trigger causes the valve to supply pressurized gas to the rear of the secondary piston via the cylinder in the tube.

4. A gun according to claim 3 wherein the forward seal of the primary chamber has a sealing diameter equal to the sealing diameter of the seal on the outside of the tube, allowing the piston to have zero net forces imposed on it from the gas in the primary chamber and containing a compression spring coiled around the outside of the piston that acts against the front of the primary chamber and a lip on the outside of the piston, constantly biasing the piston rearward with enough force to move it and keep it rearward when the secondary piston is not being acted upon by pressurized gas, but weak enough that it will compress and allow the piston to move forward when the secondary piston is acted upon by pressurized gas.

5. A gun according to claim 3 wherein the forward seal of the primary chamber has a sealing diameter less than the sealing diameter of the seal on the outside of the tube, creating a cross section of the piston that the gas in the primary chamber can act upon, pushing it rearward with enough force to move it and keep it rearward when the secondary piston is not being acted upon by pressurized gas, but weak enough that it will allow the piston to move forward when the secondary piston is acted upon by pressurized gas.

6. A gun according to claim 1 also including a secondary gas chamber located rearward of the primary chamber and rearward of the center tube that is in communication with the primary chamber via gas passages that extend thru the rear of the primary chamber and into the secondary chamber

7. A gun according to claim 6 also including a pressure regulator connected between the pressurized gas supply and the first chamber

8. A gun according to claim 7 also including a second pressure regulator connected between the pressurized gas supply and the valve that actuates via the trigger with said second regulator having gas fed from the primary gas chamber, the secondary gas chamber, the first pressure regulator, or directly from the pressurized gas supply

9. A piston and cylinder assembly for a gas powered gun, said piston assembly comprising: a cylinder containing a piston slidably movable between a loading position in which the leading edge of the piston is sufficiently withdrawn to permit a projectile to be fed into the cylinder through an opening in the side thereof, and a firing position in which the piston has moved fowardly to cause the leading edge of the piston to engage the projectile and move the projectile fowardly into an extended portion of the cylinder,said cylinder having a primary chamber thru which the piston extends,said chamber being pressurized from a pressurized gas supply,said piston having a longitudinally extending passage extending from the front to the rear of the piston.said chamber containing a tube that extends from the rear of the chamber into the inside of the piston,said chamber containing a seal on the forward end that seals against the outside of the piston preventing gas from the primary chamber flowing around the outside of the bolt to the leading edge of the cylinder or the projectile,said tube containing a seal on its outside that seals against the inside passage of the piston and prevents gas from the primary chamber flowing thru the piston when the piston is in the load position and allows gas to flow thru the bolt when the bolt is in the fire position,

10. A piston and cylinder assembly according to claim 9 wherein the piston is moved forward from the load to the fire position by a the application of the pressurized gas to the rear of a secondary piston that extends axially from the front of the first piston rearward thru the piston's internal passage toward the rear of the piston and whose end resides inside a cylinder in the tube that extend from the rear of the primary chamber

11. A piston and cylinder assembly according to claim 10 wherein said application of a gas supply to the secondary piston is achieved via a valve that is connected to the primary chamber and said application of the gas supply to the secondary piston causes both pistons to move from the load to the fire position.

12. A piston and cylinder assembly according to claim 11 wherein the forward seal of the primary chamber has a sealing diameter equal to the sealing diameter of the seal on the outside of the tube, allowing the piston to have zero net forces imposed on it from the gas in the primary chamber and containing a compression spring coiled around the outside of the piston that acts against the front of the primary chamber and a lip on the outside of the piston, constantly biasing the piston rearward with enough force to move it and keep it rearward when the secondary piston is not being acted upon by pressurized gas, but weak enough that it will compress and allow the piston to move forward when the secondary piston is acted upon by pressurized gas.

13. A piston and cylinder assembly according to claim 11 wherein the forward seal of the primary chamber has a sealing diameter less than the sealing diameter of the seal on the outside of the tube, creating a cross section of the piston that the gas in the primary chamber can act upon, pushing it rearward with enough force to move it and keep it rearward when the secondary piston is not being acted upon by pressurized gas, but weak enough that it will allow the piston to move forward when the secondary piston is acted upon by pressurized gas.

14. A piston and cylinder assembly according to claim 9 also including a secondary gas chamber located rearward of the primary chamber and rearward of the center tube that is in communication with the primary chamber via gas passages that extend thru the rear of the primary chamber and into the secondary chamber