Patent Application
20070148380
For years, the paintball industry's standard ingredient for paintball filler has been polyethylene glycol as the base for all ingredients, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,054 to Rouffer issued Feb. 28, 1995. There are several grades of polyethylene glycol used for filler, but most common are polyethylene glycol 300 and 400.
Depending on formulae, the percentage of polyethylene glycol used in paintballs ranges from 75% to 95%. Additives that thicken the filler vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Polyethylene glycol “PEG 3350”, starches, pigments, dyes and other ingredients have been added to enhance the thickness and marking ability of the filler. Glycerine, titanium and water are also used.
To produce a filler using these ingredients, it is necessary to first heat up the polyethylene glycol. After it reaches set temperature, polyethylene glycol PEG 3350 is added. When it dissolves to clear liquid, water, glycerine, blended dyes and titanium are added. Then the mixture must to be cooled down to become more viscous.
The primary disadvantage of these previously known paintballs is that they are costly due to use of polyethylene glycol. Attempts to use substitutes such as starches, oleic acid, and other cheaper ingredients have been unsuccessful due to the fragile balance between the paintball's shell and contents. Chemical incompatibilities caused the various fillers to dissolve the shell, rendering the paintball useless.
There is known U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,981 describing film-forming composition for capsules comprising a waxy starch, water, plasticizer and gum that may be used for production of soft gel for food, pharmaceutical and industrial applications. However, such composition may be not compatible with some fillers.
The present invention overcomes the above disadvantages; it relates to a new, less expensive paintball shell formula and a substantially cheaper filler formula.
New Shell and Method of Manufacture
The main obstacle in producing a less-expensive filler is its instability with the conventional gelatin shell. Prior attempts to reduce the filler cost have yielded paintballs whose fill attacked the shell, resulting in complete paintball disintegration inside their packaging thus rendering themselves useless. Thus, it is of importance to the present invention that the gelatin shell be chemically stable with the filler.
In the preferred embodiment, the paintball shell comprises:
Sorbitol plays the role of humectant or rubberizing agent, and is related to a preferred non-crystallizing polyhydric alcohol. Other non-crystalline forms of sorbitol are “Sorbo” and “Sorbitol Special”, each of which is available from ICI Americas. Other useful non-crystallizing polyhydric alcohols include pentaerythritol, glycerol, propylene glycol, and low-molecular-weight polyethylene glycol.
Drakeol 7™ pays the role of barrier and is related to a commercial brand of white mineral oil. Examples of suitable, commercially available mineral oils include Sonneborn™ and Carnation™ white oils from Witco, Isopar™ K and Isopar™ H from Exxon, and Peneteck™ white mineral oils from Penreco.
Gelatin plays the role of a gel-forming agent and water is a diluting agent.
The method of preparation of the preferred embodiment of the gelatin shell used in the encapsulation of the present paintball is as follows:
water, glycerine, sorbitol, and Drakeol 7™ are added into the reactor. The mixture is heated to 162° F. and the gelatin is added to the mixture. The mixture is heated further to 172° F. and mixed for 20 minutes. After appropriate mixing, the gelatin is chilled to 143.5° F. and ready for use.
Method of Manufacture of Paintball Filler
1. One Phase Method:
The method of manufacture of paintball filler is the most important component of the present invention. Although a range of proportions and methods may be used (as described further), the preferred embodiments method comprises the following:
Starch (41.86%)
Soya Oil (52.23%)
Pigments (1.15%)
Tween® 20 (1.15%)
Emulsifying Wax (3.61%)
Starch acts as a thickening agent, and various possible types of starch may be corn starch, potato starch, rice starch, wheat and tapioca.
Soya oil acts as a carrier agent and is the preferred oil; one may substitute corn oil, canola, peanut oil, olive oil, palm oil, linseed oil, or any combination thereof.
Tween® 20, also known generically as Polysorbate 20, is a surfactant and spreading agent. Emulsifying wax acts as an emulsifying agent and is used as a binding agent between two usually non-compatible materials, in this case, the starch and oil. Both ingredients Tween® 20 and wax bind the materials but the emulsifying wax has the added property of keeping the heavier particles in suspension.
The procedure for making the filler begins with half the Soya oil being introduced into the reactor. The starch is mixed in at high speed; once the mixture has been thoroughly mixed for 30 minutes, the remaining Soya oil is slowly introduced. Once the mixture is homogenous, Tween® 20 is slowly mixed in at high speed for 60 minutes to be integrated into the mixture. The mixture is then heated to 55° C. and the emulsifying wax is added. The mixture is again thoroughly mixed for 30 minutes at high speed to be integrated. Further, the mixture is chilled to 27° C., and pigments are introduced at high speed and mixed for 10 minutes. Once the mixture is smooth, it is ready for use.
While the above formula illustrates the preferred embodiment, it is understood that many variations are possible using starch and oil. In experimentation, the following limits have been discovered to produce acceptable results:
Lower: 30% Starch to 65% Oil
Upper: 50% Starch to 45% Oil
5% pigments, Tween® 20, dye and wax
Two Phase Method:
The above describes the preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, a two-phase variation is also possible:
Phase 1:
The ingredients for this phase are as follows:
The ingredients for phase 2 are as follows:
HPFU is poured into the reactor and starch is slowly added while mixing at high speed with HPFU in the reactor for 60 minutes. TiO2 is added slowly into the mixture and mixed for 10 minutes to facilitate complete blending of all ingredients. Further, all ingredients of Phase 1 are added at high speed and mixed for another 60 minutes Then mixture is heated to 65° C. and emulsifying wax is thoroughly blended into the pre-warmed mixture for 30 minutes at highest speed. Mixture is cooled down until the product is at room temperature and is ready for encapsulation.
Non-limiting examples of suitable oleaginous liquids include mineral oils; natural oils such as castor oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, almond oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, hemp oil, linseed oil, tung oil, oiticica oil, jojoba oil, meadowfoam oil, and the like. Other suitable oleaginous liquids may include synthetic oils such as homo- and inter-polymers of C2-C12 olefins, carboxylic acid esters of both monoalcohols and polyols, polyethers, silcones, polyglycols, silicates, alkylated aromatics, carbonates, thiocarbonates, orthoformates, phosphates and phosphites, borates and halogenated hydrocarbons. Representative of such oils or homo- and interpolymers of C2-C12 monoolefinic hydrocarbons, alkylated benzenes (e.g., dodecyl benzenes, didodecyl benzenes, tetradecyl, benzenes, dinonyl benzenes, di-(2-ethylhexyl-)benzenes, wax-alkylated naphthalenes); and polyphenyls (e.g., biphenyls, terphenyls). Alkylene oxide polymers and interpolymers and derivatives thereof where the terminal hydroxyl groups have been modified by esterification, etherfication, etc., constitute another class of synthetic oils.
Preferably, but not necessary paintballs of the present invention are manufactured by means of an encapsulating method which is known in the art.
There are some drawbacks to the above paintball, such as:
Thus, it can be seen that the objects of the present invention have been satisfied by the structure presented hereinabove. While in accordance with the Patent Statutes, only the best mode and preferred embodiments of the present invention have been presented and described in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby.
This application is based on the Provisional patent application No. U.S. 60/753,416. The present invention relates to paintballs, and more particularly to a new and improved shell and paintball filler composition and method of manufacture.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60753416 | Dec 2005 | US |
