The present invention relates to mechanisms and methods for removing pneumatic components from a paintball gun. In particular, this invention relates to a method and mechanism for quickly removing a pneumatic component from a paintball gun.
Modern paintball guns are generally capable of operating at high rates of fire. At high rates of fire, even when electronic sensors and other sophisticated equipment are used to prevent ball breaks in the breech of the paintball gun, ball breaks may occasionally occur. The internal paintball gun chambers and components may also need routine maintenance and/or lubrication. When a ball breaks in the breech of the paintball gun, or when other cleaning or servicing of the internal pneumatic components needs to take place, a bolt and/or other pneumatic components of the paintball gun must generally be removed to gain access to the breech and the internal pneumatic components of the paintball gun. Although quick-removal bolt assemblies, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,544, have been provided for a number of years for stacked-tube design paintball guns, quick removal solutions for single-bore or spool-valve designs have been more complicated to provide. Although some prior art solutions provide a rearwardly removable pneumatic assembly in a spool-valve design, these mechanisms generally require that the pneumatic assembly be unthreaded from the paintball gun bore after the gun has been degassed and may therefore have a more complicated removal process than desirable.
The industry would be benefited by a quick-removal pneumatic assembly for a single-bore or spool-valve style paintball gun that does not require unthreading of the internal assembly from the body. It would also be beneficial to provide a safe self-degassing mechanism to safely release any retained compressed gas during removal of the pneumatic assembly without the need for a separate degassing operation.
According to principles of the present invention, a quick-removal mechanism is provided to an end of a pneumatic assembly. The quick removal system preferably includes a lift cap and a locking pin. The lift cap can include a lift member and a tail cover. The locking pin preferably mates within a receptacle on the paintball gun body to hold the pneumatic assembly securely in place during operation of the paintball gun. The locking pin is preferably further attached to the lift cap so that an upward pull on an end of the lift cap releases the locking pin from its engagement with the paintball gun body. The quick-removal mechanism is preferably attached to a pneumatic assembly of the paintball gun arranged in a longitudinal chamber or bore of the paintball gun. When the locking pin is released from engagement with the paintball gun body, the quick-removal mechanism and attached pneumatic assembly can be removed from the paintball gun through a rearward opening in the longitudinal chamber.
The lift cap can comprise a hinged mechanism such that the lift cap is enabled to rotate upwards and downward about a hinged axis. The lift cap can further be enabled to slide forward and rearward between a latched and an unlatched position. A latching mechanism, such as a tab and detent or other latching mechanism, can be provided to latch the lift cap in a downward and forward position until removal of the internal assembly is desired and initiated by a user. The latching mechanism may, for example, include a recess arranged in the rearward end of the pneumatic assembly that matingly receives a protrusion of the lift cap, or vice versa.
Slots can be arranged in the lift cap near the rearward end of the pneumatic assembly to receive a pin that extends through the pneumatic assembly to provide the hinged axis of the lift cap. These slots can provide for adjustment of the position of the hinged axis of the lift cap. The slots can, for instance, be arcuate, linear, or in a ramping step-like shape. As the lift cap is moved rearward, the slots preferably guide the lift cap slightly upward away from the paintball gun body to provide clearance between a bottom edge of the tail cover and the paintball gun body to permit pivoting of the lift cap.
A longitudinal slot can also be provided in the lift cap to receive a connecting pin of the locking pin. The connecting pin is preferably arranged through an upper end of the locking pin and within the longitudinal slot of the lift cap. The slot enables the lift cap to be moved forwards and rearwards with the locking pin still partially engaged in the receptacle of the paintball gun body. As the lift cap is rotated upwards, the connecting pin allows the lift cap to pivot with respect to the locking pin while the locking pin is moved upwards out of engagement with the receptacle in the paintball gun body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a venting system can be arranged in the quick-release mechanism to safely vent any compressed gas stored in the paintball gun when the lift cap is lifted. In one embodiment, for instance, this can include a plurality of sealing members arranged on the locking pin and one or more vent channels arranged in the pneumatic assembly. When the locking pin is secured within the receptacle in the paintball gun, the sealing members preferably prevent the escape of compressed gas from the vent channel. However, as the locking pin is retracted from the pin receptacle, the sealing members are preferably also moved to permit compressed gas to escape from the vent channels and safely exit the paintball gun body. In this manner, the paintball gun can be configured to automatically self-degas (or depressurize) during removal of the pneumatic assembly, without the need for a previous degassing operation.
A method of removing a pneumatic assembly from a chamber of a paintball gun according to additional principles of the present invention preferably proceeds by lifting a lift cap of a quick-removal mechanism to release a pin from engagement with a pin receptacle in the paintball gun. The lift cap is preferably connected to the pneumatic assembly, and the lift cap and the pneumatic assembly can then be extracted from the paintball gun through a rearward opening in the chamber. The method may further include self-degassing the paintball gun during removal of the pneumatic assembly.
The foregoing and additional objects features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description, made with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof and in which are shown by way of illustration exemplary non-limiting embodiments illustrating various principles of the present invention and how it may be practiced. In the drawings,
Referring first to
The lift cap 210 of the quick-removal mechanism 200 is preferably attached to a rearwardly-arranged end cap 310 of a pneumatic assembly 300. The end cap 310 can be connected to the remainder of the pneumatic assembly through a threaded or other connection. The quick-removal system 200 preferably includes a lift cap 210 and a locking pin 220. The lift cap 210 can include a lift member 211 connected to a tail cover 230 by a cover screw 232. The lift cap is preferably hingedly attached to the end cap 310 via a hinge pin 212 providing a hinged axis 500. The locking (or lift) pin 220 preferably slides vertically within a channel 320 in the end cap and mates within a receptacle 120 in the paintball gun body 110 to hold the pneumatic assembly 300 securely in place during operation of the paintball gun 100. The locking pin 220 is preferably further attached to the lift cap 210 so that an upward pull on the lift cap 210 releases the locking pin 220 from its engagement with the paintball gun body 110. When the locking pin 220 is released from engagement with the paintball gun body 110, the quick-removal mechanism 200 and attached pneumatic assembly 300 can be removed from the paintball gun 100 through a rearward opening 114 in the longitudinal chamber 112.
A latching mechanism 216, such as a tab and detent or other latching mechanism, can be provided to latch the lift cap 210 in a downward and forward position with respect to the paintball gun body 110 until removal of the internal pneumatic assembly 300 is desired and initiated by a user. The latching mechanism may, for example, include a recess 117 arranged in the rearward end of the pneumatic assembly 300 that matingly receives a protrusion 218 from the lift member 211. The latching mechanism can also (or alternatively) be provided by a recess and protrusion arranged in the opposite members, or be provided by other components entirely.
Referring now to
Slots 214, arranged in the lift cap 210 near the rearward end 300A of the pneumatic assembly 300 preferably receive a pin 212 that extends through the end cap 310 of the pneumatic assembly 300 to provide the hinged axis of the lift cap 210. These slots 214 can provide for adjustment of the position of the hinged axis 500 of the lift cap 210. In the embodiment shown, the slots 214 are arranged in a step-like ramping shape. The slots can alternatively, however, be arcuate or in a slanted line shape, for example. As the lift cap 210 is moved rearward, the slots 214 preferably guide the lift cap 210 slightly upward away from the paintball gun body 110 to provide clearance āCā between a bottom edge 230B of the rearward end 230A of the lift cap or tail cover 230 and the paintball gun body 110 to permit pivoting of the lift cap 210.
A longitudinal slot 215 can also be provided in the lift member 211 of the lift cap 210 to receive a connecting pivot pin 222 of the locking lift pin 220. The connecting pin 222 is preferably arranged through an upper end 220A of the lift pin 220 and within the longitudinal slot 215 of the lift cap 210. The slot 215 enables the lift cap 210 to be moved forwards and rearwards with the lift pin 220 still at least partially engaged in the receptacle 120 of the paintball gun body 110.
Referring now additionally to
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Referring specifically to
In the case of an o-ring or other elastic band, for instance, slots or grooves 240, 340 can be provided in the lift member 211 of the lift cap 210 and the end cap 310, respectively, to retain the o-ring or band 400 in position. As the lift member 211 is moved rearwards and upwards away from end cap 310, the o-ring 400 is stretched, creating a biasing force that urges the lift member 211 back towards its original position with respect to the end cap 310. This biasing force also helps retain the lift pin 220 engaged within the pin receptacle 120 of the paintball gun when the pneumatic assembly 300 and quick-removal assembly 200 are installed in the paintball gun chamber 112.
Referring to
Referring now to
In addition, a cavity 733, arranged in the lift cap 710, permits rotation of the lift cap 710 with respect to the locking pin 220 by preventing interference between the lift member 711 and the end cap 310 during rotational movement of the lift cap 710. An angled surface 734 on the inside of the tail cover 730 provides a stop for preventing excess rotation of the lift cap 710 by abutting against the rearward end 300A of the pneumatic mechanism 300 when the lift cap 710 is fully lifted. An arcuate corner 731 is also preferably provided on the lower, rearward edges of the lift cap 710 to enable upward rotation of the forward end of the lift cap 710 with respect to the paintball gun body 110. The latching mechanism 216 for holding the lift cap 210 of the previous embodiment 200 in its downward and forward position can also be eliminated from this embodiment 700.
Having described and illustrated principles of the present invention in various preferred embodiments thereof, it should be apparent that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. Furthermore, in the described method, one or more of the steps can be combined with other steps, separated into additional steps, rearranged with other steps, or omitted altogether. We therefore claim all modifications and variations coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims.