Pneumatically powered projectile launching device
AssigneeKingman International Corporation
InventorFabrice N.V. Halmone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The pneumatically powered projectile launching device has a bolt located within a body. A front gas chamber in the body has an opening through which the bolt extends into the chamber. The bolt can move forward and backward thereby changing the volume of the front chamber. The bolt has a backward facing working surface. A gas valve in the body selectively releases compressed gas into the chamber. The released gas applies pressure on the backward facing working surface of the bolt to move the bolt forward, and then passes through a passage in the bolt to pneumatically force the projectile to leave the device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
Claims25
A pneumatically powered projectile launching device, comprising:
- a body;
- a bolt located within the body;
- a first gas chamber located within the body, the first gas chamber having an opening through which the bolt extends into the first chamber and can move forward and backward thereby changing the volume of the first gas chamber, the bolt having a backward facing;
- and
- a gas valve located within the body to selectively release compressed gas into the first chamber, wherein the compressed gas, once released into the chamber, a) applies pressure on the backward facing working surface of the bolt to move the bolt forward, and then b) passes through a passage in the bolt to pneumatically force the projectile to leave the device.
A pneumatically powered projectile launching device, comprising:
- a body;
- a first chamber located within the body and sized to hold a volume of compressed gas needed to launch a projectile;
- a bolt located within the body;
- a second chamber located within the body, the bolt extending into the second chamber and being free to move forward and backward thereby changing the volume of the second chamber;
- a piston located within the body and being movable along a longitudinal axis, between a closed position and forward to an open position, to close and open, respectively, a gas path that connects the first and second chambers,
- wherein the piston has a forward facing first working surface, a backward facing second working surface spaced forward of the first surface, and a forward facing third working surface spaced forward of the second surface, all of which are transverse to the longitudinal axis, the third working surface having a greater area than either the first or second working surface;
- and
- an electromechanical transducer coupled to move the piston forward to the open position in response to a launch trigger signal.
A paintball marker comprising:
- a bolt having a backward facing working surface and a forward facing working surface both being transverse to a longitudinal axis of the bolt;
- means for selectively releasing compressed gas to apply pressure to the backward facing working surface of the bolt and thereby move the bolt forward to launch a paintball in a forward direction;
- and
- means for routing compressed gas to put essentially constant pressure on the forward facing working surface of the bolt during normal operation of the paintball maker.
A method for operating a pneumatic gun, comprising:
- loading a plurality of projectiles sequentially into a breech region of the gun;
- and
- launching the plurality of projectiles sequentially from the breech region using compressed gas to propel the projectiles, wherein other than the volume compressed gas needed to launch the projectiles, none of the chambers of the gun are purged of compressed gas during said loading and launching.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.