Method and apparatus for transferring paintballs
AssigneePlanet Eclipse Limited
InventorSteven John Monks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A paintball transfer apparatus and method for operating the apparatus to move a paintball enable a user to load a paintball into a paintball marker. The apparatus has an housing forming a cavity for storing paintballs, a path around the wall of the cavity that is shaped to guide paintballs, and a driver that rotates a roller within the cavity. Rotation of the roller moves paintballs along the path. The path may have one of a variety of shapes, such as circular or helical. The surface speed of the roller may be greater than the speed of the paintballs along the path. The roller may be made of a high friction material, and also may be a brush. The apparatus may be used to move paintballs within and about a marker, such as vertically upwards or downwards, or horizontally left or right.
Claims16
A paintball transfer apparatus for feeding paintballs into a paintball marker, the paintball transfer apparatus comprising:
- a housing having an outer wall with an inner surface, the outer wall defining a cavity within the housing in which paintballs are capable of being stored, the housing having an upper end and a lower end;
- a path formed along the outer wall, the path being shaped to guide paintballs;
- an exit port defined at an end of the path adjacent to the upper end of the housing, the exit port being configured so that a paintball may exit the path through the exit port;
- a roller, having an outer surface, positioned within the cavity and being configured to rotate about a roller axis;
- paintballs being movably secured between the inner surface of the outer wall of the housing and the outer surface of the roller;
- a drive mechanism for rotating the roller;
- wherein the drive mechanism causes rotation of the roller relative to the housing, thereby causing paintballs located between the outer wall of the housing and the outer surface of the roller to travel along the path and out through the exit port.
A method of feeding paintballs into a paintball marker, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a housing that has an outer wall, the outer wall defining a cavity in which paintballs are capable of being stored, the housing having an upper end and a lower end;
- providing a path formed along the outer wall, the path being shaped to guide paintballs;
- positioning a roller within the cavity, the roller, having an outer surface and an inner surface, being configured to rotate about a roller axis;
- positioning at least one paintball along the path;
- rotating the roller to move the paintball along the path;
- and
- causing the at least one paintball to pass through an exit port at an end of the path.
A method of moving paintballs, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a first body member having a first surface defining a path thereon;
- providing a second surface on a second body member;
- directing at least one paintball towards the path, so that the at least one paintball is in contact with both the path and the second surface;
- moving at least one of the first surface and the second surface;
- wherein the relative movement of the first surface and the second surface causes the at least one paintball to move along the path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.