Hydraulic buffer assembly
AssigneeITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
InventorJohn T. Koscielniak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydraulic buffer assembly for use in a paint gun includes a sealed housing having first and second ends and an interior including a chamber containing a hydraulic fluid. A piston assembly including at least one piston rod and a piston head is axially movable through the interior of the housing, wherein the piston head includes at least one orifice through which hydraulic fluid flows when the piston assembly is moved under load. The buffer assembly is configured to decrease or slow the firing rate of an automatic paint gun.
Claims21
(canceled)
A method for manufacturing a buffer assembly, the method comprising:
- providing a buffer assembly housing having a sealed chamber filled with a hydraulic fluid;
- disposing a piston assembly within the buffer assembly housing, the piston assembly comprising:
- a piston rod connectable to a structure under load;
- and
- a piston head attached to the piston rod, in which the piston head is movable through the sealed chamber and has a diameter smaller than an inner surface of the chamber, the piston head further having at least one axial orifice;
- and
- providing a glide ring on the movable piston head, the glide ring having a diameter that is substantially equal to the inner surface of the chamber, wherein the glide ring prevents movement of hydraulic fluid around the piston head when the piston head is moved in a first direction and in which hydraulic fluid is permitted to flow around the piston head, as well as through the at least one axial orifice, when the piston head is moved in a second direction opposite the first direction.
A method for slowing the firing rate of a firearm, comprising:
- coupling the firing mechanism of the firearm to one end of a piston rod extending from a sealed chamber filled with a hydraulic fluid,
- causing a piston head linked to the piston rod to move through the sealed chamber in a first axial direction upon firing of the firearm, the piston head having a diameter that is smaller than an inner surface of the sealed chamber and in which hydraulic fluid moves through the at least one axial orifice, but is prevented from moving around the piston head when the piston head is moved in the first axial direction, thereby creating a damping force that slows the coupled firing mechanism, and
- upon application of a restoring force, causing the piston head to be moved in a second axial direction opposite that of the first axial direction in which hydraulic fluid moves around the piston head, as well as through the at least one axial orifice of the piston head.
A method for controlling the firing rate of an automatic paint gun, the method comprising:
- coupling the firing mechanism of the automatic paint gun to one end of a piston rod extending from a buffer housing having a sealed interior chamber filled with a hydraulic fluid,
- causing a piston head connected to the piston rod to move through the sealed interior chamber in a first axial direction when the automatic paint gun is fired, the piston head having a diameter that is smaller than that of an inner surface of the sealed interior chamber and in which hydraulic fluid moves through the at least one axial orifice, but is prevented from moving around the piston head when the piston head is moved in the first axial direction, and
- upon application of a restoring force, causing the piston head to be moved in a second axial direction opposite that of the first axial direction in which hydraulic fluid moves around the piston head, as well as through the at least one axial orifice of the piston head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.