Paintball and paintball gun
AssigneesRobert Slonaker, Michael de Angeli
InventorsRobert M. Slonaker, Michael de Angeli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved paintball and gun therefor cooperate so that the range of the paintball and its accuracy are significantly improved. The external surface of the paintball is contoured so as to increase frictional interaction with air, and the barrel of the paintball gun interacts differentially with the upper and lower hemispheres of the ball so that significant backspin is imparted to the paintball. Accordingly, the paintball experiences lift in flight which substantially increases its range and accuracy. The interaction of the ball with the barrel may be wholly aerodynamic. The interior of the paintball is preferably baffled so that paint therein rotates with the shell, preventing the backspin from being damped out rapidly.
Claims15
In combination, an improved paintball, comprising a substantially spherical shell of a material designed to rupture upon impact, said shell housing a quantity of a marking paint, the exterior surface of said shell being provided with a large number of contoured recesses, improving the aerodynamic qualities of said paintball such that if backspin is imparted to said ball upon firing, it experiences aerodynamic lift in flight;
- and
- a paintball gun, said gun comprising a breech, an improved barrel, a source of compressed gas, and trigger-operated valve means for admitting a predetermined charge of said gas to said breech for expelling a paintball from said barrel, said improved barrel comprising means disposed at least in part along said barrel for controlling the flow of said charge of gas as said ball is expelled from said barrel, such that differential forces are imparted to upper and lower hemispheres of said ball as said ball is expelled from said barrel, whereby backspin is imparted to said ball, said differential forces being essentially aerodynamic in nature and provided by differential flow of said charge of gas with respect to said upper and lower hemispheres of said ball.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.