US 6,860,258 B2 · Paintball loader

Abstract

A paintball gun loader. The loader is used in a closed-bolt paintball gun. The loader provides a paintball contact surface that moves in oscillating fashion in response to movement of the bolt to load individual paintballs into the gun while the gun loading port is open, which occurs as the gun cycles when fired. The loader includes a spring element that limits the force exerted on the paintball being loaded, even in case of a jam when the paintball contact surface is urged toward the paintball. In one embodiment, a pivotally mounted flexible lever arm having a paintball contact surface oscillates through an angular range of motion in response to a cam surface of the bolt engaging a cam follower on the the loader. In such embodiment, the cam follower is urged toward the cam surface of the bolt, which in turn biases the paintball contact surface toward an open, paintball receiving position.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A paintball loader in combination with a paintball gun,

said gun having a loading chamber and a breech;
said loader for individually urging paintballs from said loading chamber into said breech as said gun cycles;
said loader comprising an oscillating paintball contact surface;
said paintball contact surface residing in a contact-surface open position when said paintball gun is ready to fire;
said paintball contact surface oscillatably movable, in response to the cycling of said gun, from said contact-surface open position toward said breech, and then back to said contact-surface open position;
said paintball contact surface shaped, sized, mounted and positioned
to provide space between said breech and said paintball contact surface for accommodating the movement of a paintball into said loading chamber when said paintball contact surface is in said contact-surface open position, and in response to the cycling of said gun
(i) to engage and urge the paintball into said breech as said paintball contact surface moves toward said breech, and
(ii) to return to said contact-surface open position.

6 more elements

A closed-bolt paintball gun, said gun comprising:

(a) a loading chamber,
(b) a breech,
(c) a loading port,
said loading chamber adjacent to and outward from said breech,
(d) a bolt assembly, said bolt assembly comprising a cam,
said bolt assembly residing, when said gun is ready to fire, in a bolt-closed position whereat said loading port is closed,
said bolt assembly cycling when said gun fires between said bolt-closed position,
and a bolt-open position whereat said loading port is open,
(e) a paintball loader for individually urging paintballs from said loading chamber into said breech as said bolt assembly cycles;
said paintball loader comprising:
(1) an oscillatably movable pivot block,
said pivot block pivotably mounted to said paintball gun;
said pivot block comprising a cam follower,
said cam and said cam follower engageable as said bolt assembly cycles,
said pivot block moving in response to the engagement of said cam and said cam follower,
(2) a lever arm, said lever arm comprising a paintball contact surface thereon,
said lever arm extending from said pivot block to place said paintball contact surface in a position to be movable inward and outward through said loading chamber as said pivot block moves,
said pivot block residing, when said gun is ready to fire, in a pivot-block open position whereat said paintball contact surface resides in a contact-surface open position which provides space between said breech and said paintball contact surface to accommodate the movement of a paintball into said loading chamber,
said pivot block moving, in response to said bolt assembly cycling, from said pivot-block open position to a pivot-block loading position, thus moving said paintball contact surface inward to engage and urge said paintball into said breech, and then back to said pivot-block open position.

16 more elements

A closed-bolt paintball gun, said gun comprising:

(a) a forward end,
(b) a rearward end,
(c) a loading chamber,
(d) a breech,
(e) a loading port,
said loading chamber adjacent to and outward from said breech,
(f) a bolt assembly, said bolt assembly comprising a rearwardly directed cam,
said bolt assembly residing, when said gun is ready to fire, in a bolt-closed position whereat said loading port is closed,
said bolt assembly cycling when said gun fires between said bolt-closed position, and a bolt-open position whereat said loading port is open,
said bolt-closed position located forward of said bolt-open position,
(g) a paintball loader for individually urging paintballs from said loading chamber into said breech as said bolt assembly cycles,
said paintball loader comprising an oscillatably movable pivot block and a lever arm,
said pivot block comprising a rotation axis and a forwardly directed cam follower,
said pivot block mounted to said paintball gun to pivot around said rotation axis,
said lever arm comprising a paintball contact surface thereon and a flexible elastic spring portion,
said lever arm extending forward from said pivot block to place said paintball contact surface in a position to be movable inward and outward through said loading chamber as said pivot block moves,
said elastic spring portion located between said pivot block and said paintball contact surface,
said pivot block residing, when said bolt is in said bolt-closed position, in a pivot-block open position whereat said paintball contact surface resides in a contact-surface open position which provides space between said breech and said paintball contact surface to accommodate the movement of a paintball into said loading chamber,
said cam follower located rearward of said rotation axis,
said cam and said cam follower engageable as said bolt assembly moves rearward,
said cam follower moving outward, in response to the engagement of said cam and said cam follower, for moving said pivot block to a pivot-block loading position, and for moving said paintball contact surface inward to engage and urge said paintball into said breech.
said loader further comprising a return spring for urging said pivot block toward said pivot-block open position.

19 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Paintball loader

Life of this patent

Paintball loader

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18