Abstract:
A paintball gun or marker end cap apparatus is disclosed, where the end cap apparatus includes tubular member having an opened, closed end and a penetrator, where the opened end is designed to be fitted over the end of a paintball barrel and a sleeve designed to be tightened causing the opened end of the tubular member to locking engage the barrel with sufficient force to hold the apparatus on the barrel until the sleeved is loosened and the penetrator is designed to rupture any inadvertently fired paintballs. The apparatus can also include at least one vent disposed near the closed end to vent any gas or liquid associated with a ruptured paintball.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/862,005, filed Jun. 4, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,303. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a paintball gun or marker barrel locking end cap apparatus. 
   More particularly, the present invention relates to a paintball gun or marker barrel locking end cap apparatus, where the apparatus includes a cylindrical barrel end insert, a paintball penetrator disposed within an interior of the insert, and an outer barrel engaging and locking assemblage having retention straps attached thereto. The present invention also relates to a paintball gun or marker barrel locking end cap apparatus, where the apparatus includes an outer barrel engaging and locking assemblage having a paintball penetrator disposed on an interior, distal surface of the assemblage, optionally a plurality of vents disposed on the distal end of the assemblage, a plurality of barrel engaging members or fingers and a threaded tightener adapted to tighten or loosen a locking force between the members and an outer surface of the barrel and optionally a stop. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Inadvertent firing or discharging of a paintball from a paintball gun or marker is a serious safety problem facing users, spectators and innocent bystanders. Although many barrel adaptors or condoms have been designed and introduced into the market, these devices are capable of being easily detached removing any protection that the devices afforded prior to detachment. 
   Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved barrel plug or condom for use with paintball guns or markers to improve safety and lessen the chance of inadvertent detachment of the device. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a paintball gun or marker barrel locking end cap including an internal barrel portion comprising a cylindrical barrel plug insert having an inwardly extending paintball penetrating member disposed therein and one or a plurality of vents leading from an interior of the barrel to an exterior of the end cap. The vents are designed to exhaust any gases from an inadvertent firing or discharging of the gun or marker and to exhaust any paint from a paintball after the paintball has been punctured by the penetrating member. The end cap also includes an external portion comprising an outer barrel surface engaging assembly designed to surround an outer portion of the barrel near an end of the barrel, where the engaging assembly includes an outer barrel engaging and securing or locking member with a locking force that is sufficient to make removal with out loosening difficult. The outer barrel member of the engaging assembly is designed to engage the outer portion of the barrel with sufficient force that the end cap cannot be removed without reducing an engaging force by untightening the outer barrel member. 
   The present invention provides a paintball gun or marker barrel locking end cap including an outer barrel engaging and locking assemblage having a paintball penetrator disposed on an interior, distal surface of the assemblage and optionally a plurality of vents disposed at or near the distal end of the assemblage. The assemblage also includes a plurality of barrel engaging members or fingers and a threaded tightener sleeve adapted to tighten or loosen a locking force between the members and an outer surface of the barrel and optionally a stop adapted to stop the tightener at a certain position when fully untightened. Alternatively, the opened end of the assemblage can be slotted so that when the tightening sleeve is tightened in forces an inner surface of the opened end into frictional contact with an end of a barrel of a paintball gun. The tube or its members are designed to engage an outer surface of a paintball barrel with a locking force that is sufficient to make removal without loosening difficult to very difficult, where difficult means that a child or young adult would not have sufficient strength to remove the end cap and very difficult means that a normal adult would also be unable to remove the end cap. 
   The present invention provides a method for preventing inadvertent paintball discharges from a paintball gun or mark including the step of inserting an internal barrel portion of a locking barrel end cap into an end of a barrel of a paintball gun or marker, where the internal barrel portion comprises a cylindrical barrel plug insert having an inwardly extending paintball penetrating member disposed therein and one or a plurality of vents leading from an interior of the barrel to an exterior of the end cap. The vents are designed to exhaust any gases from an inadvertent firing or discharging of the gun or marker and to exhaust any paint from a paintball after the paintball has been punctured by the penetrating member. After inserting the internal portion into the barrel end, an external portion is tightened about a portion of the barrel near the barrel end with sufficient engaging force that the end cap cannot be removed unless the external portion is loosened or untightened, where the external portion comprises an outer barrel surface engaging member designed to surround an outer portion of the barrel near an end of the barrel. The external portion of the barrel end cap apparatus can be integral with, affixed to or detachably affixed to the internal portion of the barrel end cap. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention can be better understood with reference to the following detailed description together with the appended illustrative drawings in which like elements are numbered the same: 
       FIGS. 1A–D  depict a preferred embodiment of a locking barrel end cap for a paintball gun in cross-sectional, plan and top views, respectively; 
       FIGS. 2A–D  depict another preferred embodiment of a locking barrel end cap for a paintball gun in cross-sectional, side and top views, respectively and an expanded view of an engaging ring; 
       FIGS. 3A–C  depict another preferred embodiment of a locking barrel end cap for a paintball gun in a cross-sectional, side and perspective views; 
       FIG. 4  depicts a side view of another preferred embodiment of a locking barrel end cap for a paintball gun; 
       FIG. 5A  depicts a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a outer barrel engaging and locking assemblage; 
       FIG. 5B  depicts an end view of the assemblage of  FIG. 5A ; 
       FIG. 5C  depicts a side view of an barrel engaging member of this invention, 
       FIG. 5D  depicts a front view of the barrel engaging member of  FIG. 5C  mounted in its corresponding aperture; 
       FIG. 5E  depicts a cross-section view of another preferred embodiment of a outer barrel engaging and locking assemblage; 
       FIG. 5F  depicts an end view of the tube of  FIG. 5E ; 
       FIG. 5G  depicts a cross-section view of another preferred embodiment of a outer barrel engaging and locking assemblage; and 
       FIG. 5H  depicts an end view of the tube of  FIG. 5I . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The inventors have found that a barrel end cap can be constructed that includes an internal portion having a paintball an inwardly extending penetration member and a plurality of aperture leading from the barrel interior to the exterior of the end cap. The end cap also includes an external part having a securing or locking assembly that is designed to engage an exterior surface of the barrel with sufficient force to prevent the cap from being inadvertently detaching from the barrel. 
   The present invention broadly relates to a paintball gun or marker locking end cap apparatus including an internal portion having a barrel insert including a paintball penetrating device extending from an interior of the insert towards a barrel end of the insert and one or a plurality of vents allowing materials to flow from an interior of the barrel to the surroundings. The penetrating device is designed to rupture any paintball inadvertently fired or discharged by the paintball gun or marker and the vent or vents are designed to exhaust any gases or paint from an inadvertent firing or discharging of the paintball gun or marker. The end cap apparatus also includes an external portion including a barrel engaging assembly, where the barrel engaging assembly is designed to engage an outer portion of the barrel near the barrel end with sufficient force so that the end cap cannot be removed without first untightening or unlocking the barrel engaging assembly. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1A–D , a preferred embodiment of a paintball gun end cap apparatus, generally  100 , is shown to include an internal portion  110  and an external portion  150 . The internal portion  110  includes a cylindrical barrel plug insert  112  having a paintball penetrating member  114  comprising an inwardly pointing spike  116  having a pointed tip  118  and a plurality of vents  120 . The penetrating member  114  is designed to rupture any paintball inadvertently fired or discharged from a paint ball gun (not shown) as it travels down a barrel  122  toward the penetrating member  114 . The vents  120  are designed to exhaust any gases or fluid generated from an inadvertent firing or discharging of a paintball and rupturing of the paintball as it encounters the penetrating member  114 . 
   The external portion  150  includes cap portion  152  and a cylindrical outer barrel engaging portion  154  including two opposing slits  156  and a tightening assembly  158  associated with each slit  156 . The assembly  158  is designed to generate a sufficient engaging force against a portion  160  of the barrel  122  so that the apparatus cannot be removed without untightening the assembly  158 . The tightening assembly  158  includes a base  162 , a guide block  164 , a threaded block  166  and a threaded wing nut  168 , where the wing nut  168  (or any other threaded bolt that can be tightened using a user&#39;s finger) is inserted through an aperture  170  in the guide block  162  and into a threaded aperture  172  in the threaded block  166  so that by screwing the wing nut  168  into the threaded aperture  172 , the slit  156  is narrowed or closed generating the engaging force. Additionally, the barrel  122  can include a groove (not shown) into which a tab (not shown) on the inside of the outer barrel engaging portion  154  fits to further secure the apparatus  100  to the barrel  122 . The apparatus  100  also includes straps  174  and strap blocks  176  affixed to the cap portion  152 , where the straps  174  are designed to prevent the end cap apparatus  100  from being lost from the gun when not in use. The straps  174  generally are tied to the gun at their other ends. 
   Looking at  FIG. 1C , the apparatus  100  includes two opposing slits  156  having associated tightening assemblies  158 , one for each slit  156 . Looking at  FIG. 1D , the apparatus  100  includes a single slit  156  having an associated tightening assembly  158 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 2A–C , another preferred embodiment of a paintball gun end cap apparatus, generally  200 , is shown to include an internal portion  210  and an external portion  250 . The internal portion  210  includes a cylindrical barrel plug insert  212  having a paintball penetrating member  214  comprising an inwardly pointing spike  216  having a pointed tip  218  and a plurality of vents  220 . It should be recognized that although a single penetrating member  214  is shown, a plurality of such members could also be used. The penetrating member  214  is designed to rupture any paintball inadvertently fired or discharged from a paint ball gun (not shown) as it travels down a barrel  222  toward the penetrating member  214 . The vents  220  are designed to exhaust any gases or fluid generated from an inadvertent firing or discharging of a paintball and rupturing of the paintball as it encounters the penetrating member  214 . 
   The external portion  250  includes cap portion  252  and a slotted cylindrical outer barrel engaging portion  254  including a plurality of slots  256  separating a plurality of barrel engaging members  258  having tightening ring supports  260 . The engaging portion  254  also includes a tightening ring  262  having a tightening assembly  264  associated therewith supported on the ring supports  260 . The assembly  264  is designed to tighten the tightening ring  262  generating a sufficient engaging force against a portion  266  of the barrel  222  so that the apparatus cannot be removed without untightening the assembly  264 . The tightening assembly  264  includes a guide block  268 , a threaded block  270  and a threaded wing nut  272 , where the wing nut  272  (or any other threaded bolt that can be tightened using a user&#39;s finger) is inserted through an aperture  274  in the guide block  268  and into a threaded aperture  276  in the threaded block  270  so that by screwing the wing nut  272  into the threaded aperture  276 , the engaging members  258  are forced towards each other closing the slots  256  generating the engaging force. Additionally, the barrel  222  can include a groove into which a tab on the inside of the outer barrel engaging portion  254  fits to further secure the apparatus  200  to the barrel  222 . The apparatus  200  also includes straps  278  and strap blocks  280  affixed to the cap portion  252 , where the straps  278  are designed to prevent the end cap apparatus  200  from being lost from the gun when not in use. The straps  278  generally are tied to the gun at their other ends. Looking at  FIG. 2D , the tightening ring  262  is shown separated clearly showing that the guide block  268  and the threaded block  270  comprise opposing ends  282  of the tightening ring  262 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 3A–C , another preferred embodiment of a paintball gun end cap apparatus, generally  300 , is shown to is shown to include an internal portion  310  and an external portion  350 . The internal portion  310  includes a larger cylindrical cap portion  311  and a smaller cylindrical barrel insert  312  and a paintball penetrating member  314  comprising an inwardly pointing spike  316  having a pointed tip  318  and a plurality of vents  320 . The penetrating member  314  extends inward from a cross-beam  315 . It should be recognized that although a single penetrating member  314  is shown, a plurality of such members could also be used. The penetrating member  314  is designed to rupture any paintball inadvertently fired or discharged from a paint ball gun (not shown) as it travels down a barrel  322  toward the penetrating member  314 . The vents  320  are designed to exhaust any gases or fluid generated from an inadvertent firing or discharging of a paintball and rupturing of the paintball as it encounters the penetrating member  314 . The cap portion  311  includes two protrusions  324  designed to engage apertures on the external portion  350 . 
   The external portion  350  includes two C-shaped barrel engaging members  352 , each member  352  including a vertical post  354  having an aperture  356  designed to engage the protrusions  324  so that the members  352  hang from the protrusions  324 . Each C-shaped barrel engaging member  352  includes a first end  358  having a guide block  360  including a guide aperture  362  therethrough extending outwardly therefrom. Each C-shaped barrel engaging member  352  also includes a second end  364  having a threaded block  366  including a threaded aperture  368  therethrough extending outwardly therefrom, where the threaded aperture  368  is designed to engage a wing nut (not shown) or other hand tightenable threaded member. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , another preferred embodiment of a paintball gun end cap apparatus, generally  400 , is shown to include an internal portion  410  and an external portion  450 . The internal portion  410  includes a larger cylindrical cap portion  411  and a smaller cylindrical barrel insert  412  and a paintball penetrating member  414  comprising an inwardly pointing spike  416  having a pointed tip  418  and further comprising a plurality of vents  420 . The penetrating member  414  extends inward from a top  413  of the larger cylindrical cap portion  411 . It should be recognized that although a single penetrating member  414  is shown, a plurality of such members could also be used. The penetrating member  414  is designed to rupture any paintball inadvertently fired or discharged from a paint ball gun (not shown) as it travels down a barrel (not shown) toward the penetrating member  414 . The vents  420  are designed to exhaust any gases or fluid generated from an inadvertent firing or discharging of a paintball and rupturing of the paintball as it encounters the penetrating member  414 . The cap portion  411  includes two protrusions  424  designed to engage apertures on the external portion  450 . 
   The external portion  450  includes two C-shaped barrel engaging members  452 , each member  452  including a vertical post  454  having an aperture  456  designed to engage the protrusions  424  so that the members  452  hang from the protrusions  424 . Each C-shaped barrel engaging member  452  includes a first end  458  having a guide block  460  including a guide aperture  462  therethrough extending outwardly therefrom. Each C-shaped barrel engaging member  452  also includes a second end  464  having a threaded block  466  including a threaded aperture  468  therethrough extending outwardly therefrom, where the threaded aperture  468  is designed to engage a wing nut  470  or other hand tightenable threaded member. 
   Although several locking assemblies have been shown for securing the end cap apparatuses of this invention to an end of a paintball barrel, other locking assemblies can also be used and are considered equivalents of the threaded connectors shown above. For example, the locking assembly could comprise a clamping device with a release such as a vice-grip, the C-shaped members could have clips or pins, or the ring could be a slotted band with a tightening screw. These and other tightening assemblies can be used equivalently in the barrel end caps of this invention. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 5A–C , a preferred embodiment of a closed ended tubular barrel engaging and locking assembly of this invention, generally  500 , is shown to include a tube  502  having an opened end  504  and a closed end  506 . The assembly  500  also includes a sleeve type tightener  508  having a top  510 , a bottom  512  and a inner threaded region  514 . The tube or tubular member  502  also includes a plurality of vents  516  disposed at or near the closed end  506 , where near means within about 0.75″ of the closed end  506  and preferably as close to the closed end  506  as practicable. The tube  502  also includes a plurality of barrel engaging members  518  pivotally mounted within a equal plurality of apertures  520  disposed near the opened end  504  of the tube  502 . The tube  502  also includes an outer threaded region  522 . The threaded region  514  is designed to engage the threaded region  522 , when the tightener  508  is turned the tightener  508  either to tighten or loosen the tightener  508 . 
   Looking at  FIGS. 5C&amp;D , the engaging members  518  are in the shape of a triangular solid and include rubber pads  524  disposed on their inner surfaces  526  for frictionally engaging a barrel  528  of a paintball gun (not shown) as shown in  FIG. 5B . Each member  518  includes a groove  530  and two raised trapezoid shaped portion  532  disposed one each side  534  fo the member  518 . Each aperture  520  includes a tongue  536  adapted to engage the groove  530  so that the member  518  can pivot on the tongue  536 . Each aperture  520  also includes a trapezoid shaped groove  538  adapted to engage the portion  532  so that the member  518  can pivot in a guided manner relative to the tongue  536 . 
   The tube  502  also includes a paintball penetrator  540  having a tip  542 , where the penetrator  540  is disposed on an inner surface  544  of the closed end  506  and is designed to rupture any paintball impinging on the tip  542 . The tube  502  can also include penetrator reinforcing members  546 . The tube  502  can also include a penetrator protector  548  disposed on the penetrator  532  near its tip  542 . The tube  502  can also includes a plurality of radially disposed grooves  550 . The sleeve tighter  508  can also included a longitudinally extending ribbed pattern  552  for easy of turning. 
   Looking at  FIGS. 5E&amp;F , the assembly  500  is shown to also includes a penetrator protector  554  including a raised top portion  556  and an aperture therethrough  558  adapted to mount the protector  554  on the penetrator  540 . The protector  554  is shown here to be in the shape of a twelve sided polygon having convex surfaces  560  and concave surfaces  562  and is preferably made out of metal such as aluminum and is designed to take a majority of force of a paintball impinging on the penetrator. Looking at  FIGS. 5E&amp;F , the assembly  500  is shown to also includes a penetrator protector  564 . The protector  564  is also shown here to be in the shape of a twelve sided polygon with convex surfaces  566  and concave surfaces  568  and is preferably made out rubber. Although the protectors  554  and  564  are shown to be twelve sided polygons having convex and concave surfaces, the protectors can be of any shape such as circular, oval, triangular, rectangular, pentagon, hexagonal, etc. and can include convex and/or concave surfaces. 
   All references cited herein are incorporated by reference. While this invention has been described fully and completely, it should be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. Although the invention has been disclosed with reference to its preferred embodiments, from reading this description those of skill in the art may appreciate changes and modification that may be made which do not depart from the scope and spirit of the invention as described above and claimed hereafter.