Abstract:
An improved paint ball gun and improved rotary breech, regulator, control valve, power piston and power valve assemblies for utilization in paint ball guns or related devices. The paint ball gun eliminates moving metal to metal surfaces to provide a consistent operation and easy regulation. The paint ball gun has a rotary breech to minimize damage to paint balls utilized in the paint ball guns.

Description:
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 08/607,134, filed Feb. 26, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,369, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/972,619 filed Nov. 6, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,024. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to paint ball guns and more particularly to an improved paint ball gun and an improved rotary breech, regulator, control valve, power piston and power valve assemblies for utilization therein. 
     Numerous types of paint ball guns have been developed for utilization in various manners, such as in simulated war games. These paint ball guns generally include a CO 2  cartridge or cylinder which is utilized as the power source to propel paint balls, generally at a specified velocity, such as three hundred (300) feet per second. In general, the prior art paint ball guns include a typical firearm type mechanism including a bolt, spring and cocking handle. This standard configuration is not conducive to efficient operation of the paint ball guns. 
     These prior art paint ball guns generally do not operate at low ambient temperatures below about forty (40) degrees Fahrenheit. These paint ball guns have metal or metallic moving parts which require lubrication and preventive maintenance. The bolt type mechanism also leads to breakage of the paint balls themselves. The prior art paint ball guns generally do not include pressure regulators. One prior art paint ball gun includes a regulator which is of a conventional configuration including a heavy main spring adjusted by a screw bearing against the spring. If the screw is removed while the paint ball gun is under pressure, the regulator can be ejected under pressure causing potential injury. 
     It therefore would be desirable to provide an improved paint ball gun which eliminates lubricants and metal on metal surfaces, has pressure regulation and which will operate consistently and at low ambient temperatures. Further it also would be desirable to provide an improved rotary breech, regulator, control valve, power piston and power valve assemblies for utilization in paint ball guns and in other devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an improved paint ball gun which operates consistently, at low temperatures and is easily regulated. The moving parts of the paint ball gun do not have metal to metal surfaces and hence eliminate lubrication. The paint ball gun includes a pressure regulator and also operates at low gas operating pressures with minimal damage to the paint balls themselves. The paint ball gun has a rotary breech to eliminate the prior art bolts and spring assemblies. The improved paint ball gun rotary breech, regulator, control valve, power piston and power valve assemblies can be utilized in paint ball guns separately or together or in other type devices. 
    
    
     These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of a preferred exemplified embodiment of the invention and upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a partial side plan view, partially broken away, of one embodiment of the paint ball gun of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 2 and 3 are an enlarged partial side views illustrating the operation of the paint ball gun of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of one embodiment of the paint ball gun regulator assembly of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 5A-5C and  6 A- 6 C are side views illustrating the loading and firing of the paint balls; 
     FIG. 7 is another embodiment of a power valve assembly of the present invention; and 
     FIGS. 8A-8B are side plan views of the individual regulator, power valve, rotary breech and control valve assemblies of the present invention. 
     While the invention will be described and disclosed in connection with certain preferred embodiments and procedures, it is not intended to limit the invention to those specific embodiments. Rather it is intended to cover all such alternative embodiments and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-4, an improved paint ball gun of the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral  10 . The paint ball gun includes a handle  12 , a sliding trigger  14  and a barrel  16  (partially illustrated). The paint ball gun  10  includes a rotary breech assembly  18 , into which is loaded one of a plurality of paint balls  20 , one at a time, for firing through the barrel  16 . 
     The paint ball gun  10  includes an adapter or seat  22  into which a standard CO 2  cartridge (not illustrated) is inserted to provide the operating power for the paint ball gun  10 . As best illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, gas from the CO 2  cartridge enters a passageway  24  where it is fed to a regulator assembly  26 . The gas enters the regulator  26  through a passageway  28  and an orifice  30  in a valve body  32 . The lateral position of the valve body  32  controls the operating pressure of the paint ball gun  10 . The position of the valve body  32  is controlled by a pressure adjusting screw  34 , which is threadly mounted in a body portion  36  of the paint ball gun  10  in threads  37 . The valve body  32  is mounted in a passageway  38  of the body portion  36 . The valve body  32  has a diameter greater than the clearance between the threads  37 . This difference in diameter prevents the valve body  32  from being ejected under pressure from the paint ball gun  10 . 
     The passageway  38  also includes a piston  40  mounted therein. The gas passes through the orifice  30  into an axial outlet passageway  42  in the valve body  32 . A spring  43  biases the piston  40  away from a lip  44  formed around an open end  46  of the passageway  42 . With the piston  40  moved away from the lip  44 , a seal formed by a disc  48 , such as formed from urethane and mounted on or formed with the piston  40 , pressing against the lip  44  is broken. 
     The gas passes out of the passageway  42  around the piston  40  and into a lateral inlet orifice  50  which couples the gas to a lateral passageway  52  formed in the piston  40 . The gas then flows out of the passageway  52  through a passageway  54  and around a power piston assembly  56  to a control valve assembly  58 . 
     The regulator  26  thus initially allows the gas to pass freely therethrough. As the gas pressure builds in the paint ball gun  10 , as described in detail hereinafter, the gas exerts pressure on a face  59  of the piston  40  to close the regulator  26 . The amount of gas pressure necessary to close the regulator  26  by pressing the piston  40  against the spring  43  and against the lip  44  is regulated by the adjusting screw  34 . As the adjusting screw  34  is moved to the left, the operating pressure is increased and the spring  43  must be further compressed. As the adjusting screw  34  is moved to the right, the operating pressure is decreased, since the spring  43  is less compressed, before the piston  40  seals against the lip  44 . Since the gas passes through the orifice  30  and the passageway  42 , it cannot exhaust out of the paint ball gun  10  if the adjusting screw  34  is removed. This provides a significant safety advantage over the prior art regulators. 
     The gas flows into the control valve  58  through a passageway  60 . The control valve  58  is illustrated in the fill/load position in FIG.  2  and the gas flows through a lateral reduced area passageway  62  in a control valve body  64 . The control valve body  64  is biased into the fill (non-fire) position by a bias or return spring  66 . The control valve body  64  is sealingly mounted in a passageway  68  by a plurality of O-rings  70  formed from synthetic resin polymers, such as sold under the trademark Teflon. The O-rings  70  form barriers to prevent gas flow along the valve body  64  in the passageway  68 . 
     The gas flows from the passageway  62  into a passageway  72  and releases a ball type check valve  74  from a seat  76  (illustrated as seated in FIG.  2 ). The seat  76  is formed in a passageway  78  which is formed in a body  80  of the power piston  56 . The gas pushes the power piston body  80  against an inlet end  82  of a power tube  83  which is coupled to the barrel  16 . The power piston body  80  includes a seal  84  mounted thereto or formed therewith, also preferably formed of a synthetic resin polymer material, which seals the barrel  16  from the gas. The gas passes out of a passageway or passageways  86  into a gas or power chamber  88  formed around the power tube  83 . 
     At the same time as the gas fills the power chamber  88 , a portion of the gas flows through a port  90  formed in the passageway  72 , where it flows into a passageway  92 . The gas flows through the passageway  92  to the rotary breech  18  as illustrated in FIGS. 5-7. 
     The rotary breech  18  is first moved into the load position as illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5C. The rotary breech  18  includes a rotating body  94  having a paint ball receiving breech portion  96 . In the load position, one of the paint balls  20  is loaded from a paint ball cartridge or tube  98  into the breech portion  96 . The gas in the fill position flows through the passageway  92  behind a first piston  100 . The piston  100  operates against a pivot pin  102  which moves laterally to rotate the rotary breech  18  into the load position. At the same time a second piston  104  is moved to exhaust gas through a passageway  106 , through a lateral orifice  108  (FIG.  2 ), a passageway  110 , a lateral passageway  112  and out through an exhaust orifice  114  formed in the control valve body  64 . 
     The trigger  14  is depressed to fire the paint ball gun  10 , as illustrated in FIGS. 3,  6  and  7 . The depression of the trigger  14  moves the control valve body  64  against the return spring  66 . The gas in the passageway  60  now flows through the passageway  112  into the passageway  110 , through the orifice  108  and into the passageway  106 . The gas in the passageway  106  pushes against the piston  104 , which moves the pivot pin  102  and rotates the rotary breech  18  into the firing position, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6C. The paint ball  20  now is aligned with the power tube  83  and the barrel  16  for firing therethrough. The non-spring gas operated rotary action of the rotary breech  18  virtually eliminates breakage of the paint balls  20 . 
     The gas behind the piston  100  exhausts through the passageway  92 , the port  90  (FIG.  3 ), the passageway  72 , the passageway  62  and through an exhaust port  116  formed in the control valve body  64 . At the same time, the gas behind the power piston  56  exhausts also through the passageway  72 ,  62  and the port  116 . The check valve  74  then seats against the seat  76  and the power piston body  80  moves away from the power tube  83 , releasing the seal  84  and rapidly emptying the gas from the chamber  88  into and out the power tube  83 , firing the paint ball  20  through the barrel  16 . 
     The resultant pressure differential when the trigger  14  is depressed, causes the power piston  56  to snap back allowing the gas to exhaust quickly into the power tube  83  and propelling the paint ball  20  at a maximum efficiency. All of the gas pressure is utilized to propel the paint ball  20 , since no springs are compressed with the firing gas pressure. The paint ball gun  10  will operate at pressures of below 150 psi although the operating pressure typically is about 500 psi. Other prior art types of paint ball guns typically require on the order of 2000 psi for the gas operating pressure and hence are much less efficient. 
     An in-line embodiment of a power valve assembly  120  of the present invention is illustrated in FIG.  7 . The regulator  26  and the power piston  56  are formed in an in-line unit  122 . The valving otherwise would be essentially the same as in the previous embodiment, but only the single unit  122  would need to be replaced or removed for repair, if needed. 
     Enlarged separate views of the regulator  26 , the power piston  56 , the control valve  58  and the rotary breech assemblies  18  are illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8D. The improved rotary breech  18 , regulator  26 , power piston  56  and control valve  58  are described herein utilized together in the paint ball gun  10 , however the assemblies can be provided separately in other paint ball guns or in related devices. The regulator  26 , for example, can be utilized in other compressed air environments, such as utilized in diving equipment. The power piston  56  can be utilized for any type of rapid evacuation of a volume of gas. 
     Modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The power piston  56  preferably is formed from a composite polymer material, which forms an excellent seal with the power tube  83 . The rotary breech  18  also preferably is formed from a composite material and therefore should not exhibit any significant wear. The sliding trigger  14  preferably is coated with a Teflon type polymer, such as sold under the trade name “XLEN”. Also, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 6A, a further safety feature of the paint ball gun  10  of the present invention is provided by a dove tail construction  130 , which prevents the control valve  58  and the trigger  14  from inadvertently ejecting from the paint ball gun  10  under gas pressure. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than is specifically described.