Abstract:
A drive system for a paintball loader has a motor driven shaft rotatable about a central axis, a drive mechanism attached to the drive shaft, a feed mechanism carrier adjacent the drive mechanism and rotatable about the drive shaft. The drive shaft and the feed mechanism are engaged through a slip clutch and a sensor detects any slippage between them, and sends a corresponding disabling signal to the motor.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/716,478 filed Sep. 13, 2005 which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to the sport of paintball and equipment for playing paintball games. Specifically, it is a device for use with a paintball loader that rotates a feeder, allows the feeder to operate despite a paintball jam and significantly reduces the likelihood that the feeder, loader or paintballs will be damaged if paintballs jam.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Paintball is played on a field by two teams. The object of most games is to “capture” the opposing team&#39;s flag before they capture yours. Each player is armed with a paintball marker, which is generally, a gun that shoots spherical gelatin capsules filled with a non-toxic paint, called “paintballs” under the force of compressed gas. If a player is hit with a paintball fired by a marker of a player on the opposing team he or she is eliminated from the game.  
         [0004]     Paintball loaders sit atop the markers and feed paintballs into the marker. They are comprised of a hopper (the terms “hopper” and “loader” are used interchangeably herein) which stores paintballs, and has an outlet or exit tube. The outlet tube is connected to an inlet tube of a paintball marker, which is in communication with the breech of the paintball marker. Many hoppers also contain an agitator or drive system, which is usually performed by an impeller, projection, drive cone, agitator, paddle, arm, fin, carrier, or any other mechanism, such as those shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,954,042, 6,213,110, and 6,792,933, all incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. In a gravity feed type hopper, the agitator mixes paintballs so that no jams occur at the exit tube. In a force feed drive system hopper, the agitator forces paintballs through the exit tube. Because it is desirable to eliminate as many opposing players as possible, paintball markers are capable of rapid fire. To accommodate this, paintball hoppers hold a large amount of paintballs and the agitators are capable of feeding these paintballs to the marker rapidly.  
         [0005]     While this allows for rapid fire, it also increases the likelihood that paintballs will jam in the outlet and/or inlet tubes and thereby “back-up” into hopper. In the loaders currently known in the art, the feeder or agitator continues to rotate despite the jam. Thus, the impellers of the feeder or agitator continue to try to drive paintballs through the jammed tubes. This often stops the feeding of paintballs, damages the paintballs and sometimes renders the feeder or loader inoperable. Thus, there is a need for a drive system for a paintball loader that controls the rotation of a feeder or agitator when paintballs jam, and shuts off the motor driving the agitator. There is also a need for a device frees up the jam and begins rotating immediately once the jam is cleared so that a player may resume play quickly. The present invention satisfies these needs.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     The present invention is a drive system for a paintball loader comprising a motor driven shaft rotatable about a central axis, a drive mechanism attached to the drive shaft, a feed mechanism carrier adjacent the drive mechanism and rotatable about the drive shaft, wherein the drive shaft and the feed mechanism are engaged through a slip clutch.  
         [0007]     The present invention is a drive system for a paintball loader comprising a stepper motor driven shaft rotatable about a central axis, a drive mechanism attached to the drive shaft, a feed mechanism carrier adjacent the drive mechanism and rotatable about the drive shaft, wherein the drive shaft and the feed mechanism are engaged through a slip clutch.  
         [0008]     In every embodiment disclosed below, the present invention is easily “retrofitted” so that it can be used with all existing styles of paintball loaders, including, but not limited to “force feed”, “active feed”, and “agitating” loaders. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is an elevation view of a loader attached to a paintball marker.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a bottom isometric view of a paintball feed mechanism according to the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a top isometric view of a paintball feed mechanism according to the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a bottom isometric view of a paintball feed mechanism according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]     As used herein, the term “paintball feeder”, “feed mechanism”, “feeder”, or “paintball impeller” refers to any apparatus that impels paintballs from a hopper into a gas gun breech.  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a rapid feed paintball loader  40  operatively attached to a representative paintball gun  20  illustrated in phantom. The paintball gun  20  includes a main body  22 , a compressed gas cylinder  24 , a front handgrip  26 , a barrel  28 , and a rear handgrip  30 . The paintball gun also includes an inlet tube  32  leading to a firing chamber (not shown) in the interior of the main body and a trigger  34 . The front handgrip projects downwardly from the barrel and provides an area for gripping by an operator of the paintball gun. The compressed gas cylinder is typically secured to a rear portion of the paintball gun. The compressed gas cylinder normally contains carbon dioxide, although any compressible gas may be used.  
         [0015]     In operating the paintball gun  20 , the trigger  34  is squeezed, thereby actuating the compressed gas cylinder to release bursts of compressed gas. The bursts of gas are used to eject paintballs  53  outwardly through the barrel  28 . The paintballs are continually fed by the paintball loader  40  through its outlet tube  52  to the inlet tube  32 , and then to the firing chamber. The actual feed is done by gravity, but jams in the outlet tube  52  are discouraged by a motorized feed assembly  140  located within the loader  40 , which is shown in more detail in  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
         [0016]     The feed assembly comprises several embodiments, the first of which comprises a drive cone  100 , clutch plate  108 , drive shaft  300 , and motor  400 . The drive cone  100  rotates about axis  204  and has fins  104  hold and drive the paintballs  53  towards the outlet tube  52  to prevent jamming and facilitate loading.  
         [0017]     The motor  400  drives the drive shaft  108 , which in turn drives the clutch plate  200 . The clutch plate  200  engages and drives a clutch engaging surface  106  on the bottom of the drive cone  100 . During a situation where the ball jams, rather than the motor  400  continuing to drive the fins  104  and crush the paintball  53 , the clutch plate  200  slips against the drive cone&#39;s engaging surface  106  when the engaging surface  106  exerts a predetermined amount of resistance to the rotational force applied by the clutch plate (this resistance could be modified by the user or a predetermined setting from the factory).  
         [0018]     When this slippage occurs, sensors  109  and/or  209  in the drive cone  100  and clutch plate  200  respectively, detect the slippage and relay a signal to a controller  500 . The controller, on receipt of the signal, sends a disabling signal to the motor  400  that turns off the motor until the jam is cleared.  
         [0019]     The sensors  109 ,  209  may be located at one or both of the drive cone and clutch plate. They may also be adapted to measure the torque on the driveshaft, or even the torque on the motor, so long as they send a signal to the controller that in turn disables the motor upon slippage.  
         [0020]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the clutch mechanism is a rotary clutch  200   a , it being understood that other clutches could be used, including clutches between the motor and driveshaft  108  and those built into the drive mechanism of the motor.  
         [0021]     In another embodiment of the present invention, the motor is a stepper motor, as is known in the art. Any type of motor may be substituted for the stepper motor. A motor controller is provided, including at least one sensor. The controller may be provided as an electrical circuit, and may be a circuit including a microprocessor.  
         [0022]     When an extension of the feed mechanism encounters a jammed paintball, a signal is sent to the controller that a jam has occurred. The controller sends a signal to the motor to cease turning the drive shaft in the direction it is initially rotating (for example, counterclockwise), and to turn in the opposite direction (i.e., clockwise) for a period of time T. The time T may be set in the controller, or may be user-selectable. Similarly, the controller may be set to turn the motor in the opposite direction for an angular distance D, which may be a portion of a rotation, a full rotation in the opposite direction, or a plurality of rotations. After time T, or distance D, the controller will send a signal back to the motor to rotate the drive shaft back in the original direction (i.e., counterclockwise). In this manner, the jam will be cleared.  
         [0023]     The sensor may be provided, for example, as a torsion sensor adapted to measure the torque on the feed mechanism or may be provided as a sensor for detecting the position of the feed mechanism or if the feed mechanism ceases moving. For example, an optical sensor having an emitter and a receiver may be used to detect the movement of the feed mechanism, and may be position within the loader body to detect such position.  
         [0024]     It is thus believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the apparatus shown and described has been characterized as being preferred, it will be readily apparent that various changes and modifications could be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.  
         [0025]     Having thus described in detail several embodiments of the present invention, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes, only a few of which are exemplified in the detailed description of the invention, could be made without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. It is also to be appreciated that numerous embodiments incorporating only part of the preferred embodiments are possible which do not alter, with respect to those parts, the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. The present embodiment and optional configurations are therefore to be considered in all respects as exemplary and/or illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all other embodiments and changes to this embodiment which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of said claims are therefore to be embraced therein.