Abstract:
An air chamber that increases the volume of air stored inside a paintball gun. An increased volume of air allows the use of low-pressure/high volume valves in the gun.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/300,148, filed Apr. 27, 1999 which is a continuation of 08/882,672, filed Jun. 25, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,133. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to paintball guns and more particularly, to a gas holding chamber for use with CO 2 , nitrogen or compressed air powered paintball guns. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Today&#39;s high tech paintball guns generally run off of CO 2 , nitrogen or compressed air as a power source. These power sources require a specific volume of gas or a specific pressure of gas to fire the paintball at the correct velocity. You can use one or the other. Most paintball guns use the higher pressure/low volume method to shoot a paintball. Then, a few years ago, miniature pressure regulators became available for use on paintball guns allowing players to use a lower pressure gas to fire the paintball, thus relying on more volume of air to fire the paintball. But, the pressure never got below 500 psi into the air chamber of the paintball gun because valves at that time were not built for efficiency at lower pressures. At the same time paintball pressure regulators became available on the market, manufacturers and after-market customizers shortened the paintball guns to reduce weight by cutting off part of the air chamber, thus reducing the amount of stored gas. At that time there was no problem caused by reducing the length of the chamber because high pressure/low volume was being used. But as the newer, more gas efficient air valves that operate on a lower pressure/high volume (ranging from 100 psi to 400 psi) started to become available. The lack of air-chamber space has caused the paintball guns not to be able to shoot the paintball at the proper velocity using a lower pressure/high volume setting less than 500 psi. 
     What is needed is a reservoir chamber that couples into the air chamber of the paintball gun thus increasing the chamber&#39;s volume capacity to allow paintball guns to use the more efficient lower pressure/high volume air valves. The chamber should not significantly increase the weight or change the balance of the paintball gun and work without modifying the paintball gun by drilling out the air chambers. The air chamber needs to allow air to rush from the reservoir more rapidly through a substantially straight-line passage to the valve; unlike the previous mounting bolt that allows air to enter the gun  90  degrees from the valve and pass through a small hole in the front mounting block bolt thus restricting air flow. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention accomplishes these objectives in a first embodiment by providing a reservoir that can thread into an existing bolt hole on the air chamber of the paintball gun, replacing the old bolt. The air reservoir has threads for the bolt hole, inlet holes to allow air into the air-chamber, a flange to hold an o-ring on the gun to seal air inside, a large chamber space to store a large volume of air, a plug to seal the end of the chamber and provide means of tightening the air reservoir to the gun. 
     In the second through fifth embodiments, the present invention provides a reservoir that replaces the existing vertical mount coupled to the air chamber of the paintball gun, thereby providing internal gas communication between the reservoir and the air chamber. The air reservoir has a distal end with integrated o-ring seals that mounts into the mounting hole previously used by the vertical mount. One or more screws hold the reservoir in place. The reservoir further includes a large chamber space to store a large volume of gas, an inlet hole to allow air into the air chamber (or to mount a pressure regulator directly thereto), at least one transfer tube to transfer gas from the air reservoir to the air chamber in the gun in a substantially straight line, and a plug to seal the end of the reservoir. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a cross-section view showing the location of the air chamber on the paintball gun and the prior art mounting bolt and air inlet. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of a first embodiment air reservoir of the present invention mounted to a prior art paintball gun. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of the first embodiment air reservoir uncoupled from the paintball gun. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of a prior art vertical mount coupled to a prior art paintball gun. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of a second embodiment air reservoir of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is an end view of the second embodiment air reservoir of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of a third embodiment air reservoir of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is an end view of the third embodiment air reservoir of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of a fourth embodiment air reservoir of the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-section view of a fifth embodiment air reservoir of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, and alterations and modifications in the illustrated device, and further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein are herein contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings, the first embodiment air reservoir of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 and 2 essentially shows where and how the air reservoir  8  is located in place of the previous bolt  4 . The paintball gun body  1  is shown to show the location of valve chamber  2  and the air chamber  3  and the location of front mounting block  7  and the older design mounting block bolt  4 . The front block mounting bolt  4  screws into paintball gun body  1  and has a small air transfer hole  5  to allow air to flow through from air inlet  6  to the air chamber  3 . The air transfer hole  5  is small which restricts air flow and reduces performance, so people have to increase air flow through the bolt by drilling the holes larger. That works to increase flow rate but also reduces the strength of the bolt and still does not solve the problem of the reduced chamber space. 
     For a comparison, FIG. 2 shows the present invention, the air reservoir  8  mounted in the same location as the older front mounting block bolt  4  to pictorially show the increased size of the air chamber. 
     FIG. 3 shows a cross section view of a first embodiment of our present invention, the air reservoir  8  where  9  indicates the threaded end that attaches to the paintball gun body  1  which is shown on FIGS. 1 and 2. A turned down diameter  15  which allows air to flow around the whole diameter and enter through multiple holes  10  and fill the air chamber  3  and the air reservoir chamber  12 . A flange  11  has been turned on the air reservoir to secure an o-ring  16  in place and seal air inside and apply pressure to keep the mounting block secured to the paintball gun body  1 . The transfer tube  14  has been enlarged over that of the old mounting block bolt  4  which allows air to rush from the air chamber  12  in a straight line path to the air chamber  3  in less time and with less restriction than in previous designs referred to in FIG.  1 . The air reservoir also has a plug  13  to seal air inside the reservoir and provide the air reservoir with the means of being tightened down to the paintball gun body. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a paintball gun body  100  having an air chamber  103  and a barrel  104 . Instead of the front mounting block  7  and mounting block bolt  4  of the design of FIG. 1, the paintball gun body  100  includes a vertical mount  106  having a distal end portion  108  that is received within the air chamber  103 . The vertical mount  106  is maintained within the position illustrated in FIG. 4 by means of a bolt  110  extending through the wall  112  defining the air chamber  103  and into a threaded hole  114  formed within the vertical mount  106 . A pair of o-ring seals  116  prevent air within the air chamber  103  from escaping around the periphery of the distal end  108 . 
     The vertical mount  106  further includes a threaded recess  118  formed at the distal end  120 , the threaded recess  118  being adapted to couple a pressure regulator, expansion chamber, or other source of compressed air (or other gas). The compressed air is communicated to the air chamber  103  through a passage  122  formed within the vertical mount  106 . As with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the passage  122  is small and restricts air flow from the air source, plus requires the air to traverse a 90 degree bend prior to reaching the air chamber  103 . 
     A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 and indicated generally at  130 . The air reservoir  130  includes a distal end  132  and a proximal end  134 , wherein the proximal end  134  is adapted to mount within the air chamber  103  in the same manner as the vertical mount  106 . The air reservoir  130  therefore includes o-ring seals  116  and a threaded hole  114  for receiving the bolt  110 . 
     The air reservoir  130  includes an air reservoir chamber  136  formed longitudinally therein and sealed on the distal end by a threaded plug  138 . Air (or other suitable compressed gas) is supplied to the air reservoir chamber  136  through a threaded passageway  140 . An adapter (not shown) is preferably coupled to the threaded passageway  140  and provides an appropriate mounting surface for the source of compressed air, such as a pressure regulator, expansion chamber, etc. The proximal end  134  has a bore  144  formed therein which faces the air chamber  103  when the air reservoir  130  is installed therein. 
     As best shown in FIG. 6, the air reservoir  130  includes at least one, and preferably a plurality, of transfer tubes  142  formed between the air reservoir chamber  136  and the bore  144 . As shown in FIG. 6, the transfer tubes  142  are positioned so as not to intersect the space occupied by the threaded hole  114 . The transfer tubes  142  provide a substantially straight line of air flow between the air reservoir chamber  136  and the air chamber  103 , plus provide a relatively high volume space for the air to flow between these two spaces. 
     A third embodiment air reservoir of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, and indicated generally at  150 . The air reservoir  150  includes a distal end  152  and a proximal end  154 . As with the second embodiment air reservoir  130 , the third embodiment air reservoir  150  is designed to sealingly mate within the air chamber  103  by use of the o-ring seals  116 , however the air reservoir  150  includes a threaded bore  156  therethrough, which allows the air reservoir  150  to be secured to the paintball gun body  1  by means of a pair of bolts (not shown) engaging either end of the threaded passage  156  and extending through the wall  112  defining the air chamber  103  (see FIG.  4 ). 
     Like the second embodiment air reservoir  130 , the third embodiment air reservoir  150  includes an internal air reservoir chamber  136 , distal end plug  138 , proximal end bore  144  and threaded passageway  140 . Air reservoir  150  also includes at least one, and preferably a plurality of transfer tubes  142  in order to allow air transfer between the air reservoir chamber  136  and the air chamber  103 . As best shown in FIG. 8, the transfer tubes  142  are preferably arranged so as to avoid interference with the threaded bore  156  and to provide a substantially straight line for the compressed air to travel from the air reservoir chamber  136  to the air chamber  103 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a fourth embodiment air reservoir of the present invention, indicated generally at  160 . The air reservoir  160  includes a distal end  162  and a proximal end  164  and is substantially identical to the second embodiment air reservoir  130  of FIGS. 5 and 6, with the exception that the air passageway  140  is replaced by a threaded passageway  166  that is substantially larger than the passageway  140 . The threaded passageway  166  is sized and shaped so as to allow direct coupling with a pressure regulator, expansion chamber, or other source of compressed gas. 
     Referring now to FIG. 10, a fifth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and indicated generally at  170 . The air reservoir  170  includes a distal end  172  and a proximal end  174  and is substantially identical to the third embodiment air reservoir  150  of FIGS. 7 and 8, with the exception that the air passageway  140  is replaced with a substantially larger threaded passageway  176 . As with the air reservoir  160 , the air reservoir  170  includes the threaded passageway  176  that is sized and shaped so as to couple directly to a source of compressed gas, such as a pressure regulator, expansion chamber, etc. 
     The second, third, fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention function substantially identically to the first embodiment of the present invention in that they provide an increased chamber volume  136  for the storage of compressed gas, and then provide a substantially straight path for this gas to enter the air chamber  103  when the paintball gun  100  is fired. This increased volume of gas, and the efficient manner with which it is transferred to the air chamber  103 , allow the paintball gun to operate at a lower, more efficient gas pressure. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.