Patent Publication Number: US-7591260-B1

Title: Paintball hopper

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Paintball guns, available now for over 20 years, have become an increasingly popular part of the array of recreational options available to those seeking a release from the pressures of the modern world. A typical paintball gun shoots out a stream of balls as long as the trigger pressure is maintained and balls are available. The balls, too bulky to store in the gun itself, are kept in a hopper atop the gun and fed into the gun by the hopper. 
   Although there has been a desire to have gun/hopper combinations that can fire paintballs at a rate faster than the currently available 18 balls per second, it is true that a very fast rate would cause such a rapid depletion that those having a paintball competition would have to refill their hoppers constantly. Competitive paintball teams, in particular, could make use of gun/hopper combinations that operated in some optimized range, currently unavailable. 
   SUMMARY 
   The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements. 
   In a first separate aspect, the present invention takes the form of a paintball hopper, comprising, a container defining a bottom paintball guide and a paintball moving assembly, adapted to move paintballs in a path determined by the bottom paintball guide. In addition a chute leading from the paintball guide is so disposed that paintballs may enter the chute from the guide without undergoing a substantial change in direction. 
   In a second separate aspect, the present invention takes the form of a paintball hopper, comprising means for containing paintballs, the means having a bottom portion. Also, guide means at the bottom portion are adapted to permit movement of the paintballs along a set path. Additionally, chute means extending from the track means are disposed so that the paintballs may exit guide means into the chute means without a change in direction. 
   In a third separate aspect, the present invention takes the form of a paintball hopper, comprising a container having a bottom paintball well defined by an inwardly-facing surface that is substantially circular for an arc of about 270°. A rotatable element is adapted to push paintballs about the paintball well. Also, a chute leads from the paintball well. Moreover, the well-defining inwardly facing surface curves inwardly towards its top, thereby protecting paintballs in the well from interfering contact with paintballs above the well. 
   In a fourth separate aspect, the present invention takes the form of a paintball hopper, comprising a container having a bottom paintball well defined by an inwardly-facing surface that is substantially circular for an arc of about 270°. A rotatable element is adapted to push paintballs about the paintball well. Also, a chute leads from the paintball well. In greater detail, the rotatable element includes arms for pushing the paintballs about the well and radial spacers for urging the paintballs toward the radial exterior of the well. 
   In a fifth separate aspect, the present invention may take the form of a paintball hopper, comprising a container defining a bottom paintball well having an inwardly-facing surface that is substantially circular for an arc of about 270°. In addition, a rotatable element is adapted to push paintballs about the paintball well. Also, a chute leads from the paintball well and is, in part, defined by an opening in the inwardly facing surface. The inwardly facing surface is flattened, relative to its generally circular shape, on one side of the chute. 
   In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following detailed descriptions. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a paintball hopper according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a side sectional view of the paintball hopper of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a partial top sectional view of the paintball hopper of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
   A paintball hopper  10  includes a top container portion  12  and a bottom paintball guide  14 . In a preferred embodiment, as shown, the paintball guide  14  is in the form of a bottom well  14  defined by a sidewall  16  ( FIG. 2 ) having an inwardly facing surface that is circular for an arc of about 270°. As shown, bottom well  14  is positioned at a slant, with its front portion (from which the paintballs  18  exit down an exit chute  20 ) further down than its rear portion, to help urge the paintballs along toward the exit chute  20 . A ball moving assembly includes a rotating turnstile  22  with flexible arms  24 , driven by an electric motor (not shown). Turnstile  22  also includes a set of radial spacers  26  adapted to urge balls  18  toward the outside of well  14 , so that balls do not jam together in the well  14 . In addition, sidewall  16  curves inwardly as it extends upwardly to form a protective partial overhang  28  ( FIG. 2 ) for well  14 . Overhang  28  acts to reduce the interference of paintballs  18  in the container portion  12  from pressing downwardly and impeding the progress of paintballs  18  that are in well  14 , particularly as they approach the chute  20 . 
   A projection  40 , creates a flattened portion of the inwardly facing surface of sidewall  16 . Projection  40  helps to prevent the balls stored above the well  14  from interfering with the progress of balls in well  14 . 
   The opening to chute  20  is partially defined by a portion of the inwardly facing surface of sidewall  16  that has a relaxed curvature relative to the portion that extends in a substantially circular arc. Accordingly the portion with relaxed curvature does not join the projection  40  to form a closed shape, as shown in  FIG. 2 . The gap thus created between the portion with relaxed curvature and projection  40  forms the opening to the chute  20 . Because the inwardly facing surface of sidewall  16  changes direction only gradually, a ball progressing along this surface does not undergo a sudden change in direction when entering the chute  20  from the well  14 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , skilled persons will readily recognize that the inwardly facing surface of sidewall  16 , in the plane of  FIG. 3 , defines a tangent line at every point along its surface. Each of these tangent lines defines a tangent direction.  FIG. 3  shows that tangent direction vanes continuously along the path a paintball travels, along sidewall  16 , thereby having no discontinuities. Stated in a less formal manner, there are no kinks in surface  16 , in the path a paintball travels. It should be noted that projection  40  is not encountered by a paintball as it travels around surface  16 . 
   Because the paintballs  18  do not change direction as they leave the guide  14  for the chute  20 , there is no need to decelerate in one direction component and to accelerate in another direction component in order to maintain the same speed. Accordingly the paintballs  18  are able to move more quickly from guide or well  14  to chute  20 . In addition the better organization of the balls in the well, due to partial overhang  28  and the radial spacers  26 , acts to increase the rate at which balls go down chute  20 . Ball per second rates in excess of 20 balls per second have been achieved. Moreover, an optimum range of paintball hopper ball delivery of between 20 and 30 balls per second has been discovered. At this rate, a strong stream of balls is produced, but the hopper is not emptied too rapidly. 
   In one preferred embodiment hopper  10  is made of pieces of injection molded polymer that are fastened together. Container portion  12  may be made of two pieces of transparent or translucent polymer that are riveted or screwed together. The well  14  may be a separate piece that is fit into the pieces that form container portion  12 . 
   While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.