Patent Publication Number: US-5839422-A

Title: Automatic feeder for projectile gun using compressed gas

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to gun-like apparatus that typically use pressurized gas to fire a projectile, and more particularly to a device to automatically feed projectiles, such as paint or tear gas balls, into a gun-like apparatus to be fired using pressurized gas. The device is portable and capable of storing a large number of projectiles. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Gun-like devices that use pressurized gas to fire projectiles are used, among other things, for recreational and training purposes, and in actual police-type operations. The projectiles can be any small object, such as, but not limited to, paint or tear gas balls that rupture upon impact. The guns are typically carried by a user and are connected to a cylinder of pressurized gas by a flexible hose. The cylinder is carried on the user&#39;s back. The gun can have a magazine that can hold up to 100 to 200 projectiles, and may be gravity-fed into the discharge position in the gun. If the gun is operating properly, one projectile will be discharged per trigger squeeze. Examples of guns of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,838 to Anderson, at col. 1, lines 49-55, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     A limitation of the guns as described above, is the gravity-field loading system. The present gravity-fed systems are limited to approximately 100-200 projectiles. However, the more projectiles contained in the magazine of the gravity-fed system the larger the magazine. The gravity magazine must be located above the gun for the gravity fed system to function. Hence, the user must carry a gun with a bulky gravity-fed magazine attached if he or she wants to have a large number of shots. In some applications such as when firing paint balls, users are most vulnerable to attack when they run out of ammunition, therefore the more shots the user has available the better. 
     As can be seen in FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,838, the gravity-field magazine is located on the top portion of the gun. The gravity-fed gun is sensitive to position to insure the projectiles will drop into position. Obviously, the gun cannot be held upside down or at certain angles or the projectiles will not drop. During simulated battles, utilizing the guns herein described, users may be running and moving quickly trying to hide and dodge attacks. While in the middle of such a heated exchange, a user&#39;s weapon may be held in a position that interferes with or prevents reloading using a gravity-fed magazine. 
     Furthermore, the projectiles can also exhibit a tendency to become &#34;hung-up&#34; in the magazine requiring the gun to be shaken by the user to get the projectiles to drop into position. This problem is analogous to pouring marbles through a funnel, sometimes they get hung-up. 
     There exists a need for a projectile gun loading apparatus that addresses each of the foregoing limitations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an automatic feeding device for use with a gun-like apparatus of the type described herein above and in Pat. No. 5,515,838. The gun-like apparatus typically use pressurized gas to fire projectiles. The projectiles may be small paint, gelatin, or tear gas filled balls that, when fired, rupture upon impact. The feeding device is portable, and capable of storing 500-1000 projectiles. 
     The present invention generally comprises a compressed gas cylinder connected in fluid communication via a solenoid valve to a hollow flexible tube or hose. The internal diameter of the flexible hose is selected to accept the size projectile to be utilized. The flexible hose contains a plurality of projectiles to be fired by the gun-like apparatus. The end of the flexible hose opposite the end connected to the compressed gas cylinder is connected to a projectile loading chamber of the gun-like apparatus. 
     The compressed gas cylinder and the length of flexible hose coiled up, can both be conveniently carried in a suitable manner such as in a pack carried on the back. The number of projectiles stored in the flexible hose is determined by the length of the hose. For example, approximately 28.5 feet of hose will contain 500 projectiles of approximately 0.68 inch diameter, and can be easily coiled and carried in a backpack along with the compressed gas cylinder. Longer coils of hose can be carried such that up to 1000 or more projectiles can be carried in one backpack. 
     The solenoid valve is electrically actuated by a battery power supply. A microswitch is mounted in the flexible hose and located near the end of the hose that is attached to the loading chamber of the gun-like apparatus. The microswitch is electrically connected to the solenoid valve and the battery power supply. The microswitch is sized and positioned such that it is depressed by each projectile as the projectile advances past the microswitch in the hose. 
     When the gun-like apparatus is fired and the projectiles advance in the hose, a projectile depresses the microswitch. The depressed microswitch activates the solenoid valve causing compressed gas to flow into the hose. The compressed gas flowing through the hose and into the reload chamber, or breach, of the gun-like apparatus positively forces a projectile into the breach of the gun-like apparatus. 
     The compressed gas cylinder can be equipped with a gage to determine internal gas pressure. 
     The compressed gas cylinder used for the auto feeder can be a separate cylinder from the compressed gas cylinder used to fire the gun-like apparatus. Alternately, one cylinder can be used with a manifold system to supply gas to both the present invention and to the gun-like apparatus for firing the projectiles. 
     The projectiles can be preloaded into the flexible hose by vacuum. 
     Positive loading of a projectile into the gun-like apparatus by compressed gas flow, as provided by the present invention, makes loading the gun-like apparatus independent of the gun&#39;s orientation. Unlike that in gravity-fed loading, loading using the present invention can take place when the gun is upside down or at any angle. 
     A user having 500-1000 projectiles as provided by the present invention will not likely run out of projectiles as can happen when limited to the small number of projectiles that can be stored in a conventional gravity-fed magazine. 
     Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a portable pressurized gas projectile loading apparatus for use on a pressurized gas projectile firing gun-like apparatus. 
     It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a pressurized gas projectile loading apparatus that operates with a pressurized gas projectile firing gun-like apparatus when the gun-like apparatus is held in nearly any position. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to provide a portable and automatic pressurized gas projectile loading apparatus that holds more projectiles than a conventional gravity-field magazine holds. 
     In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view in partial cut away of the entry end of the flexible hose of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 and 4 are side elevational views in partial cut away of the exit end of the flexible hose of the present invention showing the microswitch in two different positions. 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the exit end of the present invention connected to an example of a gun-like apparatus that can be utilized with the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention generally comprises compressed gas cylinder 2, hollow flexible tube or hose 4, solenoid valve 6, microswitch 8, and backpack 10. Compressed gas cylinder 2 is connected from valve 12 to solenoid valve 6 through gage 14 by air hose 16. Solenoid valve 6 is electrically connected to power supply 18 and microswitch 8. Power supply 18 is preferably a battery power supply containing at least one battery to supply power to actuate solenoid valve 6. Solenoid valve 6 is connected to flexible hose 4 such that when solenoid valve 6 is actuated on, compressed gas flows from cylinder 2 through air hose 16 and into flexible hose 4. 
     Flexible hose 4 is made of a suitable material such as polyvinylchloride or equivalent, and sized such that the internal diameter is just slightly larger than the diameter of projectiles 20 such that projectiles 20 will freely move through the interior of hose 4. Projectiles 20 are selected to be utilized with the particular gun-like apparatus to be used with the present invention, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,838. Projectiles 20 may be any suitably sized projectiles such as, but not limited to, paint, gelatin, or tear gas filled balls of essentially spherical shape. Hose 4 can be any suitable length, for example approximately 28.5 feet can be utilized to store approximately 500 projectiles 20, of 0.68 inch diameter. 
     Cylinder 2 and hose 4 in coiled position are contained in pack 10 preferably to be worn on the back of a user. Up to approximately 1000 projectiles can be stored in coiled hose 4 and conveniently carried in a backpack such as pack 10. A suitable length of hose 4, near feed end 22, will be left uncoiled for attachment to the gun-like apparatus and to allow unhindered movement of the gun by the user. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, microswitch 8 is mounted near the gun-like apparatus feed end 22 of hose 4 such that as projectiles 20 pass through hose 4 the plunger 24 of microswitch 8 is depressed by each projectile 20 that passes microswitch 8. Microswitch 8 is electrically connected to solenoid valve 6 and power supply 18 in a suitable manner such as wires 26. Power supply 18 is preferably a battery pack containing suitable battery power to actuate solenoid valve 6. For example, solenoid valve 6 may be selected to be powered by a 9 volt battery, AA batteries, or a combination of other suitable batteries as known in the art. 
     Solenoid valve 6 is actuated every time microswitch 8 is depressed by a projectile 20 passing over plunger 24. Microswitch 8 is an on/off type switch. Every time solenoid 6 is actuated by depressing plunger 24 on microswitch 8, compressed gas from cylinder 2 flows into flexible hose 4. 
     Referring now to FIG. 5, feed end 22 of hose 4 is attached to the loading magazine port of a suitable gun-like apparatus 30, such as that disclosed in Pat. No. 5,515,838. Feed end 22 is made of any suitable material such as polyvinylchloride or equivalent material as known in the art, and configured to attach to the particular gun-like apparatus to which it will be connected. The gravity-fed magazine from the gun-like apparatus can be used as a guide for this purpose (not shown). 
     The attachment of hose 4 to solenoid valve 6 and to feed end 22 is accomplished by any suitable fastener such as glue, cable ties, hose clamps 28, or equivalents thereof as known in the art. 
     Operation of the present invention will be better understood by referring to FIGS. 5 and 11 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,838 (&#39;838), as an example of one gun-like apparatus that may be utilized with the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 5 of &#39;838, in operation, when the gun-like apparatus is cocked, a projectile 20 (numbered 23 in &#39;838) drops through the breach opening 67 and into the loading chamber, or breach 69, of the gun-like apparatus. When the trigger is depressed in the gun-like apparatus, the bolt 53 moves forward closing the breach opening 67 and pushing the projectile 20 (23 in &#39;838) into the barrel 27 for firing using compressed gas, as shown in FIG. 11 of &#39;838. The bolt then moves back into the recocked position, as shown in FIG. 5 of &#39;838, and the next projectile 20 (23 in &#39;838) can drop into position into the breach 69. 
     During the operation of the gun-like apparatus using the present invention, when the gun is fired and a projectile 20 moves past microswitch 8, solenoid valve 6 is actuated allowing compressed gas to flow into flexible hose 4. Compressed gas flowing into hose 4 will be expelled through the feed end 22 of hose 4 and into the breach of the gun-like apparatus when the breach is opened after firing and upon recocking. The compressed gas flowing from cylinder 2, through hose 4, through feed end 22, and out into the breach of the gun-like apparatus forces or propels a projectile 20 into the breach of the gun. In this manner, each projectile is fed into the breach one at a time and independent of gun orientation. 
     The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.