Patent Publication Number: US-2006016361-A1

Title: Impact-identifiable paintballs for nocturnal-types usages

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Currently popular military and civilian war-games involve powerably impelling conventional “impact-fracturable paintballs projectiles” against participant targets, whereby upon such fracturable impact, the paintball deposits a visually identifiable hydro-washable ambiently-reflectively-luminescent dye upon the successfully targeted war-games participant. Such prior art “impact-fracturable paintballs projectiles”, having contained therewithin of an impactably-depositable ambiently-reflectively-luminescent dye are currently publicly known in the prior art on the filing date of this patent application, by the following USA vendors: 
          TradeName: “Predator” Paintballs marketed by JT-USA, Inc., of Chula Vista, California 91911. WWW.JTUSA.Com.;     TradeName: “wpaint-i-BALZ” marketed by Viewloader Co. of Rogers, Arkansas 72756. WWW.viewloader.Com.;     TradeName: “SPLATMATIC Flying Colors” Paintballs marketed by Palco Marketing, Inc., of Plymouth, Minnesota 55441, WWW.palcomarketing.Com.; and     TradeName: “Marballizer” Paintballs marketed by Pursuit Marketing, Inc., of DesPlaines, Ill. 60018, WWW.Buypml.Com.        

      However, because such aforedescribed conventional “impact-fracturable-paintballs impactably-deposit only ambiently-reflectively-luminescent dyes upon war-games targeted participants such prior art projectiles are suitably only for ambient reflective light conditions, namely suitable under daylight and/or artificially illuminated ambient conditions.  
     GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
      In view of the Background of the Invention recited hereabove, it is the General Objective of the Present Invention to provide prior art reminescent war-games “impact-fracturable-paintballs”, but augmented with functionality under nocturnal conditions substantially lacking ambient reflectable light.  
     GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
      With the aforementioned General Objective of the Present Invention in view, and together with other ancillary and related objectives which will become more apparent as the ensuing Specification ensues, the instant invention describes and claims the improved usage, within conventional war-games impact-fracturable paintballs, hydro-washable liquid colored dye material that is self-luminescent in the substantial absence of ambient-reflective-light, and whereby: whenever a such improved paintball is powerably propelled upon an upright war-games target, such improved paintball upon fracture deposits a hydro-washable dye that is visually discernible even during the substantial absence of artificial and/or sun light conditions. However, the hydro-washable colored-dye material required within the improved paintballs sought necessitates preliminarily-indiced vivifying ambient-light as a prerequisite for its required impact-induced self-luminescent characteristics.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
      In the Drawing, wherein like characters refer to like parts in the several views, and in which:  
      Drawing  FIGS. 1-3  (Prior Art) refer to:  
      at (Prior Art)  FIG. 1 , an elevational view of a typical “impact-fracturable ‘paintball’” of the prior art ( 10 )  
      at (Prior Art)  FIG. 2 , a sectional elevational view taken along lines  2 - 2  of the  FIG. 1  prior art ‘paintball’ ( 10 );  
      at (Prior Art)  FIG. 3 , a schematic elevational view indicating that the  FIGS. 1 and 2  (Prior Art) “impact-fracturable ‘paintball’” ( 10 ) might be powerably-motivated e.g. non-combustably from a carbon-dioxide-motivated hand-held gun ( 100 ), a long-distance therefrom (LD) against a war-games upright target (T) and thereby fracturably depositing its target-environmentally ambiently-illuminated (AL) colored-dye component ( 15 ) visually discernable upon a such war-games t target (T)  
      Drawing  FIGS. 4-6  refer to claimed novelty of this invention: at  FIGS. 4-6  wherein  FIG. 4  is an elevational view of the improved “impact-fracturable ‘paintball’” concept of the present invention ( 20 ), and wherein  FIG. 5  is a sectional elevational view takem along lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  indicating that the improved ‘paintball’ ( 20 ) within its colored-dye component ( 25 ) might be, remotely of its ultimate target (T) might be preliminarily photochemically illuminatably energized (APL); and  
      wherein at the  FIG. 6  schematic elevational view, analagous to  FIG. 3  (Prior Art), indicating that the  FIGS. 4 and 5  improved “impact-fracturable ‘paintball’” might be powerably motivated a long-distance (ID) from a conventional motivational gun ( 100 ) to fracturably deposit a previously photochemically energized (APL) thusly self-luminescent colored-dye component ( 25 ) upon a war-games target (T) and thereat illuminated under the the target-absence of environmental ambient light (AL).  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
      At the outset, the reader&#39;s attention is brought to the Background of the Invention hereabove and its preliminary description of prior art “impact-fracturable ‘paintballs’ projectiles (for war-games targets) and pictorially represented in Drawing  FIGS. 1-3 . Such prior art ‘paintballs’ ( 10 ) utilize an impactably-fracturable outer shell ( 11 - 12 ) such as two hemispherical members  11 , which might be fabricated of transparent resinous material, and which member halves  11  are lightly thermoplastically or otherwise joined by a circular ring  12 . Such thin shell ( 11 - 12 ) encloses therewithin an hydrophilic ambient-light-luminescent colored-dye material ( 15 ) readily selectable among the four TradeName materials recited in the foregoing Background of the Invention. Such ‘projectiles’  10  (including their enclosed colored-dyes  15 ) are storably photochemically stable, even within darkened storage condition, and always retrievable for war-games usages (as required by  FIG. 3  usage conditions). Specifically, as suggested in  FIG. 3 , a such ‘projectile’ ( 10 ) is impellable a long-distance (ID) from a CO-type or other projectile-motivating hand-held gun implement toward war-games targets (T) environmentally surrounded by sunlight and/or artificial ambient-light (AL). Accordingly, a such long-distance (ID) propelled ‘projectile’ ( 10 ) fractures upon impact with a war-games target (T), thusly releasing the colored-dye ( 15 ) which becomes visually discernible under environmental ambient-light (AL). Such target visual discernment at target (T) from the colored-dye ( 15 ) is schematically indicated by its modified reference character  15 AB at target (T) and its parallel dashed lines emanating from impacted target (T).  
      Turning now to drawing  FIGS. 4-6  which depict improved “impactfracturable ‘paintballs’ projectiles” (e.g. 20) which are fully operationally effective under the substantial absence of environmental ambient-light. Such improved ‘projectiles’ (e.g. 20), and as seen in drawing  FIGS. 4 and 5 , retain the prior art impactably-fracturable outer-shell ( 11 - 12 ). However, such outer-shell ( 11 - 12 ) instead contains therewithin a colored-dye material ( 25 ) which needs to be preliminarily photochemically energized (APL) for self-luminescence before being employed for the  FIG. 6  environmentally darkened war-games conditions. A such prelimarily photochemically energizable (APL) colored-dye material is presently commercially available such as: under the TradeName GLO-IT currently marketed from DecoArt, Inc., of Stanford, Kentucky 40484, www.decoart.com. Accordingly, as suggested in drawing  FIG. 6 , the improved “impact-fracturable ‘paintball’ projectiles” (e.g.  20 ) are adapted to the method of conducting war-games toward ancillary targets (T) substantially lacking the environmental ambient-light (AL) required by prior art methodology. But desireably rather, under such  FIG. 6 —suggested environmentally darkened war-games conditions, a long-distance (LO) propelled ( 100 ) improved ‘projectile’ ( 20 ) upon fracture-impact at a darkened target (T), emanates from such special colored-dye material ( 25 ) of a visually discernible target impact  25 AB.  
      From the foregoing, the construction and war-games operation of the improved “impact-identifiable ‘paintballs’ for nocturaal-types usages” will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications abd changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact constructions and methods shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.