Patent Abstract:
A paintball gun utilizes pressurized air to fire a paintball to avoid using a spool protruding from a barrel to fire the paintball which may pinch the user&#39;s finger, accidentally. The paintball gun also uses a low pressure regulator to seal a port of the barrel to block pressurized air from entering into the barrel to prevent triggering the gun and damaging others.

Full Description:
This application is a continuation in part of my application filed Jan. 5, 2005, Ser. No. 11/028,638 now abandoned. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a paintball gun, and more particularly to one that applies pressurized air to directly fire a paintball, having the pressurized air passing through a spool, and to one that has a port blocked by turning a low pressure regulator to avoid hurting people by accidentally pulling a trigger. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Survival game in jungle is one of the popular sports around the world. In the game, a paintball gun is a primary weapon to be used for its safety consideration. To mitigate the risk of using paintball gun, a flask filled with pressurized air is essentially used as the power to shoot the paintball gun. As illustrated in  FIG. 6  of the accompanying drawings, a barrel (A 1 ) of a paintball gun (A) is formed with a paintball drop hole (A 2 ) for a paintball (B) to drop therefrom into the barrel (A 1 ) to be ready to shoot. Upon the trigger (A 3 ) is pulled, a hammer (A 4 ) brings a spool (A 5 ) to strike the paintball (B) to fire. 
   However, when shooting the paintball (B), the speed starts from zero to fast speed instantly, which may cause deviation of the paintball (B). 
   Furthermore, the barrel (A 1 ) has a trough (A 6 ) at the endmost for a linking rod (A 7 ) provided between the hammer (A 4 ) and the spool (A 5 ) to slide along. The moving speed of the linking rod (A 7 ) is relative fast, which may pinch the user&#39;s finger or cause the user to trigger the paintball, accidentally. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a paintball gun, which utilizes high pressurized air to fire a paintball. The present invention comprises a spool disposed in a barrel. The barrel comprises a sleeve having an opening at a front end thereof. A spring is provided between the piston and the sleeve. A piston is provided in the sleeve to block the opening. Each of both the sleeve and the piston comprises a through hole penetrating outside. A through channel is disposed a rear section of the spool. A low-pressure regulator is provided in an air storage chamber. The low pressure regulator is provided with a block. When the trigger is pulled, low pressure air enters the through channel to push the piston and to advance the paintball, while pressurized air passes from the air storage chamber in sequence through a port and the through holes of the sleeve and the piston to fire the paintball. By having the pressurized air to directly fire the paintball, there would be no fast move by the spool protruding out of the barrel, thus there is no chance that the hand of the user to get hurt. When the low-pressure regulator is turned to block the port, it stops the pressurized air in the air storage chamber from entering into the barrel, thus to prevent accidentally pulling the trigger to hurt somebody. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view showing that a paintball is loaded into the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view showing that low pressure air pushes a piston to advance the paintball of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view showing that high pressure air fires the paintball of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view showing that a low pressure regulator is turned to block a port of an air storage chamber of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a striking structure of the prior art. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a frame ( 1 ), a spool ( 2 ) and a low pressure regulator ( 3 ). 
   The frame ( 1 ) comprises a barrel ( 11 ) therein. A paintball drop hole ( 12 ) is disposed on the barrel ( 11 ), and an air storage chamber ( 13 ) is provided underneath the barrel ( 11 ). A port ( 14 ) is disposed at a front section between the air storage chamber ( 13 ) and the barrel ( 11 ), and a key hole ( 15 ) is disposed at a rear section between the air storage chamber ( 13 ) and the barrel ( 11 ). The front end of the air storage chamber ( 13 ) is connected to a high-pressure flask ( 16 ) to input high-pressure air into the air storage chamber ( 13 ). The frame ( 1 ) further comprises a trigger ( 17 ) and a three-way valve ( 18 ). The three-way valve ( 18 ) is controlled by the trigger ( 17 ) to activate. The three-way valve ( 18 ) comprises an air inlet hole ( 181 ) interconnecting with an air inlet way ( 182 ), an air outlet hole ( 183 ) interconnecting with an air outlet way ( 184 ) for low-pressure air to pass through, and a rod ( 185 ) to control the passage between the an air inlet hole ( 181 ) and the air outlet hole ( 183 ). 
   The spool ( 2 ) is disposed in the barrel ( 11 ). The spool ( 2 ) comprises a sleeve ( 21 ) having an opening ( 211 ) at a front end thereof. A piston ( 22 ) is provided in the sleeve ( 21 ) and is adapted to block the opening ( 211 ) of the sleeve ( 21 ). A spring ( 221 ) is provided between the piston ( 22 ) and the sleeve ( 21 ). A through hole ( 23 ) is disposed at the front section of the sleeve ( 21 ) to penetrate its outer edge, and another through hole ( 24 ) is disposed at the front section of the piston ( 22 ) to penetrate its outer edge. A through channel ( 25 ) is formed at the rear section of the spool ( 2 ). 
   The low pressure regulator ( 3 ) is threaded into the rear end of the air storage chamber ( 13 ). Both the low pressure regulator ( 3 ) and the air storage chamber ( 13 ) are formed with threads for threaded connection. The low pressure regulator ( 3 ) comprises a groove ( 31 ) on its circumference that interconnects with the through channel ( 25 ) and the air outlet way ( 184 ). The front end of the low pressure regulator ( 3 ) has a block ( 32 ) thereon. 
   To operate the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 2 , pressurized air stored in the air flask ( 16 ) fills up the air storage chamber ( 13 ) and enters into the sleeve ( 21 ) of the spool ( 2 ) through the port ( 14 ). Due to the opening ( 211 ) of the sleeve ( 21 ) blocked by the piston ( 22 ), the pressurized air continues gathering in the spool ( 2 ). As shown in  FIG. 3 , upon a paintball (B) drops into the front end of the barrel ( 11 ), the user may pull the trigger ( 17 ) which drives the rod ( 185 ) of the three-way valve ( 18 ) to move forward and then opens the blockage between the air inlet hole ( 181 ) and the air outlet hole ( 183 ), allowing the low pressure air to pass through the air inlet way ( 182 ), the air inlet hole ( 181 ), the air inlet hole ( 183 ), the air outlet way ( 184 ), the groove ( 31 ) of the low pressure regulator ( 3 ), and the key hole ( 15 ) into the through channel ( 25 ) of the spool ( 2 ). The air in the through channel ( 25 ) pushes the piston ( 22 ) to slide along the sleeve ( 21 ) forward and compresses the spring ( 221 ). When the piston ( 22 ) is moving forward, the paintball (B) will be pushed to the triggering position, and the opening ( 211 ) is cleared from blocking, as shown in  FIG. 4 . The high pressurized air accumulating in the spool ( 2 ) at this time will be discharged at a high speed from the opening ( 211 ) and spurred out of the through hole ( 24 ) of the piston ( 22 ) to fire the paintball (B). After the paintball (B) is shot, the spring ( 221 ) urges the piston ( 22 ) to return to its original position to block the opening ( 211 ) again for next movement. 
   To avoid triggering accidentally, as shown in  FIG. 5 , a hand tool (C) may be adapted to turn the low pressure regulator ( 3 ), so that the block ( 32 ) at the front end of the low pressure regulator ( 3 ) may be slid within the air storage chamber ( 13 ) till the port ( 14 ) is blocked to cut the high pressurized air in the air storage chamber ( 13 ) from entering into the barrel ( 11 ) and firing the paintball (B).

Technology Classification (CPC): 5