Patent Abstract:
An apparatus for releasably coupling a provided paintball hopper to a provided paintball marker. The apparatus includes a marker mount, a feed neck, a plurality of spheres, and a retaining sleeve. The marker mount includes an axial passage and a plurality of bores perpendicular to the passage. The feed neck includes an axial passage and a plurality of cavities. The retaining sleeve includes an annular groove. The marker mount for coupling to the paintball marker. The feed neck for coupling to the paintball hopper. Each one cavity is separate from any other cavity. Each bore having a first end portion and a second end portion respectively. One sphere is moveably positioned in each bore. The feed neck slidably engages the marker mount. The retaining sleeve is biased in a locked position and axially movable to an unlocked position. In the unlocked position, each sphere partially protrudes from the first end portion of its respective bore into the annular groove. In the locked position, each sphere protrudes from the second end portion of its respective bore into one cavity of the plurality cavities. A portion of each sphere substantially fills its respective cavity thereby holding the feed neck rotationally immobile with respect to the marker mount.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Divisional Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/758,713 filed Jan. 16, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,515 and entitled QUICK RELEASE FIXED POSITION PAINTBALL HOPPER COUPLER. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention pertains generally to pneumatic markers or guns, and more particularly to a coupler that releaseably attaches a paintball hopper to a paintball marker. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Current paintball hoppers come with a fitting that attaches to the paintball marker, then the hopper is pressed into the fitting and is held in place by friction. Paintballs exit the hopper, traverse the fitting, and go into the marker for firing. Generally, hoppers are removed from the marker for storage or transport, thereby necessitating removal of the hopper from the fitting. A friction fit can at times make removing the hopper difficult. An object of this invention is to provide a method of quickly and easily disconnecting the paintball hopper from the paintball marker while at the same time holding the hopper immobile when in use. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An aspect of the invention is an apparatus, referred to as a coupler, that couples a paintball hopper to a paintball marker. 
     Another aspect of the invention are the quick connect and quick release characteristics of the coupler. 
     An apparatus for releasably coupling a provided paintball hopper to a provided paintball marker. The apparatus includes a marker mount, a feed neck, a plurality of spheres, and a retaining sleeve. The marker mount includes an axial passage and a plurality of bores perpendicular to the passage. The feed neck includes an axial passage and a plurality of cavities. The retaining sleeve includes an annular groove. The marker mount for coupling to the paintball marker. The feed neck for coupling to the paintball hopper. Each one cavity is separate from any other cavity. Each bore having a first end portion and a second end portion respectively. One sphere is moveably positioned in each bore. The feed neck slidably engages the marker mount. The retaining sleeve is biased in a locked position and axially movable to an unlocked position. In the unlocked position, each sphere partially protrudes from the first end portion of its respective bore into the annular groove. In the locked position, each sphere protrudes from the second end portion of its respective bore into one cavity of the plurality cavities. A portion of each sphere substantially fills its respective cavity thereby holding the feed neck rotationally immobile with respect to the marker mount. 
     A paintball marker system includes a paintball hopper, a paintball marker, and a coupler. The coupler releasably couples the paintball hopper to the paintball marker. The coupler includes a marker mount, a feed neck, a plurality of spheres, and retaining sleeve. The marker mount includes an axial passage and a plurality of bores perpendicular to the passage. The feed neck includes an axial passage and a plurality of cavities. The retaining sleeve includes an annular groove. The marker mount couples to the paintball marker. The feed neck couples to the paintball hopper. Each one cavity is separate from any other cavity. Each bore having a first end portion and a second end portion respectively. One sphere is moveably positioned in each bore. The feed neck slidably engages the marker mount. The retaining sleeve is biased in a locked position and axially movable to an unlocked position. In the unlocked position, each sphere partially protrudes from the first end portion of its respective bore into the annular groove. In the locked position, each sphere protrudes from the second end portion of its respective bore into one cavity of the plurality cavities. A portion of each sphere substantially fills its respective cavity thereby holding the feed neck rotationally immobile with respect to the marker mount. 
     An apparatus for releasably coupling a provided paintball hopper to a provided paintball marker. The apparatus includes a marker mount, a feed neck, a plurality of spheres, and a retaining sleeve. The marker mount includes an axial passage and a plurality of bores. The feed neck includes an axial passage and a plurality of cavities. The marker mount for coupling to the paintball marker. The feed neck for coupling to the paintball hopper. Each one cavity is separate from any other cavity. Each bore having a first end portion respectively. One sphere is moveably positioned in each bore. The feed neck slidably engages the marker mount. The retaining sleeve is biased in a locked position and axially movable to an unlocked position. In the locked position, each sphere protrudes from the second end portion of its respective bore into one cavity of the plurality cavities. A portion of each sphere substantially fills its respective cavity thereby holding the feed neck rotationally immobile with respect to the marker mount. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings which are for illustrative purposes only: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of the first and second embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the first and second embodiments of the invention in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention of  FIG. 2  taken along the line  3 - 3  showing the coupler in the locked position; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention of  FIG. 2  taken along the line  3 - 3  showing the coupler in the unlocked position with the feed neck fully inserted; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention of  FIG. 2  taken along the line  3 - 3  showing the coupler in the unlocked position with the feed neck partially inserted; 
         FIG. 6  is a disassembled view of the first embodiment of the invention in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a close-up of a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention of  FIG. 2  taken along the line  3 - 3  showing the locking ramp and retaining ledge; 
         FIG. 8  a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the invention of  FIG. 1  taken along the line  8 - 8  showing locking ramp with the coupler in the locked position; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram of groove used in the third embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram a paintball marker system where the paintball hopper is coupled to the paintball marker using an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes the present invention is embodied in the apparatus generally shown in  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 11 . It will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts, and that the method may vary as to the specific steps and sequence, without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein. 
     Three possible embodiments of the invention are disclosed in this application. The first embodiment is the preferred embodiment. Turning to  FIG. 1 , a coupler  10  is shown having a retaining sleeve  12  and a marker mount  14 . The bottom of the marker mount  14 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , connects to a paintball marker  38  as shown in  FIG. 11 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , a top view of the first embodiment shows the retaining sleeve  12 , the marker mount  14 , and the feed neck  16 . The feed neck  16  connects to the paintball hopper  36  (see  FIG. 11 ) and is insertable into and removable from the marker mount  14 . The complete paintball marker system is shown in  FIG. 11 , where a paintball hopper  36  connects to the coupler  10  and the coupler  10  connects to a paintball marker  38 . The coupler  10  allows paintballs  40  to pass from the paintball hopper  36 , through the coupler  10 , and into the paintball marker  38  where they are launched. The coupler  10  enables the paintball hopper  36  to easily be connected to or disconnected from the paintball marker  38 . 
     A cross-section view in  FIG. 3 , taken along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2  shows the retaining sleeve  12  that encircles the marker mount  14 , and the feed neck  16  inserted into the marker mount  14 . The feed neck  16  slides into the marker mount  14  until it contacts the marker mount  16  and stops. A spring  20 , forcing against retainer ring  22  and a flange inside the retaining sleeve  12 , urges the retaining sleeve  12  into the locked position. In the locked position, the retaining sleeve contacts spheres  18  placed in bores  24  in the marker mount  14  forcing the spheres into cavities  26  formed in the feed neck  16 . The pressure of the retraining sleeve  12  on the spheres  18  holds the feed neck  16  in a fixed position and immobile in marker mount  14 . The paintball hopper  36  attaches in a non-sliding manner to the feed neck  16 ; therefore, when the retaining sleeve  12  is in the locked position, the paintball hopper  36  is also held immobile. 
     Moving the retaining sleeve  12  against the force of the spring  20  places the coupler  10  in the unlocked position, as shown in  FIG. 4 . In the unlocked position, an annular groove in the retaining sleeve  12  aligns with each bore  24  and allows each sphere  18  to move out of each cavity  26  and into the groove. The feed neck  16  can slide out of the marker mount  14  because the spheres  18  are no longer holding the feed neck  16  immobile. The feed neck  16  is shown partially removed from the marker mount  14  in  FIG. 5 . 
     Once the feed neck  16  is moved past the spheres  18  and the retaining sleeve  12  is allowed to return to the locked position, the spheres are forced into the bores  24  and partially extend out each bore  24  into the cavity where the feed neck  16  was located. The spheres  18  are held in the bores  24  by a ledge  30 , which is described below, so the spheres  18  do not fall out of the bores  24 . When the feed neck  16  is inserted into the marker mount  14 , the feed neck  16  easily slides into the marker mount  14  until the bottom of the feed neck  16  hits the spheres  18 . The feed neck  16  stops inserting when it contacts the spheres  18 , but the feed neck  16  still freely rotates because the spheres  18  are not pressed into the cavities. Moving the retaining sleeve  12  against the force of the spring  20  to the unlocked position allows the spheres  18  to retract into the bores  24  and the feed neck  16  to continue entering the marker mount  14  until the feed neck  16  stops. Even after the feed neck  16  is fully inserted into the marker mount  14 , the retaining sleeve  12  is not in the locked position, and the feed neck  16  can freely rotate until the cavities  26  align with the bores  24  and the spheres  18  are forced into the cavities  26 . 
     The use of individual cavities  26  in the feed neck  16  instead of an annular groove means that the feed neck  16  and the attached paintball hopper  36  are restricted to a limited number of locked positions. If the coupler  10  has four cavities  26 , four bores  24 , and four spheres  18 , the paintball hopper  36  is limited to the four locked positions where the bores  24  align with the cavities  26 . The number of possible locked positions increases with the number of bore  24  and cavity  26  pairs, or with the number of cavities  26  alone. For example, four bores  24  that align with four cavities  26  provide four locked positions. Six bores  24  that align with six cavities  26  provide six locked positions, etc. It is also possible to have more cavities  26  than bores  24  to allow more positions. If more cavities  26  are used than bores  24 , it is preferable that the number of cavities  26  be a factor of two greater than the number of bores  24 , so that each bore  24  will align with a cavity  26  in all possible locked positions. The preferred embodiment uses six bores  24 , six cavities  26 , and six spheres  18 . 
     A disassembled view of the coupler  10  is shown in  FIG. 6 . The feed neck  16  slides into the top of the marker mount  14  and has individual cavities  26  that align with bores  24  in the marker mount  14 . The spheres  18  are placed in the bores  24 , and the retaining sleeve  12  slides up over the marker mount  14 . The spring  20  goes inside the retaining sleeve  12  and around the bottom of the marker mount  14 . The top of the spring  20  presses against the retaining sleeve  12 . The bottom of the spring presses against a retaining ring  22  placed inside the retaining sleeve  12  and in a groove  28  around the marker mount  14 . The retaining sleeve  12  moves axially between the locked and unlocked positions. 
     More details of the first embodiment are shown in  FIG. 7 . As mentioned earlier, when the feed neck  16  is removed from the marker mount  14  and the retaining sleeve  12  moves back to the locked position, the spheres  18  are forced into the bores  24 , but the spheres  18  do not exit the bores  24  because an annular ledge  30  in each bore  24  holds them in. The ledge  30  does not interfere with the sphere  18  when the sphere  18  is in contact with and pressed into the cavity  26 , so the ledge  18  does not reduce the amount of force transferred from the spring  20  through the retaining sleeve  12 , to the sphere  18 , and to the cavity  26 . 
     Another aspect of the first embodiment is the ramp  32 , shown in  FIG. 7 . The ramp applies constant and continuous force against the sphere  18  when the retaining sleeve  12  is in the locked position. An important aspect of the invention is that the paintball hopper  36  not move when the coupler  10  is in the locked position. The ramp  32 , formed circumferentially around the inside of the retaining sleeve  12 , translates the position of the retaining sleeve  12  and force from the spring  20  into constant force on the spheres  18  and the cavities  26  in the locked position. The force applied on the spheres  18  and the cavities  26  can be increased by increasing the strength of the spring, by increasing the amount the spring is compressed in the locked position, or by using both methods. Limiting factors on the force applied to the retaining sleeve  12 , the spheres  18 , and the cavities  26  are the strength of the materials used, and the force required to move the retaining sleeve  12  from the locked to the unlocked position. The force applied can ever be so little that the retaining sleeve  12  moves, the spheres  18  regress from the cavities  26  and the feed neck  16  moves. The force can never be so great that the strength required to unlock the coupler  10  exceeds the strength of the majority of paintball marker users. 
     For the first embodiment, the retaining sleeve  12 , the marker mount  14 , and the feed neck  16  can be made of anodized aluminum, aluminum, titanium, brass, iron, steel, stainless steel, composite materials, or plastic. The preferable material is anodized aluminum. 
     The feed neck  16  is not limited in size or shape. The feed neck  16  can be of any size or shape required to connect to any paintball hopper  36 . Preferably, the part of the feed neck  16  that inserts into the marker mount  14  is round. The exit hole of the part of the feed neck  16  that inserts into the marker mount  14  can be of any diameter in the range of one paintball diameter (approximately 680/1000 of an inch) to two paintball diameters ( 1360/1000 of an inch). The preferred size of the feed neck  16  exit hole be slightly larger than one paintball diameter ( 750/1000 of an inch) to prevent two paintballs from getting jammed in the exit hole. The feed neck  16  can connect to the paintball hopper  36  using method known to the art such as with threads, clamping, or any other method. The preferred method is to have the feed neck  16  held to the paintball hopper exit tube by friction. 
     The marker mount  14  is not limited in size or shape. The marker mount  14  can be of any size or shape required to connect to any paintball marker  38  and to slidably accept any feed neck  16 . Preferably, the part of the marker mount  14  that slidably accepts the feed neck  16  is round. Preferably, the part of the marker mount  14  that attaches to the paintball marker  38  is also round. The marker mount  14  can attach to the paintball marker  38  using any method known to the art. The preferred connection between the marker mount  14  to the paintball marker  38  is threaded. The diameter of the exit hole from the marker mount  14  into the paintball marker  38  may be set by the entrance hole to the paintball marker  38 ; however, if any discretion is allowed in the size of exit hole in the marker mount  14 , the preferred size is slightly larger than one paintball diameter ( 750/1000 of an inch). Paintballs  40  range in size from 680/1000 of an inch to 698/1000 of an inch. An exit hole size of 750/1000 of an inch ensures that paintballs will not jam in the coupler  10 , but the space around the paintballs also allows any air escaping the paintball marker  38  into the coupler  10  to blow past the paintballs without disturbing them or interfering with their entrance into the marker. 
     The retainer sleeve  12  in the first embodiment moves axially between the locked and the unlocked positions. The locking mechanism is not limited to axial movement and the retaining sleeve  12  does not have to completely enclose the marker mount  14 . The second embodiment shows a retaining sleeve  34  (see  FIG. 8 ) that rotates between the locked and unlocked positions. The retaining sleeve  12  could also be implemented as an individual mechanism for each bore  24  or mechanisms that group the control of multiple bores  24  together. Even with a retaining mechanism that moves axially, the direction and distance required to move between the locked and unlocked positions can be varied. The first embodiment shows the retaining sleeve  12  as moving axially towards the paintball marker  38  to unlock and axially towards the paintball hopper  36  to lock. It is possible to have the retaining sleeve  12  move axially towards the paintball hopper  36  to unlock and towards the paintball marker  38  to lock. The preferred retainer sleeve is one that moves axially towards the paintball marker  38  to unlock and towards the paintball hopper  36  to lock. 
     Any type of device or source of force can be used to bias the retaining sleeve  12  into the locked position. Potential sources of force are springs, magnetic, latches, o-rings, rubber, urethane, or any other material or device. The preferred method of biasing the retaining sleeve  12  into the locked position is with a coil compression spring. The preferred spring provides a force of 70 pound/inches, and is used for the first embodiment. 
     The method of locking the feed neck  16  into position can also vary. Spheres  18  can be replaced by pins, wedges, pyramid shapes, levers or any other shape adapted to project from the marker mount  14  into the feed neck  16 . The spherical cavities  26  can be substituted for square, triangular, rectangular, wedge, or any other shape. The preferred method is to use bores  24  with spheres  18  that moveably fit into the bores  24 , and cavities  26  that align with the bores  24  and accept the spheres  18 . The cavity  26  mirrors the shape and size of the fraction of the sphere  18  that touches the cavity  26 . The depth of the cavity in the preferred embodiment is 50/1000 of an inch. 
     Spheres  18  can be made of anodized aluminum, aluminum, titanium, brass, iron, steel, stainless steel, or plastic. The preferred material is stainless steel. The spheres  18  can vary in size from 1/16 of an inch to ½ of an inch. The preferred size of the sphere  18  depends on the number of spheres used. Generally, the size of the sphere can decrease as the number spheres used increases. The preferred size of the sphere  18  for a four bore  24 , four sphere  18  coupler  10  is 3/16 of an inch. The preferred size of the sphere  18  for a six bore  24 , six sphere  18  coupler  10  is ⅛ of an inch. 
     The ledge  30  that keeps the spheres  18  in the holes when the feed neck  16  is removed is not required. The ledge  30  is preferred because it keeps the spheres  18  from getting out of the bores  24  and possibly getting lost each time the paintball hopper  24  is removed. The diameter of the bore  24  in the preferred embodiment is 189/1000 of an inch. The preferred sphere diameter is 187.5/1000 of an inch with a tolerance of approximately 3/10,000 of an inch. The ledge  30  decreases the opening at the end of the bore  24 , so the sphere  18  will not go out. Decreasing the size of the ledge  30  increases the size of the opening at the end of the bore. Increasing the size of the ledge decreases the size of the opening at the end of the bore. Very small ledges form a burr that protrudes into the interior of the marker mount  14 . The maximum size of the ledge  30  is the size where the sphere  18  no longer fully engages the cavity  26  while in the locked position. The ledge  30  size can be varied to produce openings at the end of the bore  24  that can range from 177.5/1000 of an inch down to 95/1000 of an inch for a cavity depth of 50/1000 of an inch. The preferred ledge  30  decreases the opening of the bore  24  to 166/1000 of an inch. 
     Because paintball hoppers and paintball markers are not standardized, it is necessary to make different versions of the coupler  10  to fit the various guns available on the market. It is possible to manufacture and sell a coupler individualized for each paintball hopper and paintball marker combinations available; however, manufacturing and parts management is simplified by having some common features between the retaining sleeve  12 , the marker mount  14 , and the feed neck  16  versions. Preferably, the outside diameter of the feed neck  16  is the same for all versions and the inside diameter individualized to fit the various paintball hoppers  36  available on the market. 
     Preferably, the inside diameter of the part of the marker mount  14  that slidably accepts the feed neck  16  is the same for all versions and adapted to slidably accept the constant outside diameter of the feed neck  16 . Preferably, the outside diameter of the marker mount  14  part that accepts the feed neck  16  is also the same for all versions. Preferably, the outside diameter of the lower part of the marker mount  14  is the same for all versions, and any variations required to connect to different types of paintball markers is made on the inside of the lower part of marker mount  14 . 
     Because the preferred outside diameters of the marker mount  14  are the same for all versions, the retaining sleeve  12  can be the same for all versions. The spring  20  and the retaining ring  22  can also be the same for all versions because the outside diameter of the lower part of the marker mounts  14  are the same for all versions. 
     It is possible to produce versions of the coupler  10  with different numbers of bores  24 , spheres  18 , and cavities  26 ; however, it is preferable that all versions of the coupler  10  have the same number of bores  24  in the marker mount  14  and the corresponding number of cavities  26  in the feed neck  16 . As mentioned above, all feed necks  16  could be manufactured with a factor of two more cavities than bores  24  without creating manufacturing or parts management problems. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , in the second embodiment of the coupler, the retaining sleeve  34  rotates between the locked and the unlocked position instead of moving axially. The cross-sectional diagram of  FIG. 8  is taken from  FIG. 1  along the line  8 - 8 . The marker mount  14  and feed neck  16  shown in  FIG. 8  are substantially the same as in the first embodiment in all aspects or possible implementations. The new aspects of the retaining sleeve  34  are shown in  FIG. 8 . Instead of using an annular groove to allow the spheres  18  to move out of the bores  24  and away from the cavities  26  in the unlocked position, individual voids are provided for each sphere  18 . Instead of using a circumferential ramp, individual ramps  32  are used for each sphere. Preferably, a torsion spring biases the retaining sleeve  34  in the locked position; however, any method of providing bias as described for the first embodiment could also be used in the second embodiment as long as the force translates into a rotational instead of an axial bias. A retaining ring  22  may or may not be used in the second embodiment. Any method known to the art can be used to retrain the object that provides the rotational bias. All other aspects of the second embodiment, such as, among other things, number and size of spheres, and ledges  30  are the same as the first embodiment. 
     The third embodiment retains the marker mount  14  and the feed neck  16 , but uses pins and grooves for locking and providing a fixed number of locked positions. The cross-sectional diagram of  FIG. 9  shows a feed neck  44  with pins extending from its surface that fit into grooves formed in the interior surface of the marker mount  42 . The shape of the groove is shown in  FIG. 10 . The pin  50  enters the groove  52  and moves towards the horizontal part of the groove  52 . As the pin approaches the horizontal part of the groove  52 , the feed neck  44  compresses the o-ring  48  and wave spring  46 . Once the pin reaches the horizontal portion of the groove  52 , it travels horizontally until it reaches the end of the horizontal section and is forced up by the o-ring  48  and wave spring  46  into the locking portion at the end of the groove  52 . The feed neck  44  with its attached paintball hopper  36  is unlocked and disconnected from the marker mount  42  and paintball marker  38  by pressing down, twisting and extracting the pin  50  from groove  52 . It is also possible to have the pins extend from the marker mount  42  and have the grooves in the feed neck  44 . The shape of the groove  52  is also not limited to the shape shown in  FIG. 10 . The groove  52  can be of any shape that allows a locking portion where the pin is forced out of the groove by at least half of the pin width and biased in the locked position. 
     The force to keep the feed neck  44  in the locked position is provided by the o-ring  48  and the wave spring  46 . It is possible that an o-ring  48  alone would provide the necessary force. The o-ring  48  additionally holds the wave spring  46  in place. The same types of materials and techniques disclosed for the first and second embodiments can be used for the third embodiment. 
     Although the description above contains many details, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural, chemical, and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.”

Technology Classification (CPC): 5