Abstract:
A paintball field garment with gas delivery system provides improved maneuverability and competitive advantages over prior art equipment. The invention features a gas supply system with a integrated conduit for the umbilical to reduce interference with the user and the environment. The garment also features a body armor system that deflects paintballs and reduces injuries from paintball impacts.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to the field of paintball battle game events and the equipment used for such activities. Paintball battles and war games are becoming popular recreational activities. In such events the players compete by seeking out and then shooting paintballs at opponents. The paintball is a round gelatin capsule filled with paint. A paintball gun using compressed gas is used to project a paintball at a target object which often is the opponent. The target object is often located at short distance away or up to several hundred feet away. Upon impact, the paintball outer covering ruptures, thereby releasing a quantity of paint leaving a visible mark. The mark is used to indicate a hit. The hit indicates that a player has been shot. Assuming that an actual battle or war occurred, the paintball marks indicate the player has been killed or wounded. As such, the players who have paintball marks in the mock battle event are thereby eliminated. 
         [0005]    A common problem inherent in paintball activities includes the methods used to supply compressed gas to the paintball launching device. The launching device has the appearance of a small combat weapon such as a pistol, sub-machine gun, or assault weapon. The launching device also operates in similar fashion to a small combat weapon. The launching device shall also be referred to as the “gun” or “paintball gun”. In competitive paintball activities three methods are generally used to supply compressed gas to the gun to operate the mechanism that projects the paintball at a high velocity. The first method to supply compressed gas is to have the supply source of compressed gas inside the gun itself. The second method to supply compressed gas is to attach an external gas cylinder to the gun. The third method is to use a tank or cylinder of compressed gas and a high pressure gas hose that connects the tank to the gun. In this case the tank is often attached to an outer garment worn by the user. Each of the three methods of supplying compressed gas has advantages and disadvantages during the battle games or related events. 
         [0006]    The first method to supply compressed gas to operate the mechanism is shown in  FIG. 1 , which is labeled “Prior Art”.  FIG. 1  was obtained from FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,282, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,282 discloses a paintball gun  100  that uses a compressed gas cylinder  130 . The cylinder  130  is often referred to as a CO 2  cartridge (CO 2  is the molecular formula of carbon dioxide, often pronounced as “see-oh-two”). The advantage of this compressed gas supply is the compact size of the cylinder. It is fully contained within paintball gun  100 . There are no external obstructions to interfere with movement during its use in paintball events. The disadvantage of this supply method is that the number of shots is extremely limited. When the supply is exhausted, the cylinder  130  must be removed from the gun  100 . A new full cylinder  130  must then be inserted into the gun. The cylinder must then be properly activated before the gun can be shot again. 
         [0007]    The second method to supply compressed gas to the paintball gun or the launcher increases the physical size and weight of the gun. Often the cylinder is connected above or below the barrel of the gun. The cylinder of this second method often contains a larger supply of compressed gas than the method shown in  FIG. 1 . This means more shots can be fired without replacement of the cylinder. The second method is shown in  FIG. 2  which is labeled “Prior Art”.  FIG. 2  of was obtained from FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,609, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In  FIG. 2  an external compressed gas supply tank or cylinder  25  is attached to the paintball gun  200 . The supply of compressed gas is larger than the internal compressed gas supply disclosed in  FIG. 1 . The advantage is that more shots can be fired and that no supply hose is required. However, the physical size of compressed gas supply  25  of  FIG. 2  must have a reasonable size and weight. Otherwise, the handling of the gun becomes difficult. As such the attached tank has a limited supply of gas. When the supply of gas is depleted, the user must remove and replace the cylinder before the paintball gun can be used again in the ongoing combat activity. This is a distinct disadvantage in competitive events. The attached cylinder often interferes with swift movement of the paintball gun during the combat event. The cylinder can snag or collide with equipment or other objects in tight spaces. 
         [0008]    The third method to supply compressed gas to the paintball launcher is to use an umbilical or hose from a compressed gas tank to the gun. The use of the hose or umbilical from the gas cylinder provides even a larger supply of gas to the paintball gun.  FIG. 3 , which is labeled “Prior Art” discloses the third method to supply gas to supply gas to the paintball gun.  FIG. 3  was obtained from FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,611, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In  FIG. 3  the tank  28  may be detached from the paintball gun  300 . Although the cylinder or tank  28  is external, the umbilical  32  still provides compressed gas to operate the gun  300 . 
         [0009]    When the tank  28  is detached, and a longer umbilical  32  is used, the tank can be placed on the back or hip of the user. The tank may then be placed within a backpack or attached to a utility belt. This provides an improved maneuverability than the second method when using the paintball gun. As such, the third method provides more compressed gas than the first method or the second method. The disadvantage of the third method is the umbilical or hose can be snagged or caught on objects during the paintball activity. In addition the umbilical has a limited range of movement by the user. Using a longer hose or umbilical extends the range of movement. However, the longer hose becomes more cumbersome to use and increases the likelihood of being snagged. 
         [0010]    The fundamental problem of using paintballs is the high velocity at which the paintballs travel towards the target. If the target is a person, the impact is often painful. In some cases the high velocity impact produces welts, blisters and bruises. Under certain circumstances, the velocity of the paintballs produces even more serious injuries. To address this problem, some companies market protective body armor that reflects or absorbs the kinetic energy of the paint ball. 
         [0011]    The protective garment is shown in  FIG. 4 , which labeled “prior art”.  FIG. 4  was obtained from FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,400, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The protective garment  400  provides protection from impact of paintballs traveling at high velocity. The garment  400  of  FIG. 4  also provides added utility during paintball activities by providing pockets and elastic loops. These pockets and loops allow attachment of the compressed gas cylinder, additional supply of paintballs, food and equipment. Various designs of paintball combat garments and vests have been developed by various companies. 
         [0012]    The assortment of paintball guns, compressed gas cylinders, garments and other equipment still suffer from problems encountered during paintball activities. The problems include limited maneuverability when using an external tank attached to the gun, and using an umbilical to supply the compressed to the gun. The present invention disclosed in this specification shall address these problems. In addition, the present invention shall also provide competitive advantages during paintball games and events. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  discloses a prior art paintball gun with internal compressed gas supply. Labeled “Prior Art”, the diagram is FIG. 1 from U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,282. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  discloses a prior art paintball gun with external compressed gas supply. Labeled “Prior Art”, the diagram is FIG. 1 from U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,609. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  discloses a prior art paintball gun with external compressed gas supply using an umbilical or hose. Labeled “Prior Art”, the diagram is FIG. 1 from U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,611. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  discloses a prior art garment for paintball activities. Labeled “Prior Art”, the diagram is FIG. 1 from U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,400. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  discloses a block diagram of the claimed invention, which is an integrated field garment and gas delivery system for paintball activities. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  discloses an umbilical or hose gas delivery system of the claimed invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  describes a vest of the claimed invention which includes a conduit for the umbilical or hose gas delivery system. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  describes various embodiments of the conduit for the gas delivery system. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  describes the body or main section of the body armor. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  describes the arm section of the body armor. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  describes the head or helmet section of the body armor. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  describes the layers and components of the deflective section of the body armor. 
       
    
    
     OVERVIEW OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]    The present invention comprises a plurality of improvements to the cited prior art and to other prior art equipment used in paintball activities. The invention improves the maneuverability of using the paintball gun while decreasing the likely hood of snagging or entanglement of the umbilical or supply hose. As such, the compressed gas supply is large, such as in the third method, and it allows even a larger supply of compressed gas to be used. The present invention also includes a protective garment that provides improved protection from the high velocity impact of paint balls. The present invention also provides a competitive advantage in paintball events. The invention has the option emulating body armor used by combat forces. This advantage allows the user to stay in the event longer and gain experience and confidence. Such an advantage is extremely useful for novice players. Likewise, these advantages shall also be employed by experienced players who seek a competitive advantage. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    The present invention is a system of delivering compressed gas from a storage tank or cylinder to the paintball gun using the garment worn during paintball battles and events. The invention utilized a special umbilical system that is specifically adapted to improve the maneuverability of the paintball gun. The invention includes a protective garment that is specifically adapted for the umbilical system. Together the garment and umbilical supply system operate in a cooperative manner to provide improved maneuverability when using the paintball gun. As such the invention is a special compressed gas delivery system as well as a protective garment. 
         [0027]    The invention includes numerous embodiments. The best contemplated embodiment is described within this document. However, it will become obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that alternative configurations of the claimed invention can also be developed. Such alternative embodiments are within the scope and spirit of the present invention. As such, the claimed invention encompasses such other embodiments in addition to the specific embodiments of this document. Therefore, the claims are intended to include all obvious alternative configurations of the described invention. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a generalized block diagram of the invention. The invention is a integrated system  500  that includes a supply of compressed gas  510 , an umbilical or hose assembly  520 , and a battle garment  540  adapted to the umbilical or hose assembly  520 . The integrated system  500  is intended supply compressed gas to a paintball gun  550  operated by the user  590 . The umbilical or hose assembly  520 , which is used along with the field garment  540 , provides improved maneuverability to the user  590 . This improved maneuverability is obtained while simultaneously reducing the risk of snagging or entangling the umbilical assembly  520 . In addition the deflective body armor  560  is attached to the field garment  540  to provide a competitive advantage in paintball events. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing the details of a preferred embodiment  600  of the umbilical or hose assembly  520  of  FIG. 5 . The hose assembly  600  comprises a first high pressure hose  610  with a supply end  612  and a coupling end  614 . The supply end  612  of the hose  610  has a connection  616  for connecting the hose to the supply of compressed gas  510  of  FIG. 5 . The coupling end  614  of the hose  610  has a connection  618  adapted to connect to a second high pressure hose  620 . The second hose  620  has a coupling end  622  and a gas output end  624 . The coupling end  622  of the second high pressure hose  620  has a connector  626  for connecting to the coupling end  614  of the first high pressure hose  610 . 
         [0030]    The first hose  610  of the hose assembly  600  is used to pass compressed gas from the compressed gas supply  510  of  FIG. 5  to the second hose  620  of the hose assembly  600  of  FIG. 6 . The first hose of  610  is used to provide compressed gas that passes through the protective garment  540  of  FIG. 5 . The second hose  620  is used to pass compressed gas from the first hose  610  to the paintball gun  550  of  FIG. 5 . The first hose  610  is intended to follow a simple path, guided by a hose conduit in the garment. As such, this preferred embodiment of the invention uses a semi-rigid, non-coiled hose for the first hose  610  of the hose assembly  600 . In addition a preferred embodiment also uses a coiled hose for the second hose  620  of the hose assembly  600 . It shall be noted that the second hose could also be a non-coiled hose, yet having greater flexibility than the first hose  610 . 
         [0031]    The preferred embodiment of the hose assembly  600  uses compressed gas “quick disconnect” hose connections. The preferred embodiment also uses a shut off valve on the second hose of the compressed gas delivery system  600 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 7  discloses details of the preferred embodiment of the vest portion of the protective garment  540  of the integrated gas delivery system  500 . The vest and gas delivery system  700  includes the body of the vest  710 , the gas hose conduit  720  for the gas hose assembly  600  of  FIG. 6 , and attachment surfaces  740  for the deflective body armor  560  of  FIG. 5 . The body portion of the vest  710  includes a right shoulder support strap  712 , and a left shoulder support strap  714 . The vest  710  also includes utility pouches  750 , a gas supply holding strap  764 , and a gas supply support bra  762 . The gas supply holding strap  764  and the gas supply support bra  762  are used to hold and carry the tank or compressed gas cylinder. The utility pouches  750  are used to carry paint ball ammo tubes that hold paintballs. In addition other items secured in the pouches  750  perhaps include water bottles, energy food, or communication gear. 
         [0033]      FIG. 7  shows the right hand view of the body of the vest  710 . The vest  710  comprises mesh material  730  and  731  similar to the mesh used in the vests worn by survey and highway crews. The mesh acts as a useful material surface and provides ventilation which is extremely important during the physical demands of paintball events. The vest  710  of  FIG. 7  also includes islets and draw strings used to adjust the fit of the vest  710  to the thoracic region of the user  590 . The top rear islet  770  of the right hand portion of the vest is identified in  FIG. 7  as component  770 . The vest shown in  FIG. 7  shows 10 islets for the right hand side of the vest. A vest  710  of  FIG. 7  having a symmetrical set of corresponding islets requires 10 islets on the left side. The islets are used along with the draw string  771  to firm up contact of the vest with the thoracic region of the user. Increased surface contact is achieved by pulling the ends  772  of the draw string  771  through the draw string clamp  773 . The proper fit of the paintball garment provides a competitive advantage in paintball events. 
         [0034]      FIG. 7  is used to show the essential claimed feature of the invention. The vest and gas delivery system  700  of  FIG. 7  includes a gas supply hose conduit  720  attached to the fabric of the body of the vest  710 . The conduit  720  comprises a fabric suitable to hold and secure the compressed gas supply hose  610  of the gas supply assembly  600  of  FIG. 6 . The conduit  720  includes an input or opening  722  and an output or exit  724  for the supply hose  610 . This means of routing the hose around the user  590  provides the specific advantage of preventing snagging and entanglement of the hose during the paintball activity. The conduit provides the ideal means of supplying compressed gas from the supply container  510  around the user  590  to the paintball gun  550  of  FIG. 5 . The conduit  720  prevents entanglement of the hose  610  with other objects while routing the ample supply of gas in a comfortable and convenient way around the user. The conduit also prevents the supply hose  610  from being snagged or entangled on the user&#39;s arm, neck, clothing, or other equipment. 
         [0035]    There is a plurality of embodiments for the conduit  720 . In a first embodiment as shown in  FIG. 8   a  the conduit comprises at least a single layer of fabric  810  that has stitching below and stitching above along the intended path of the hose  610  on the inside of the vest of the protective garment. A second embodiment of the conduit  720  is disclosed in  FIG. 8   b . The second embodiment comprises single layer of fabric  820  that is looped lengthwise with stitching applied to the top of the looped fabric  820  on the inside of the protective garment. A third embodiment of the conduit  720  is shown in  FIG. 8   c . This embodiment comprises a single layer of fabric  830  that has stitching below and stitching above the intended path of the hose  610  on the outside of the vest of the protective garment. A fourth embodiment shown by  FIG. 8   d  comprises a single layer of fabric  840  that is looped lengthwise with stitching above the intended path of the hose  610  on the outside of the vest of the protective garment. 
         [0036]    A simple tradeoff occurs for each embodiment of the conduit  720 . When attached to the inside of the garment, the first hose  610  is more secure. However, there is a slight increase in contact pressure with the user along the conduit seam. When the conduit is on the outside of the garment the hose  610  is slightly less secure, but the contact pressure to the user  590  is reduced. The use of a bottom and top stitch along the path of the conduit provides improved security for the hose  610 , but perhaps adds to the fabrication cost of the garment  700 . Other embodiments for the conduit  720  are also possible. For example, a protective garment  540  includes the first hose  610  of the hose assembly  600  fully integrated into the garment, which then provides an optimal routing path and thus providing optimal security and comfort. 
         [0037]    The present invention of the gas delivery system includes embodiments with protective body armor. This protective body armor has the advantages of reducing pain from paintball impacts and lowering the score of hits of opposing players. Both of these advantages improve the confidence of novice users and provide a strong competitive advantage for experienced players. The protective body armor is intended to emulate the function of combat body armor in the paintball activity. 
         [0038]    The protective body armor  540  is used in the claimed invention  500 .  FIG. 9  is a drawing that discloses the main body region of the protective body armor  540 . The protective body armor comprises multiple means for securing the body armor to the vest  700  of  FIG. 7 . The preferred embodiment of the invention has the multiple surfaces of the body portion of the body armor attached to the vest or jacket using a combination of Velcro (or similar product) along with fabric snaps as the means of attachment. The fabric snaps are essentially the same as or similar to the familiar snaps used on athletic jackets. 
         [0039]    The main section of body armor  900  comprises of the following parts as described by  FIG. 9 . First, the individual body portion  900  of body armor  540  includes a first and second shoulder strap  942  and  944 . The first and second straps include means for attaching the main piece of body armor to the vest  700  of  FIG. 7 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention the first and second straps  942  and  944  both include a webbed nylon strap along with attached Velcro or similar product and fabric snaps. The Velcro and snaps are used to securely fasten the main body armor  900  of  FIG. 9  to the vest  700  of  FIG. 7 . The first strap  942  of  FIG. 9  is fastened to the first shoulder strap  742  of the vest  700  of  FIG. 7 . Likewise the second strap  944  of  FIG. 9  is attached to the second shoulder strap  744  of  FIG. 7 . 
         [0040]    The main section of body armor  900  of  FIG. 9  also includes the multiple fabric snaps  980  on the right and left hand side of the main piece which also attach to the corresponding snaps  780  of the vest  700  of  FIG. 7 . In addition other additional Velcro surfaces on the main body armor  900  attach to additional corresponding Velcro surfaces on the vest  700  of  FIG. 7 . The main body armor  900  also includes deflective surfaces at the right and left shoulder region  954  and  958  respectively. The main body armor includes deflective surfaces  950  for the thoracic and abdominal regions of the user  590 . The main section of body armor  900  also includes right and left deflective surfaces  951  and  952  to protect the upper thigh regions of the user. The thigh armor  951  and  952  are shown as flaps. The main body armor  900  of has a camouflage outer surface as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0041]    The body armor also includes armor  1000  for the right and left arm as shown in  FIG. 10 . The body armor  1000  for the arms of user  590  includes a first and second strap  1010  and  1020  and a first and second cinch buckle  1030  and  1040 . The straps and cinch buckles  1010 ,  1020 ,  1030  and  1040  are used to fasten the body armor for the arm  1000  to the arms of the user  590 . The body armor for the arms  1000  include deflective surfaces and camouflage outer surfaces as shown in  FIG. 10 . The body armor also includes armor for the head or helmet  1100  as shown by  FIG. 11 . This body armor comprises deflective surfaces and camouflage outer surface as shown in  FIG. 11   
         [0042]    The preferred embodiment of the body armor deflective surface  1200  is shown by  FIG. 12 . The deflective surface  1200  of the body armor consist of the following layers. A durable cloth fabric  1210  used as an outer layer or envelope, a intermediate layer  1220  of medium density foam rubber, an optional zipper  1230  to allow removal of the foam rubber  1220 , and means of attachment further comprising Velcro and garment snaps. It is possible to attach the individual piece  1200  to the garment using other means, including zippers, Velcro, double sided adhesive tape, or snaps. The intermediate layer  1220  of the individual piece of body armor  1200  comprises medium density foam rubber. It shall be noted that soft or hard foam rubber can also be used, but the medium density provides the best deflective properties. The outer layer  1210  of the individual piece  1200  of body armor  540  comprises a durable cloth fabric with a camouflage pattern. The individual pieces of camouflage fabric include zippers that facilitate removal of the foam rubber for washing the soiled fabric. 
         [0043]    The disclosure of the invention describes an integrated body armor and gas delivery system for paintball activities. Numerous embodiments have been addressed including all best embodiments so far contemplated. However, others having ordinary skilled in the arts can adopt different embodiments by substituting equivalents for those means disclosed herein. As such this description of the invention should not be strictly limited to the means disclosed. Rather the scope of the invention includes all embodiments that recite on the appended claims.