Transparent gun elements

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to guns, including guns for use in the sport of paintball.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional firearms have a firing mechanism to fire a projectile and a barrel to direct the projectile in a desired direction. Guns are made for numerous purposes and include many designs, for example, rifles, shot guns, and hand guns. Guns are designed to use many different mechanisms for firing a projectile. For example, one type of gun is dependant on having a propellant combined with the projectile. In this type of gun, the firing mechanism detonates the propellant contained in the projectile, which launches the projectile along the barrel. This type includes shot guns, which fire cartridges comprised of shot packaged with explosive material, and conventional rifles, machine guns, and handguns, which shoot bullets comprised of a unitary slug packaged with explosive material in a casing.

Another method of firing a projectile uses a propulsion source separate from the projectile, such as compressed gas, including air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and others. Examples of such guns include, air riffles, BB guns, and paintball guns or “markers.” These guns either include a pump for compressing ambient air or are adapted to receive compressed air from a source, such as a compressed gas cartridge or gas cylinder. Conventional paintball guns rely on such cartridges or gas cylinders for supplying compressed gas, including air, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

The introduction of debris into the firing mechanism or barrel of any firearm can affect the ability of the firearm to fire a projectile and affect the accuracy of the shot. For example, debris can jam the firing mechanism or debris can deflect or obstruct the path of a projectile within the barrel.

In the case of paintball guns, the projectile is a paintball, which is a volume of paint encased in a spherical shell comprised of a breakable casing. The paintball is designed to explode upon impact against an intended target, but occasionally paintballs inadvertently break prematurely prior to impact, and can even burst while loading or firing within the paintball gun. Paint residue from an exploded paintball remaining inside the paintball gun typically inhibits the trajectory and speed of later-fired paintballs and can even jam the paintball gun. If a paintball gun is able to continue firing after an inadvertent paintball bursts within the paintball gun, it is not always immediately apparent that paint residue resides in the paintball gun. The failure to realize that paint residue remains within the paintgun including the paintgun barrel, can result in misfired or misdirected shots until the residue is removed from the paintgun.

As a propellant, conventional paintguns employ compressed gas, which often remains in a partially liquid state, for example, in the case of carbon dioxide. In many paintball guns, a gas cylinder is attached to the gun in a substantially horizontal position. In this position, liquid compressed gas can flow into the gun's firing mechanism. Even when the compressed gas cylinder is not configured in a horizontal position with respect to the paintball gun, liquified gas can inadvertently enter the firing mechanism during game play when the paintball gun is being carried in various positions. Because compressed gas in a liquid state occupies a smaller volume than when it is in a gas state, the entry of liquified gas into the firing mechanism (known as “going liquid”) can have the undesired effect of allowing too much gas into the gun's expansion chamber, resulting in a gun that fires under excessive pressure, sometimes referred to as a “hot” gun. A hot gun is more likely to prematurely rupture a paintball and can also injure a participant who is hit with a paintball traveling at excessive speed.

One method used to inhibit the entry of liquified gas into the firing mechanism of a paintball gun is to provide an expansion chamber in communication between the compressed gas source and the firing mechanism. Such an expansion chamber provides a volume within which liquified gas can evaporate prior to entering the paintball gun, particularly the firing mechanism. Commonly, such expansion chambers are equipped with a plurality of baffles to further inhibit the passage of liquified gas into the firing mechanism. Even with a gun suited with an expansion chamber, liquified gas can enter the firing mechanism of a paintball gun. For example, during game play, the paintball gun may be held in a downward position with the expansion chamber below the gas cylinder, allowing gravity to fill the expansion chamber with liquified gas. Accordingly, it is desirable to ascertain whether liquid occupies the expansion chamber before firing the paintball gun.

The present invention solves the foregoing and other problems in the art and satisfies the industry demands.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a barrel for a gun having a portion comprising a substantially transparent material. The barrel can be made of any substantially transparent material, but in one embodiment the material is a polycarbonate. Other suitable materials for the barrel include glass, such as tempered glass.

In another aspect of the invention, the barrel is coated with a substantially transparent material to add hardness, which provides scratch resistance, and prevents deterioration of the polycarbinate from the absorption of dyes from paintballs and solvents used to clean the gun.

In another aspect of the invention, a barrel assembly is constructed by attaching the barrel to a barrel cage comprised of a stiff material, for example, metal such as aluminum. The barrel cage provides protection to the barrel and also creates a desirable appearance.

In another aspect of the invention, an expansion chamber is provided having a housing with a portion comprising a substantially transparent material. The expansion chamber is comprised of a base, a cover, and a housing between the base and the cover. The expansion chamber includes an inlet for accepting compressed gas and an outlet for discharging compressed gas.

In another aspect of the invention, the expansion chamber housing is comprised of a polycarbonate. In another aspect of the invention, the housing is comprised of glass, specifically, tempered glass. In yet a further aspect of the invention, the housing is coated with a substantially transparent material to reduce scratching and absorption of pressurized gas into the transparent material.

In another aspect of the invention, the housing is partially enclosed within a cage to provide additional burst protection and stiffness to the expansion chamber.

In another aspect of the invention, a plurality of baffles is disposed within the housing.

The foregoing features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1

is a prospective view of a paintball gun equipped with a barrel assembly and expansion chamber of the present invention;

FIG. 2

is a cross sectional view of the barrel assembly of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 3

is a plan view of the barrel assembly of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 4

is a plan view of the barrel of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 5

is a plan view of the barrel of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 6

is a cross sectional view of the barrel of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 5

;

FIG. 7

is a plan view of the cage of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 8

is a cross sectional view of the cage of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 7

;

FIG. 9

is a plan view of the muzzle of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 9

a

is a cross sectional view of the muzzle of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 9

;

FIG. 9

b

is a end view of the muzzle of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 9

;

FIG. 10

is a cross sectional view along the line A—A of the muzzle of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 9

;

FIG. 11

is a cross sectional view along the line B—B of the muzzle of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 9

;

FIG. 12

is a plan view of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 13

is a cross sectional view of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

;

FIG. 14

is a side view of the base of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

;

FIG. 15

is a cross sectional view of the base of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

;

FIG. 16

is a top view of the base of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

;

FIG. 16

a

is a cross sectional view of the baffle assembly of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 13

;

FIG. 17

is a plan view of the baffle assembly of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 13

;

FIG. 18

is a cross sectional view along line C—C of the baffle assembly of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 13

;

FIG. 19

is a plan view of the cover of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

;

FIG. 20

is a cross sectional view along line A—A of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 19

;

FIG. 21

is a plan view of the cage of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

;

FIG. 22

is a cross sectional view along line A—A of the cage of the expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 21

;

FIG. 23

is a plan view of the housing of expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

;

FIG. 24

is an end view of the housing of expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

;

FIG. 25

is a top view of the bolt of expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 13

;

FIG. 26

is a plan view of the bolt of expansion chamber of the embodiment shown in FIG.

25

;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in

FIG. 1

, gun

1

includes a barrel

5

having a portion

6

comprising a substantially transparent material. As shown in

FIG. 2

, the barrel

5

(also referred to as member

5

) defines an axial bore

7

, which is attached to a gun housing

2

containing a firing mechanism (not shown) for directing a projectile (not shown) along the axial bore

7

. The barrel

5

can be made of any substantially transparent material, such that the material allows the inside of the barrel

5

to be visible to the extent that debris, for example, paint, can be seen through the barrel

5

. Accordingly, a translucent material would also be substantially transparent. In one embodiment the material is a polycarbonate. Polycarbonate has desirable attributes in that it is relatively strong and stiff, thus resisting bending, crushing or other deformation of the barrel

5

that could impede or distort the trajectory of a projectile, diminishing accuracy of the gun

1

. Other suitable materials for the barrel

5

include other polymers and glass. In the case of glass, it is desirable to use tempered glass, which is more durable and less prone to shattering when broken.

Certain materials, such as polycarbinate, are prone to scratching and/or absorption of paints and dyes. It has been found desirable to coat such materials with a substantially transparent material to reduce these undesirable effects. Silicon has been found to add hardness, which provides scratch resistance, and prevents deterioration of the polycarbinate from the absorption of dyes from paintballs and solvents used to clean the gun. When using tempered glass, the addition of a transparent coating such as a transparent or translucent polymer, including polyurethane, helps prevent the glass from shattering and breaking into shards.

As shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

, in one embodiment, a barrel assembly

10

can be constructed by attaching the barrel

5

to a cage

8

. The cage

8

is comprised of a stiff material, for example metal such as aluminum. The barrel cage

8

provides protection to the barrel

5

and also creates a desirable appearance. For example, the cage

8

prevents bending, warping or crushing of the barrel

5

. The cage

8

can be formed as a solid cylinder or any number of patterns may be cut in to the cage

8

to provide a desirable appearance and allow the user to view the interior of the barrel

5

.

Many paintguns are adapted to allow barrel assembly

10

to be removably attached to the paintgun for cleaning, storage, shipping. In addition, after-market barrel assemblies allows users to select from various models of barrel assemblies. Conventional barrel assemblies are removably attachable by threading the barrel assembly into the gun housing. While the cage

8

is not necessary to practice the present invention, the cage

8

provides an additional advantage of being more readily removably attachable to a paintgun

1

. In particular, the barrel

5

of the present invention may be directly attached to the gun housing

2

, for example, by threads, adhesive, press-fitting or other methods known in the art, but by attaching the barrel

5

to the cage

8

, the barrel assembly

10

provides additional durability. Constructing the cage

8

from metal, such as aluminum, rather than polycarbonate or glass, provides added strength and allows the barrel assembly

10

to be more frequently detached and attached to the paintgun

1

.

In one method of construction of the barrel assembly

10

, if the barrel

5

is comprised of a polycarbonate, a temperature differential can be created between the barrel

5

and the cage

8

, shrinking the barrel

5

relative to the cage

8

(or expanding the cage

8

relative to the barrel

5

), due to the different expansion properties of the respective materials of the barrel

5

and cage

8

. Thus, the tolerance between the barrel

5

and cage

8

can be reduced, and when the temperature of both components equalize, a tight fit is created. In addition or alternatively, the barrel

5

and/or cage

8

can be adapted to define a groove

9

or cavity for receiving an adhesive. The adhesive may applied before attaching the barrel

5

to the cage

8

or the cage

8

can be adapted to contain one or more aperture

11

to accept an injection of adhesive into the groove

9

. Of course many alternative methods of construction, as known to those of ordinary skill in the art, could be used to attach the barrel

5

to the cage

8

, for example, threading the respective components.

In addition, the barrel assembly

10

can be fitted with a muzzle

15

. In one embodiment, the muzzle

15

is comprised of aluminum, although the muzzle

15

can be constructed of any material. The muzzle

15

is formed with slots

16

or openings, which are believed to allow the escape of ambient air residing in front of a projectile in the barrel

5

immediately after a projectile is fired. The slots

16

are also believed to reduce the noise from a fired shot. The muzzle

15

may be attached to the barrel

5

by the same methods described above for attaching the barrel

5

to the cage

8

.

As shown in

FIG. 1

, a gun

1

can be comprised having a mechanism for firing a projectile (not shown) and a barrel assembly

10

attaching to the firing mechanism for directing the projectile. The barrel assembly

10

has a portion

6

comprising a substantially transparent material. The barrel assembly

10

is comprised of a barrel

5

attached to a cage

8

and a muzzle

15

.

FIGS. 12 and 13

disclose an expansion chamber

20

for a compressed-gas-powered gun

1

. The expansion chamber

20

is comprised of a base

22

, a cover

23

, and a housing

25

between the base

22

and the cover

23

. The expansion chamber

20

includes an inlet

26

, shown in

FIGS. 14 and 15

, for accepting compressed gas and an outlet

27

, shown in

FIG. 13

, for discharging compressed gas. The inlet

26

is proximate to the base

22

and the outlet

27

is proximate to the cover

23

.

The housing

25

has a portion comprising a substantially transparent material. In one embodiment, the housing

25

is comprised of a polycarbonate. In another embodiment, the housing

25

is comprised of glass, specifically, tempered glass. As discussed above, it is desirable to coat such materials with a substantially transparent material to reduce scratching. In addition, under severe pressure, as exists in a typical paintgun application, certain transparent materials, such as polycarbonate, absorb certain gases, such as carbon dioxide. Absorption of pressurized gas into the transparent material can have the further undesired effect of clouding the material, reducing the transparency of the material and detracting from the aesthetic appeal of the material. Silicon has been found to add hardness, which provides scratch resistance, and prevent absorption of dyes compressed gasses such as carbon dioxide. In addition, upon actuating a paintgun

1

with a compressed gas source, the expansion chamber

20

is under great pressure from the compressed gas. A transparent coating such as a polymer helps prevent the transparent material, such as glass, from cracking, shattering or breaking into shards, and creating a safety hazard.

As shown in

FIG. 12

, the housing

20

is partially enclosed within a cage

30

, to provide additional protection and stiffness to the expansion chamber

20

.

As shown in

FIGS. 13 and 16

, one embodiment includes a plurality of baffles

33

a

,

33

b

,

33

c

,

33

d

disposed within the housing

27

. The baffles

33

a

,

33

b

,

33

c

,

33

d

impede the entry of liquified gas from flowing towards the outlet

27

. In one embodiment, the baffle assembly

35

comprises a plurality of baffles

33

a

,

33

b

,

33

c

,

33

d

attached to column

36

. While the present embodiment discloses baffle assembly

35

comprised of a unitary component, the baffle assembly

35

could be formed of multiple components, without departing from the invention. Further, there are numerous styles and combinations of baffle assemblies known to those of skill in the art, which could be substituted for the one disclosed herein without departing from the invention.

The expansion chamber

20

is constructed as follows. The base

22

has an axial bore

24

through the base

22

for constructing the expansion chamber

20

. A bore

28

is provided in the base

22

, in communication with a second bore

29

, which together act as an inlet

26

for compressed gas. The axial bore

24

in the base

22

is adapted to receive the first end

31

of the baffle assembly

35

, which is secured to the base

22

by bolt

38

. Bolt

38

is adapted to receive a sealing member

39

comprising an O-ring. The housing

25

is comprised of a cylindrical section, which is adapted to be received by an annular groove

21

in base

22

. Base

22

is adapted to retain sealing member

41

comprising an O-ring to create a seal between the base

22

and the housing

25

. Cage

45

slips over housing

25

and rests against base

22

. Cage

45

provides additional support for the housing

25

to prevent undue expansion and possible bursting of the housing

25

.

The second end

32

of baffle assembly

35

is provided with external threads

34

and an axial bore

36

. Cover

23

has an axial bore

37

, which acts as the outlet

27

for expansion chamber

20

. Axial bore

37

further contains internal threads

42

that mate with external threads

34

of baffle assembly

35

and an annular groove

43

to receive housing

20

. When baffle assembly

35

is mated to cover

23

, the housing

25

and cage

30

are maintained between the base

22

and cover

23

. O-ring sealing member

44

is secured between baffle assembly

35

, cover

23

and housing

25

, sealing all three components. O-ring sealing member

46

is disposed between baffle assembly

35

and cover

23

, sealing the components. Cover

23

is further provided with external threads

47

to attach the expansion chamber

20

to the gun

1

and a groove

48

to support sealing member (not shown) for sealing the connection between the expansion chamber

20

and the gun

1

. Sealing members

49

a

,

49

b

,

49

c

provide a seal between baffles

33

a

,

33

b

,

33

c

and housing

25

to force the fluid flow as described next.

In operation, fluid flows through expansion chamber

20

as follows, although innumerable baffle configurations (or no baffles) could be created without departing from the present invention. Fluid enters expansion chamber

20

through inlet

26

in base

22

. Fluid continues through cross bore

51

, axial bore

52

and exits baffle assembly

35

through cross bore

53

. Fluid continues through notches

54

a

,

54

b

in baffles

33

b

,

33

c

. Finally, fluid flows through cross bore

55

and axial bore

36

in baffle assembly

35

, exiting through outlet

27

of the expansion chamber

20

.

As shown in

FIG. 1

, a pneumatic gun comprises a gun housing

2

containing a firing mechanism (not shown) for firing a projectile. The firing mechanism is powered by a volume of compressed gas supplied from a compressed gas source (not shown). The compressed gas source (not shown) attaches to an air source adapter

60

, which is in communication with linkage

62

. Linkage

62

is attached to inlet

26

of expansion chamber

20

. Expansion chamber

20

is attached to gun housing

2

. Gun housing

2

attaches to barrel assembly

10

.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present example and embodiment, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.