Bleed-off Port Agitates Paintballs to Prevent Loader Blockages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional paintball marker systems face issues with blockages in gravity-fed loaders due to excessive force on fragile paintballs, leading to breakage and increased complexity with the use of rotating devices and electronics, which can result in malfunctions during critical events.
Innovation Solution
A bleed-off port in the paintball marker's breech directs a portion of the pressurized gas flow to actuate accessories and agitate paintballs, reducing force on paintballs and eliminating blockages without additional tubing or electronics, using the air to fire paintballs for additional functions like jam detection and loader agitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rotating devices are used to push paintballs from the loader, then the supply of paintballs to the marker is ensured, but fragile paintballs fracture and break in the loader, feed, or marker
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rotating device from the system entirely, replacing it with a gravity-based loading mechanism. This removes the source of excessive force that causes paintball breakage while maintaining continuous paintball supply through gravitational feed and pneumatic agitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic agitation (directing pressurized gas through a port in the breech) to replace the mechanical rotating device. This pneumatic method gently agitates paintballs to prevent blockages without applying the excessive mechanical force that causes fragile paintballs to fracture.
2Ease of operation
If rotating devices with motors and electronics are incorporated into the loader, then paintball feeding is improved, but the complexity and cost of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service loading system where gravity naturally feeds paintballs into the marker without requiring external motors or electronic controls. The system uses the marker's own pneumatic system to agitate paintballs, eliminating the need for separate loading mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the pneumatic system serve dual functions: propelling paintballs through the barrel and agitating paintballs in the loader to prevent blockages. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate motors and electronics dedicated solely to loading.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional tubing is added to redirect pressurized air for accessory actuation, then additional functions are enabled, but the system complexity and potential for failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pneumatic system by creating a separate port in the breech that branches off the main air supply. This allows a portion of the pressurized air to be directed to accessories while the main flow continues to propel paintballs, enabling multiple functions without requiring additional tubing from the air source.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures a continuous paintball supply, reduces breakage of fragile paintballs, and simplifies the loading system by using gravity-based transfer with reduced complexity and cost, enhancing reliability and performance in paintball marker systems.
Implementation Method 1
a bleed-off port in the paintball marker's breech directs a portion of the pressurized gas flow to actuate accessories and agitate paintballs
Implementation Method 2
a paintball loader, or hopper, is used to hold a quantity of paintballs and to supply those paintballs to the paintball marker
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method of directing a portion of a pressurize gas flow through a port in the breech after is leaves a bolt in a projectile launching device, such as a paintball marker, to perform additional functions in parallel with launching the projectile from the launching device. For example, the additional function can be a mechanism to prevent, or free, any potential bottlenecks of projectiles at that location when using a gravity fed hopper, for example. An agitating device is at least partially disposed in the outlet of a hopper. A bolt, having key groove or gas port, is configured to bleed air to a port in the breech that is used to fire a loaded projectile, the air is provided from a pressurized air source. An actuator moves the agitating device when air is bled through the key groove and the port.