Mechanical guns and projectors – Element – Trigger or releasing mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-02
2001-02-20
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3641)
Mechanical guns and projectors
Element
Trigger or releasing mechanism
C042S069010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189525
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to triggers, and more particularly to triggers for use in paintball guns.
2. Description of Related Art
The sport of paintball has become increasingly popular in recent years. In the most common version of the game, two teams attempt to capture the opposing team's flag. Although no official clothing is mandated, surplus military gear has become a common uniform. The players each carry a gas-powered paintball gun that shoots paintballs at high velocity and a considerable distance. The paintballs are gelatin covered spherical capsules which contain a colored liquid that is non-toxic, water-soluble, hypo-allergenic and biodegradable. When a paintball hits a player, the paintball ruptures and leaves a colored splat, and the player leaves the game.
Paintball guns typically include a barrel from which paintballs are ejected, a chamber coupled to the barrel, an in-feed tube which provides access to the chamber, a hopper which is mounted to the in-feed tube and supplies paintballs to the chamber via the in-feed tube, a compressed gas tank, a conduit which couples an outlet valve of the compressed gas tank to the chamber, and a trigger. When the trigger is actuated, compressed gas is delivered to the chamber which forcibly ejects a paintball from the barrel.
Semi-automatic paintball guns are designed for very rapid firing, for instance 800 rounds during a 10-15 minute game. As a result, paintball gun triggers have been developed having an upper finger gripping portion with an arcuate lever shape for engaging the index finger and a lower finger gripping portion with an actuate lever shape for engaging the middle finger. Such dual finger triggers facilitate rapid firing by allowing the player to alternate the trigger-squeezing finger. This also reduces finger fatigue. A drawback to this approach, however, is that considerable finger slippage can occur. If the player decides to straighten or wiggle a finger in order to reduce stiffness or fatigue, then the other finger can easily slide out of position and cause the player to lose critical time before either finger is suitably positioned to fire the next shot. Furthermore, even if an immediate shot is not necessary, the process of repositioning the fingers on the trigger can be awkward and distracting.
Accordingly, a need exists for a paintball gun trigger which reduces finger slippage, fatigue and stiffness and improves finger control.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses these and other problems. Generally speaking, the present invention provides a trigger that includes an upper finger gripping portion adapted to be gripped by an upper finger without surrounding the upper finger, and a lower finger gripping portion adapted to be gripped by a lower finger while surrounding the lower finger.
Preferably, the upper finger gripping portion is an arcuate lever adapted to receive an index finger and the lower finger gripping portion is a ring adapted to receive a middle finger. In this manner, the index finger can actuate the trigger in a first horizontal direction to fire the gun and move in a second horizontal direction opposite to the first horizontal direction without engaging the trigger, and the middle finger can actuate the trigger in the first horizontal direction to fire the gun and engage the trigger when moved in the second horizontal direction.
Advantageously, the index finger can be straightened or wiggled to reduce stiffness or fatigue and then rapidly and conveniently brought back into engagement with the upper finger gripping portion while the middle finger remains engaged with and locked in position by the lower finger gripping portion.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be further described and more readily apparent from a review of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follows.
REFERENCES:
patent: 15144 (1856-06-01), North
patent: 32333 (1861-05-01), Alsop
patent: 337201 (1886-03-01), Schlund
patent: 361100 (1887-04-01), Wesson
patent: D. 399914 (1998-10-01), Walker
patent: 3269045 (1966-08-01), McGaughey
patent: 4514923 (1985-05-01), Teel
patent: 4685379 (1987-08-01), Troncoso
patent: 4835893 (1989-06-01), Kelso
patent: 5967133 (1999-10-01), Gardner et al.
patent: 438214 (1926-12-01), None
Photographs of gun trigger manufactured by WDP LTD, Birmingham, England (6 pages).
Carone Michael J.
K&K Performance Paintball
Sigmond David M.
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