Paint ball caddy

Abstract

A paint ball caddy is provided for use with competitive paint ball guns as a means for conveniently transporting paint balls for use as ammunition. The paint ball caddy has a body that accompanies the entire contents of a conventional paint ball carton, but which includes a pouring spout and a handle on the body that can be gripped to tip the paint ball caddy and pour a quantity of paint balls out of the spout in a controlled manner. The top of the paint ball caddy is provided with a large refill opening, which may be closed with a removable lid. Paint balls may be poured from the caddy into smaller, conventional paint ball canisters, or directly into the hopper of the magazine of a conventional paint ball gun.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A paint ball caddy for transporting, storing, and dispensing paint balls formed with a hollow, barrel-shaped body having a bottom and a top equipped with a pouring spout having a distal, circular, dispensing opening between about three-quarters of an inch and about three inches in diameter, and a refill opening larger in area than said dispensing opening, a refill cover for selectively closing and exposing said refill opening, and a handle attached to said barrel-shaped body.  
     
     
         2 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 1  wherein said hollow, barrel-shaped body defines a paint ball enclosure with a volume greater than one gallon.  
     
     
         3 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 1  wherein said barrel-shaped body and said refill cover are both formed of plastic.  
     
     
         4 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 3  wherein said circular distal dispensing opening is about two inches in diameter and said refill opening has an area of between about ten and about fifteen square inches.  
     
     
         5 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 1  wherein said refill opening is surrounded by a rim projecting upwardly from said top and said lid is a removable cap that fits atop and frictionally engages said rim.  
     
     
         6 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 5  wherein said removable cap has a lifting tab that extends laterally outwardly and projects beyond said barrel-shaped body.  
     
     
         7 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 5  wherein said refill opening has a semicircular shape.  
     
     
         8 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 1  wherein said refill opening is located on one side of said top and said pouring spout is located on an opposite side of said top.  
     
     
         9 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 8  wherein said handle is a rigid handgrip rigidly joined to said barrel-shaped body beneath said one side of said top in which said refill opening is formed.  
     
     
         10 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 9  wherein said handle is a U-shaped grip having upper and lower legs attached to said barrel-shaped body proximate said top and bottom, respectively.  
     
     
         11 . A paint ball caddy comprising: a container having a laterally enclosed floor, wall surfaces extending upwardly about the entire perimeter of said enclosed floor, a top located at the upper extremities of said wall surface, said top including a pouring spout with an interior cross-section that narrows from said upper extremities of said wall surfaces to a distal tip having a circular pouring opening defined therein between about three-quarters of an inch and about three inches in diameter, said top also defining a refill opening therein larger than said pouring opening, a handle attached to said container, and a lid removably positionable on said refill opening.  
     
     
         12 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 11  wherein said container defines therewithin a paint ball enclosure having a cylindrical shape and said refill opening has a semicircular shape, the arcuate portion of which follows said wall surface.  
     
     
         13 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 12  wherein said spout is located off center on said top proximate said wall surface and opposite said arcuate portion of said refill opening.  
     
     
         14 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 13  wherein said pouring spout is about two inches in height and said circular opening therein is about two inches in diameter.  
     
     
         15 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 11  wherein said container has a storage capacity of at least one gallon.  
     
     
         16 . A paint ball caddy according to  claim 11  wherein said refill opening is located on one side of said top and said pouring spout is located on an opposite side of said top and said handle is comprised of a handgrip that projects laterally outwardly from said container on a side thereof beneath said refill opening.  
     
     
         17 . An article for transporting and dispensing paint balls comprising: a container having a top, a bottom, and upright and laterally encompassing sidewalls extending therebetween to define therewithin a paint ball storage enclosure, a pouring spout at said top in communication with said paint ball storage enclosure terminating in a distal, paint ball dispensing opening having a circular cross section between about three-quarters of an inch and three inches in diameter, a refill opening in said top greater in area than said paint ball dispensing opening, a lid for covering said refill opening, wherein said lid is displaceable to uncover said refill opening, and a carrying handle attached to said laterally encompassing sidewalls.  
     
     
         18 . An article according to  claim 17  wherein said pouring spout has an interior surface that forms a funnel having a circular cross section that has an internal diameter that narrows from about two and a half inches proximate said paint ball storage enclosure to about two inches at said paint ball dispensing opening.  
     
     
         19 . An article according to  claim 18  wherein said paint ball storage enclosure is formed of plastic, is cylindrical in shape, and has a volume of at least one gallon capacity.  
     
     
         20 . An article according to  claim 18  wherein said lid is a cap that is removably engageable with said refill opening and which includes a gripping tab that projects outwardly beyond said container.