Quick-Release Valve Air Gun

Abstract

An air gun with a quick-release pneumatically operated gas valve that includes a piston positioned in a cylinder with one closed end so that the piston may seat against a gas outlet to close the gas valve. A control reservoir filled with gas to a control pressure is formed in the cylinder between the piston and the closed end of the cylinder so that the control pressure acts against the piston to close the gas valve. Opening a trigger valve allows the gas in the control reservoir to escape through an exhaust port, resulting in the gas valve being rapidly opened.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A quick-release valve air gun for shooting a projectile, comprising:
 a barrel with a muzzle end and a breech end;   a primary gas reservoir body of a gas valve configured with a primary gas outlet in gaseous communication with the breech end of the barrel;   a piston with an outer end configured to slide into closed state providing the gas valve with an airtight seal, wherein a control reservoir is formed behind the piston receptacle adjacent an inner end of the piston; and   trigger means for releasing control chamber gas from the control reservoir causing the piston to slide away from the primary gas outlet to an open state;   wherein the piston sliding away from the primary gas outlet to the open state releases a sufficient amount of high pressure gas from the primary gas reservoir body into the breech end of the barrel to drive the projectile down the barrel out the muzzle end.   
     
     
         2 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a piston receptacle mounted in gaseous communication with the primary gas reservoir body, wherein the control reservoir is formed within the piston receptacle between an inner end of the piston and inner walls of the piston receptacle;   a control conduit in gaseous communication with said trigger means to provide a controllable pathway for releasing the control chamber gas from the control reservoir; and   a metering passage configured to provide gaseous communication between the primary gas reservoir body to the control reservoir;   wherein a first gas flow capacity of the control conduit is at least three times as large as a second gas flow capacity of the metering passage; and   wherein the piston receptacle has a cylindrical inner surface and is positioned within the primary gas reservoir body.   
     
     
         3 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 1 , wherein the primary gas outlet has an inner edge within the primary gas reservoir body, the quick-release valve air gun further comprising:
 a sealing component mounted on the inner edge of the primary gas outlet;   wherein the piston has a chamfered edge on the outer end configured to mate up with the sealing component in the closed state of the gas valve.   
     
     
         4 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 3 , wherein the sealing component is an O-ring. 
     
     
         5 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 1 , wherein the control reservoir has a greater volume in the closed state of the gas valve than in the open state of the gas valve; and
 wherein the projectile weighs at least three pounds.   
     
     
         6 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 5 , wherein a control reservoir pressure within the control reservoir is lower in the open state of the gas valve than in the closed state of the gas valve. 
     
     
         7 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a spring disposed between the inner end of the piston and one of the inner walls of the piston receptacle;   wherein the spring applies pressure on the inner end of the piston, tending to push the piston towards the closed state.   
     
     
         8 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 9 , wherein the trigger means is a trigger valve with a plunger for operating the trigger valve. 
     
     
         9 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 1 , wherein the barrel is one of a plurality of barrels each in gaseous communication with the primary gas outlet. 
     
     
         10 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 9 , wherein the projectile is one of a plurality of projectiles interconnected by a net, each of the plurality of projectiles being configured to fit into one of the plurality of barrels. 
     
     
         11 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 9 , wherein the primary gas reservoir is in gaseous communication with a supply tank, at least part of the supply tank being positioned between the muzzle end of the barrel and the trigger means. 
     
     
         12 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the piston is no greater than 150% of a cross-sectional area of the primary gas outlet just outside the primary gas reservoir. 
     
     
         13 . The quick-release valve air gun of  claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the piston is no greater than 120% of a cross-sectional area of the primary gas outlet just outside the primary gas reservoir. 
     
     
         14 . A method of configuring a quick-release valve air gun to shoot a projectile, the method comprising:
 providing a barrel with a muzzle end and a breech end;   providing a primary gas reservoir body of a gas valve, the primary gas reservoir body being having primary gas outlet that opens into the breech end of the barrel;   mounting a piston receptacle within the gas valve to be in gaseous communication with the primary gas reservoir body;   configuring a piston with an inner end configured to slide into the piston receptacle and with an outer end that provides the gas valve with an airtight seal in a closed state closing gaseous communication between the primary gas reservoir body and the breech end of the barrel, wherein a control reservoir is formed within the piston receptacle between an inner end of the piston and inner walls of the piston receptacle; and   providing a trigger means for releasing control chamber gas from the control reservoir causing the piston to slide away from the primary gas outlet to an open state;   wherein the piston sliding away from the primary gas outlet to the open state releases a sufficient amount of high pressure gas from the primary gas reservoir body into the breech end of the barrel to drive the projectile down the barrel out the muzzle end.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 providing a control conduit to be in gaseous communication with said trigger means to create a controllable pathway for releasing the control chamber gas from the control reservoir; and   providing a metering passage configured to put the primary gas reservoir body in gaseous communication with the control reservoir;   wherein a first gas flow capacity of the control conduit is at least three times as large as a second gas flow capacity of the metering passage;   wherein the piston receptacle has a cylindrical inner surface and is positioned within the primary gas reservoir body; and   wherein the projectile weighs at least three pounds.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the primary gas outlet has an inner edge within the primary gas reservoir body, the method further comprising:
 providing a sealing component mounted on the inner edge of the primary gas outlet;   wherein the piston has a chamfered edge on the outer end configured to mate up with the sealing component in the closed state of the gas valve.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the control reservoir has a greater volume in the closed state of the gas valve than in the open state of the gas valve; and
 wherein a control reservoir pressure within the control reservoir is lower in the open state of the gas valve than in the closed state of the gas valve.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 providing a spring between the inner end of the piston and one of the inner walls of the piston receptacle;   wherein the spring applies pressure on the inner end of the piston, tending to push the piston towards the closed state.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the piston is no greater than 150% of a cross-sectional area of the primary gas outlet just outside the primary gas reservoir. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the piston is no greater than 120% of a cross-sectional area of the primary gas outlet just outside the primary gas reservoir.