Arkansas Patent of the Month – June 2021

Air rifles use compressed air to fire a projectile. They need a valve assembly to deliver that compressed air behind the projectile. Traditional large caliber pneumatic launching devices need a firing valve as big as the caliber of the round in order to be effective. This means they also need large opening forces to open the valve. Umarex USA, Inc. has designed a better valve system which considers and adapts air delivery to the orifice size, allowing for smaller opening forces relative to the caliber size.

The valve system has a cylindrical valve body and tapered front seal. It is designed to open far enough for the high pressure air supply to be delivered faster than the air can be used for propulsion. A small venting valve and a rear cavity are used to pass this pressurized air into the chamber. Mounted just rear of the valve is a hammer connected to a trigger mechanism. When the trigger mechanism is pulled, the hammer moves forward and unseats the valve head from the seat. This movement automatically vents the pressurized gas in the chamber to create a large pressure differential. This difference moves the valve body back, opening the final orifice and allowing the pressurized gas to propel the projectile. This system offers a more effective air rifle which can use smaller parts and offer a better design.

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