Appeal No. 2002-2074
Application No. 09/494,965
claims, and claims 38 through 53, the only other claims pending
in the application, stand allowed.
THE INVENTION
The invention relates to “a pneumatic device that discharges
compressed air behind a projectile to accelerate the projectile
down and out of a barrel” (specification, page 1).
Representative claims 1 and 54 read as follows:
1. A device for ejecting a projectile, the device
comprising:
(a) a barrel defining an inner space and having a closed
end, and an open end through which the projectile is ejected;
(b) a chamber in which a charge of a compressed fluid having
a pressure substantially greater than ambient air pressure is
developed, said chamber being selectively coupled in fluid
communication with the inner space of the barrel, so that the
charge of compressed fluid is selectively released into the inner
space of the barrel; and
(c) a projectile carrier disposed generally adjacent to the
closed end of the barrel when in a firing position, the
projectile carrier having a rear surface upon which the
compressed fluid acts when the charge of the compressed fluid is
selectively released into the inner space of the barrel, the
projectile carrier having a cross-sectional size sufficiently
close to that of the barrel so as to move freely along the inner
space of the barrel, while accelerating a projectile conveyed by
the projectile carrier through the inner space when the charge of
compressed fluid is selectively released into the barrel behind
the projectile carrier, said projectile carrier imparting kinetic
energy to the projectile when the projectile carrier is forced
from its firing position by the charge of compressed fluid and
ejecting the projectile from the barrel.
54. A method for propelling a projectile along a trajectory,
the method comprising the steps of:
2
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