fig1 - 6 show embodiments of the apparatus and the above method of the present invention . in fig1 , 2 a , 2 b , 3 a , and 3 b , the apparatus 100 has a housing 1 , such as in the form of a cylinder , the inner surface 2 of which forms a cavity wall that defines a cavity . the inner surface 2 contains a path in the form of a groove 5 shaped to accept the spherical shape of a paintball 4 . a roller 6 is arranged concentrically within the cylindrical outer shell 1 and is rotatable about a preferably longitudinal central axis . the distance between the deepest point 24 of the path / groove and the outer surface 7 of the roller 6 is arranged such that a paintball seated in the path is also in contact with the outer surface of the roller , as shown in fig2 a . the present invention can be sized to accommodate paintballs of different diameters . the outer surface 7 of the roller has a sufficiently high coefficient of friction such that when the roller rotates about its axis any paintball 4 seated in the path / groove 5 is compelled to move along the groove in the direction of rotation as captured between the roller and the inside surface of the cylinder 1 . in this embodiment , the apparatus comprises a housing 1 that forms an essentially cylindrical cavity 2 , the base 3 of which is shaped in such a way , as best seen in fig2 a , as to encourage paintballs 4 to roll toward the wall of the cavity . the housing 1 has an upper end 20 and a lower end 21 . around the wall of this cylindrical cavity 2 is a path in the form of a helical groove 5 that is essentially semi - circular in cross section . positioned along the centerline of the spherical cavity 2 is a cylindrical roller 6 , which has an outer surface 7 with a high coefficient of friction by virtue of the material , used to coat the surface and the surface finish of that material . the upper end 22 of the roller is adjacent to the upper end 20 of the housing 1 , and the lower end 23 of the roller is adjacent to the lower end 21 of the outer shell . the inner surface 6 a of the cylindrical roller 6 defines an inner chamber 8 in which paintballs may be stored , and is shaped in order to facilitate the transfer of paintballs from the inner chamber of the roller to the outside of the roller . the cylindrical roller 6 is driven to rotate about its axis by means of an electric motor ( discussed in more detail below ) in a way that will be understood by those skilled in the art . the direction of rotation of the roller 6 is such that the roller pushes the paintballs into the helical path for movement upward toward exit port 9 . when the paintball transfer apparatus is tilted or inverted , the roller 6 is still capable of pushing paintballs 4 that are within the path 5 towards the exit port 9 and into the feed tube 18 for later use by a paintball marker , such for launching thereof . paintballs 4 are capable of entering the cylindrical cavity 2 of the apparatus through the center of the cylindrical roller 6 and can accumulate therein . the lower end 23 of the roller 6 is asymmetric , as shown in the cross section in fig2 a , allowing paintballs to enter the path 5 . the lower end 23 of the roller has an opening along its circumference defined by a raised lower edge 23 a . paintballs can pass through this opening from the inner chamber of the roller and then travel outwardly into the path in the cavity between an inner surface of the housing 1 and an outer surface of the roller 6 . the paintballs 4 in the cavity and at the bottom of the inner chamber 8 of the roller are forced to the wall of the cavity 5 by the paintball guiding base 3 ( in this case a tapered shaped base ) of the shell and the weight of the paintballs above them . as the roller is rotated , the high friction outer surface 7 of the roller 6 pushes paintballs 4 into and along the helical groove 5 . the paintballs 4 within the cylindrical roller 6 are agitated by the small protrusions from the inner surface of the roller 6 and fall into the space left vacant by the paintballs 4 that have been pushed into the helical groove 5 . as the roller 6 continues to rotate , the paintballs 4 travel along the helical groove 5 to an exit port 9 at the top of the apparatus 100 . the housing 1 and the roller 6 may be made from a wide range of materials such as plastic , metal , or similar materials or combinations thereof . the housing 1 and the roller 6 may be made of different materials or the same material . the high friction coefficient on the roller 6 may be obtained in various ways . for example , the inherent material properties of the material used to form the roller 6 may provide sufficient friction . also , the roller 6 may be machined to have a rough surface by forming a knurled or grooved surface , for example . in another embodiment , the outer surface 7 of roller 6 surface can be coated with a high friction coating . the roller surface may also be in the form of a brush or may be rubber or other material that can provide the required frictional gripping . in some embodiments , the surface of the roller 6 may include portions having varying friction coefficients . the roller 6 and outer surface of the roller may be made of different materials or the same material . the roller 6 may have a contoured surface that engages the paintballs 4 to push them along the path rather than roll them along the path . the path on the surface of the cavity 5 may be shaped as a semi - circular groove in one embodiment , but it may take on any shape that is capable of contacting and moving a paintball 4 . for example , a path in the form of a v - notch groove would allow two - point contact of the paintballs 4 with the groove to support them as they travel . the path may even have a varying shape , as long as the path is capable of supporting and moving paintballs 4 . also , the path may be helical or circular in some embodiments , or it may take any other form that allows the roller 6 to advance the paintballs 4 . the path may incorporate helical portions and circular portions , as well as portions that are non - circular and non - helical , or any combination of these . the paintballs 4 may be fed through the inner surface 6 a into inner chamber 8 of the cylindrical roller 6 using gravity . other mechanisms may be used to move the paintballs 4 from the inner chamber 8 of the inside of roller 6 to the path . although the roller 4 is shown in fig2 a in a vertical orientation , the roller 4 and cavity of the housing 1 may be provided in another orientation that allows gravity to aid in moving the paintballs 4 toward the helical groove 5 in cooperation with the base and the inner surface of the roller 6 . although the inner surface 6 a of the cylindrical roller 6 is shown in fig2 b as a smooth surface , it may be contoured in a way that aids in directing the paintballs 4 from the inner surface 6 a of the roller 6 to the groove 5 . similarly , the base 3 is shown as having a single protrusion 3 a to help direct the paintballs 4 to the groove 5 , but it may have a plurality of protrusions that aid in directing the paintballs 4 to the groove 5 . the roller 6 may be rotated by a drive mechanism . fig4 shows an embodiment of the paintball transfer apparatus 100 including the drive mechanism , generally referred to as 50 , for rotating the roller 6 within the housing 1 . the roller 6 has a roller drive dog 10 having one tooth 31 , which is shown in fig5 . the roller drive dog 10 is received in a slot 32 a between the teeth 32 of a three tooth drive dog 11 , which is an integral part of the main drive gear 12 . to rotate the drive dog 11 , the main drive gear 12 meshes with a motor gear 13 clamped or otherwise secured to the shaft 15 of an electrical motor 14 . the motor 14 may be driven by an electrical circuit on a printed circuit board ( not shown ) in a manner that is commonplace and well understood by those skilled in the art . the motor 14 , the motor gear 13 , and the main drive gear 12 are all fixed relative to the housing 1 . in fig4 , the motor gear 13 rotates about a motor gear axis , and the main drive gear 12 rotates about a main drive gear axis that is collinear with the axis of the roller 6 . drive mechanisms other than an electric motor 14 can be used to rotate the roller 6 without departing from the scope of the present invention . for example , the drive mechanism 50 may be powered by compressed air , or may be hand operated . more or fewer teeth 32 may be used on the roller drive dog 10 and the drive dog 11 , but they must be configured so that they engage each other so that rotation of the motor 14 causes rotation of the roller 6 . although not shown , the embodiment of fig4 can include a paintball guiding base 3 for directing the paintballs 4 within the inner chamber 8 into the path 5 , similar to the base 3 shown in fig2 a . the paintball guiding base 3 is positioned above the drive dog 11 of the main drive gear 12 , but is rotatably secured to the housing 1 , so that the base 3 does not rotate with the main drive gear 12 . the base 3 is configured so that it does not interfere with engagement of the roller drive dog 10 with the drive dog 11 of the main drive gear 12 . in one embodiment , the center of the base 3 is fixed to a spindle that passes through the center of the main drive gear and prevents it from rotating with the roller 6 . the paintball transfer apparatus 100 may be secured to a variety of paintball markers 17 , as in fig6 , shows the paintball transfer apparatus 100 in its preferred location when secured to a paintball marker 17 . the housing 1 is fixed to a mounting adaptor 15 , which becomes an integral part of the paintball transfer apparatus 100 and which is arranged to fit neatly onto a compressed air cylinder 16 which is attached to , and provides the air supply for , a paintball marker 17 . paintballs 4 are fed from the paintball transfer apparatus 100 into the feed neck 19 of the paintball marker 17 by means of a feed tube 18 . it can be seen that securing the present paintball transfer apparatus 100 to a paintball marker 17 can be accomplished without obstructing a user &# 39 ; s access to components on the paint marker 17 itself , such as the trigger 33 or the barrel 32 . the paintball transfer apparatus 100 may be affixed to paintball markers 17 having designs other than the one shown . the paintball transfer apparatus 100 may be configured so that it feeds paintballs 4 directly into the paintball marker 17 , rather than indirectly through a feed tube 18 . although the figures show a roller 6 and a cavity 5 , and associated path , that are substantially cylindrical , in some embodiments , it may be advantageous to move the paintballs along a path formed on an object other than a cylinder . for example , a path could be formed on a first surface , and a second surface could be positioned in facing relation with the first . then a paintball 4 can be directed to the path on the first surface so that the paintball 4 is between the first and second surfaces . the first and second surfaces can be moved relative to each other to cause the paintball 4 to move along the path . the first and second surface could be substantially flat , or they could be formed of another geometrical shape . although the figures show a roller 6 having an inner chamber 8 for storing paintballs 4 that can be fed into the path , it is possible to use other structures and methods to load paintballs 4 into the path . for example , another feeding mechanism could be placed adjacent to the path 5 and the roller 6 , so that the feeding mechanism independently feeds paintballs 4 into the path , and the roller 6 moves the paintballs 4 along the path 5 to the exit port 9 . in such an embodiment , the roller 6 is formed without an inner chamber 8 . it can therefore be seen that the paintball transfer apparatus 100 of the present invention provides a method and apparatus for moving paintballs 4 in any direction , without the need for a gravity - based transfer system . the present invention also provides a method and apparatus capable of providing a continual supply of paintballs 4 to a paintball marker 17 . the foregoing embodiments are described by way of example only . it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention . all such modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the appended claims .