Editing Pinokio Hoppers (section)

=== Origins and early development ===

According to a company history published in 2010, Estrate developed the Pinokio concept after playing paintball with his son and identifying a demand for greater hopper capacity.[1]

A United States patent application filed by Evan A. Estrate on 16 May 2007 described high-capacity reservoirs that could be attached to paintball feeders. The application used the Pinokio name for the proposed family of hopper and loader designs.[3]

The original Pinokio loader was introduced in 2007. Its distinctive feature was an extended front section that increased the amount of paint it could carry. This projecting nose gave the product its name.[4]

By January 2009, Estrate was identified as president of Pinokio Hoppers in an announcement of the company's sponsorship of the University of South Florida Bulls paintball team.[5]