This application provides a unique construction of Anti-ballistic Chairs. More particularly, the core of these anti-ballistic chairs will consist of layers of flexible anti-ballistic fabric (soft armor) wrapped in two directions around the tubular members of the back rest, seat and skirt section, and alternatively, the anti-ballistic chairs will be constructed of pre-manufactured hard anti-ballistic armor components (hard armor).
Bulletproofing is the process of making something capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles e.g. shrapnel. The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protection against all types of bullets, or multiple hits in the same location. Bullet designs vary widely, not only according to the particular firearm used (e.g. a 9×19 mm Parabellum caliber hollowpoint handgun cartridge will have inferior penetration power compared to a 7.62×39 mm assault rifle cartridge), but also within individual cartridge designs. As a result, whilst so-called “bullet-proof” panels may successfully prevent penetration by standard 7.62×39 mm bullets containing lead cores, the same panels may easily be defeated by 7.62×39 mm armor piercing bullets containing hardened steel penetrators.
Bullet-resistant materials, also called ballistic materials or, equivalently, anti-ballistic materials, are usually rigid, but may be supple. They may be complex, such as KEVLAR® LEXAN®, and carbon fiber composite materials, or they may be basic and simple, such as steel or titanium. Bullet resistant materials are often used in law enforcement and military applications, to protect personnel from death or serious injuries.
There is a growing need for methods of self protection in an increasingly wide variety of locations. In the modern world, crimes and attacks committed by persons with guns are an ever more common occurrence. In the past, police personnel and military personnel have been the primary targets of gunfire which has been directed toward them during work or duty. Because of this continual risk of harm, bullet resistant vests and shields have been developed which may be deployed or worn on the user's body as a protective component of their work attire. Such devices, when employed for protection against weapons fire have worked fairly well in preventing a high velocity bullet or shell from penetrating the wearer's body since the velocity is slowed considerably.
It has been made clearly evident by the shooting at Fort Hood that additional means of self protection has become very necessary. The mass shooting took place on Nov. 5, 2009, at Fort Hood, the most populous U.S. military installation in the world, located just outside Killeen, Tex. In the course of the shooting, a single gunman killed 13 people and wounded 29 others. According to witnesses, Army reserve Captain John Gaffaney attempted to stop Hasan, either by charging him or throwing a chair at him, but was mortally wounded in the process. Civilian physician assistant Michael Cahill also tried to charge Hasan with a chair before being shot and killed. Army reserve Specialist Logan Burnette tried to stop Hasan by throwing a folding table at him, but he was shot in the left hip, fell down, and crawled to a nearby cubicle.
It was additionally made evident at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999 that similar occurrences may again occur at other locations where civilians, including children are affected and there is an increased need for self protection. With the introduction of a ballistic-proof chair, such a device can blend into a conventional room's appearance where people gather such as meeting rooms, classrooms, libraries or cafeterias and it can thereby keep from making a room where people gather for social or educational purposes appear like a military bunker.
With the advent of new materials and the improvement of manufacturing processes, items like ballistic-proof chairs can become a practical item. It is well known that the construction of bullet-proof vests is done by applying multiple layers of fabric woven from an aramid fiber together, which is sold by Du Pont under the Trade Mark KEVLAR, and has been done for many years. It can be used in a flexible state or laminated in a more rigid configuration. The success of the product is attained by multiple layers of the semi-impregnable flexible structure. This material combines high penetration resistance with lightness and flexibility but until presently no one has endeavored to manufacture items like chairs of this material.
With respect to the above, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the Anti-ballistic Chairs herein in detail or in general, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components or the steps set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The various apparatus and methods of the protective invention herein are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways, all of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art once the information herein is reviewed. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description, and should not be regarded as limiting in any fashion. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other furniture type ballistic shields for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device and method. It is important, therefore, that the embodiments, objects and claims herein, be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The principal advantage of Anti-ballistic Chairs is to supply conventionally appearing chairs that have the capability of offering anti-ballistic protection.
Another advantage of Anti-ballistic Chairs is to supply chairs that people can crouch behind in a defensive position.
Another advantage of Anti-ballistic Chairs is to supply chairs that can be relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
Another advantage is to supply Anti-ballistic Chairs fabricated of a variety of materials including multiple layers of soft fabric woven from an aramid fiber together, which is sold by Du Pont under the registered trademark KEVLAR® and will resist and absorb the impact of a bullet.
Another advantage is to supply Anti-ballistic Chairs fabricated of multiple layers of resin impregnated fabric of aramid fiber creating a hard anti-ballistic material that will resist and absorb the impact of a bullet.
Another advantage of the Anti-ballistic Chairs is that they may be manufactured in a variety of different styles including stacking chairs as a preferred embodiment and folding chairs as alternate embodiments.
Another advantage of Anti-ballistic folding chairs is that they can be easily transported and stacked.
Yet another advantage of Anti-ballistic folding chairs is that they can be held up by one or both hands in more mobile defensive positions.
A further advantage is to create Anti-ballistic Chairs that have been uniquely designed so that they may be manufactured in a factory that specializes in employing blind workers.
These together with other advantages of the Anti-ballistic Chairs, along with the various features of novelty, which characterize the design, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the Anti-ballistic Chairs, their operating advantages and the specific objects attained by their uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the Anti-ballistic Chairs. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the design in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the Anti-ballistic Chairs that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the Anti-ballistic Chairs in detail it is to be understood that the design is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The Anti-ballistic Chairs are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The preferred embodiment of the Anti-ballistic Chair will consist of a conventionally appearing stacking chair with padded seat cushion and back rest with a tubular framework with arm rests. The addition of a protective skirt section below the seat will extend to the floor level. The anti-ballistic core of the chair will consist of layers of fabric woven from an aramid fiber, which is sold by Du Pont under the Trade Mark KEVLAR® wrapped in two directions around the tubular members of the back rest, seat and skirt section.
Additionally, the anti-ballistic core portions of the Anti-Ballistic Chairs may be fabricated using not only Aramid fibers and KEVLAR® from DuPont, but also polyethylene fibers and GOLD SHIELD®, which is a KEVLAR® based material, and SPECTRA SHIELD®, which is polyethylene based material, both available commercially from Honeywell. GOLD SHIELD® and SPECTRA SHIELD® are high strength synthetic fibers impregnated in partially cured resin for use in ballistic material. Moreover, both of the Honeywell materials can be used as layered soft armor as well as hard armor when they are autoclaved or compression molded into anti-ballistic components for construction of the Anti-Ballistic Chairs. Other similar materials of like purpose and function are also anticipated by this disclosure.
The first alternate embodiment of the Anti-ballistic Chair will be a folding chair constructed of a tubular framework with hard anti-ballistic surfaces on the seat and lower skirt section with the back rest conventionally padded, having soft woven anti-ballistic fabric, or having the hard anti-ballistic surface. Two soft handles or two hard handles will be on either side of the seat so that when the chair is folded it may be held up in a defensive or offensive position.
The second alternate embodiment of the Anti-ballistic Chair will additionally be a folding chair constructed of a tubular framework that has the ability of having the hard anti-ballistic surface or the layers of fabric woven from an aramid fiber wrapped around the tubular members. Two soft handles or two hard handles will also be on either side of the seat of this chair so that when the chair is folded it may be held up in a defensive or offensive position.
While the description of the Anti-ballistic Chairs has been made herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modifications, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it will be appreciated that in some instance some features of the design will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the Anti-ballistic Chairs and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the Anti-ballistic Chairs, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the design and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar parts of the Anti-ballistic Chairs 10A, 10B and 10C are identified by like reference numerals, there is seen in
Additionally, the anti-ballistic portions of the anti-ballistic stacking chairs may be fabricated using not only Aramid fibers and KEVLAR® from DuPont, but also polyethylene fibers and GOLD SHIELD®, which is a KEVLAR® based material, and SPECTRA SHIELD®, which is polyethylene based material, both available commercially from Honeywell. GOLD SHIELD® and SPECTRA SHIELD® are high strength synthetic fibers impregnated in partially cured resin for use in ballistic material. Moreover, both of the Honeywell materials can be used as layered soft armor as well as hard armor when they are autoclaved or compression molded into anti-ballistic components for construction of the anti-ballistic stacking chairs, as shown and described. Other similar materials of like purpose and function are also anticipated by this disclosure.
Likewise, as previously described for the stacking chairs, the anti-ballistic portions of the anti-ballistic folding chairs may be fabricated using not only Aramid fibers and KEVLAR® from DuPont, but also polyethylene fibers and GOLD SHIELD®, which is a KEVLAR® based material, and SPECTRA SHIELD®, which is polyethylene based material, both available commercially from Honeywell. GOLD SHIELD® and SPECTRA SHIELD® are high strength synthetic fibers impregnated in partially cured resin for use in ballistic material. Moreover, both of the Honeywell materials can be used as layered soft armor as well as hard armor when they are autoclaved or compression molded into anti-ballistic components for construction of the anti-ballistic folding chairs, as shown and described. Other similar materials of like purpose and function are also anticipated by this disclosure.
The Anti-ballistic Chairs 10A, 10B and 10C shown in the drawings and described in detail herein disclose arrangements of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present application. It is to be understood, however, that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements Anti-ballistic Chairs 10A, 10B and 10C in accordance with the spirit of this thereof, other than those illustrated and described may be employed for providing disclosure, and such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this design as broadly defined in the appended claims.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, international patent offices, and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120248837 A1 | Oct 2012 | US |