Patent Application
20210148678
The present disclosure relates generally to security devices and systems, more particularly, to devices and systems for delivering chemical deterrents through doors and other solid surfaces.
A variety of defenses and deterrents have been developed for dealing with forced entry and active shooter situations. Most of these defenses involve responses which are active only after an intruder has breeched a safe space such as a room or house. Such responses increase the potential for harm to a user as they are not active until after an intruder has overcome the first line defense, that is, a door. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,000 to Owens (“Owens”) discloses a system which sprays a chemical deterrent at an intruder. The Owens's system activates only after an intruder has opened a door and at least partially entered a room. There remains a need for an active system which deters an intruder prior to breeching a door and gaining entry to a space.
In one aspect, a chemical deterrent delivery device for deterring potential intruders includes a first faceplate mounted to a barrier such as a door and having a first opening, a second faceplate mounted to the opposite side of a door and having a second opening, and a connecting tube operationally connecting the first faceplate to the second faceplate through the door and containing a piercing device. The opening of the first faceplate is threaded to accept and threadably engage a storage bottle containing one or more chemical deterrents under pressure. When the storage bottle is threadably engaged with the opening of the first faceplate the piercing device pierces the storage bottle which releases the one or more chemical deterrent which travels through the connecting tube and is dispensed from the opening in the second faceplate.
In another aspect, a chemical deterrent delivery system includes a spray device first faceplate having a threaded first opening, a second faceplate having a second opening, and a connecting tube operationally connecting the first faceplate to the second faceplate and having a piercing device disposed therein. The chemical deterrent delivery system further includes a pressurized deterrent storage bottle having a threaded neck portion sized and adapted to be threadably engaged with the first opening and a cap portion capable of being pierced by the piercing device. Threading the deterrent storage bottle into the threaded first opening pierces the cap portion with the piercing device and releases one or more chemical deterrent agents which travel through the connecting tube and out of the second opening in the second faceplate.
In still another aspect, a method of delivering a chemical deterrent includes engaging a pressurized bottle containing a chemical deterrent with a first faceplate mounted to one side of a door, piercing the pressurized bottle with a piercing device thereby dispensing chemical deterrent from the pressurized bottle, dispensing chemical deterrent through a connecting tube operationally connected to the first faceplate, and dispensing chemical deterrent through a second faceplate operationally connected to the connecting tube into a target area.
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Optionally, a pressurized deterrent storage bottle 100 having a trigger 101 which allows for selective starting and stopping of chemical deterrent dispensing may be used in combination with any of the systems disclosed herein. In some instances, an adapter 102 having fittings 104 may also be used so that deterrent storage bottles not specifically designed for a particular system disclosed herein may still be used. The fittings 104 are sized and configured so as to allow a particular deterrent storage bottle to be connected via the adapter 102 to a deterrent sprayer system. The adapter 102 may be of any desired length.
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Second faceplate 112 includes a threaded opening 121 sized and configured to threadably engage threaded portion 120 of connecting tube 116. Second faceplate 112 further includes a nozzle body 126 disposed within threaded opening 121 such that deterrent passing through opening 121 is dispersed in a desired pattern (e.g., a stream or a cloud). Second faceplate 112 further includes one or more fasteners 128 for securing the faceplate to a barrier such as a door.
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In the preceding examples the disclosed deterrent spray devices and systems were shown in use with doors, but in other examples deterrent spray devices and systems may be used in conjunction with other barriers such as walls, movable panels, barricades, and other structures which separate one area from another. The disclosed devices and systems may be used in any setting where a barrier separates a threat or potential threat from an area of safety. For example, such a system may be installed in classroom doors so that during an active shooter situation teachers and students may remain locked in a classroom while deterring a shooter located outside the classroom. Similar applications include homes, apartments, hotel rooms, offices, panic rooms, and the like as well as movable enclosed areas such as cars, busses, motor homes, and other vehicles. In some such applications a deterrent container may be threaded into a sprayer system and activated then left to dispense automatically while a user retreats to an interior room putting even more doors and barricades between them and a potential intruder.
Other applications may include institutional settings such as prisons. In such settings the safe side of a door or barrier would be outside of a room and the target area would be inside of a room such as a holding area, cell, and the like. In such applications the volume of the target area is known so the required volume of chemical deterrent may be calculated and deterrent containers filled with a predetermined amount of deterrent sufficient to subdue anyone inside the target area. Use of precalculated amounts of deterrent chemicals reduces the risk of overapplication while still ensuring occupants of the target area are pacified. Such a system could also be adapted for use in movable enclosures as well such as busses and the like.
The disclosed deterrent spray devices and systems may be adapted for use with a variety of chemical deterrents such as oleoresin capsicum (frequently referred to as “OC” or “pepper spray”), 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS gas), pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA gas), phenacyl chloride (CN gas), and other lachrymator agents and combinations thereof. Deterrent sprays may also include dyes or other marking agents which allow for later identification of a potential intruder. Different formulations and concentrations of deterrent chemicals may also be used such as gels, aerosols, liquids, and the like and they may be dispersed in different forms such as jets, clouds, and fogs, as desired.
The present description is for illustrative purposes only, and should not be construed to narrow the breadth of the present disclosure in any way. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications might be made to the presently disclosed embodiments without departing from the full and fair scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For instance, tray 10 could be equipped with one or more peel-away coverings that could be selectively removed during use, such as where tray 10 is used without form block 14. It will be appreciated that certain features and/or properties of the present disclosure, such as relative dimensions or angles, may not be shown to scale. As noted above, the teachings set forth herein are applicable to a variety of different assemblies, devices, systems, and methods like having or employing a variety of different structures than those specifically described herein. Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent upon an examination of the attached drawings and appended claims. As used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “at least one.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms.
