Information
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Patent Grant
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6202562
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Patent Number
6,202,562
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Date Filed
Friday, November 5, 199924 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, March 20, 200123 years ago
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Inventors
-
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Examiners
- Jordan; Charles T.
- Smith; Kimberly
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 102 293
- 102 400
- 102 502
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International Classifications
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Abstract
An anti-personnel projectile launched from a 12 gauge shotgun shell required at impact to have a low lethality consequence, in which the projectile is fitted in the shell in a shape characterized by a blunt end in the direction of flight and maintained in this shape by oppositely directed air resistance and propelling forces to obviate a change of shape during flight that might cause a serious injury.
Description
The present invention relates generally to projectiles used primarily for low lethality anti-personnel end use, as for example for crowd control by a municipality police force, and more particularly relates to improvements for assuring that a projectile in use will have the requisite low lethality consequence upon impact, and thus avoiding unintentional severe injury to any individual.
EXAMPLE OF THE PRIOR ART
The need for low lethality projectiles is well known in the art, and additionally can be inferred from the promulgation by the National Institute of Justice of low lethality-qualifying standards exemplified by its standard 0101.03 tests. A known projectile which currently is a low lethality munition of choice consists of a flat bag which is folded in half to fit within a 12 gauge shotgun shell, and after exiting from the muzzle is supposed to unfold into a flat bag shape and impact in this flat bag shape upon a target. As such the kinetic energy is distributed over the area of the bag instead of at a point as in regular ammunition. As a consequence there is less of a possibility of an undesirable penetration while permitting the delivery of a desirable incapacitating impact.
The shape of the above described projectile at impact is not always predictable based solely on its construction as a bag, because the bag can be flat at impact only if it unfolds after exiting from the muzzle. However, on numerous occasions in practice it does not unfold and contacts a target with its folded together side edges and thus, with a shape that can, and often does, inflict serious injury. The inability to predict the projectile shape that will contact the target is believed to occur when several shapes are involved such as, in the case of the above described projectile, i.e., a first shape to accommodate the size dimensions to facilitate being loaded into the 12 gauge shotgun shell, and a second shape to achieve a low lethality consequence upon impact. Logic dictates that the need to change shapes during flight is a happenstance that perhaps most often will occur but which might not occur on occasion due to the shape-change complication.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a low lethality anti-personnel projectile overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object to impose a low lethality contacting surface of the projectile at impact by the manner in which it is loaded into the 12 gauge shotgun shell, thus requiring no shape change but maintaining in flight the singular shape involved, all as will be better understood as the description proceeds.
The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended claims.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a projectile in accordance with the present invention in a work-in-process condition;
FIG. 2
is an elevational view of the constructed projectile preparatory to being loaded into a 12 gauge shotgun shell;
FIG. 3
is a longitudinal cross sectional view of an empty 12 gauge shotgun shell;
FIGS. 3A and 3B
are similarly longitudinal cross sectional views, but showing, in sequence, the loading of the projectile of
FIG. 2
into the 12 gauge shotgun shell of
FIG. 3
; and
FIG. 4
is an elevational view showing, in full line, the shape of the projectile at impact, and in phantom perspective, the shape of the projectile in flight.
By way of one example of many to serve as background in understanding the present invention, in police management of an unruly crowd, even kept at bay by a barricade, it often escalates to a confrontation between the police and an individual crossing the barricade, which necessitates management of the individual. It is police standard operating procedure to limit force in such a confrontation commensurate to the danger posed. A first and lowest level of force dictated by the circumstances would be to strike the individual, typically at eight to twenty yards, with a low lethality munition, i.e., a munition that does not kill or seriously maim the individual. If, however, continuing with the example, the individual withdraws a concealed weapon, the use of a lethal munition would be dictated.
To qualify a munition as being of low lethality, and as best understood from
FIG. 4
, the projectile
10
is subjected to testing similar to the standard 0101.03 tests used by the National Institute of Justice, which 0101.03 tests to determine the effectiveness of, for example, a “bulletproof” vest measures the depth of deformation of a projectile in a known specific type of viscous clay. Thus, in the testing of projectile
10
, there is applies on a target
12
, a selected thickness of said known viscosity of clay
14
and it is required that in the typical range of confrontation that a projectile fired from a shotgun (not shown) not penetrate the clay
14
beyond a specified depth
16
, which currently is 40 mm.
Underlying the present invention is the recognition that projectile
10
, although having physical attributes that might disqualify it as low lethality, can be shaped preparatory to being fired along a path of flight
18
to the target
12
with a blunt or flat end
20
and, most important, that this optimum shaped end
20
is effectively maintained during flight
18
by air resistant forces
22
exerted against the front or blunt end
20
of the projectile
10
and the opposite direction flight-propelling forces
24
exerted against the rear end
26
of the projectile
10
. Stated somewhat differently, the opposing forces
22
and
24
maintain an interposed cylindrical shape
28
in the body of the projectile
10
, and this shape
28
is characterized by the noted blunt end
20
and, as a result, does not impact upon the target
12
with a lethal consequence. In practice in fact, the opposite directional forces
22
and
24
cause the projectile blunt end
20
to undergo a progressive expanse during flight, as noted at
21
, and at impact, as noted at
23
.
To achieve low lethality utility, projectile
10
is constructed using a tubular sock-like body of fabric construction material
32
having a closed front end
34
and a rear edge
36
bounding an opening
38
into a body compartment
40
. In a work-in-process condition, as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a selected amount of lead shot, individually and collectively designated
42
, is inserted through the opening
38
to partially fill the compartment
40
, particularly in the area of the closed end
34
. As best shown in
FIG. 2
, the construction of the projectile
10
is completed by a tie or the like, as at
44
, which delineates the lead shot-filled body
46
from a length portion or tail
48
of the fabric construction material
32
.
To launch or propel the constructed projectile of
FIG. 2
, use is made of an empty 12 gauge shotgun shell, generally designated
50
, having a cylindrical wall
52
bounding a compartment
54
. Wall
52
has a front edge
56
bounding an opening
58
into the compartment
54
and a rear edge
60
also bounding an opening
62
into the compartment. Prior to loading the projectile
10
through the front opening
58
and into the compartment
54
, the rear opening
62
is closed by a sandwiched arrangement of a wad
64
which holds in place propellant
66
in combustible relation to a primer
68
, and a brass cap
70
.
For completeness' sake, it is noted that although the dimensions of the 12 gauge shotgun shell are well known, that these dimensions as related to the loading of the projectile
10
within the compartment
54
are a compartment length
72
of 2{fraction (1/16)} inches and a diameter
74
of ⅜ of an inch.
Similarly for completeness' sake, it is noted that in practice best results are achieved with a constructed projectile
10
having a length
76
from its closed end
34
to the applied tie of approximately 1¾ inches and, flattened by slight finger pressure, a maximum width
78
of approximately 1 inch. The tail
48
is cut to length
80
but preferably should not exceed 2½ inches.
The bulk of the
FIG. 2
constructed projectile
10
is then manually stuffed through the front opening
58
into the compartment
54
which, not only of course properly positions the projectile
10
for firing, but also reshapes the projectile
10
so it can qualify for low lethality end use. Without this reshaping, the curvature shape
82
of the projectile front end
34
would penetrate the field-testing clay
14
beyond the depth
16
, and thus disqualify the projectile
10
as a low lethality munition.
In the loading of the projectile
10
into the cartridge compartment
54
, the tail
48
is folded into a resulting bulk, as at
84
, and in this folded configuration is urged in movement
86
into the compartment
54
, as illustrated in FIG.
3
A. Continuing to apply the force
86
, the lead-filled projectile front
34
is worked fully into the compartment
54
, as illustrated in
FIG. 3B
, aided by rotational twists of the projectile front end
34
in addition to the longitudinally directed force
86
. The cartridge front end opening
58
in then closed in a well known fashion by an appropriate closure
88
appropriately seated and held in place in the end opening
58
.
The propellant
66
is then ignited, in a well understood manner, by the primer
68
which, also in a well understood manner, causes the projectile
10
in the shape illustrated in FIG.
3
B and is characterized by a blunt-shaped front end
34
, reshaped thereinto from a curvature shape
82
, to be launched along a path of movement
18
for eventual impact against the target
12
wherein the forces
22
and
24
maintain the blunt shape of the front end
34
during flight movement
18
and, consequently also at impact.
While the apparatus for practicing the within inventive method, as well as said method herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A method of shaping a projectile so as to have a specified low lethality consequence upon impact against an individual, said shaping method comprising the steps of using an empty 12 gauge shotgun shell having a cylindrical wall bounding a projectile compartment and a front edge and a rear edge at opposite ends of said cylindrical wall respectively bounding a front and a rear opening into said projectile compartment, closing said rear opening of said 12 gauge cartridge shell with projectile-propelling explosive means, using preliminarily an unfilled tubular sock-like projectile body of fabric construction material having a closed front end and a rear edge bounding a rear opening thereinto, filling through said rear opening of said tubular sock-like projectile body a selected amount of lead shot to assume a position therein against said closed end, forming folds in said tubular sock-like projectile body immediately forward of said rear opening thereof, inserting said formed folds of said tubular sock-like projectile body into said projectile compartment front opening, urging in movement said lead shot-filled closed front end of said tubular sock-like projectile body fully into said projectile compartment to an extent causing said formed folds thereof into firm contact against a said closed 12 gauge shotgun shell end and said lead shot-filled closed front end to expand radially into contact with said 12 gauge shotgun shell cylindrical wall so as to assume said cylindrical shape thereof characterized by a blunt front end, and igniting said projectile-propelling means, whereby said tubular sock-like projectile body exits from said 12 gauge shotgun shell projectile compartment in said blunt-ended cylindrical shape against a force of air resistance to flight exerted against a front thereof and pushed by a force urging said shape in flight exerted against a rear thereof such that said blunt-ended cylindrical shape is maintained during flight and at impact to thereby contribute to a low lethality consequence.
US Referenced Citations (4)