1. Related Applications
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/562,164, filed on Apr. 13, 2004.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modular ballistic walls for decelerating projectiles, commonly referred to as a shoot house, and to an enclosure for the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to modular shoot houses and a modular structure designed to protect the shoot house from gusts of wind to thereby make the shoot house more modular while ensuring stability.
3. State of the Art
In order to maintain proficiency in the use of firearms, it is common for law enforcement officers and sportsmen to engage in target practice. While target practice has traditionally been conducted on a range in which targets were placed a distance away from the shooter, many have realized that such a scenario does not adequately train officers for many real life situations. For example, a substantial percentage of the police officers who are killed each year are killed within fifteen feet of the perpetrator. Many are killed within five feet—often within the confines of a house or other building.
In order to better train police officers, many individuals began building ballistic walls in arrangements to resemble a house or other building. These structures, typically referred to as shoot houses, enabled police officers to train in situations in which the officer faces realistic threats to their safety. Additionally, as the type of combat to which military troops may be exposed increasingly involves urban warfare, it is critical that military troops also be trained in house to house combat.
Shoot houses were originally constructed out of concrete, gravel filled walls, or tire walls. While these shoot houses provided a marked improvement over traditional training, they are not as realistic and often do not resemble conventional looking walls.
A significant improvement in shoot houses was achieved with the invention of modular shoot house walls in which plates of steel were attached together in a ballistically sound manner by facing and backing strips and then covered by a frame. The frame typically had two-by-fours attached to the facing strips that held the plates together, and pieces of plywood that extend between the two-by-fours. A more detailed description of one preferred construction of a shoot house is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,936.
When the plywood was painted, the shoot house looked very similar to a conventional home with the roof removed. In such a shoot house, an officer is able to train in a ballistically safe environment that closely resembles what may be the most dangerous scenario that he will face.
One problem which is present in modular shoot houses is structural rigidity. While the panels of a shoot house are wood and steel, they can act like a sail in response to strong wind gusts. If a portion of a shoot house collapses due to a wind storm, the risk of serious injury to anyone inside is significant.
To alleviate these concerns, it is common to extensively cross-brace the different panels. The cross-bracing is highly advantageous from the point of structural integrity and virtually insures that the wall panels will not fall in even the severest of storms. The use of the cross-braces, however, also has the corresponding disadvantage of making the shoot house less modular and mobile. Specifically, the more that cross-bracing is used to provide structural support, the less mobile the shoot house is, as the cross-bracing must be removed in order to take apart and move the panels.
Thus, there is needed an improved system and method for protecting a modular shoot house, while maintaining portability of the system.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved modular shoot house facility.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a modular shoot house facility which provides improved protection from the elements.
In accordance with the above and other objects of the invention a modular ballistic shoot house facility is disclosed which includes a plurality of metal plates which are connected to form a shoot house, and a portable/modular external structure disposed so as to enclose the shoot house.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the external structure is a portable modular building, such as a teepee or tent which is engineered to withstand high winds.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the external structure is a modular building, such as a Quonset hut, which can be disassembled, moved with the steel plates and reassembled at a desired location.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the shoot house and the portable building are disposed directly on the ground, or on some temporary frame or foundation such as logs or railroad ties or metal pieces, rather than on a permanent foundation.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference will now be made to the drawings in which the various elements of the present invention will be given numeral designations and in which the invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention. It is to be understood that the following description is only exemplary of the principles of the present invention, and should not be viewed as narrowing the pending claims.
Referring to
In addition to protecting the walls of the shoot house 100, the tent 104 also enables use of the shoot house in a variety of weather conditions. For example, such a configuration could be used in a desert environment, such as Kuwait, where sand storms can damage fire arms. By closing the tent 104, the shoot house can continue to be used without risk to the weapons or the soldier's training in the shoot house. Similarly, the tent 104 could permit the use of the shoot house 100 during rain or other weather conditions.
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Quonset huts 130 have been common in the military since the start of World War II, as convenient storage facilities. Utilizing a Quonset hut 130 or other similar, modular structure has both the benefit of limiting the need for cross-bracing and the benefit of allowing the shoot house to be used in almost any environment. Quonset huts 130 are particularly advantageous in this context because they are easy to assemble and disassemble, relatively inexpensive, and have been demonstrated to handle hurricane force winds without collapsing. Thus, the risk that a windstorm could topple the Quonset hut 130 and the shoot house 100 is extremely small.
While attempts have been made to place awnings or other coverings above shoot houses to allow their use during rain, there has been no meaningful attempt to provide an enclosure structure which limits the need to cross-brace the shoot house to protect against windstorms, etc. Use of a Quonset hut 130 has all of these advantages, while also providing security against collapse of the shoot house independent of cross-bracing. The use of the Quonset hut 130 also provides increased security, thereby limiting access to the shoot house 100 to authorized personnel only.
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Thus there is disclosed an improved modular shoot house facility. Those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications which can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60562164 | Apr 2004 | US |