Patent Application
20160178329
The present invention relates to shooting ranges, and more particularly to a portable ballistic divider wall that can be easily moved to create novel training scenarios, while simultaneously protecting all involved in the training exercise from live pistol and rifle fire.
A shoot house is a type of indoor firing range modified to resemble a residential or commercial environment, with the walls and floor being fortified to safely absorb or deflect rounds fired from close range. It is used to train military and law enforcement personnel for various urban combat scenarios while permitting them to use their full power service weapons. Because the structures need to absorb or deflect gunfire away from the personnel being trained, traditionally strong, heavy materials for the walls and floors are needed such as concrete and steel. Use of materials that cannot deflect and/or contain live gun fire may lead to injuries or death as bullets penetrate completely through the material.
Even facilities that provide trainers with some flexibility to change the floor plan rely on portable ballistic divider walls that include steel wall plates. Conventionally constructed shoot houses can be difficult and time-consuming to alter given that the steel plates are heavy, requiring use of a lifting device to move them, and are frequently welded or bolted into place. Rolling ballistic doors have been used with some success, but these are limited to being able to only block off a hallway rather than completely changing the layout of a shoot house.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved portable ballistic divider wall that provide adequate protection from gun fire while still being easily moved without panel lifting equipment. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In this respect, the portable ballistic divider wall according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing adequate protection from gunfire while still being easily moved without panel lifting equipment.
The present invention provides an improved portable ballistic divider wall, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide an improved portable ballistic divider wall that has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned above.
To attain this, the preferred embodiment of the present invention essentially comprises a plurality of wall panels each having a body portion with opposed body edges and a face panel with opposed face edges, the face panel being formed of a ballistic-resistant material, the wall panels having fastener facilities operable to connect a body edge of each body portion with a respective adjacent body edge of an adjacent body portion, the face panel having a flange portion extending beyond the body edge, and the flange portion being operable to cover a seam between abutting body edges. The fastener facilities may be operable to secure adjacent wall panels in an angled relationship, while the flange covers the entirety of a seam between the adjacent body portions. The body portions have a body thickness, and the flanges may have a width at least 57% of the body thickness. There may be a brace assembly attached to the body portion. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention 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.
The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various figures.
An embodiment of a portable ballistic divider wall formed by the portable ballistic divider wall panels of the present invention is shown and generally designated by the reference numeral 10.
More particularly, the portable ballistic divider wall panel 12 has a bullet resistant panel 14 having a top 16, bottom 18, left side 20, right side 22, a front face 24, and a rear face 26. In the current embodiment, the bullet resistant panel is a Level I ¼ inch thick multi-ply laminated ballistic fiberglass material manufactured by Waco Composites of Waco, Tex., United States Bullet Proofing of Upper Marlboro, Md., as well as other companies. The bullet resistant panel conforms to U.L. 752 and N.I.J. 0108.01 standards. The Level I bullet resistant panel is rated to not be penetrated by the NATO 9 mm round, but testing has shown it to resist penetration by 0.40 S&W, and 0.45 ACP rounds also. In alternative embodiments, the bullet resistant panel could be any ballistic protection level up to level eight, which would be a panel 1⅜ inch thick. In the current embodiment, the bullet resistant panel has bullet resistant capabilities up to and including 7.62×51 NATO rounds, and is 78 inches high and 48 inches wide, but it could also be up to 120 inches high and 72 inches wide.
A frame 38 is attached to the rear face 26 of the bullet resistant panel 14. The frame has a top member 28, bottom member 30, left member 32, and right member 34. In the current embodiment, the frame is 78 inches high and 46 inches wide. As a result, the left edge 20 of the bullet resistant panel acts as a flange and overhangs the left member of the frame by 2 inches. The frame members are all 3½ inches wide. Therefore, the 2 inch flange overhang has a width that is 57% of the frame's thickness of 3½ inches. Preferably, the flange has a width at least half the thickness of the frame to provide an adequate angle between panels without a gap between the panel surfaces. An angle of 30° between panels can then be safely tolerated, which permits a wide range of structural shapes of the assembled ballistic divider wall 10. In the current embodiment, the members are manufactured from 2×4 lumber. The members are preassembled into the wooden frame using fixtures to ensure the members remain square. Four screw holes 36 are drilled in each of the left and right members, and two screw holes 36 are drilled in each of the top and bottom members. In the current embodiment, the screw holes are ¾ inch through holes. To attach the frame to the bullet resistant panel, countersunk holes (not shown) are drilled in the bullet resistant panel at 16 inch intervals, and 3/16×2 screws (not shown) are used to threadedly connect the bullet resistant panel to the frame. Subsequently, the entire assembled wall panel 12 is encapsulated with a sprayed waterproof, UV resistant coating such as polyurethane or epoxy (not shown). For indoor usage, the wall panel can be sprayed with white polyurethane to enhance lighting. In the current embodiment, the uncoated wall panel weighs 70 pounds, and the coated wall panel weighs 120 pounds. The wall panel is coated to extend the life of the ballistic panel and structure during training, handling, and storage. The coating also serves to protect the panel components from UV rays when used in exterior applications, and to increase the perceived lighting when used in interior applications.
The wall brace 52 has a telescoping brace leg base weldment 58 that is releasably secured to the brace leg 54 by a wire lock pin 56. The brace leg base weldment includes an angled plate 72 having a hole 60 that receives an anchor spike (not shown) to secure the brace leg to the floor or ground. In the current embodiment, the wall brace has a collapsed length of 68½ inches and an extended length of 83 inches. When the wall section 70 is ready for use, the wall section is vertical and the wall brace is positioned at a 28° angle with respect to the wall section, and the brace leg base weldment is located 36 inches from the rearmost edge of the rightmost bottom member 30. In the current embodiment, the brace leg base weldment is made of 1″×1″×0.083″ tube steel and is 27⅞ inches long, and the plate is 3/16″ thick steel. The plate is attached at a 62° angle relative to vertical. The wire lock pin is ¼ inch in diameter and 1¾ inches long. A suitable anchor spike for use with the current invention has a diameter of ⅜ and a length of 12″. The wall brace includes the telescoping brace leg base weldment so that when the brace leg base weldment is fully inserted into the wall brace, the wall brace will fit within the depth of the frame 38 for storage and transportation.
When the portable ballistic divider wall 10 is assembled as described, a round fired by a shooter on the side of the front face 24 of the bullet resistant panel 14 that strikes the wall 10 will deflect and continue in its previous general direction semi-parallel to the wall as shown by the arrow 74. For any rounds fired by a shooter on the side of the rear face 26 of the bullet resistant panel that strike the wall, the bullet will be sufficiently slowed and redirected by the wood frame 38 and the polyurethane or epoxy coating that it or any bullet fragments would not pose a threat to the shooter. The overhanging portions 20 of the bullet resistant panels prevent any bullets or bullet fragments from penetrating the wall at a joint. Bullet damage to the wall panels can effectively be repaired by gluing or screwing a 4″×4″ patch of the bullet resistant panel material on the inside of the panel.
While a current embodiment of a portable ballistic divider wall has been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention.
Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/925,759 filed on Jan. 10, 2014, entitled “PORTABLE BALLISTIC DIVIDER WALLS,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all that is taught and disclosed therein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61925759 | Jan 2014 | US |
