1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for retrieval of projectiles fired into a bullet stop and containment chamber. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system which removes bullets and bullet fragments from a series of containment chambers or an elongate chamber more conveniently and with less environmental exposure to the lead of the bullets.
2. State of the Art
In order to maintain their proficiency with various types of firearms, law enforcement officers and others routinely engage in target practice. For many years, target practice was conducted in environments in which there was little concern for recovering the bullets. Firing ranges commonly used a large mound of earth to decelerate the bullet after it had passed through the target. Such a system was generally safe, in that the dirt was effective in stopping the bullet and preventing injuries. (While the most common projectile at a firing range is a bullet, other projectiles, such as shot, can also be present. Thus, as used herein, projectiles includes bullets and vice versa.)
More recently, considerable concern has been raised about the lead contained in the bullet. Though the bullet fired in to the mound of dirt was safely contained from the point of being a moving projectile with a significant amount of inertial momentum, the lead in the bullet was free to escape into the environment. For example, when a mound containing a number of bullets became wet, lead could leach into surrounding soil and even the groundwater. When a range was used frequently, a considerable amount of lead could be released into the environment, thereby injuring wildlife and contaminating groundwater supplies.
Partially due to these concerns, firing ranges increasingly turned to the use of bullet containment chambers to capture fired bullets and fragments thereof. The bullets may be recycled or otherwise disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations.
Bullet containment chambers typically include an opening through which the bullet enters, a deceleration mechanism for slowing the bullet to a stop, and a container mechanism for holding the bullet until it is retrieved from the containment chamber.
One early bullet containment chamber is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 684,581 to Reichlin. The chamber had an opening over which a target was placed. The chamber sloped downwardly and inwardly to provide a rounded deceleration path. A container area was also provided at the bottom of the unit to collect bullets.
An alternate design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,013,133 to Caswell. Rather than directing the bullet in a vertically circular path, the bullet stop of Caswell had the bullet travel initially in a generally horizontal circle as it decelerated. As the bullet slowed, it would drop to the bottom of the deceleration chamber where it could be retrieved.
Still another configuration of a bullet containment system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,109 to Simonetti. The system uses a granular impact material to decelerate the projectile. The impact material is cycled to provide ongoing inflow of impact material, and the bullets can be removed and recycled, etc.
Yet another configuration for containing bullets is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,924 to Copius. Similar to the traditional mound method, the patent teaches the use of a mound of sand to decelerate the projectiles. A drainage system is disposed under the sand to collect and process water which has come into contact with lead bullets and fragments contained within the same.
Still yet another bullet containment system is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,718 to Bateman. The containment system utilizes angled impact plates to decelerate bullets. Once the bullets had slowed sufficiently, they would fall into a canister mounted below the containment chamber.
Recognizing the environmental concerns raised by the lead dust which is created as the bullet is slowed to a stop, Bateman utilized a negative air system to draw air containing lead dust out of the containment chamber. The air could then be filtered to remove the lead dust prior to release into the atmosphere. The Bateman configuration is highly advantageous over most of the prior art configurations because lead dust is significantly reduced without the use of water or other carrying mediums. Those skilled in the art will appreciate. that once water becomes contaminated with lead dust, disposal of the water can cause significant challenges—both environmentally and financially.
One drawback which most of the prior configurations have had is that someone must retrieve the bullets from the containment chamber. This can be particularly time consuming on a large range which may have over two hundred canisters for collecting bullets. Even if the person removing the bullets works quickly, it could take a couple of hours or more to empty each bullet containing canister. Additionally, even a small canister filled with lead can be relatively heavy.
Of even greater concern, however, is the careful handling which must be used by those collecting the bullets. In order to remove the bullets, the person retrieving the bullets must first put on a hazardous materials suit to protect the person from the lead dust associated with the bullets. The suit may be cumbersome and uncomfortable and may be extremely hot. Additionally, if collection is occurring while the range is in use, the range must be configured so that the person retrieving the bullets cannot be hit by ricochets, etc. Also, each impact of the bullet generates lead dust which can be released into the atmosphere. Thus, with many configurations it is unwise to attempt to retrieve bullets, while the particular containment chamber is being used.
In addition to the collection of bullets which end up in the containment chambers, there is also a need to collect other by-products of the shooting. For example, after a cartridge is fired and the bullet projected into the containment chamber, the case is ejected from the gun. While each case will contain a small amount of lead, it is common to pick up the cases by hand or to use a conventional vacuum cleaning. Likewise, it is common for small lead fragments to be left on the initial impact surfaces which channel the bullet into the containment chambers. This debris is commonly cleaned either with a broom or with a conventional vacuum.
Thus, there is a need for an improved system for retrieving bullets from bullet containment chambers. Such a system should be easy to use and should minimize contact between the lead bullets and those charged with retrieval. Additionally, the system should save time and decrease costs associated with bullet retrieval. Most desirably, the system should also provide a convenient manner for collecting cases and bullet fragments which do not make it into the container for proper disposal.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bullet retrieval system which is inexpensive and easy to use.
It is another object of the present invention to limit the exposure of persons to lead dust and lead particles.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a system which decreases the employee time necessary to retrieve bullets.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a system which enables retrieval of bullets while bullets are being fired into the bullet containment chamber without risk to those retrieving the bullets and without risk of releasing lead dust into the atmosphere.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to minimize the need to use hazardous materials suits.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to facilitate clean-up of shooting related debris other than bullets.
The above and other objects of the invention are realized in specific illustrated embodiments of a bullet retrieval system including a plurality of control members which are placed in communication with bullet containment chambers. The control members are further disposed in communication with each other via a bullet transport mechanism which carries the bullets from the control members to a central processing location.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the control members are formed by a plurality of valves which are disposed in communication with the bullet containment chambers. The valves are remotely controlled to allow bullets from the bullet containment chambers to be released from the bullet containment chambers and into the transport mechanism. For example, a ball valve could be placed below each of the bullet containment chambers (or portions thereof). As projectiles are repeatedly fired into the chamber, they will accumulate above the valve. At some desired time interval or other period, the valve is then actuated to release the bullets from the chamber and into the transport mechanism.
The valves can be controlled in a variety of ways. In a simple system, the valves could be individually actuated (preferably from a remote location) to enable the operator of the firing range to empty containment chambers, or portions thereof, which are receiving a large number of rounds. In more sophisticated systems, the valves could be sequentially actuated periodically to retrieve bullets contained in the containment chambers. Even more sophisticated systems could employ sensors adjacent the valves to automatically actuate each valve when a predetermined load of bullets and fragments have accumulated above the valve.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the transport mechanism includes a vacuum system with sufficient suction to draw bullets into a remote receptacle. The vacuum is preferably connected to each of the valves so as to draw all bullets, fragments, etc., to a central location. The bullets are then fed into a central container where they can be enclosed and transported for recycling. While handling of the central container still requires the use of a hazardous materials suit, the exposure to lead dust and other risks are decreased significantly.
The use of the vacuum system can also be varied. The vacuum could be maintained continuously or could be actuated with each valve to decrease energy consumption.
While other transport mechanisms are available, many fail to contain lead dust and some, such as water, create serious environmental and financial concerns regarding disposal. Thus, a negative air transport system is believed to be highly advantageous over other alternatives.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, the transport mechanism can be used for clean-up of shooting related debris other than bullets which have entered a containment chamber. Preferably, the transport mechanism utilizes negative pressure to form a vacuum and a hose is provided so that the same vacuum can also be used to remove cases, bullet fragments and other shooting debris. Preferably, the transport mechanism with include an elongate flexible hose which enables the user to reach the opposing end of the shooting range. Also preferably included is a case canister which is configured to collect cases while encouraging most lead dust, etc., to continue to a subsequent containment mechanism to thereby substantially isolate the cases and the lead dust.
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. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the components of the individual embodiments discussed may be selectively combined in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.
Referring to
After passing through the opening 26, the projectile impacts a plurality of impact plates, such as impact plate 34, impact plate 34″ and impact plate 36. The impact plates 34, 34″ and 36 decelerate the projectile and form an egress 44 from the chamber 16. A check plate 46 is also provided to ensure that a projectile does not leave the bullet containment chamber with a significant amount of inertial momentum.
Disposed below the bullet containment chamber 16 is an adapter 82 which is configured to receive a canister 84 for collecting projectiles which have been fired into the bullet stop and containment chamber 10. As the projectile decelerates, it falls through the adapter 82 and into the canister 84. The canister 84 is provided with an upper rim 86 which is held against the adapter 82 by bars which are held against the rim by bolts 92 which are attached to the lower edge 94 of the adapter.
As the bullet stop and containment chamber 10 is used, bullets and other projectiles collect in the canister 84. Eventually, the projectiles must be removed. On a heavily used shooting range, the canister 84 can fill up frequently. Emptying the canisters 84, however, raises several problems. First, because the canisters 84 are filled with lead and lead dust, the person emptying the canister must wear a hazardous materials suit to minimize the exposure to the lead.
Second, while the containment chamber 16 of
Third, the time involved with emptying the containers can be significant. A large range may have twenty or thirty containment chambers, each having one or more canisters associated therewith. When the range is being used heavily, a worker can spend a considerable amount of time simply emptying containers. Thus, the man hours necessary to staff the range can be significant.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved bullet retrieval system is disclosed which alleviates the disadvantages of the prior art. The improved bullet retrieval system decreases the amount of staff time dedicated to bullet retrieval, decreases exposure of lead dust to the environment, and enables retrieval while the range is in use without risk to the staff.
Turning now to
Disposed at the bottom of the containment chamber 16, in
Actuation of the control mechanism 118 moves the valve 114 between a first, closed position and a second, open position. In the first position, the valve 114 maintains the projectiles in the bullet stop and containment chamber 100. When the control mechanism 118 is actuated so that the valve 114 is opened, the projectiles are able to pass out of the containment chamber and through the valve. Typically only one valve 114 will be open at a time, as too many open valves would lessen the suction to the point where the projectiles will not be moved adequately.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the functioning of the control mechanism 118 will differ depending on what type of valve is present. For example,
The valve 114 is also disposed in communication with a transport mechanism, generally indicated at 120 for carrying bullets away from the valve. As shown in
The control mechanism 118 could be manually activated. By eliminating the need for a person to remove the canisters 84 (
The drawback to manually actuating the valve 114 by the control mechanism 118 is that the bullet stop and containment chamber 100 must either not be used during actuation of the valve, or an employee is still placed behind the containment chamber 16 while rounds are being fired into the chamber. In the event the chamber were to fail and allow fragments to escape the chamber, the employee could be injured.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the control mechanism 118 is preferably actuated from a remote location. Thus, a valve actuator 128 is disposed adjacent the control mechanism 118. A control line 132 may be provided for actuating the actuator, or a receiver 136 could be used to allow for actuation responsive to radio controls. By “control line,” it is understood that the line may communication either electrically or pneumatically to actuate the valve.
Actuation of the valve 114 by the actuator 128 will depend on the valve's configuration. The ball valve 114 shown in
When the appropriate signal is sent to the valve actuator 128, the actuator rotates or otherwise moves the stem forming the control mechanism 118 so that the valve 114 is opened. With the valve 114 open, the bullets, etc., are drawn through the valve and into the transport mechanism in the form of a transport tube 122. Sufficient suction is drawn through the transport tube 122 to draw the projectile fragments through the pipe and into a central receptacle (not shown in
The actuator 128 is actuated to move the control mechanism 118 in the opposite direction to thereby close the valve 114. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the length of time which the valve remains open may depend on the amount of negative pressure which is produced. Additionally, it is important the suction 122 tube be relatively air-tight. Leaks in the transport tube 122 will risk release of lead dust into the environment and will lessen the suction available for moving the projectiles.
By providing remote control of the valves 114, the operator of the firing range is provided with numerous options regarding bullet retrieval. For example, a manual remote control system can be used with the person overseeing the firing range simply actuating the valves 114 associated with those containment chambers which are being used, while not actuating the valves associated with chambers which are not being used.
In the alternative, the control mechanisms 118 could be disposed in communication with a computer which automatically cycles through the valves 114 at predetermined intervals. Because only a few seconds are needed to remove the projectiles from each chamber or portion thereof, an entire shooting range could be emptied of bullets within minutes—not the considerable time associated with manually emptying the canisters 82.
Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that there are numerous mechanisms by which the valve actuator 128 could be supported. As shown in
Turning now to
As shown in
Opening the valve 114 allows a vacuum present in the pipe 122 to reach the valve 114 via the connecting pipe 122a. While the projectiles 142 will typically fall through the valve 114, the vacuum assists in removing any lead dust or other debris which is not as dense as the projectiles. Once through the valve 114, the projectiles, lead dust, and any other debris are drawn through the pipe 122 and into a container associated with the vacuum (discussed below with respect to
While the sensor 140 is shown as a valve which responds to the weight of the projectiles 142 to send the actuation signal to the valve actuator 128, other types of sensors could be used to indicate when the valve needs to actuated. For example, an optical sensor or some other electromagnetic sensor could be configured to send an actuation signal once a predetermined projectile load was present above the valve 114. In any such scenario, the sensor 140 allows the valve 114 to actuate only when necessary, thereby decreasing energy consumption and wear on the valve, etc. A control line 154 can also extend from the valve actuator 128 to the vacuum (not shown) to activate the vacuum and thereby provide suction for removal of the projectiles only when the valve 114 has been opened.
Due to the length of the bullet stop and containment chamber 210, a single valve 114 would generally be inadequate to remove all of the projectiles. Thus, as shown in
As with the configurations shown in
Each of the valves 114 is moved between the first, closed position and the second, open position, by the actuator 128 rotating the stem forming the control mechanism 118. Of course, if other types of valves were used, the actuator would be selected to move the control mechanism for that valve. Such modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure.
Each of the valve actuators 128 is controlled by a control line 132 which is connected to a remote control input mechanism in the form of a central processor 220. In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the processor may be a digital processor, a configuration which uses air logic or other pneumatics, or some electro-mechanical device which enables selective actuation.
While
The central processor 220 is able to selectively control each of the valves 114, via the valve actuators 128, to provide bullet retrieval in any desired pattern. For example, the central processor may actuate the distal most valve 114 (relative to the vacuum source discussed below), followed by the second most distal valve 114b, etc. until each of the valves have been actuated. While the valves 114 are being actuated in whatever pattern is desired, the central processor 220 also uses a control line 224 to activate a vacuum 230 which develops negative pressure in the suction pipe 122 and draws the projectiles away from the valves 114.
The vacuum 230 must be of relatively high power to develop the suction necessary to move small pieces of lead. It is presently understood that a vacuum having approximately 15 hp is more than adequate to develop sufficient negative pressure for bullet retrieval.
As the air containing the bullets is drawn into the vacuum 230, the air and the bullets are separated. The bullets are released into a collection area, such as a container 240, dedicated room, etc., and the air is passed through a filter to remove lead dust prior to release into the atmosphere. Once the container 240 is filled, it must be sealed and prepared for transport to a recycling plant or other facility. Handling of the container 240 at this point typically requires the use of a hazardous materials suit. However, a 55 gallon container 240, may contain several days worth of retrieved bullets. This is in contrast to the present system of bullet retrieval in which the hazardous materials suit must be worn frequently to empty canisters containing bullets and other projectiles.
On a large shooting range, the vacuum 230 may be disposed in communication with twenty or thirty valves 114. If each valve 114 is opened and suction applied through the transport tube 122 for 15 to 20 seconds to allow retrieval of the bullets, 3 to 4 valves could be done per minute. Thus, a complete cycle through each portion of the bullet stop and containment chamber could be completed in 5 to 10 minutes, with less risk of lead dust escaping into the atmosphere, less inconvenience to the employees, and without any interruption in shooting. In contrast, the prior art method of retrieving the bullets could take an hour or more, could allow lead dust into the atmosphere, and could require those using the range to cease shooting while the canisters were being replaced.
The valves 114 are also disposed in pneumatic communication with the transport tube 122 which transports the retrieved bullets to a container 240. One reason for the schematic of
The valves 114 are moveable between a first, closed position and a second open position via valve actuators 128. The valve actuators 128 are typically controlled by a remote control input mechanism 250. The remote control input mechanism 250 can be a computer which is preprogrammed with cycles in which the valves 114 are actuated, such as the central processor 220 discussed with respect to
Once the bullets are in the transport tube 122, they are transported by suction created by a fan 260 and deposited in the container 240 where they are stored for recycling. The air which carried the bullets is passed through a filter 254 prior to being released into the environment.
While the bullet retrieval system of the present invention will generally add to the initial costs of a firing range, the increased efficiency will quickly compensate for the cost. By removing the need to manually retrieve bullet, considerable employee time is saved. Additionally, by maintaining the lead separate from atmosphere from the containment chamber to the storage container, the bullets and associated lead dust pose a smaller risk to the atmosphere.
In light of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications which may be used. For example, one could used forced positive air pressure to move the projectiles instead of negative air pressure as set forth above. While using forced air would raise concerns about containing lead dust, it could be used by closing the valves prior to application of the air, along with maintaining air-tight transport tubes.
Turning now to
The extension tube 308 may be flexible and form a vacuum hose which terminates with a vacuum head 312 with an opening 316 through which cartridge cases and bullet fragments can be drawn into the extension tube 308 and ultimately through the transport tube 122. Thus, the user is able to use the transport tube both to retrieve projectiles and to clean the shooting range.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is common for people to sweep or vacuum the area with a conventional vacuum. In light of the lead dust which is present, sweeping or using a conventional vacuum simply increases the risk that the lead dust will become airborne and be inhaled by those at the shooting range. The present invention eliminates such concerns by directing the debris into a system which contains the lead dust.
While the extension tube 308 may be attached directly to the vacuum head 312, it is preferable to have a separating container 320 and an elongate flexible vacuum hose 324 disposed between the extension tube and the vacuum head. Bullet fragments, cases and other debris are drawn through the opening 316 in the vacuum head 312 and along the vacuum hose 324 by the suction supplied by the transport tube 122 as shown in
Cartridge cases 330 and lead dust 334 is drawn by suction into the opening 316 in the vacuum head 312 and along the vacuum hose 324. As the debris enters the separating container 320, the weight of the cartridge cases 330 causes them to fall to the bottom of the container. The smaller bullet fragments, lead dust 334, and other fine debris continues to be carried through the extension tube 308 and through the transport tube 122. Ultimately the lead dust 334 either settles in the container containing the bullets (not shown in
The vacuum extension 300 is highly advantageous in that it enables a single system to retrieve bullets, clean up used cartridge cases, and clean the range of bullet fragments and other small debris while continuously isolating the user from exposure to the lead or any other debris which may be detrimental. Furthermore, the vacuum extension 300 can be used to automatically sort the cases which are primarily copper, from the lead dust and other debris. Once the separating container 320 and the bullet container 240 (
Thus there is disclosed an improved bullet retrieval system which decreases environmental exposure to lead, increases the efficiency of bullet recovery, and which does not interfere with use of the range during bullet retrieval. 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.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/905,841, filed Jul. 13, 2001, which is expressly incorporated herein, and which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/406,344, filed Sep. 28, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,980.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3567223 | Gentiluomo | Mar 1971 | A |
4272078 | Vinette | Jun 1981 | A |
4728109 | Simonetti | Mar 1988 | A |
4786059 | Barini | Nov 1988 | A |
4919437 | Salabe et al. | Apr 1990 | A |
5738593 | Coury et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
5811718 | Bateman | Sep 1998 | A |
5848794 | Wojcinski et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
6311980 | Sovine et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20060208424 A1 | Sep 2006 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 09905841 | Jul 2001 | US |
Child | 11363495 | US | |
Parent | 09406344 | Sep 1999 | US |
Child | 09905841 | US |