Patent Application
20190301838
This invention relates to a table for use in protection from attackers/aggressors and more particularly protection from an active shooter's bullets.
With attacks by terrorists and active shooters on the rise, it is highly desirable to have some convenient form of temporary ballistic protection behind which students, employees and others can safely shelter. One of the main threats today consists of one or more active shooters that enter schools, business areas, or other public areas and simply spray bullets indiscriminately with the intent to kill or seriously injure as many people as possible in a short time. At present, the standard operating procedure during an active shooter incident is to lock down and “shelter in place”, lying on the ground as quietly and as flat as possible so as to not attract attention or to appear to be dead. The AR-15 and other ‘assault rifles’ have frequently been used by active shooters. Standard ‘assault rifle’ projectiles travel at 2700-3100 feet per second and can easily penetrate standard walls, desks, tables, chairs, file cabinets and even double-sided steel doors. This makes the current strategy of “Sheltering” in place an extremely dangerous and reckless practice unless some highly effective form of ballistic shelter is provided, behind which individuals can shelter. A desk that is comprised of material that is rated to stop multiple full metal jacket rounds from various “Assault Rifles” (e.g. AR-15, M-16, AK-47, M1A, M4, M14, etc.) as well as stopping multiple rounds from less powerful weapons such as hand guns, sub machine guns, shot guns etc is desirable.
This disclosure is summarized below only for purposes of introducing embodiments of the disclosure. The ultimate scope of the disclosure is to be limited only to the claims that follow the specification.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ballistic protective table behind which students or employees can safely shelter in place from virtually all types of pistol, assault rifle and submachine gun rounds.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved protective table that can easily be turned-on-edge to serve as a highly effective, temporary, movable ballistic barrier.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved protective table that is relatively inexpensive and can be used for school, work or other every-day activities.
Specific objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
In the following description, and for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are provided to thoroughly understand the various aspects of the invention. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the relevant arts, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, known structures and devices are shown or discussed more generally in order to avoid obscuring the invention. In many cases, a description of the operation is sufficient to enable one to implement the various forms of the invention, particularly when the operation is to be implemented in software. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices and technologies to which the disclosed embodiments may be applied. The full scope of the inventions is not limited to the examples that are described below.
Turning now to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is directed to
In a preferred embodiment, and as shown in
It will be understood that the preferred embodiment is simply one example included to illustrate a convenient size and type of material. In actual use table 10 can be constructed of any material capable of resisting or stopping pistol and rifle bullets and the like, some examples of which might include steel, titanium, or other metals, ceramics, shear-thickening fluid, magnetorheological fluid, multiple layers of various materials so constructed as to form a bullet resistant composite, etc. Also, the area and weight of the top can vary depending upon the individuals it is intended to protect. That is, in a business where only adults are working, a somewhat heavier/larger table might be desirable. Also, while it is desirable to have the table as light as possible for easy and quick overturning, some decorative or utility features might be added. Also, while two handles 16 are illustrated, it will be understood that anywhere from one to several might be included, although two handles are almost always required to insure a well-controlled turning-over of the table onto its side. The number and positioning of the handles will generally depend upon the individuals the table is intended to protect. For example, adults might be able to handle a larger table then school children, even if several school children cooperate in the process.
In operation, when an active shooter appears on the scene, one or more of the individuals the table is intended to protect, grasp handles 16 and quickly position the table and turn table 10 on its side or edge. Preferably, legs 14 are pointed toward the threat, e.g. the door or entrance to the room, which must be securely blocked to bar access by the active shooter. While the shooter can easily shoot through standard doors and walls, as long as shooter is prevented from entering the room, students or employees can safely shelter behind protective table 10 with their backs to the table, several students deep by two students abreast (in the preferred example). Ideally, there would be three tables 10 per classroom which could be lined up next to each other and behind which 25-30 students could seek effective shelter from an active shooter. When the emergency is over, handles 16 are grasped and table 10 is returned to its normal upright position.
Thus, a protective table is disclosed that includes a top which is effectively pistol and rifle bullet proof (bullet resistant) and which can be quickly and easily turned on its side to provide an effective protective shield from bullets and the like for a group of individuals. In normal circumstances, the protective table is used as a standard table/desk for classroom, work or other every-day activities.
Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62649061 | Mar 2018 | US |
