The technical field of the present invention relates to ballistic or bullet resistant materials and structures.
In the accompanying drawings:
The instant invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and/or photographs, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be operative, enabling, and complete. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention.
Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Unless otherwise expressly defined herein, such terms are intended to be given their broad ordinary and customary meaning not inconsistent with that applicable in the relevant industry and without restriction to any specific embodiment hereinafter described. As used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term “one”, “single”, or similar language is used. When used herein to join a list of items, the term “or” denotes at least one of the items, but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list.
For exemplary methods or processes of the invention, the sequence and/or arrangement of steps described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal arrangement, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or arrangement, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and arrangements while still falling within the scope of the present invention.
Additionally, any references to advantages, benefits, unexpected results, or operability of the present invention are not intended as an affirmation that the invention has been previously reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed. Likewise, unless stated otherwise, use of verbs in the past tense (present perfect or preterit) is not intended to indicate or imply that the invention has been previously reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed.
The inventors have discovered that a previously unrealized need exists for a method of protecting gatherings of people against gunfire, particularly in situations such as large outdoor events in which a gunman is firing indiscriminately at a crowd. The inventors further realized that any type of protection that is pre-assembled and in place during such events is largely ineffective for the simple reason that the shooter would be aware of it and plan accordingly. The inventors deduced that an effective system should therefore be largely unobtrusive and inconspicuous, or even hidden until needed. The embodiments disclosed herein are accordingly intended to provide a protection system that will serve as an effective shield against gunfire for groups of people in a mass shooting scenario, but without unnecessarily interfering with or distracting from the event, or alerting a gunman ahead of time to the presence of such protection.
An exemplary rapid deployment anti-ballistic shelter in accordance with the present disclosure is indicated generally at reference numeral 1 in the drawing Figures. Shelter 1 is a rapidly deploying, or “pop-up” structure consisting of one or more anti-ballistic panels 3 attached to an elevating frame 5. The frame is rapidly configurable between a collapsed, or stowed condition in which the panels are laying or stacked flat on the ground or floor, and an elevated or deployed condition in which the panels are lifted or stood up by the frame in various vertical or tilted configurations.
Referring to
For example, in the embodiment of
A plurality of triangular shaped anti-ballistic panels 3 are suspended from the inside of the frame 5 of
An inflatable structure such as that of
The embodiments shown in
The embodiment of
Referring now to
The shelter embodiment of
The panels 3 of the present embodiment thus provide generally single-direction, or single gunman protection, similar in that respect to the shelter embodiment of
The anti-ballistic panels 3 incorporate relatively stiff materials, and are capable of remaining substantially rigid and planar throughout deployment of the shelter. The panels may further incorporate ballistic resistant materials arranged in one more layers capable of slowing or stopping high velocity rifle bullets. In one embodiment the material layers are preferentially arranged to optimize ballistic resistance on one side of the panel versus the other side.
One example shown in
For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention it is noted that the use of relative terms, such as “substantially”, “generally”, “approximately”, and the like, are utilized herein to represent an inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. These terms are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described above. No element, act, or instruction used in this description should be construed as important, necessary, critical, or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Although only a few of the exemplary embodiments have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in these exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.
In the claims, any means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures. Unless the exact language “means for” (performing a particular function or step) is recited in the claims, a construction under § 112, 6th paragraph is not intended. Additionally, it is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
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