Patent Application
20160290770
The present invention relates generally to shields for the human body. More particularly, disclosed herein is a removable, flexible, textile-based shield cover and a shield incorporating such a cover capable of delivering an electrical discharge to a plurality of conductive pathways incorporated into the removable cover. The shield cover can be textile-based with electrically conductive pathways, electronic components with an electrical supply for generating the electrical output, and an actuator, such as a switch, to activate the system when desired.
Military and law enforcement officers often use shields, such as ballistic shields and riot or crowd control shields, to stop or deflect bullets fired at the carrier and in breaching operations and crowd control. When the shields are used in close-quarters, including during breaching operations or crowd control, aggressors will often push up against the shields or grab at the shields in an effort to move the shield or pull it away from the carrier thereby making the carrier vulnerable. Consequently, adding an electrical discharge system and method to the shield would be beneficial in breaking contact with such aggressors and discouraging this type of behavior.
Shields having electrical discharge abilities built into the shield itself have been disclosed. There are also conversion kits available to transform existing shields by adding electrical discharge capabilities. However, it has become clear to the present inventors that there remains a need in the field for a system and method that permits effective and controllable electrical discharge capabilities to be readily applied to and removed from such shields.
With an awareness of the foregoing, the present inventors set forth with the fundamental object of providing a cover for shields and shields incorporating such covers that are capable of producing effective, controllable, and repeatable electrical discharge.
A related object of the invention is to provide a cover for shields that can be readily applied to and removed from such shields.
These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious not only to one who reviews the present specification and drawings but also to those who have an opportunity to experience an embodiment of the shield cover disclosed herein in use. However, it will be appreciated that, although the accomplishment of each of the foregoing objects in a single embodiment of the invention may be possible and indeed preferred, not all embodiments will seek or need to accomplish each and every potential advantage and function. Nonetheless, all such embodiments should be considered within the scope of the present invention.
In carrying forth one or more of the foregoing objects, one embodiment of the invention comprises a shield cover for being removably retained relative to a shield with a shield body. The shield cover can have a shield cover body for being applied to, retained by, and removed from the shield body. An electrical discharge system can comprise a source of electrical power, at least one electrically conductive pathway retained by the shield cover body, and an actuator for activating the electrical discharge system to an activated condition wherein electrical power is applied to the electrically conductive pathway.
The at least one electrically conductive pathway could, for instance, be formed by conductive thread. For instance, the at least one electrically conductive pathway could be formed with first and second strands of electrically conductive thread running in a generally parallel configuration with the first strand comprising a positive conductive thread and the second strand comprising a negative conductive thread. It would also be within the scope of the invention to have the at least one electrically conductive pathway formed with a unitary member of material incorporating both positively and negatively conductive wires, strands, or other members. Under certain practices of the invention, electrical insulation material could be retained by the shield cover body for preventing arcing relative to the shield body.
Embodiments of the shield cover are contemplated wherein the shield cover body has at least a resilient portion. By way of example, the shield cover body can be at least partially formed from a stretch fabric.
Moreover, as taught herein, the actuator for activating the electrical discharge system to an activated condition could take the form of a switch for selectively activating the electrical discharge system. The switch could, in certain embodiments comprise a momentary switch. The switch could be retained relative to the shield cover body by a flexible cord.
In certain embodiments, an arcing structure can be retained by the shield cover body. The arcing structure could be capable of producing at least one visible electrical arc when actuated. Additionally or alternatively, the arcing structure could be capable of producing at least one audible electrical arc when actuated.
Also disclosed and protected is a shield removably retaining a shield cover as taught herein. The shield can have a shield body of any type, and the shield cover body can be selectively applied to, retained by, and removed from the shield body. Again, an electrical discharge system can be provided. The electrical discharge system can comprises a source of electrical power, at least one electrically conductive pathway retained by the shield cover body, and an actuator for activating the electrical discharge system to an activated condition wherein electrical power is applied to the electrically conductive pathway. The shield cover can have any or all of the further characteristics disclosed and protected herein.
One will appreciate that the foregoing discussion broadly outlines the more important goals and features of the invention to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventors' contribution to the art. Before any particular embodiment or aspect thereof is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of the many possible manifestations of the invention.
In the accompanying drawing figures:
Any specific features included in the drawing figures should be considered merely to expound on and elucidate the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting as to material, dimension, relative positioning, or in any other way.
As is the case with many inventions, the present invention for a shield cover and a shield incorporating the shield cover is subject to a wide variety of embodiments. However, to ensure that one skilled in the art will fully understand and, in appropriate cases, be able to practice the present invention, certain preferred embodiments of the broader invention revealed herein are described below and shown in the accompanying drawings.
A shield according to the invention is indicated generally at 10 in
The present invention thus pertains to a removable, flexible, textile-based shield cover 12 capable of delivering an electrical discharge over one or a plurality of conductive pathways incorporated into the removable shield cover 12. The shield cover 12 can, in certain embodiments, be made partially or entirely from a stretch fabric that is constructed to stretch easily and fit tight to the shield body 14 and, potentially, to shield bodies 14 of varied shapes and sizes. The shield cover 12 can additionally or alternatively incorporate elastic banding about an edge thereof thereby permitting the shield cover 12 to be disposed over and retained on a shield body 14.
Electrically conductive pathways capable of carrying the electrical discharge are incorporated into, onto, or under the fabric cover 12. The fabric cover 12 can have multiple layers. The electrically conductive pathways could, by way of example and not limitation, be formed with sewn or woven conductive threads, schematically indicated at 22, electrically conductive screen printed inks, or any other suitable method or mechanism for establishing an electrically conductive pathway that may now exist or hereafter be developed. Embodiments are contemplated wherein the electrically conductive pathway or pathways 22 are arranged on a separate electrical layer beneath the outer surface of the cover 12 with a thin cotton material disposed thereon, such as by stitching or any other method.
As seen in
In most shield designs, there are metallic components, such as handles 16 and handle hardware 18, which would be electrically conductive and could interfere with the effectiveness and safety of the electrical discharge. For this reason, the disclosed shield cover 12 provides an electrical insulation material that is incorporated into the shield cover 12 to ensure that the cover 12 will perform and not electrically short to any metallic components incorporated into the shield body 14 itself. This electrical insulation could be applied to the entire shield cover 12 or to particular locations where metallic components are located. For example,
The shield cover 12 includes an electrical discharge system 26 for controlling and operating the electrical discharge exacted through the electrically conductive pathways 22. In certain embodiments, the electrical discharge system 26 could include one or more batteries 28 or any other power source, associated electronic circuitry 30 to control the electrical output, and one or more activation mechanisms to enable and, additionally or alternatively to activate the electrical discharge.
Enablement or activation of the electrical discharge could be carried forth in a number of ways within the scope of the invention. By way of example, the electrical discharge could be enabled or activated by a momentary switch 34 with electricity being discharged only when the switch 34 is depressed or otherwise triggered or for a timed output, such as by activating for a predetermined amount of time or a predetermined number of activations in response to sensed external contacts.
Where a switch 34 is employed, it could be located in any convenient location for the operator. In contemplated example of the shield cover 12, the switch 34 can for example, be tethered and in electrical communication with the remainder of the electronic system via a cord 32, such as a coiled cord 32. With that, the switch 34 could be selectively placed, such as by hook and/or loop material 36 or some other attachment mechanism, to substantially any desired location on the shield. Moreover, under such a construction, the switch 34 could be held directly in the operator's hand.
It is further contemplated that some or all of the electrical discharge system 26 can be removable from the shield cover 12. This can be facilitated, for example, by easily separated mechanical and electrical connections between the body of the shield cover 12 and some or all of the electrical discharge system 26.
The flexible shield cover 12 could incorporate an arcing structure 25 for producing visible and, additionally or alternatively, audible electrical arcing within the fabric structure of the shield cover 12. The arcing structure 25 can, for example, be achieved through a seaming construction. Relevant, but non-limiting, teaching may be found, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,227 for an Electrically Charged Self-Defense Wearable, which is incorporated herein by reference. When actuated, whether selectively or automatically, this arcing structure 35 can act as a visible and audible warning or deterrent and, to an extent, as a safety mechanism to prevent, for example, unintended contact with the electrical discharge. Other methods are within the scope of the invention except as it might expressly be limited by the claims. The visible and audible warnings could be supplemented or emphasized with additional lighting elements and audible tones. Any additional lighting and auditory elements and necessary wiring incorporated into the shield cover 12 can advantageously remain flexible and conformal with the fabric of the cover 12.
It will be understood that inventive aspects of the shield 10 and shield cover 12 disclosed herein could be carried forth in widely varied embodiments. One such alternative is depicted in
As is illustrated schematically in
The shield cover 12 can again incorporate a spark gap 25. The spark gap 25 can traverse laterally across a portion of the exterior face of the shield cover 12. The positive and negative electrically conductive pathways 22A and 22B in this example communicate longitudinally in spaced, generally parallel relation to one another along the spark gap 25. With that, the pathways 22A and 22B span and surround the length of the spark gap 25.
When the electrically conductive pathways 22A and 22B are provided with an electrical charge, an electrical charge can be applied to a being, such as a human being, who touches the outer face of the shield 10, such as to bridge the positive and negative electrically conductive pathways 22A and 22B on the face of the shield cover 12 or over the spark gap 25.
With the positive and negative electrically conductive pathways 22A and 22B exposed along the spark gap 25, the spark gap 25 can establish an arcing structure 38 for producing visible and, additionally or alternatively, audible electrical arcing within the fabric structure of the shield cover 12. When actuated, whether selectively or automatically, this arcing structure of the spark gap 25 can act as a visible and audible warning or deterrent and, to an extent, as a safety mechanism to prevent, for example, unintended contact with the electrical discharge. Again, other methods are within the scope of the invention except as it might expressly be limited by the claims. The visible and audible warnings could be supplemented or emphasized with additional lighting elements and audible tones. Any additional lighting and auditory elements and necessary wiring incorporated into the shield cover 12 can advantageously remain flexible and conformal with the fabric of the cover 12.
The shield cover 12 again incorporates electrical insulation material and structural properties to ensure that the cover 12 will perform and will not electrically short to any metallic components incorporated into the shield body 14 itself. This electrical insulation could be applied to the entire shield cover 12 or to particular locations where metallic components are located. For example,
The shield cover 12 can selectively retain an electrical discharge system as shown previously for controlling and operating the electrical discharge exacted through the electrically conductive pathways 22A and 22B. As shown in
In the depiction of
As shown in
With certain exemplary embodiments and details of the present invention for a shield cover 12 and shield 10 incorporating the same disclosed, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that numerous changes and additions could be made thereto without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention. This is particularly true when one bears in mind that the presently preferred embodiments merely exemplify the broader invention revealed herein. Accordingly, it will be clear that those with major features of the invention in mind could craft embodiments that incorporate those major features while not incorporating all of the features included in the preferred embodiments.
Therefore, the following claims shall define the scope of protection to be afforded to the inventors. Those claims shall be deemed to include equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention. It must be further noted that a plurality of the following claims may express certain elements as means for performing a specific function, at times without the recital of structure or material. As the law demands, any such claims shall be construed to cover not only the corresponding structure and material expressly described in this specification but also all equivalents thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62141983 | Apr 2015 | US |
