Barrel assembly for non-lethal personal defense devices

Abstract

A barrel assembly for delivering non-lethal projectile (pepper ball, for example) to inhibit a living target, using various personal defense launching devices (paintball gun and other compressed-gas-powered launchers, for example), compact and automatic pistols as launching devices, method to launch pepper gel directly with a launching device, methods to effectively and swiftly rupture, spread and disperse the content of the non-lethal projectile to reach a target far away and at very fast speed, and tactical methods of the use of the barrel assembly, a barrel assembly has metal pins installed or built-in at the exit, said metal pins pinch and rupture the non-lethal projectile after said projectile has been accelerated inside the barrel. Variations of the pins include using gear-teeth, orifice or reduced inner diameter of the barrel at the exit, near the exit or in the middle of the barrel. A variation of the use of the barrel assembly is to launch more than one non-lethal projectile during one launch to increase the delivery dosage and covering areas.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This is the first application and no claim of related applications is hereby incorporated by reference.

REFERENCES CITED

US Patent Documents

[0002] TABLE-US-00001 6,494,195 B2 December 2002 Perry et al Barrel Assembly with Removable . . . 6,668,815 B1 December 2003 Fernandez Self-Aligning Paintball Gun Barrel . . . 6,823,857 B2 November 2004 Perry et al Barrel Assembly with Removable . . . 6,386,113 B1 May 2002 Pinney Non-Lethal Weapon Systems 6,546,661 B1 April 2003 Staubs Gun Mounted Sprayer 6,196,419 B1 March 2001 Haney et al Pistol-Shaped Cap for Use in . . . 5,950,611 A September 1999 Lopez et al Paintball Gun Having Movable Gas . . .

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

US Patent Application and Other Publications

[0003] TABLE-US-00002 20030152619 A1 August 2003 Stevens et al Method and Apparatus for . . . 20030047105 A1 March 2003 Vasel et al Non-Lethal Projectile Systems 20020134055 A1 September 2002 Martinz, Jr. Method for Manufacturing . . . 20030129138 A1 July 2003 Loghman Non-Lethal Incapacitation . . . WO 2004006679 A2 January 2004 Chiasson Extracts Derived from Plants . . . 20030010330 A1 January 2003 Jong Paintball Marker Loader . . . 20040020946 A1 February 2004 Fleischhauer Self-Defense Device . . . 20030056638 A1 March 2003 Poole Non-Lethal Personal Defense . . . 20030034404 A1 February 2003 Truelove Pressurized Sprayer 20020176254 A1 November 2002 Kostal et al Combined Self-Defense Device 20030047174 A1 March 2003 Tiberius et al Semi-Automatic-Firing Gas Gun 20030106545 A1 June 2003 Verini Non-Lethal Handgun 20050011507 A1 January 2005 Webb Projectile Firing Device using . . . 20050005924 A1 January 2005 Sheng Paintgun with Pneumatic . . . 20040144012 A1 July 2004 Adams Combustion Gas Powered . . . 20040134476 A1 July 2004 Smith et al Pneumatically Operated . . . 20030131514 A1 July 2003 Rice et al Paintball Marker WO 2004073361 A2 August 2004 Nerheim Electronic Disabling Device

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] This invention relates generally to barrel assemblies for non-lethal personal defense devices, and more specifically to launchers that deliver non-lethal chemicals to an animal or human target using projectiles containing said chemicals. The launchers include, but not limited to, pressurized-gas powered devices, such as a regular paintball marker or paintball gun. The projectiles can be paintball-sized balls containing pepper spray liquid, pepper powder, pepper gel and other chemicals.

[0005] The most commonly used non-lethal personal defense devices include pepper sprayers, pepper-ball launchers and stun guns. However, these current devices have their own shortcomings that severely limit their applications.

[0006] U.S. Patent Application Publication 20020176254A1 to Kostal et al. reported a compact pepper sprayer, which combines a regular pepper sprayer with a flashlight. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,546,661 and 6,196,419 to Staubs and Haney et al., respectively, disclosed two similar gun-mounted sprayers. Both of them are actually regular sprayers mounted on a mechanism operated similar to a regular handgun--using the trigger of the gun to activate the sprayer. All of the above compact sprayers are limited in applications by the short distance that the spray can cover and by the slow speed that the spray is delivered to the target, even though these sprayers are compact, effective under the right circumstances and truly non-lethal to the living target.

[0007] U.S. Patent Application Publications 20040020946A1 (by Fleischhauer), 20030056638A1 (by Poole) and 20030034404A1 (by Truelove) discussed potentially much larger sprayer systems than the compact sprayers. These large sprayers work similarly to the compact sprayer in principal by directly delivering the non-lethal pressurized chemical agents to the target in a form of spray. Although their sprays can cover much longer distance, the large sprayer systems are slow in speed and not convenient to use due to their large sizes.

[0008] U.S. Patent Application Publication 20030047105A1 by Vasel et al. discussed a non-lethal projectile for non-lethally inhibiting a living target using multi-functional launching devices. It also discussed methods of the use of such non-lethal projectile: by using launchers that work in the same way as a paintball marker or paintball gun, the projectile is delivered to the target and the projectile body ruptures upon impact on the target, releasing the chemical substance inside of the projectile. Using this method, the chemicals can be delivered to a target much farther away and at much quicker speed than using a regular sprayer. However, the projectile needs to directly hit certain areas on the living target to be effective, causing unacceptable uncertainties in aiming, especially at moving targets. Further more, some projectiles fail to rupture after impact, very similar to regular paintballs used in the sport shooting game.

[0009] PCT Publication WO 200407336A2 by Nerheim of Taser International Inc. reported the latest development about Taser stun guns--a device used for disabling living target by providing an electric current through electrodes and the target in a circuit having an air gap between an electrodes and the target. The 50,000-volt current passed between the two electrodes is believed, by some, to be the cause of some deaths amongst the people who have been hit by a Taser stun gun. The real causes of those deaths are being disputed by various parties involved, but there is one thing for certain--the high voltage current definitely makes the Taser stun gun more lethal than the pepper-spray-based devices.

[0010] In summary, most commonly used non-lethal personal defense devices are limited in applications by their own shortcomings and remain a source of frustration for users and law enforcement agents. A cost-effective, compact, swift, effective and truly-non-lethal personal defense device can certainly help promote homeland security in the United States and is much needed by the public.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention addresses the aforementioned problems by providing a barrel assembly for delivering non-lethal projectile, such as a pepper ball, to a living target, using various personal defense launching devices, such as compressed CO.sub.2-powered paintball gun and other compressed-gas-powered launchers. More specifically, the barrel assembly has metal pins inside its bore. The said pins are located near the exit of said barrel assembly and are in the path of the projectile in order to pinch and rupture the non-lethal projectile after the projectile has been accelerated inside the barrel. The prototype barrel assembly used with a CO.sub.2-powered paintball gun has shown that the method can effectively break, spread and disperse the content of a non-lethal projectile, that the substance inside the projectile can reach a target much farther away and at a much faster speed than a regular spray. Since the projectile is ruptured at the exit of the barrel, the chemical substance in the projectile is widely dispersed before reaching the target and covers a large area that is similar to a regular pepper spray, effectively forming a bullet pepper spray. Such a pepper spray, scientifically named as oleoresin capsicum, can temporarily incapacitate the living target instantly. As a result, precise aiming at the target is not required and only "point-and-shoot" is needed. A barrel assembly disclosed in the present invention used in a CO.sub.2-powered paintball handgun, such as the ones disclosed in U.S. Patents Application Publications 20030047174A1 and 20030106545A1 to Tiberius et al. and Verini, respectively, firing a pepper ball, such as the ones disclosed by U.S. Patent Application Publication 20030047105A1 by Vasel et al, is well qualified as a cost-effective, compact, swift, effective and truly-non-lethal personal defense device.

[0012] Variations of the barrel assembly include using non-metal pins, blades, gear-teeth, orifice or reduced inner diameter of the barrel at the exit, near the exit or in the middle of the barrel.

[0013] A variation of the use of the barrel assembly is to launch more than one non-lethal projectile during one launch to increase the delivery dosage and the covering area by the chemical substance released from the projectile. Two as well as three paintballs have been successfully launched by the prototype barrel assembly during one launch with a CO.sub.2-powered paintball gun and showed significant increase in the area on the target covered by the paint.

[0014] The pressurized-gas-powered launcher can be a pistol (disclosed in U.S. Patents Application Publications 20030047174A1 and 20030106545A1 to Tiberius et al. and Verini, respectively), a rifle (such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,611 to Lopez et al., U.S. Patents Application Publications 20040134476A1 by Smith et al and 200301315A1 by Rice et al) and other alternative types (U.S. Patent Application Publication 20030047105A1 by Vasel et al).

[0015] Further aspects of this invention will become apparent in the Detailed Description and by reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference and in which:

[0017] FIG. 1A illustrates one preferred embodiment of the present invention including the barrel installed in a regular pistol paintball gun and the metal pins at the exit of the barrel.

[0018] FIG. 1B illustrates the expanded partial view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1A.

[0019] FIG. 1C illustrates the expanded partial view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 1A.

[0020] FIG. 2 shows a variation of the present invention--a barrel assembly installed in a regular pistol paintball gun--including the barrel and cap of the barrel with an orifice located near the exit of the barrel assembly.

[0021] FIG. 3A shows another variation of the present invention--a barrel assembly installed in a regular pistol paintball gun--including the barrel and cap of the barrel with four (4) gear-teeth located at the exit of the barrel assembly.

[0022] FIG. 3B illustrates the partial view of the barrel assembly shown in FIG. 3A in the direction of arrow D.

[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates a profile view of a human target as the bullet spray from a pepper ball launched using the present invention covers and incapacitates him.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments or processes in which the invention may be practiced. Where possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like components. In some instances, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The present invention, however, may be practiced without the specific details or with certain alternative equivalent devices and methods to those described herein. In other instances, well-known methods and devices have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention.

[0025] FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C show a CO.sub.2-powered paintball pistol 1, similar to the one disclosed in U.S. Patents Application Publications 20030047174A1 to Tiberius et al., installed with a preferred embodiment of the present invention including barrel 7 and metal pins 22, 23, 24 and 25 at the exit of barrel 7. Pistol 1 is mainly consisted of CO.sub.2 cylinder 2, handle 3, pepper-ball loader 4, pepper ball 5 and trigger 6. Pepper ball 5 can be made using the methods disclosed by Vasel et al. in U.S. Patent Application Publication 20030047105A1. Trigger 6, when pressed, releases a portion of the compressed gas in cylinder 2. The gas pushes pepper ball 5 in barrel 7 towards the exit. Pepper ball 5 is swiftly accelerated to a very high speed (at least 100 meters per second) before reaching metal pins 22 through 25. Although a minimum of three (3) pins are needed to pinch the ball and to achieve the desired results, a single pin can still rupture the ball. Therefore, the number of pins used could vary. There are different ways to insert the pins into the barrel. The easiest way is to tap threads in the barrel and screw the pins in, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0026] As pepper ball 5 passes through pins 22 through 25, it is ruptured and the liquid pepper substance inside is dispersed by the high pressure gas behind and by the air resistance ahead, as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a partial view of barrel 7, in which pepper ball 5 is about to be ruptured by pins 22 and 23 during a launch. The ruptured pepper ball 26, with its pepper substance traveling at 100 meters per second, is quickly spread into spray 27. Spray 27 is further dispersed into an even larger spray or plume 28 completing the formation of bullet spray 29 before reaching human target 30.

[0027] FIG. 2 discloses barrel assembly 8 according to the embodiment of a variation of the present invention. Barrel assembly 8 is consisted of barrel 7 and barrel cap 10. Barrel cap 10 is screwed to barrel 7 via threads 13 and sealed by o-ring 9. Barrel cap 10 has the same or slightly bigger inner diameter than barrel 7. Similar to the pistol shown in FIG. 1A, pistol 1 is consisted of CO.sub.2 cylinder 2, handle 3, pepper-ball loader 4, pepper ball 5 and trigger 6. Trigger 6 releases a portion of the compressed gas in cylinder 2. The gas accelerates pepper ball 5 in barrel 7 towards exit 12. Orifice 11 is near the exit and has a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of barrel cap 10. Pepper ball 5 is ruptured as it squeezes through orifice 11 at very high speed.

[0028] There are different ways to attach barrel cap 10 to barrel 7 as well as different ways to rupture pepper ball 5, resulting in other variations of the barrel assembly. A metal mesh installed at the barrel exit, outside of the barrel, for example, can not only break the pepper ball but also trap the debris of the pepper ball shells, preventing possible minor injuries to the living target.

[0029] FIG. 3A discloses a variation of barrel assembly 8 according to the embodiment of a variation of the present invention. Barrel assembly 8 is consisted of barrel 7 and barrel cap 14. Barrel cap 14 is attached to barrel 7 via pins 15 and sealed by o-ring 16. Barrel cap 14 has the same or slightly bigger inner diameter than barrel 7. Similar to the pistol shown in FIG. 1A, pistol 1 is consisted of CO.sub.2 cylinder 2, handle 3, pepper-ball loader 4, pepper ball 5 and trigger 6. Trigger 6 releases a portion of the compressed gas in cylinder 2. The gas accelerates pepper ball 5 in barrel 7 towards exit 18. Pepper ball 5 is ruptured by gear-teeth 17, 19, 20 and 21, as shown in FIG. 3B.

[0030] While certain preferred embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of, and not restrictive on, the broad invention. Other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, including embodiments that do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of this invention. Further, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific construction and arrangements shown and described since various modifications or changes may occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by the claims that follow. In the claims, a portion shall include greater than none and up to the whole of a thing. In the method claims, reference sequences are used for convenience of description only, and do not indicate a particular order for performing the method.

Claims

1. A barrel assembly for launchers for launching non-lethal projectiles, said projectiles contain disabling substance and are designed to rupture upon impact on target, comprising: a launch barrel within the launcher body or attached to the launcher body; a set of metal pins, blades, gear-teeth, metal mesh or an orifice coupled with the barrel, located inside the bore of the barrel at the exit, near the exit, in the middle of the barrel or right outside of the barrel at the exit.

2. A method of non-lethally debilitating a target using a non-lethal projectile comprising a projectile body containing an inhibiting substance, such as pepper liquid, pepper powered and pepper gel, said method comprising: launching a projectile at high speed from a launch device and rupturing the projectile by mechanical forces at the exit, near the exit or in the middle of the barrel of the launch device, dispersing the inhibiting substance contained in the projectile at the time of rupture, delivering the substance to the target in the form of spray, plume and/or mist.

3. A CO.sub.2 powered, highly compact and fully-automatic pistol for launching non-lethal projectiles, the pistol is mainly consisted of a trigger mechanism; a bolt assembly and a valve assembly.

4. A CO.sub.2 powered, highly compact and fully-automatic pistol for launching pepper gel spray, the pistol is mainly consisted of a trigger mechanism; a bolt assembly and a valve assembly.

5. A method of non-lethally disabling a target using pepper gel said method comprising: launching a plug of pepper gel at high speed from a launch device, said pepper gel plug is accelerated in the barrel of the launch device by high pressure gas, dispersing said pepper gel plug at exit of the barrel, delivering the pepper gel to the target in the form of spray, plume and/or mist.