U.S. patent application number 12/170058 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-29 for holder for firearm.
This patent application is currently assigned to HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN THE RIGHT OF CANADA AS REPRESENTED BY THE HONOURABLE. Invention is credited to Don Chenel.
Application Number | 20090026239 12/170058 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40224448 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090026239 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chenel; Don |
January 29, 2009 |
HOLDER FOR FIREARM
Abstract
A holder for attaching a firearm, such as a Taser.TM. gun, to a
Remote Mobile Investigator (RMI) robot equipped with a firing
interface is disclosed. The holder comprises a housing portion
defining a cavity portion for receiving the firearm, the housing
portion having a first opening aligned with the barrel of the
firearm, thereby allowing the firearm to be fired when housed in
the holder and attached to the robot. The housing portion also
includes a second opening for establishing an operable connection
between the firearm and the firing interface of the robot. A plate
member is hingedly attached to the housing portion, the plate
member having an open position providing access to the cavity
portion, and a closed position sealing the cavity portion. First
and second locking devices are provided for releaseably securing
the plate member in the closed position and for locking the holder
on to the robot.
Inventors: |
Chenel; Don; (Fredericton,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KRUGLIAK, WILKINS, GRIFFITHS & DOUGHERTY CO, LPA
4775 MUNSON STREET N.W., P.O. BOX 36963
CANTON
OH
44735-6963
US
|
Assignee: |
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN THE RIGHT
OF CANADA AS REPRESENTED BY THE HONOURABLE
Ottawa
CA
|
Family ID: |
40224448 |
Appl. No.: |
12/170058 |
Filed: |
July 9, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60948777 |
Jul 10, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/401 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A 23/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/401 |
International
Class: |
F41C 33/06 20060101
F41C033/06 |
Claims
1. A firearm holder for attachment to a robot equipped with a
firing interface, said holder comprising: a housing portion
defining a cavity portion for receiving a firearm, said housing
portion having a first opening aligned with the barrel of said
firearm, and a second opening for establishing an operable
connection between said firearm and the firing interface of said
robot; a plate member hingedly attached to said housing portion,
said plate member having an open position providing access to said
cavity portion, and a closed position sealing said cavity portion;
a first locking device for releasable securing said plate member in
said closed position; an extension member projecting rearwardly
from said housing portion, said extension member being adapted so
as to receive a corresponding projecting portion on said robot; and
a second locking device cooperating with said extension member and
said projecting portion for releasably locking said holder on said
robot.
2. A firearm holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said firearm is
a Taser.TM. gun.
3. A firearm holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing
portion includes: a backing plate having a portion extending beyond
the boundary of the cavity portion; said plate member also having a
portion extending beyond the boundary of the cavity portion, said
portion of the backing plate and said portion of the plate member
overlapping each other when said plate member is in said closed
position; wherein said portion of the backing plate and said
portion of the plate member have corresponding openings formed
therein for receiving said first locking device to lock said plate
member in said closed position.
4. A firearm holder as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first
locking device is a padlock.
5. A firearm holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said extension
member and said projecting portion are interlocking tubular members
each having transverse openings formed therein, each of said
transverse openings aligning with each other when said extension
member and projecting portion are positioned in their interlocking
relationship for receiving said second locking device.
6. A firearm holder as claimed in claim 5, wherein said second
locking device is a padlock.
7. A firearm holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cavity
portion is lined with layers of padding material for supporting
said firearm in position inside said cavity portion.
8. A firearm holder as claimed in claim 7, wherein said plate
member further includes strips of padding material for supportingly
engaging said firearm when said plate member is in said closed
position.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 60/948,777 filed on Jul. 10, 2007,
which is incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a guard or holder for securing a
firearm such as a Taser.TM. gun to a robot.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Remote mobile investigator (RMI) robots are now often being
deployed during tactical operations involving armed and/or
barricaded individuals in order to provide additional safety for
law enforcement personnel. RMI robots can be equipped with various
types of equipment so as to customize the RMI to a particular
situation and offer an alternative to deploying law enforcement
personnel into certain dangerous situations. For instance, when
gathering intelligence, an RMI robot can be equipped with video or
other surveillance equipment so as to provide additional
information to the law enforcement personnel involved in the
situation. In other instances, it is desirable to equip the RMI
robot with a firearm such as a Taser.TM. gun so as to avoid having
officers or law enforcement personnel in the line-of-fire.
[0004] In the past there has been a concern when using an RMI robot
in a tactical operation that requires equipping the RMI with one or
more weapons as to whether the weapons would become accessible to
the target individuals once the RMI has been deployed and used
against law enforcement personnel.
[0005] Various devices are known for housing firearms when not in
use or for preventing the firearms from being fired accidentally.
However, these devices or systems are not suitable for use with RMI
robots or for housing a firearm, such as a Taser.TM. gun, while
still permitting the firearm to be fired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In the present invention, a holder is used to quickly and
securely mount a firearm or Taser.TM. gun to a remote mobile
investigator (RMI).
[0007] According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a
firearm holder for attachment to a robot equipped with a firing
interface. The holder comprises a housing portion defining a cavity
portion for receiving a firearm, the housing portion having a first
opening aligned with the barrel of the firearm, and a second
opening for establishing an operable connection between the firearm
and the firing interface of the robot. A plate member is hingedly
attached to the housing portion, the plate member having an open
position providing access to the cavity portion, and a closed
position sealing the cavity portion. A first locking device
releasably secures the plate member in the closed position. The
firearm holder further includes an extension member projecting
rearwardly from the housing portion, the extension member being
adapted to receive a corresponding projecting portion on the robot,
and a second locking device cooperating with the extension member
and said projecting portion for releasably locking said holder on
said robot.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of
example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the firearm holder mounted
on a remote mobile investigator (RMI) robot;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the holder shown in
FIG. 1; and
[0011] FIG. 3 is a side view of the holder shown in an open
position containing a firearm.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1-3 a
firearm or Taser.TM. guard or holder 10 according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1, the holder 10 is mounted on
an arm 12 of a remote mobile investigator (RMI) robot 14. The
holder 10 houses a firearm 16, such as a Taser.TM. gun. Typically,
Taser.TM. guns are used as they are self-powered by a battery pack
located in the handle of the firearm and can be electrically fired
when mounted to the RMI robot 14 through a firing interface that is
built into the RMI 14. While the present description is directed to
a guard or holder 10 for housing a Taser.TM. gun, it will be
understood that any similarly operated firearm may used with the
holder 10 of the present invention.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the RMI robot 14 has a base portion 18
adapted to allow the robot 14 to move freely across a surface. In
the illustrated embodiment, the base portion 18 of the robot 14 is
equipped with tracked wheels, although regular wheels and tires may
also be used. The RMI robot 14 has a main body portion 20 from
which the arm 12 extends. The RMI robot 14 is powered by a motor
(not shown) and is controlled by radio or wireless controls used by
the law enforcement personnel. The RMI robot 14 may be equipped
with various forms of equipment such as video or surveillance
equipment, a robotic hand for manipulating objects or, as in the
present case, a firearm.
[0014] According to the preferred embodiment of the invention,
holder 10 includes a housing portion 22 and a door or plate member
24 that is hingedly attached to the housing portion 22. As shown in
FIG. 3, the housing portion 22 is comprised of a backing plate 26,
a first wall 28 that projects substantially at right angles from
the backing plate 26 and surrounds at least two adjacent side edges
27, 29 of the backing plate 26, and a second wall 30 that is
spaced-apart from the first wall 28 and projects substantially at
right angles to backing plate 26. The second wall 30 corresponds to
the shape defined by the first wall 28, thereby forming a generally
L-shaped cavity 32 having first and second open ends 33, 34. The
second wall 30 is also spaced inwardly from the corresponding side
edge 35 of the backing plate 26 thereby leaving a portion 36 of the
backing plate 26 exposed which extends beyond the L-shaped cavity
32 defined by the first and second walls 28, 30.
[0015] The L-shaped cavity 32 generally corresponds to the shape of
the firearm 16 to be housed within the holder 10. The first open
end 33 of the housing portion 22 allows the barrel of the firearm
to remain exposed so that the firearm 16 can be fired as needed
during tactical operations. The second open end 34 of the cavity 32
aligns with the butt of the firearm handle. While the second open
end 34 is shown as being an open end in the present embodiment, it
will be understood that the second end 34 can be adapted so as to
be a closed end, if desired.
[0016] The door or plate member 24 is attached to one edge of the
first wall 28 of the housing portion 22 by means of a hinge member
38. While the plate member 24 is shown as being attached to the
portion of the first wall 28 that corresponds to edge 29 of the
backing plate 26, it will be understood that plate member 24 could
instead be hingedly attached to the portion of the first wall 28
corresponding to edge 27 of the backing plate 26. Hinge member 38
allows the door or plate member 24 to rotate about the hinge
connection between an open position (as shown in FIG. 3) and a
closed position (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). Plate member 24 is
typically the same shape as the backing plate 26 so that when the
plate member 24 is in the closed position, the plate member 24
closes the open L-shaped cavity 32 and also has a portion 40 that
extends beyond the cavity 32 and overlaps the exposed portion 36 of
the backing plate 26.
[0017] In the preferred embodiment, the backing plate 26 and the
plate member 24 are each formed with corresponding openings 42, 44
formed in the exposed portions 36, 40 thereof. The openings 42, 44
allow for a padlock, such as an Abloy.RTM. type padlock, or any
other suitable locking device 46 (not shown) to be inserted through
the openings 42, 44 when the plate member 24 is in the closed
position. This serves to lock the plate member 24 in a closed
position, thereby preventing access to the L-shaped cavity 32 when
the firearm or Taser.TM. gun 16 is housed therein.
[0018] To ensure that the weapon 16 is securely positioned within
the L-shaped cavity 32, layers of padding 48 or any other suitable
material are used to line the inner surfaces of the cavity L-shaped
32. Similar layers of padding material 49 are also used on the
inside surface of the door or plate member 24 and are positioned so
as to correspond to the open L-shaped cavity 32. The layers of
padding 48 that line the inside surfaces of the L-shaped cavity 32
ensure that the weapon is properly positioned within the L-shaped
cavity 32 with the barrel of the firearm 16 pointing directly
through the first open end 33 of the housing portion 22. The
padding 48 also ensures that the firearm 16 will not move out of
position within the cavity 32 through any jostling or other
movement that may occur when the RMI robot 14 is deployed.
[0019] Additional strips of padding material 49 are also used on
the inner surface of the door or plate member 24. The strips of
padding 49 are positioned on the plate member 24 so as to overlap
the L-shaped cavity 32 of the housing portion 22 when the plate
member 24 is in the closed position. The additional strips of
padding 49 further ensure that the firearm 16 does not move around
within the L-shaped cavity 32 as the padding strips 49 press up
against and cushion the firearm 16 when the plate member 24 is
closed, thereby preventing it from moving around within the
cavity.
[0020] In addition to ensuring that the firearm 16 is securely
positioned within the L-shaped cavity 32 when the door or plate
member 24 is closed, the layers and strips of padding 48, 49 also
allow the holder 10 to be easily adapted for use with weapons of
various shapes or sizes.
[0021] In order to attach the guard or holder 10 to the arm 12 of
the RMI robot 14, the holder 10 is provided with an extension
member 50 that projects rearwardly, with respect to the direction
of the barrel of the firearm 16, from the first wall 28 of the
housing portion 22 along an axis generally parallel to the axis of
the barrel of the firearm 16. In the preferred embodiment, the
extension member 50 is a tubular member adapted to receive a
corresponding projecting portion 52 on the arm 12 of the RMI robot
14 (see FIG. 2). Both the extension member 50 and the corresponding
projecting portion 52 of the RMI robot 14 have transverse openings
54, 56 formed therein. When the holder 10 is positioned on the RMI
robot 14, the openings 54 in the extension member 50 align with the
corresponding openings 56 formed in the projecting portion 52 of
the arm 12. This allows a second padlock or other suitable locking
device 58 (not shown) to be inserted through the openings 54, 56 to
thereby lock the guard or holder 10 in place on the arm 12 of the
robot 14. This prevents the holder 10 from being easily removed
from the arm 12 of the RMI robot 14 when the robot 14 is used in a
tactical operation.
[0022] The holder 10 further includes an opening or access port 60
formed in the first wall 28 of the housing portion 22. The access
port 60 provides a means for the firearm or Taser.TM. gun 16 to be
connected to the RMI firing interface. As shown most clearly in
FIG. 2, a cable 62 from the RMI firing interface system is inserted
through the access port 60 and is connected to the Taser.TM. gun
16. This allows the Taser.TM. gun 16 to be fired remotely by law
enforcement personnel.
[0023] With the Taser.TM. gun 16 and holder 10 securely mounted on
the RMI robot 14, the RMI robot 16 can be deployed by means of
remote control to assist law enforcement personnel during tactical
operations. Once the RMI robot 14 is within range of the target
individual, the Taser.TM. gun 16 can be fired by means of the
interconnection between the Taser.TM. gun 16 and the firing
interface of the robot 14. The Taser.TM. gun 16 cannot be easily
removed by the target individual as it is locked safely within the
holder 10 which in turn is securely locked to the arm 12 of the
robot 14. Should the target individual approach the RMI robot 14,
law enforcement personnel can fire the Taser.TM. gun 16 to
neutralize any threat.
[0024] While the present invention has been described with
reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by
persons skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the
precise embodiment described, and that variations or modifications
can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as
disclosed herein.
* * * * *