U.S. patent application number 12/236214 was filed with the patent office on 2009-03-19 for firearm with multiple targeting laser diodes.
This patent application is currently assigned to Metadigm LLC. Invention is credited to Victor B. Kley.
Application Number | 20090071055 12/236214 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39874218 |
Filed Date | 2009-03-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090071055 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kley; Victor B. |
March 19, 2009 |
Firearm with multiple targeting laser diodes
Abstract
All or some of the component parts of a firearm are made of
synthetic diamond materials. Some firearms include a specially
designed trigger capable of verifying a user's identity so that
only an authorized user can discharge the firearm. Some firearms
include a diamond barrel designed to impart a unique pattern of
grooves to any bullet leaving the barrel, thereby facilitating
reliable identification of the firearm that fired a particular
bullet.
Inventors: |
Kley; Victor B.; (Berkeley,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
TOWNSEND AND TOWNSEND AND CREW, LLP
TWO EMBARCADERO CENTER, EIGHTH FLOOR
SAN FRANCISCO
CA
94111-3834
US
|
Assignee: |
Metadigm LLC
Berkeley
CA
|
Family ID: |
39874218 |
Appl. No.: |
12/236214 |
Filed: |
September 23, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11091016 |
Mar 25, 2005 |
7441362 |
|
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12236214 |
|
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60557470 |
Mar 29, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
42/114 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A 17/066
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
42/114 |
International
Class: |
F41G 1/00 20060101
F41G001/00 |
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. A firearm having two or more distinguishable laser diodes that
are pointed to be exactly on target, compensating for bullet
trajectory, at two or more different distances.
14. A firearm according to claim 13 wherein the distinguishable
laser diodes each emit a beam of a different color.
15. A firearm according to claim 13 wherein the distinguishable
laser diodes each emit a beam of a different projected shape.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/091,016, filed Mar. 25, 2005, entitled "Firearm with
Force Sensitive Trigger and Activation Sequence," which claims the
benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/557,470, filed Mar.
29, 2004, entitled "Diamond and/or Silicon Carbide Molding of Small
and Microscale or Nanoscale Capsules and Other Objects Including
Firearms." The respective disclosures of both applications are
incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
[0002] The present disclosure is related to the following
commonly-assigned co-pending U.S. patent applications: [0003]
Application Ser. No. 11/046,526, filed Jan. 28, 2005, entitled
"Angle Control of Multi-Cavity Molded Components for MEMS and NEMS
Group Assembly"; [0004] Application Ser. No. 11/067,517, filed Feb.
25, 2005, entitled "Diamond Capsules and Methods of Manufacture;"
[0005] Application Ser. No. 11/067,609, filed Feb. 25, 2005,
entitled "Apparatus for Modifying and Measuring Diamond and Other
Workpiece Surfaces with Nanoscale Precision"; and [0006]
Application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 015772-001910US)
filed Mar. 11, 2005, entitled "Silicon Carbide Stabilizing of Solid
Diamond and Stabilized Molded and Formed Diamond Structures." The
respective disclosures of these applications are incorporated
herein by reference for all purposes.
RELATED DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
[0007] The following U.S. patents are incorporated by reference:
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,144,028, issued Nov. 7, 2000, entitled
"Scanning Probe Microscope Assembly and Corresponding Method for
Making Confocal, Spectrophotometric, Near-Field, and Scanning Probe
Measurements and Forming Associated Images from the Measurements";
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,252,226, issued Jun. 26, 2001, entitled
"Nanometer Scale Data Storage Device and Associated Positioning
System"; [0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,479, issued Jan. 8, 2002,
entitled "Object Inspection and/or Modification System and Method";
and [0011] U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,217, issued Jan. 15, 2002, entitled
"Scanning Probe Microscope Assembly and Method for Making
Spectrophotometric, Near-Field, and Scanning Probe
Measurements."
[0012] Attached hereto is a document entitled "Appendix A:
Background Information" (16 pages) with the following
subsections:
[0013] ASTM F2094 Si.sub.3N.sub.4 CERBEC BALL SPECIFICATIONS;
[0014] Surface Finish--Finishing of Silicon Nitride Balls;
[0015] PI piezoelectric web page; and
[0016] Germanium on silicon near infrared photodetectors.
[0017] This document is to be considered a part of this application
and is hereby incorporated by reference.
[0018] Also attached hereto is a document entitled "Novel
Low-Temperature CVD Process for Silicon Carbide MEMS," by C. R.
Stoldt, C. Carraro, W. R. Ashurst, M. C. Fritz, D. Gao, and R.
Maboudian, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of
California, Berkeley, Calif. 94720 USA (4 pages). This document is
also to be considered a part of this application and is hereby
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The present invention relates in general to firearms, and in
particular to a firearm made from a molded diamond material.
[0020] From shotguns to rifles to handguns, firearms have proven to
be a valuable tool for law enforcement and self defense. Sadly,
however, firearms have also proven to be a valuable tool for
criminals, who use them to threaten, injure, or murder their
victims. Too often, the criminals cannot be identified, either
because the weapon that fired a bullet cannot be reliably
identified or because the weapon was stolen from its owner and the
shooter cannot be reliably connected to the weapon. In addition,
many people are injured or killed each year through accidental
discharge of firearms, including children playing with a parent's
gun.
[0021] Attempts to solve these problems include trigger locks and
ballistic fingerprinting. While they are of some help, both
solutions are imperfect. Trigger locks, for example, keep
unauthorized users (particularly children) from operating a
firearm, but they can also interfere with legitimate users' ability
to respond quickly to a deadly threat. Further, because a criminal
can steal a firearm and remove the lock at his or her leisure,
trigger locks do little to prevent stolen firearms from being used
in further crimes.
[0022] Ballistic fingerprinting attempts to match grooves imparted
to a bullet by a gun barrel to the barrel of a particular firearm.
The technique is sometimes successful; however, it has been
demonstrated that over time, the grooves imparted by a particular
barrel can change (e.g., due to wear and tear if the gun is
repeatedly fired); moreover, firearms manufacturers generally do
not design their barrels to provide a unique signature, so
differences are largely accidental, making ballistic
fingerprinting, at best, an inexact science.
[0023] Therefore, it would be desirable to provide firearms with
improved protection against unauthorized use and improved ability
to identify a particular firearm as the source of a bullet.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Embodiments of the present invention provide firearms in
which all or some of the component parts are made of synthetic
diamond materials. In some embodiments, the firearm includes a
specially designed trigger capable of verifying a user's identity
so that only an authorized user can discharge the firearm. For
example, the firearm can be programmed with a time sequence of
pressures (which may vary or remain constant) that a user exerts on
the trigger to activate the firearm.
[0025] In some embodiments, the firearm also includes a diamond
barrel designed to impart a unique pattern of grooves to any bullet
leaving the barrel, thereby facilitating reliable identification of
the firearm that fired a particular bullet.
[0026] In still further embodiments, numerous other features are
provided. For instance, in one embodiment, the firearm is held in
the user's palm with the barrel extending between the user's second
and third fingers. In another embodiment, the firearm has a
cylinder with radially oriented chambers that can be loaded with a
powder charge and a bullet (or shot wad or other type of
ammunition) as the chamber rotates past a powder aperture and a
bullet tube. The amount of powder in the charge can be regulated by
regulating the speed at which the chamber rotates; piezoelectric or
other suitable motors can be used to control rotation of the
chamber.
[0027] In still other embodiments, the powder (or other propellant)
charge is ignited by passage of a current through an electrically
sensitive material at the base of the bullet (or other ammunition).
An insulating diamond member that is made conductive through
application of an ultraviolet light pulse can be used to gate or
switch the current in response to operation of the firearm's
trigger, initiating combustion of the propellant charge. In
conjunction with the user recognition mechanisms described herein,
this technique provides a reliable safety for the firearm.
[0028] The following detailed description together with the
accompanying drawings will provide a better understanding of the
nature and advantages of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic illustrations of diamond and
graphite atomic lattices, respectively; and
[0030] FIGS. 2A-2E are views of a firearm according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0031] The related patent applications incorporated by reference
above describe, inter alia: [0032] various techniques and apparatus
for growing diamond materials on suitably shaped substrates to
create diamond structures having arbitrary shapes, including but
not limited to spherical capsules suitable for use as
ball-bearings, non-spherical shapes such as cylindrical gear-tooth
bearings, and angled probe tips for atomic force microscopy (AFM),
scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and similar applications (see,
e.g., application Ser. No. 11/046,526 and application Ser. No.
11/067,517); [0033] various techniques for joining together
separately fabricated diamond parts into an assembly, including the
shaping of parts with interference members capable of holding the
assembled parts together and use of various bonding materials for
different operating temperatures (see, e.g., application Ser. No.
11/067,517); [0034] various techniques and apparatus for coating
carbon diamond parts with silicon carbide to stabilize the parts
against oxidation (see, e.g., application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney
Docket No. 015772-001910US)); and [0035] various techniques and
apparatus for measuring and modifying surfaces of such parts at
nanoscale precision (see, e.g., application Ser. No.
11/067,609).
[0036] In embodiments of the present invention, such techniques can
be used to fabricate a firearm with all or some parts being made of
synthetic diamond materials. In some embodiments, the firearm
includes a specially designed trigger capable of verifying a user's
identity, e.g., via a pressure-sensitive trigger coupled to
computing and logic circuitry capable of recognizing a
preprogrammed pattern of pressures on the trigger, so that only an
authorized user can discharge the firearm. In some embodiments, the
firearm also includes a diamond barrel designed to impart a unique
pattern of grooves to any bullet leaving the barrel, thereby
facilitating reliable identification of the firearm that fired a
particular bullet.
[0037] As used herein, the term "diamond" or "diamond material"
refers generally to any material having a diamond lattice structure
on at least a local scale (e.g., a few nanometers), and the
material may be based on carbon atoms, silicon atoms, boron atoms,
silicon carbide, silicon nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, or
any other atoms or combination of atoms capable of forming a
diamond lattice.
[0038] For example, a diamond material may include crystalline
diamond. As is well known in the art, a crystal is a solid material
consisting of atoms arranged in a lattice, i.e., a repeating
three-dimensional pattern. In crystalline diamond, the lattice is a
diamond lattice 100 as shown in FIG. 1A. Diamond lattice 100 is
made up of atoms 102 connected by sp3 bonds 106 in a tetrahedral
configuration. (Lines 108 are visual guides indicating edges of a
cube and do not represent atomic bonds.) As used herein, the term
"diamond" refers to any material having atoms predominantly
arranged in a diamond lattice as shown in FIG. 1A and is not
limited to carbon atoms or to any other particular atoms. Thus, a
"diamond material" may include predominantly carbon atoms, silicon
atoms, boron atoms, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, boron
carbide, boron nitride, and/or atoms of any other type(s) capable
of forming a diamond lattice, and the term "diamond" as used herein
is not limited to carbon-based diamond.
[0039] In other embodiments, the diamond material is an imperfect
crystal. For example, the diamond lattice may include defects, such
as extra atoms, missing atoms, or dopant or impurity atoms of a
non-majority type at lattice sites; these dopant or impurity atoms
may introduce non-sp3 bond sites in the lattice, as is known in the
art. Dopants, impurities, or other defects may be naturally
occurring or deliberately introduced during fabrication of a
diamond part.
[0040] In still other embodiments, the diamond material is made of
polycrystalline diamond. As is known in the art, polycrystalline
diamond includes multiple crystal grains, where each grain has a
relatively uniform diamond lattice, but the grains do not align
with each other such that a continuous lattice is preserved across
the boundary. The grains of a polycrystalline diamond material
might or might not have a generally preferred orientation relative
to each other, depending on the conditions under which the material
is fabricated. In some embodiments, the size of the crystal grains
can be controlled so as to form nanoscale crystal grains; this form
of diamond is referred to as "nanocrystalline diamond." For
example, the average value of a major axis of the crystal grains in
nanocrystalline diamond can be made to be about 100 nm or less.
[0041] In still other embodiments, the diamond material is made of
amorphous diamond. Amorphous diamond does not have a large-scale
diamond lattice structure but does have local (e.g., on the order
of 10 nm or less) diamond structure around individual atoms. In
amorphous diamond, a majority of the atoms have sp.sup.3-like bonds
to four neighboring atoms, and minority of the atoms are bonded to
three other atoms in a sp.sup.2-like bonding geometry, similar to
that of graphite; FIG. 1B depicts graphite-like sp.sup.2 bonds 114
between an atom 110 and three other atoms 112. The percentage of
minority (sp.sup.2-bonded) atoms may vary; as that percentage
approaches zero over some area, a crystal grain becomes
identifiable.
[0042] Thus, it is to be understood that the terms "diamond
material" and "diamond" as used herein include single-crystal
diamond, polycrystalline diamond (with ordered or disordered
grains), nanocrystalline diamond, and amorphous diamond, and that
any of these materials may include defects and/or dopants and/or
impurities. Further, the distinctions between different forms of
diamond material are somewhat arbitrary not always sharp; for
example, polycrystalline diamond with average grain size below
about 100 nm can be labeled nanocrystalline, and nanocrystalline
diamond with grain size below about 10 nm can be labeled
amorphous.
[0043] A diamond part may include multiple layers or components
made of diamond material, and different layers or components may
have different composition. For example, some but not all layers
might include a dopant; different polycrystalline oriented layers
might have a different preferred orientation for their crystal
grains or a different average grain size; some layers might be
polycrystalline oriented diamond while others are polycrystalline
disoriented, and so on. In addition, coatings or implantations of
atoms that do not form diamond lattices may be included in a
diamond material.
[0044] A diamond part, such as the firearm described herein, may be
fabricated as a unitary diamond structure, which may include
crystalline, polycrystalline or amorphous diamond. Alternatively,
the part may be fabricated in sections, each of which is a unitary
diamond structure, with the sections being joined together after
fabrication.
[0045] FIG. 2A-2E illustrate a muzzle loading firearm according to
an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a side cutaway
view of the firearm 200. A user grips firearm 200 by slipping two
fingers through each grip opening 206 and wrapping his or her thumb
around the body so that the user's first (index) finger rests on
trigger 201 and barrel 205 extends between the user's second and
third fingers. Firearm 200 advantageously includes a control and
battery unit 214 operatively coupled to trigger 201 and to a
cylinder 209 into which bullets 220 are loaded with a radial
orientation as cylinder 209 rotates about an axis transverse to the
plane of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B is an exploded view showing further
detail of cylinder 209 from both sides and the front. FIG. 2C is a
side view showing barrel designs. FIG. 2D is a cross sectional view
of barrel 205 at the interface to cylinder 209. FIG. 2E illustrates
a rifling pattern that may be used in barrel 205.
[0046] In operation, a force sensing trigger 201, which may include
a piezoelectric or piezo resistive element (not shown but well
known to those skilled in the art), is pressed one or more times in
an activation sequence. The activation sequence includes a specific
pattern of pressures or pulses on the trigger 201, and the pattern
may be defined by reference to a relative duration of the pulses
and/or relative force on the trigger as a function of time. The
activation sequence is advantageously preprogrammed by the user,
e.g., upon purchasing the firearm, and stored in memory in control
and battery circuit 214. When trigger 201 is operated, signals
representing the force as a function of time are transmitted to
control and battery unit 214, which compares them to the activation
sequence, with the firearm becoming usable only when the trigger
operations match the preprogrammed activation sequence. This
sequence acts as a "password" to prevent the firearm from being
used by anyone other than an authorized user. In other embodiments,
other user identification techniques, such as fingerprint or DNA
matching, could be used instead of or in addition to the activation
sequence described herein.
[0047] When the activation sequence is recognized by control and
battery unit 214, a force and time pattern LED 204 is turned on,
signifying that the user has been recognized and that the arm is
ready for use. If there is no bullet or shot wad aligned with the
barrel 205, then a portion of the light from LED 204 will be
visible at 218. In some embodiments, light from LED 204 may also be
visible at the muzzle end of barrel 205.
[0048] Targeting laser diodes 202, 203 may also be turned on at
this time. In one embodiment, laser diodes 202 and 203 provide
laser beams of different colors to guide the user's aim,
compensating for trajectory, at two different distances. In another
embodiment, laser diodes 202 and 203 may be distinguished by the
projected shapes of their light beams (e.g., one might be round
while the other is rectangular).
[0049] Pressing the trigger 201 again with a user-selected
"loading" force will cause control and battery system 214 to load
the firearm. Specifically, control and battery system 214 activates
a rotation mechanism 210 (e.g., a piezoelectric motor that acts on
a boss 211 on a surface of cylinder 209) to rotate the cylinder 209
at a predetermined speed past a powder column 208. As cylinder 209
rotates past column opening 208, an empty chamber 219 in cylinder
209 is charged with powder; the charge can be controlled by
regulating the rotation speed of cylinder 209. A bullet 220 is then
loaded on top of the powder charge in chamber 219. Further rotation
puts the bullet in contact with a first set of bumps 213a at the
inner end of barrel 205, which further seat the bullet until a bump
213b on the chamber comes into electrical contact with a third
(center) bump on barrel 205 or with another electrical contact
element, which may be located in barrel 205 or chamber 219 or on
the surface of cylinder 209. In other embodiments, bumps and/or
other contact elements are advantageously arranged on surfaces of
barrel 205, cylinder 209, and/or chamber 219 such that a circuit is
completed only when a bullet in a chamber 219 is properly aligned
with barrel 205. When the circuit is completed, the weapon is ready
to fire.
[0050] When trigger 201 is pressed again, a feedback signal (e.g.,
a vibration, acoustic wave, electrical signal, thermal change or
any or all of the above) is advantageously passed through the
trigger 201; where trigger 201 includes a piezoelectric element,
the feedback signal can be driven electrically by the
controller/battery 214. At this time the controller 214 also sends
a high voltage pulse through the rotatable cylindrical section 209
that now contains bullet(s) 220 and powder in the radial chambers
219 along its circumference. Only the bullet aligned with the
barrel 205 can complete the electrical circuit and ignite the
powder, which drives the bullet 220 down the barrel 205.
[0051] In preferred embodiments, barrel 205 is rifled with a
pattern unique to an individual firearm 200. An example rifling
pattern 212 using grooves of two different widths is shown in FIG.
2E. As a bullet 220 passes through barrel 205, the rifling pattern
imparts to the bullet casing a pattern of fine lands and grooves of
varying widths and spacings, along with a stabilizing rotation. For
a .50 caliber weapon with circumference of .pi.*diameter, a 64 bit
bar code word (allowing 10.sup.19 distinct serial numbers) could be
used, with a space of 0.025'' for each narrow land (0.008'') or
wide land (0.016'') representing a one or zero These dimensions are
consistent with known "microgroove" rifling techniques used in the
art. In some embodiments, where barrel 205 is made of a diamond
material that is optically transparent at some wavelength, it is
possible to read the rifling pattern using various optical
measurements at that wavelength without discharging the
firearm.
[0052] After a bullet is fired, the process can be repeated, with
control and battery unit 214 operating piezoelectric rotator 210 in
response to trigger 201 to rotate cylinder 209, thereby loading and
positioning the next round. To unload firearm 200, operating
trigger 201 by applying an "unload" sequence of pressures causes
bottom flap 215 to open. Cylinder 209 is then rotated such that
bullets 220 are passed down an ejection path 217 and ejected as
shown.
[0053] The main body and other components of firearm 200 are
advantageously made of a diamond material such as carbon-based
diamond or silicon carbide. In some embodiments, the components are
made of carbon-based diamond materials coated with silicon carbide.
Various fabrication techniques can be used, including fabrication
on sacrificial (e.g., barrel forms 205a, 205b, 205c) or reusable
(e.g., half-cylinder form 205d) substrates formed to the desired
shape of the component. The barrel is evenly coated with diamond to
a sufficient depth (typically 150 microns) to provide adequate
burst strength, machined at one end to match the curvature of the
cylinder form, then put in place with other components that can be
made by similar techniques. A final diamond coating may be grown to
integrate and fix the various parts in position.
[0054] While all components of firearm 200 can be made of diamond
material, this is not required. Barrel 205 and firing mechanism 209
are advantageously made of diamond materials; other components can
be made of other materials, including steel and other metals
conventionally used in firearms. Bullets 220 may be of generally
conventional design and materials. In preferred embodiments, the
body of firearm 200 includes at least some metal elements large
enough to be readily detected by conventional metal detectors
(e.g., as used in airports); such elements help to deter
unauthorized concealed carrying of firearm 200.
[0055] In another embodiment, a spiral bullet feed tube may be
placed around a central powder column 208. If the dimensions of the
spiral are about 1.75 inches by 4 inches for a typical arm of .5
caliber, the total tube length is about 20 inches. If there are 10
inches of spring or 20 bullets, a constant force spring would
produce a capacity of about 40 rounds.
[0056] While the invention has been described with respect to
specific embodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize that
numerous modifications are possible. One skilled in the art will
also recognize that the present invention provides a number of
advantageous techniques, tools, and products, usable individually
or in various combinations. These techniques, tools, and products
include but are not limited to: [0057] a firearm barrel or firing
mechanism constructed of diamond, silicon carbide coated diamond,
any combination of oxides, nitrides or carbides coating diamond,
silicon carbide, or silicon nitride; and/or [0058] a firearm in
which the barrel is mounted between the second and third fingers
with the action in the palm; and/or [0059] a firearm in which a
unique pattern of rifling is specifically made for each individual
firearm; and/or [0060] a firearm with a unique pattern of rifling
in which the rifling is in a transparent or nearly transparent
barrel and can be read, recognized or recorded by external means
not requiring a discharge of the weapon; and/or [0061] a firearm in
which light can be directed down the barrel and will be visible
(from at least one end opposite the light injection) only if there
is no bullet, cartridge or powder in the barrel; and/or [0062] a
firearm controlled by a pressure or force sensitive trigger; and/or
[0063] a firearm in which a particular time series of pressures on
the trigger (which may be varying or non-varying pressures) causes
a particular action including but not limited to making the arm
operational for firing; and/or [0064] a firearm consisting of at
least one rotating member with radially bored chambers or cavities
into which powder and shot or bullets are loaded; and/or [0065] a
firearm in which powder is fed from an aperture, in which the
powder charge is regulated by controlling the aperture size and/or
the speed of passage of the chamber past the aperture from which
the powder is fed; and/or [0066] a firearm in which the chambers in
a revolving element are driven by a piezoelectric rotator; and/or
[0067] a firearm in which a bullet is aligned with the barrel by
detecting its position vis a vis the barrel electrically,
acoustically or optically; and/or [0068] a firearm having two or
more laser diodes of different colors or projected shapes which are
pointed to be exactly on target compensating for bullet trajectory
at two or more distances; and/or [0069] a firearm in which the
proper user is determined by finger print recognition; and/or
[0070] a firearm in which the proper user is determined by DNA
recognition; and/or [0071] a firearm in which the proper user is
determined by any combination of full or partial finger print
recognition, and/or full or partial DNA recognition and/or full or
partial pressure pattern recognition; and/or [0072] a muzzle
loading firearm in which the powder charge is ignited by passage of
a current through an electrically sensitive material on the base of
the bullet or shot wad; and/or [0073] a firearm in which the powder
charge is ignited by passage of a current through an electrically
sensitive material on the base of the bullet or shot wad, wherein
one element of the control switch is a section of insulating
diamond made conductive by a pulse or continuous ultraviolet light;
and/or [0074] a firearm or similar device in which the pressure or
force sensing member can also send force, pressure, acoustical,
electrical, or thermal changes back to the operator's finger;
and/or [0075] a firearm in which the bullet feed tube is spiral
around a centrally located powder compartment.
[0076] It should be noted that several of the features of firearms
described herein do not require that any part of the firearm be
made of diamond material or any other particular material. Such
features can be applied to firearms made of other materials,
including conventional materials.
[0077] Thus, although the invention has been described with respect
to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that the invention
is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the
scope of the following claims.
* * * * *