U.S. patent application number 16/748125 was filed with the patent office on 2020-09-03 for cartridge for rendering a firearm inoperative.
The applicant listed for this patent is Spectre Enterprises, Inc.. Invention is credited to Daniel Yates.
Application Number | 20200278184 16/748125 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004859127 |
Filed Date | 2020-09-03 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200278184 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yates; Daniel |
September 3, 2020 |
Cartridge For Rendering A Firearm Inoperative
Abstract
A firearm cartridge includes a thermite charge and a thermite
bullet. Upon ignition, the thermite charge is ignited by the
primer. The bullet, instead of being propelled down the barrel, is
also ignited by the thermite charge. The ignition of the thermite
charge is commenced by the firing pin of the gun striking the
primer. Upon ignition, the thermite charge ignites the bullet. The
ignited thermite charge and bullet melt firearm components that are
located adjacent to the chamber, and/or weld themselves to the
chamber, rendering the firearm unusable.
Inventors: |
Yates; Daniel; (Melbourne,
FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Spectre Enterprises, Inc. |
Melbourne |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004859127 |
Appl. No.: |
16/748125 |
Filed: |
January 21, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62794990 |
Jan 21, 2019 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B 5/145 20130101;
F42B 12/36 20130101; F42B 33/067 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F42B 33/06 20060101
F42B033/06; F42B 12/36 20060101 F42B012/36; F42B 5/145 20060101
F42B005/145 |
Claims
1. A cartridge for rendering a firearm inoperative, the cartridge
comprising: a thermite charge having a first end and a second end;
a primer secured at the first end; and a bullet secured to the
second end, the bullet being thermite.
2. The cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a casing,
the casing having an interior having the thermite charge therein,
the casing having a first end wherein the primer is secured and a
second end wherein the bullet is secured.
3. The cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the casing defines a
channel extending from the interior to the first end, adjacent to
the primer.
4. The cartridge according to claim 2, further comprising an
adhesive securing the bullet to the casing.
5. A method of rendering a firearm inoperative, comprising:
providing a cartridge, the cartridge comprising: a thermite charge
having a first end and a second end; a primer secured at the first
end; and a bullet secured to the second end, the bullet being
thermite; placing the cartridge within a chamber of the firearm;
and squeezing the trigger of the firearm.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional
patent application Ser. No. 62/794,990, which was filed on Jan. 21,
2019, and entitled "Cartridge for Destroying a Firearm."
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a cartridge for rendering a
firearm unusable for its intended purpose. More specifically, a
cartridge which will not discharge a projectile, but will instead
weld itself in place within the chamber of the firearm when the
trigger is pulled, is provided.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0003] Military personnel sometimes acquire control of firearms
that were previously used by their enemies, but which they cannot
carry with them on their current mission. Reasons might include
unnecessary and/or hindering bulk and weight. Leaving the gun
behind and useable could result in its use by other enemy
personnel. Rendering the gun useless for its intended purpose
before leaving it behind is thus desirable.
[0004] Similarly, law enforcement personnel are sometimes required
to destroy a firearm either by department policy or by a court
order. A simple means of rendering the firearm useless for its
intended purpose is therefore desirable.
[0005] The means of rendering the gun useless should not add
significant weight or bulk to the total load that must be carried.
A firearm cartridge is sufficiently small so that the burden of
carrying a small number of special purpose cartridges is small.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cartridge which, when placed in
a firearm, renders that firearm useless when the trigger is
pulled.
SUMMARY
[0006] The above needs are met by a cartridge for rendering a
firearm inoperative. The cartridge comprises a thermite charge
having a first end and a second end, a primer secured at the first
end, and a bullet secured to the second end. The bullet is made
from thermite.
[0007] The above needs are further met by a method of rendering a
firearm inoperative. The method comprises providing a cartridge.
The cartridge comprises a thermite charge having a first end and a
second end, a primer secured at the first end, and a bullet secured
to the second end. The bullet is made from thermite. The cartridge
is placed within a chamber of the firearm, and the trigger of the
firearm is squeezed.
[0008] These and other aspects of the invention will become more
apparent through the following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0009] FIG. 1 is a cutaway side elevational view of a cartridge for
destroying a firearm.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a cutaway side elevational view of another
cartridge for destroying a firearm.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a cutaway side elevational view of yet another
cartridge for destroying a firearm.
[0012] Like reference characters denote like elements throughout
the drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Referring to the drawings, a cartridge 10 for destroying a
firearm is shown. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the cartridge 10 resembles
a standard cartridge for the firearm to be destroyed, but may
include coloring or other visual indicia to clearly distinguish it
from a conventional cartridge for the firearm. The illustrated
example of the cartridge 10 includes a casing 12 having a primer
pocket 14 with a primer 16 secured therein, although a caseless
cartridge could be used without departing from the invention. The
casing 12 includes an interior 18 having a thermite charge 20
disposed therein. A bullet 22 is secured to the casing 12 in a
manner that will resist passage of the bullet through the barrel of
the firearm when the cartridge 10 is activated, for example, using
an adhesive such as epoxy.
[0014] Those skilled in the art of thermite will recognize that a
typical thermite charge includes a metal oxide and a reducing
metal. When heated to a sufficient temperature, the thermite is
ignited, commencing an exothermic reaction between the metal oxide
and reducing metal. Examples of metal oxides 34 include
La.sub.2O.sub.3, AgO, ThO.sub.2, SrO, ZrO.sub.2, UO.sub.2, BaO,
CeO.sub.2, B.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, V.sub.2O.sub.5,
Ta.sub.2O.sub.5, NiO, Ni.sub.2O.sub.3, Cr.sub.2O.sub.3, MoO.sub.3,
P.sub.2O.sub.5, SnO.sub.2, WO.sub.2, WO.sub.3, Fe.sub.3O.sub.4,
COO, Co.sub.3O.sub.4, Sb.sub.2O.sub.3, PbO, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3,
Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, MnO.sub.2, Cu.sub.2O, and CuO. Example reducing
metals 36 include Al, Zr, Th, Ca, Mg, U, B, Ce, Be, Ti, Ta, Hf, and
La.
[0015] One example utilizes cupric oxide (CuO) and aluminum. The
resulting chemical reaction is 3CuO+2Al.fwdarw.3Cu+Al.sub.2O.sub.3+
heat. The reaction therefore requires 3 moles of CuO, weighing
79.5454 grams/mole, for every 2 moles of Al, weighing 26.98154
grams/mole. CuO has a density of 6.315 g/cm.sup.3, and aluminum has
a density of 2.70 g/cm.sup.3. Therefore, the volume of CuO required
for every 3 moles is 37.788 cm.sup.3. Similarly, the volume of Al
required for every 2 moles is 19.986 cm.sup.3.
[0016] Another example utilizes iron oxide (Fe.sub.2O.sub.3) and
aluminum, which results in the reaction
Fe.sub.2O.sub.3+2Al.fwdarw.2Fe+Al.sub.2O.sub.3. In this example,
one mole of iron oxide is required for every two moles of aluminum.
Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 has a mass of 159.69 g/mol, so 159.69 g of iron
oxide is required for every 53.96308 g. of aluminum (26.98154
grams/mole). The density of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 is 5.242 g/cm.sup.3, so
30.464 cm.sup.3 of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 is required for every 15.989 cm3
of aluminum (2.70 g/cm.sup.3).
[0017] Yet another example utilizes Iron and cupric oxide, which
react according to Fe+CuO.fwdarw.FeO+Cu. In this example, a mole of
iron has a mass of 55.845 g, and a density of 7.874 g/cm.sup.3.
Therefore, 7.092 cm.sup.3 of iron are needed to react with every
12.596 cm.sup.3 of cupric oxide. If other metal oxides and reducing
metals are selected, then the relative thickness of the metal oxide
12 and reducing metal 14 can be similarly determined.
[0018] A further possible combination utilizes Al as the reducing
metal, and a combination of both CuO and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 as metal
oxides. Depending on the proportions of CuO and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 to
be utilized, the amounts of each of the metal oxides and the
reducing metal can be calculated as described above. This
combination provides an advantageous combination of easy
ignitability and slow, low pressure once ignited.
[0019] The thermite can take any of numerous forms, including rods,
pellets, powders, cold-pressed powders, hot pressed powders, or
layered structures of alternating metal oxide and reducing metal.
If the thermite is in the form of a single pellet rather than
powdered or granular, then the primer 16 and bullet 22 may be
seated within opposing ends of the thermite, eliminating the need
for a casing 12.
[0020] The bullet 22 is not a conventional bullet, and is not
intended to be launched from the firearm. Instead, the bullet is
also made from thermite, with the thermite combinations discussed
above being possible combinations for the bullet 22. The
illustrated example of the bullet 22 is made by hot pressing the
thermite into a cylindrical shape. The shape of the bullet 22 not
only provides additional contact between the bullet 22 and the
barrel of a firearm, but also provides an additional visual
distinction between the cartridge 10 and conventional ammunition.
Some examples of the bullet 22 may be made from slower burning
thermites, which, with the bullet in direct contact with the
barrel, are anticipated to penetrate the chrome lining on a chrome
lined barrel, and to effectively weld the barrel shut.
[0021] The primer 16 may be a conventional primer, or may be a
primer as disclosed in US 2016/0102030, which was invented by Kevin
R. Coffey et al. and published on Apr. 14, 2016, the entire
disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Alternatively, the primer may be of a type disclosed in US patent
application Ser. No. 16/175,589, which was filed by Timothy Mohler
et al. on Oct. 30, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is
expressly incorporated herein by reference. Some examples of the
primer 24 may include an aperture 26 (FIG. 2) therein. As another
alternative, an aperture 28 may be defined in the base 30 (FIG. 3)
of the casing 12.
[0022] In use, the cartridge 10 is placed into the chamber of a
firearm, and the trigger of the firearm is pulled, causing the
firing pin to strike the primer 16, 24, thereby igniting the
thermite charge 20. The bullet 22 is not intended to be fired from
the gun, but to be ignited by the thermite charge 20. As the
thermite 20 within the cartridge 10 ignites, the cartridge 10
essentially welds itself to the firearm, perhaps at least partially
melting and rendering useless components of the firearm in contact
with or adjacent to the cartridge 10. The bullet 22 welds itself to
the barrel of the firearm. Combustion products pass through the
aperture 26 or 28, thus welding the firing pin and firing pin
channel. The firearm, which may, for example, have been taken from
an enemy during a military operation, is thus rendered useless.
[0023] The present invention thus provides a means of disabling and
rendering useless a firearm that, for example, must be left behind
during a military operation. The firearm disabling cartridge is
easy to carry, and readily distinguishable from conventional
ammunition. The firearm disabling cartridge can be used quickly and
easily, ensuring that other enemies will not use the disabled
firearm.
[0024] A variety of modifications to the above-described
embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this
disclosure. Thus, the invention may be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes
thereof. The particular embodiments disclosed are meant to be
illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the
invention. The appended claims, rather than to the foregoing
specification, should be referenced to indicate the scope of the
invention.
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