U.S. patent application number 16/818123 was filed with the patent office on 2021-09-09 for tripwire launcher.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ricardo Garcia. Invention is credited to Ricardo Garcia.
Application Number | 20210278178 16/818123 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005656631 |
Filed Date | 2021-09-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210278178 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Garcia; Ricardo |
September 9, 2021 |
Tripwire Launcher
Abstract
A tripwire launcher. The tripwire launcher includes a housing
having a first end opposite a second end. A handle extends
orthogonally from the second end. A barrel is affixed to the first
end. A tripwire having weighted elements disposed on opposing ends
thereof is dimensioned to removably secure within the barrel. A
pressurized gas canister is removably securable to the housing,
wherein the pressurized gas canister conditionally in fluid
communication with the barrel. A quick-release valve is disposed
between the barrel and the pressurized gas canister. A trigger is
operably connected to the quick-release valve such that when
actuated, the quick-release valve opens to deliver gas stored
within the pressurized gas canister through the barrel and propel
the tripwire from the barrel.
Inventors: |
Garcia; Ricardo; (Buda,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Garcia; Ricardo |
Buda |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005656631 |
Appl. No.: |
16/818123 |
Filed: |
March 13, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62822145 |
Mar 22, 2019 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41B 11/62 20130101;
F41H 13/0006 20130101; F41B 11/80 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F41H 13/00 20060101
F41H013/00; F41B 11/62 20060101 F41B011/62; F41B 11/80 20060101
F41B011/80 |
Claims
1. A tripwire launcher, comprising: a housing having a first end
opposite a second end; a handle extending orthogonally from the
second end; a barrel affixed to the first end; a tripwire having
weighted elements disposed on opposing ends thereof; wherein the
tripwire is dimensioned to be removably secured within the barrel;
a pressurized gas canister removably securable to the handle;
wherein the pressurized gas canister is in fluid communication with
the barrel; a quick-release valve disposed between the barrel and
the pressurized gas canister; a trigger operably connected to the
quick-release valve; wherein the quick-release valve is actuated
when the trigger is actuated, such that gas stored within the
pressurized gas canister is expelled through the barrel.
2. The tripwire launcher of claim 1, wherein the tripwire comprises
a plurality of lines extending from a connection point, each of the
plurality of lines having a weighted element on a distal end
thereof.
3. The tripwire launcher of claim 2, wherein the plurality of lines
are disposed equiangularly about the connection point.
4. The tripwire launcher of claim 1, further comprising a
compartment removably securable to the second end, wherein the
compartment is dimensioned to receive at least one additional
tripwire therein.
5. The tripwire launcher of claim 1, further comprising a foregrip
extending orthogonally from the first end of the housing.
6. The tripwire launcher of claim 5, wherein the foregrip and
handle are coplanar.
7. The tripwire launcher of claim 1, wherein the weighted elements
are permanently affixed to a distal end of the tripwire by
securement members disposed on opposite sides thereof.
8. The tripwire launcher of claim 1, wherein the weighted elements
comprise spherical members.
9. The tripwire launcher of claim 1, further comprising a laser
emitter disposed on the first end of the housing.
10. A tripwire launcher, comprising: a housing having a first end
opposite a second end; a handle extending orthogonally from the
second end; a barrel affixed to the first end; a tripwire having
weighted elements disposed on opposing ends thereof; wherein the
tripwire is dimensioned to be removably secured within the barrel;
a reservoir disposed within the housing and in fluid communication
with the barrel; a pressurized gas canister removably securable to
the handle; wherein the pressurized gas canister is in fluid
communication with the reservoir; a quick-release valve disposed
between the barrel and the reservoir; a trigger operably connected
to the quick-release valve; wherein the quick-release valve is
actuated when the trigger is actuated, such that gas stored within
the reservoir is expelled through the barrel.
11. The tripwire launcher of claim 10, wherein the tripwire
comprises a plurality of lines extending from a connection point,
each of the plurality of lines having a weighted element on a
distal end thereof.
12. The tripwire launcher of claim 10, wherein the plurality of
lines are disposed equiangularly about the connection point.
13. The tripwire launcher of claim 10, further comprising a
compartment removably securable to the second end, wherein the
compartment is dimensioned to receive at least one additional
tripwire therein.
14. The tripwire launcher of claim 10, further comprising a
foregrip extending orthogonally from the first end of the
housing.
15. The tripwire launcher of claim 10, wherein the foregrip and the
handle are coplanar.
16. The tripwire launcher of claim 10, wherein the weighted
elements are permanently affixed to a distal end of the tripwire by
securement members disposed on opposite sides thereof.
17. The tripwire launcher of claim 10, wherein the weighted
elements comprise spherical members.
18. The tripwire launcher of claim 10, further comprising a laser
emitter disposed on the first end of the housing.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/822,145 filed on Mar. 22, 2019. The above
identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference
in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to restraint devices. More
particularly, the present invention pertains to a suspect restraint
device that launches a tripwire via compressed gas release to trip
and restrain a suspect.
[0003] Many police officers require a nonlethal option when
engaging a suspected criminal, dispersing a crowd, or disarming a
dangerous situation, such as a riot. Oftentimes, suspected
criminals flee from a crime scene on foot. Typically, police
officers must engage in a chase to capture and subdue such
suspected criminals. Often, in order to end the chase and prevent
further harm to the public, an officer may be authorized to fire a
weapon towards the suspected criminal. While some such weapons are
non-lethal, a firearm also risks endangering any innocent civilians
or bystanders in the area. These potentially lethal rounds risk
unintentional killing of the suspected criminal as well as any
unlucky bystanders. Alternatively, the firearm may cause severe and
life-changing injuries to those in the line of fire.
[0004] In some cases, similar situations may arise in the field of
animal control, where personnel tasked with capturing and securing
a wild animal may be required to use potentially lethal force to
prevent greater injuries to the surrounding populace, such as
spread of communicable diseases like rabies. This also risks the
dangers described above. Therefore, a device that can subdue a
suspected criminal or dangerous animal in a non-lethal manners
desired.
[0005] In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is
submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in
design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear
that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing
suspect restraint devices. In this regard, the instant invention
substantially fulfills these needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known
types of suspect restraint devices now present in the known art,
the present invention provides a suspect restraint device wherein
the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user
when apprehending a running suspect via utilization of a launched
tripwire.
[0007] The present system comprises a housing having a first end
opposite a second end, wherein a handle extends orthogonally from
the second end. A barrel is affixed to the first end. A tripwire
having weighted elements disposed on opposing ends thereof is
dimensioned to removably secure within the barrel. A pressurized
gas canister is removably securable to the handle, wherein the
pressurized gas canister is conditionally in fluid communication
with the barrel. A quick-release valve is disposed between the
barrel and the pressurized gas canister and is operably connected
to a trigger, such that when the trigger is actuated, gas stored
within the pressurized gas canister is expelled through the barrel.
In this way, the tripwire secured therein is launched from the
barrel towards an intended target.
[0008] In some embodiments, a reservoir is disposed within the
housing, wherein the reservoir is disposed between the pressurized
gas canister and the barrel. The reservoir serves to allow a user
to charge a specific volume of gas within the housing to launch the
tripwire when the trigger is actuated.
[0009] In some embodiments, the tripwire comprises a plurality of
lines extending from a connection point, wherein each of the
plurality of lines includes a weighted element on a distal end
thereof. In additional embodiments, the plurality of lines are
disposed equiangularly about the connection point. In this way, the
tripwire is balanced and optimized for travel from the barrel
towards the intended target. In a further embodiment, the weighted
elements are permanently affixed to the distal end of each of the
plurality of lines, such that movement of the weighted element
along the plurality of lines does not impede flight of the tripwire
once launched from the barrel. Additionally, in some embodiments,
the weighted elements comprise spherical members, such that the
frictional drag caused by the weighted elements during flight is
minimized.
[0010] In some embodiments, a foregrip extends orthogonally from a
first end of the housing, such that a user can support the first
end of elongated housing, thereby aiding in aiming the tripwire
launcher. In further embodiments, the foregrip and the handle are
coplanar to further aid in precision aiming of the tripwire
launcher. Additionally, in a further embodiment, a laser emitter is
disposed on the first end of the housing, wherein the laser emitter
emits a sighting laser along a line parallel to that of a
longitudinal axis of the barrel, allowing a ore readily aim the
tripwire launcher at an intended target.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Although the characteristic features of this invention will
be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and
manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood
after a review of the following description, taken in connection
with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are
provided throughout.
[0012] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the
tripwire launcher.
[0013] FIG. 1B shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment
of the tripwire launcher.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the
tripwire launcher.
[0015] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the tripwire of an
embodiment of the tripwire launcher.
[0016] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the
tripwire launcher.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like
reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like
or similar elements of the tripwire launcher. The figures are
intended for representative purposes only and should not be
considered to be limiting in any respect.
[0018] Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are shown
perspective views of various embodiments of the tripwire launcher.
The tripwire launcher 11 comprises a housing 12 having a first end
13 opposite a second end 14. A handle 15 extends orthogonally away
from the second end 14 of the housing 12, such that a user is
provided a gripping surface. A barrel 16 is affixed to the first
end 13, wherein the barrel 16 is configured to receive a tripwire
(as shown in FIG. 3, 17) therein. In the illustrated embodiments,
the barrel 16 comprises a cylindrical cross-section coaxially
aligned with the housing 12. In this way, the user can accurately
aim the tripwire launcher 11 towards a desired target by aligning
the housing 12 towards the target. A length of the barrel 16 can
vary across embodiments, such that a user can select a tripwire
launcher 11 for a desired use. In this way, the user can
selectively balance desirable attributes in the tripwire launcher
11, such as portability (as with embodiments with a shorter barrel
16) and accuracy (as with embodiments with a longer barrel 16) of
the device. Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1A,
the barrel 16 comprises a transparent material, such that a user
can visualize whether the tripwire is properly stored within the
barrel 16.
[0019] A pressurized gas canister 20 is removably secured to the
handle 15, wherein the pressurized gas canister 20 is conditionally
in fluid communication with the barrel 16 through the housing 12. A
trigger 22 is affixed to the housing 12 and is operably connected
to a quick-release valve (as shown in FIG. 2, 21). In this way, the
pressurized gas canister 20 can selectively release a desired
amount of pressurized gas through the housing 12 to be expelled
through the barrel 16 upon actuation of the trigger 22, allowing a
tripwire placed within the barrel 16 to be fired therefrom. In the
illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1A, the pressurized gas canister 20
is removably secured to the handle 15 via a lever 31, wherein the
lever 31 frictionally engages the pressurized gas canister 20
within the handle 15 when actuated. The pressurized gas canister 20
can comprise a variety of form-factors known in the art and can
alternately be stored entirely within the handle 15, such that the
pressurized gas canister 20 is not visible.
[0020] In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1B, the housing 12 is
elongated to provide a rifle configuration of the tripwire launcher
11. The elongated housing 12 of FIG. 1B provides several benefits,
such as increasing the volume of charged gas stored therein before
actuation of the trigger 22 releases the charged gas through the
barrel 16. In this way, the embodiment of FIG. 1B can launch a
tripwire with greater force than the embodiment of FIG. 1A, such
that a target can be subdued at an increased range. In the shown
embodiment of FIG. 1B, a foregrip 27 extends orthogonally from the
housing 12 at a first end 13 thereof. The foregrip 27 allows a user
to support the first end 13, providing additional stability
thereto, thereby increasing accuracy. In the shown embodiment, the
foregrip 27 is coplanar with the handle 15, ensuring that the
housing 12 is properly and comfortably aligned when in use.
[0021] In the shown embodiment of FIG. 1B, a laser emitter 29 is
disposed on the first end 13 of the housing 12. The laser emitter
29 is configured to emit a visible laser along the firing path of
the tripwire to assist in aiming. In some embodiments, the laser
emitter 29 is configured to emit a visible laser along a path
substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the barrel 16,
however, in alternate embodiments, the laser emitter 29 can be
adjusted to zero the emitted visible laser at a desired range, such
that a user can selectively adjust the point at which the visible
laser indicates an accurate firing path. In various embodiments,
the laser emitter 29 can be activated via a separate control
disposed on the housing, or alternatively via partial depression of
the trigger 22. For example, upon an initial partial depression of
the trigger 22, the laser emitter 29 can actuate, and upon further
depression of the trigger 22, the quick-release valve is actuated,
allowing the tripwire launcher 11 to fire.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a cross-sectional
view of an embodiment of the tripwire launcher. As previously
discussed, the trigger 22 is operably connected to the
quick-release valve 21. In the shown embodiment, the quick-release
valve 21 is connected to the trigger 22 via a mechanical linkage,
however, alternate trigger 22 actuation mechanisms known in the art
are also contemplated. Specifically, in the shown embodiment, the
mechanical linkage comprises an armature connected to each of the
quick-release valve 21 and the trigger 22 at opposing ends thereof,
such that when the trigger 22 is actuated, the armature pivots
about a central point, causing the quick-release valve 21 to move
in a direction opposite of the trigger's 22 actuation. In the
illustrated embodiment, the quick-release valve 21 comprises a
malleable head configured to form an airtight seal within an
opening between the barrel 16 and the housing 12. The malleable
head can comprise any of a variety of materials, including but not
necessarily limited to silicon, rubber, and the like. In operation,
when the trigger 22 is actuated, the malleable head moves away from
the opening between the housing 12 and the barrel 16, allowing
charged pressurized gas within a reservoir 30 of the housing 12 to
release through the opening to be expelled through the barrel 16.
In this way, the tripwire 17 stored within the barrel 16 can be
fired therefrom, propelling the tripwire 17 towards a desired
target. In some exemplary uses, a wadding can be placed within the
barrel 16 between the opening and the tripwire 17, such that the
entirety of the force generated by the release of the compressed
gas from the housing 12 is transferred into the wadding, which in
turn transfers the generated force into the tripwire 17. In this
way, the user is ensured maximal efficiency of force transfer from
the housing 12 to the tripwire 17.
[0023] In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 12 further
comprises the reservoir 30 therein, wherein the reservoir 30 is
configured to store a limited volume of pressurized gas from the
pressurized gas canister 20 therein. In this way, the pressurized
gas canister 20 is isolated from the barrel 16, allowing a user to
more precisely control how much gas is released upon depression of
the trigger 22. The reservoir 30 can be dimensioned to store a
desired among of pressurized gas therein, such that an optimal
volume for launching the tripwire 17 a desired distance can be
achieved. In this way, each time the tripwire launcher is fired,
the user is assured similar performance, such that this consistency
leads to an overall increase in accuracy and dependability.
[0024] In the shown embodiment, the pressurized gas canister 20 is
in fluid communication with the reservoir 30 via a line extending
through the handle. In some embodiments a canister valve is
disposed between the pressurized gas canister 20 and the reservoir
30, allowing a user to selectively charge the reservoir 30 with a
desired volume of pressurized gas. In such embodiments, the
canister valve can remain closed when the trigger 22 is actuated,
ensuring that the pressurized gas canister 20 is not unnecessarily
drained if the trigger 22 is depressed for an extended length of
time.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view
of the tripwire of an embodiment of the tripwire launcher. The
tripwire 17 comprises a plurality of lines 23 extending from a
connection point 24. A weighted element 18 is disposed on a distal
end 25 of each of the plurality of lines 23. In the shown
embodiment, the weighted elements 18 are permanently affixed to the
distal end 25 via a pair of securement members 28 disposed on
opposing sides of the weighted element 18. In this way, the
weighted element 18 is prevented from shifting along the length of
the plurality of lines 23, thereby ensuring the flight path of the
tripwire 17 isn't altered by shifts in the center of gravity
thereof. In the shown embodiment, the weighted elements 18 comprise
spherical members to reduce drag during flight. In the illustrated
embodiment, the plurality of lines 23 are disposed equiangularly
about the connection point 24, such that the tripwire 17 is evenly
balanced. Additionally, this equiangular configuration ensures
steady rotation about the connection point 24 during flight, as
rotational forces are evenly distributed through the plurality of
lines 23, thereby ensuring that the weighted elements 18 properly
wrap about a target when impacted by the tripwire 17. In this way,
the tripwire 17 more effectively restrains the target.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an exploded view of
an embodiment of the tripwire launcher. In the illustrated
embodiment, the tripwire launcher further comprises a compartment
26 removably securable to the second end 14 of the housing 12. In
some embodiments, the compartment 26 is removably secured via
friction fit, however, in alternate embodiments, the compartment 26
can be secured via threading or other securement means. The
compartment 26 is dimensioned to store at least one additional
tripwire 17 therein. In this way, the user can readily retrieve an
additional tripwire 17, allowing a user to rapidly fire a
subsequent shot if necessary.
[0027] It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has
been shown and described in various embodiments. It is recognized,
however, that departures may be made within the scope of the
invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person
skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it
is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for
the parts of the invention, to include variations in size,
materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly
and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in
the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in
the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be
encompassed by the present invention.
[0028] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only
of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous
modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in
the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact
construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly,
all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to,
falling within the scope of the invention.
* * * * *