Firearm safety and control system

Details Firearm safety and control system Firearm safety and control system

1999-03-09

2002-07-02

Johnson, Stephen M. (Department: 3641)

Firearms

Safety mechanism

Trigger lock

C042S070080, C042S070010

Reexamination Certificate

active

06412207

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to firearm systems, to apparatus and methods of making and using such systems, and to apparatus and methods of making and using individual sub-systems and components employed in such systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The most frequently used class of firearms employed by law enforcement agencies is semi-automatic handguns such as 9 mm or 38-caliber semi-automatic weapons. Standard in those weapons are thumb and grip, manually operated, button and/or trigger safeties which hinder unintentional firearm discharges. Such mechanisms are almost universally employed to provide a modicum of insurance against unintentional discharge of the weapon. A thumb safety operates by manually shifting the safety lever from its “safe” position to its “fire” position. A grip safety is automatically shifted to its “fire” position when the user's hand engages the stock or handle of the weapon. Neither of those safety mechanisms is wholly effective to prevent the unauthorized use of a firearm, and both have proven unsatisfactory in dealing with a variety of safety concerns.
One area of safety concern is the complete prevention of accidental discharge of weapons so as to avoid unintentional injuries or death. Another safety concern involves weapons, which come into the reach of children or inexperienced firearm users, which are accidentally or improperly discharged, resulting in death or serious injury. Further, a great concern of law enforcement officials is the unfortunate occurrence where a law enforcement officer is shot or killed with the officer's own service weapon. Such incidents most often occur during an attempted arrest of a violent suspect who gains control of the officer's service weapon and then uses it against him.
Persons such as police officers, security guards and correctional facility officers typically carry a firearm for their own protection as well as the protection of others. Such persons are continually exposed to situations where potential assailants must be physically confronted or detained. During the process of being confronted or detained, potential assailants may have the chance to wrest the officer's firearm away from him. The officer then faces the risk that the assailant will use his own firearm against him.
Some sobering statistics for the United States bring light to the breadth and depth of the problems described above. An average of about 16% of all police officers shot each year are shot with their own weapons. Fifteen thousand suicides are committed using firearms each year. At least 500 accidental firearm-related deaths of children occur each year. Seventy-one law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 1991. Firearms were used in 68 of those slayings, including 8 (11.4%) in which officers were killed with their own service weapons.
Adding to the problems caused by unauthorized use of firearms is the sheer number of firearms now in use in the United States, exacerbating further the general acuteness of the problem. For example, the 1993 census showed that 43% of all households admitted to owning firearms, meaning that at least 105 million firearms are now in civilian hands. One and a half million persons employed by private security firms have access to firearms. It is estimated that nearly four million firearms are employed nationwide by police and sheriff's departments, correctional facilities, fire departments, wildlife and forestry management agencies, the FBI, Federal Marshals, Military Police and the Secret Service.
Several safety arrangements have been suggested to make firearms safer. Most such safety arrangements may be classified as follows: (a) mechanically operated lock devices for disabling a weapon; (b) magnetically operated lock devices for disabling a weapon; (c) electronic remote control devices having a separate controlling transmitter and a receiver located on the firearm for disabling a weapon; (d) mechanical combination key lock devices for disabling a weapon; (e) electronically programmable key lock devices for disabling a weapon; (f) audio verification programmable key lock devices for disabling a weapon; (g) fingerprint verification programmable key lock devices for disabling a weapon, and (h) mechanical means for preventing the loading of ammunition into a weapon. Safety arrangements other than the foregoing also have been suggested.
Most firearm safety and control arrangements suggested heretofore have certain drawbacks or disadvantages, including: (a) a need to make substantial or expensive modifications or changes to the firearm prior to the fitting of the safety arrangement; (b) an inability to enable the safety arrangement of the firearm quickly when the firearm is in the possession of an authorized user; (c) unreliability in actual use; (d) an inability to retrofit the safety arrangement in an existing firearm; (e) an inability to retrofit the safety arrangement in a plurality of types of existing firearms: (f) an inability of an authorized user to remove the safety arrangement installed in the firearm in a cost-effective manner, if so desired; (g) the need to carry a physical key for insertion into the firearm to enable the firearm, thereby lengthening the amount of time required for an authorized user to enable the firearm; (h) ammunition disposed inside the firearm that still may be accessed by an unauthorized user, even when the trigger or hammer mechanism is disabled; and (i) safety arrangements that are complicated to use or implement.
Safety and control arrangements for firearm systems, components and methods are well known in the art, some examples of which may be found in the issued U.S. Patents listed in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1
Prior Art Patents
Patent Number
Title
3,733,861
Electronic Recognition Door
3,939,679
Safety System
4,003,152
Safety System
4,067,132
Safety Device for Preventing the Unauthorized Firing of
a Weapon
4,105,885
Hand-Operated Instruments Having Non-Magnetic
Safety Switch
4,135,320
Magnetically Actuable Safety Apparatus
4,154,014
Magnetically Actuable Safety Apparatus for Preventing
Unauthorized Actuation of a Touch-Operable Device
4,189,712
Switch and Lock Activating System and Method
4,354,189
Switch and Lock Activating System and Method
4,384,420
Firearm Magazine Lock
4,457,091
Firearm Safety Lock
4,467,545
Personalized Safety method and Apparatus for a Hand
Held Weapon
4,488,370
Weapon Control System and Method
4,532,729
Firearm Magazine Lock
4,563,827
Safety System for Disabling a Firearm
4,619,062
Safety Device for Firearms Using Removable Magazines
4,682,435
Safety System for Disabling a Firearm
4,761,906
Firearm Safety Device
4,793,085
Electronic Firing System for Target Pistol
4,970,819
Firearm Safety System and Method
5,016,376
Magnetic Actuated Firearms Locking Mechanism
5,022,175
Safety Arrangement for Firearms
5,052,138
Ammunition Supply Indicating System
5,062,232
Safety Device for Firearms
5,068,989
Means for Reducing the Criminal Usefulness of
Dischargeable Hand Weapons
5,083,392
Firearm with Piezoelectric triggering and Firing
Mechanism
5,168,114
Automatic Gun Safety Device
5,192,818
Means for Reducing the criminal Usefulness of Hand
Weapons
5,272,828
Combined Cartridge Magazine and Power supply for a
Firearm
5,301,448
Firearm Safety System
5,303,495
Personal Weapon System
5,448,847
Weapon Lock and Target Authenticating Apparatus
5,459,957
Gun Security and Safety System
5,461,812
Method and Apparatus for a Weapon Firing Safety
Apparatus
5,502,915
Gun
5,546,690
Audio Controlled Gun Locking Mechanism
5,561,935
Trigger Lock for Firearms
5,564,211
Normally Enabled Firearm Control System That Is
Directionally Disabled
5,581,927
Firearm with Safety Device
5,603,180
Hand Gun with Remotely Controlled Safety System
5,651,206
Safety Device
5,671,560
Firearm with Safety Device
5,675,925
System for Rendering a Hand Weapon Inoperable
5,704,153
Firearm Battery and Control
5,713,149
Electronic Trigger Lock
5,720,193
Push Button Firearm Lock
5,732,498
Tamper Proof Multi-Functional Multipurpose Firearm
Safe

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Firearm safety and control system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Firearm safety and control system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Firearm safety and control system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2857658