Education and demonstration – Organized armed or unarmed conflict or shooting – Gunnery
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-25
2001-11-27
Cheng, Joe H. (Department: 3713)
Education and demonstration
Organized armed or unarmed conflict or shooting
Gunnery
C434S019000, C463S051000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322365
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a firearm training system employing laser-emitting firearms and laser-detecting targets, and, more particularly, to a training firearm having a laser module that emits laser pulses along a centerline of the barrel of the firearm toward a laser-detecting target which may be linked via a computer network to similar, remotely-located training systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Shooting sports today include a variety of competitions including firing handguns, rifles and other firearms at bull's eyes and other types of targets. Measures of performance used to determine relative and absolute success include accuracy, speed, shot grouping, range and a host of combinations of these and other criteria. A combination of skills, competitive talents, and firearm performance is required to enable someone to compete successfully in the shooting sports. The skills involved include the integrated act of combining marksmanship fundamentals, such as proper firing position, trigger management, secure grip and correct sight picture. Competitive talents associated with the various shooting sports include being able to shoot accurately on the move, being able to draw a handgun from a holster, and being able to control breathing and movement so as to create a very stable platform for achieving pinpoint accuracy on a target.
The history of shooting as a sport reaches as far back as the invention of the first firearms. In excess of 10 million Americans regularly participate in one of the forms of officially recognized shooting sports. Varieties of shooting sports are part of both the summer and winter Olympics. Shooting is an internationally recognized competitive endeavor with its own championships, sponsors, competitive programs and sanctioning agencies. It is also a vibrant and dynamic sport, with new events and competitive options emerging frequently, e.g., cowboy action shooting.
Unfortunately, shooting sports suffer from a number of limitations and constraints that threaten the present and future vitality of the pastime. Foremost among these limitations are those associated with the shooting process itself. When a firearm is fired, some form of projectile is ejected from the firearm toward the target. This projectile (e.g., a bullet, musket ball, shot, BB or pellet) has the capability to injure or kill. The fact that the sport of shooting currently requires impact of a projectile with a target introduces a safety problem that limits the sport both physically and from an image point of view, contributing to the controversy now surrounding the private ownership of firearms.
It is undeniable that the tragedies associated with firearms, as well as the criminal acts committed with firearms, have harmed the image of the sport. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, firearm-related tragedies have led to the banning of all private ownership. No distinction is made regarding firearms reserved for sporting purposes. In many countries, such as Japan, ownership of private firearms has been illegal for some time.
The projectile fired by the firearm puts further constraints on the sport of shooting. Safety dictates that proper barriers and cleared areas be in place to prevent bystanders from being hit by direct fire and ricochets. This limits the ability of spectators to view competition. Special ranges are needed in order to conduct shooting sports anywhere within populated areas. These ranges are expensive to construct in accordance with zoning restrictions and expensive to insure. Moreover, competitions must be conducted at a common range (i.e., not at multiple, remote ranges) to ensure fair competition and to prevent the possibility of cheating.
Because spectators are restricted to watching shooting sport events from a safe distance behind the competitors, it is very difficult for the audience to see how the competition is progressing at any given time. In many circumstances, all of the firing must cease before targets can be inspected and scored. The audience must wait for this process to learn how their champion or team has fared. These constraints limit the audience of the sport, reducing its attractiveness in this age of computerized interactivity and immediacy to the participants themselves.
Equally problematic is the projectile, and specifically the lead bullet fired by most firearms. Lead is toxic, and the lead residue, including dust and other fragments, contaminate ranges of both the indoor and outdoor variety. Environmental protection laws are very strict in this regard, forcing range operators both to install expensive air cleaning and handling systems and to remediate existing range facilities.
Thus, while the sport of shooting is popular, enjoys a long heritage, and does meet all of the criteria for both individual and team competition, the very nature of the process of shooting is itself limiting. The unfortunate linkage to criminal and tragic acts further limits the potential of the sport and, in many cases, has directly led to its restriction.
Further, there is an ongoing need to train law enforcement officers and soldiers in the use of firearms, but using live ammunition at realistic ranges requires space and material which can be difficult to provide. The normal course of instruction (COI) relies on the use of live ammunition, and is called “live fire training.” Live fire training is dangerous, requiring properly surveyed and sized ranges, barriers and impact areas, and the use of lead bullets in live fire training is a pollution hazard, with associated remediation expenses. The U.S. government presently is spending considerable sums to clean up lead pollution at live fire ranges across the country, and an alternative to live fire training would be desirable from a remediation cost savings point of view alone.
Marksmanship training is intended to build and refine individual skills. However, in the case of most military units, conducting live fire training is done collectively, in that all of the members of the unit go to the firing range together. Primarily, this is due to the fact that live ammunition is carefully controlled. Also, since live fire ranges are scarce resources, their use must be scheduled. This entails significant advance coordination and planning, especially for reserve component units such as the Army and Marine Reserves of the Air and Army National Guard. These units meet monthly, on weekends typically, at centers of armories without suitable range facilities. Units must be transported to and from suitable training ranges, which often are a significant distance away, and supported with food and shelter while at the range. Those experienced in such matters will recognize that the ability to conduct suitable firearms training in the centers and armories (“at home station”), on an individual basis when needed, could provide significant savings and increase training value.
For the training to be meaningful, a formal COI is imposed, such as that noted for the M16A1 and M16A2 rifle in U.S. Army field manual FM 23-9, and a test is required. This test assesses the trainee's ability to meet the standards set forth in the COI, and is typically referred to as “qualification”. Passing the test means the trainee meets the standards and is qualified to use the weapon.
The qualification test includes a requirement to engage and hit standard targets of different sizes and having different shapes disposed at various ranges from the trainee. The actual distance to a target is called the range. Typically, rifle marksmanship skills are tested out to ranges of 300 meters for modern military rifles, and 25 to 50 meters for handguns. The longer ranges obviously impose significant acreage requirements for live fire range facilities. Consequently, the armed forces have formulated scaled target alternate courses which use silhouette targets sized to simulate different range-to-target distances based on fundamental mathematical formulas, thereby allowing the soldier to practi
Rosa Stephen P.
Shechter Motti
Beamhit, LLC
Cheng Joe H.
LandOfFree
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