Education and demonstration – Organized armed or unarmed conflict or shooting
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-29
2003-08-12
Sager, Mark (Department: 3714)
Education and demonstration
Organized armed or unarmed conflict or shooting
C273S348000, C102S444000, C473S570000, C473S578000, C235S400000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06604946
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to non-lethal projectiles as applied to tactical training and active games, sports or toys. More particularly, the invention describes means for data transmission from a direct-fire, small arms type projectile to a discreet reader-target for hit-indication, scoring, and logistical purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Non-lethal direct fire combat simulation projectiles are projectiles designed to be usable upon human targets providing certain safety precautions are observed. Non-lethal combat simulation projectiles first saw use in direct fire applications prior to World War II when Germany began a new training system for their elite troops utilizing special light-weight wooden bullets in combination with reduced powder charges for their standard service weapons. These special bullets were used for exchanging fire with similarly armed opponents to acclimate trainees to battlefield conditions while training basic marksmanship skills.
The training systems developed for similar weapons and ammunition is now called force-on-force training due to its application in combat training where trainees are introduced to battlefield stress induced by the threat of incoming non-lethal projectiles fired by aggressor forces. After the war, force-on-force training utilizing actual projectiles waned and was not restarted on a large scale until the last few years. Instead, due to the advances in radiant (light, infra-red, or laser) technology, most new research money was allocated toward developing lasers for tactical training. Initially, lasers seemed to promise hi tech solutions to most tactical-training problems but as the years passed, despite widespread adoption of laser-type training weapons, the limitations of laser technology began to grow increasingly evident. On Dec. 16, 1986, a patent, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,427) was issued to Gallagher and assigned to Loral Electro-Optical Systems, Inc. that deals with some more highly technical solutions to problems associated with laser training systems and further mentioned problems that are not entirely solved such as a “near-field pseudo-miss” which is still a problem with laser training. Each shortcoming in laser-based technology has been attacked through enormous effort and expense but the conclusion has become evident to all but the most ardent supporters.
Lasers and other radiant projectile simulators cannot closely mimic the performance of projectiles due to their insubstantial nature. Laser representations of projectiles do not induce fear, anxiety, or an adrenaline reaction in trainees so the ability to duplicate any combat conditions is nearly impossible. Near misses by the invisible lasers are not observable by trainees thus evasive actions to avoid further enemy fire is not practiced.
Lasers, by virtue of their physical nature, are not effected by the earth's gravity in the way that bullets are and thus do not in any way simulate the ballistic nature of all standard projectiles. Gallagher's Patent mentioned above states in its first claim “ . . . (a) laser beam simulating the trajectory of a projectile comprising: . . . ” The definition of the word “trajectory” indicates a curve in the vertical plane traced by an object moving through space. Lasers do not curve under normal earth conditions and cannot “simulate the trajectory” of a projectile. Only a non-lethal projectile can simulate the trajectory of a lethal projectile for training purposes.
Further, laser-beams utilized in training equipment expand in diameter as they progress in range from their source, thus a beam measuring one inch outside diameter at its point of origin, may expand to 12 inches in outside diameter at a range of one-hundred yards, whereas, normal bullets maintain a constant diameter from the muzzle to the bullet's maximum range. This expanding tendency in laser or light beams allows trainees to aim less precisely as the range increases and still hit their target which is completely opposite the principles of firearms marksmanship where a distant target is much more difficult to hit than a nearby target.
Utilizing the same radiant or laser-based technology some more recent inventions have based the laser or light emitting technology in various devices analogous to area effect explosives such as hand-grenades, artillery shells and mines (U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,979 Herbert Walder and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,372 Carl J. Campagnuolo). These area effect weapon simulators utilize light-emitting diodes, lasers, or other sources to communicate to target sensors as a simulated explosion when activated. These devices may be utilized in conjunction with the technology mentioned above from Loral Electro-Optical Systems and can only fill the role of area effect weapons simulators because they cannot discreetly address a single target nor are they designed to be utilized in a direct fire format such as in a rifle or pistol bullet analogy, due to size, impact activation, and mechanical requirements. By definition, area effect weapons have a “blast radius” or “kill radius” for attacking multiple targets within a specified area. This blast radius is simulated with Walder's invention and Campagnuolo's invention by an indiscriminate, multi-directional radiation of infra-red or laser energy. Because they indiscriminately radiate their signal in all directions they cannot discreetly address one target while another equidistant target is present without counting hits upon both targets, therefore they are not usable for small-arms, direct fire applications. Also, like all laser or light emitting technologies these devices will not signal hits upon a trainee sensor shielded even by a sheet of paper, clothing or leaves.
These and other failures, intrinsic to laser technology have prompted recent manufacturers to produce or adapt a small number of products to represent small arms, direct-fire projectiles for use in tactical training. These products include the use of a dye-filled hard-gelatin capsule, called a “paintball” (U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,880 Henry J. Smith) because of the nominal sphere-shape generally adopted by the manufacturers; and a few wax or gelatin bullets (U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,536 Richard W. Brighton) also utilizing a marking or dye-type solution, all of which are frangible, or are designed to break or disintegrate and mark opponents. Although these analog marking projectiles have in many cases done much to improve the small arms, live fire aspects of tactical training, they have not been widely accepted due to a variety of weaknesses.
One of the chief problems with frangible marking projectiles is the structural weakness integral to most of the offered projectiles; they must be of sufficient structural strength to withstand the pressures and friction of being fired out of a weapon and yet must be fragile enough to break or disintegrate upon impact on a trainee or a target. To add to the complexity of the structural frailty it must be understood that training may take place under widely varying atmospheric conditions ranging from very cold and wet, to extremely hot and arid all of which will generally effect the resilience or brittleness of these frangible projectiles either causing them to break or disintegrate within the barrel, or bounce upon contact with a target. Due to these structural short-comings, the non-lethal frangible training projectile will often strike a trainee in such a way that it fails to disintegrate and mark the trainee or, should it disintegrate upon bare skin, sharp gelatin fragments are often driven into the skin causing the skin to bleed. Also, these projectiles frequently strike a trainee in such a way (on a piece of equipment perhaps) that he or she is unable to detect the impact and thus continues to aggress or take part in an exercise when he or she should be eliminated.
Yet another problem is the inability to regulate, administer or grade a training exercise. For instance: trainees may be eliminated by dye-marks upon them from “friendly-fire” (shots from a fellow trainee on the sam
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