Patents Examined by James Bergin
  • Patent number: 8763532
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for perforating a subterranean formation is disclosed. The apparatus includes a tubular carrier; a charge tube disposed in the tubular carrier; and at least one shaped charge mounted in the charge tube which includes a casing, an explosive material and a liner enclosing the explosive material within the casing. An apex portion of the liner has a cross-sectional thickness greater than a cross-sectional thickness of any other portion of the liner. The cross-sectional thickness of the apex portion may be at least fifty percent thicker than a cross-section of a portion adjacent the apex portion. A density of the apex portion may be greater than the density of any other portions of the liner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Owen Oil Tools LP
    Inventors: Zeping Wang, Dan Pratt, Paul Noe
  • Patent number: 8763534
    Abstract: To increase the function and safety of a weapon, it is proposed that the molded part, as connecting site particularly between a projectile and a preferably combustible sleeve containing a driving mechanism, be constructed in such a way that, in a predefined region, said molded part has a felt with an energetic material and/or an inert material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Nitrochemie Aschau GmbH
    Inventor: Walter Lebacher
  • Patent number: 8746145
    Abstract: A munition is described including a reactive fragment having an energetic material dispersed in a metallic binder material. A method is also described including forming a energetic material; combining the energetic material with a metallic binder material to form a mixture; and shaping the mixture to form a reactive fragment. The munition may be in the form of a warhead, and the reactive fragment may be contained within a casing of the warhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: George D. Hugus, Edward W. Sheridan, George W. Brooks
  • Patent number: 8746146
    Abstract: A bullet or slug for hunting a game animal is fitted with a capsule that contains an effective quantity of a blood trail enhancer. The latter is composed of fish oil and apple cider vinegar together with effective amounts of natural anti-coagulant agents, such as ginger, onion, and garlic. The fish oil and apple cider vinegar also serve as anti-coagulants. These agents including also are effective in promoting healing of a non-fatal wound in a game animal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Inventor: Gayle Wiegand
  • Patent number: 8739673
    Abstract: A method comprises: a. determining a configuration of a gun string, b. determining, by a computer, a pressure transient at a location in a wellbore, c. comparing the one or more pressures with the one or more pressure thresholds at the location, and d. perforating the wellbore with the gun string using the determined configuration of the gun string when the one or more pressures meet the one or more pressure thresholds at the location. The location in the wellbore has one or more pressure thresholds, and the pressure transient comprises one or more pressures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Cam Van Le, Darren Ross Barlow, Jeffrey Alan Nelson
  • Patent number: 8739671
    Abstract: A method is provided for producing a large-calibre explosive projectile having a projectile casing with an ogival front part, which surrounds an internal area filled with a plastic-bonded explosive charge and, at a nose end, has a mouth closed by a nose fuze, wherein an elastic liner is arranged between the explosive charge and the inner wall of the projectile casing. The projectile casing is produced in two parts, such that, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the projectile casing, a tail-end projectile casing section and an annular front projectile casing section, which contains the mouth, can be connected to one another in the area of the ogival front part, via a screw connection. The liner is introduced into the tail-end projectile casing section and the explosive charge is introduced into the liner before the two projectile casing sections are connected to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH
    Inventors: Ole Dau, Uwe Naderhoff
  • Patent number: 8726808
    Abstract: An initiator assembly that includes a header body, an insulating spacer that is coupled to the header body, an initiator, a plurality of terminals that extend through the header body, a plurality of contacts, an input charge, an output charge and a cover that includes an axially threaded portion into which the output charge is housed. The initiator includes a plurality of electric interfaces and is disposed on a side of the insulating spacer opposite the header body. The contacts electrically couple the electric interfaces to the terminals. The input charge is formed of a secondary explosive and is disposed proximate the initiator so as to be capable of detonating to release energy upon activation of the initiator. The cover is coupled to the header body and cooperates with the header body to house the insulating spacer, the initiator chip, the contacts, the input charge and the output charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Reynolds Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher J. Nance
  • Patent number: 8726810
    Abstract: A grenade includes a body having at least one interior chamber; a fuze assembly attached to the body, that fuze assembly being capable of detonating the grenade and a safety lever movable between a first position to a second position which engages the fuze assembly. A firing pin is engageable with the safety lever to prevent the lever from being moved to the second position. A retaining clip retains the firing pin and prevents premature release of the pin from the grenade wherein the retaining clip is integrated within the safety lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Combined Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Jacob Kravel
  • Patent number: 8720342
    Abstract: A fragmentation warhead includes a cylindrical body, and an explosive charge disposed within the innermost part of the warhead body comprised of slidable positionable explosives, their times of detonation controllable by an operator. The apparatus can produce numbers and sizes of fragments ranging from relatively large to relatively small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Vladimir M. Gold, Henry Hsieh
  • Patent number: 8707843
    Abstract: The present invention provides an improved kinematic countermeasure flare and method of constructing the same wherein the housing has integrated internal features. The flare nose weight is set at the end of a die core prior to molding for integration with the housing. Longitudinal grooves and other recesses in the die core allow for the formation of internal longitudinal ribs which propellant can bond to and a retaining bead for retaining the nose weight in the housing which are integrated with the housing. Propellant is cast into the formed housing. A propellant shaping mandrel is then inserted into the formed housing thereby forcing the propellant into the internal cavity created by the integrally molded longitudinal ribs, the shaping mandrel and the wall of the flare housing such that the propellant is bonded to the interior housing wall and the longitudinal ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Kilgore Flares Company, LLC
    Inventor: Alan Phillips
  • Patent number: 8695507
    Abstract: A lightweight composite sabot useful in large, medium and small caliber rifled gun systems, wherein each of the sabot segments are reinforced with thin aluminum, or other, metal wedges to increase the torsional strength of the sabot body to survive the torsional forces created when fired from a rifled gun tube. And, which composite sabot also has a metal bulkhead about the periphery thereof, to reduce the spin and resulting hoop stresses, and to help protect the composite material during firing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Saif Musali, Munasir Harhara, Nicholas Payne, Roger Joinson, Velan Mudaliar, Daniel Prillaman, Shri Singh
  • Patent number: 8695504
    Abstract: An activation unit (1, 10) for munitions-free decoys, active masses or active bodies (3) is characterized by an ejector tube (2) and a high-powered heater element (4) arranged around the ejector tube (2, 12), wherein the heater element is made up of at least one heating wire (6), provided with electrical current by a regulator unit. Each heating wire (6) is enclosed in a sleeve (7) and embedded in at least one heat-loss minimizing material. The active body (3) passing through the activation unit (1,10) directly or indirectly contacts with the individual elements (4) of the activation unit (1, 10). Thermal energy is transmitted to the active body (3) from the heating wires (6), which ignites at the touching or contact point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Guth, Heribert Eglauer, Frank Oliver, Florian Huber, Nenad Prelic
  • Patent number: 8695505
    Abstract: A detonator (120) which has a battery (136) which is movable by a pressure wave from a shock tube (158) to a position at which the battery is placed in electrical contact with a circuit (130) which controls firing of an ignition element (128).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Detnet South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
    Inventors: Andre Louis Koekemoer, Johannes Petrus Kruger, Christopher Malcolm Birkin
  • Patent number: 8689696
    Abstract: A projectile includes: (a) a cured, toughened polymer resin; and (b) a particulate filler distributed through the resin, the filler having a density greater than a density of the resin, wherein the projectile has average density less than the density of lead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Caneel Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Jonathan Seeman, Dewey Privette
  • Patent number: 8689694
    Abstract: A flying bomb includes a standardized bomb casing formed of steel and having a nose opening and a tail opening. A thin penetrator is disposed in the bomb casing in order to achieve high effectiveness with little collateral damage when the flying bomb strikes a target. A distance between the tip of the penetrator and the nose opening is greater than 100 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Juergen Haumann, Martin Clifford Bucksch
  • Patent number: 8689691
    Abstract: A Safe-and-Arm system for the prevention of unintentional operation of an explosive device by interrupting a detonation train, the system employing an interruptive transfer assembly made of silicon and suitable for implementing in a MEMS device, the assembly including a silicon based transfer charge carrier on a porous explosive passageway made by etching, the passageway extending between at least two ports on the circumference of the transfer assembly, and a drive means that can mechanically bring about at least one armed state of a detonation train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
    Inventors: Shai Rahimi, Evgenia Golda Fradkin
  • Patent number: 8689693
    Abstract: An active body (1) includes flares (2, 6, 7) arranged adjacent, above, or behind each other, wherein at least one hydrophobic separating layer (3, 5) is integrated between the flares, or flare disks (2, 6, 7), thereby preventing the flares (2, 6, 7) from attaching or sticking. In one embodiment, the hydrophobic separating layer (3) is applied to at least one side of the flares (2), preferably as a powder preferably consisting of microspheres, or the like. In another embodiment, a separating disk is disposed between the flares (6, 7) as the separating layer (5), which in addition is anti-cohesive and anti-adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH
    Inventors: Nenad Prelic, Heribert Eglauer
  • Patent number: 8689668
    Abstract: An automatic crimping tool may be used to seat and crimp a projectile in a cartridge case. The tool may include a center sleeve having a blind bore at one end, an outer surface, a spring stop disposed on the outer surface, and at least one opening extending through a wall of the blind bore. The tool may include an outer sleeve having a through bore. The center sleeve may be reciprocably disposed in the through bore of the outer sleeve. The through bore may include a counter bore at one end and an enlarged portion located distal from the counter bore. A spring may be disposed between a flat portion of the counter bore and the spring stop. A retainer may bear against the spring stop to limit axial motion of the center sleeve. An inner sleeve may be disposed in the blind bore. The inner sleeve may be selectively translatable with the center sleeve. A second spring may be disposed between a closed end of the blind bore and the inner sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Aaron Rider, Taylor Hale
  • Patent number: 8683906
    Abstract: A ammunition loading machine is provided. The ammunition loading machine includes a base frame. A rake assembly is mounted to the base frame and configured to index a linear row of cases along a first linear axis. A platen assembly is also mounted to the base frame and is movable relative to the base frame along a second linear axis that is orthogonal to the first linear axis. A propellant hopper is fixedly mounted to the base frame. The platen assembly is movable relative to the propellant hopper to transfer propellant from the propellant hopper to a propellant filling mechanism that is movable with the platen assembly. The rake assembly is adjustable to accommodate multiple different sizes of cartridges. The rake assembly and platen assembly are commonly linked to a cam drive mechanism for simultaneously moving the rake assembly and the platen assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Dixon Automatic Tool, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy R. Baxter, Emery Johnson
  • Patent number: 8677901
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a premeasured compressed charge in which the compressed charge has a leading end portion with a smaller dimension than both a trailing end portion and a desired caliber of the intended firearm and the trailing end portion has a larger diagonal dimension than the desired caliber of the firearm. The method comprises the steps of providing a mold with cavities, filling the mold cavities with gunpowder, pressing gunpowder to form a compressed charge so that one of a density and a compaction of the gunpowder, adjacent the leading end portion of the compressed charge, is about 0% to about 5% less than the density or the compaction of the gunpowder adjacent the trailing end portion to facilitate a more complete combustion of the compressed charge upon discharge of the firearm, and removing the compressed charge from the cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: American Pioneer Powder, Inc.
    Inventors: Brett Neal Epstein, Mark Andrew Griesbach