Patents Examined by Michelle Thomson
  • Patent number: 6279258
    Abstract: A short bolt rifle that enables increased barrel without an increase in weight. A longer barrel increases bullet velocity, which increases the range and accuracy of the weapon and the bullet impact energy. In this action, the bolt is simply pulled back and pushed forward. The design includes a loader mechanism that ejects spent cartridges and loads a new cartridge. This happens while the bolt is drawn back and pushed forward. A rotating lock secures the bolt in the firing position. A second version of the action uses a pistol grip. A lock holds the pistol grip, which can be released. After it is released, the user pulls down and back on the grip to open the action. The grip is pushed forward and upward, to load a shell, while the bolt is moved forward and locked. The action also can easily be adapted to fully automatic operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Inventor: James Hashman
  • Patent number: 6266909
    Abstract: A pistol includes a frame; a slide mounted on the frame for forward and rearward motions relative to the frame to assume a forward, basic position and a rearward, pulled-back position; a firing pin mounted in the slide for forward and rearward motions relative to the slide; a firing pin catch affixed to the firing pin and movable therewith as a rigid unit; a firing pin spring mounted in the slide and urging the firing pin in a forward direction; a trigger movably supported in the frame; a trigger rail coupled to the trigger for executing a triggering motion when the trigger is pulled; and a sear for operatively connecting the trigger rail with the firing pin catch such that during forward motion of the slide the sear arrests and holds the firing pin catch whereby the firing pin spring is armed and that upon pulling the trigger, the sear is moved away from the firing pin catch by the trigger rail for allowing the firing pin to accelerate forwardly as urged by the firing pin spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: SIG Arms International AG
    Inventors: Rudolf Fuchs, Michael Osterrath
  • Patent number: 6256922
    Abstract: A firearm casing 10 for protecting a firearm 250 from the elements while allowing the user to access the firearm handle or sight 150 and trigger 290. The firearm casing 10 having a body 20 with a front portion 30, a rear portion 40, an upper longitudinal edge 260, a lower longitudinal edge 270, an end flap 10, a terminal aperture 210, an upper flap 50 and a lower flap 60. The lower longitudinal edge 270 having an access opening 280 permitting insertion of a firearm 250 and access to the trigger 290. The access opening 280 covered by the lower flap 60 with fastening means 160. The upper longitudinal edge 260 defining an upper aperture 300 for accessing a handle or sight 150 and the insertion and ejection of shells. The upper opening 300 covered by the upper flap 50 which protects the firearm 250 from the elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Innovative Sports, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Jones, Robert Lawrence Parker, Phillip Durham
  • Patent number: 6256921
    Abstract: The present invention is a shotgun undercarriage, for use in conjunction with a top receiver, barrel, fire control, carrier assembly, magazine assembly, and action system. The undercarriage has an integral and unitary stock, bottom receiver and forearm. The stock is adaptable for housing an action spring; the bottom receiver has at least one opening for mounting the fire control, the carrier assembly and the top receiver; and the forearm has a magazine housing. The bottom receiver and forearm cooperate to form at least one mounting surface capable of receiving the barrel and the top receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: RA Brands, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Bradley Phillip Howard, Todd D. Cook
  • Patent number: 6237461
    Abstract: A non-lethal personal defense device that may be carried by a user includes a housing, a nozzle having a discharge orifice, a control valve coupled to the nozzle, a pressurized source containing a bio-active agent and coupled to the nozzle, a rangefinder for determining a range to a target, a trigger mechanism for activating firing of the device and a firing controller. The firing controller operates the control valve to discharge an aerosol plume of the bio-active agent through the nozzle in response to activation of the trigger mechanism and in response to the range determined by the rangefinder. The nozzle may include a spray orifice for discharging a pulsed aerosol spray plume at relatively long range and a mist orifice for discharging a pulsed mist aerosol plume at relatively short range. The pulse parameters are varied in response to the sensed range to the attacker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Non-Lethal Defense, Inc.
    Inventor: Trent A. Poole
  • Patent number: 6233860
    Abstract: A single shot falling breech block rifle action with features to allow takedown and barrel changes to accommodate different rifle caliber and chambers. The action incorporates an automatic safety which blocks the internal striker. The compact design utilizes a small number of individual components. Maximum use is made of parts which may be obtained commercially with high precision at reasonable cost. The trigger mechanism and striker share a common pivot point and reduce the requirements for external adjustments. The extractor is effective with rimmed or rimless belted cases in present use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Inventor: Errol L. Hazen
  • Patent number: 6223461
    Abstract: A safety system and method for remotely activating and/or deactivating firearm(s). In certain embodiments, at least one processor or chip may be provided in the firearm. In order to remotely activate a firearm and allow it to be discharged, a controller (located remotely from the firearm) causes an activation signal to be sent to a satellite. The satellite redirects the activation signal toward a particular geographical area. When the firearm to be activated is in that geographical area, it receives the activation signal from the satellite. Upon determining that a match is found between a code in the received activation signal and a predetermined activation code stored in a memory of the firearm, the processor in the firearm causes a trigger lock in the firearm to open thereby enabling the firearm to be discharged whenever a user should decide to load the weapon and pull the trigger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Technology Patents, LLC
    Inventor: Aris Mardirossian
  • Patent number: 6216579
    Abstract: The invention disclosed relates to a composite armor material comprising an outer ballistic impact resistant layer of a steel material having a Rockwell “C” scale hardness of 47-54, and an inner blast resistant steel layer having a fracture toughness of 3.6-6.5 J/mm, and a Rockwell “C” scale hardness of 28-36.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Solicitor General acting through the Commissioner of the Royal Mounted Canadian Police
    Inventors: Stephen J. E. Boos, Charles A. Williams
  • Patent number: 6205903
    Abstract: A line charge has a series of spaced-apart warheads coupled to strength members and a detonating cord freely extends through bores in the warheads. A rocket motor at one end of the strength members pulls the line charge across an obstacle laden area. An anchored tether or drogue chute at the other end arrests flight of the line charge and it drops across the area. The thermoplastic, polymeric, or metallic strength members provide strain management to withstand the severe deployment forces and to preclude damage to the detonating cord. Strain is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the strength members coupled to the warheads. Strain also is reduced through direct dissipation of energy by dynamic frictional losses created between strength members, coupling components, and anchoring devices during deployment when slippage occurs between the strength members and coupling components and anchoring devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Robert Woodall, Felipe Garcia, Gilberto Irizarry
  • Patent number: 6202532
    Abstract: In a weapons system of the type in which a round having a case is fired from a gun, the round including a fuze processor, the round further made up of a firing circuit having a resistor and also having two contacts in the case of the round, the gun having two contacts which contact the two contacts of the round when the round is in the gun and ready to fire, the gun being fired by applying a voltage in excess of a certain threshold to the contacts of the round via the contacts of the gun, the weapons system including a fire control system outside the gun.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: State of Israel - Ministry of Defense, Rafael - Armament Development Authority
    Inventor: Issac Kadushin
  • Patent number: 6202534
    Abstract: A handling system for brass shell casings in an ammunition handling system. A shaft has a first sprocket and first hub and a non-circular gear mounted thereto, and because of the non-circular gear, rotates at a variable speed when driven by a power source. A second hub, coaxial with the shaft and rotatable independently of the shaft, has a second sprocket and a circular gear mounted thereto, and because of the circular gear, rotates at a selected speed when driven by the power source. The speed of the first sprocket varies between being equal to the speed of the second sprocket to being less than the speed of the second sprocket so that one end of a shell casing mounted on the two sprockets first lags behind the other end of the shell casing, then catches up to the other end of the shell casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: General Dynamics Armament Systems
    Inventors: David R. Baxter, Edward A. Prouix, Bernard A. Derry
  • Patent number: 6182389
    Abstract: An improved bolt carrier for a firearm is provided that improves the overall reliability and performance of the firearm bolt assembly. The bolt carrier includes a bolt with a body having a number of lugs extending therefrom. The lugs are integrally connected to the body and define a fillet extending between a sidewall of the lug and the outer surface of the body of the bolt. The bolt also includes an extractor pivotably engaged in a recess formed in the bolt. The extractor has a pair of flanges configured to engage a pair of springs disposed on either side of a firing pin bore extending through the bolt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Inventor: Karl R. Lewis
  • Patent number: 6173519
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a tool for the installation and removal of the magazine catch of automatic and/or semi-automatic firearms. In particular, a magazine catch which is transversely operable within the firearm like that of the M16A2 and M4 Carbine where the magazine catch button must be depressed sufficiently to allow for the rotation of the magazine catch for installation or removal. The tool enables the user to orient, insert, depress and hold the magazine catch button and to steady the firearm simultaneously with one hand. The tool is designed to limit the insertion of the magazine catch button so as to eliminate the damage caused to the magazine catch spring by over-insertion of the magazine catch button. The preferred embodiment is constructed of polymer to eliminate damage to the firearm and its parts. The design of the invention also serves to reduce discomfort and injury to the hand of the user caused by conventional tools or field expedients used to perform this task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Inventor: Robert H. Garrett
  • Patent number: 6170377
    Abstract: A method for contactless inductive transmission of programming data to a programmable time fuse included in a shell for a single shot, semi-automatic, or fully automatic shell firing barrel weapon. While the shell is situated in a cartridge chamber of a barrel of the weapon, data is transmitted to the programmable time fuse from a programming device of the weapon via a transmitting coil arranged around the cartridge chamber of the barrel to a receiving coil arranged in the shell. At least a part of the barrel lying between the coils is replaced by a non-magnetic material and designed so that it does not form an electrically conductive short circuited layer that would prevent transmission between the coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Bofors AB
    Inventors: Rolf Larsson, Nils Johansson, Erik Fohrman, Björn Hagström, Sven-Åke Jern
  • Patent number: 6164180
    Abstract: In a container for belted ammunition, this ammunition forms loops between intermediate walls, thus ensuring that the ammunition can easily be drawn out, that the belted ammunition is supported vertically on the base, and a wall has a vertical aligned outlet opening for the belted ammunition, and that the base has a low-friction plastic covering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Steyr-Daimler-Puch Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gunter Sulm, Karl Brichta
  • Patent number: 6152012
    Abstract: A device for use with a weapon having a magazine well for acceptance of a rst munitions magazine of a given capacity. The device includes a bracket having first end sized to replicate the well engaging end of the munitions magazine to permit insertion of the bracket into the well and a second end on the bracket for engagement with a second munitions magazine having a substantially greater munitions capacity than the first magazine. Insertion of the bracket into the well and the second munitions magazine into the bracket permits firing of the full capacity of the second munitions magazine. The preferred weapon for this invention is Model M249 Squad Automatic Weapon ("SAW") or other similar weapons, wherein the first magazine is a 30 round magazine and the second magazine is selected from 100 round and 200 round magazines. The M249 SAW is designed to be carried for use while the operator is standing and also provided with a tripod device for ground mounted emplacement and use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Patrick Sherwood
  • Patent number: 6138547
    Abstract: A shell-firing barrel weapon system for a single shot, semi-automatic or fully automatic firing, including a rifled barrel comprising a programming member for programming with programming pulses fuses in shells fired from the weapon before or in conjunction with firing of the shells. At least one contact is located in the barrel of the weapon and connected to the programming member for transmitting a programming pulse from the programming member to the fuses of the shells. The at least one contact is electrically insulated from the barrel and protrudes into the barrel beyond bars of rifling of the barrel. An electrically conductive contact ring is concentrically arranged on the shells. The contact ring is electrically insulated from main parts of the shells and has an external diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the bars of the rifling of the barrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Bofors AB
    Inventors: Rolf Larsson, Nils Johansson, Erik Fohrman, Bjorn Hagstrom, Sven-.ANG.ke Jern
  • Patent number: 6125734
    Abstract: A modular horizontal launching system is disclosed comprised of modules hng scalable dimensions so as to easily accommodate the handling of different launchable devices. The launching system has a canister that not only serves as a launch tube but also has a shipping container for the launchable devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Jon J. Yagla
  • Patent number: 6112636
    Abstract: A gas-operated pistol which comprises a frame having a handgrip and adapted to receive a magazine. A slide is mounted for alternating longitudinal movement along the frame. A barrel is provided which is able to pivot at its muzzle end and rotate upwards from a locking engagement via locking means with the frame to allow a cartridge to be removed. An actuating means rotates the barrel upwards after the high pressure period has passed. A cylinder is located above the barrel and communicates with the barrel bore via a passage. The action of propellant gases in the cylinder on the piston urges the slide rearwards. This arrangement reduces the effect of felt recoil on the firer when using very powerful cartridges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Inventor: Bernard Christian Besselink