FIREARM TRAINING SAFETY DEVICE
A firearm training safety device includes a cartridge loaded into the firearm, a rod to fit in the barrel of the firearm, a releasable fastening element which fastens the first end of the rod to the cartridge, and a colored safety indicator at the second end of the rod. The cartridge can be loaded into the firearm, and the rod can be inserted into the barrel and fastened to the cartridge, so that the firearm is rendered inoperable and the safety indicator extends from the barrel. The fastening element can be a threaded tunnel and funnel contained within the cartridge, and a threaded stud at the end of the rod.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/036,721, filed Mar. 14, 2008.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to firearms and, more specifically, to a firearm training safety device.
Firearms can be dangerous when used in training. If a firearm is not somehow disabled and rendered inoperable, training users of the firearm might load a live round and make the weapon ready to fire, which could lead to an accident. Further, during training, it is desirable to quickly and easily identify which firearms are disabled, so as to easily distinguish disabled firearms from weapons that might be made ready to fire. It would also be desirable to disable and re-enable firearms quickly and easily, so as to avoid the need to disassemble the weapon, and so that a user could use his or her own personal weapon for training.
As can be seen, there is a need for an apparatus to render a firearm inoperable and identify that the weapon can be used safely for training purposes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one aspect of the present invention, a device utilizing a firearm having a barrel includes: a cartridge adapted to be loaded into the firearm; a rod adapted to fit in the barrel of the firearm, the rod having first and second ends; a releasable fastening element which fastens the first end of the rod to the cartridge; and a safety indicator at the second end of the rod; wherein the cartridge can be loaded into the firearm, and the rod can be inserted into the barrel and fastened to the cartridge, so that the firearm is rendered inoperable and the safety indicator extends from the barrel.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method of selectably changing a firearm having a barrel from an operable mode into an inoperable mode includes: loading a cartridge into the firearm, the cartridge having a first fastening element; inserting a first end of a rod into the barrel, the rod having a second fastening element at the first end and a safety indicator at a second end; and attaching the first fastening element and the second fastening element together, so that the firearm is rendered inoperable and the safety indicator extends from the end of the barrel.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. However, any single inventive feature may not address any of the problems discussed above or may only address one of the problems discussed above. Further, one or more of the problems discussed above may not be fully addressed by any of the features described below.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention generally provides a weapon cartridge and rod to render a firearm inoperable and identify that the weapon can be used safely for training purposes.
Embodiments of the present invention may lock the action of a pistol, rifle or shotgun so that the action cannot operate, while displaying a colored plug on the end of the barrel. This could allow an individual to use his or her personal weapon while training. The weapon does not have to be disassembled for the invention to be installed.
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To make an embodiment of the invention, the cartridge could be cast out of hard plastic, metal, or other material as well. It would be possible in mass production to cast or machine a cartridge for a specific caliber or type of weapon from a resin, hard plastic, or metal. The end piece could be approximately ¼″ to ½″ in length, brightly colored, and slightly greater in diameter than the caliber of the weapon (which would match the diameter of the barrel).
Another embodiment of the invention could include a bushing, made of nylon or other material, which may be inserted and epoxied or otherwise fitted snugly into a spent cartridge. As depicted in
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It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A device comprising:
- a cartridge fitted into a firearm;
- a rod adapted to fit in the barrel of the firearm, the rod having first and second ends;
- a releasable fastening element which fastens the first end of the rod to the cartridge; and
- a safety indicator at the second end of the rod;
- wherein the cartridge can be loaded into the firearm, and the rod can be inserted into the barrel and fastened to the cartridge, so that the firearm is rendered inoperable and the safety indicator extends from the barrel.
2. The device of claim 1 further comprising:
- a second fastening element which fastens the safety indicator to the second end of the rod.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the safety indicator is larger than the interior of the barrel, so that, when the device is installed, the action of the firearm cannot be opened.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the releasable fastening element comprises:
- a threaded tunnel, contained within the cartridge; and
- a threaded stud, fixed to the rod, and adapted to mate with the threaded tunnel.
5. The device of claim 4 further comprising:
- a funnel, contained within the cartridge, which helps guide the threaded stud to mate with the threaded tunnel.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the releasable fastening element comprises:
- a threaded tunnel, fixed to the rod; and
- a threaded stud, extending from the end of the cartridge, and adapted to mate with the threaded tunnel.
7. The device of claim 6 further comprising:
- a funnel, fixed near the first end of the rod, which helps guide the threaded stud to mate with the threaded tunnel.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein the releasable fastening element comprises:
- a bushing adapted to fit within the cartridge, the bushing having a threaded tunnel and a funnel; and
- a threaded stud, fixed to the rod, the stud being guided by the funnel to mate with the threaded tunnel.
9. A device for transitioning a firearm between an operable mode and an inoperable mode, the device comprising:
- a cartridge fitted into a firearm;
- a rod adapted to fit in the barrel of the firearm, the rod having first and second ends;
- a releasable fastening element which fastens the first end of the rod to the cartridge; and
- a safety indicator at the second end of the rod;
- wherein the cartridge can be loaded into the firearm and the rod inserted into the barrel and fastened to the cartridge, so as to transition the firearm from an operable mode into an inoperable mode.
10. The device of claim 9, the safety indicator further comprising:
- a colored plug near the end of the barrel to indicate that the firearm is in an inoperable mode.
11. The device of claim 9 wherein the releasable fastening element comprises:
- a threaded tunnel, contained within the cartridge; and
- a threaded stud, fixed to the rod, and adapted to mate with the threaded tunnel.
12. A method of selectably changing a firearm having a barrel from an operable mode into an inoperable mode, the method comprising:
- loading a cartridge into the firearm, the cartridge having a first fastening element;
- inserting a first end of a rod into the barrel, the rod having a second fastening element at the first end and a safety indicator at a second end; and
- attaching the first fastening element and the second fastening element together, so that the firearm is rendered inoperable and the safety indicator extends from the end of the barrel.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
- selectably changing the firearm between the operable mode and the inoperable mode without disassembling the firearm.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
- providing a funnel to help guide the second fastening element to the first fastening element.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein the first fastening element is a threaded tunnel and a funnel contained within the cartridge, the second fastening element is a threaded stud fixed to the first end of the rod, and the funnel helps guide the second fastening element to the first fastening element.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
- inserting a bushing into the cartridge, the bushing containing the threaded tunnel and the funnel.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 16, 2009
Publication Date: Sep 17, 2009
Applicant: STILLWATER TACTICAL, L.L.C. (Molt, MT)
Inventors: CHARLES BENTLEY ROTH (Molt, MT), ALEXANDER JOSHUA ROTH (Molt, MT), CHARLES KEM (Columbus, MT), ZACHARIAH BENTLEY ROTH (Laurel, MT), JEROME C. GRENZ (Molt, MT)
Application Number: 12/404,489
International Classification: F41A 17/44 (20060101);