Abstract:
A launchable, multi-sensory distraction grenade including a base, three outer grenade walls arranged together on the base to pivotally move from a first position, to a second position, extending outward laterally from the base in different directions, to form lateral legs to support the base after it lands on a surface, a plurality of spring fingers retaining the walls in contact with the base, at least two distraction devices mounted in the grenade for initiating an extended period of personnel distraction in the area of the grenade with its walls in their second position, a distraction device ignitor and safety trigger at least a portion of which is external the casing for controlling the ignition means.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/269,139 filed on Feb. 15, 2001. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates to the field of distraction devices used for facility clearing, such as removing unwanted personnel from buildings and other structures. More particularly, it relates to a multi-sensory distraction grenade to replace or supplement the traditional flash-bang, hand-grenade used to route belligerents from hiding places but without causing lasting injury to them or anyone held by them.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    The classic solution for facility clearing (to remove belligerents and/or rescue hostages) is to inject lachrymators (thrown or fired from a rifle or shotgun) or throw flash-bang grenades into the structure they occupy, followed by manned forced entry. These devices provide a small window of distraction to the belligerents but still places entry personnel at significant risk. It is thought that the effects of flash-bang grenades are too short to be effective in distracting the highly trained terrorist.  
           [0006]    In the method of throwing devices into buildings and other hiding places, the safety lever on the projectile, such as a lachrymator cannister, is moved from the “safe” position to the “arm” position or the arming pin or other arming device is pulled or removed from the projectile. The device is then thrown into the building where, based upon the timing of the installed fuze, the device bursts open releasing the lachrymators such as tear gas. For the flash-bang grenade, the same insertion method is used, but as the canister bursts, several milliseconds of extremely loud sound and bright flashing light are produced.  
           [0007]    In each of these prior art devices, many things can go wrong. The fuse may fail to ignite the contents of the grenade giving the belligerents time to throw it back or throw their own device at the law enforcement personnel. The device may bounce off furniture, walls or other structures and land in an area where the flash or bang or lachrymators is isolated and rendered less effective than if it were exploded in an open area. In addition, the short span of discomfort of a flash-bang grenade often renders it ineffective in structure-crowded areas like apartments, houses and the like. When using lachrymators, the gas itself may adversely affect small children and hostages located held by the belligerents and they may be harmed during use of these devices.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    This invention is a launchable, multi-sensory distraction grenade in the form of an elongated, round projectile designed for short term travel through the air in a lobbing trajectory. It comprises a base and at least three thin, outer grenade walls arranged together on the base and is topped with a fusing device to form a completely enclosed grenade. The grenade walls are adapted to spring rapidly from a first position, where they are in sealed configuration with each other on the base of the grenade, to a second position, extending laterally outward from the base in different directions, to form legs to support the base in an upright position after the grenade has entered the structure where the belligerents are located and has landed on a surface. A plurality of spring fingers extend from the base to the outer grenade walls for controlling the movement of the grenade walls from their first position to their second position and thereafter retain the walls in contact with the base in a supporting mode so that the inside of the grenade faces upward from an underlying support surface. In another embodiment of the invention, the grenade walls may fly off the base and the spring arms become the sole support of the base. Simultaneously with movement of the grenade walls with the spring fingers, the device takes the form of a large contraption having the grenade walls hanging from the base. This makes the device difficult to pick up and throw thus eliminating the chance that the belligerents will throw the device back at the law enforcement personnel who launched it in the first place.  
           [0009]    At least two distraction devices, and preferably three or more, are mounted inside the grenade for undertaking an extended period (i.e.,  30  seconds or so) of personnel distraction against the belligerents who are in the area of the grenade. This lengthy distraction process provides a larger window of opportunity for law enforcement personnel to enter the location of the belligerents to capture and/or neutralize them. Distraction devices can be a piercing sound device, such as a whistle, powered by burning gasses issuing from an ignited container of burning material, a strobe light, powered by the same type of burnable source, lachrymators and/or malodorants, such as tear gas, essential oils, orthochlorobenzylidene malononitrile, Mace®, sneezing powder, pepper powder, n-butyl mercaptan, pepper spray, ammonia products, skunk scent, and others dispensed by their own devices or by the burning gasses that drive the whistle or the flashing light. An ignition (fuse) means and a safety trigger make up the balance of the device. Other possible agents that can be used in this invention are color dyes, such as Yellow Jacket®, Identi-Mark®, and agents that cause vomiting and nausea, etc.  
           [0010]    This inventive device finds use in a variety of settings. The personnel in charge of the grenade can choose the personnel distraction devices to fit the exigencies of the situation such as whether the belligerent is easily convinced to surrender, whether there are children with the belligerent, whether there are winds in the area that would make lachrymators ineffective, etc. The grenade may be opened, before launching, and the appropriate distraction device added. The inventive grenade allows changing the distraction devices at the point of use thus making it highly flexible.  
           [0011]    Accordingly, the main object of this invention is a multi-sensory distraction grenade that is adaptable to a wide variety of situations. Other objects of this invention are a device that may be accurately fired into a belligerent&#39;s hiding place and assault the senses for an extended period of time to support subsequent law enforcement activities to capture the belligerent; a grenade that may be accurately launched by a person or by a rifle for a longer distance; a grenade that is inexpensive to make, that may be altered at the site of its use, that may have its ordinance added to or deleted in order to tailor-make it useful for any particular purpose; and, a grenade that, once fired or launched, opens to become an unmanageable device of a size that thwarts later throwing by others.  
           [0012]    These and other objects of the invention will become more clear when one reads the following specification, taken together with the drawings that are attached hereto. The scope of protection sought by the inventors may be gleaned from a fair reading of the claims that conclude this specification. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the less-lethal, multi-sensory distraction invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is an illustrative of the inventive grenade being lobbed by a rifle into a building;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a typical base used in this invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another typical base used in this invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the invention after it opens up and the grenade walls have moved into their second position;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a top view of the invention after it opens up and the grenade walls have moved into their second position just as in FIG. 5;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one of the grenade walls that has the top cap molded into it;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one of the distraction devices useful in this invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another of the distraction devices useful in this invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 10 is another perspective view of one of the preferred embodiments of the less lethal multi-sensory distraction grenades used in this invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the outside of a grenade wall showing the aperture for inserting a vial of malodorant;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a typical fuse usable in this invention; and,  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a typical vial of malodorant that is useful in inserting into the less lethal multi-sensory distraction grenade of this invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]    Turning now to the drawings, where elements are identified by numbers and like elements are identified by like numbers throughout the thirteen figures, the invention depicted in FIG. 1 shows a closed launchable, multi-sensory distraction grenade  1  that is ready for launching by hand or by a rifle  3  through a window or other opening into a building  5  or cave (not shown) or other area as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS.  1 , and  3 - 6 , grenade  1  comprises a cup-like base  7 , having at least one, but preferably two or more interior cups  9 , each having an upwardly-facing concavity, a circular upper edge  11 , and a flat bottom surface  13 . Base  7  and interior cup(s)  9  are preferably made of a thick-walled, rubber-based material that is relatively easy to manufacture, such as by molding, that provides a measure of strength and will not fail or rupture when the grenade is lobbed into a structure and strikes a hard surface, such as wooden furniture, plaster walls, cave walls, or cement flooring. As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and  6 , at least three outer grenade walls  15 , each defined by a bottom edge  17 , two opposed side edges  19   a  and  19   b , and a top edge  21 , that are able to be arranged, in edge-to-edge fashion, to sit atop cup upper edge  11  to form a hollow interior  23 . Grenade walls  15  are preferably made of the same or similar materials as base  7 . As shown in FIG. 7, each grenade wall edge, i.e., bottom edge  17 , side edges  19   a  and  19   b , and top edge  21 , have formed thereon abutment means  25 , such as a thick strip  26  of wall material, along said edges to allow shell walls  15 , when fully assembled together, to form a closed, sealed vessel.  
         [0027]    As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and  6 , a plurality of spring fingers  27  extends outward and upward from base  7  to outer grenade walls  15  and are preferably attached thereto by rivets  31  or the like. Fingers  27  are preferably made of spring metal and are foldable into general conformance with the exterior shape of grenade  1 , as shown in FIG. 1. Their function is to provide a connection between base  7  and outer grenade walls  15 , to aid in holding grenade  1  together before launch and to spring outward, upon grenade  1  landing in the desired area of the belligerents, and having grenade walls  15  break free of their closed, sealed configuration, and control the movement of grenade walls  15  from a first position, in sealed configuration with each other on top of base  7 , as shown in FIG. 1, and continue that elongated, rounded projectile shape during short term travel through the air in a lobbing trajectory, to a second position, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, extending outward laterally from base  7  in different directions, to form lateral legs to support base  7  after it lands on a surface.  
         [0028]    Spring fingers  27  perform many vital functions in this invention. First, they supplement the interconnecting features of each grenade wall  15  and help hold them in alignment during periods of rough handling by law enforcement personnel. Secondly, they move grenade walls outward from the original configuration of grenade  1  to expose the interior of grenade  1  and allow the distraction devices to begin to function. Thirdly, they support grenade base  7  in an upright position on a floor or other surface and their extension helps prevent grenade  1  from being kicked or otherwise violently relocated from an open position on a floor to a more enclosed area such as in a closet or other such area. Finally, when expanded, they form grenade  1  into what looks like an upside-down, inverted umbrella In this configuration, it is difficult, if not impossible, to throw grenade  1  out of the place wherein it was inserted so that it cannot be used as a weapon against the law enforcement personnel who launched it in the first place. It is preferred that spring fingers  27  be attached to grenade  1  on flat bottom surface  13  of base  7  and attached to grenade walls  15  along their outer surface, between bottom grenade wall edge  17 , top wall edge  21 , and in between side edges  19   a  and  19   b.    
         [0029]    One or more distraction devices  29  are shown in FIG. 5 (two are actually shown) mounted inside grenade  1  in cups  9  and are exposed when grenade walls  15  move outward from their first position to their second position. A typical pyrotechnic-driven, noise distraction device  29  is shown in FIG. 8 and comprises a first hollow cylinder  31 , filled with an oxidizer and an organic fuel. The organic fuel initially burns (reacts) with the oxidizer producing gas. A combustion product of this initial reaction forms a second fuel, which subsequently reacts with the oxidizer. This reaction happens at a rate of approximately 24,000 cycles per second. The differences in the two bum rates sends a high-low pressure wave down (up) the hollow part of cylinder  31 , which in turn, acts like a Helmholtz resonator (blowing across the mouth of an empty Coke® bottle). As the mixture burns downward, it leaves a larger (longer) void above it, which makes the sound “deeper” in tonal quality. These items are common in the industry.  
         [0030]    A fuse  39  is embedded in combustible material  33  and is arranged to ignite material  33 . Such a noise will continue for an extended period, depending upon the length of time it takes for combustible material to be consumed. The burning gasses keep device  29  extremely hot and this prevents the belligerent from touching it in an effort to remove it or quiet the sound.  
         [0031]    Another distraction device  29  is shown in FIG. 9 to comprise a hollow cylinder  41 , filled with a combustible mixture  43 , such as magnesium and ammonium perchlorate. The fuel and oxidizer react at a slow rate at ambient pressure. This forms a “crust” over the burning surface. This crust traps the combustion gases, which in turn, cause the fuel and oxidizer reaction to bum at a faster rate. This cycle continues until the pressure blows off the crust and resets the burning rate back to ambient pressure. The cycle repeats until the fuel is exhausted. Other such mixtures are also possible. Several other factors come into play. Additional chemicals are added to give the crust some additional strength and to make it more brittle. Then the crust breaks at a definite point and makes a sharp flash. The burn rate (and the flash rate) will speed up as the unburned mixture is pre-heated by the reaction above it. This pre-heating is adding energy to the mix (which has not yet burned), which also causes the flash rate to increase. A fuse  49  is embedded in combustible material  43  for the purpose of igniting material  43 .  
         [0032]    Other distraction devices are available and useable in this invention. For instance, lachrymators are readily available in various packages, such as small cylinders that will fit handily into cups  9  in grenade base  7 , and can be fused to release tear-producing substances in the area surrounding grenade  1 . A more recent distraction device is a vial of butyl-mercaptan, a dark liquid chemical characterized by a horrific strong sulfur odor that tends to make persons violently ill from the slightest inhalation. Such material is commonly referred to as a “malodoran”. It has been found extremely effective in clearing caves of hiding belligerents and terrorists. Combinations of these distraction devices, such as gas-generated sound issuing devices and gas-generated light emitting devices; gas-generated sound issuing devices and malodorants; gas-generated light emitting devices and malodorants; gas-generated light emitting devices and lachrymators issuing devices; gas-generated sound issuing devices and lachrymators issuing devices; and, malodorants and lachrymators issuing devices, and others are fully contemplated in this invention.  
         [0033]    While grenade  1  may be manufactured and marketed fully assembled with various distraction devices already loaded inside thereof, it may also be made to be opened and certain desired distraction devices inserted before employing the specific grenade. A cap  51  is shown in FIGS. 7, 10 and  11  formed as part of one grenade wall  15 . It can, however, be made independent of grenade walls  15  and be placed thereover after assembly of grenade walls  15 . Cap  51  is preferred to be slightly pointed in outside configuration to put a slightly pointed nose to the overall configuration of grenade  1  similar to the shape of a football. Cap  51  carries a fusing device  53 , as shown in FIG. 12 that includes a removable handle  55  and can be fused to cause grenade walls  15  to quickly move from their first position to their second position upon the slightest jarring, such as when grenade  1  strikes the walls or floor of the structure wherein it is launched. In addition, cap  51  includes a removable pin and ring  57  that is pulled prior to launching grenade  1  or is programmed to fly off grenade  1  during flight from the law enforcement personnel to the belligerent&#39;s area. Handle  55  may also be programed to fly off grenade  1  during its lobbing trajectory. Cap  51  may be conveniently made or cast as part of one grenade wall  15 . It preferably contains the mechanism with which to activate the burning of distraction devices  29 . These functions are well-known in the grenade prior art and need not be discussed further.  
         [0034]    An added feature of this invention is shown in FIGS. 7, 11 and  13 . In FIG. 13 is shown a small vial  61  having a cork or other stopper  63  for containing a liquid malodorant such as butyl-mercaptan. Butyl-mercaptan, as well as other mercaptans, have such a powerful stench that just one or two parts in a million of air is sufficient to cause vomiting, fainting, and other such trauma.  
         [0035]    A small aperture  65  is formed in the upper part of one or more grenade walls  15  as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11. Interior grenade wall  15  is a small clip  67  and a resting platform  69  located below aperture  65 . Vial  61  may be added to grenade  1  without opening the grenade by merely inserting the vial down through aperture  65  and through clip  67  to bottom on platform  69 . This is a convenient method of adding another distraction device to grenade  1  and is far safer than loading the vial into grenade  1  at the assembly point. Butyl-mercaptan and other such malodorants are so powerful that should they leak or otherwise escape their container, they would cause extreme damage to the olefactory nerves of nearby personnel. By keeping vial  61  separate from grenade  1  before it is put in use, the margin of safety to surrounding personnel is greatly enhanced.  
         [0036]    Once pin  57  has been removed from grenade  1 , so that it is armed, the grenade may be loaded into a launching fixture, such as a cup mounted on the end of the barrel of a rifle (not shown) and launched in a lobbing manner into the structure housing the belligerents. Before launching, pin  57  is removed from grenade  1  while handle  55  is retained in the launching fixture. After launching and during its flight, handle  55 , spring-loaded for ease in removel, flies off grenade  1  so that the device becomes fully armed. As grenade  1  reaches its designated target area, fusing device  53  releases grenade walls  15  allowing spring fingers  27  to move grenade walls  15  from their first position to their second position and support base  7  upright on a surface. Distraction devices  29  would then be ignited by fusing device  53  so that the whistle would begin to sound or the light would begin to flash. Should a vial  61  of odorant be inserted in grenade  1  prior to its launch, the noxious odor would be spread by the burnt gasses billowing out of the whistle or the lamp or both. The noise and light and smell would continue as long as the combustible material continues to bum in devices  29 .  
         [0037]    It is important to have the center of gravity of grenade  1  be such that base  7  would always be biased against the supporting surface where grenade  1  came into contact. In this regard it is important for grenade  1  to have a low center of gravity and this may be achieved by installing a weight in or near base  7 . Should there be three spring fingers  27  as part of grenade  1 , they would be spaced apart 120°. Should four grenade walls  15  be used, then four spring fingers  27  would be needed that would be spaced apart 90°. Other number of fingers are fully contemplated in this invention.  
         [0038]    While the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications to the described embodiment of the invention without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof. It is intended that all combinations of members and steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result are within the scope of this invention.