Abstract:
An attachment to an electricity-inducing immobilization cartridge has a body with a plurality of converging sections, a strike plate affixed at a front end of the body and a plurality of hinges formed on each of the converging sections. The hinges serve to allow the plurality of converging sections to fold when the strike plate contacts a target. A barb is affixed to an inner surface of at least one of the sections so as to be movable from the interior of the body to a location exterior of the body when the strike plate contacts the target. Fasteners are provided within the body so as to maintain the body in a collapsed condition subsequent to the strike plate contacting the target.

Description:
RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS 
   Not applicable. 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not applicable. 
   REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
   Not applicable. 
   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to the field of non-lethal weapons for immobilizing a live target. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a contact mechanism which allows the electrical charge from the cartridge to be delivered from the target in a safe and effective manner. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Taser and taser-type products have been around for decades. The taser weapon operates by projecting two darts trailing conductive wires. There are disadvantages to the taser system. The optimal distances required for successful use of the weapon are between 3 and 21 feet. Less than 3 feet, the darts are too close together to properly conduct electricity. Beyond 21 feet, the darts are too far apart for both of them to strike the target. The electrical insulation on the wires must remain intact to keep the device from shorting out from entangled wires. Also, the taser is a one-shot weapon. An officer may have to fall back on lethal means to protect himself or others. Worse, a citizen using a taser for home defense may find him or herself at the mercy of a criminal should the one shot fail. 
   Despite these disadvantages, the taser weapon system has become extremely popular with law enforcement units, particularly in municipalities. The taser is used by hundreds of law enforcement groups and is just beginning a penetration of the international market. 
   A solution to the above-mentioned problems is to reduce the electronics and power supply to a self-contained cartridge. The development of such a cartridge would allow the weapon to have a greater range and be adapted to a multiple shot format or, at the least, a quickly chambered second or third shot. Such a cartridge is believed to be in development at this time. This cartridge would increase the popularity of the weapon, but it raises other problems. 
   The size and mass of these cartridges will be greater than that of the simple barb-tipped darts now being used. Depending on the diameter, mass and velocity, the possibility of unintended physical damage, such as bruised kidneys, ruptured spleens and broken bones, becomes quite distinct. 
   This cartridge will probably range from one to two inches in diameter and weigh between two to four ounces to accommodate the electronics and power source and still be able to be fired from a compressed gas or powder-discharge weapon. Unfortunately, diameters of less than two inches presents another problem. The minimum separation distance for the electric contacts, or barbs, of a taser is four inches in order for the weapon to function properly. Therefore some mechanism is needed to provide this four-inch minimum from a cartridge that is two inches or less in diameter. 
   The mass of the cartridge presents yet another problem. The currently used darts do not have enough mass to pull the barb shaft loose upon rebound from the surface of the target. A cartridge with a mass of two to four ounces will have this problem. The barb on existing darts could be made more pronounced but you can only go so far with that before the penetration or removal of the darts leave a serious wound. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,831,199, issued to James McNulty, Jr. et al., on Nov. 3, 1998, describes a method for a cartridge-type device to obtain this dimension. Upon contact, the cartridge is anchored by a barb on front of the cartridge while a secondary wire-tethered dart is fired at an angle from the side of the cartridge at a trajectory that will cause it to strike the skin at least several inches away. It is a taser dart inside a taser cartridge. This solution appears to be cumbersome. A switch must be activated upon impact by the cartridge telling the secondary taser dart to fire. However, if the cartridge strikes the body at an outer periphery, the secondary dart could miss altogether. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,806, issued to Peter G. Coakly et al., on Oct. 5, 1999 describes a device in which several arms splay outward from the cartridge body. Since these arms are forwardly hinged, then are activated by a forward plunger that propels them around their hinges upon contact with the target, forcing them against the target. These arms (and the plunger) are barbless. The device is supposed to stay attached with an adhesive applied to the plunger. Although sufficient distance between contact points can be obtained with this device, it does not address the problem of the impact of the cartridge. The invention even touts the combination of kinetic energy with the electrical immobility feature as a positive feature. 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide an attachment for the cartridge to ameliorate the impact of the cartridge. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide an attachment for such a cartridge which reliably delivers a sufficient distance between the contact points so that an effective electrical charge can be delivered to a target. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide an attachment for such a cartridge which counteracts the rebound of the cartridge after initial contact so that the cartridge can stay in a proper place on the target. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide an attachment to such a cartridge which is easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and easy to deploy. 
   These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the reading of the attached specification and appended claims. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is an attachment to an electrically-inducing immobilization cartridge comprising a plurality of converging sections having a rear end suitable for connection to the cartridge, a strike plate affixed at a front end of the plurality of converging sections, and a hinging means formed on each of the converging sections. The hinging means serves to fold the converging sections when the strike plate contacts a target. 
   Specifically, in the present invention, the hinging means is a first hinge formed at a front end of the converging section adjacent to the strike plate, a second hinge formed generally centrally along the converging section, and a third hinge formed at a rear end of the converging section. The first hinge folds outwardly when the strike plate contacts the target. The second hinge folds inwardly when the strike plate contacts the target. The third hinge folds outwardly when the strike plate contacts the target. 
   In the present invention, a spike is affixed to the strike plate and extends longitudinally outwardly therefrom. A conducting means is formed along the plurality of converging sections so as to deliver the electrical charge from the cartridge to the target. A barb is connected to an inner surface of at least one of the converging sections. The conducting means is connected to the barb. The barb moves outwardly from the converging section when the strike plate contacts the target. The converging section has a hole formed therethrough. The barb extends outwardly through this hole when the strike plate contacts the target. 
   In the present invention, there is a securing means affixed to an interior of the body. The securing means serves to retain the converging sections in the folded arrangement after the strike plate contacts the target. Each of the converging sections includes a first segment having an end connected to the strike plate, and a second segment hingedly connected the first segment. The securing means is a first hook-and-loop material affixed to an inner surface of the first segment and a second hook-and-loop material affixed to an inner surface of the second segment. The first and second hook-and-loop materials are complementary to each other. Additionally, a hook-and-loop material is affixed to a backside of the strike plate while a complementary hook-and-loop material is affixed to an interior of the body. These hook-and-loop materials engage each other after the strike plate contacts the target. 
   The optimal number of converging sections is eight, but more or less may be employed. The use of eight such sections is large enough to be structurally sound, while small enough to allow a proper radial diameter when attaching to the cartridge. The barb is a curved barb that is attached to the interior of alternate sections so as to point inwardly. The barb is located on the portion of the section hingedly connected to the cartridge near the middle hinge and is electrically contiguous with a conducting lead such as tape, wire or an otherwise disposed conducting material, which runs from the barb to an electrical contact on the cartridge. A hole is located on the portion of the section hingedly connected to the front strike plate the same distance from the middle hinge as the curved barb. The rear portion of these barb segments has a raised thicker portion down the center. The end of this stiffener toward the cartridge seats onto a ledge on the cartridge when the device folds up upon contact with the target. This helps to transmit the force of the cartridge to the barb so as to give greater assurance of the barb penetrating the target. 
   The hook-and-loop material is formed on the sections between the barbed sections. The sections attach to the cartridge in a slightly arcing manner. They are forced into an arc-shaped slot in the cartridge which stiffen these segments so as to allow the entire device to maintain its shape despite wind pressure, any centripetal forces and acceleration upon firing the cartridge. The hinge at this juncture is also curved and tears from the edges toward the center of the segment when the device folds up. This design feature assures that the device of the present invention can only be used once, even during target practice. 
   In practice, the attachment of the present invention is secured to the front of the cartridge. The attachment will fold up upon striking a target. The barb on the strike plate affixes the device to the target. The individual sections fold into a flat, circular plane against the target. This circular area has a greater diameter than that of the cartridge, and thus, spreads the force of the impact over a greater area. This lessens the chance of injury to the targeted person or animal. The barbs will protrude through the corresponding holes and affix to the target. The barbs are curved, or angled, so that they are more or less parallel to the trajectory of the tip of the barb at the point of impact. This allows the barb to penetrate the skin and flesh of the target with as little physical damage as possible. When a pair of opposing barbs penetrate at this angle and are locked in place by the hook-and-loop material, it makes it less likely for the device to be dislodged for any reason. 
   The attachment of the present invention is sized so that opposing barbs or sections are four inches or more apart after impact. This is a sufficient distance for an effective current to travel through the intended target. The hook-and-loop material on the sections, along with the hook-and-loop material on the strike plate, will be forced together so as to lock the barbs in the protruding condition and to keep the attachment, and associated cartridge, from bouncing off the target upon impact. After the central spike has penetrated the target and the front strike plate is in contact with the target, but before the segments have folded, a TEFLON (TM) washer surrounds the spike so as to serve as a rotating slide plate to reduce the torque delivered to the rest of the device. This prevents warpage and possible misalignment of the barbs with their respective openings. 
   The various components of the present invention can be suitably injection molded. The conductive material, barbs and hook-and-loop material can be attached by automated equipment in an assembly line fashion. 
   The present invention successfully addresses the issue of impact amelioration, distance between electrical contacts, and rebound. As such, the present invention makes practical the use of a self-contained cartridge for the electrical incapacitation of humans and animals. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a frontal view of the attachment in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing which sections attach to the cartridge and converge toward the front strike plate. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view as taken across lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1  showing, in particular, the manner in which the barbs and electrical conducting material are affixed to the interior of the attachment. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view as taken across lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1  showing the sections to which the hook-and-loop material are attached. 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the attachment of the present invention showing the attachment as configured upon impact with a target. 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the attachment of the present invention subsequent to impact. 
       FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic illustration of the trajectory of the tip of the barb during and upon impact. 
       FIG. 8  shows a frontal view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  is a view of the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 8 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown the attachment  10  of the present invention that can be secured to an electricity-inducing immobilization cartridge. The illustration of  FIG. 1  shows the device  10  in its configuration from the target&#39;s point of view. In  FIG. 1 , it can be seen that the attachment  10  includes eight sections  22 . These sections  22  alternate between sections  23  which support the barb and sections  25  which support the hook-and-loop material. Sections  23  and  25  alternate around the periphery of the attachment  10 . The sections  23  have a barb  24  (partially illustrated) and a hole  26 . A reinforcement  42  is illustrated on sections  23 . 
   In  FIG. 1 , it can be seen that there is a spike  30  supported on a mounting base  12 . The spike  30 , along with the mounting base  12  are adhered to a strike plate  14 . A teflon washer  16  slides over the spike  30  and rests against the mounting base  12 . This teflon washer  16  has a tight running fit on the spike  30 . In other words, the washer  16  will not slide on its own but will only rotate about the spike  30  when a force is applied. For example, if the electrical incapacitating cartridge  20  (illustrated in broken line fashion) has rotation while in flight, the washer  16  will serve as a rotating slide plate so as to prevent the spike  30  and the strike plate  14  from imparting enough torque to the sections  22  so as to cause misalignment of the barbs  24  and their associated openings  26 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , segments  28  have slight arcuate distortions where they attach to the cartridge  20 . This distortion of the segments  28 , upon assembly, causes the attachment  10  to be stiff until impact. Otherwise, wind friction, centripetal forces or acceleration can cause the attachment  10  to fold or distort prematurely in flight. 
     FIG. 2  shows the attachment  10  of the present invention showing, in particular, the arrangement of the sections  22  and  28 . The sections  22  and  28  will converge along the length of the attachment  10  toward the strike plate  14 . It can further be seen that the spike  30 , along with the teflon washer  16  are mounted over the strike plate  14  at the front end of the attachment  10 .  FIG. 2  further shows how the attachment  10  is secured to the cartridge  20 . The barb-supporting sections  23  are illustrated as having reinforcing sections  42  formed on an outer surface thereof. The hole  26  has a generally oval configuration so as to facilitate the ability of the barb to pass therethrough. The attachment  10  assumes a rather aerodynamic configuration because of the arrangement of the various converging sections  22  and  28 . 
     FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the attachment  10  of the present invention. The sections  22  include a frontal segment  32  that is attached by a plastic hinge  36  to the strike plate  14 . This frontal segment  32  incorporates the hole  26  therein. The frontal segment  32  is attached to the rear segment  34  by another hinge  38 . An integral portion of the rear segment  34  is the reinforcing section  42 . A seating notch  58  is illustrated toward the rear of the reinforcing section  42 . Another plastic hinge  44  attaches the rear segment  34  to an insertion tab  46 . The barb  24 , along with its base  48 , are adhered to an electrical conducting strip  52 . A hook-and-loop material pad  54  is shown as adhered to the rear of the strike plate  14 . Pad  54  is in alignment with a matching pad  56  of complementary hook-and-loop material. This matching pad  56  is adhered to the front of the cartridge  20  interior of the body of the attachment  10 . 
     FIG. 4  is another sectional view of the attachment  10  of the present invention. As can be seen, there is a frontal segment  62  that is attached by a plastic hinge  64  to the strike plate  14 . The frontal segment  62  is attached to a rear segment  66  by another hinge  68 . The rear segment  66  is attached by a hinge  72  to an insertion tab  74 . This rear segment  66 , along with hinge  72  and insertion tab  74  are forcibly distorted into a curved shape when it is attached to the cartridge  20 . This creates a stiffness in the segments  28  that act to maintain the shape of the attachment  10  before it strikes a target. When the attachment  10  strikes a target and begins to fold, the hinges  72  simply tear at the outer edges toward the center of the segment  28 . This allows the attachment  10  to collapse against the target. A strip of hook-and-loop material  76  is attached to the inner surface of the frontal segment  62  and aligns with a mating strip of hook-and-loop material  78  which is attached to the rear segment  66  of section  28 . 
     FIG. 5  is a similar sectional view as  FIG. 3  but shows the attachment  10  as it appears after collapsing upon target impact. As can be seen, hinges  36 ,  38 , and  44  will bend to allow this motion to occur. The barbs  24  have exited through the holes  26  to make contact with the target. These barbs  24  are positioned on sections  22  so that they will be approximately four inches apart on opposing sections after impact. The tabs  54  and  56  of hook-and-loop material make contact and are separably attached. The seating notch  58  makes contact with the cartridge  20  and allows the reinforcing section  42  to stiffen the sections  22  so as to allow more of the force of the cartridge  20  to be imparted to the barbs  24  upon impact. 
     FIG. 6  shows the attachment  10  as illustrated through sections  28  and, in particular, showing the attachment  10  collapsed as upon impact.  FIG. 6  shows that the hinges  64 ,  68  and  72  suitably bend so as to allow the collapse of the attachment  10 . These hinges and the hinges on sections  22  could be made thicker or thinner in order to change the impact characteristics of the cartridge  12 . When the hinges are thicker or stiffer, less impact force will be delivered to the target by the cartridge  20 . The hook-and-loop material strips  76  and  78  are illustrated as being separably adhered to one another. 
     FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic illustration of the motion that tracks the tip of a barb of a segment barb  24 .  FIG. 7  illustrates how the angle of entry and barb  24  are aligned upon impact. This alignments prevents unnecessary damage by the barb  24  upon penetration. The angle of the barb  24 , after penetration, combined with the locking action of the hook-and-loop material strips makes the attachment  10  less likely to fall off or be removed by untrained personnel, including the targeted person or animal. 
     FIG. 8  shows an alternative embodiment of the attachment  100  of the present invention. In this embodiment, there is an array of rubber pyramids  102  which are used instead of a central barb of the previous embodiment of the present invention. These rubber pyramids  102  are located at the tip  104  of the attachment  100 . The rubber pyramids allows the attachment  100  to avoid exposed sharp points. As a result, it may be easier to cartridge a round without the risk of puncture. Additionally, it may be easier to store the attachment  10  in a cartridge belt. The rubber pyramids  102  are placed on a front strike plate  106 . The rubber pyramids  102  are integral with a disk base  108 . The disk  108  is attached to the front strike plate  104  through a central rivet  110 . A teflon washer  112  is located between the disk  108  and the front strike plate  104 . The disk  108  is rotatable about the rivet  110  so as to limit the effect of torsional forces on the remainder of the attachment  100  until the barbs (described in association with the previous embodiment) enter the target. As can be seen in  FIG. 9 , the pyramids  102  extend outwardly of the disk  108 . The rivet  110  will extend through the disk  108  and join with the strike plate  104 . The teflon washer  112  is interposed between the disk  108  and the front strike plate  104 . 
   The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof. Various changes in the details of the illustrated construction can be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the true spirit of the invention. The present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents.