Patent Publication Number: US-9429405-B1

Title: Less lethal ammunition

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention is directed to a less lethal ammunition. 
     Less lethal projectiles have been used by military and law enforcement forces for crowd control, where it is required to incapacitate an individual or a crowd without the likelihood of causing serious injuries. In such projectiles a metallic projectile/bullet is typically replaced by a projectile made by a soft material, e.g. plastic or rubber. While, such less lethal projectiles are useful to an individual seeking self-defense and/or controlling property related crimes, such less lethal rounds may still cause serious injuries. Moreover, because plastic or rubber bullets are generally similar to conventional lead bullets, there is a risk that a police officer, or other individual in the heat of the moment, may mistakenly insert the wrong kind of ammunition into a conventional firearm, thus leading to a catastrophic loss of life. 
     Another desirable feature for less lethal ammunition would be to include a marker which identifies the person or object which has been hit by the less lethal ammunition. A marker, such as a paint marker, is useful to identify a person or persons involved in a threat or property crime. Such markings may be useful for identification of individuals involved in the incident. Markers can be of different colors to identify, for example, the person firing the ammunition, or otherwise coordinate to dates, locations, or other circumstances to allow for differentiation in any investigation or arrest. 
     One common form of a marker is a paint ball projectile, such as commonly used in paint ball competitions. However, paint balls are typically fired through dedicated firearms, and are typically not suitable for use in weapons of conventional calibers, e.g., 9 mm, .38 caliber, .45 caliber, etc. Further as a law enforcement officer typically may not have much time to sort through a variety of devices in order to select an appropriate weapon or device needed to fire less lethal ammunition, it is preferable that the ammunition may be fired from a weapon already located on an officer&#39;s belt. Moreover, the range of weapons dedicated to firing paint balls is typically limited, as is their accuracy. 
     Accordingly, it would be useful to provide less lethal ammunition that provides an inhibiting, or temporarily disabling force, and also provides a marker identifying the person or object that was impacted by the ammunition. Further, it is preferable that such ammunition be compatible with conventional handguns, rifles, and/or shotguns, to allow use in relation to weapons that law enforcement forces already carry. 
     These and other objects and advantages are addressed by the present invention, which is described in more detail below, in relation to the accompanying exemplary embodiments. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Less lethal ammunition is disclosed for inhibiting activities of a living target, and marking the living target. The ammunition comprises a cylindrical casing, a charged disposed within the cylindrical casing and a cylindrical body defining a bottom cap and a top cap. The cylindrical casing and the cylindrical body are coaxial. 
     The cylindrical body has first portion disposed within the casing and a second portion extending from the casing. An inhibiting agent is disposed within the casing, substantially adjacent the bottom cap, and at least one marking capsule is disposed within the cylindrical body, substantially adjacent the top cap. A spacer is disposed within the cylindrical body intermediate the inhabiting agent and the marking capsule(s). The ammunition may be fired from a conventional handgun, rifle or shotgun. The cylindrical body is formed of a substantially transparent material to allow a user to visually identify the marking capsules and inhibiting agent within the cylindrical body. 
     Upon firing the less lethal ammunition, a charge is detonated causing the cylindrical body, the inhibiting agent and the marking capsule to be discharged from the firearm. 
     Denotation of the charge causes the cylindrical body bottom cap to be perforated by pressurized gas, which also urges the inhibiting agent and the marking capsules to be discharged from the cylindrical body through the cylindrical body top cap. 
     Upon impact with a living target, or other object, the marking capsule perforates, dispensing marking fluid upon the living target, without obscuring a shooter&#39;s vision of the impacted living target. 
     In one embodiment the marking fluid comprises a staining paint, or other colored fluid. 
     In another embodiment the marking fluid comprises a malodorant or other chemical compound(s) having an offensive odor. 
     The cylindrical body is preferably formed of a substantially transparent material such that the marking capsules and the inhibiting agent can be visually identified by a user before loading the ammunition into a firearm. 
     In some embodiments, the less lethal ammunition is formed to have a length in diameter suitable for firing from a handgun, such as 9 mm, .38 caliber, .45 caliber and .357 caliber handguns. 
     In other embodiments the less lethal ammunition may be formed to have a length and diameter suitable to be fired from a rifle, such as an M4 rifle. 
     Yet in other embodiments, the less lethal ammunition may be formed to have a length and diameter suitable to be fired from a conventional shotgun, such as 12 gauge or 20 gauge shotgun. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary less lethal ammunition in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the less lethal ammunition shown at  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an alternate implementation of the less lethal ammunition for a shotgun; and 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the less lethal ammunition shown at  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of arranging the cylindrical body within the casing, use of alternative materials/fluids for the inhibiting agent and/or marking fluid, and utilizing different size/numbers of marking capsules within the ammunition. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments. 
     Referring to the drawings,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate the construction and the arrangement of one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the inhibiting agent and marking capsule(s) disposed within a cylindrical body that fits within the diameter of a conventional casing, such as for handgun ammunition or rifle ammunition. For example, the cylindrical body may fit a 9 mm handgun, having a bore diameter of substantially 9 mm, .45 caliber handgun, having bore diameter of substantially 450/1000 of an inch, a .357 handgun, having a bore diameter of substantially 357/1000 of an inch. As for rifle ammunition, the cylindrical body may fit, for example, the ammunition fired by the M4 rifle, which exclusively fires the 5.56×45 mm NATO standard cartridge. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2  less lethal ammunition  10  is shown to include a casing  11  within which a charge  13  is disposed. The charge  13  may be detonated by detonator  15 , causing the creation of the pressurized gas which discharges the cylindrical body  21  and its contents, from the casing  11 . As explained in more detail below, detonation of the charge  13  causes perforation of the cylindrical body which also discharges the inhibiting agent  31  and the marking capsule  33  from the cylindrical body  21 . 
     Cylindrical body  21  includes a bottom cap  23  and a top section  25 . The bottom cap  23  includes body section  60  and flange  62 . The cylindrical capsule  21  may be loaded to include one or more marking capsules  33 , a spacer  35 , and inhibiting agent  31 . After the contents are loaded into the cylindrical body  21  the cap  23  may be connected to the body  21 , to seal the contents therein. 
     It is to be understood that the marking capsule(s)  33  may include fluid  37 , such as paint and/or an alternate colored fluid. In another embodiment the marking capsule  33  may include a malodorant, i.e. a chemical compounding having an offensive odor. 
     Preferably the size and thickness of the marking capsule  33 , the inhibiting agent  31  and the charge  13  are selected such that the marking capsule  33  will not shatter or otherwise perforate prior to impacting a living target. Further, the marking capsule  33  and the marking fluid  37  are selected such that upon impact with a person or object, the marking fluid  37  will be release locally on the impacted target, without being vaporized or otherwise form a cloud that obscures vision of the living target, or his environment, to the person firing the less lethal ammunition. In this way, the law enforcement office or other individual firing the less lethal ammunition will readily know if the ammunition has impacted an intended target, and be able to fire additional rounds at the same or other living targets as may be necessary for defense or to deter additional unlawful or otherwise threatening conduct. 
     Spacer  35  may be implemented as a thin cylindrical washer, or circular body sufficient to physically space the inhibiting agent  31  from the marking capsules  33 , to prevent unintended perforation of the marking capsules  33  by sharp-edged portions of the inhibiting agent  31 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate another embodiment of the present invention, as adapted for use in connection with shotgun ammunition. As shown therein, less lethal ammunition  40  is shown to be externally similar to a traditional shotgun shell, with the contents modified to include marking capsules and an inhibiting agent. In this embodiment a separate cylindrical body is not used to contain the marking capsules and the inhibiting agent. Rather they are disposed within the ammunition  40 . 
     Less lethal ammunition  40  is shown to include a casing  41 , which may include a charge  43  disposed therein (similar to charge  13  described and illustrated in connection with  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). Cylindrical housing  45  is attached to the casing  41  and contains the inhibiting agent  51 , the marking capsule  53 , and spacer  57 . 
     As with conventional shotgun shells, the top  47  of ammunition  40  defines scores  49  which, in response to detonation of a charge  43 , are urged upwardly and outwardly to discharge the contents of housing  45 , i.e. the marking capsules  53 , the inhibiting agent  51  and spacer  57 . 
     The ammunition  40  may have a length and diameter compatible with 12 gauge or 20 gauge shotgun shells. Indeed, ammunition  40  may be fabricated by using traditional shotgun shells, from which the contents are removed and the inhibiting agent  51 , marking capsules  53  and spacer  57  are substituted therefor. As is well known in the art, a 12 gauge shotgun has a bore diameter of substantially 12 gauge, and a 20 gauge shotgun has a bore diameter of substantially 20 gauge. 
     As discussed previously in connection with  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the marking capsules  53  may include fluid content  55  therein. The fluid  55  may mark a target with a colored paint, other colored materials and/or a malodorant. In alternate implementations, other fluids may be utilized within the capsule  53  as may be effective for specific applications. 
     As one of ordinary skill will recognize, the present invention has been described in relation to the illustrated exemplary embodiments, but may be implemented in additional embodiments where the components of the ammunition may implement the same functional features in another and/or equivalent manner. As such, the present invention is not intended to be limited by the foregoing illustrations and accompanying description.