Patent Publication Number: US-2004049965-A1

Title: Firearm barrel with bar coding means

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001] The invention relates to firearms, in particular to means for providing identifying line code on the shell of bullets fired from small firearms, preferably from hand-guns.  
       BACKGROUND ART  
       [0002] The present registration systems of firearms are based on the serial numbers provided by the manufacturers, therefore there is no uniform identification system, and the fired bullets do not carry any information either of the registration number or other recorded identification mark. According to the present practice firearms experts examine the fired bullets to define the calibre of the weapon and to determine whether or not the bullet was shot from the given gun.  
       [0003] Bullet identification systems based upon the principle of bar coding are known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,446 teaches a bar type identifying marking code system for providing a bar code on the surface of a bullet that is fired from a firearm, to identify the particular firearm. The system is accomplished by imposing microscopic rigs and/or groves in the lands of a barrel that are already there from the boring of the barrel. Identifying marks that are only on that barrel are left on the lead bullet when it is fired from the firearm.  
       [0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,100 relates to a firearm system that impresses a bar type code into the cartridge casing of the bullet that has been fired from the gun. The identifying markings are placed on the gun with as little visibility as possible but enough to form the code to identify the gun from which the bullet was fired. The identifying code marking are impressed on the surface of the shell casing when the firearm is fired.  
       [0005] U.S. Pat No. 4,035,942 discloses a bullet identification system comprising cutting elements extending into the bore of the barrel to impart groove-like markings upon the bullet surface when it is fired. The markings are arranged in groups of grooves, each group being readable in a bar type coded form as a digit portion of a number. The composite pattern of grooves upon the surface of the bullet forms a composite number corresponding to the identification or registration number of the gun from which the bullet was fired. The cutting elements are made in form of thick and thin bars regularly spaced in the inner surface of a barrel. Each distinct combination of thick and thin bars comprises a bar coded form of number. The coded numbers define the identification number of a specific gun. Consequently, a bullet fired through the barrel will be provided with the identification code of the specific barrel.  
       DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an identification mark, preferably a registration code corresponding to an international registration number of the weapon firing the bullet, on the bullet itself which travels through the barrel. This objective is achieved by placing marker pins radially and under different angles into the barrel of the weapon, whether newly manufactured or existing, which marker pins produce a decodable line coded print on the shell of the bullet while it travels along the marker pins in the barrel.  
       [0007] According to the broadest aspect of the objective, the present invention is a firearm barrel with means for providing identification line code on the shell of bullets fired through the barrel, comprising a rifled or smooth bore, wherein said barrel comprises marker pins circumferentially arranged in the barrel under different angles in relation to a reference angle position, said marker pins penetrating into the bore of the barrel up to a base diameter d, and being capable of impressing bar code markings into the shell of the bullet.  
       [0008] The characterizing feature of the present invention is that the firearm barrel further comprises a reference marker pin defining said reference angle position, and the marker pins are arranged in the circumferential arrangement in relative angle positions in relation to the reference angle position defined by said reference marker pin, wherein said relative angle positions determine said identification line code.  
       [0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the barrel comprises a pin bed incorporating the marker pins, said pin bed being inserted into the barrel hole.  
       [0010] According to a further preferred embodiment the circumferential arrangement of said marker pins is placed in one or two marker plane/s/. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0011] The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
     [0012]FIG. 1 is a side view of the barrel, constituting a first embodiment of the invention;  
     [0013]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the barrel of FIG. 1; and  
     [0014]FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of a second embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0015] In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a hole  2  of a barrel  1  contains (may contain) rifling  3 . In a marker plane  4  or in an auxiliary marker plane  5  there are magnitude angle ranges α 1 , α 2  . . . α n , within which, under given numeral value angle positions β 1 ,β 2  . . . β n , there are radially located marker pins  6 , the tips of which penetrate into the barrel  1  up to its base diameter d. In this first embodiment said pins  6  are set in the wall of the barrel  1 .  
     [0016]FIG. 2 shows that in case of this embodiment the angle range of 360° is divided into several magnitude angle ranges α 1 ,α 2 . . . α   n  of the same size (α 1 =α 2 = . . . α n ). In this example the magnitude angle ranges α n  designate the magnitudes (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands . . . ) in the decimal number system. Within each magnitude angle range α 1 , α 2  . . . α n  a value angle position β 1 ,β 2  . . . β n  indicates an angle corresponding to a numeral value from 0 to 9.  
     [0017] A reference pin  8 , positioned along the circumferential arrangement of the marker pins  6  to designate a reference angle position 0° provides a different mark which is distinguishable from the marks provided by the marker pins  6 , therefore the coded numbers, beginning at the angle 0°, can be decoded in the given direction.  
     [0018] The marker pins  6  are preferably arranged in a marker plane  4 . If however, in the course of coding a particular identification number where two adjacent pins would be located too close to each other, which, in turn, would result in bursting their corresponding bores into each other, then one of the pins  6  can be placed in an auxiliary marker plane  5  as shown in FIG. 1. When, in case of a rifled barrel, an auxiliary marker plane  5  is used, the angle difference obtained from the projection of the pitch of the rifling shall be taken into consideration in determining the magnitude angles α and numeral value angles β.  
     [0019] In case of the embodiment of FIG. 3 the marker pins  6  are incorporated into pin bed  7 , which is inserted into the barrel hole  2 .  
     [0020] The advantage of the present invention is that it can result in a uniform, computerised firearm recording system enabling that from a single bullet that has been fired the registered owner of the firearm can be determined. The invention provides a new basis for a more up-to-date regulation of gun licensing without restricting the human rights. The application of the invention could be even more effective if an international registration system of guns set up and the line coding is used in accordance with such an international registration system.