Patent Abstract:
A system and method are disclosed for identifying a firearm by markings on the inside of the firearm. The markings leave an impression on the bullet casing, allowing the firearm to be identified from the markings left in the bullet casing. The markings could be symbols, characters, or a combination thereof. Tools for marking the firearm are also disclosed.

Full Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates to a system and method for identifying a firearm, and more particularly, a system and method for placing markings on the inside of a firearm&#39;s firing chamber that will cause those markings to be imprinted on a bullet casing used with the firearm. The markings are specific to each firearm, allowing identification of the firearm that fired the bullet from the markings left on the bullet casing.  
           [0002]    Currently, firearms are identified by a unique serial number that is inscribed into the frame of a firearm. This current identification method of inscribing a serial number into the frame does not have a means of transferring the serial number information to the bullet or its casing. Any identification of a firearm to a bullet that was fired from the firearm relies, if at all possible, on random markings left on the casings and bullet fragments by imperfections left on the interior surfaces of the firearm made during the manufacturing process. However, this method is imprecise and successful only if the gun is located shortly after the bullet casing in question is found and the gun is tested. The imperfections on the inside of the firearms may change after time, preventing identification if too much time or too many shots are fired from the firearm in question. Additionally, the firearm manufacturers do not record the markings made on bullet casings or bullets before the firearms are sold, so the firearms must first be located and then tested in order to match a particular bullet casing or bullet with a firearm.  
           [0003]    Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system and method for marking a firearm that substantially obviates one or more of the problems and disadvantages in the prior art. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus and process particularly pointed out in the written description and claims, as well as the appended drawings.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention is directed to a firearm including a frame, a trigger, a firearm firing chamber, a barrel, and a firearm indicia formed on a predetermined internal portion of a surface of the firearm, wherein the firearm indicia comprises a predetermined pattern associated with data about the firearm.  
           [0005]    In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of identifying a firearm used to discharge at least one bullet casing, the firearm having firearm indicia formed on an internal surface of the firearm including the steps of reading a firearm indicia formed on a predetermined portion of the at least one bullet casing during the firing of the firearm, wherein the firearm indicia is associated with information about the firearm, and associating the firearm indicia on the at least one bullet casing with information corresponding to the firearm to allow for identification of the firearm.  
           [0006]    In another aspect, the invention is directed to a firearm marking tool including a guide having a first end and a second end and a passage extending therebetween, the guide configured to fit within a firing chamber of the firearm and having a longitudinal axis, a drive element disposed within the passage at the first end of the guide and movable within the guide along the longitudinal axis, and scribing elements slidingly disposed within the guide between the first and second ends, the scribing elements sliding orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the guide in response to the presence of the drive element.  
           [0007]    In another aspect, the invention provides a method of marking a firearm with firearm indicia to allow identification of the firearm from a bullet casing used in the firearm including the steps of providing a firearm marking tool to mark the firearm, the tool capable of marking an interior portion of the firearm and using the tool to mark on the predetermined portion of the firearm the firearm indicia. A firearm barrel and firing chamber assembly comprising:  
           [0008]    In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to firearm barrel and firing chamber assembly comprising a firearm firing chamber, a firearm barrel, and a firearm indicia formed on a predetermined internal portion of a surface of the firearm firing chamber, wherein the firearm indicia comprises a predetermined pattern associated with data about the assembly.  
           [0009]    It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.  
           [0010]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The drawings illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a side view with a partial cutaway of a firearm in which embodiments of the firearm marking indicia according to the present invention could be used;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional view of a firing chamber and barrel of firearm with firearm indicia according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is an unfired bullet for use with the firearm of FIG. 2;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a fired bullet casing after ejection from the firearm of FIG. 2 with firearm indicia that has been transferred onto the external perimeter surface of the bullet casing;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view of a firing chamber and barrel of firearm with firearm indicia according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a fired bullet casing after ejection from the firearm of FIG. 5 with firearm indicia that has been transferred onto the surface of the bullet casing;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a partial cross sectional view of a firing chamber and barrel of firearm with firearm indicia according to a third embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view along the line  8 - 8  through the predetermined portion;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is a fired bullet casing after ejection from the firearm of FIG. 7 with firearm indicia that has been transferred onto the surface of the bullet casing;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a firearm marking tool used to mark firearm indicia on a firearm according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is a cross section view of the firearm marking tool in FIG. 10 along line  11 - 11 ;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 12 is a cross section view of the firearm marking tool in FIG. 10 along line  12 - 12 ;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a scribing element of the firearm marking tool in FIG. 10;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 14 is a cross section view of the firearm marking tool of FIG. 10 disposed in a portion of a firearm;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 15 is a cross section view of a firearm marking tool used to mark firearm indicia on a firearm according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 16 is a cross section view of the firearm marking tool along lines  16 - 16  in FIG. 15;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 17 is cross section view of the firearm marking tool of FIG. 15 disposed in a portion of a firearm according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 18 is a cross section view of a firearm marking tool used to mark firearm indicia on a firearm according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 19 is a cross section view of a firearm marking tool used to mark firearm indicia on a firearm disposed in a portion of a firearm according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 20 is a cross section view of a firearm marking tool used to mark firearm indicia on a firearm according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 21 is an end view of the firearm marking tool of FIG. 20;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 22 is a cross section view of the firearm marking tool of FIG. 20 disposed in a portion of a firearm;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 23 is a cross section view of a firearm marking tool using a electric discharge machining (EDM) process to apply the firearm indicia to the firearm; and  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 24 is a cross section view of a firearm marking tool using a laser to engrave the firearm indicia on the firearm. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0035]    [0035]FIG. 1 illustrates one type of firearm  10  in which the present invention can be used. As with the illustrated firearm, most of the firearms include a frame  11 , a trigger  13  to initiate the firing of the firearm  10 , a barrel  14 , and a firing chamber  12 . In most of the firearms, barrel  14  and firing chamber  12  are of unitary construction. However, the present invention is not limited to the type of weapon or the construction of the barrel and firing chamber. The firing chamber and the barrel may be separate pieces but are consider to be an assembly in the present invention. A portion of a barrel  14  and firing chamber  16  is illustrated in FIG. 2 illustrating one embodiment of the present invention. While one configuration of a firearm is illustrated in the figures, the present invention is not so limited. The present invention also applies to any firearm that uses any type of ammunition with a form of casing, which may consist of a shell and projectile(s), such as bullets, and shells and pellets. Interior surface  16  of firing chamber  12  has firearm indicia  18  formed therein. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, the firearm indicia  18  includes a series of lines  20 , wherein some of lines  20  may be thicker and some may be thinner than other of the lines  20 . The combination of lines  20  and spaces therebetween of the firearm indicia  18  represent information about the firearm  10  as described in more detail below.  
         [0036]    As is known in the art, the firing chamber  12  is circular in cross section and therefore has a circumference. In the preferred embodiment, the firearm indicia  18  extends around at least a portion of the circumference of the firing chamber  12 , as illustrated in FIG. 2. The firearm indicia  18  could be oriented 180° from that shown and extend along the firing chamber  12  in a front-to-rear or rear-to-front direction. However, the firearm indicia  18  is preferably mounted as far forward in the firing chamber  12  as possible and as close to shoulder  22  and barrel  14  as possible. The shoulder  22  acts as a stop to keep the bullet  25  (see FIG. 3) in firing chamber  12 . Close contact of the bullet  25  and the firing chamber  12  keeps the gun powder, gases, and other by-products of the firing of the firearm from coming around the bullet casing  26  and towards the operator. If the firearm indicia  18  is mounted as forward as possible in the firing chamber  12 , there is less likelihood that the firearm indicia  18  could be removed as it would be difficult to access. Additionally, the closer the firearm indicia  18  is to the shoulder, attempts to remove the firearm indicia  18  would more likely result in damage to the shoulder  22 , allowing for “blow-back” and a reduced effectiveness of the firing of the firearm. In fact, it could even damage the firing chamber  12  and barrel  14  such that the firearm or firing chamber/barrel assembly is no longer useful. Preferably the firearm indicia  18  is located about 5 mm from the shoulder  22  and more preferably is located about 1 mm from the shoulder  22 .  
         [0037]    When the firearm  10  is fired and the bullet  24  leaves through the barrel  14 , the firearm indicia  18  is transferred to the bullet casing  26 . The force of the explosion resulting from the firing causes the bullet casing  26  to expand and press against the interior surface  16  of firing chamber  12 . When the bullet casing  26  is malleable, the firearm indicia  18  are transferred to the bullet casing  26  from the force of the explosion during firing to form a mirror image  18 ′ of the firearm indicia  18 .  
         [0038]    The firearm indicia  18  are preferably lines scribed into the interior surface  16  of the firing chamber  12  as illustrated in FIG. 2. The pattern of the lines could be a bar code or other code to identify the firearm by the information contained in the firearm indicia  18 . As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the firearm indicia  28  could also be a series of alphanumerical characters. In FIG. 5, the alphanumeric characters inscribed in the firearm indicia  28  also allow for identification of the particular firearm. As with the firearm indicia  18  in FIG. 2, the firearm indicia  28  in FIG. 5 is also transferred to the bullet casing  26 . It should be noted that while the alphanumeric characters in FIGS. 5 &amp; 6 and the lines in FIGS. 2 &amp; 4 appear inverted in firing chamber and forward on the bullet casing, it could be reversed so that the characters appear inverted in the bullet casing and not in the firing chamber.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIGS. 7-9 illustrate that the firearm indicia  30  may also be raised relative to a portion  32  where it is placed. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the firearm indicia  30  is raised relative to the surface of the portion  32  of firing chamber  12  and is generally even with the interior surface  16  of the firing chamber  12 . The indicia  30  and recessed portion  32  are both impressed onto the bullet casing  26  to form a mirror-image indicia  30 ′ and a raised portion  32 ′. See FIG. 9.  
         [0040]    The firearm indicia  18 , 28 , 30  corresponds to data that can uniquely identify the firearm or, in the alternative, the portion of the firearm that includes the firing chamber  12  and barrel  14 . The firearm  10  can be any type of firearm, including a hand gun, a rifle, and a shotgun. The firearm indicia  18 , 28 , 30  would preferably include unique and identifying numbers, characters, lines, dots, alphanumeric characters or other symbols that can be associated with the firearm and the firing chamber/barrel assembly. These symbols would be able to identify data that would include the serial number of the firearm, a registration number, the firearm manufacturer, the date of manufacture, the firearm model number, special edition, and the caliber of the firearm and identify the particular firearm or firing chamber/barrel assembly used. It is anticipated that a unique registration number separate and apart from the serial number on the frame could be used. If the registration number is different from the serial number on the frame, it could be linked in a database to the serial number or other identifying information. Also, if the firing chamber/barrel is a replacement part, it may also have a separate registration number that could be associated with a specific serial number or person purchasing the replacement.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIGS. 9 &amp; 10 illustrate one embodiment of a firearm marking tool  40  that can be used to scribe the firearm indicia  18 , 28 , 30  into the firearm  10 . The firearm marking tool  40  includes a guide  42  having a first end  44 , a second end  46 , a passage  47  therebetween, and a drive element  48 . The firearm marking tool  40  may also have an extension  50  that assists in locating the tool  40  in a firearm  10 . See, e.g., FIG. 14. Drive element  48  includes a shaft  52  with a conical section  54  at the first end  56  and a drive head  58  at the second end  60 . The first end  56  of the drive element  48  is inserted into the first end  44  of the guide  42  and slidingly moves along and within the passage  47 . A resilient element  62  is disposed around drive element  48  and between the first end  44  of the guide  42  and the drive head  58 . The drive head  58  and the first end  44  are configured to allow the resilient member  62  to engage each other to bias the drive element  48  away from the guide (or to the left in the figures). While a spring is illustrated in the figures, any resilient member could be used. For example, elastomeric material in the shape of a sleeve around drive element  48  can be used.  
         [0042]    The firearm marking tool  40  also has scribing elements  64  to mark the firearm indicia  18 , 28 , 30  on the interior surface  16  of the firing chamber  12 . The scribing elements  64  are located in individual channels  66  in the guide  42 . As shown in FIG. 12, there are eight scribing elements  64  and channels  66 . However, any number of scribing elements  64  and channels  66  could be used with the guide  42 . Additionally, while the scribing elements  64  are located evenly around the circumference of the guide  42 , they could have different spacing or be left empty (no scribing elements  64  inserted into the channels  66 ) to scribe the correct pattern on the firearm  10 .  
         [0043]    The scribing elements  64  preferably have a shaft  68 , a drive element engagement surface  70  and a firearm engagement surface  72 . When the drive element  48  is moved in the direction of the arrow F 1  in FIG. 11, the conical section  54  is moved forward to engage the drive element engagement surfaces  70  of shafts  68 . See FIG. 13. The scribing elements  64  move radially outward (in the direction of arrows F 2 ) to engage the firing chamber surface  16  and form the firearm indicia  18 . When the drive element  48  is returned to the biased position to the left, the scribing elements  64  are no longer forced into the firing chamber  12  and no further marks are made. Each of the firearm engagement surfaces  72  would typically have at least one alphanumeric character to imprint into the firing chamber  12 . See, e.g., FIG. 5. The firearm engagement surfaces  72  may also have dots, dashes or other symbols that are used to make the indicia  18 , 28 , 30 .  
         [0044]    An alternative embodiment of the firearm marking tool is illustrated in FIGS. 15-17, which is similar to the prior embodiment except that the firearm marking tool  40 ′ has a retainer element  74  that is attached to each of the scribing elements  64 ′ to provide an inward force to pull each of the scribing elements  64 ′ toward the passage  47  in the tool  40 ′. While a single spring ring  74  is illustrated in the figures, one retainer member  74  for each of the scribing elements  64 ′ could also be used. The scribing elements  64 ′ each have a groove  76  to engage the retainer element  74 .  
         [0045]    Another embodiment of the firearm marking tool  80  is illustrated in FIG. 18. The tool  80  is similar to the other two embodiments above, but the guide  82  has a reduced area  84  that is configured to engage the conical section  54  of the drive element  52 . This configuration at the second end  86  of the guide  82  prevents the drive element  52  from advancing too far and pushing the scribing elements  64  too far out and into the wall of the firing chamber. While the retainer element  74  is not shown in FIG. 17, it could be used with the scribing elements  64  as well, provided the grooves are also present.  
         [0046]    Another embodiment of the firearm marking tool  90  is illustrated in FIG. 19. The drive element of the previous embodiments has been replaced in the tool  90  with a drive element  92  that is connected to a reciprocating member of a pneumatic controller or a hydraulic controller. The first end  94  of the drive element  92  in this embodiment also has a conical shape as in the other embodiments. The drive element  92  is connected to the controller through a coupling  96 . The coupling  96  is attached to the drive element  92  by a coupling pin  98  inserted into a coupling bore  100  and engages a hole  102  in the drive element  92 . The coupling  98  moves in the directions of the arrows A to cause the scribing elements  64  to move as in the previous embodiments.  
         [0047]    The first end  104  of the guide  106  is different from that of the previous embodiments. The first end  104  of the guide  106  is more elongated than the previous embodiments to allow the scribing elements  64  to be moved forward in the guide  106  to allow for marking of the firing chamber  12  closer to the shoulder  22 .  
         [0048]    Another embodiment of the firearm marking tool is illustrated in FIG. 20. The firearm marking tool  110  is connected by a coupling  112  to a hydraulic or pneumatic controller as in the previous embodiment. The coupling  112  is attached to the drive element  114  by a coupling pin  116  inserted into a coupling bore  118  and engages a hole  120  in the drive element  114 . However, rather than the drive element of the previous embodiments, drive element  114  of this embodiment is larger in diameter and replaces the drive element and guide of those embodiments. The drive element  114  is slightly smaller in diameter than the firing chamber  12 . At the end of the drive element  114  is an attachment assembly  122  with a screw  124  that allows for interchangeable scribing segments  126 . The screw  124  threadingly engages the first end  128  of the drive element  114 , although other attachment methods are also possible, such as quarter turns, a cross pin similar to the couple pin  116 , bayonet slots, press fit, and adhesives. The scribing segments  126  either have a scribing element  130  or a flat element  132 . The scribing elements  130  can have a number of widths to scribe a variety of lines in the firing chamber  12 . The arrangement of the scribing elements  130  and flat elements  132  can be used and changed as needed to compose the firearm indicia for each firearm. The firearm marking tool  110  can also be moved along the length of the firing chamber to create the lines  20  as illustrated in FIG. 2.  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 23 illustrates the use of a wire or electrode  140  used with an electric discharge machining (EDM) process. A precision wire EDM machine removes metals from metal blocks, such as the firing chamber of a firearm, by creating thousands of electrical discharges per second that flow between a wire and the metal blocks, vaporizing metal in the controlled area. The motion of the wire may be controlled by any commercially available computer numerical control (CNC) software. The firearm indicia  18  can be programmed into the computer (not shown) and the EDM will create the firearm indicia  18 . It should be noted that although the line form of the indicia is illustrated in FIG. 23, the character form or any other form could also be formed using the EDM process.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 24 illustrates the use of a laser beam  150  from a laser beam generator  152 , where the laser beam light energy is used to remove material from the firing chamber wall  12  in a pattern that result in firearm indicia  18 . The laser beam generator is a machine that can be precisely controlled by a CNC machine and software.  
         [0051]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the firearm marking indicia and tools of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5