Abstract:
A roll-up curtain comprised of ballistic plates bonded onto flexible material is described. Strips of ballistic steel or rigid ballistic composite are bonded onto high-tensile strength flexible material, allowing the device to roll-up, as a curtain, while maintaining the same ballistic benefits of the components when unrolled.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention addresses a perceived vulnerability in the protection of law enforcement officers, military personnel, and civilians from bullets, shrapnel, bomb blasts, and other ballistic projectiles or concussive forces. The temporary and portable protective use of large plates of ballistic material poses several logistical problems: the cost of production and supply of large surface area plates, ready transport and storage of large plates, and the inherent limitation of large plates&#39; conformation, for example. This invention addresses the need for a more portable, more easily stored, and more flexible means of ballistic protection than that afforded by large, single plates. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0002]      FIG. 1   a  shows a cross-section of the curtain fully-extended. 
           [0003]      FIG. 1   b  shows a cross-section of the curtain partially rolled-up. 
           [0004]      FIG. 1   c  shows a cross-section of the curtain fully rolled-up. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is an object of the invention to provide the benefit of rigid ballistic plates in a flexible, easily transported product which also rolls-up. 
         [0006]    It is an object of the invention to protect property and persons from bullets, shrapnel, ballistic projectiles, and bomb blasts. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    This invention provides a ballistic roll-up curtain, allowing for ready transport and storage, while providing the protective properties of large, rigid ballistic plates. In this invention, strips of ballistic material are placed edge-to-edge, flat-side down, onto and bonded with a high-tensile strength flexible material. 
         [0008]    “Strips of ballistic material” includes, but is not limited to, manufactured strips of steel, ballistic steel, or ballistic composite. 
         [0009]    “Strips of ballistic material” also includes, but is not limited to, strips cut from rigid, ballistic plates of steel, ballistic steel, or ballistic composite. 
         [0010]    “High-tensile strength flexible material” includes, but is not limited to, ballistic fabrics or a combination of ballistic fabrics. 
         [0011]    “Flat-side down” refers to placing onto the material the face comprised of the two longest edges of a roughly rectangular solid, namely a strip of ballistic material. 
         [0012]    “Bonded” includes any process which chemically or mechanically physically attaches the strips to the flexible material. This includes, but is not limited to, attaching with an adhesive agent, attaching with a two-part epoxy agent, sewing material through the strips and the flexible material, thermally bonding the strips to the material, or electrochemically bonding the strips onto the material. 
         [0013]    The benefits of a large, rigid, ballistic plate are several. Most importantly, a ballistic plate should prevent the penetration of ballistic projectiles, most often, bullets from one side to the other. This offers an increased measure of protection to the people and property on the opposite side of the plate. However, apart from increased production costs associated with making a ballistic plate of a certain size, there are difficulties with portability, due to dimension and weight, as well as storage, of a large plate. 
         [0014]    This invention addresses the problems associated with the use of a large ballistic plate in situations that require portability of the associated ballistic properties. A ballistic curtain that rolls up greatly simplifies transport and storage.  FIG. 1  illustrates three conformations of the invention. View  1   a  demonstrates the curtain fully extended and prepared for use as a ballistic barrier. View  1   b  shows the conformation of the curtain while rolling up. View  1   c  shows the curtain fully rolled-up for purposes of storage or travel. In all three views the cross-sections of the ballistic strips appear as small rectangles; and the high-tensile strength, flexible material appears as a continuous band adjacent to all ballistic strips. 
         [0015]    Following are examples of the invention 
       EXAMPLE 1 
       [0016]    This example illustrates the invention&#39;s use as a ballistic barrier behind a highly portable object, in this instance, a car door. The invention comprises a ballistic curtain as described above, produced in dimensions comparable to that of a typical sedan automobile door. The invention may be attached, via rings or hooks, to the inside of an automobile door. This allows a normal (non-ballistic) automobile door to acquire ballistic protective properties. This example of the invention has utility in the protection of law enforcement officers in the field, as the invention is portable to any vehicle, allowing an officer to have a personal protective barrier with extreme mobility. 
       EXAMPLE 2 
       [0017]    This example illustrates the invention&#39;s use as a ballistic barrier behind a portable and temporary structure, in this instance, a tent. The invention comprises a ballistic curtain as described above, produced in dimensions as necessary to fit a tent face. Utilizing rings or hooks, the curtain may be secured, with strips either horizontal or vertical in orientation, to the existing frame of the tent, affording ballistic protection to any side of a tent. This example of the invention has utility in the protection of military and law enforcement personnel in the field, as a temporary and normally vulnerable structure may quickly and easily provide ballistic protection. 
       EXAMPLE 3 
       [0018]    This example illustrates the invention&#39;s use as a ballistic barrier in a pre-existing, non-ballistic structure, in this instance a house. The invention comprises a ballistic curtain as described above, produced in any variety of dimensions. Utilizing hooks, the curtain may be attached underneath a window, affording ballistic protection to individuals behind the wall beneath the window. Alternatively, screws may attach the curtain to any section of wall as needed. This example of the invention has utility in the protection of military and law enforcement personnel in the field, providing easily portable ballistic protection to existing, non-protected structures. 
       EXAMPLE 4 
       [0019]    This example illustrates the invention&#39;s use as a ballistic barrier in the absence of any existing structure, temporary or permanent. The invention comprises a ballistic curtain as described above, produced in any required dimension. Utilizing hooks or rails, the curtain may be attached to portable poles which are anchored in the ground. This example of the invention has utility in the protection of all personnel in the field, where a known threat suggests the possibility of ballistic attach from a specified direction, regardless of the availability of existing structures.