Patent ID: 7762196

Claim:
A method for packaging sub-munitions, wherein the method comprises: providing at least one stack of sub-munitions, wherein the stack comprises a plurality of layers of sub-munitions, wherein the sub-munitions in each of the layers are arranged so that any three adjacent sub-munitions within a given layer are arranged in the form an equilateral triangle, and wherein the stack is selected from the group consisting of a three-layer stack containing three layers of sub-munitions and a four layer stack containing four layers of sub-munitions; and offsetting each of the layers within the selected stack from all other layers in the stack, wherein: (a) when the three-layer stack is selected: (i) establishing a location for a first of the three layers; (ii) offsetting a second of the three layers relative to the first so that a sub-munition from the second layer superposes a center of a first equilateral triangle formed by three sub-munitions from the first layer; and (iii) offsetting a third of the three layers relative to the second so that a sub-munition from the third layer superposes a center of the first equilateral triangle; and (b) when the four-layer stack is selected: (i) establishing a location for a first of the four layers; (ii) offsetting a second of the four layers relative to the first so that a sub-munition from the second layer superposes a midpoint of a first side of a second equilateral triangle formed by three sub-munitions from the first layer; (iii) offsetting a third of the four layers relative to the first so that a sub-munition from the third layer superposes a midpoint of a second side of the second equilateral triangle; (iv) offsetting a fourth of the four layers relative to the first so that a sub-munition from the fourth layer superposes a midpoint of a third side of the second equilateral triangle.