Gunshot detector and notification system

Abstract

A gunshot detection system includes a firearm and a communication device. The firearm includes a transceiver circuit that detects the discharge of an ammunition round. Upon the discharge occurring, the transceiver circuit emits an electromagnetic signal. The electromagnetic signal is received by the communication device, which may be a cellular telephone or two-way radio. The communication device is equipped with a geographic location sensor, like a GPS receiver for example. Software within the communication device then causes an informational message that includes geographic information to be transmitted to a remote device. For instance, when a police officer discharges his firearm, an informational message stating “Officer 1234 has just fired 3 shots at the intersection of Cucumber and Vine—please respond” may be transmitted. The informational message may change as information like the geographic location change.

Description

BACKGROUND [0001] 1. Technical Field [0002] This invention relates generally to a system for detecting the discharge of an ammunition round from a firearm, and more particularly to a system including a firearm with an ammunition discharge detector, the firearm having wireless communication capabilities for actuating an external communication device. [0003] 2. Background Art [0004] Policemen on the beat, needless to say, have very difficult jobs. Our county, city and state law enforcement officers place their lives on the line every day to protect and serve the citizenry. With the emergence of new terrorism threats, the job demanded of our brave police force is becoming ever more difficult. [0005] In this day and age, timely communication has become increasingly important to the police department. When a policeman on patrol encounters a problem, be it either a simple domestic crime or a coordinated terrorist attack, it is imperative that he communicate with both the central precinct ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Policemen on the beat, needless to say, have very difficult jobs.

With the emergence of new terrorism threats, the job demanded of our brave police force is becoming ever more difficult.

The need to manually handle a radio to communicate becomes problematic, however, when the officer has his weapon drawn.

Communication through a hand-held radio is virtually impossible when the officer is firing his weapon.

Aiming stability is critical because an errantly discharged bullet can have harmful effects.

When the officer is in this “two-handed” firearm handling position, it is impossible for him to manually “key” his radio to call, for example, back-up assistance.

Since both hands are occupied in these situations, aside from the extremely high stress factors, there is no free hand to depress the “talk” key on the radio.

There are several problems, however, associated with this prior art solution.

First, the overhead cost associated with such a system is extremely high.

Aside from the high cost, if the sensor mounting person fails to accurately guess in which location a crime will occur, the system is ineffective.

What's more, if a crime takes place in a rural area, it will be impossible to use the system, as there are no walls upon which to mount the sensors.

Third, a base unit transmission system is required, further adding to the cost.

For example, the system can not tell whether authorities are already present, how many officers are on the scene, etc.

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