Projectile and method of manufacture

Abstract

Projectiles configured to contain and disperse a payload, for example, when fired from a gas-operated gun, and methods for the manufacture of projectiles. The projectiles have a forward end, a rearward end, a head at the forward end, a skirt at the rearward end, a waist between the head and skirt, and a central axis between the forward and rearward ends. The head has a shape that increases in diameter in an axial direction of the projectile toward the rearward end. The projectile has first and second shells assembled together to define an exterior shape of the projectile and a cavity within the projectile for containing a payload. The first and second shells have rims that are complementary in size and shape to each other to enable the first and second shells to be assembled together by mating their second rims to form the projectile and the exterior shape thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 63 / 747,171 filed Jan. 20, 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention generally relates to projectiles. The invention particularly relates to projectiles configured to contain and disperse a payload, for example, when fired from a gas-operated (e.g., air- and CO2-operated) gun, and relates to methods for the manufacture of such projectiles.

[0003] Projectiles that contain and disperse a payload (such as an irritant (e.g., pepper powder) or inert material) when propelled from a gas-operated (e.g., air- and CO2-operated) gun are well known for use in self-defense and law enforcement applications. Traditional projectiles often suffer from issues related to aerodynamic efficiency, structural integrity, and payload distribution attributable to certain drawbacks such as glued components that may fail under high-stress conditions, aerodynamic shapes that do not maintain stable flight paths, etc.

[0004] In view of the above, it would be desirable if projectiles were available that were robust, aerodynamically stable, and capable of being manufactured using a process that ensures a strong, seamless assembly that maintains its structural integrity under operational conditions.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The intent of this section of the specification is to briefly indicate the nature and substance of the invention, as opposed to an exhaustive statement of all subject matter and aspects of the invention. Therefore, while this section identifies subject matter recited in the claims, additional subject matter and aspects relating to the invention are set forth in other sections of the specification, particularly the detailed description, as well as any drawings.

[0006] The present invention provides, but is not limited to, projectiles configured to contain and disperse a payload, for example, when fired from a gas-operated (e.g., air- and CO2-operated) gun, and also to methods for the manufacture of such projectiles.

[0007] According to a nonlimiting aspect of the invention, a projectile is provided that is adapted to be fired from a gas-operated gun. The projectile has a forward end a rearward end, a head at the forward end, a skirt at the rearward end, a waist between the head and the skirt, and a central axis between the forward and rearward ends. The head has a shape that increases in diameter in an axial direction of the projectile toward the rearward end. The projectile has first and second shells assembled together so as to define an exterior shape of the projectile and define a cavity within the projectile for containing a payload. The first and second shells have first and second rims, respectively, that are complementary in size and shape to each other to enable the first and second shells to be assembled together by mating the first and second rims to form the projectile and the exterior shape of the projectile.

[0008] According to another nonlimiting aspect of the invention, a method is provided for making a projectile as described above. The method entails ultrasonically welding the first and second rims together to join the first and second shells together.

[0009] Another nonlimiting aspect of the invention is that the method described above includes individually forming the first and second shells using an injection molding technique, placing the payload in a half of the second cavity portion within one of the first and second shells, and aligning and assembling the first and second shells together to enclose the payload within the second cavity portion before ultrasonically welding the first and second shells together.

[0010] Technical aspects of projectiles having features as described above preferably include the ability to be structurally robust, aerodynamically stable, and capable of being manufactured using processes that ensure a strong, seamless assembly capable of maintaining its structural integrity under operational conditions associated with the use and propulsion from a gas-operated gun.

[0011] Other aspects and advantages will be appreciated from the following detailed description as well as any drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 schematically represents a perspective view of a projectile in accordance with a nonlimiting aspect of this invention.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a side view of the projectile of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 represents a cross-sectional view of the projectile of FIG. 1 along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

[0014] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the projectile of FIGS. 1 through 3.

[0015] FIG. 5 schematically represents a perspective view of a projectile in accordance with another nonlimiting aspect of this invention.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a side view of the projectile of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 represents a cross-sectional view of the projectile of FIG. 5 along line 7-7 of FIG. 6

[0017] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the projectile of FIGS. 5 through 7.

[0018] FIG. 9 schematically represents a gas-operated (e.g., air-operated or CO2-operated) gun of a type from which the projectiles of FIGS. 1 through 8 might be fired.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The intended purpose of the following detailed description of the invention and the phraseology and terminology employed therein is to describe what is shown in the drawings, which include the depiction of and / or relate to one or more nonlimiting embodiments of the invention, and to describe certain but not all aspects of what is depicted in the drawings, including the embodiment(s) depicted in the drawings. The following detailed description also identifies certain but not all alternatives of the embodiment(s) depicted in the drawings. As nonlimiting examples, the invention encompasses additional or alternative embodiments in which one or more features or aspects shown and / or described as part of a particular embodiment could be eliminated, and also encompasses additional or alternative embodiments that combine two or more features or aspects shown and / or described as part of different embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims, and not the detailed description, are intended to recite what at least provisionally are believed to be aspects of the invention, including certain but not necessarily all of the aspects and alternatives described in the detailed description.

[0020] For convenience, consistent reference numbers are used throughout FIGS. 1 through 8 to identify the same or functionally related / equivalent elements of the various embodiments represented in the drawings.

[0021] FIGS. 1 through 8 schematically represent nonlimiting embodiments of projectiles of types configured to contain and disperse a payload (such as an irritant (e.g., pepper powder) or inert material) when propelled from a gas-operated (e.g., air-operated and CO2-operated) device (referred to herein as a “gun” as a matter of convenience), a nonlimiting example of which is a gas-operated (“air”) gun 100 represented in FIG. 9. The projectiles are particularly suitable for use in self-defense and law enforcement applications. As such, the following discussion will focus primarily on certain aspects of the projectiles that will be described in reference to use in gas-operated guns. However, it will be appreciated that the teachings of the invention may also be generally applicable to projectiles adapted to be propelled with other types of devices, and it is within the scope of the invention that projectiles described herein could be utilized to disperse a wide variety of other types of payloads.

[0022] To facilitate the description provided below of the embodiments represented in the drawings, relative terms, including but not limited to, “front,”“rear,”“side,”“lateral,”“forward,”“rearward,” etc., may be used in reference to the orientation of the projectiles during flight. Furthermore, on the basis of a coaxial arrangement of the projectiles, relative terms including but not limited to “axial,”“circumferential,”“radial,” etc., and related forms thereof may also be used below to describe the nonlimiting embodiments represented in the drawings. All such relative terms are intended to indicate the construction and relative orientations of components and features of the projectiles, and therefore are relative terms that are useful to describe the illustrated embodiments and define the scope of the invention.

[0023] FIGS. 1 through 4 represent an embodiment of a projectile 10 adapted to be fired from a gas-operated gun, such as represented in FIG. 9. The projectile 10 is represented as having a forward end 12, a rearward end 14 oppositely disposed from the forward end 12, and a central axis 22 that extends between the forward and rearward ends 12 and 14. The projectile 10 defines a head 16 at the forward end 12, a skirt 18 at the rearward end 14, and a waist 20 between the head 16 and skirt 18. The head 18 has an aerodynamic shape that increases in diameter in an axial direction of the projectile 10 toward the rearward end 14, which helps to reduce drag reduction. The aerodynamic shape of the projectile 10 is promoted as a result of the head 16 having a maximum diameter adjacent the waist 20, the skirt 18 having a maximum diameter at the rearward end 14 of the projectile 10, the maximum diameter of the skirt 18 being approximately equal to the maximum diameter of the head 16, and the waist 20 has a maximum diameter that is less than the maximum diameters of the head 16 and skirt 18. In the nonlimiting embodiment shown, the head 16 and waist 20 are adjoined by a fillet 38A therebetween, and the skirt 18 and waist 20 are adjoined by a tapered surface 40 therebetween.

[0024] As particularly evident from FIGS. 3 and 4, the projectile 10 is an assembly formed by mating first and second shells 24A and 24B, which when assembled together define the entire exterior shape of the projectile 10. Furthermore, when assembled together the first and second shells 24A and 24B define a cavity 26 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) within the projectile 10 that is adapted to contain a payload 28. As previously noted, the payload 28 may be, but is not required to be, an irritant (e.g., pepper powder), though other types of materials are foreseeable, including inert materials. The cavity 26 is entirely enclosed by wall portions of the head 16, skirt 18, and waist 20 that circumferentially surround the cavity 26 and also by an axial end wall 42 of the skirt 18 that is formed as a result of end wall portions 42A and 42B of the shells 24A and 24B being joined when the first and second shells 24A and 24B are assembled together. The end wall 42 of the skirt 18 is depicted as being perpendicular to the axis 22 of the projectile 10 and axially spaced from the rearward end 14 of the projectile 10 so as to define a recess 44 at the rearward end 14 that is surrounded by an annular-shaped rim that defines an annular-shaped surface 32 that is flat and lies in a plane perpendicular to the axis 22 of the projectile 10. Surface texturing (not shown) may be defined on the exterior surface of the end wall 42 of the projectile 10 to enhance stability during flight.

[0025] When propelled from a gas-operated gun (e.g., the air gun 100 represented in FIG. 9), the projectile 10 preferably fragments to release and, depending on the type of material, disperse the payload 28. According to an aspect of the invention, fragmentation of the projectile 10 and dispersal of its payload 28 can be facilitated as a result of constructing the first and second shells 24A and 24B have first and second rims 30A and 30B, respectively, that are complementary in size and shape to each other to enable the first and second shells 24A and 24B to be assembled together by mating the first and second rims 30A and 30B to form the projectile 10. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 4, the first and second shells 24A and 24B define symmetrical portions of the exterior shape of the projectile 10 that are separated by a plane lying on the axis 22 of the projectile 10. As will be discussed below, the first and second rims 30A and 30B are preferably configured to be joined by an ultrasonic welding technique, so as to make the use of an adhesive unnecessary. For this purpose, the wall thickness at the rims 30A and 30B is preferably on the order of about 0.5 to about 1 mm.

[0026] As evident from FIGS. 3 and 4, the cavity 26 within the projectile 10 comprises a first cavity portion 26A within only the head 16 of the projectile 10 and a second cavity portion 26B within the skirt 18 and waist 20 of the projectile 10 and preferably (but optionally) also within a rearward portion of the head 16. The payload 28 is preferably disposed only in the second cavity portion 26B so as to promote the aerodynamically stability of the projectile 10 in flight by promoting a weight distribution that includes a center of gravity along the axis 22 near the geometric center of the projectile 10. The first cavity portion 26A is represented as having a spherical cap shape, and the second cavity portion 26B is represented as having a cylindrical shape. The payload 28 is also represented as having a cylindrical shape that is complementary to the second cavity portion 26B in both shape and size.

[0027] As previously noted, the first and second rims 30A and 30B are preferably adapted to be ultrasonically welded together to join the first and second shells 24A and 24B together and form a durable bond therebetween. The first and second shells 24A and 24B are preferably formed of a plastic material of a type that can be ultrasonically welded, as nonlimiting examples, lightweight, impact-resistant thermoplastics such as general purpose polystyrene (GPPS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or polycarbonate (PC). These plastic materials are or can be made sufficiently transparent or translucent to enable the payload 28 within the cavity 26 to be seen from outside of the projectile 10, enabling the projectile 10 to be quickly visually examined to confirm the presence of the payload 28. As a nonlimiting example, methyl methacrylate (MMA) can be added to ABS. The complementary size and shape of the first and second rims 30A and 30B are represented in FIGS. 3 and 4 as configured to define a lap joint between the first and second rims 30A and 30B, which is believed to be conducive to joining by ultrasonic welding. Alternately, the first and second rims 30A and 30B may be configured to form a tongue-and-groove joint therebetween. Additives such as MMA can also reduce the impact resistance, which is advantageous for promoting the fragmentation of the projectile 10 on impact with an object. Alternatively or in addition, fragmentation of the projectile 10 on impact can be promoted by forming grooves in interior surfaces of one or each of the first and second shells 24A and 24B, such as within the first cavity portion 26A, to defining regions of structural weakness in the head 16 of the projectile 10.

[0028] Generally, ultrasonic welding of the shells 24A and 24B entails locally applying high-frequency ultrasonic acoustic vibrations to the rims 30A and 30B while the shells 24A and 24B are held together under pressure. Assembly of the first and second shells 24A and 24B to form the projectile 10 preferably entails individually forming the first and second shells 24A and 24B using an injection molding techniques, placing the payload 28 in either of the second cavity portions 26B within one of the first and second shells 24A and 24B, and aligning and assembling the first and second shells 24A and 24B together to enclose the payload 28 within the second cavity portion 26B before ultrasonically welding the first and second shells 24A and 24B together, creating a solid-state weld along at least portions of the rims 30A and 30B and optionally a continuous solid-state weld along the entirety of the rims 30A and 30B. Suitable ultrasonic welding techniques are known in the art and can be tailored for promoting the welding of the particular materials used to fabricate the shells 24A and 24B.

[0029] Whereas the first and second shells 24A and 24B of the embodiment of FIG. 1 through 4 define symmetrical portions of the exterior shape of the projectile 10 that are separated by a plane lying on the axis 22, the first and second shells 24A and 24B of the embodiment of FIGS. 5 through 8 define nonsymmetrical portions of the exterior shape of the projectile 10 that are separated by a plane that is perpendicular to the axis 22 of the projectile 10 and separates the head 16 from the waist 20 of the projectile 10. As a result of this configuration, the head 16 and waist 20 are not adjoined by a fillet 38A as represented in FIGS. 1 through 4, but instead meet to define a shoulder 38B therebetween. In view of similarities between the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 and FIGS. 5 through 8, other aspects of the embodiment of FIGS. 5 through 8 are not discussed in any detail here, but may be, in terms of structure, function, materials, etc., essentially as was described for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 4.

[0030] As previously noted above, though the foregoing detailed description describes certain aspects of one or more particular embodiments of the invention, alternatives could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the projectiles 10 and their components could differ in appearance and construction from the embodiments described herein and shown in the drawings, and various materials could be used in the fabrication of the projectiles 10 and their components. As such, and again as was previously noted, it should be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to any particular embodiment described herein or illustrated in the drawings.

Claims

1. A projectile adapted to be fired from a gas-operated gun, the projectile comprising:a forward end, a rearward end, a head at the forward end, a skirt at the rearward end, a waist between the head and the skirt, and a central axis between the forward and rearward ends, the head having a shape that increases in diameter in an axial direction of the projectile toward the rearward end;wherein the projectile comprises first and second shells assembled together so as to define an exterior shape of the projectile and define a cavity within the projectile for containing a payload, and the first and second shells have first and second rims, respectively, that are complementary in size and shape to each other to enable the first and second shells to be assembled together by mating the first and second rims to form the projectile and the exterior shape of the projectile.

2. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the head has a maximum diameter adjacent the waist.

3. The projectile of claim 2, wherein the waist has a maximum diameter that is less than the maximum diameter of the head.

4. The projectile of claim 2, wherein the skirt has a maximum diameter at the rearward end of the projectile oppositely disposed from the head.

5. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the cavity within the projectile comprises a first cavity portion within only the head of the projectile and a second cavity portion within the head, the skirt, and the waist of the projectile, and the payload is disposed only in the second cavity portion.

6. The projectile of claim 5, wherein the second cavity portion has a cylindrical shape.

7. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the skirt at the rearward end defines an annular-shaped surface that is flat and lies in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the projectile.

8. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the first and second shells are formed of a plastic material.

9. The projectile of claim 8, wherein the plastic material is sufficiently transparent or translucent to enable the payload within the cavity to be seen from outside of the projectile.

10. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the payload comprises an irritant material.

11. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the complementary size and shape of the first and second rims define a lap joint between the first and second rims.

12. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the first and second rims are ultrasonically welded together such that the first and second shells are joined together.

13. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the first and second shells define symmetrical portions of the exterior shape of the projectile that are separated by a plane lying on the axis of the projectile.

14. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the first and second shells define nonsymmetrical portions of the exterior shape of the projectile that are separated by a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the projectile and separates the head from the waist of the projectile.

15. A method of making the projectile of claim 1, the method comprising ultrasonically welding the first and second rims together to join the first and second shells together.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:individually forming the first and second shells using an injection molding techniques;placing the payload in a half of the second cavity portion within one of the first and second shells; andaligning and assembling the first and second shells together to enclose the payload within the second cavity portion before ultrasonically welding the first and second shells together.

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