Non-lethal marking bullet for related training cartridges
View Patent ↗A projectile of non-lethal composition includes an outer casing that is substantially sealed prior to impact with a target both when the projectile is in a static condition and when the projectile is in a dynamic condition. A marking material is encapsulated within the outer casing prior to impact. The outer casing is configured to deform and unseal upon impact such that the marking material disperses forward via hydraulic action.
1. A projectile of non-lethal composition, comprising:
(a) two or more components forming an outer casing that is substantially sealed prior to impact with a target both when the projectile is in a static condition and when the projectile is in a dynamic condition providing a concentrated impact zone with the target; and
(b) a non-toxic marking material encapsulated within the outer casing prior to impact, wherein the outer casing is configured to deform and unseal upon impact such that the marking material disperses forward via hydraulic action providing a concentrated marking material zone around the impact zone, and
(c) wherein said casing serves both as an aerodynamic delivery housing and to contain the marking material when the projectile is in the dynamic condition,
(d) wherein the outer casing comprises:
(i) a cup component comprising a heel portion and a hollowed well portion defining a well cavity within which the marking material is disposed prior to impact;
(ii) a cap component including an exposed tip portion and a seat portion, the seat portion coupling within and protruding into the well cavity, and thereby displacing a substantial volume of the well cavity, and contacting the marking material therein, and substantially sealing the marking material therein, and wherein the exposed tip portion has a greater radius than the seat portion where they meet forming a shoulder at an outer periphery of the exposed tip portion which serves as a stop by contacting the hollowed well portion of the cup component when the seat portion is fully coupled within the well cavity, thereby forming a sealed well cavity and ending direct exposure of the marking material both to outside ambient air and to sharing the well cavity with a substantial volume of trapped air, and
(iii) one or more fissures defined at an interior surface defining the sealed well cavity.
2. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein the heel and well portions of the cup component comprise substantially right cylindrical shapes.
3. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fissures are defined between the seat portion of the cap component and an interior wall of the hollowed portion of the cup, and wherein the marking material fills the substantial volume of the well cavity and the one or more fissures between the cup and cap components when seated within the well cavity prior to impact.
4. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein the heel portion of the cup component defines an inset cavity opposite the well cavity for coupling with a cartridge protrusion having a flash hole defined therein for communicating pressurized gas from the cartridge to propel the projectile.
5. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein an outer peripheral interface between the tip and seat portions of the cap component substantially matches an outer periphery of the cup component providing the substantial sealing of the marking material within the well cavity prior to impact.
6. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein upon impact, deformation of the cap or cup components, or both, unseals the marking material at matching peripheries, and compaction of the cap component into the marking material produces said hydraulic action and forward dispersion.
7. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein the marking material is inserted into the well cavity prior to sealing the cup and cap components to form the projectile.
8. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein said one or more fissures are configured to facilitate the breaking of the projectile upon impact to release the marking material.
9. The projectile of claim 8 , wherein the one or more fissures are filled with the marking material.
10. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein the marking material comprises a paste.
11. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein when loaded into a cartridge, said projectile maintains a substantially right cylindrical shape for more than half of its exposed length.
12. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein the marking material fills a volumetric cavity and the one or more fissures within the substantially sealed casing prior to impact.
13. The projectile of claim 1 , configured such that upon impact, deformation produces an unsealing of the casing and compaction of the casing into the marking material produces said hydraulic action and said forward dispersion.
14. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein a majority of the outer casing comprises a right cylindrical shape.
15. The projectile of claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises an at least in part substantially cylindrical shape.
16. A projectile of non-lethal composition, comprising:
(a) a cup component comprising a heel portion and a hollowed well portion defining a well cavity;
(b) a non-toxic marking material disposed within the well cavity;
(c) a cap component including an exposed tip portion and a seat portion, the seat portion coupling within and protruding into the well cavity of the cup component, and thereby displacing a substantial volume of the well cavity, and contacting the marking material therein, and substantially sealing the marking material therein, and wherein the exposed tip portion has a greater radius than the seat portion where they meet forming a shoulder at an outer periphery of the exposed tip portion which serves as a stop by contacting the hollowed well portion of the cup component when the seat portion is fully coupled within the well cavity, thereby forming a sealed well cavity and ending direct exposure of the marking material both to outside ambient air and to sharing the well cavity with a substantial volume of trapped air prior to impact with a target both when the projectile is in a static condition and when the projectile is in a dynamic condition providing a concentrated impact zone with the target; and
(d) one or more fissures defined at an interior surface defining the sealed well cavity, and
(e) wherein the marking material marks the impact zone through dispersing the material forward via hydraulic action upon impact providing a concentrated marking material zone around the impact zone.
17. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein the cap or cup component, or both, is configured to deform upon impact unsealing the marking material, and said hydraulic action is produced due to compaction of the cap component into the marking material.
18. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein when loaded into a cartridge, said projectile maintains a substantially right cylindrical shape for more than half of its exposed length.
19. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein the heel and well portions of the cup component comprise substantially right cylindrical shapes.
20. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein at least one or a portion of said one or more fissures are defined between the seat portion of the cap component and an interior wall of the hollowed portion of the cup, such that the marking material fills a volumetric cavity and the one or more fissures between the cup and cap components when seated within the well cavity prior to impact.
21. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein the heel portion of the cup component defines an inset cavity opposite the well cavity for coupling with a cartridge protrusion having a flash hole defined therein for communicating pressurized gas from the cartridge to propel the projectile.
22. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein an outer peripheral interface between the tip and seat portions of the cap component substantially matches an outer periphery of the cup component providing the substantial sealing of the marking material within the well cavity prior to impact.
23. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein upon impact, deformation of the cap or cup components, or both, unseals the marking material at matching peripheries, and compaction of the cap component into the marking material produces said hydraulic action and forward dispersion.
24. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein the cup and cap components form a casing when sealed that serves both as an aerodynamic delivery housing and to contain the marking material when the projectile is in the dynamic condition.
25. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein the marking material is inserted into the well cavity prior to sealing the cup and cap components to form the projectile.
26. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein the one or more fissures are defined between the cap and cup components when the projectile is sealed and facilitate the breaking of the projectile upon impact to release the marking material.
27. The projectile of claim 26 , wherein the one or more fissures are filled with the marking material.
28. The projectile of claim 16 , wherein the marking material comprises a paste.
29. A projectile of non-lethal composition, comprising:
(a) two or more components forming an outer casing that is statically and dynamically stable and substantially sealed prior to impact with a target both when the projectile is in a static condition and when the projectile is in a dynamic condition; and
(b) a non-toxic marking material encapsulated within the outer casing prior to impact and configured such that, upon impact, the outer casing deforms and unseals, and the marking material disperses forward via hydraulic action upon impact,
wherein when formed by the two or more components, the outer casing comprises:
(i) a heel portion;
(ii) a hollowed well portion defining a well cavity within which the marking material is disposed prior to impact;
(iii) an exposed tip portion, and
(iv) a seat portion, the seat portion coupling within and protruding into the well cavity, and thereby displacing a substantial volume of the well cavity, and contacting the marking material therein, and substantially sealing the marking material therein, and wherein the hollowed well portion has a greater radius than the seat portion where they meet forming a shoulder which serves as a stop by contacting the hollowed well portion when the seat portion is fully coupled within the well cavity, thereby forming a sealed well cavity and ending direct exposure of the marking material both to outside ambient air and to sharing the well cavity with a substantial volume of trapped air, and
(v) one or more fissures defined at an interior surface defining the sealed well cavity, and
(vi) wherein the heel portion, the hollowed well portion and the exposed tip portion together form a closed, aerodynamic outer surface of the outer casing of the projectile.
30. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein the two or more components form an in-part substantially cylindrical outer casing.
31. The projectile of claim 30 , wherein a majority of the outer casing comprises a right cylindrical shape.
32. The projectile of claim 31 , wherein when loaded into a cartridge, said projectile maintains a substantially right cylindrical shape for more than half of its exposed length.
33. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein the heel and well portions comprise substantially right cylindrical shapes.
34. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein at least one or a portion of the one or more fissures is defined between the seat portion and an interior wall of the hollowed portion, such that the marking material fills a volumetric cavity and the one or more fissures when sealed within the well cavity prior to impact.
35. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein the heel portion defines an inset cavity opposite the well cavity for coupling with a cartridge protrusion having a flash hole defined therein for communicating pressurized gas from the cartridge to propel the projectile.
36. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein an outer peripheral interface between the tip and seat portions substantially matches an outer periphery providing the substantial sealing of the marking material within the well cavity prior to impact.
37. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein upon impact, deformation of at least one of the components unseals the marking material, and compaction of the seat portion into the marking material produces said hydraulic action and forward dispersion.
38. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein an interior surface of the casing containing the marking material comprises said one or more fissures, such that the marking material fills a volumetric cavity and the one or more fissures within the substantially sealed casing prior to impact.
39. The projectile of claim 29 , configured such that upon impact, deformation unseals the casing and compaction of the casing into the marking material produces said hydraulic action and said forward dispersion.
40. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein the outer casing serves both as an aerodynamic delivery housing and to contain the marking material when the projectile is in the dynamic condition.
41. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein the marking material is inserted into the well cavity prior to sealing the two or more components to form the projectile.
42. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein the one or more fissures between the two or more components when the projectile is sealed facilitate the breaking of the projectile upon impact to release the marking material.
43. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein the one or more fissures are filled with the marking material.
44. The projectile of claim 29 , wherein the marking material comprises a paste.