Target illumination and sighting device with integrated non-lethal weaponry

• US 20070039226A1
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tactical Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tactical Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Stokes, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 42/146
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 23/16 Forestocks; Handgrips; Hand guards pump-action guns F41C7/02
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/35 for illuminating the target , e.g. flash lights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/36 with infrared light source
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0056 for blinding or dazzling, i.e. by overstimulating the opponent's eyes or the enemy's sensor equipment
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 9/10 Hand-held or body-worn self-defence devices using repellant gases or chemicals
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light

Abstract

A weapon accessory integrates multiple illumination sources and a mechanism for dispensing a chemical irritant within a single housing for attachment as a fore grip to a firearm. The weapon accessory has selectable microprocessor-controlled multi-modes of operation for providing illumination, sighting or target debilitation. Switches on the outside of the housing enable user setting and control of the multiple modes of operation, which include one or a combination of (i) activating high intensity light emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate an object or human subject with either visible or infrared light, (ii) activating a visible or infrared laser for sighting a target, (iii) activating a frequency modulation mode that alternates pulsing white and blue LEDs at three superimposed frequencies to temporarily disable, distract and degrade the vision of a human subject, and (iv) activating the chemical irritant dispenser.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus for a firearm, comprising:

a plurality of illumination sources;

a housing adapted to be secured to the firearm, wherein the housing further includes a forward portion carrying the plurality of illumination sources;

a controller, carried within the housing and coupled to the plurality of illumination sources, operable to selectively enable one or more illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources, and wherein the controller is operable in a plurality of modes, each mode of the plurality of modes enabling a selected one or more illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources for activation;

an activation device, carried by the housing and coupled to the plurality of illumination sources, operable by a user to activate illumination from one or more illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources enabled in a current mode of the controller from among the plurality of modes.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of illumination sources includes a light emitting diode.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of illumination sources is an infrared light emitting diode.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of illumination sources is a laser.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a non-lethal weapon carried by the housing and coupled to the controller and activation device, wherein a selected mode of operation of the controller enables the non-lethal weapon, and further wherein the activation device is operable by a user to activate the non-lethal weapon when enabled by the selected mode of operation.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the non-lethal weapon is an irritant dispenser.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the non-lethal weapon comprises frequency modulation of illumination of one or more illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a hand grip suitable as a fore grip for the firearm when said housing is secured to the firearm.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the activation device is a switch on the housing and operable by the user for alternatively turning on and off an enabled illumination source of the plurality of illumination sources.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the current mode is selectable by the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a safety mode of operation of the controller disables illumination from any of the plurality of illumination sources.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein multiple enabled illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources illuminate at different wavelengths and are modulated at a plurality of frequencies in a selected mode of the controller from among the plurality of modes.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of frequencies are swept over a range of frequencies during illumination of the multiple enabled illumination sources.

14. A firearm and illumination apparatus comprising:

a firearm including a barrel; and

an illumination apparatus according to claim 1.

15. An illumination apparatus for a firearm comprising:

a housing adapted to be secured to the firearm;

an illumination source carried by the housing and operable by a user for illuminating a target; and

a chemical irritant dispenser carried by said housing and selectively operable by a user when said housing is secured to the firearm.

16. A method of controlling an illumination apparatus suitable for attachment to a firearm comprising:

selecting a particular mode of operation of a controller housed in the illumination device from among a plurality of modes;

selectively enabling one or more illumination sources of a plurality of illumination sources within the illumination apparatus corresponding to the selected mode of operation, in response to the particular mode of operation of the controller being selected; and

activating illumination from the enabled one or more illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources in response to a user input.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein one or more of the plurality of illumination sources includes a light emitting diode.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein one or more of the plurality of illumination sources is an infrared light emitting diode.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein one or more of the plurality of illumination sources is a laser.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising frequency modulating illumination of the activated one or more illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources in the selected mode of operation of the plurality of modes.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising enabling a non-lethal weapon carried by the illumination apparatus in response to selection of a selected mode of operation for the controller of the plurality of modes, and activating the non-lethal weapon in response to a user input.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the non-lethal weapon is an irritant dispenser.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of selecting is performed by a user of the illumination apparatus.

24. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of disabling the plurality of illumination sources within the illumination apparatus, in response to a safety mode of operation of the controller being selected.

25. The method according to claim 16, wherein multiple enabled illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources illuminate at different wavelengths, and further comprising modulating the activated one or more illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources at a plurality of frequencies in a selected mode of the controller from among the plurality of modes.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the plurality of frequencies are swept over a range of frequencies during modulation.

27. An illumination apparatus for a firearm comprising:

a housing adapted to be secured to the firearm;

an illumination source carried by the housing and operable by a user for illuminating a target; and

a controller for simultaneously modulating the illumination source at a plurality of frequencies in a selected mode of the controller.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the plurality of frequencies are swept over a range of frequencies during illumination of the illumination source.