Poison dart

• US 4,597,580 A
• Filed: 12/01/1982
• Issued: 07/01/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jon M. Gassie
• Original Assignee: Jon M. Gassie
• Inventors: Gassie, Jon M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAPIRO, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US06/432,969
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 273/418-421, 273/84 R, 273/84 ES, 102/502, 102/512, 89/1.11, 43/6, 604/189, 604/130
• US Class Current: 473/577
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/54 by implantation, e.g. hypodermic projectiles
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/003 Darts

Abstract

A poison dart for subduing a person having poison with effects that occur long enough after a person is struck by the dart to allow for treatment that prevents those effects. This makes a person struck by the dart likely to stop committing undesireable behavior and instead seek treatment. The dart has a readily identifiable substance, dispersible in the human body, to aid in identifying the poison and a substance, dispersible and relatively persistant in the human body, for indicating that a person has been struck by the dart within the past month. It is separable into a front part that carries the poison and becomes buried into flesh upon impact and a rear part which projects from the flesh and can be pulled free from the front part if it is pulled on. This helps ensure that the front part will remain in the flesh long enough for the poison to dissolve away from it. The dart does not cause rapid disablement and therefore is not useful for committing a crime like armed robbery.

Claims

1. A payload dart which comprises:

a front part which carries the payload and becomes completely buried into and anchored in flesh during the operation of said payload dart;

means, located on said front part, for anchoring said front part in said flesh;

a rear part which is joined to and is separable from said front part, said rear part remaining at least partly exposed during said operation and remaining joined with said front part during said operation unless, after said front part is completely buried and anchored, rearward force sufficient to cause separation is applied to said rear part; and

means located on said front part and rear parts, for joining and allowing separation of said front and rear parts, said joining means joining said front and rear parts with a force less than the force required to pull said front part from its position after said front part has become anchored in said flesh.

2. A poison dart comprising:

poisonous means for injuring a person;

means in contact with said poisonous means for delaying the functioning of said poisonous means after said poisonous means has been delivered into the flesh of said person; and

a payload dart for carrying and delivering said poisonous means and said delaying means into said flesh.

3. A poison dart as recited in claim 2 wherein said poisonous means comprises:

poison that is lethal for said person.

4. A poison dart as recited in claim 2 further comprising:

means for facilitating the identification of said poisonous means, said identifying means having a nature which allows dispersal of said identifying means in the body of said person through bodily processes.

5. A poison dart as recited in claim 2 further comprising:

means for internally marking said person for at least one month, said marking means having a nature which allows dispersal of said marking means in the body of said person through bodily processes.

6. A method of subduing a person exhibiting undesireable behavior comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a poison dart with (1) poisonous means for injuring said person, and (2) means for delaying the functioning of said poisonous means after said poisonous means has been delivered into the flesh of said person; and

(b) delivering said poisonous means and said delaying means into the flesh of said person by striking said person with said dart.

7. A method of subduing a person as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

(c) arresting said person.

8. A method of subduing a person as recited in claim 6 wherein said poisonous means is for fatally injuring said person.