Pistol with concealed radio transmitter

• US 4,936,037 A
• Filed: 07/05/1989
• Issued: 06/26/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Jack N. Holcomb
• Inventors: Pangratz, Konrad K., Holcomb, Jack N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carone, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US07/375,958
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: 42/106, 455/66, 455/89, 455/90, 379/428, 379/434, 379/440, 340/539, 340/567, 340/693
• US Class Current: 42/106
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 9/65 Box magazines having a cartridge follower
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 27/00 Accessories; Details or attachments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/034 Portable transmitters

Abstract

A Browning high power pistol with a concealed radio transmitter. The wood side pieces on the hollow gun handle are recessed to hold a microphone and radio transmitter circuitry in one side piece and an antenna, including its ground plane, in the other. The usual magazine casing is modified to have a false bottom and a compartment below the false bottom for receiving a standard 9-volt battery. The usual spring-operated pusher for bullets is in the magazine casing above the false bottom. The wood side piece holding the battery and its ground plane support a pair of switch contacts that are engaged by switch contacts on the outside of the magazine casing when the magazine casing is fully inserted into the gun handle. These switch contacts, when engaged, connect the battery to the transmitter circuitry and the antenna.

Claims

1. A Browning pistol having a hollow metal handle with a longitudinal cavity therein between opposite sides of said handle, said cavity being open at the lower end of said handle for the slidable insertion and removal of a magazine for holding bullets, and wood side pieces on the outside of said metal handle on said opposite sides of the handle;

said wood side pieces having recesses therein which are open next to said cavity in the metal handle;

a microphone, a radio transmitter and an antenna received in said recesses;

a hollow magazine casing slidably insertable into and removable from said longitudinal cavity in said handle through said open lower end;

an insert in said magazine casing presenting a top wall which extends across the inside of the magazine casing at a location therein spaced substantially from the upper and lower ends of said magazine casing;

a spring-operated follower in said magazine casing above said top wall for pushing bullets up along the inside of said magazine casing;

said magazine casing and said insert defining a battery chamber inside the casing located below said top wall of said insert and shaped and dimensioned to receive a standard 9-volt battery with positive and negative terminals at the top;

a pair of spring contacts extending down from said top wall of the insert at the upper end of said battery chamber for engaging respectively said positive and negative terminals of a 9-volt battery received in said battery chamber;

electrical wiring on said magazine casing and inside said gun handle for connecting said transmitter and antenna to said spring contacts for the battery terminals;

and a bottom plate detachably secured to the lower end of said magazine casing.

2. A pistol according to claim 1 and further comprising:

first and second exposed switch contact on the inside of one of said wood side pieces;

and first and second exposed switch contacts on the outside of said magazine casing which respectively engage said contacts on said one side piece when the magazine casing is fully inserted into said cavity in the gun handle;

and wherein said electrical wiring includes;

insulated conductors connecting said switch contacts on said one wood side piece to said transmitter and antenna;

and insulated conductors connecting said switch contacts on said magazine casing to said spring contacts for the battery terminals.

3. A pistol according to claim 2 wherein:

said one wood side piece holds said antenna and a ground plane for the antenna;

said first switch contact on said one wood side piece is grounded to said ground plane for the antenna;

said second switch contact on said one wood side piece is electrically insulated from said ground plane;

said magazine casing is of electrically conductive material;

said first switch contact on the magazine casing is grounded to the magazine casing and connected by one of said conductors to said spring contact for the negative battery terminal;

and said second switch contact on the magazine casing is electrically insulated from the magazine casing and connected by one of said conductors to said spring contact for the positive battery terminal.

4. A pistol according to claim 3 and further comprising:

an insulation member on said insert below said top wall of the insert, said insulation member having a larger opening receiving the spring contact for the negative battery terminal and a smaller opening receiving the spring contact for the positive battery terminal, said smaller opening being too small to receive the negative terminal of a standard 9-volt battery.

5. A pistol according to claim 4 wherein:

said magazine casing has front, rear and opposite sides;

and said insert is attached to said magazine casing and has opposite legs extending down from said top wall along the inside of said magazine casing next to said front and rear sides of the magazine casing.

6. A pistol according to claim 5 and further comprising:

a bottom piece for the magazine casing having a bottom wall shaped and dimensioned to close the lower end of said battery chamber in the said magazine casing and opposite side walls extending up from said bottom wall into said magazine along said opposite sides of the magazine casing between said opposite legs of said insert, said bottom wall of said bottom piece for the magazine casing being located directly above said bottom plate on said magazine casing.

7. A pistol according to claim 1 and further comprising:

an insulation member on the bottom of said top wall of the insert having a larger opening receiving the spring contact for the negative battery terminal and a smaller opening receiving the spring contact for the positive battery terminal, said smaller opening being too small to receive the negative terminal of a standard 9-volt battery.

8. A pistol according to claim 1 wherein:

said magazine casing has front, rear and opposite sides;

and said insert is attached to said magazine casing and has opposite legs extending down from said top wall along the inside of said magazine casing next to said front and rear sides of the magazine casing.

9. A pistol according to claim 8 and further comprising:

a bottom piece for the magazine casing having a bottom wall shaped and dimensioned to close the lower end of said battery chamber in the said magazine casing and opposite side walls extending up from said bottom wall into said magazine along said opposite sides of the magazine casing between said opposite legs of said insert, said bottom wall of said bottom piece for the magazine casing being located directly above said bottom plate on said magazine casing.

10. A pistol having a hollow handle with a longitudinal cavity therein, said cavity being open at the lower end of said handle for the slidable insertion and removal of a magazine for holding bullets;

a microphone, a radio transmitter and an antenna received in said handle;

a hollow magazine casing slidably insertable into and removable from said longitudinal cavity in side handle through said open lower end;

means providing a false bottom in said magazine casing spaced substantially from the upper and lower ends of said magazine casing;

a follower in said magazine casing above said false bottom for pushing bullets up along the inside of said magazine casing;

said magazine casing having a battery chamber therein below said false bottom for receiving a battery with positive and negative terminals;

a pair of spring contacts in said battery chamber for engaging respectively said positive and negative terminals of a battery received in said battery chamber;

and switch means for connecting said spring contacts for the battery terminals to said transmitter and antenna when the magazine casing is in said cavity in the handle.

11. A pistol according to claim 10 wherein said switch means comprises a pair of switch contacts in said handle on one side of said cavity therein and a pair of corresponding switch contacts on the outside of said magazine casing which respectively slidably engage said switch contacts in the handle when the magazine casing is fully inserted into said cavity in the handle, and further comprising:

insulated conductors in the handle connecting said switch contacts in the handle to the transmitter and antenna;

and insulated conductors on the magazine connecting said spring contacts for the battery terminals to said switch contacts on the outside of the magazine casing.

12. A pistol according to claim 11 wherein:

said handle holds said antenna and a ground plane for the antenna on said one side of said cavity in the handle;

one of said switch contacts in said handle is grounded to said ground plane for the antenna;

the other of said switch contacts in said handle is electrically insulated from said ground plane;

said magazine casing is of electrically conductive material;

one of said switch contacts on the magazine casing is grounded to the magazine casing and connected by one of said conductors to said spring contact for the negative battery terminal;

and the other of said switch contacts on the magazine casing is electrically insulated from the magazine casing and connected by another of said conductors to said spring contact for the positive battery terminal.

13. A pistol according to claim 12 and further comprising:

an insulation member in said magazine casing below said false bottom, said insulation member having a larger opening receiving the spring contact for the negative battery terminal and a smaller opening receiving the spring contact for the positive battery terminal, said smaller opening being too small to receive the negative terminal of a standard 9-volt battery.

14. A Browning pistol having a hollow metal handle with a longitudinal cavity having openings along opposite sides of said handle and being open at the lower end of said handle for the slidable insertion and removal of a magazine for holding bullets, and wood side pieces on the outside of said metal handle on said opposite sides of the handle, said side pieces closing said openings along said opposite sides of the metal handle;

said wood side pieces having recesses therein which are open next to said cavity in the metal handle and exposed to said cavity;

a microphone and a radio transmitter in a recess in one of said side pieces;

an antenna having a radiating element and a ground plane in recesses in the other of said side pieces;

a pair of switch contacts on said other side piece which are exposed to said cavity in the metal handle near the lower end of said cavity;

one of said switch contacts being grounded to said ground plane of the antenna;

an insulated conductor connecting the other of said contacts to said transmitter;

a hollow electrically conductive magazine casing slidably insertable into and removable from said longitudinal cavity in said handle through said open lower end;

a pair of switch contacts on the outside of said magazine casing slidably engaging said switch contacts on said other wood side piece of the handle when the magazine casing is fully inserted into said cavity in said handle, one of said switch contacts on the outside of said magazine casing being grounded to said magazine casing;

an insert in said magazine casing presenting a top wall which extends across the inside of the magazine casing at a location therein spaced substantially from the upper and lower ends of said magazine casing, said insert being affixed to said magazine casing and having front and rear legs extending down from said top wall closely along the inside of the magazine casing;

a spring-operated follower in said magazine casing above said top wall for pushing bullets up along the inside of said magazine;

said magazine casing and said insert defining a battery chamber inside the casing located below said top wall of said insert and shaped and dimensioned to receive a standard 9-volt battery with positive and negative terminals at the top;

a pair of spring contacts extending down from said top wall of the insert at the upper end of said battery chamber for engaging respectively said positive and negative terminals of a 9-volt battery received in said battery chamber;

an insulation member on the bottom of said top wall of the insert having a larger opening receiving the spring contact for the negative battery terminal and a smaller opening receiving the spring contact for the positive battery terminal, said smaller opening being too small to receive the negative terminal of a standard 9-volt battery;

a pair of insulated conductors respective connecting said spring contact for the negative battery terminal to said one switch contact on the outside of the magazine casing and connecting said spring contact for the positive battery terminal to the other of said switch contacts on the outside of the magazine casing;

a bottom piece for the magazine casing having a bottom wall shaped and dimensioned to close the lower end of said battery chamber in the said magazine casing and opposite side walls extending up from said bottom wall into said magazine along said opposite sides of the magazine casing between said opposite front and rear legs of said insert;

and a bottom plate slidably attached to the lower end of said magazine casing directly below the lower end of said magazine casing and said front and rear legs of said insert and directly below said bottom piece for the magazine casing.

15. A pistol according to claim 14 and further comprising:

a first electrically conductive plate on the inside of the magazine casing near its lower end and connected to said one switch contact on the outside of the magazine casing;

and a second electrically conductive plate on the inside of the magazine casing in close proximity to said first plate and connected to said other switch contact on the outside of the magazine casing, said second plate and said other switch contact to which it is connected being electrically insulated from the magazine casing;

said first and second plates being spaced from said bottom piece for the magazine casing.