Firearms and docking station system for limiting use of firearm

• US 6,301,815 B1
• Filed: 03/04/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing IP Holding Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC (Colt Defense Holding LLC)
• Inventors: Sliwa, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eldred, J. Woodrow
• Application Number:
  US09/263,438
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 42/700.1, 42/700.5, 42/700.8, 42/701.1
• US Class Current: 42/70.01
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/066 having means for recognizing biometric parameters, e.g. voice control, finger print or palm print control

Abstract

A gun and a base unit such that the gun cannot be fired unless the gun comes in close contact with the base unit and the base unit determines that an authorized person is holding the gun and interfacing with the base unit. The base unit pre-records and stores characteristics of authorized persons and unauthorized person and compares these data with the person interfacing with the base unit. The gun must be gripped to be activated by the base unit and if it is put down, the gun is no longer capable of being fired. The base unit can use multiple means of identifying an individual and a process is described for combining the results from the multiple sources to determine if a person is an authorized person above a selectable threshold of probability. The base unit can also develop a probability that the person attempting to use the gun is a specified unauthorized person. Thresholds of being an authorized person or not being an unauthorized person can be adjusted.

Claims

1. A firearm system comprising:

a firearm having a safety system;

a docking station for communicating with the safety system of the firearm;

means for initially moving the safety system to a firing position while the docking station communicates with the safety system;

means for subsequently maintaining the safety system in the firing position, after the means for initially moving has moved the safety system to the firing position, while a user contacts a portion of the firearm; and

means for moving the safety system from the firing position to a non-firing position to prevent the firearm from firing when the user releases contact from the portion of the firearm and for maintaining the safety system at the non-firing position until the means for initially moving the safety system is used again to move the safety system back to the firing position.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the portion of the firearm is a grip switch.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the docking station comprises at least one user input device.

4. A system as in claim 3 wherein at least one of the user input device is adapted to input biometric information into the docking station.

5. A system as in claim 3 wherein the docking station has a memory and a computer for comparing data stored in the memory to information input at the at least one user input device and outputting a signal to the firearm upon a predetermined correspondence of the stored data to the input information.

6. A system as in claim 1 further comprising a manually actuatable emergency override system on the firearm for moving the safety system to the firing position.

7. A system as in claim 1 wherein the docking station comprises a holster frame and the means for initially moving comprises an output on the holster frame and a corresponding input on the firearm.

8. A system as in claim 7 wherein the output comprises a magnet and the input comprises a magnetically moved switch.

9. A method for enabling and disabling a firing mechanism of a firearm, the method comprising steps of:

enabling the firing mechanism by placing the firearm in a firearm docking station and actuating a user actuated switch on the firearm to thereby move a safety system of the firearm to a firing position;

removing the firearm from the docking station while the user actuated switch is actuated, the safety system being continuously maintained in the firing position while the user actuated switch is continuously actuated after removal of the firearm from the docking station; and

disabling the firing mechanism by deactuating the user actuated switch by the user to thereby move the safety system to a safe position to prevent the firing mechanism from firing and maintaining the safety system in the safe position until the firearm is once again placed in the docking station and the firing mechanism enabled again.

10. A method as in claim 9 wherein the user actuated switch is a grip switch on the firearm, wherein the grip switch is actuated when the user grasps a hand grip portion of the firearm and the grip switch is deactuated when the user releases contact with the grip switch thereby disabling the firing mechanism.

11. A method as in claim 9 wherein the step of enabling comprises the user entering information into at least one input device of the docking station.

12. A method as in claim 11 wherein the step of enabling comprises the docking station comparing the information entered by the user to information stored in a memory of the docking station.

13. A method as in claim 11 wherein the step of entering comprises entering biometric information from the user into the input device.

14. A method as in claim 9 wherein the step of enabling comprises the docking station sending an enabling signal to the safety system of the firearm.

15. A method as in claim 14 wherein the docking station comprises a holster frame and the enabling signal is sent from the docking station to the safety system when the firearm is in the holster frame.

16. A firearm docking station comprising:

a housing having a firearm docking area for placing a portion of a firearm;

a connector located at the firearm docking area for making a connection with the firearm;

a controller located in the housing and, connected to the connector, the controller comprising a memory; and

a user input device connected to the controller,

wherein the controller compares input from the user which is entered at the input device to the data stored in the memory and, upon a predetermined correspondence between the input and the data, sends a signal to the connector for transmission of the signal to the firearm at the firearm docking area and, wherein the signal is a firearm firing mechanism enabling signal to allow the firearm to be removed from the firearm docking area with a firing mechanism of the firearm enabled.

17. A firearm docking station as in claim 16 wherein the input device is a biometric information input device.

18. A firearm docking station as in claim 16 wherein the signal is a coded electrical signal.

19. A firearm docking station as in claim 16 wherein the signal is a power signal for powering a drive in the firearm.

20. A firearm docking station as in claim 16 wherein the docking station has at least one other different type of user input device.

21. A firearm docking station as in claim 20 wherein the controller is configured to send the signal to the connector only if the input from both of the user input devices corresponds to a minimum combined identification probability threshold relative to data stored in the memory.

22. A firearm docking station as in claim 16 further comprising a firearm lock for locking the firearm to the housing, wherein the lock is connected to the controller and the lock is configured to be unlocked by the controller.

23. A firearm docking station comprising:

a housing having a firearm docking area for placing a portion of a firearm;

a connector located at the firearm docking area for making a connection with the firearm;

a controller located in the housing and connected to the connector, the controller comprising a memory; and

a device connected to the controller for inputting information into the memory for programming the controller.

24. A docking station as in claim 23 wherein the device is a keypad connected to the housing.

25. A docking station as in claim 23 wherein the device is an electrical connector on the housing for connecting the controller to a computer.