Location-based firearm discharge prevention

• US 6,415,542 B1
• Filed: 04/19/2000
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nelson, Eric John, Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holzen, Stephen A
• Application Number:
  US09/552,140
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 42/701.1, 42/700.1, 42/700.2, 42/700.3, 42/700.4, 891/37, 891/42, 891/48, 891/54, 124/32, 124/34
• US Class Current: 42/70.11
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/06 Electric or electromechanical safeties F41A17/04, F41A17/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/08 for inhibiting firing in a specified direction, e.g. at a friendly person or at a protected area F41A27/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A firearm, program product and method collectively utilize an on-board location sensor (e.g., a GPS receiver) and stored location information to selectively inhibit discharge of a firearm based on the current location of the firearm. Location information identifying one or more prohibited locations is stored in the firearm (typically in an on-board memory). A controller on-board the firearm then accesses the location sensor to determine a current location for the firearm, and selectively inhibits the discharge of the firearm if the current location is proximate any prohibited location.

Claims

1. A firearm, comprising:

(a) a memory configured to store location information identifying at least one prohibited location proximate which discharge of the firearm is to be inhibited;

(b) a location sensor configured to determine a current location of the firearm; and

(c) a controller coupled to the memory and the location sensor, the controller configured to inhibit discharge of the firearm if the current location of the firearm determined by the location sensor is proximate a prohibited location stored in the memory.

2. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises at least one of a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

3. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the location sensor comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

4. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to add and remove prohibited locations to and from the memory in response to user input.

5. The firearm of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a user password prior to adding or removing a prohibited location to or from the memory.

6. The firearm of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to modify the user password in response to user input.

7. The firearm of claim 4, wherein the firearm further comprises a user interface disposed on the firearm and configured to receive user input from a user to add and remove prohibited locations to and from the memory.

8. The firearm of claim 4, wherein the firearm further comprises an electronic interface configured to interface with an external computer for programming the firearm via the external computer.

9. The firearm of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to record at least one of a time, location and direction of the firearm in response to discharge of the firearm, and to transmit the same to the external computer via the electronic interface.

10. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising a manually actuated trigger and an electrically-actuated, normally-locked trigger lock coupled to the trigger, wherein the controller is configured to inhibit discharge of the firearm by asserting a control signal to unlock the trigger lock only if the current location of the firearm determined by the location sensor is not proximate a prohibited location stored in the memory.

11. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the location information for the prohibited location identifies a point in space, and wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the current location of the firearm is proximate the prohibited location by determining a distance between the current location and the point in space.

12. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the location information for the prohibited location identifies a boundary of a region in space, and wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the current location of the firearm is proximate the prohibited location by determining whether the current location is within the boundary.

13. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising a handle configured to house the memory, the controller and the location sensor.

14. The firearm of claim 13, further comprising:

(a) a user interface disposed on the handle and electrically coupled to the controller to receive user input; and

(b) a removable access panel secured to the handle overlaying the user interface.

15. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the firearm comprises a long gun.

16. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the firearm comprises a handgun.

17. A method of inhibiting discharge of a firearm, the method comprising:

(a) determining a current location of the firearm using a location sensor coupled to the firearm; and

(b) inhibiting discharge of the firearm if the current location of the firearm is proximate a prohibited location identified in a memory coupled to the firearm.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the current location includes accessing a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

(a) adding location information for an additional prohibited location to the memory in response to user input; and

(b) removing location information for a prohibited location from the memory in response to user input.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving a user password prior to adding or removing location information to or from the memory.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising modifying the user password in response to user input.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising programming the firearm using an external computer coupled to the firearm via an electronic interface.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

(a) recording at least one of a time, location and direction of the firearm in response to discharge of the firearm; and

(b) transmitting the same to the external computer via the electronic interface.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the firearm includes a manually actuated trigger and an electrically-actuated, normally-locked trigger lock coupled to the trigger, wherein inhibiting discharge of the firearm includes asserting a control signal to unlock the trigger lock only if the current location of the firearm is not proximate a prohibited location identified in the memory.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the memory includes location information for the prohibited location that identifies a point in space, the method further comprising determining whether the current location of the firearm is proximate the prohibited location by determining a distance between the current location and the point in space.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the memory includes location information for the prohibited location that identifies a boundary of a region in space, the method further comprising determining whether the current location of the firearm is proximate the prohibited location by determining whether the current location is within the boundary.

27. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program configured to be executed by a controller disposed within a firearm, the program configured to determine a current location of the firearm by accessing a location sensor coupled to the firearm, to access a memory coupled to the firearm to obtain location information identifying at least one prohibited location, and to inhibit discharge of the firearm if the current location of the firearm is proximate a prohibited location identified in the memory; and

(b) a signal bearing medium bearing the program.

28. The program product of claim 27, wherein the signal bearing medium includes at least one of a recordable medium and a transmission medium.