Electric immobilization weapon

• US 7,520,081 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taser International Incorporated
• Inventors: Kroll, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Klein; Gabriel J
• Application Number:
  US11/182,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20070019358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 102/502, 42/10.8
• US Class Current: 42/1.08
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0025 for remote electrical discharge via conducting wires, e.g. via wire-tethered electrodes shot at a target
• CPC Class Codes: H05C 1/06 operating only when touched

Abstract

An improved electric weapon immobilizes a target by conducting a current through an electrode and through the target. The weapon includes a circuit that outputs a pulse pattern having a first pulse, a second pulse of opposite polarity compared to the first pulse, and a period of no output between the first pulse and the second pulse. The period is in a range from 50 microseconds to 1000 microseconds. The electric weapon repeats the output of the pattern at a rate of 19 repetitions per second. A method for immobilizing a target is performed by an electric weapon. The method includes delivering a first pulse in a first polarity, operating a switch to reverse the polarity of delivery; and delivery the second pulse in a second polarity. The method may further include awaiting lapse of a period between delivery of the first pulse and delivery of the second pulse wherein the period is in the range of from 50 microseconds to 1000 microseconds.

Claims

1. A method performed by an electric weapon, the method comprising:

launching at least one electrically conductive dart;

providing a series of pulses via the at least one dart for conduction through a target to cause contractions of the skeletal muscles of the target wherein;

the series consists essentially of a plurality of pairs of pulses;

each pair consists essentially of two pulses of different polarity, having substantially the same magnitude of charge, and separated from each other by from 50 to 1000 microseconds; and

the pairs of the plurality are sequentially separated from each other by from 25 to 200 milliseconds.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pulses have substantially the same pulse width.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising operating a switch to reverse the polarity of each second pulse of each pair.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising operating a switch to reverse the polarity of each second pulse of each pair.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each two pulses are separated by less than 500 microseconds.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each two pulses are separated by about 100 microseconds.