Hunter training system

• US 8,613,619 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bryan S. Couet, Keri L. Couet
• Original Assignee: Bryan S. Couet, Keri L. Couet
• Inventors: Couet, Bryan S., Couet, Keri L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gishnock, Nikolai A
• Application Number:
  US12/845,300
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 434/11, 434/16, 434/17, 434/18, 434/19, 434/20, 434/22, 434/24
• US Class Current: 434/11
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/00 Adaptations for training adaptations of barrels for recoil reinforcement F41A21/26; Gun simulators teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26 ; shooting games A63F9/02; military simulation G09B9/003
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2605 using a view recording device cosighted with the gun F41G3/2616 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2611 coacting with a TV-monitor
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 5/10 Cinematographic hit-indicating systems cinematographic targets F41J9/14

Abstract

A gun-resembling apparatus having a gunstock and a barrel, a sight aligned with the barrel, a trigger mounted along the gunstock, and image capturing features for capturing targeted images via operating the trigger and safety features incorporated with the image capturing features to teach the student proper gun-handling procedures. The device includes a camera to capture image(s) in a sight line of the barrel. The image(s) are displayed on a display screen for viewing and editing. The device also incorporates a safety switch having a safe and fire position, the camera being prohibited from operating in the safe position and being allowed to operate in the fire position. An alert signal may sound through a speaker if the trigger is not operated after a predetermined time of the safety switch being in the fire position. An image storage device may also be used.

Claims

1. A firearm training device, comprising:

a gun-resembling apparatus having a gunstock and a barrel;

a sight device mounted on the barrel and being aligned with a sight line of said barrel;

a trigger mounted along said gunstock;

an image capturing assembly on said gun-resembling apparatus and being operatively connected to said trigger, said image capturing assembly being adapted to capture into memory at least one image in the sight line of said barrel when said trigger is operated;

a safety switch on said gun-resembling apparatus and being operatively connected to said image capturing assembly, said safety switch having a safe position and a fire position, the safe position of said safety switch being characterized by disabling the trigger and thereby preventing said image capturing assembly from capturing an image when said trigger is operated; and

the fire position of said safety switch being characterized by enabling the trigger and thereby permitting said image capturing assembly to capture at least one image when said trigger is operated; and

an image display connected to said image capturing assembly, said image display being adapted to display from memory at least one of said images captured by said image capturing assembly;

wherein the image display is enabled, when the safety switch is in the safe position, to thereby permit display of at least one of said images captured by said image capturing apparatus with the safety switch in the fire position, and

wherein the image display is disabled, when the safety switch is in the fire position, to thereby prevent display of captured images so that the user is unable to view captured images when the safety switch is in the fire position.

2. The firearm training device of claim 1, including an alert device being connected to said safety switch, said alert device having an off condition corresponding to said safe position of said safety switch and an on condition corresponding to said fire position of said safety switch;

wherein said alert device is configured to emanate a warning signal when said alert device is in said on condition after a predetermined delay period beginning at initiation of said on condition by moving the safety switch into said fire position.

3. The firearm training device of claim 2, wherein said alert device includes a delay function, said delay function adapted to delay activation of said warning signal when said alert means is in said on position by a delay period.

4. The firearm training device of claim 3, wherein said delay period is approximately 10 seconds.

5. The firearm training device of claim 2, wherein said warning signal is comprised of an audible alert.

6. The firearm training device of claim 1, wherein said image capturing assembly includes a camera, said camera being mounted internal to said gunstock.

7. The firearm training device of claim 6, wherein said image capturing assembly includes a lens, said lens being mounted adjacent a distal end of said barrel.

8. The firearm training device of claim 1, wherein said image display is mounted flush with said gunstock.

9. The firearm training device of claim 1, further comprising controls associated with said image display for editing and reviewing an image captured by said image capturing assembly.

10. The firearm training device of claim 1, including an audible sound emitter connected to said trigger for producing a sound when said trigger is operated.

11. The firearm training device of claim 1, including an image storage device connected to said image capture assembly for electronically storing images.

12. A firearm training device, comprising:

a gun-resembling apparatus having a gunstock and a barrel;

a sight device mounted on the barrel and being aligned with a sight line of said barrel;

a trigger mounted along said gunstock;

an image capturing assembly on said gun-resembling apparatus and being operatively connected to said trigger, said image capturing assembly being adapted to capture at least one image in the sight line of said barrel when said trigger is operated;

a safety switch on said gun resembling apparatus and being operatively connected to said image capturing assembly, said safety switch having a safe position and a fire position, said safety switch operative to prohibit said image capturing assembly from capturing at least one image when in said safe position and

said safety switch being operative to allow said image capturing assembly to capture at least one image when in said fire position;

an image display connected to said image capturing assembly, said image display being adapted to display at least one image captured by said image capturing assembly;

an alert device being connected to said safety switch, said alert device having an off condition corresponding to said safe position of said safety switch and an on condition corresponding to said fire position of said safety switch;

wherein said alert device is configured to emanate a warning signal when said alert device is in said on condition after a predetermined delay period, said delay period beginning at initiation of said on condition by moving the safety switch from said safe position to said fire position, said alert device being configured to stop emanating the warning signal when the safety switch is moved from said fire position to said safe position.

13. The firearm training device of claim 12, wherein said delay period is approximately 10 seconds.

14. The firearm training device of claim 12, wherein said image capturing assembly includes a camera, said camera being mounted internal to said gunstock and wherein said image capturing assembly includes a lens, said lens being mounted adjacent a distal end of said barrel.

15. The firearm training device of claim 12, further comprising controls associated with said image display for editing and reviewing images captured by said image capturing assembly.

16. The firearm training device of claim 12, including an audible sound emitter connected to said trigger for producing a sound when said trigger is operated.

17. The firearm training device of claim 12, including an image storage device connected to said image capture assembly for electronically storing images captured by said image capture assembly, said image storage device is internal to said gunstock.

18. The firearm training device of claim 12, wherein said trigger is configured to restart the predetermined delay period when the trigger is actuated by the user.

19. The firearm training device of claim 12, wherein the safe position of said safety switch is characterized by disabling the trigger and thereby preventing said image capturing assembly from capturing an image when said trigger is operated;

and the fire position of said safety switch being characterized by enabling the trigger and thereby permitting said image capturing assembly to capture at least one image-when said trigger is operated;

wherein the image display is enabled, when the safety switch is in the safe position, to thereby permit display of at least one of said images captured by said image capturing apparatus with the safety switch in the fire position, and

wherein the image display is disabled, when the safety switch is in the fire position, to thereby prevent display of captured images so that the user is unable to view captured images when the safety switch is in the fire position.

20. A firearm training device, comprising:

a gun-resembling apparatus having a gunstock and a barrel to resemble a gun and being inoperative to fire projectiles;

a sight mounted on and aligned with the barrel to define a sight line;

a trigger mounted on the gunstock;

an image capturing assembly operatively connected to the trigger, the image capturing assembly being configured to capture an image in a sight line of the barrel when the trigger is operated;

a safety switch operatively connected to the image capturing assembly, the safety switch having a safe position and a fire position, the safety switch being configured to prevent the image capturing assembly from capturing an image when in the safe position and the safety switch being configured to permit the image capturing assembly to capture an image when in the fire position;

an image display connected to the image capturing assembly, the image display being configured to display the image captured by the image capturing assembly;

an alert device being connected to said safety switch, said alert device having an off condition corresponding to said safe position of said safety switch and an on condition corresponding to said fire position of said safety switch;

wherein said alert device is configured to emanate a warning signal when said alert device is in said on condition after a predetermined delay period, said delay period beginning at initiation of said on condition by moving the safety switch from said safe position to said fire position, said alert device being configured to stop emanating the warning signal when the safety switch is moved from said fire position to said safe position.