Methods and systems for enhancing firearm safety through wireless network monitoring

• US 9,658,012 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yardarm Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Yardarm Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Stewart, Robert John, Schaff, James, Hammond, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): CLEMENT, MICHELLE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US15/189,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20160305728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• Field of Search: 42 7011, 42 101, 42106, 340542
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/005 Chain-locks, cable-locks or padlocks with alarms
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/06 Electric alarm locks E05B45/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/063 comprising a transponder
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0012 Electrical discharge weapons, e.g. for stunning
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A firearm includes a firing mechanism and a sensor. The sensor is configured for wireless communication over s short range RF network with a hub worn or carried by a user of the firearm. The hub includes a subscriber identity module configured to communicate with a server over a signaling channel of a wireless telecommunications network. The sensor device is configured to control a enable/disable mechanism in the firearm in accordance with instructions received from the hub.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a firearm having included therein a sensor configured for wireless communication over a short range radio frequency (RF) network, a hub worn on the person of a user of the firearm, the hub including a subscriber identity module (SIM) and configured to receive communications from the sensor over the short range RF network using a first transceiver and with a monitoring station over a signaling channel of a wireless telecommunications network compliant with signaling system 7 (SS-7) using a second transceiver, wherein the communications from the sensor are transmitted by the sensor in response to detected movements of the firearm.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the hub is configured to transmit an alert over the wireless telecommunications network upon being informed by the sensor of one or more of:

movement of the firearm, an attempted operation of the firearm, disabling of a safety of the firearm, and a change in mode of the firearm.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the hub is further configured to communicate with a plurality of sensors over the short range RF network, each of the sensors associated with a respective firearm or other instrument.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to enable/disable operation of the firearm in accordance with instructions received from the hub.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring station comprises a computer aided dispatch system.