Ammunition for electrical discharge weapon

• US 20060207466A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axon Enterprise, Inc., Leonidis IP, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Defense Technology Corporation of America (Safariland LLC)
• Inventors: Hultman, John A., McNulty, James F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 102/502
• 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: F42B 12/36 for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information
• CPC Class Codes: H05C 1/06 operating only when touched

Abstract

A primer-fired ammunition cartridge for an electrical discharge weapon having a housing with an exterior surface and two wire-tethered darts positioned within dart chambers in the housing and two electrical contacts positioned on opposite surfaces of the housing for lengthening an electrical arc path across the exterior surface of the housing. The housing can include a flange portion for engaging a chamber in an electrical discharge weapon wherein the flange portion includes an aperture thereby allowing the flange portion to bow and absorb resultant forces between the ammunition cartridge and the chamber of the electrical discharge weapon during firing of the cartridge.

Claims

1. An ammunition cartridge for an electrical discharge weapon comprising:

a housing having an exterior surface and at least two dart chambers located within the housing;

a wire tethered dart positioned in each dart chamber;

a primer having a chemical propellant for launching the wire tethered darts;

a first electrical contact positioned on a first side surface of the housing;

a second electrical contact positioned on an opposite side surface of the housing whereby an electrical arc path is lengthened across the exterior surface of the housing.

2. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, wherein either the first electrical contact or the second electrical contact is a probe.

3. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a recessed chamber for receipt of the primer.

4. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, wherein one wire tethered dart terminates adjacent the primer.

5. The ammunition cartridge of claim 3, wherein a second wire tethered dart terminates at one of the electrical contacts.

6. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1 wherein the dart chambers extend in the housing at an angle to each other.

7. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1 further including a contact probe extending from the first electrical contact to a front surface of the ammunition cartridge.

8. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1 further including a contact probe extending from the second electrical contact to a front surface of the ammunition cartridge.

9. The ammunition cartridge of claim 3 further having a back plate with a raised plug for receipt over the primer recessed within the housing.

10. An electrical discharge weapon comprising:

a chamber for receiving an ammunition cartridge;

a first electrode and a second electrode positioned opposite the first electrode adjacent the chamber; and

a primer fired-ammunition cartridge for receipt in the chamber having means for lengthening an electrical arc path on an exterior surface of the cartridge.

11. The electrical discharge weapon of claim 10 wherein the means for lengthening the electrical arc path across the exterior surface of the cartridge comprises a first electrical contact positioned on an exterior surface of the ammunition cartridge and a second electrical contact positioned on an opposite exterior surface of the ammunition cartridge.

12. The electrical discharge weapon of claim 10 wherein the ammunition cartridge includes two dart chambers located within the cartridge and a wire-tethered dart positioned in each chamber.

13. The electrical discharge weapon of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first electrical contact or the second electrical contact is a probe.

14. The electrical discharge weapon of claim 12, wherein a first wire-tethered dart includes a wire which terminates adjacent the primer.

15. The electrical discharge weapon of claim 12, wherein a second wire-tethered dart includes a wire which terminates at the first or the second electrical contact.

16. The electrical discharge weapon of claim 10 having a primer recessed within the housing.

17. The electrical discharge weapon of claim 11 further including a contact probe extending from the first electrical contact to a front surface of the ammunition cartridge.

18. The electrical discharge weapon of claim 11 further including a contact probe extending from the second electrical contact to a front surface of the ammunition cartridge.

19. An ammunition cartridge for receipt in a chamber of an electrical discharge weapon comprising a housing having a flange portion positioned on a surface of the housing for engaging the chamber of electrical discharge weapon and an aperture extending into the flange portion for causing the cantilever to bow during firing of the ammunition cartridge, thereby absorbing a portion of the resultant forces between the flange portion and the chamber.

20. The ammunition cartridge of claim 19 further including a post positioned within the chamber of the electrical discharge weapon for receipt within the aperture in the flange portion.