# US 7,743,708 B1 · Non lethal spread projectile

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- Number: US 7,743,708 B1
- Document ID: US7743708B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 12/150,739
- Filed: 2008-04-30
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2008-04-30
- Inventors: James R. Lawrence
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7743708B1

## CPC

- F42B 12/34: expanding before or on impact, i.e. of dumdum or mushroom type
- F42B: EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION (explosive compositions C06B; fuzes F42C; blasting F42D)

## Abstract

A non-lethal spread projectile has a center pin (1) as a guide on which a weight plunger (5) is caused by impact stop of gun-fired flight momentum to slide from an aft end (3) to a front end (2) of a spread projectile (4) for spreading fill material (9) in a fill bag (10) ahead of the weight plunger over a broad surface of an impacted target (25) for preventing damaging penetration of the spread projectile into the impacted target and to mark the impacted object predeterminedly.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A non-lethal-spread projectile comprising:
a center pin (1) extended from proximate a front end (2) to proximate an aft end (3) of a spread projectile (4);
a weight plunger (5) having a central orifice with plunger walls (15) slidable on an outside periphery of the center pin (1) and having a plunger circumferential perimeter (7) proximate a stabilization-fin-height distance inward from a projectile circumferential perimeter (8) of the spread projectile (4);
the weight plunger (5) having a mass predetermined for causing the weight plunger (5) to travel forward on the center pin (1) from momentum force of projectile travel when the projectile travel is stopped from impact of the spread projectile (4) with an impacted object (25);
predetermined fill material in a fill bag (10) intermediate a grooved head (11) and proximate the weight plunger (5);
the center pin (1) having a pin front (12) attached to the fill bag (10);
at least one flight-stabilization fin (13) on the spread projectile (4); and
the fill bag (10) having a volumetric capacity for containing a predetermined volume of the fill material and for positioning of the fill material over a predetermined area of an impacted object (25).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 in which:
the center pin (1) is keyed with at least one pin wall (14) on an outside periphery of the center pin (1) intermediate proximate the front end (2) and the aft end (3) of the spread projectile (4);
the central orifice of the weight plunger (5) is keyed with at least one plunger wall (15) in slidable contact with the pin wall (14) for preventing rotation of the weight plunger (5) on the center pin (1); and
the flight-stabilization fin (13) is affixed to the weight plunger (5) for transmitting rotational force of the flight-stabilization fin (13) to the center pin (1) and to the fill bag (10) for stabilization rotation of the spread projectile (4).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 in which:
the flight-stabilization fin (13) includes a bag fin (16) on an aft end of the fill bag (10).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus of claim 3 in which:
the bag fin (16) is superimposed on the flight-stabilization fin (13).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 in which:
the fill material includes a plurality of shot pellets (18).

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 in which:
the fill material includes a viscous fluid (19) for spreading on an impacted object predeterminedly.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6 in which:
the viscous fluid (19) includes clay.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6 in which:
the viscous fluid (19) includes a coloring fluid for coloring the impacted object (25).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 in which:
a buffer shield (20) is positioned on an aft side of the weight plunger (5) for absorbing pressure of powder explosion.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The apparatus of claim 9 in which:
the buffer shield (20) includes a cover sleeve (21) extended predeterminedly forward from the buffer shield (20) for assembly and initial-flight containment.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 in which:
the grooved head (11) has head grooves (22) for containing the fill bag (10) in a folded mode prior to impact expansion and spreading.

### Claim 12

A method comprising the following steps for spreading a spread projectile (4) on an object with impact momentum:
providing a weight plunger (5) on an aft end (3) of the spread projectile (4);
positioning a flight-stabilization fin (13) on the aft end (3) of the spread projectile (4);
providing fill material in a fill bag (10) intermediate the weight plunger (5) and a head of the spread projectile (4);
positioning the weight plunger (5) in slidable contact with a linear guide member intermediate the aft end (2) of the spread projectile (4) and a front section (3) of the spread projectile (4); and
causing the weight plunger (5) to have a mass predetermined for gun-fired flight momentum of the weight plunger (5) to push the weight plunger (5) against the fill bag (10) for causing the fill material in the fill bag (10) to spread over an impacted object (25) intermediate the impacted object (25) and the weight plunger (5) predeterminedly.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 in which:
the linear guide member is a center pin (1); and
the weight plunger (5) has a central orifice with an inside periphery in slidable contact with an outside periphery of the center pin (1).

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 in which:
the fill material includes clay which can be predeterminedly viscous and colored.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 in which:
the fill material includes a grease-based material; and
the grease-based material is predeterminedly viscous.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15 in which:
the fill bag (10) is predeterminedly porous; and
the grease-based material is colored predeterminedly.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 in which:
the fill material includes shot pellets (18).

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 in which:
the fill material includes rubberlike pellets (23).

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 in which:
the fill material includes lead pellets.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 in which:
the fill material includes rubber-covered metal pellets (24).