Metallic Ballistic Shield

Abstract

A hand-carried ballistic shield for use by civilians and law enforcement is disclosed, comprising a ballistic metal sheet, one or more handles or attached accessories, and a bolt buffer element between the ballistic sheet and the handles or accessories. The sheet may be further faced with ceramic or hardened steel in order to improve ballistic performance against hardened core or higher velocity bullets. As a preferred method of manufacture, any holes in the ballistic metal sheet are made solely through mechanical means such as drilling or punching.

Claims

1. A hand-carried ballistic shield wherein the ballistic resistance is provided by a sheet of metal capable of withstanding, without any penetration of bullet material, a strike from a metallic bullet with a mass of at least 4 grams and an impact velocity of at least 330 meters per second.

2. The shield according to claim 1 in which the metal is MIL46100 steel, AR500 steel, Aluminum 5059, Aluminum 5053, Aluminum 5456, Aluminum 7039, or Titanium 6AI-4V (Grade 5).

3. The shield according to claim 1 in which the metal has an areal density of 11.5 pounds per square foot or less.

4. The shield according to claim 1 in which the metal has an areal density of 7.5 pounds per square foot or less.

5. The shield according to claim 1 in which the metal has an areal density of 5.5 pounds per square foot or less.

6. The shield according to claim 1 with a frontal surface area of 300 square inches or more.

7. The shield according to claim 1 wherein the sheet of metal provides a rearward layer of the shield and is augmented by a harder frontward layer consisting of a ceramic, metal matrix carbide, or steel with Rockwell C hardness of 58 or greater.

8. The shield according to claim 7 in which the facing layer is aluminum oxide, alumina zirconia, aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium diboride, boron carbide, or tungsten carbide.

9. A hand-carried ballistic shield wherein the ballistic resistance is provided by a sheet of steel containing between 0.05% and 0.55% carbon and processed such that it has a Brinell hardness between 350 and 650.

10. The shield according to claim 9 in which the steel is MIL12560, MIL46100, AR400, AR500, or a proprietary ballistic steel product with carbon content and hardness in the ranges specified, such as Ramor 500, Ramor 550, or Ramor 600.

11. The shield according to claim 9 in which the thickness of the steel is 0.28 or less.

12. The shield according to claim 9 in which the thickness of the steel is 0.18 or less.

13. The shield according to claim 9 in which the thickness of the steel is 0.135 or less.

14. The shield according to claim 9 with a frontal surface area of 300 square inches or more.

15. A hand-carried ballistic shield wherein the ballistic resistance is provided by a sheet of metal, in which any holes in said metal are made by non-thermal mechanical means such as drilling, reaming, punching, water jet cutting, or the like.

16. The shield according to claim 15, in which any holes are made solely by said mechanical means.

17. The shield according to claim 15, in which any holes may be made by plasma, laser, or other heat-inducing technique followed by processing by any of said mechanical means to substantially remove any heat affected zones from the original drilling.

18. A hand-carried ballistic shield with one or more attached handles, in which at least one of the structural components of the handle is set apart from direct contact with the ballistic panel by at least one element with substantially greater compressibility than the primary handle material.

19. The shield according to claim 18, in which the compressive element is a ring, disk, shim, or pad made from elastomer, polymer, foam, cloth, wood, or soft metal.

20. The shield according to claim 18, in which the compressive element is a metallic spring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a frontal view of the shield of the present invention

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the shield of the present invention

[0022] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the shield of the present invention, including one embodiment of the handle assembly.

[0023] FIGS. 4-7 show alternate embodiments of the handle assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Referring to the drawings, in which similar numerals designate like parts throughout the drawings,

[0025] FIGS. 1 and 2 show the shield according to the present invention, comprising a ballistic sheet 10 with a handle bolts 11 securing the handle assembly 12. A foam or cloth pad 13 between the user's arm and the ballistic sheet improves user comfort and reduces blunt trauma in the event of a hit on the shield.

[0026] The ballistic sheet 10 is manufactured from a single layer of metal such as steel, aluminum, or titanium. The corners of the ballistic sheet 10 may be square or rounded (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) in order to trim weight and eliminate sharp corners. The ballistic sheet 10 may have one or more notches or cutouts to aid in aiming a flashlight, firearm or other item around the shield. The ballistic sheet 10 may be flat for ease of storage, or curved for improved ballistic efficiency and to help deflect any incoming threat rounds to the side. In a generic embodiment the ballistic sheet 10 may be 15 wide and 25 tall, which would be approximately optimal for indoor use by a civilian. This size shield would typically include one handle and weigh approximately 13 pounds. A heavier shield offering increased ballistic protection in terms of protected area and/or threat level may utilize a second handle. Shields as small as 1218 and as large as 3060 may satisfy the intent of the invention.

[0027] The ballistic sheet 10 may be coated with one or more thin layers of zinc, chrome, or polymer in order to improve its visual appearance and protect it from scratches and corrosion.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows further detail relating to one embodiment of the handle construction, in which the handle bolts 11 are threaded through the bolt buffer 14, handle support members 15, the handle grip 16, and anchored by nuts 17. In this embodiment the handle buffer is a rubber or polymer washer. The handle grip 16 and handle supports 15 are envisioned as being manufactured from rods or tubes of an impact resistant polymer or a metal, for example polycarbonate, ABS, magnesium, aluminum, titanium, or steel. The handle bolts 11 and nuts 17 are manufactured from a high strength metal such as steel or titanium. In the preferred embodiment the handle bolts and nuts are made from Grade 9 high strength steel. The handle grip may be covered with a cushion 18 made from foam, cloth, leather, or wound cord to improve user grip quality and comfort.

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a partial view of an alternate embodiment of the handle assembly, in which the bolt buffer 14 is a coil spring and the nut 17 is recessed into the handle grip 16.

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a partial view of another alternate embodiment of the handle assembly, in which the bolt buffer 14 is a bevel spring and the handle bolt 11 is threaded directly into the handle grip 16.

[0031] FIG. 6 shows a partial view of another alternate embodiment of the handle assembly, in which a second bolt buffer 14 has been placed and in which two handle bolts 11 are threaded directly into the handle support 15.

[0032] FIG. 7 shows a partial view of another alternate embodiment of the handle assembly, in which the handle grip and supports are made from a single bent or injection molded rod or bar 19.

[0033] Further variations of the above embodiments envisioned include use of washers between the bolts, nuts, and other components to ease assembly, optimize spacing, or reinforce the design against ballistic hits; the use of multiple nuts or locking nuts on each bolt, or the use of screws or rods and crosspins instead of bolts.

[0034] While detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein, it will be understood that the embodiments described are merely examples of particular means in which the invention may be constructed and are not intended to be restrictive. Various modifications to the forms and details of the design can be made by those skilled in the art and without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than limited by the examples given.