Dischargeable hand weapons having reduced criminal usefulness

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for reducing the criminal usefulness of a dischargeable hand weapon used for defense by limiting its dichargeability to the area where it is kept for defense, by disclosing its location, and by disclosing that its imminent use is contemplated.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising: 
 a dischargeable hand weapon;    means for determining the information that for a certain duration of time immediately preceding said determining, said determining means was always present in an area having certain maximum dimensions;    means, in contact with said weapon, for preventing the discharging of said weapon based on said preventing means not receiving said information; and    means, in contact with said determining means and said preventing means, for linking said determining means to said preventing means when said preventing means is within a certain distance of said determining means so that said information can be received by said preventing means.    
     
     
         2 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said determining means comprises means for repeatedly determining the location of said first determining means by using the times for radio signals to travel between at least three objects having known locations and said first determining means.  
     
     
         3 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said determining means comprises means for detecting the occurrence of a certain event relating to changing the location of said determining means  
     
     
         4 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising means for receiving a certain informational signal from outside of said area and means, in contact with said receiving means, for preventing said first preventing means from receiving said information based on said receiving means receiving said signal.  
     
     
         5 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising means for receiving a certain informational signal from outside of said area and means, in contact with said receiving means, for preventing said first preventing means from receiving said information based on said receiving means not receiving said signal.  
     
     
         6 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising second determining means for determining if said apparatus has been in contact with a electrical source having a certain frequency component for at least a certain duration of time and means, in contact with said second determining means, for preventing said first preventing means from receiving said information based on said second determining means not determining that said apparatus has been in said contact.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said linking means comprises means, operable by a human being, for switching on and off the functioning of said linking means.  
     
     
         8 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said linking means comprises a radio transmitter having an output power of more than a certain wattage.  
     
     
         9 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising means, in contact with said determining means, for automatically transmitting outside of said area and based on said determining means beginning determining said information after not having been determining said information, an informational signal, beginning and ending within a certain duration of time after said determining means begins determining said information after not having been determining said information.  
     
     
         10 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 9  further comprising means, in contact with said determining means, for automatically transmitting outside of said area after the transmitting of said signal and based on said determining means beginning not determining said information after having been determining said information, an informational signal different from said other signal, beginning and ending within a certain duration of time after said determining means begins not determining said information after having been determining said information.  
     
     
         11 . A method for reducing the criminal usefulness of a hand weapon comprising the steps of: 
 preventing the discharging of said weapon;    determining that for a certain duration of time immediately preceding said determining, an object was always present in an area having certain maximum dimensions; and    allowing the discharging of said weapon so long as said weapon is within a certain maximum distance of said object, said weapon is linked to said object, and said object has continued to always be present in said area.    
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein-said determining step comprises the step of repeatedly determining during said duration the location of said object by determining the times for radio signals to travel between at least three objects having known locations and said object.  
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein said determining step comprises the step of determining that for said duration, a certain event relating to changing the location of said object did not occur.  
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising after said determining step, the step of receiving from outside of said area information required for said allowing step to occur.  
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising after said allowing step, the steps of: receiving information from outside of said area; and preventing the discharging of said weapon based on said information.  
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising after said preventing step, the step of determining that said object was always in electrical contact for a certain duration of time with an electrical source having a certain frequency component.  
     
     
         17 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein said allowing step comprises the step of linking when needed for discharging said object to said weapon by transmitting and receiving a radio signal.  
     
     
         18 . A method as claimed in  claim 17  wherein said transmitting has power of more than a certain wattage.  
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising after determining step, the step of automatically transmitting an informational signal outside of said area beginning and ending within a certain duration of time after said determining step.  
     
     
         20 . A method as claimed in  claim 19  further comprising after said allowing step, the step of automatically transmitting an informational signal outside of said area based on no longer determining that for said duration, said object was always present in said area.