Stabilized non-lethal projectile systems

Abstract

Projectiles and projectile systems are provided herein employing an inhibiting and/or marking substance for impairing/marking a living target. In some embodiments, the systems include a first part being non-spherical and having an exterior, a plurality of stabilizing fins secured with the exterior of at the first part, and a second part have a hollow portion containing an inhibiting substance, wherein the second part is sealed with the first part to seal the inhibiting substance within at least the hollow portion. The first part can similarly have a hollow portion such that a volume is defined by the hollow portion of the first part and the hollow portion of the second part, wherein the inhibiting substance is contained within the volume. The fins can be angled to provide spin stabilizing.

1 . A projectile system for use in delivering a substance to a target, comprising:
 a projectile comprising:
 a first part; 
 a frangible second part that is at least partially hollow, wherein the second part is secured with the first part to seal the hollow portion defining a volume, wherein an exterior of the projectile is non-spherical; 
 an inhibiting substance contained within the volume; and 
 stabilizing fins secured with the second part; and 
   wherein at least the second part, when the projectile is launched at a non-lethal velocity, the non-lethal velocity is defined as a velocity that results in a non-lethal impact when impacting a torso of a typical adult human at a distance of 10 feet from a point where the projectile is launched, ruptures upon impacting a target, dispersing the inhibiting substance upon the rupturing of the projectile.   
   
   
       2 . The projectile system of  claim 1 , wherein the first part is at least partially hollow where the hollow portion of the first part cooperates with the hollow portion of the second part defining the volume such that the inhibiting substance is contained within the volume. 
   
   
       3 . The projectile system of  claim 2 , wherein the second part tapers to a smaller diameter away from the first part, and the second part has a length that is greater than a width of the first part. 
   
   
       4 . The projectile system of  claim 3 , wherein the first part is frangible and the inhibiting substance comprises a powdered inhibiting substance, such that both the first part and the second part rupture upon impact of the projectile with the target such that the powdered inhibiting substance is omnidirectionally dispersed into the cloud proximate the target. 
   
   
       5 . The projectile system of  claim 4 , wherein the first part comprising a fill hole cooperated with the volume and a lid removably secured within the fill hole, wherein the lid seals the fill hole when secured within the fill hole. 
   
   
       6 . The projectile system of  claim 3 , wherein the inhibiting substance is a powdered inhibiting substance, and where an average particle size of the powdered inhibiting substance is less than 100 microns; and
 wherein the powdered inhibiting substance is omnidirectionally dispersed into a cloud proximate the target upon the rupturing of at least the second part.   
   
   
       7 . The projectile system of  claim 6 , wherein the average particle size of the powdered inhibiting substance is less than 20 microns; and
 wherein the powdered inhibiting substance is dispersed into the cloud such that the cloud expands to have a length greater than a size of an adult human head within a time of a human target reflexively reacting to being impacted by the projectile.   
   
   
       8 . The projectile system of  claim 6 , wherein the first part is generally non-frangible when launched at the non-lethal velocity, and wherein the first part is reusable and further comprises support structures. 
   
   
       9 . The projectile system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a cartridge cooperated with the projectile, wherein the cartridge comprises compressed gas, stored in a compressed state prior to activation in launching the projectile; and   where a release of the compressed gas, from the stored compressed state in response to an activation, acts directly on the projectile and propels and launches the frangible projectile at the non-lethal velocity.   
   
   
       10 . The projectile system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a shell; and   an ignitable substance;   wherein the projectile is positioned within the shell proximate an opening of the shell through which the projectile is launched upon ignition of the ignitable substance, and   the ignitable substance is positioned within the shell separated from the opening of the shell by the projectile, wherein the ignitable substance propels the projectile from the shell upon ignition of the ignitable substance such that the projectile is launched at the non-lethal velocity.   
   
   
       11 . The projectile system of  claim 10 , wherein the ignitable substance comprises only one or more primers. 
   
   
       12 . The projectile system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a propulsion block positioned within the shell between and separating the projectile from the ignitable substance, and further positioned proximate to the stabilizing fins;   wherein the propulsion block maintains substantially all of a propulsion force, produced upon the ignition of the ignitable substance, behind the propulsion block and to evenly distribute the propulsion force to the projectile during launching of the projectile.   
   
   
       13 . The projectile system of  claim 12 , wherein the propulsion block comprises a lip extending radially and circumferentially away from an exterior wall of the propulsion block where the lip is flexible and defines a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the shell when the propulsion block is external to the shell and the lip flexes when the propulsion block is positioned within the shell such that the lip establishes a seal with the shell. 
   
   
       14 . The projectile system of  claim 13 , wherein the inhibiting substance includes a capsaicin. 
   
   
       15 . The projectile system of  claim 1 , wherein the second part comprises a body portion removably secured with a tail portion;
 the body tapers to a smaller diameter away from the first part, the second part has a length that is greater than a width of the first part;   the tail portion is secured with a tapered end of the body portion opposite from the first part and separated from the first part by the body portion, where the tail portion comprises the stabilizing fins extending away from the body portion.   
   
   
       16 . A method of inhibiting a human target, the method comprising:
 activating the launching system;   launching, in response to the activating of the launching system, a frangible projectile at a velocity such that the projectile upon impacting a target impacts at a non-lethal force when the projectile impacts a torso of the human target at a distance of 10 feet from a point of launch of the frangible projectile;   impacting, in response to the launching of the frangible projectile, the frangible projectile with the target at the non-lethal force;   rupturing, in response to the impacting of the frangible projectile with the target, the frangible projectile; and   omnidirectionally dispersing, in response to the rupturing, a powdered inhibiting substance into a cloud proximate the target, where the powdered inhibiting substance is contained within the frangible projectile.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the omnidirectionally dispersing comprises omnidirectional dispersing of the powdered inhibiting substance into the cloud such that the cloud has a length that is greater than a size of an adult human head within a time of a human target naturally reflexively reacting to being impacted by the frangible projectile. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the launching comprises igniting only one or more ignitable primers, such that the igniting of the one or more primer generates propulsion gases that drive the frangible projectile from the launching system. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the launching comprises igniting only the one or more primers such that the ignited one or more primers generates the propulsion gases that drives a propulsion block and the driven propulsion block drives the frangible projectile from the launching system, where the propulsion block maintains substantially all of the propulsion gases behind the propulsion block and evenly distributes propulsion force to the projectile during the launching of the projectile. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the launching comprises:
 independently and sequentially launching each of a plurality of frangible projectiles at the target along a generally vertical pattern, wherein each of the plurality of frangible projectiles comprise a volume that houses the powdered inhibiting substance;   the impacting the frangible projectile comprises impacting the plurality of frangible projectiles with the target along the generally vertical pattern; and   the rupturing comprises rupturing each of the plurality of frangible projectiles such that each frangible projectile ruptures omnidirectionally dispersing the powdered inhibiting substance into a cloud proximate the target.   
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the launching the each of the plurality of projectiles comprises:
 sequentially igniting each an ignitable substance contained within one of a corresponding plurality of shells where each shell houses at least one of the plurality of projectiles prior to launching and the corresponding ignitable substance, wherein the ignitable substance comprises only one or more primers;   wherein the ignitable substance propels the projectile from the shell upon ignition of the ignitable substance such that each of the plurality of projectiles are launched at the non-lethal velocity upon ignition of the corresponding ignitable substance.   
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein one or more of the plurality of projectiles comprise:
 a first part;   a frangible second part that is at least partially hollow, wherein the second part is secured with the first part to seal the hollow portion defining a volume, wherein the projectile is non-spherical;   the powdered inhibiting substance being contained within the volume; and   stabilizing fins secured with the second part; and   wherein the rupturing comprises rupturing at least the second part, when the projectile is launched at the non-lethal velocity, upon impacting the target and the omnidirectionally dispersing the powdered inhibiting substance into the cloud.   
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein one or more of the plurality of projectiles comprise:
 a first part;   a frangible second part that is at least partially hollow, wherein the second part is secured with the first part to seal the hollow portion defining a volume, wherein the projectile is non-spherical;   the powdered inhibiting substance being contained within the volume; and   stabilizing fins secured with the second part; and   wherein the rupturing comprises at least the second part, when the projectile is launched at the non-lethal velocity, rupturing upon impacting the target and the omnidirectionally dispersing the powdered inhibiting substance into the cloud.   wherein the launching comprises launching the frangible projectile such that a propellant gas acts directly on the frangible projectile to propel and launch the frangible projectile and where an ignitable substance is not used in launching the frangible projectile.   
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the launching the frangible projectile without an ignitable substance comprises releasing stored compressed gas stored in a compressed state prior to activation, such that the propellant gas comprises the gas released from the stored compressed gas in response to the activating the launching system.