Smart Magazine for Airsoft Pistol

Abstract

A smart magazine includes a gas chamber, a processor, a memory, a wireless transceiver, a battery, and a shot counter. The shot counter determines the quantity of virtual bullets in the smart magazine. The quantity of virtual bullets is between zero and a parameter defined value for a maximum magazine capacity of virtual bullets. The shot counter decreases the quantity of virtual bullets by one each time the COTS pistol is fired. When the quantity of virtual bullets is zero per the shot counter, the smart magazine is configured to prevent the COTs pistol from firing. The smart magazine lacks a chamber for non-combustive round objects which the COTS pistol is configured to fire. The smart magazine is a direct replacement for a COTS magazine for the COTS pistol. The COTS magazine stores the non-combustible round objects that the COTS pistol is configured to fire.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pistol assembly comprising:
 a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) pistol configured to fire non-combustive round objects from a COTS magazine within which the non-combustive objects are stored, said COTS pistol comprising a slide, which is configured to move responsive to receiving a burst of compressed gas released from a pressurized gas chamber of the COTS magazine when the COTS pistol is fired by pulling a pistol trigger; and   a smart magazine, which is a replacement for the COTS magazine, comprising:
 a gas chamber; 
 a processor; 
 a memory; 
 a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit and receive digital signals from the magazine to a wireless network; 
 a battery configured to power the slide sensor, the processor, the memory, and the wireless transceiver; and 
 a shot counter configured within computer readable code executed by the processor and stored in the memory, wherein the shot counter is configured to determine a quantity of virtual bullets in the smart magazine, wherein the quantity of virtual bullets is between zero and a parameter defined value for a maximum magazine capacity of virtual bullets, wherein the shot counter is configured to decrease the quantity of virtual bullets by one each time the COTS pistol is fired, wherein when the quantity of virtual bullets is zero per the shot counter, the smart magazine is configured to prevent the COTs pistol from firing, 
 wherein the smart magazine lacks a chamber for the non-combustive round objects which the COTS pistol is configured to fire. 
   
     
     
         2 . The pistol assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the COTS pistol is an AIRSOFT pistol. 
     
     
         3 . The pistol assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the COTS pistol is a mag-fed paintball gun. 
     
     
         4 . The pistol assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the COTS pistol equipped with the COTS magazine is unable to send or receive digital signals to the wireless network, wherein the COTS pistol equipped with the COTS magazine lacks electronics to compute a quantity of shots fired by the COTS pistol equipped with the COTS magazine. 
     
     
         5 . The pistol assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the pistol assembly is an interactive peripheral for at least one of an extended reality system and a virtual reality system, wherein components enabling the pistol assembly to function as the interactive peripheral are contained within the smart magazine. 
     
     
         6 . The pistol assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the pistol assembly is configured to exchange the digital signals with at least one reactive target, wherein the reactive target is configured to react in real time as the pistol assembly is fired such that the reactive target performs an action on a physical object, said action emulating an operation of physics occurring when the physical object is struck by a non-virtual bullet, wherein components enabling the pistol assembly to interact with the reactive target are contained within the smart magazine. 
     
     
         7 . The pistol assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the smart magazine is configured to receive a misfire signal over the wireless network, wherein responsive to receiving the misfire signal the smart magazine is configured to prevent the COTs pistol from firing until the slide is manually moved, which causes the shot counter to decrease the quantity by one and then then causes changed in the smart magazine enabling the COTs pistol to fire unless the quantity has reached zero. 
     
     
         8 . The pistol assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the smart magazine further comprises:
 a mag discharge switch configured to establish a first state associated with the smart magazine being inserted into the COTS pistol and a second state associated with the smart magazine not being inserted into the COTS pistol; and   a bullet out plunger configured to physically move from a first to a second position, wherein when in the first position firing of the COTS pistol is enabled, wherein when in the second position firing of the COTS pistol is disabled, wherein the COTS magazine has a component corresponding to the bullet out plunger that is responsively positioned in an equivalent to the second position when the COTS magazine is out of the non-combustive round objects.   
     
     
         9 . A smart magazine for a COTS pistol assembly comprising:
 a gas chamber;   a processor;   a memory;   a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit and receive digital signals from the magazine to a wireless network;   a battery configured to power the slide sensor, the processor, the memory, and the wireless transceiver; and   a shot counter configured within computer readable code executed by the processor and stored in the memory, wherein the shot counter is configured to determine a quantity of virtual bullets in the smart magazine, wherein the quantity of virtual bullets is between zero and a parameter defined value for a maximum magazine capacity of virtual bullets, wherein the shot counter is configured to decrease the quantity of virtual bullets by one each time the COTS pistol is fired, wherein when the quantity of virtual bullets is zero per the shot counter, the smart magazine is configured to prevent the COTS pistol from firing,
 wherein the smart magazine lacks a chamber for non-combustive round objects which the COTS pistol is configured to fire, wherein the smart magazine is a direct replacement for a COTS magazine for the COTS pistol, wherein the COTS magazine stores the non-combustible round objects that the COTS pistol is configured to fire. 
   
     
     
         10 . The smart magazine of  claim 9 , wherein the COTS pistol is at least one of an AIRSOFT pistol and a mag-fed paintball gun. 
     
     
         11 . The smart magazine of  claim 9 , wherein the COTS pistol equipped with the COTS magazine is unable to send or receive digital signals to the wireless network, wherein the COTS pistol equipped with the COTS magazine lacks electronics to compute a quantity of shots fired by the COTS pistol equipped with the COTS magazine. 
     
     
         12 . The smart magazine of  claim 9 , wherein the COTS pistol equipped with the smart magazine is an interactive peripheral for at least one of an extended reality system and a virtual reality system, wherein components enabling the pistol assembly to function as the interactive peripheral are contained within the smart magazine. 
     
     
         13 . The smart magazine of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a mag discharge switch configured to establish a first state associated with the smart magazine being inserted into the COTS pistol and a second state associated with the smart magazine not being inserted into the COTS pistol.   
     
     
         14 . The smart magazine of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a bullet out plunger configured to physically move from a first to a second position, wherein when in the first position firing of the COTS pistol is enabled, wherein when in the second position firing of the COTS pistol is disabled, wherein the COTS magazine has a component corresponding to the bullet out plunger that is responsively positioned in an equivalent to the second position when the COTS magazine is out of the non-combustive round objects.   
     
     
         15 . The smart magazine of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a slide sensor configured to detect motions of the slide.   
     
     
         16 . The smart magazine of  claim 9 , wherein the smart magazine is configured to provide all functions of a wireless independent tracking system (WITS) to a virtual reality system without needing an attachment to an external surface of the COTS pistol. 
     
     
         17 . The smart magazine of  claim 9 , further comprises:
 a main component comprising the gas chamber, the processor, the memory, the wireless transceiver, the battery, and the short counter; and
 a base component comprising at least one tracking sensor, wherein the main component and the base component comprise a mechanical connector and an electric connector, wherein the base component extends from a bottom portion of the smart magazine when connected to the COTS pistol. 
   
     
     
         18 . The smart magazine of  claim 16 , wherein components of the base component including the at least one tracking sensor are powered by the battery in the main component. 
     
     
         19 . The smart magazine of  claim 16 , wherein at least a portion of the base component is configured to be unobstructed when the smart magazine is in the COTS pistol, which is being held in a hand of a user, wherein the unobstructed portion of the base component comprises at least one light emitter. 
     
     
         20 . An extended reality (XR) pistol peripheral comprising:
 a pistol configured to fire non-combustive round objects from a COTS magazine within which the non-combustive objects are stored, wherein the pistol is at least one of an AIRSOFT pistol and a mag-fed paintball gun; and   a smart magazine, which is a replacement for the COTS magazine, comprising:
 a shot counter configured to determine a quantity of virtual bullets in the smart magazine, wherein the quantity of virtual bullets is between zero and a parameter defined value for a maximum magazine capacity of virtual bullets, wherein the shot counter is configured to decrease the quantity of virtual bullets by one each time the COTS pistol is fired, wherein when the quantity of virtual bullets is zero per the shot counter, the smart magazine is configured to prevent the COTs pistol from firing, 
 wherein the smart magazine lacks a chamber for the non-combustive round objects which the COTS pistol is configured to fire, wherein an assembly of the pistol and smart magazine is an interactive peripheral for at least one of an extended reality system and a virtual reality system, wherein components enabling the assembly to function as the interactive peripheral are contained within the smart magazine.