1. Field of the Invention
A multiple output and effect grenade is provided, in which an exothermic delay column is utilized to initiate a series of primers via the application of heat to the strike faces thereof. In particular, a multiple output and effect grenade comprised of an exothermic delay column operable to initiate a series of primers disposed in primer cavities within the main body of the grenade, so as to produce a desired firing signature, as well as initiate effect charges disposed within the primer cavities.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art is replete with numerous examples of various explosive non-lethal devices such as hand grenades, stun grenades, and the like, which have been utilized to train law enforcement and military personnel over the years, and utilized to control personnel with non-lethal/less than lethal force. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,161 discloses a practice grenade and which is characterized by at least two shell segments which are articulated on a cap and are held in an assembled fashion so as to form a shell by a safety pin. The shell segments are urged to an opened or spreaded condition by spring means which upon removal of the pin become operative to spread the shell segments.
The practice grenade carries an ignitable material and all parts with the exception of the cap adjusting spring and certain parts of the igniter can be made out of plastic. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,486, a training hand grenade is described and which has a body which is made out of a soft spongy material so as to be harmless to a person hit by the device, and further has a combustible cartridge to provide an indicating flash when the cartridge is detonated within the soft spongy pliable body material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,945 relates to a practice hand grenade and more specifically to a practice grenade which produces an amount of noise, flash and smoke and which also projects droplets of marker dye in a predetermined pattern so as to permit scoring during training exercises. In this invention, this training device further has a character by which it may be reloaded with dye and pyrotechnic and propellant charges for repeated usage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,328 relates to a reloadable stun grenade, and more specifically to a stun grenade that minimizes the possibility of accidental injury by directing the force of the explosion which is detonated within the grenade out through the ends of the grenade rather than through the sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,523 describes an invention invented by the present inventor, which relates to a stun grenade including a plurality of vents which are defined in the housing and wherein each of the vents is angularly offset from the longitudinal axes of the cavity for discharging explosive energy radially outwardly from the grenade. The stun grenade also includes a bore for receiving a replaceable explosive charge.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,404 relates to a training grenade for a multiple integrated laser engagement system (MILES).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,073 relates to an explosive training device, capable of producing sound and visibly discernible light, and reloaded and reused.
While these devices noted above, and others, have operated with various degrees of success, they are unable to provide/employ varying signatures and effects in a single device in a controllable manner. Further, such conventional devices require a firing mechanism to initiate each effect, which makes production thereof expensive, and the device reliable only to the extent of the reliability of the firing mechanism. Further, scalability of effects is limited, and shipping and storage thereof are difficult and hazardous due to the firing mechanisms.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a grenade requiring no firing mechanism for each individual effect, thereby increasing the reliability and decreasing the expense of manufacture. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a grenade which allows scalability of effects through the placement, quantity and type of effects therein. In particular, it is object of the present invention to provide a multiple output and effect grenade operable to be configured to deploy a plurality of outputs and effects in a controllable manner.