US3749016A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flexible hollow spheres
Assignee: United States Department of the Air Force
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Filing: 1968-12-24
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Granted: 1973-07-31
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Expires: 1988-12-24
Abstract
Abstract Lethal hollow spheres for destroying enemy targets in outer space by high velocity impact. The hollow spheres are formed of resilient rubber or other resilient material which is highly impregnated with metallic particles. The highly metallic impregnated resilient hollow spheres are flattened and partially evacuated and sealed so that each contain a small predetermined volume of gas or air trapped therein at, or substantially at, normal outside atmospheric pressure, for instance at ground level to retain the hollow spheres in their flattened condition by the outside atmospheric pressure, so that they occupy less space and a greater number of the flattened spheres can be packed in a delivery container, such as a rocket, or shell, for subsequent projection toward a selected target in rarefied air, or in the absence of surrounding atmosphere. As the spheres are projected through space or rarefield are toward a target or satellite the relative increase in pressure of the expanding gas or air trapped in the spheres, because of reduction or lack of outside surrounding atmospheric pressures, cause the flattened hollow spheres to expand outwardly to their initial full spherical shape, when discharged from their delivery container for lethal impact with the selected target or satellite in space.
Inventors
- 👤 J Hershkowitz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 23:45
CPC Classifications
F; F42; F42B; F42B12/00; F42B12/72; F42B12/74; F42B12/745; F42B12/02; F42B12/34
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
Resilient hollow spherical projectiles for use against relatively thin walled missiles, satellites and targets in relatively rarefied atmosphere of outer space at high projected velocities, each comprising a flattened initially spherical resilient compressible hollow body having a highly metallic particle impregnated annular wall, and a compressible expansible gaseous fluid medium trapped and sealed therein at a materially lower pressure below normal outer surrounding ground level atmospheric pressure, for expansion thereof within said flattened holloW body, upon a material reduction in or lack of outside atmospheric pressure surrounding said resilient hollow body, to pressurize the wall of said flattened initially spherical resilient compressible hollow body outwardly to said initial spherical shape.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
110 words
Resilient hollow spherical projectiles for use against relatively thin walled missiles, satellites and targets in relatively rarefied atmosphere of outer space at high projected velocities, each comprising a flattened initially spherical resilient compressible hollow body having a highly metallic particle impregnated annular wall, and a compressible expansible gaseous fluid medium trapped and sealed therein at a materially lower pressure below normal outer surrounding ground level atmospheric pressure, for expansion thereof within said flattened holloW body, upon a material reduction in or lack of outside atmospheric pressure surrounding said resilient hollow body, to pressurize the wall of said flattened initially spherical resilient compressible hollow body outwardly to said initial spherical shape.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
A resilient hollow spherical body projectile as set forth in claim 1, in which said compressible gaseous medium is trapped and sealed in said hollow body, and said body comprises a resilient rubber-like annular spherical wall highly and closely impregnated throughout with very small metal particles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
A resilient hollow spherical body as set forth in claim 2 in which the opposite sides of said resilient spherical hollow body are flattened toward each other with said gaseous pressure fluid medium trapped and sealed therein at a low pressure less than 2 psi at normal outside atmospheric pressure surrounding the body of about 14.7 psi.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
80 words
A resilient hollow spherical projectile body as set forth in claim 3 in which the wall thereof is initially spherical and is flattened to afford a material saving of space, so that a greater number of said flattened resilient spherical projectiles can be packed in a projected warhead of predetermined size than similar rigid metal spherical projectiles of identical diameter, to afford a greater degree of impact when projected from the warhead in quantity toward a selected target in space.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
173 words
Small hollow resilient rubber-like initially spherical projectiles for packing in quantity in flattened condition in a ''''warhead'''' for projection at high velocity toward a selected thin-wall target in outer space as set forth in claim 4, each projectile comprising a subsequently partially flattened hollow spherical body having a highly metal particle impregnated spherical outer wall having a predetermined amount of air trapped and sealed therein at less than 2 psi for retaining said wall of said body in partially collapsed and flattened condition while packed in the warhead at surrounding outside atmospheric pressures materially greater than the pressure of the trapped air within said body, whereby when said flattened spherical bodies are projected from said ''''warhead'''' in outer space where the outside surrounding pressure is absent or materially less than the pressure of said inside trapped air, the pressure differential of said internal pressure in said initially spherical projectile on the wall of the flattened body will pressurize and expand said wall outwardly to the initial spherical shape, for impact with the target.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
A flexible resilient hollow sphere as set forth in claim 5 having an initial spherical shape, composed of a rubber-like lead composite with an outside diameter of approximately one-half inch and a wall thickness of approximately one thirty-second of an inch.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
A flexible hollow sphere as set forth in claim 6 reinforced throughout with about 40 to 70 weight percent of glass fibers having a diameter ranging between 0.01 to 0.05 inches and about 0.1 to 0.5 inches long.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
49 words
A partially flattened resilient hollow initially spherical projectile as set forth in claim 1 in which the highly metallic impregnated annular wall thereof comprises resilient rubber like material thoroughly impregnated with metal powder having a particle size between 6 to 100 microns uniformly distributed throughout the resilient rubber-like material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
62 words
A hollow spherical projectile as claimed in claim 8 in which the metallic powder impregnated wall is reinforced throughout with glass fibers and the gaseous pressure medium trapped and sealed within the sphere is between 0.01 to 1 psi, having sufficient volume to expand the collapsed wall of the sphere to its initial spherical shape almost immediately upon ejection in rarefied atmospheres.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
122 words
In combination with a projectile delivery container, a plurality of partially collapsed and flattened hollow resilient rubber-like spherical projectilEs packed and stacked in, and filling said delivery container, each of said projectiles having a highly and thoroughly fine metal particle impregnated rubber-like initially spherical wall, a gaseous pressure medium trapped and sealed therein at a pressure less than 2 psi, for expansion thereof upon predetermined reduction or lack of exterior pressure surrounding the exterior of said flattened spherical projectiles, for expanding the wall of said flattened rubber-like spherical projectile substantially to said initial spherical shape thereof, when the same is projected from said projectile delivery container toward a selected target through said predetermined reduction in or lack of exterior surrounding atmospheric pressure.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
122 words
In combination with a projectile delivery container, a plurality of partially collapsed and flattened hollow resilient rubber-like spherical projectilEs packed and stacked in, and filling said delivery container, each of said projectiles having a highly and thoroughly fine metal particle impregnated rubber-like initially spherical wall, a gaseous pressure medium trapped and sealed therein at a pressure less than 2 psi, for expansion thereof upon predetermined reduction or lack of exterior pressure surrounding the exterior of said flattened spherical projectiles, for expanding the wall of said flattened rubber-like spherical projectile substantially to said initial spherical shape thereof, when the same is projected from said projectile delivery container toward a selected target through said predetermined reduction in or lack of exterior surrounding atmospheric pressure.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-07-30 | 1977-01-29 | 1977-07-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-07-30 | 1981-01-29 | 1981-07-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-07-30 | 1985-01-29 | 1985-07-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |