Systems for replenishing deployment units for conducted electrical weapons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10496957-B2
Application number	US-201615380301-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2016
Priority date	May 23, 2016
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

A system that creates an environment (e.g., ecosystem) for using, transmitting, and storing data from a CEW and other equipment. The information from a CEW includes a log maintained by the CEW. The log may include information related to the operation, maintenance, software, and deployment units used by the CEW. The information may be used alone or in combination with other information received and stored by an evidence management system for managing inventory, generating use-of-force reports, incident reports, and/or providing information related to equipment, such as a CEW, to the supplier of the equipment. Sources of information provided to an evidence management system includes equipment suppliers, CEWs, other cooperating equipment, records management systems of an agency, a dispatch system of an agency, and third parties. A CEW or other equipment may also receive information for storing in the log.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for replenishing an inventory of an agency, the system comprising:
a server;
a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”), the CEW includes a trigger, a safety, a signal generator, a processing circuit, a memory, a communication circuit, and a deployment unit; wherein:
responsive to switching the safety to an off-position by a user, the CEW provides power to the signal generator, the processing circuit, the memory, and the communication circuit;
after switching the safety to the off-position and responsive to an operation of the trigger by the user:
the CEW launches one or more electrodes from the deployment unit toward a human or animal target;
the signal generator provides a current through the human or animal target via the one or more launched electrodes to impede locomotion of the human or animal target; and
the processing circuit records information in a log in the memory, the information includes a serial number of the deployment unit;

responsive to switching the safety from the off-position to an on-position by the user:
the CEW continues to provide power to the processing circuit, the memory, and the communication circuit; and
the processing circuit cooperates with the communication circuit and the memory to transmit the log to the server;

the server receives the log; and
responsive to detecting the serial number in the log, the server issues an order to acquire another deployment unit.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the log further includes indicia of a trigger activation issuing comprises.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the order is issued to a manufacturer of the deployment unit.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the server issues the order to acquire deployment units when a quantity of deployment units in the inventory is below a minimum amount.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the log further includes a serial number of the CEW and information regarding one or more operations performed by the CEW including delivery of the current and a status of the CEW.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the server further:
assesses the information of the log to determine whether the CEW or the deployment unit is past its useful life; and
provides a notice when expired equipment is detected.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the server removes deployment units from the inventory that have same serial numbers of the deployment unit provided in the log when the log includes a trigger activation for that deployment unit.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein to issue the order the server:
generates the order; and
transmits the order to a vendor.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein after transmitting the log, the CEW removes power from the communication circuit.

10. A system for replenishing an inventory, the system comprising:
a server;
a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”), the CEW includes a trigger, a safety, a signal generator, a processing circuit, a memory, a communication circuit, and a deployment unit; wherein:
responsive to switching the safety to an off-position by a user:
the CEW provides power to the signal generator, the processing circuit, the memory, and the communication circuit;
the processing circuit records a first serial number of the CEW, a second serial number of the deployment unit, and indicia of activation in a log in the memory; and
the processing circuit cooperates with the communication circuit and the memory to transmit the log to the server;

after switching the safety to the off-position and responsive to an operation of the trigger by the user:
the CEW launches one or more electrodes from the deployment unit toward a human or animal target;
the signal generator provides a current through the human or animal target via the one or more launched electrodes to impede locomotion of the human or animal target; and
the processing circuit records indicia of trigger activation to the log; responsive to switching the safety from the off-position to an on-position by the user:
the CEW continues to provide power to the processing circuit, the memory, and the communication circuit; and
the processing circuit cooperates with the communication circuit and the memory to transmit the log to the server;

the server receives the log; and
responsive to detecting the indicia of trigger activation in the log, the server issues an order to acquire another deployment unit and issues an alert to an agency.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein subsequent to transmitting the log, the CEW removes power from the processing circuit, the memory, and the communication circuit.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the server issues an order to acquire deployment units when a quantity of deployment units in the inventory is below a minimum amount.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the log further includes information regarding one or more operations performed by the CEW including delivery of the current and a status of the CEW.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the server further:
assesses the first and second serial numbers in the log to determine whether the CEW or the deployment unit is past its useful life; and
provides a notice to the agency when expired equipment is detected.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the server removes deployment units from the inventory that have same second serial numbers provided in the log.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the server:
assesses the first serial number in the log to determine whether the CEW is past its warranty date; and
issues a notice to the agency if the CEW is past its warranty date.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the agency is a security agency.

Assignees

• Taser Int Inc

Inventors

• Dimino Jr Joseph Charles
• Heroor Siddharth
• Gish Michael E
• Gagnon Reinhard J
• Michaels Teri Dawn

Classifications

• G06Q30/0633

  Managing shopping lists, e.g. compiling or processing purchase lists (shipping orders G06Q10/083; order filling G06Q10/087) · CPC title

• G01M99/008

  by doing functionality tests · CPC title

• F42B35/00

  Testing or checking of ammunition {(apparatus for measuring the energy of projectiles G01L5/14)} · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q90/00

  Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing · CPC title