Explosive threat mitigation unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020393231-A1
Application number	US-202016801381-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 26, 2020
Priority date	Jun 13, 2019
Publication date	Dec 17, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An explosive threat mitigation unit (TMU) stands ready to receive a suspected bomb, enclose it, and contain the explosion if one occurs. An operator protects bystanders and surroundings by putting the suspected bomb in a TMU and then closing the TMU. If the bomb goes off, the TMU mitigates the effects of both the blast and the fragments. One variation has a container, a tube, a cap, and a door. The container includes an opening. The tube, arranged in the container, aligns with the opening. The cap slides through the opening and over the tube. The door slides into place to close the opening and enclose the cap within the container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device comprising:
a container including an opening; a tube disposed in the container and aligned with the opening; a cap configured to slidably interface with the tube through the opening to form an interior closed compartment; and a door configured to slidably close the opening to enclose the cap within the container.

2 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising the container including a plurality of subcontainers surrounding the interior closed compartment.

3 . The device of claim 2 , wherein n subcontainers of the plurality of subcontainers are nested to orient an open side of a given subcontainer toward n−1 closed walls of n−1 corresponding other subcontainers.

4 . The device of claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of spacers disposed between adjacent subcontainers to establish a channel within which the door is slidable.

5 . The device of claim 2 , wherein:
the plurality of subcontainers are nested as a first subcontainer within a second subcontainer within a third subcontainer; the first subcontainer includes a first sub-opening wall that surrounds a portion of the opening of the container, the second subcontainer includes a second sub-opening wall that surrounds a portion of the opening of the container, and the third subcontainer includes a third sub-opening wall that surrounds a portion of the opening of the container; the door includes a first door panel and a second door panel; and the device further comprises a first spacing between the first sub-opening wall and the second sub-opening wall, and a second spacing between the second sub-opening wall and the third sub-opening wall, wherein the first spacing is configured to accommodate the first door panel, and the second spacing is configured to accommodate the second door panel.

6 . The device of claim 2 , wherein a subcontainer comprises a plurality of differently shaped sheets layered together, wherein a first seam of a first sheet does not align with a second seam of a second sheet.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the container includes a plurality of wraps disposed around the container.

8 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of wraps comprises a plurality of side-to-side wraps aligned along a first plane, a plurality of vertical front-to-back wraps aligned along a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, and a plurality of horizontal front-to-back wraps aligned along a third plane perpendicular to the first and second planes.

9 . The device of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of wraps are intertwined over and under.

10 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a gasket disposed around the opening and extending between the container and the cap that is interfaced with the tube.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the container is a one-piece, three-dimensional structure; the container is formed from integrally woven, continuous fibers; the container further comprises a foldable region; the foldable region connects a front wall to the container; the front wall comprises a door flap; the door flap comprises overhangs; and the overhangs of the door flap are stitched to a top wall of the container and side walls of the container to enclose the container.

12 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a tube stabilizer disposed in the container and configured to stabilize within the container the tube spaced by the tube stabilizer from at least one wall of the container.

13 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising an item stabilizer disposed in the tube and configured to stabilize within the tube an item spaced by the item stabilizer from at least one wall of the tube.

14 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the tube and the cap each comprise a plurality of differently shaped sheets layered together, wherein a first seam of a first sheet does not align with a second seam of a second sheet.

15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the cap includes a flange disposed on an end of the cap, configured to extend outward from the cap to seal with the container.

16 . The device of claim 15 , wherein the container includes a concavity around the door opening to accommodate the flange of the cap between the concavity and the door.

17 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the door has a U-configuration including a first door panel, a second door panel spaced from the first door panel, and a side door panel connecting the first door panel to the second door panel.

18 . The device of claim 17 , wherein the first door panel and the second door panel are spaced apart to sandwich a second sub-opening wall of a second nested subcontainer of the container, wherein the first door panel is configured to slide in a first spacing between a first subcontainer nested within a second subcontainer, and wherein the second door panel is configured to slide in a second spacing between the second subcontainer nested within a third subcontainer.

19 . A device comprising:
a container comprising a plurality of subcontainers and an opening; a tube disposed in the container and aligned with the opening; a plurality of wraps disposed around the container; a cap configured to slidably interface with the tube through the opening and through at least a portion of the plurality of wraps; and a door configured to slidably close the opening to enclose the cap within the container.

20 . A device comprising:
a container comprising a plurality of subcontainers and an opening; a tube disposed in the container and aligned with the opening; a cap configured to slidably interface with the tube through the opening; and a door configured to slidably close the opening to enclose the cap within the container, based on being slidable between at least two subcontainers.

Assignees

• The Government Of The Us Secretary Of Homeland Security

Inventors

• Yen Chian-Fong
• Quabili Ashiq A
• Chen Chih-Tsai
• Carey Nelson
• Kaste Robert P
• O'Connor Patrick
• Yu Jian H

Classifications

• F41H5/0471

  Layered armour containing fibre- or fabric-reinforced layers (in combination with ceramic layers F41H5/0428, with metal layers F41H5/0457) · CPC title

• F42D5/045 Primary

  Detonation-wave absorbing or damping means · CPC title

• F42B39/14

  Explosion or fire protection arrangements on packages or ammunition (F42B39/20 {and F42B39/24} take precedence; {wall or panel structure of fireproof safes or storage containers E05G1/024}) · CPC title

• B65D21/0233

  Nestable containers · CPC title

• F41H5/04

  composed of more than one layer {(outerwear resistant to mechanical aggressions A41D31/24; layered products B32B; shaping reinforced articles B29C67/00)} · CPC title