Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41G—WEAPON SIGHTS; AIMING
  • F41G1/00—Sighting devices
  • F41G1/38—Telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance; Supports or mountings therefor
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41G—WEAPON SIGHTS; AIMING
  • F41G3/00—Aiming or laying means
  • F41G3/06—Aiming or laying means with rangefinder
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B23/00—Telescopes, e.g. binoculars; Periscopes; Instruments for viewing the inside of hollow bodies; Viewfinders; Optical aiming or sighting devices
  • G02B23/14—Viewfinders
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
  • G02B27/32—Fiducial marks and measuring scales within the optical system

Definitions

• the present invention relates to telescopic gunsights, and more particularly to
• Body drop is caused by the influence of gravity on the moving bullet, and is characterized by a bullet path which curves to earth over long ranges. Therefore to hit a target at long range, it is necessary to elevate the barrel of the weapon, and the aiming point, to adjust for bullet drop.
• Other factors such as wind, magnus effect (i.e., a lateral thrust exerted by wind on a rotating bullet whose axis is perpendicular to the wind direction), bullet design, and the idiosyncracies of the weapon can cause the bullet to drift to the left or right of the central path of the bullet over long range. Such effects are generally referred to as “windage” effects.
• U.S. Patent 3,948,587 to Rubbert discloses a reticle and telescope gunsight system having primary cross-hairs which intersect conventionally at the center of the field, and secondary horizontal cross-hairs spaced apart by different amounts to form a rangefinder and distinct aiming apertures and points, based upon a predetermined, estimated size of a
• Rubbert's preferred embodiment is constructed for use in shooting deer having an 18" chest depth. However, like Critchett, the usefulness of Rubbert for shooting other targets of varying size at long range is doubtful.
• U.S. Patent 3,492,733 to leatherwood discloses a variable power scope having aiming cross-hairs and two upper cross-hairs for bracketing a target of known dimensions at a known distance.
• the scope is mounted to a gun barrel, and the position of the scope in relation to the gun barrel is adjustable up and down to compensate for bullet drop by covering the target with the bracketing cross-hairs, and rotating an adjustment ring to expand or contract the bracketing cross-hairs to bracket the target.
• Leatherwood' s scope like the others discussed above, has limited utility at long ranges because it is designed
• the secondary reticle being a polygonal reticle with different indicia on the different faces which can be rotated into position to compensate for bullet drop and determining target range for different sized targets.
• having to rotate a secondary reticle to locate an appropriate target shape in order to determine the range is time consuming and undesirable, since it takes the shooter's attention away from the
• a laser rangefinder often emits a visible light, there is always the possibility that the beam from a laser rangefinder could be detected, revealing the position of the shooter, causing a live target to move, or other undesirable consequences, before the shot can be taken.
• a laser rangefinder includes complex electronics which must be handled with care. Laser rangefmders require highly reflective or broadside targets to achieve range.
• a laser rangefinder must be powered with electricity from a source which must be carried
• the additional weight is a burden, and the possibility exists that power source could fail or become exhausted through use, causing the rangefinder to cease working.
• optical rangefinder which permits a skilled shooter to rapidly and accurately identify the range to any target of estimable size, no matter how large or small, to make fast and accurate adjustment for bullet drop and windage, using the shooter's knowledge and experience and without the need to move rings or make adjustments to the scope, thus enabling the shooter to accurately hit targets at any range, depending upon the
• the present invention provides an improved telescopic gunsight having a housing, including a means for mounting the housing in a fixed, predetermined position relative to a gun barrel, an objective lens mounted in one end the
• the telescopic gunsight of this embodiment can be a fixed power scope
• the reticle is most preferably mounted between the objective lens and the variable power optics.
• the present invention provides a reticle for use in any conventional telescopic gunsight, whether such telescopic gunsight is a fixed power scope or a variable power scope.
• a reticle of this embodiment is preferably constructed from an optically transparent wafer or disc having an optical center which coincides with a center of a field of vision when the wafer is mounted in a scope.
• a primary vertical cross-hair having a predetermined thickness bisects the disc, intersecting the optical center of the disc.
• a primary horizontal cross-hair having a predetermined thickness intersects the primary vertical cross-hair, most preferably above the optical center of the disc, to form an upper right quadrant, an upper left quadrant, a lower left quadrant, and a lower right quadrant.
• a plurality of secondary horizontal cross-hairs having predetermined thickness are evenly spaced along the primary vertical cross-hair. Preferably, at least some of these secondary horizontal cross-hairs are identified with a
• a plurality of secondary vertical cross-hairs having predetermined thickness are evenly spaced along at least some of said secondary horizontal cross-hairs to aid in making accurate windage adjustments.
• a separate range-finding means can be positioned in one of said quadrants to aid the shooter in determining the range to target.
• the present invention can also be adapted for use in a mid-range telescopic gunsight.
• a mid-range reticle almost identical to the long-range reticle described above, can be constructed in accordance with this invention. Since the mid-range reticle requires less lower field area, the primary horizontal cross-hair can be conventionally centered. The mid-range reticle can then be calibrated and used in the same manner as a long-range reticle.
• the reticle can also be provided with a circumscribing ring visible through the gunsight, to aid in centering the eye relative to the telescopic gunsight. This ring helps reduce shooting inaccuracy caused by the misalignment of the shooter's line of sight
• the shooter can produce more accurate and more repeatable results.
• the reticle can also be provided with an aiming/centering dot located at the optical center of the reticle for rapid acquisition of a target at medium range, and for aiding the shooter in centering his eye relative to the field of view.
• a portion of the primary vertical cross-hair or the primary horizontal cross-hair can be provided with rangefinder markings to eliminate the need for a separate rangefinder in one of the quadrants formed by the primary vertical and horizontal cross-hair.
• the reticle can be calibrated automatically by using a computer containing a ballistics program which receives information regarding external information (such as temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, slope of the ground over which the bullet will travel, target speed, and range to target) and information regarding the weapon and bullet used (type of scope/reticle, distance of scope above gun barrel, bullet weight, ballistic coefficient of bullet, muzzle velocity of cartridge, range at which weapon was zeroed).
• information regarding external information such as temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, slope of the ground over which the bullet will travel, target speed, and range to target
• information regarding the weapon and bullet used type of scope/reticle, distance of scope above gun barrel, bullet weight, ballistic coefficient of bullet, muzzle velocity of cartridge, range at which weapon was zeroed.
• the program can be selected to produce a targeting grid for calibrating a reticle of the present invention, or for providing aiming point information for a specific target at a known range, whether the scope/reticle is a conventional scope/reticle in which the scope is adjusted to hit a target at range by rotating horizontal and vertical adjustment knobs the calculated number of "clicks" or whether the scope contains a reticle of the present invention in which the specific aiming point for the target is identified by reference to
• Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the optical components of a telescopic gunsight of the present invention
• Fig. 2 is a front view of a reticle of the present invention, showing the markings
• Fig. 3 is a front view of a reticle of the present invention, showing the markings as viewed through a zoom telescopic gunsight at low power;
• Fig. 4 is a partial side view of a firearm showing a telescopic gunsight mounted on the barrel;
• Fig. 5 is an example of 500 yard zero ballistic table created for a .50 Cal. Bolt Action Model M-93 Rifle having a 30 inch barrel built firing a .50 Cal Browning Machine Gun cartridge;
• Fig. 6 is an example of a worksheet which can be used to calibrate the markings on a reticle of the present invention;
• Fig. 7 is a completed worksheet based upon the table shown in Fig 5;
• Fig. 8 is an illustrative table providing data for determining an appropriate
• Fig. 9 is a reticle of the present invention based upon a "centimeter of angle"
• FIG. 10 is a front view of a mid-range reticle of the present invention, the spacing of the markings based upon an "inch of angle" scale;
• Fig. 13 is a front view of a reticle of the present invention in which the upper portion of the primary vertical cross-hair and the primary horizontal cross-hair have been provided with range-finder markings of a USMC mil-dot scale;
• Fig. 14 is a front view of a reticle of the present invention in which the upper portion of the primary vertical cross-hair and the primary horizontal cross-hair have been provided with range-finder markings of an "inches of angle" scale;
• Fig. 15 is a front view of a reticle of the present invention in which a horizontal range-finder bar intersects the primary vertical cross-hair at a position above the intersection with the primary horizontal cross-hair, and primary vertical cross-hair and horizontal rangefinder bar have been provided with range-finder markings of any desirable scale;
• Fig. 16a is a flow chart illustrating the data inputs relating to external conditions
• Fig 16b is a flow chart illustrating the data inputs relating to weapon.
• Figure 17a is a targeting grid generated by a personal computer running the TRAG1S5 Ballistics Program for callibrating the range of the secondary horizontal cross ⁇
• hairs of a reticle of the present invention for stationary targets on a flat range and for calculating cross-wind horizontal offset information for each secondary horizontal cross- hair;
• Figure 17b is a targeting grid generated by a personal computer running the
• TRAG1S5 Ballistics Program for calibrating the range of the secondary horizontal crosshairs for a reticle of the present invention for stationary targets on a sloped range and for calculating cross-wind horizontal offset information for each secondary horizontal cross- hair;
• Figure 17c is a targeting grid generated by a personal computer ninning the TRAG1S5 Ballistics Program for calibrating the range of the secondary horizontal cross ⁇
• Figures 18a - 18e illustrate PDA data input screens for using the TRAG1S5 PDA targeting program
• Figures 18f -18g illustrate PDA data output screens produced by the TRAG1S5
• Figure 19a-c illustrate changes in the aiming point produced by different conditions of target speed and direction relative to wind speed and direction.
• a telescopic gunsight 10 (also referred to herein as a "scope") includes a housing 36 which can be mounted in fixed relationship with a gun barrel 38.
• Housing 36 is preferably constructed from steel or aluminum, but can be constructed from virtually any durable, substantially non-flexible material which is useful for constructing optical equipment.
• Mounted in housing 36 at one end is an objective lens or lens assembly 12.
• Mounted in housing 38 at the opposite end is an ocular lens or lens assembly 14. It is well known in the art to make such lenses from either a single piece of glass or other optical material (such as transparent plastic) which has been conventionally ground and polished to focus light, or from two or more pieces of such material mounted together with optically transparent adhesive and the like to focus light. Accordingly, the term “lens” as used herein is intended to cover either a lens constructed from a single piece of optical glass or other material capable of focusing light, or from more than one pieces mounted together to focus light. As will be understood by one
• the objective lens 12 faces the target
• the ocular lens 14 faces the shooter's eye.
• variable power optical components 16 for a variable power scope.
• Such components 16 typically include magnifiers and erectors.
• Such a variable power scope permits the user to select a
• the user can select a lower power (i.e., 3x50) or a high power (i.e., 12x50) or any combination thereof.
• a reticle is typically included to assist the shooter in hitting the target.
• the reticle is typically (but not necessarily) constructed using optical material, such as optical glass or plastic, and takes the form of a disc or wafer with substantially parallel
• the reticle can be mounted anywhere between the ocular lens 14 and the objective lens 12.
• the reticle is most preferably mounted between the objective lens 12 and the optical components 16. In this position, the apparent size of the reticle when viewed through the ocular lens will vary with the power; for example, compare Figure 2 (high power) with Figure 3 (low power).
• a reticle of the present invention is mounted in a variable power scope, I prefer a variable power scope manufactured by Schmidt & Bender GmbH & Co. KG of Biebertal, Germany, because of its excellent optics.
• Schmidt & Bender Scope such as a 3- 12 x 50 or a 4-16 x 50, when the reticle is mounted between the objective lens and the variable power optical components 16, 1 have found that the selected aiming point (as)
• a preferred reticle 18 of the present invention is formed from a substantially flat disc or wafer 19 formed from substantially transparent optical glass or other material suitable for manufacturing optical lenses.
• Disc 19 has two, substantially parallel, sides.
• a primary vertical cross-hair 20 is provided on one side of said disc 19 using conventional methods such as, for example, etching, printing, or applying hairs or wires of known diameter. Etching is preferred.
• Primary vertical crosshair 20 preferably bisects the disc 19 and intersects the optical center 21 of reticle 18.
• a primary horizontal cross-hair 22 is also provided, and most preferably intersects the primary vertical cross-hair at a position well above the optical center 21.
• the primary vertical cross-hair and the primary horizontal cross-hair form four quadrants: an upper right quadrant, an upper left quadrant, a lower left quadrant, and a lower right quadrant, when viewed through a scope properly mounted to a gun barrel as shown in Figure 4.
• a plurality of evenly-spaced, secondary horizontal cross-hairs 24 are provided along the primary vertical cross-hair 20, preferably both above and below the primary horizontal cross-hair 22 to aid in range adjustments and for locating an appropriate aiming point on the reticle with respect to the distance to the target.
• Some of these secondary, horizontal cross-hairs are provided with unique symbols 28 which are useful
• Symbols 28 can be numbers, as shown in Figure 2, letters or other symbols. Symbols 28 are used for identification purposes only.
• a plurality of evenly-spaced, secondary vertical cross-hairs or hash-marks 26 are provided on at least some of the secondary horizontal cross-hairs 24, to aid the shooter in making adjustments for windage and for locating an appropriate aiming point on the reticle with respect to both windage and range.
• a means for determining range is also provided on the reticle.
• the rangefinder 30 can be provided in one of the quadrants formed by the primary vertical and horizontal cross-hairs, and can include a vertical arm 32 and an
• Vertical arm 32 is provided with a plurality of evenly- spaced horizontal cross-hairs which intersect vertical arm 32; horizontal arm 34 is provided with a plurality of evenly-spaced, preferably downwardly extending cross-hairs. At least some of the range finding cross-hairs are marked to correspond to a scale useful
• the spacing between the range-finding cross-hairs can be based upon a non- conventional scale, which I refer to as the "inches of angle” scale.
• An "inch of angle” is defined as the angle made (or the distance on the reticle) which covers exactly one inch at 100 yards.
• an inch of angle is the distance between any two adjacent rangefinder cross-hairs. That is, the space between any two adjacent rangefinder cross-hairs will cover or exactly contain a one-inch target at 100 yards.
• a similar scale for metric shooters which I call a "centimeters of angle” scale, can also be used, with a centimeter of angle being the distance on the reticle which covers exactly one centimeter at 100 meters.
• the spacing between secondary cross-hairs on the primary vertical and horizontal cross-hairs are also determined with reference to the scale used for the rangefinder. For the reticle as shown in Figure 2, it can be seen by reference to the rangefinder that the spacing between the secondary horizontal cross-hairs labeled 5 and 6 is 5 inches of angle. A shorter secondary horizontal cross-hair (or hash-mark) appears between horizontal
• cross-hairs 5 and 6 at a position 2.5 inches of angle from either secondary horizontal cross-hair 5 or 6.
• the secondary vertical cross-hairs 26, as shown in Figure 2 are
• the thickness of the lines are also preferably determined with reference to the
• the preferred thickness of the primary vertical cross-hair 20 and primary horizontal cross-hair 22 is 0.5 inches of angle and the preferred thickness of the secondary horizontal and vertical crosshairs are 0.25 inches of angle.
• the rangefinder arms 32, 34 and the marked (5, 10, 15) rangefinder cross-hairs are preferably 0.25 inches of angle thick, and the intermediate range- finding cross-hairs are preferably 0.1 inches of angle thick.
• the upper portion of the primary vertical cross-hair 20 can be provided with range finder markings of any scale to form a rangefinder vertical arm 32.
• substantially the entire primary horizontal cross-hair 22 can be provided
• range finder markings of any scale to form a rangefinder horizontal arm 34.
• Typical scales include the "inches of angle” or “centimeters of angle” scale introduced by the parent and grandparent applications from which this application claims priority, as well as conventional scales such as USMC Mil Dot Scale or minute of angle scales can
• the rangefinder horizontal arm 34 can be superimposed
• Figure 14 illustrates an example where the rangefinder horizontal arm 34 is located to the right of the intersection 21 between the primary vertical cross-hair 20 and the primary horizontal cross-hair 22, one skilled in the art will realize that the rangefinder horizontal arm 34
• the scale on the rangefinder markings can, if desired, be drawn to a different scale from that provided for the line thickness and spacing between the secondary vertical cross-hairs 26 and secondary horizontal cross-hairs 24.
• the rangefinder vertical arm 32 can be superimposed over the primary vertical cross-hair 32 with a rangefinder horizontal arm 34 extending into an upper quadrant and intersecting the primary vertical cross-hair 20 at a position above intersection 21.
• Figure 15 shows the rangefinder horizontal arm 34 extending into the upper left quadrant, it could just as easily be positioned in the upper right quadrant.
• the rangefinder horizontal arm 34 could be superimposed over the primary horizontal
• cross-hair 22 and a rangefinder vertical arm 32 could intersect the primary horizontal cross-hair 22 at a position to the left or to the right of intersection 21 and extend upwards into the left or right quadrants.
• the shooter become familiar with the characteristics of the weapon and aimnunition to be used.
• the scope and reticle can be calibrated to work with almost any type of rifle.
• the shooter To calibrate the scope and reticle, the shooter first determines the ballistics based upon the characteristics of the weapon and ammumtion to be used. For example, let us suppose the weapon to be used is a .50 caliber Bolt Action Rifle, Model M-93 with a 30
• the cartridge selected is .50 Cal Browning Machine Gun cartridge, each of which is constructed from a brass case (made by Winchester), primer (CCI #35); powder (218 grains ACC #8700 by Accurate Arms Powder), and bullet (750 grain AMAX Match bullet by Hornady, ballistic
• Any conventional computer based ballistics program can then be used to determine bullet drop for this weapon/ammunition combination, such as, for example, the program written by W.R. Frenchu entitled “Ballistic V.4.0” which was copyrighted 1988 and is based upon Ingalls' table, or "Ballistic Explorer for Windows,” sold by Oehler Research of Austin, Texas, and range values for secondary horizontal cross-hairs and cross-wind offset values for secondary vertical cross-hairs calculated manually.
• the first step requires the user to zero the selected weapon by firing at a target of known size at a known distance from the muzzle of the gun. For example, if the user decides to zero the weapon at 500 yards, a target of known size is placed exactly 500
• the rifle is zeroed. If the
• the windage and elevation knobs of the scope are adjusted and the process repeated until the group is centered as desired using
• the shooter "calibrates" the cross-hair markings on the reticle. See, e.g., Figure 5, which provides a table with a zero at 500 yards. Other tables can be calculated with zero values at other ranges. 500 yards has been selected here solely for the purposes of illustration.
• a worksheet such as that illustrated in Figure 6 can be used.
• the shooter can select the size of the bulls eye (or target area) to be hit using a reticle of the present invention.
• a selected bulls eye could be 6 inches in diameter, 10 inches in diameter, 12 inches, 36 inches, 48 inches etc.
• a hit anywhere in the bulls eye counts as a direct hit.
• the secondary horizontal cross-hairs can be seen.
• the cross-hairs are evenly spaced 2.5 inches of angle apart.
• the spacing between the primary horizontal cross-hair 22 shown in Figure 2, and the first secondary horizontal cross-hair below the primary horizontal crosshair 22 is 2.5 inches of angle. The spacing between the primary horizontal cross-hair 22
• the secondary horizontal cross hair labeled "5" is 15 inches of angle. This means that adjacent cross-hairs would span a 2.5 inch target at 100 yards. The space between the primary horizontal cross-hair and the secondary horizontal cross-hair labeled "5" would cover a 15 inch target at 100 yards. At 200 yards, adjacent cross-hairs will span a target of 5 inches, and the space between the primary horizontal cross-hair and the secondary cross-hair labeled "5" would cover a 30 inch target. At 600 yards, adjacent cross-hairs will span a target of 15 inches, the space between the primary horizontal cross-hair and the secondary horizontal cross-hair labeled "5" would cover a 90 inch target, and so on. As can be seen, there is a linear relationship between the inches of angle scale and the range to the target in yards.
• the shooter can "calibrate" a scope of the present invention for the particular weapon and ammunition selected. For this example, a 500 yard zero table was selected for purposes of illustration. Therefore, the shooter marks the primary horizontal cross ⁇
• the 600 yard range on the table shows a trajectory of 18.4 inches.
• the shooter can then repeat this process to calibrate the reticle for every secondary horizontal cross-hair below the primary horizontal cross-hair.
• the worksheet can be cut out and taped to the butt of the shooter's rifle or carried by the shooter for easy reference.
• the shooter can locate the secondary horizontal cross-hair to use for
• the bullet drop at 1100 yards is 247 inches. This looks fairly close to mid-way between. To double check this estimate, the shooter can run the
• values for a reticle of the present invention in addition to values for conventional reticles, and to run either on a windows-based PC or on a personal digital assistant ("PDA") type device.
• the program is preferably loaded into internal memory accessible by the device, such as, for example, by installing it on a hard drive. While less
• the program can be provided on a floppy disc, CD, DVD, ROM chip, or other similar device which is accessible by the controller).
• the program can be installed on internal memory, or stored on a plug-in device (such as an insertable ROM chip or memory stick). The process begins, as explained in detail above, by zeroing the weapon.
• Figures 16a and 16b illustrates the data which is input, and the targeting information which is output and which enables the calibration of the the cross-hairs of a reticle of the present invention.
• Information regarding external factors are requested by the system and input by the user in response to each query as it appears on the monitor screen.
• Data can be entered into the system using any conventional input device linked to the system, such as a keyboard, mouse, and/or touchscreen and the like. It may also be possible to input data using a voice recognition system (microphone and appropriate software for converting the spoken words to data).
• the most accurate information which can be provided by the shooter is the actual barometric pressure, relative humidity and temperature at the shooting site. Altitude and temperature at the shooting site are used by the program to estimate a barometric pressure and relative humidity, and may be more accurate than
• the system next requests the user to input information regarding windspeed in miles per hour. Once this information has been input, the system requests the user to input wind direction (the clock position from the line of fire). Thus, if the wind is
• Wind direction would be "9" for the 9 o'clock position.
• Wind speed and direction is used by the system to calculate the appropriate adjustment to the aiming point at any effective range (that is, the number of vertical cross-hairs from the primary vertical cross-hair the aiming point will be offset into to wind so that the bullet will hit the target when it travels downrange).
• the next query asks the user to input any uphill/downhill slope (percentage from 0 to 60 degrees). This information is used to adjust the downrange aiming point based on the bullet's flight through space from the point of firing to target. As can be
• the distance to a target over sloped ground is somewhat longer than the horizontal distance to a target the same distance from the shooter over flat ground.
• the program treats this problem using simple trigonometry (with the distance to the uphill/downhill target being treated as the hypoteneuse of a triangle and calculated using the distance to target as the base of the triangle and the slope of the ground as the angle between the base and the hypoteneuse), and ignores the negligible effect of gravity, so it makes no difference whether the ground in front of the shooter slopes up or down.
• the system queries the user to indicate whether the target is moving or not. If the target is moving, the system asks the user to estimate the speed of the target. This information is used to calculate a lead adjustment in the aiming point so that the user can hold the correct aiming point on the moving target so as to discharge the bullet towards the place where the target will be when the bullet arrives (assuming the target does not unexpectedly change direction).
• the system queries the user to input "internal" information regarding the weapon and ammunition being used.
• the first query requests the user to input the height of the sight above the
• the next query requests textual information for identifying the type of cartridge to be used. This information is not used in the calculations, but is printed out on the targeting grid so that the targeting grid for one cartridge can be distinguished from subsequent targeting grids produced for other types of cartridges.
• the next query requests the weight of the bullet in grains. This information is typically found on the box the ammunition or bullets came in.
• the next queiy requests the ballistic coefficient of the bullets. Again, this information is typically found on the box the ammunition or bullets came in.
• the next query requests the muzzle velocity of the cartridge. Muzzle velocity is a function of the bullet's characteristics, the kind and amount of powder used in the cartridge case, and the primer. Again, this information is typically found on the box the ammunition came in or in the manufacturer's catalog, or for custom cartridges can be determined experimentally using conventional equipment for measuring muzzle velocity.
• the final query requests the user to input the range at which the weapon was
• the program creates a targeting grid which callibrates the horizontal cross- hairs of a reticle of the present invention for range, and provides the necessary off-set information for cross-wind and/or target movement.
• This grid can be displayed conventionally (on a computer display screen), or more desirably, can be printed out and taken by the shooter to the range.
• Targeting Grid shown in Figure 17a was produced in response to the following inputs:
• Wind Direction 3 (o'clock)
• Slope 0 degrees (flat terrain)
• primary horizontal cross-hair is identified, as is the amount of horizontal adjustment to be made at each horizontal cross-hair to compensate for cross-wind at that range, to the left or the right (as appropriate) from the primary vertical cross-hair.
• Figure 17c illustrates an example in which all inputs are the same as shown for Figure 17a, except information regarding a moving target has been input.
• the target is moving an estimated 4 miles per hour.
• the lead adjustment has
• the final adjustment is determined by the user by adding the wind adjustment to the lead adjustment if the wind and target are moving in opposite directions (i.e., the target is moving into the wind), or by subtracting the wind from the lead adjustment if the wind and target are moving in the same direction (i.e., target moving with the wind).
• the target is spotted at a range of 962 yards, and the wind is traveling from right to left and the target is
• the wind adjustment is added to the lead adjustment, to obtain the aiming point identified as "API". If the wind and target are moving together
• the wind adjustment is subtracted from to the lead adjustment to obtain the aiming point identified as "AP2".
• Coriolis effect is caused by the rotation of the earth.
• Coriolis effect is an inertial force described by the 19th-century French engineer-mathematician Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis in 1835.
• Coriolis showed that, if the ordinary Newtonian laws of motion of bodies are to be used in a rotating frame of reference, an inertial force—acting to the right of the direction of body motion for counterclockwise rotation of the reference frame or to the left for clockwise rotation-must be included in the equations of motion.
• the effect of the Coriolis force is an apparent deflection of the path of an object that moves within a rotating coordinate system.
• the targeting program can be modified to additionally pose queries regarding the Hemisphere in which the shooter is located (northern or southern), the latitude of the shooter
• the Coriolis effect can be factored in when determining the aiming point for hitting the target for either PC or PDA based targeting programs.
• the user is again presented with options: (1) print out the targeting grid; (2)
• the user decides to print out the targeting grid, the only remaining option is to quit. If it is desired to create additional targeting grids, the program can be started again. However, it would be easy to modify the software to allow the user to go back after printing out a targeting grid and exercise any of the other options. If the user decides to enter new atmospheric data based upon a new shooting position, the data regarding the weapon and ammumtion is retained in the calculations. If the option to identify the aiming point is selected, the user is queried to input the range to a specific target.
• the targeting grid software has greatly simplified the process of calibrating a scope containing a reticle of the present invention for specific conditions at the range and for the firearm.
• the primary disadvantage of this system is that personal computers are not very portable.
• TRAG1S5 ballistics software to adapt it for use with a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) type, hand-held computing device, such as, for example, the Palm Pilot (Palm Pilot is a registered trademark of Palm, Inc.).
• PDA Personal Digital Assistant
• Palm Pilot is a registered trademark of Palm, Inc.
• These devices are particularly useful because, unlike a Windows PC, the device can be turned off while the program is active, and when the device is turned back on, the user is returned to the screen that was active at the time the device was turned off. This enables
• PDAs are presently available which incorporate cellular modem technology which enable remote access to email and the internet, and infrared receiving/transmitting capability to enable the remote exchange of data between similar devices or between the PDA and another device capable of receiving or sending data to the PDA via an IR beam.
• Such devices may enable the user to access accurate meterological and other data from the internet or from other devices remotely (e.g., from the range, without the need
• PDA Personal Digital Assistant
• Personal Digital Assistant means any small, hand-held computing device which can be programmed to receive the necessary data inputs and calculate the targeting information described herein, regardless of whether, for example, such devices are viewed commercially as cellular telephones with computing capability or as hand-held computers with cellular capability.
• PDAs While typically powered by a rechargeable battery, it is likely that PDAs will be developed which utlilize other sources for .generating the necessary power for the device, including solar chips.
• the PDA targeting program has also been adapted for use in conjunction with a reticle of the present invention as well as for use with conventional reticle/scope combinations which are conventionally adjusted for a specific shot by turning elevation and windage knobs a specified number of clicks.
• the PDA targeting program can be activated.
• the targeting program can be selected by tapping the targeting program icon on the "home" screen.
• the user first chooses the type of scope/measurement system being used (conventional scopes with range/windage adjustments or a scope fitted with a reticle of the present invention). If a conventional scope is selected, the output will identify the number of "clicks" needed to adjust the elevation and windage knobs on the scope to properly position the cross-hair of the conventional scope to hit the target. If a scope using a reticle of the present invention is selected, the output will identify the position of the aiming point on the reticle. At present, due to the small size of the display screen and the limited amount of memory available with PDA type devices, the aiming information provided is numerical.
• aiming information a graphical depiction of the reticle being used with the exact aiming point identified, as is presently possible with the TRAG1S5 version for windows-based PCs.
• the PDA targeting program asks for four parameters as shown in Figure 18a: (1) bore height (the distance between the rifle barrel and the scope, center-to-center in inches); (2) bullet weight (in grains); (3) ballistic coefficient; and (4) sight-in range (the range at which the firearm was zeroed, in yards).
• the program positions the blinking cursor in the field where the first number is to be entered. The numbers, a period, an "enter” key and a "quit" key are displayed below the
• the bore height is entered by tapping the appropriate number and tapping the "enter” key on the display.
• the blinking cursor then appears in the second field (or the user taps the second field to position the cursor there), and the number corresponding to the bullet weight is tapped and the "enter” kay tapped.
• the blinking cursor then appears in the third field (or the user taps the third field to position the cursor there), and the number corresponding to the ballistic coefficient is tapped and the "enter” key is tapped.
• the blinking cursor appears in the fourth field (or the user taps the fourth field to position the cursor there), and the number corresponding to the sight-in range is tapped and the "enter” key is tapped. All four parameters are displayed and an "OK” button is displayed. The user can then review the four parameters, and if they are correct, the "OK” button is tapped. If the parameters are not correct, the "QUIT” button
• a second screen shown in Figure 18b is displayed by the PDA which allows the user to select the kind of atmospheric data to be input.
• the second option produces the most accurate result. While it is clearly possible to provide other choices, such as the standard conditions offered in the PC-based TRAG1S5 program described above, the small size of the PDA screen makes it desirable to keep each screen as compact as possible, consistent with obtaining reasonably accurate results.
• another screen is displayed which allows the user to input the selected atmospheric data, as well as the muzzle velocity of the ammunition to be used.
• altitude and temperature the altitude is entered in feet above sea level, and temperature is entered in degrees Fahrenheit.
• barometric pressure, temperature, and relative humidity the screen shown in Figure 18c appears and barometric pressure is preferably input as inches of mercury, temperature is preferably input in degrees Fahrenheit, and relative humidity is preferably input as a percentage.
• Muzzle velocity found on the cartridge box can be adjusted, if desired, based on temperature to produce a slightly more accurate result. Since a bullet typically travels faster than the speed of sound, it creates a shock wave which induces drag on the bullet. This induced drag is lower at high temperatures, and higher at low temperatures. Accordingly, if it feels very cold to the shooter at the range, the published muzzle velocity can be reduced by 50 fps and if it feels very hot to the shooter at the range, the published muzzle velocity can be increased by 50 fps, before entering the muzzle velocity into the PDA. Again, the atmospheric inputs are displayed, and the user clicks the "OK" button if all are correct and the user is ready to continue. As shown in Figure 18d, the user can then input information on windspeed (in
• the user can turn off the PDA until a target is acquired.
• the range is determined using the rangefinder on the reticle of the scope or using any other desired method.
• the PDA is turned on, and the screen shown in Figure 18e appears. The user simply taps in the in the distance to the target and taps "enter”.
• Figure 18f if a conventional scope was initially selected, the PDA displays the number of clicks the elevation and windage knobs on the scope needed to turned so that the intersection between the vertical and horizontal cross-hairs can be used as the aiming point to hit the target.
• Figure 18g if a scope employing a reticle of the present invention was initially selected, the exact position of the aiming point for
• While the method for inputting data into a PDA is typically done by tapping a touchscreen (or connecting the PDA to a PC and inputting data using various input devices for a PC such as keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, and the like), data can be transferred into the PDA remotely (i.e., without a hard wire connection) using cellular technology or infrared beam. It should also be technologically feasible for PDAs to be equipped with microphones, speakers or earphones, and voice-recognition and voice- generation technology to enable inputs and outputs to be spoken, thus eliminating the need to tap a touch screen, leaving the user's hands free to control the firearm.
• the PDA may be possible to link the PDA to receive positioning information from the Global Positioning Satellite using a GPS device, or to receive information regarding the azimuth to target in degrees clockwise from true north, slope of the ground to the target, and range to target by data transmission by a cable link or remote means (such as IR Beam or radio transmitter) from a laser rangefinding device equipped to measure these factors.
• a cable link or remote means such as IR Beam or radio transmitter
• the targeting information As noted above, whether the shooter creates a targeting grid manually, or uses the PC-based TRAG1S5 program described above, or uses the PDA-based TRAG1S5 targeting program to calibrate a reticle of the present invention, the targeting information
• the reticle can be used in the field to acquire and hit targets of all sizes at long ranges. While the preferred range for the preferred embodiment is at least 500 yards to 2500 yards (assuming the weapon/ammunition combination selected are capable of accurately hitting a target at these ranges), a scope of the present invention can be used to bit targets at shorter ranges, as well as longer ranges, limited only by the capacity of the weapon and the eyesight of the shooter.
• a rangefinder such as that shown in Figure 2
• the rangefinder so that the horizontal arm 34 of the rangefinder appears to pass through the center of the bull's-eye target. If, for example, the left edge of the target extends to the cross-hair corresponding to 6 inches of angle, then the observed size of the target is 6 inches of angle, and the range to target is calculated to be:
• Range (yards) target's actual size (inches) x 100 observed inches of angle on rangefinder or, in this example,
• the shooter observes a moose in the distance, eating vegetables from a garden near a house. From a comparison with a door in the house, the shooter estimates the size of the moose to be 6 feet at the shoulder. Upon viewing this target in the reticle, the shooter aligns the horizontal arm 34 of the rangefinder with the ground level upon which the moose is standing, and the vertical arm
• the shooter determines that the moose's shoulder touches the cross-hair marked 5.
• the range can then be calculated as follows:
• the experienced shooter can always use the reticle of the present invention to correct after a shot is observed to drift.
• the secondary vertical cross-hairs are evenly spaced every 5 inches of angle, which provides a scale for adjusting a second shot towards the target. For example, a 50 cal. bullet is fired at a target 1500 yards away. The intersection between the primary vertical cross-hair and the secondary horizontal cross-hair identified by number 11 is the selected aiming point. The bullet was observed to drift approximately two secondary vertical cross-hairs to the right of center.
• the shooter need only shift the aiming point to the intersection between the second vertical cross-hair to the right of the primary vertical cross-hair and the horizontal cross-hair identified by number 11, effectively moving the barrel of the weapon left the appropriate distance to compensate for windage.
• the shooter can use the secondary horizontal markings to adjust for range. For example, if the bullet is observed to pass two secondary horizontal markings above the selected aiming point when it passes the target, the shooter can quickly adjust by shifting his aiming point up two secondary horizontal cross-hairs, thus depressing the barrel of the firearm.
• the shooter can use a table which takes into account local conditions, the weapon, and ammunition to determine the amount of deflection over a selected range. See Figure 8 for an illustrative table. With the conditions as stated in Fig. 8, and for a wind crossing from the left of the shooter to the right, the expected deflection of the bullet at 1000 yards would be 54.1 inches to the right. The aiming point for windage can be easily calculated:
• the shooter can manually correct for windage on a first shot by choosing the intersection between the correct secondary horizontal cross-hair for 1000 yards, and the first secondary vertical cross-hair to the right of the primary vertical cross-hair (which, as indicated above for the preferred embodiment, is spaced 5 inches of angle away from the primary vertical cross-hair).
• the present invention can be adapted for use in mid-range application.
• “mid-range” is defined as about 50 to about 1000 yards from the muzzle of the weapon.
• a mid-range reticle can
• the horizontal cross-hair 22 in the long-range reticle was preferably located above the optical center 21 to allow for additional field of view necessary for long ranges.
• the primary horizontal cross-hair 22' of a mid-range reticle 40 does not need to be above the optical center 21. Since the mid-range reticle is used for shorter distances, less of the lower field of view is needed. Accordingly, for a mid-range reticle, the primary horizontal cross-hair 22' is preferably be centered to intersect the primary vertical cross-hair 20 at the optical center 21. Since this provides more room in the top quadrants, the rangefinder 30 of the mid-range reticle is preferably located in the upper left quadrant rather than the lower left quadrant.
• the mid-range embodiment 40 of the present invention is used in the same manner
• the scope and reticle can be calibrated to work with almost any type of rifle.
• the shooter can follow the same procedure detailed above for a long-range reticle with the reticle preferably zeroed for mid-range yardage.
• the shooter can test the calculated values against actual performance at a range. It is preferred that the final range value assigned to each secondary horizontal cross-hair should be based on an actual line firing test of the selected weapon and ammunition at various ranges. At least three shots are preferably used for the final confirmation of the estimated values.
• the reticle Once the reticle has been calibrated, it can be used in the field to acquire and hit targets of all sizes at mid-range distances.
• the rangefinder can be used to determine the range to the target as explained above with respect to the long-range reticle. Also, compensation for windage can likewise be determined as detailed above.
• a scope of the present invention could be used to hit targets at shorter ranges, as well as longer ranges, limited only by the capacity of the weapon and the skills of the shooter.
• the present invention can also be provided with a "ghost ring" 41 as depicted in Figure 11.
• the ghost ring 41 is a visible ring which has as its center the optical center 21 of the scope, and which circumscribes that markings on the
• Ghost ring 41 aids shooters by helping them align their sight with respect to the scope and reticle. By insuring that the ghost ring 41 is centered within the field of view of the scope, the reticle will likewise be centered.
• an aiming dot 42 can be included as an aid for rapid acquisition of moving targets, and for centering
• Dot 42 is most preferably about 5 inches of angle in diameter, and is superimposed over the optical center of the reticle. Dot 42 shown is most preferably circular, but it may also be other shapes such as square, rectangular, oval, and the like.
• the aiming dot 42 can be a predetermined size that covers a predetermined area of the target at a given range according to a scaling of the reticle, such as inches of angle, centimeters of angle, or conventional scaling means as mentioned previously.
• aiming dot 42 enhances the eye's natural tendency to center the ring 41 in the center of the field of view of the scope. By looking directly along the scope, the shooter is more likely to have accurate and repeatable shooting.
• the ghost ring 41 and dot 42 can be part of the reticle.
• Preferably ring 41 and dot 42 are etched onto one side of the disc 19.
• ring 41 and dot 42 can also be provided using other conventional methods such as, for example, printing or applying hairs or wires to disc 19, or to other optical components of the scope.
• aiming marking 42 is etched onto one side of the disc 19, but it can also be provided using other conventional methods such as, for example, printing or applying hairs or wires to disc 19 or to other optical components of the scope.

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• 2001
  • 2001-06-14 US US09/882,767 patent/US6516699B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2002
  • 2002-06-10 WO PCT/US2002/018490 patent/WO2002103274A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-06-10 EP EP02770380A patent/EP1436568A4/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-06-10 AU AU2002335617A patent/AU2002335617B2/en not_active Ceased

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