Lightweight protective armor plate

Claim 1

A LIGHTWEIGHT ARMOR PLATE FOR PROTECTING AN AREA AGAINST HIGH ENERGY PARTICLES, SUCH AS PROJECTILES, BY RESISTING THE PENETRATION THEREOF, SAID ARMOR PLATE COMPRISING (A) A BODY OF NON-METALLIC, SHATTER-RESISTANT MATERIAL, (B) A PLURALITY OF SPHERICAL FRAGMENTATION-INDUCING AND ENERGY-DISSIPATING ELEMENTS EMBEDDED IN SAID NON-METALLIC BODY SO AS TO BE RIGIDLY HELD IN PLACE THEREBY, SAID SPHERICAL FRAGMENTATION-INDUCING AND ENERGY-DISSIPATING ELEMENTS BEING ARRANGED IN AT LEAST ONE LAYER AND IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER IN SAID BODY, (C) SAID PLURALITY OF SPHERICAL FRAGMENTATION-INDUCING AND ENERGY-DISSIPATING ELEMENTS BEING INVIDUALLY SHATTERABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE IMPACT OF A HIGH ENERGY PARTICLE THEREAGAINST TO CAUSE THE HIGH ENERGY PARTICLE TO BE BROKEN INTO FRAGMENTS FOR DISSIPATING THE FORCE OF THE HIGH ENERGY PARTICLE WHILE TENDING TO DIVERT THE PATH TAKEN BY THE FRAGMENTS OF THE HIGH ENERGY PARTICLE. (D) LAYERS OF ANTI-SPALLING MATERIAL IN SAID BODY AND RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED FORWARDLY AND REARWARDLY OF SAID SPHERICAL FRAGMENTATION-INDUCING AND ENERGYDISSIPATING ELEMENTS TO DEFINE CONFINING BOUNDARIES THEREFOR, AND