US3897284A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tagging explosives with organic microparticles
Assignee: 3M Co
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Filing: 1973-09-18
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Granted: 1975-07-29
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Expires: 1993-09-18
Abstract
Abstract Tagging explosives by incorporating microparticles of a tackfree organic carrier, which microparticles have a distinctive geometric shape 1-250 micrometers in size. The microparticles contain tagging elements in uniform amounts of at least 0.1% of the total weight of each microparticle. By incorporating uniquely coded microparticles into each unit of production of explosive, any unit of production can be retrospectively identified by recovering and analyzing a single microparticle.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard G Livesay
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 08:38
CPC Classifications
G; G21; G21H; G21H5/00; G21H5/02; C; C06; C06B; C06B23/00; C06B23/008; G06; G06K; G06K19/00; G06K19/06; G06K19/06009; G06K2019/06215; G06K2019/06234; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S149/00; Y10S149/123; Y10S252/00; Y10S252/965; Y10T; Y10T436/00; Y10T436/13
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
AN EXPLOSIVE COMPOSITION, COMPRISING A. EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL, AND B. MICROPARTICLES OF ATACK-FREE ORGANIC CARRIER WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A SOFTENING POINT BELOW 60*C, WHICH MICROPARTICLES HAVE A GENERALLY SPHEROIDAL SHAPE WITH A DIAMETRICAL DIMENSION OF NOT LESS THAN ONE NOR MORE THAN 250 MICROMETERS, CONTAIN TAGGING ELEMENTS IN UNIFORM AMOUNTS OF AT LEAST 0.1 PERCENT OF HE TOTAL WEIGHT, SURVIVE DETONATION OF THE EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL AND SO PERMIT RETROSPECTIVE IDENTIFICATION OF THE EXPLOSIVE ALTHROUGH IT HAS BEEN DETONATED.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
78 words
AN EXPLOSIVE COMPOSITION, COMPRISING A. EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL, AND B. MICROPARTICLES OF ATACK-FREE ORGANIC CARRIER WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A SOFTENING POINT BELOW 60*C, WHICH MICROPARTICLES HAVE A GENERALLY SPHEROIDAL SHAPE WITH A DIAMETRICAL DIMENSION OF NOT LESS THAN ONE NOR MORE THAN 250 MICROMETERS, CONTAIN TAGGING ELEMENTS IN UNIFORM AMOUNTS OF AT LEAST 0.1 PERCENT OF HE TOTAL WEIGHT, SURVIVE DETONATION OF THE EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL AND SO PERMIT RETROSPECTIVE IDENTIFICATION OF THE EXPLOSIVE ALTHROUGH IT HAS BEEN DETONATED.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
67 words
providing an inventory of batches of microparticles, each batch being uniformly coded by incorporation in the microparticles of a selected combination of the tagging elements, which inventory includes up to (L+1)N-1 uniquely coded batches of microparticles where L is the number of discrete concentration levels at which the individual tagging elements, and the microparticles of at least some of the batches contain at least three tagging elements;
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
67 words
providing an inventory of batches of microparticles, each batch being uniformly coded by incorporation in the microparticles of a selected combination of the tagging elements, which inventory includes up to (L+1)N-1 uniquely coded batches of microparticles where L is the number of discrete concentration levels at which the individual tagging elements, and the microparticles of at least some of the batches contain at least three tagging elements;
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
77 words
providing an inventory of batches of microparticles, each batch being uniformly coded by incorporation in the microparticles of a selected combination of the tagging elements, which inventory includes up to (L+1)N-1 uniquely coded batches of microparticles where L is the number of discrete concentration levels at which the individual elements are used and N is the number of available tagging elements, and the microparticles of at least some of the batches contain at least three tAgging elements;
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
77 words
providing an inventory of batches of microparticles, each batch being uniformly coded by incorporation in the microparticles of a selected combination of the tagging elements, which inventory includes up to (L+1)N-1 uniquely coded batches of microparticles where L is the number of discrete concentration levels at which the individual elements are used and N is the number of available tagging elements, and the microparticles of at least some of the batches contain at least three tAgging elements;
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
96 words
A unit of production of an explosive incorporating a large number of microparticles of distinctive geometric shape, the broadest dimensions of which are not less than one nor more than 250 micrometers, each of which microparticles comprises a tack-free organic carrier which does not have a softening point below 60*C and contains one or more tagging elements in uniform amounts, each element providing at least 0.1 percent by weight of the total of each microparticle, recovery and analysis of a single microparticle being sufficient to identify the unit of production, even after detonation of the explosive.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
96 words
A unit of production of an explosive incorporating a large number of microparticles of distinctive geometric shape, the broadest dimensions of which are not less than one nor more than 250 micrometers, each of which microparticles comprises a tack-free organic carrier which does not have a softening point below 60*C and contains one or more tagging elements in uniform amounts, each element providing at least 0.1 percent by weight of the total of each microparticle, recovery and analysis of a single microparticle being sufficient to identify the unit of production, even after detonation of the explosive.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A unit of production of an explosive as defined in claim 2 wherein the microparticles are of generally spheroidal shape.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
maintaining a record of the particular elements and their levels employed in each batch of microparticles; and
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
maintaining a record of the particular elements and their levels employed in each batch of microparticles; and
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
maintaining a record of the particular elements and their levels employed in each batch of microparticles; and
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
maintaining a record of the particular elements and their levels employed in each batch of microparticles; and
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
incorporating microparticles from any one batch with only one unit of production of the explosive, recovery and analysis of a single microparticle being sufficient to identify the unit of production of the substance.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
incorporating microparticles from any one batch with only one unit of production of the explosive, recovery and analysis of a single microparticle being sufficient to identify the unit of production of the substance.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
incorporating microparticles from any one batch with only one unit of production of the explosive, recovery and analysis of a single microparticle being sufficient to identify the unit of production of the substance.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
incorporating microparticles from any one batch with only one unit of production of the explosive, recovery and analysis of a single microparticle being sufficient to identify the unit of production of the substance.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
A unit of production of an explosive as defined in claim 3 wherein substantially all of the spheroidal microparticles are between 20 and 150 micrometers in diameter.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
A unit of production of an explosive as defined in claim 2 wherein the specific gravity of the particles is 1.1 to 1.9.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
42 words
A unit of production of an explosive as defined in claim 2 wherein the tagging elements are uniformly dispersed throughout each microparticle to permit easy and reliable qualitative and quantitative analysis of the tagging elements by electron microprobe analysis of a microparticle.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
15 words
A method of tagging individual units of production of an explosive comprising the steps of:
Claim 22
Independent Claim
15 words
A method of tagging individual units of production of an explosive comprising the steps of:
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method of tagging individual units of production of an explosive according to claim 7 wherein each microparticle is spheroidal.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as defined in claim 8 wherein the spheroidal microparticles are between 20 and 150 micrometers in diameter.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as defined in claim 7 wherein N is at least 10 and L is at least 3.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as defined in claim 7 wherein the organic carrier is a polymer or a wax.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as defined in claim 11 wherein the organic carrier is microcrystalline and/or crosslinked.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as defined in claim 7 wherein the organic carrier has a softening point below 200*C at the time the microparticles are formed and does not have a softening point below 70*C at the time the microparticles are added to the explosive.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
87 words
An explosive composition, comprising A. dynamite and B. microparticles of a tack-free, microcrystalline and/or crosslinked organic carrier which does not have a softening point below 60*C and is not softened by polar substances, which microparticles have a generally spheroidal shape with a diametrical dimension of not less than one nor more than 250 micrometers, contain tagging elements in uniform amounts of at least 0.1 percent of the total weight, survive detonation of the dynamite and so permit retrospective identification of the explosive although it has been detonated.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
87 words
An explosive composition, comprising A. dynamite and B. microparticles of a tack-free, microcrystalline and/or crosslinked organic carrier which does not have a softening point below 60*C and is not softened by polar substances, which microparticles have a generally spheroidal shape with a diametrical dimension of not less than one nor more than 250 micrometers, contain tagging elements in uniform amounts of at least 0.1 percent of the total weight, survive detonation of the dynamite and so permit retrospective identification of the explosive although it has been detonated.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
15 words
A method of tagging individual units of production of an explosive comprising the steps of:
Claim 32
Independent Claim
15 words
A method of tagging individual units of production of an explosive comprising the steps of:
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method of tagging individual units of production of an explosive as defined in claim 15 wherein the tagging elements are selected from Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Ti.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as defined in claim 15 wherein the organic carrier is selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, epoxy resin, polystyrene, polyamide, polyurethane, poly(trifluoromonochloro)ethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polycarbonate, polyester, polyisocyanurate, phenolic resin, acrylic resin, candelilla wax, carnauba wax and paraffin wax.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-07-28 | 1979-01-27 | 1979-07-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-07-28 | 1983-01-27 | 1983-07-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-07-28 | 1987-01-27 | 1987-07-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |