Indoor gun firing range enclosure having a ventilation system

Claim 1

An indoor gun firing range comprising: an enclosure having an uprange end wall, a downrange end wall spaced from and generally parallel to the uprange end wall, two spaced apart side walls interconnecting the uprange end wall and downrange end wall, and a ceiling; gun shooting positions located a distance from the uprange end wall; a bullet trap located proximate the downrange end wall; an air exhaust system for removing a portion of the air from the interior of the enclosure, cleaning the air so removed and exhausting the cleaned air to the out-of-doors comprising duct means having an inlet means open to the interior of the enclosure disposed at the ceiling of the enclosure at a location downrange from the gun shooting position for removing air from the enclosure; particulate matter separator means in communication with the duct means downstream of the inlet to the duct for separating particulate matter from the air being conveyed in the duct means from the enclosure; air moving means in communication with the duct means for causing a flow of air from the interior of the enclosure through the duct means; and, an outlet means from the duct means for releasing the air to the out-of-doors; an air recirculation system for removing that portion of air from the interior of the enclosure not removed by the air exhaust system and re-introducing back into the interior of the enclosure, comprising duct means having inlet means open to the interior of the enclosure proximate the downrange end of the enclosure for removing air from the enclosure; particulate matter separation means in communication with the duct means downstream of the inlet means to the duct means for separating particulate matter from the air being conveyed in the duct means; air moving means in communication with the duct means for causing a flow of air from the interior of the enclosure through the duct means; and, an outlet means from the duct means open to the interior of the enclosure proximate the uprange wall of the enclosure for discharging air back into the enclosure; and, an out-of-doors air make-up system in gaseous communication with the duct means of the air recirculation system for replacing at least a portion of the air removed from the interior of the enclosure by the air exhaust system with out-of-doors air.

Claim 12

A method of ventilating air indoor gun firing range enclosure, which comprises: continuously removing approximately 30% of the supply air from the enclosure at a location downrange of persons using the firing range; removing particulate matter from this removed 30% of the air; exhausting this removed 30% of the supply air to the out-of-doors; continuously removing approximately 75% of the supply air from the enclosure at a location proximate the target area at which the persons using the range are shooting; removing particulate matter from this removed 75% of the air; removing particulate matter from a volume of out-of-doors are substantially equal to 25% of the supply air in the enclosure; adding the out-of-doors air equal to 25% of the supply air in the enclosure to the removed 75% of the air; introducing the mixture of out-of-doors air equal to 25% of the air in the enclosure and removed 75% of the air into the enclosure at a location uprange of persons using the firing range; and, moving the introduction mixture of out-of-doors air equal to 25% of the air in the enclosure and removed 75% of the air past the persons using the firing range in a downstream direction at a substantially uniform velocity of approximately 75 feet per minute (plus or minus 8%) across the width and height of the enclosure.

Claim 13

A method of ventilating air indoor gun firing range enclosure, which comprises: continuously removing approximately 30% of the supply air from the enclosure at a location downrange of persons using the firing range; removing particulate matter from this removed 30% of the air; exhausting this removed 30% of the supply air to the out-of-doors; continuously removing approximately 75% of the supply air from the enclosure at a location proximate the target area at which the persons using the range are shooting; removing particulate matter from this removed 75% of the air; removing particulate matter from a volume of out-of-doors are substantially equal to 25% of the supply air in the enclosure; adding the out-of-doors air equal to 25% of the supply air in the enclosure to the removed 75% of the air; introducing the mixture of out-of-doors air equal to 25% of the air in the enclosure and removed 75% of the air into the enclosure at a location uprange of persons using the firing range; and, moving the introduction mixture of out-of-doors air equal to 25% of the air in the enclosure and removed 75% of the air past the persons using the firing range in a downstream direction at a substantially uniform velocity of approximately 75 feet per minute (plus or minus 8%) across the width and height of the enclosure.