Appeal No. 96-2652
Application No. 08/329,755
Appellants' invention is an apparatus for accelerating a
projectile in a gun barrel with high pressure plasma. Claim
28 is exemplary of the subject matter on appeal and recites:
28. Apparatus for accelerating a projectile in a gun
barrel comprising an electric discharge device
including an electrode for establishing a high
pressure plasma with sufficient energy to accelerate
the projectile in the barrel, the high pressure
plasma flowing via a flow path from the discharge
device to the projectile to accelerate the
projectile axially along the barrel, a confining
structure for the plasma, the plasma having
sufficient pressure so it tends to flow axially of
the barrel out of the confining structure into
contact with the electrode in a direction opposite
from the direction of projectile acceleration in the
barrel and thereby tends to establish an undesirable
electrical connection between the electrode and
another part of the discharge device, the confining
structure including a chamber located axially behind
the electric discharge device, a soft non-
electrically conductive material in the chamber, the
soft material expanding radially and being
compressed axially against walls of the chamber to
form a seal for overcoming the tendency of the
plasma to flow out of the confining structure into
contact with the electrode to prevent the
undesirable electrical connection from being
established.
THE REFERENCES
The following references were relied on by the examiner
in support of the final rejection:
Hunting 161,514 Mar. 30, 1875
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