Firearms – Implements – Sight devices
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-17
2004-09-21
Johnson, Stephen M. (Department: 3641)
Firearms
Implements
Sight devices
C042S142000, C042S146000, C042S090000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06792711
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to firearms and, more particularly, to a firearm adapter rail system for mounting accessories to the firearm.
2. Brief Description of Earlier Developments
The original M16 rifle was developed in the 1960's. During the original development, the hand guard system employed on the rifle, was merely that, a hand guard, the forward hold for the weapon including its mounting configuration to the weapon. The original accessories for the M16 included scope mounting to the handle portion, carry sling and bayonet mounting to the front sight casting. The devices and attachments used today simply did not exist at the time of the rifle design. Therefore, no consideration was given to supplemental device mounting.
As technology has progressed since the time of first development of the M16 rifle, supplemental devices and accessories have been developed in order to enhance the use of the rifle. Presently, the M4 type rifles and carbines (the current descendents of the original M16 type rifle) may be integrated with numerous supplemental devices and accessories such as cameras, lasers, lights and a host of other electronic and mechanical gear. Also, secondary weapon system integration may be performed with the M4 such as grenade launchers, shot gun type devices for lethal and nonlethal deployment and other such means. The supplemental devices may be integrated with the M4 type rifle and carbine by military, police, and civilian users (in the case of civilian users possibly with the exception of the secondary weapon systems and using restricted law enforcement and military versions of the M4 type rifle). Furthermore, in the hands of the military, the M4 type firearm has morphed into an M4 type weapon system. This versatility has been demonstrated through the U.S. Army's “Land Warrior System” mounting several pieces of electronics to the M4 including cameras, digital compasses and specific electronics. This “state of the art” use of an M16 type weapon has given rise to the desire for mounting several pieces of apparatus at once onto the weapon.
As the number of different types of supplemental devices has proliferated, creating a suitable mounting platform for the devices to M16 types has been an on going pursuit of the government and manufacturers. The government has standardized the actual mounting surface between devices ad mounting adapter through Military Standard 1913 (MIL-STD-1913) which depicts and describes the “Piccatiny Rail” configuration. This rail configuration has been merged into recent M16 designs such as the M16A4 flat-top rail on the upper receiver handle portion, allowing the handle to be removed and attachments to be placed. This rail position alone is not sufficient to satisfy the ever growing desire of users to further mount supplemental devices. For example with an optical scope or camera mounted on the integral rail on the upper receiver, the user may further desire to mount a flash light and laser pointer to the M4 weapon. All these devices however, cannot be mounted at the same time utilizing only the integral rail. Accordingly, various schemes have been devised to provide the M4 type weapon with additional mounting rails.
A number of the schemes for mounting supplemental devices involve using the hand guard system of the M4 in some way with a deleterious over all effect to the M4 firearm. The current M16 type rifle derivation, the M4 manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing for example, has become the standard weapon of choice for many police and military groups because of its compact design, accuracy and feature level. One of its hailed features is the double heat shield hand guard system, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,875. Not only does it create superior barrel heat shielding in burst and full auto, it has a ergonomic hold of the rifle due to the natural grasp shape. The M4 hand guard has become an integral look as well as a standard hold of the M4 rifle. However, the present M4 style hand guard mounting system was never intended to carry supplemental devices, especially heavy electronics that require exact repeatable placement with forced centerline geometry to the barrel. The original intent of the design was merely an ingenious and fast way to affix the hand guard to the rifle and nothing else. The present construction including the rear cap urged by its extension spring into the taper of the plastic in the rear of the hand guard and its corresponding forward stationary metal stamped cup docking the front portion of the hand guard, cannot create an adequate foundation for supplemental device mounting. Present rail type devices using the existing hand guard mounting technique prove inadequate for repetitive mounting and unmounting of supplemental devices. Also, combination rail and hand guard devices of a “free floating” concept compound the geometry considerations with an unsupported beam creating a completely unsatisfactory situation.
One example of a rail adapter hand guard system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,363 which provides a replacement hand guard, replacing the original hand guard on M16 type rifles and carbines. The replacement hand guard has accessory adapter rails affixed directly to the hand guard, and the replacement hand guard is mounted on the weapon using the mounting configuration of the original hand guard which it replaces. The replacement hand guard has four fixed rail portions equally distributed around the circumference of the hand guard with one rail portion located at the top most section of the hand guard.
The current rail type devices or systems, such as exemplified by the device in U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,363, suffer from several deficiencies. First is the simple matter of choice, in that in order to use a forward rail system the user has to abandon the M4 hand guard and replace it with one of the replacement units. This adds extreme cost to the basic weapon price and permanently alters its configuration. The operator also loses the intended barrel heat shielding characteristics of the double heat shield design of the original hand guard. Generally, the replacement hand guard rail type systems are constructed from aluminum which conducts heat from the barrel and brings the hand guard to the operating temperature of the barrel rapidly, creating discomfort for the operator.
Manufactured from an aluminum extrusion the mounting portion of the replacement hand guard comes in direct contact with the barrel conducting or convecting heat directly to the users hand, creating an undesirable situation. Aluminum has very fast heat transfer properties, which only permit a short time of use before the aluminum hand guard approaches the operating temperature of the barrel. Because of aluminum's heat properties, it is slow to dissipate the heat, rendering the use of the weapon in an inefficient manner. To compound this problem, the replacement rail type hand guards do not provide an ergonomic grip for the operator. When grasping the hand guard, the operator's hand grips the corners and edges of the rails which are part of the hand guard.
Accuracy of the placement of the supplemental devices in relation to the centerline of the barrel is also an issue when employing the present rail type hand guards. As can realized, the accuracy of the placement of the supplemental devices is directly dependent on how accurately the mounting rail on the rail type hand guard is placed in relation to the barrel centerline. This in turn depends on the placement of the rail type hand guard on the firearm. However, the rail type hand guard systems, as noted before, merely employ the same mounting configuration as the original hand guard. The mounting configuration of the original hand guard on the M4 type firearms is intended only for mounting the hand guard on the M4. Hence, the placement accuracy of the hand guard mounting configuration is sufficient for mounting the hand guard itself to the firearm, but not for accurately locating supplemental devices o
Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc.
Johnson Stephen M.
Perman & Green LLP
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