Firearms – Safety mechanism – Firearm lock
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-25
2001-05-08
Eldred, J. Woodrow (Department: 3644)
Firearms
Safety mechanism
Firearm lock
C042S070080
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226914
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESERCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APENDIX
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Weapons have been used for centuries to protect life and property and aid in sustaining life. Firearms allow our armies and police officers to engage in combat and different confrontations to bring about peace and harmony.
Firearms are a major cause of crime in the world today. Weapons used by young children provide a means for them to conduct mass killings in our schools and on the streets. Criminals injure, maim and kill hundreds of people each year by the use of firearms. Children playing with unsecured weapons are also maimed, injured or killed.
Our government leaders are working diligently to structure gun control laws that will allow us to live in a safer environment. One or more gun control laws being considered are safety locks and safety devices to prevent firearms from firing.
Trigger locks are safety devices used to prevent weapons from being discharged. Most trigger guards do provide a means of safety but are time consuming for someone that is required to use the weapon in an emergency situation. It is dangerous to place a trigger lock on a loaded weapon.
Many safety devices are designed to have a rod inserted in the muzzle and an attachment inserted in the firing chamber connected to the rod and pulled or tightened to swell in the weapons firing chamber. Usually, this is accomplished by twisting the rod clockwise to lock and counter-clockwise to unlock, many are keyed. These type barrel devices are again, time consuming, expensive and could result in injury or death if an apparatus is being installed in a loaded weapon. A person in a hurried situation could conceivably remove the device inserted in the firing chamber and leave the rod in the barrel, chamber a round, and fire the weapon that would result in injury or death to the user.
Many devices have been invented to prevent firearms from being discharged. One such device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,923, to Smith, show a safety clip attached to the handgrip of a shotgun. The clip further extends upward and into the magazine, the clip then curls back and against the shell that is ready to be injected into the firing chamber. This system would prevent semi-automatic and automatic shotguns from being fired if there is no shell present in the firing chamber before the safety clip is installed. Mr. Smith's safety device would be of little use on other firearms. For example, the device could not be mounted to a single barrel firearm or a break-over shotgun.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,992, to Layergne, shows a locking apparatus inserted into the magazine of a weapon with a frame extending upward with said frame having a keyed lock, when rotated, positions a lever down and into the ejection port. The art displayed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,992, to Mr. Layergne, limits the use of the firearm safety device to magazine type firearms.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,952 and 5,097,613 to Miller, depicts a loaded, live semi-automatic rifle cartridge, as used by the U.S. Military M-16 Rifle. Further art displays a safety plug designed similar to the M-16's cartridge and manufactured by using certain plastics or alloy materials. The art displays a visual indicator tab protruding from the ejection port that allows visual inspection to determine if a live round has been injected into the firing chamber. The safety plug is of great benefit to allow visual inspection but can be easily removed by opening the breech and manually removing the tab and plug. After removing the plug a child, adult or perpetrator would be allowed to use the weapon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,236, to Del Real, is basically a rack and pinion movable device and relies largely on a key for positioning. This apparatus rests against the weapons bolt on one end and against the outside opening of the weapon's firing chamber on the opposite end. Mr. Del Real's safety device, when in the locked position allows a live shell in the weapon's firing chamber that could possibly be discharged.
Safety plugs, locking mechanisms, gun locking devices and chamber devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,014,457, 5,070,635, 4,995,180, 5,038,580, 5,419,069, 5,475,994 and 5,669,252.
It is the objective of the present invention to provide a fast and safe method for securing a firearm by blocking the ejection port and firing chamber.
REFERENCES CITED
U.S. Patent Documents
4058923
Nov., 1977
Smith
421 LP
4654992
Apr., 1987
Lavergne
42/70.01
4965952
Oct., 1990
Miller
42/70.01
4995180
Feb., 1991
Tucker
42/70.11
5014457
May, 1991
Lewis
42/70.11
5038580
Aug., 1991
Brown
42/70.11
5070635
Dec., 1991
Cventanovich
42/70.11
5097613
Mar., 1992
Miller
42/70.01
5231236
Jul., 1993
Del Real
42/70.11
5419069
May 1995
Mumbleau
42/70.11
5475994
Dec., 1995
Briley
70/34
5669252
Sept., 1997
Bentley
70/14
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an advanced safety device for firearms. The device, when placed in the weapon's loading and ejection port, provides an extremely safe method for securing a firearm and prevents the firearm from being fired. The firearm port block apparatus is very affordable and requires a small expense to the consumer.
The firearm port block is a cylindrical device that consists of a canister and a tube and is sized to a weapons particular shell. The canister has a closed end and an open end and is hollow. The closed end of the canister next to the firearm's bolt supports a raised rim. An expandable spring is inserted into the open end of the canister nearest the firing chamber. A cylinder tube smaller in diameter than the open canister end, and having a closed end closest to the canister opening, is inserted inside the canister and against the expandable spring making for expansion and contraction of the cylinder tube inside the canister. A locking mechanism is provided to lock the cylinder in the “extended” or “compressed” position. The apparatus supports a firing cap attached to the expandable cylinder end closest to the weapon's firing chamber.
The firearm port block, in the compressed position, is placed into a weapons open port. When released from the compressed position the expanded firearm port block positions the firing cap into the firing chamber and the opposite end against the bolt. By turning the lock clockwise on the firearm port block the firearm is then in the locked position. The firearm port block is removed by reversing the locked cylinder from the expanded position to the compressed position.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a fast, economical and safe method for placing a firearm in an inoperable mode until the weapon is ready for use.
Another object of the invention is to provide a firearm port block that can be used on most open port weapons.
Another object of the invention is to provide a firearm port block that will prevent users from placing live ammunition in the weapon's firing chamber until the weapon is ready for use.
Another object of the invention is to provide a gun safety device that will allow authorized users to operate the weapon within seconds.
Another object of the invention is to provide gun manufactures an inexpensive means to secure weapons sold to the public.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3208176 (1965-09-01), Giles
patent: 5315778 (1994-05-01), Wolford
patent: 5890310 (1999-04-01), Bogstrom
patent: 6041536 (2000-03-01), Samuels et al.
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