Firearms – Safety mechanism – Firearm lock
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-25
2001-07-03
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3641)
Firearms
Safety mechanism
Firearm lock
C042S070060, C042S070060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253480
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to personalized safety devices for hand held weapons and more particularly pertains to a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon for preventing unauthorized use of a hand held weapon having a trigger.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of personalized safety devices for hand held weapons is known in the prior art. More specifically, personalized safety devices for hand held weapons heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,179; U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,545; U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,819; U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,232; U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,633; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 375,342 which are all incorporated by reference herein.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon. The inventive device includes a housing which is coupled to a weapon such that the housing is positioned in front of the handgrip and trigger of the weapon. A pair of elongate guard plates outwardly extend from a pair of elongate slots in the back of the housing. A motor is disposed in the housing for extending and the retracting the guard plates from the housing. A computer is provided for controlling the retraction and extension of the guard plates by the motor. A scanner is mounted to the handgrip of the weapon and is in communication with the computer. The scanner obtains an image of the fingerprints and handprint of the user grasping the handgrip. If the scanned image matches data stored in the computer corresponding to the fingerprints and handprint of an authorized user, the computer activates the motor to retract the guard plates.
In these respects, the personalized safety device for a hand held weapon according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of preventing unauthorized use of a hand held weapon having a trigger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of personalized safety devices for hand held weapons now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon construction wherein the same can be utilized for preventing unauthorized use of a hand held weapon having a trigger.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the personalized safety devices for hand held weapons mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art personalized safety devices for hand held weapons, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a housing which is coupled to a weapon such that the housing is positioned in front of the handgrip and trigger of the weapon. A pair of elongate guard plates outwardly extend from a pair of elongate slots in the back of the housing. A motor is disposed in the housing for extending and the retracting the guard plates from the housing. A computer is provided for controlling the retraction and extension of the guard plates by the motor. A scanner is mounted to the handgrip of the weapon and is in communication with the computer. The scanner obtains an image of the fingerprints and handprint of the user grasping the handgrip. If the scanned image matches data stored in the computer corresponding to the fingerprints and handprint of an authorized user, the computer activates the motor to retract the guard plates.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the personalized safety devices for hand held weapons mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art personalized safety devices for hand held weapons, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such personalized safety device for a hand held weapon economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon for preventing unauthorized use of a hand held weapon having a trigger.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new personalized safety device for a hand held weapon which includes a housing
Carone Michael J.
Richardson John
LandOfFree
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