Firearms – Safety mechanism – Hammer or firing pin
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-28
2001-07-17
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3641)
Firearms
Safety mechanism
Hammer or firing pin
C042S070110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260298
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a pistol which comprises a housing which contains a trigger device and a slide which slides on the housing and contains a barrel and a breech, in which case the breech is provided with a firing bolt which can be driven by a mainspring, and a trigger is operatively connected to the trigger device such that, when the trigger is operated, the firing bolt is released, and the breech of the pistol has a hole which runs transversely with respect to the firing direction and in which a locking bolt can be moved and can be rotated, which locking bolt has a head which is accessible from the outside and, in the locked position, projects into the movement path of the firing bolt.
Owing to the repeated incidence of accidents and incidents, in which children or youths use fire arms without permission, even the lawmakers are increasingly demanding that access to firearms be made more difficult. Long guns are normally stored in boxes that can be locked, but it has not been possible to implement this for pistols, which are frequently kept in desks or bedside tables. The usual solution thus comprises additional devices which enclose and fill out the trigger guard, and which are locked by means of a lock, thus making it impossible to move the trigger. Apart from the fact that such devices are bulky and impractical, they do not provide complete safety. Since there are intermediate elements between the trigger and the firing bolt, the firing bolt can nevertheless be released, for example if the pistol is dropped. Furthermore, this does not prevent the slide from being removed and a shot being fired. There is therefore a requirement for a real firing bolt lock with final safety, which also involves protection against access.
In the case of a pistol which is disclosed in DE 40 13 124 A1, drop protection is provided in the form of a locking piece which can be moved transversely with respect to the firing direction. However, this method of operation means that the firing bolt has to be able to move in the vertical direction, and, furthermore, it is not positively locking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,529 A discloses a pistol in which a locking bolt, which is arranged in the transverse direction and can be moved, has an oblique rib which, when locked, engages in a cutout on the shank of the firing bolt. Owing to the rib, the locking movement of the locking bolt is considerable and the locking bolt cannot be rotated, so that it cannot be fixed in the locked position. In consequence, protection against access can be achieved only with major effort. Furthermore, this relates to a pistol with a hammer action, in which the mainspring acts against the firing direction. This firing bolt protection device cannot be used in a pistol having a mainspring that acts in the firing direction.
The object of the present invention is to provide a means of protection against access for pistols of this generic type, which avoids all the disadvantages mentioned and which offers a very high level of safety against use by unauthorized persons, with very little physical complexity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing object is achieved according to the present invention wherein the locking bolt can be locked in the locked position by turning it, and in that the head of the locking bolt has at least one tab on its external circumference, and the breech has at least one recess on the internal circumference of the hole, which recess holds the tab when the locking bolt is in the open position.
Since the locking bolt can be turned, there are no movement problems involved with its operation and it can be accommodated in a very small space, as a result of which the movement of the locking bolt need be only very short. The tab on the head of the locking bolt and the recess on the internal circumference of the hole allow the locking bolt to be fixed in the locked position safely, cheaply, and in a particularly space-saving manner.
Within the context of the invention, the recess may extend over the entire depth of the hole, and the tab may have a paint mark on its outward-facing side. It is thus possible to see whether or not the weapon is locked. In this case, it is practical for manufacture and use for the head to have a collar internally, adjacent to the tab.
It is a major advantage of the invention that, owing to its indifference with regard to movement, it can be used with widely differing pistols and in various arrangements. Operation is particularly convenient if the hole runs vertically from the top of the breech. The weapon can then be locked from above, in which case the safety of a cylinder lock can easily be made use of. Installation in the bolt has in this case been found to be particularly space-saving.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4021955 (1977-05-01), Curtis
patent: 4555861 (1985-12-01), Khoury
patent: 4658529 (1987-04-01), Bertolini
patent: 4726136 (1988-02-01), Dornaus et al.
patent: 4843748 (1989-07-01), Tuma
patent: 5419069 (1995-05-01), Mumbleau et al.
patent: 5438784 (1995-08-01), Lenkarski et al.
patent: 4013124 (1991-10-01), None
Bachman & LaPointe P.C.
Jordan Charles T.
Mun Kyongtack K.
Steyr-Daimler-Puch Aktiengesellschaft
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