Firearms – Safety mechanism – On trigger guard
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-09
2004-04-13
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3641)
Firearms
Safety mechanism
On trigger guard
C042S070110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06718678
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a safety device for firearms and more specifically a firearm safety device adapted to be secured to a firearm for preventing access to and actuation of the trigger.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a known firearm is shown generally at
10
. The firearm includes a trigger
12
having a front portion
14
which is actuated or pulled to discharge the firearm
10
. A trigger guard
16
extends from the firearm
10
and around the trigger
12
to help prevent unintended actuation of the trigger
12
. The trigger guard includes an inside surface
16
a
, an outside surface
16
b
, and opposing side surfaces (one of which is shown as
16
c
). Many firearms have a trigger
12
with a back portion
18
disposed within the trigger guard
16
thereby defining a space
20
behind the trigger
12
.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, a second embodiment of a known firearm is shown generally at
22
having a trigger guard
16
. The firearm
22
also includes a trigger
24
having a front portion
26
. However, the trigger
24
does not include a back portion disposed within the trigger guard
16
and is therefore referred to as a “solid” trigger. The solid trigger
24
does not have a space defined behind the trigger, although some solid triggers
24
may be perforated by a plurality of holes (not shown) formed through the trigger
24
.
Unintended actuation of the trigger
12
,
24
by a person handling the firearm
10
,
22
, and/or unauthorized use by a person, such as a child, present common safety concerns. Firearm safety devices have been developed in an attempt to remedy these concerns. Most known firearm safety devices are attached to the firearm
10
,
22
typically to the trigger guard
16
and attempt to block access to or actuation of the trigger
12
,
24
.
However, for a variety of reasons typical known firearm safety devices do not meet the needs of firearm owners. Many are not adjustable enough to be used on a wide variety of firearms. Many known firearm safety devices can be removed too easily by a person not authorized to use the firearm, while others cannot be removed quickly enough by those who are. Further, many firearm safety devices, even when secured to the firearm, do not adequately prevent discharging the firearm.
Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a new and improved firearm safety device which would overcome the foregoing difficulties and meet the above-stated needs while providing better and more advantageous results.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a firearm safety device for use in combination with a firearm having a trigger and trigger guard. The firearm safety device includes a first and second assemblies adapted to be secured to the firearm on opposite sides of the trigger guard to prevent access to and actuation of the trigger. One or more lock posts in one of the assemblies engages one or more pawls in the other assembly to secure the firearm safety device to the firearm.
The firearm safety device further includes a moveable clamp assembly. One embodiment includes a slide member having first and second posts disposed in a spaced apart relationship for receiving a portion of the trigger guard therebetween. A fastener is used to secure the slide member to the first or second assembly in a position to accommodate the trigger guard thereby preventing further sliding movement. The slide member may optionally include a plurality of apertures for receiving the second post thereby providing further adjustability. The moveable clamp assembly can include a cam having an eccentric outer surface connected to the first post to further increase the adjustability for different sized trigger guards, thereby accommodating many different firearms.
A plurality of apertures are formed in the first and second assemblies for receiving pins. One embodiment of the firearm safety device includes pins having a first end received in the first assembly apertures and a second end received in the second assembly apertures. One or more pins extend between the first and second assemblies in this manner. Another embodiment includes trigger guards having pins received in the apertures. The plurality of apertures allow the trigger guards to be positioned such that they are disposed adjacent the trigger for blocking access to and preventing actuation of a solid trigger.
A lip is disposed on the periphery of one of the first or second assemblies for overlapping with the other of the first and second assemblies such that the periphery of the assemblies overlap when secured to the firearm. The overlap prevents prying the assemblies apart when mounted to the firearm.
A third embodiment of the firearm safety device includes an electronic keypad and an electric motor for locking and unlocking the first and second assembly. An alarm is included which sounds when the firearm is moved or upon the conclusion of a countdown initiated by an attempt to unlock the device. The alarm preferably sounds continuously during a first time period, is silent during a second time period and then sounds during a third time period which is shorter than the first time period. The second and third time periods are repeated so that the alarm sounds intermittently after sounding during the first time period.
The firearm safety device can include a keypad having a single row of keys for quickly unlocking the device. Finger positioning guides can be used to provide tactile references for guiding the fingers into contact with the keys assisting the removal of the device without visual cues.
Still other benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.
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Speedreleasegunlock.com's information sheet regarding Specifications & Features of Speed Release gun lock.
Smarttriggeralarm.com's information sheet regarding Smart Trigger Alarm.
Hughes William T.
Koltas David
Riebling J. Terry
Schaub Bernie
Carone Michael J.
Child Guard LLC
Fay Sharpe Fagan Minnich & McKee LLP
Thomson M.
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