Geometrical instruments – Straight-line light ray type – Structurally installed
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-20
2001-03-13
Fulton, Christopher W. (Department: 2859)
Geometrical instruments
Straight-line light ray type
Structurally installed
C033S277000, C124S087000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199286
ABSTRACT:
II. FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to equipment for use in the activity of shooting projectiles by a firearm or a bow, more particularly to an apparatus for the laser guidance of the aiming function used by the shooter, and fiber optics to increase the usability of the weapon in bright light conditions regardless of normal fiber optics ability to be seen in low light conditions.
(Although this sighting device seems most particularly useful to a shooter at elevated heights, its concepts also provide advantages when shooting at ground elevations.)
III. BASIC PRINCIPLES AND SHORT SUMMARY
A basic principle utilized by the present invention is that gravity consistently gives a downward “drop effect” to projectiles, during the entire distance which projectiles traverse the ground; whereas a laser beam is unaffected by gravity.
Thus, the lowering of the laser with respect to the shooting apparatus causes the sighting dot to be lowered, which in turn causes the hunter to have to raise the angle of his shooting apparatus in order to bring the sighting dot back to the desired elevation at the target distance, which elevation-change causes a raising of the projectile's flight-trajectory. Such type of adjustment is provided by a vertically movable and vertically adjustable cam member.
A second adjustment provided through arm linkage adjusts a rotatable laser holding memeber, in an assembly which is novel in certain respects over the prior Reed patent.
That is, a pendulum-weighted body of the cam assembly causes the cam to remain in the same orientation with respect to the earth even though the shooting apparatus inclination is changed; and this also provides a coordination between the inclination of the shooting device with respect to the earth and the inclination of the laser unit.
Two types of laser related adjustments are provided, one being manual and the other being automatic.
A further novel feature embodied in the laser basis is the provision of a novel adjustable base means to adjust the laser for horizontal arc (windage) adjustment of a shooter's projectile, two adjusting stations being provided giving maximum precision adjustment by convenient manual means and to test or check this precision adjustment. A first frame openability feature provides a vertical alignment test to assure vertical alignment of the laser sight device and a projectile or a projectile tube.
A second advantageous feature of this sight system is the concept of the use of fiber optics to give the shooter the means by which he is able to aim and shoot at farther targets in comparison to the lasers' limits of rangeability; and thus this fiber optic feature is greatly desirable to supplement the laser feature of the sight device.
This fiber optic sight feature also provides a novel means for the shooter to adjust the fiber optic components to provide a range finding capability with the use of a novel sight pin feature.
A further novel concept is the provision of the combination of the laser having an adjustable lens device by which the laser beam can be adjustably expanded rather than constricted, this being a novel combination not provided by any prior art laser guidance systems.
These and other features are detailed herein, novel as contributing their own novel features and as co-operating components of the combinations achieved.
IV. PRIOR ART CAPABILITY AND MOTIVATIONS, AS HELPING TO SHOW PATENTABILITY HERE
In hindsight consideration of the present invention to determine its inventive and novel nature, it is not only conceded but emphasized that the prior art had details usable in this invention, but only if the prior art had had the guidance of the present concepts of the present invention, details of both capability and motivation.
That is, it is emphasized that the prior art had or knew several particulars which individually and accumulatively show the non-obviousness of this combination invention. E.g.,
a. The prior art has long had shooting devices of various types;
b. Laser details and the advantages of lasers as sight-assisting features are well known in the weaponry art;
c. Lasers, as fascinating articles of technology, have been known and used for many years, and have established themselves as greatly and confidently useful, and adaptable to various mechanisms in several arts;
d. Fiber optics, of various forms, have been used and incorporated into many types of apparatus for many years, and for several years have been used specifically as a guidance alignment in various weaponry;
e. Both lasers and fiber optics have been known and used worldwide, several years, but to the Inventors' knowledge have never been used in combination with each other and particularly not to create the novel combination of the present invention;
f. The prior art has had the knowledge of the typical desire of assisting the aiming for utmost precision in hitting a target accurately;
g. The prior art knew the action of target animals in moving between locations in a considerable span of distance;
h. The prior art has been aware of the problems inherent as to differences in shooting length, nature of different shooting device features in consideration of size, shape, weight “pulling strength” and force;
i. The prior art of the industry has surely supposed or known that many customers have been and surely would be quite willing to purchase improved and more accurate and consistent shooting apparatus, providing not only an easy and convenient aiming apparatus, but one which attains high precision at various distances and elevations;
j. The industry and users have surely known that even novices would hope and expect to soon attain the skill of expert marksmen, and be willing to pay for this hopeful achievement;
k. The relative ease of tooling and manufacturing of components of this shooting apparatus have surely given manufacturers ample incentive to have made modifications for commercial competitiveness in a competitive industry if obvious;
l. The prior art has always had sufficient skill to make many types of shooting aids, movable-parts products and various articles having a variety of parts, more than ample skill to have achieved the present invention, but only if the concepts and their combinations had been conceived;
m. Substantially all of the operational characteristics and advantages of details of the present invention, when considered separately from one another and when considered separately from the present invention's details and technical accomplishment of the details, are within the skill of persons of various arts, but only when considered away from the integrated and novel combination of concepts which by their cooperative combination achieves this advantageous invention;
n. The details of the present invention, when considered solely from the standpoint of construction, are relatively simple, and the matter of simplicity of construction has long been recognized as indicative of inventive creativity; and
o. Similarly, and a long-recognized indication of inventiveness of a novel combination, is the realistic principle that a person of ordinary skill in the art, as illustrated with respect to the claimed combination as differing in the stated respects from the prior art both as to construction and concept, is that the person of ordinary skill in the art is presumed to be one who thinks along the line of conventional wisdom in the art and is not one who undertakes to innovate.
Accordingly, although the prior art has had capability and motivation, amply sufficient to presumably give incentive to the development of a weapon accessory according to the present invention, the fact remains that the present invention awaited the creativity and inventive discovery of the present Inventors. In spite of ample motivation and capability shown by the illustrations herein, the prior art did not suggest this invention.
V. SUMMARY OF THE PRIOR ART'S LACK OF SUGGESTIONS OF THE CONCEPTS OF THE INVENTION'S COMBINATION
In spite of all such factors of the prior art,
Reed Edwin D.
Reed, Jr. Robert L.
Fulton Christopher W.
Kap George
Spray, Patent Attorney Robert A.
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