WO1995016179A1 - Safety and/or dismantling device for a firearm and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

A safety and dismantling device (10) for a trigger operated weapon firearm (18) includes a lever (12) which is slidably movable relative to the firearm (18) from a 'safe' position where it serves releasably to lock the trigger (20) against movement in that direction where it can activate the firing mechanism of the firearm (18), to at least a 'fire' position, where it does not so lock the trigger; the lever (12) being located towards the front end of the firearm (18) and substantially in the same plane as the firearm (18). Said lever (12) slides in a slot (13) in the leading end of the trigger guard (28) of the firearm (18) and acts upon two sliding stops (14), such that when the lever (12) is in 'safe' position the stops (14) are in a position in which they hold the trigger (20) and when the lever (12) is in 'fire' position the stops (14) are in a position in which they allow the trigger (20) to be pulled to fire the firearm (18). The lever (12) can also move to a 'dismantling' position. In this position the stops (14) are moved in a position in which the slide of the firearm can be removed to allow access to the underlying components of the firearm (18) for dismantling purposes.

Description

Safety and/or dismantling device for a firearm and the like.

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

This invention relates to a safety and dismantling device for a firearm or

the like and more particularly it relates to a safety device for temporarily

immobilising the trigger of such a firearm and for dismantling the firearm

into its constituent components.

In this specification the word "firearm" is meant also to include any

projectile emitting weapon which does not use explosive ammunition

such as, for example, "cross bows" and the like.

Many types of safety devices for firearms are known. Most of these

comprise a lever or the like located on one or both longitudinal sides of

the firearm which lever serves temporarily to lock the trigger of the

firearm in a non-firing position. Apart from presenting a transversely

extending obstacle which can hook onto extraneous articles, such known

devices also serve to increase the width of the firearm thus making it

more bulky when carried on a person's body or in a holster or the like.

Such known devices are usually also intended to fulfil a single function

only, i.e. temporarily to immobilise the trigger of the firearm. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a safety and dismantling device

for a firearm or the like which will overcome or at least minimise some

of the disadvantages of the known devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention a safety and dismantling device for a trigger

operated firearm includes a lever which is slidably movable relative to the

firearm from a first or 'safe' position where it serves releasably to lock

the trigger against movement in that direction where it can activate the

firing mechanism of the firearm, to at least a 'fire' position, where it does

not so lock the trigger; the lever being located towards the front end of

the firearm and substantially in the same plane as the firearm.

In this specification the term 'plane of the firearm' is meant to refer to

the vertical plane in which the firearm extends when it is held in its

normal firing position.

It will be appreciated that with the aforesaid arrangement the lever can

be of such configuration that it does not protrude on either side of the

firearm, and therefore not contribute to its cross sectional width, and also not present any transversely extending obstacle which can hook

onto extraneous articles during handling of the firearm.

Further according to the invention the firearm includes a substantially

circular trigger guard which includes a slot towards its leading end

through which the lever is movable, the arrangement being such that part

of the lever extends into the area encircled by the trigger guard when the

lever is not in the 'fire' position.

Still further according to the invention the lever includes a marked zone

which is located outside the area encircled by the trigger guard when the

lever is in the 'fire' position.

It will be appreciated that the presence of such a zone, which may for

example be coloured red, will indicate to a potential user of the firearm

that it is in the 'fire' mode.

Further according to the invention the device includes a stop which

prevents the slide of the firearm from sliding past it when the lever is in

the 'fire' or 'safe' position, thus preventing the slide from being removed

from the fire arm, the slide stop being slidably movable relative to the lever in a direction extending transversely the longitudinal axis of the

barrel of the firearm between a first position where the lever is in said

'safe' position to at least one further position where the lever is in said

'fire' position.

Further according to the invention the slide stop is also slidably movable

relative to the lever to a third or 'dismantling' position where it allows the

slide of the firearm to slide past it to a position where it can be removed

from the firearm in order to allow access to the underlying components

of the fire arm.

Preferably the slide stop comprises two elongated members in

substantially parallel spaced relationship to each other, the one set of

ends of which is interconnected by a transversely extending rod.

Further according to the invention the lever includes an angled slot in

which the said rod is slidably movable from a first position located

towards the one end of the slot, which corresponds to the position

where the lever is in the 'fire' position; to a second position where the

lever is in the 'safe' position; and to a third position where the lever is in

the 'dismantling' position. Still further according to the invention the device includes a trigger lock

comprising an elongated element of which the one end can engage the

trigger so that it is movable with the trigger when the lever is in the 'fire'

position, and of which the other end can releasably be trapped against

such movement by at least one of the said elongated members when the

lever is in the 'safe' or 'dismantling' positions .

Further according to the invention at least one of the said elongated

members includes a slot through which the said other end of the trigger

lock element can pass slidably when the lever is in the 'fire' position, the

arrangement being such that when the lever is in the 'safe' or

'dismantling' position the said member presents an obstacle against such

sliding movement of the trigger lock element.

Preferably the said one end of the trigger lock element includes a hook

formation adapted releasably to engage a complimentary shaped

formation on the trigger.

Still further according to the invention the lever includes a transversely extending elongated lip formation which is adapted slidably to engage a

complimentary shaped groove in the body of the firearm to allow for said sliding movement of the lever between its 'fire', 'safe' and 'dismantling' positions.

Still further according to the invention the lever also includes a

transversely extending elongated ledge which is located adjacent said lip

formation, the ledge providing a track which can be engaged slidably by

the said other end of the trigger locking element during its said

movement while the lever is in the 'fire' position.

Still further according to the invention the lever is provided with a spring

biased pin of which the free end is adapted in turn releasably to engage

complimentary shaped recesses on the body of the firearm when the

lever is in the said 'fire' and 'safe' positions respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of

example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view of the constituent parts of a

safety and dismantling device according to the

invention; figure 2 is a plan view of the device shown in figure 1 ;

figure 3 is an end-on view of the device of figure 1 as seen in

the direction of arrow A3 in figure 1 ;

figure 4 is an end-on view of the device of figure 1 as seen in

the direction of arrow A4 in figure 4;

figure 5 is a side view of the device of figure 1 shown in

position on a firearm in the form of a pistol which is

partly shown in cross section;

figure 6 is a side view, partly in section, of the device of

figure 1 in the 'fire' position; and

figures 7 and 8 are views similar to that of figure 6 illustrating the

device of figure 1 in the 'safe' and 'dismantling' positions

respectively; DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In this embodiment of the invention a safety and dismantling device

according to the invention for a pistol 18 is generally indicated by

reference numeral 10.

Safety and dismantling device 10 comprises a safety lever 1 2 of

substantially flat triangular shape comprising an apexed end 12.1 ; a base

side 12.2; a leading side 12.3; a trailing side 12.4, and two parallel

spaced substantially triangular faces 12.5.

Device 1 0 also includes a slide stop 14 slidably movable relative to lever

12 in a direction transversely the longitudinal axis of pistol 18, i.e. in the

direction indicated by arrow A5 in figure 6.

Pistol 1 8 is characterised in that it comprises a sliding-type trigger 20,

which is reciprocally movable in the direction of double-headed arrow 22

(figures 6-8), which direction is parallel to the longitudinal axis of barrel

24 of pistol 1 8 and hence to pistol 1 8. Pistol 1 8 also includes a slide 25

in the form of a barrel-enclosing casing by means of which pistol 18 can

automatically or manually be reloaded. Pistol 1 8 further comprises a bed 26 for slide 25; a hand engagable grip

27; and a conventional substantially circularly shaped trigger guard 28

which extends from grip 27 to slide bed 26. The leading end of trigger

guard 28 includes a slot 1 3 which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis

of barrel 24 and through which the leading side 12.3 of lever 12 can

pass slidably in order to be located in any one of three predetermined

positions of which more details will be given later.

Lever 12 includes along its base side 12.2 two elongated lip formations

30 and 31 which extend transversely one of the triangular faces 12.5 of

lever 1 2. Formations 30 and 31 are separated by a cut out part 50. Lip formations 30 and 31 can slidably engage a complimentary shaped slot

(not shown) provided in slide bed 26, which slot extends parallel to the

said longitudinal axis of barrel 24.

Base side 12.2 of lever 12 also includes a ledge 34 provided in that

triangular face 12.5 opposite the one from which formations 30 and 31

extend, which ledge extends parallel to the said slot (not shown)

provided in slide bed 26. Lever 12 also includes an elongated slot 36 which extends through the

body of lever 12 and which is set at an angle in the order of 45 degrees

relative to the said longitudinal axis of barrel 24.

Lever 12 furthermore includes a transversely extending, spring-loaded,

conically tipped pin 38 located in a blind hole provided in the body of

lever 12, the open end of the hole being located in the face of base side

12.2 of lever 12. The tip of pin 38 can, in use, releasably engage any

one of two complimentary recesses 40 and 42 (figure 2) provided in slide

bed 26 in order to locate lever 1 2 relative to slide bed 26 in two

predetermined positions.

Slide stop 14 comprises two elongated parallel spaced members 44 and

46 of which the one or lower set of ends are interconnected by an

elongated rod 48 which is slidably received in slot 36. Rod 48 is of a

longer length than the cross sectional width of lever 12 so that when

lever 12 is moved relative to slide stop 14 in the direction of arrow 22,

rod 48 can slide along slot 36 with the inner edges of members 44 and

46 slidably engaging opposite triangular faces 1 2.5 of lever 1 2. The

aforesaid cut out 50 located between formations 30 and 31 in lever 12 defines the distance through which lever 12 can so move relative to stop

14.

It will hence be appreciated that when lever 12 is so moved relative to

slide stop 14, members 44 and 46 will move in the direction indicated by

arrow A5 in figure 6, i.e. at right angles to the aforesaid longitudinal axis

of barrel 24. For this purpose slide bed 26 is provided with a

transversely extending slot (not shown) in which the upper ends of

members 44 and 46 are received slidably, the arrangement being such

that when rod 48 is moved to the lowermost end of slot 36 indicated in

figure 8, the said upper ends of members 44 and 46 are completely withdrawn into such slot (not shown) thus allowing slide 25 to slide past

them along slide bed 26.

Trigger lock 1 6 comprises a substantially flat elongated element of which

the opposite ends each includes a transversely extending flange 52 and

54 respectively. The latter end is bent through approximately 90 degrees

to define a hook formation 55 which can releasably engage a

complimentary shaped formation 56 extending transversely the upper end

of trigger 20. It will be appreciated that when hook formation 55 engages formation 56, lock element 1 6 will be movable with trigger 20 in the direction of arrow 22.

That end of lock 16 containing flange 52 is adapted to slide along a path

defined between the said ledge 34 on lever 1 2 and a groove (not shown)

provided in slide bed 26, the said groove also extending parallel to the

said longitudinal axis of barrel 24. Member 44 of slide stop 14 includes

a slot 51 through which flanged end 52 can slide when lever 12 is in one

of its aforesaid predetermined positions.

It will be appreciated that when lever 12 is moved in the direction of

arrow 22 along its aforesaid sliding path, members 44 and 46 will be

caused to rise or fall in the direction of arrow A5 in figure 6, the

arrangement being such that when lever 12 is moved to its one extreme

position where rod 48 is located at the uppermost end of slot 36

(indicated in figures 1 and 5, and hereinafter referred to as the 'fire'

position, pin 38 engages recess 40 and members 44 and 46 are located

in their uppermost position. While in this position, flange 52 on lock 1 6

can slide along slot 51 on member 44 when trigger 20 is pulled to fire

pistol 1 8. It will be appreciated that such movement of lever 1 2 to its

'fire' position can be effected by the trigger finger of the person operating pistol 1 8 by pushing with such finger against the leading end

1 2.3 of lever 1 2 from within the area defined by trigger guard 28.

When lever 12 is moved to that position where the tip of pin 38 engages

recess 42 (hereafter referred to as the 'safe' position), rod 48 will be in

the position shown in figure 4 where members 44 and 46 are in their

intermediate position along slot 36. Slot 51 in member 44 is then not in

line with flange 52 so that member 44 provides an obstacle to the

aforesaid movement of locking element 16, and thus trigger 20, so that

trigger 20 cannot be pulled to fire pistol 18.

It will be appreciated that when device 10 is in either one of the

aforesaid 'fire' or 'safe' positions, the upper ends of members 44 and 46

project through the upper face of slide bed 26 thus providiny a stop

preventing slide 25 from sliding past members 44 and 46 to the rear end

of pistol 18.

When lever 12 is moved to that position where rod 48 is in the position

indicated in figure 8, i.e. at the other extreme or lowermost end of slot

36, hereafter referred to as the 'dismantling' position, members 44 and

46 are in their lowermost position and their free ends are retracted in the aforesaid slot (not shown) to a position below the upper face of slide bed

26, thus allowing slide 25 to slide past members 44 and 46 to an

extreme position towards the rear end of pistol 1 8 where slide 25 can be

removed to expose the underlying parts of pistol 1 8 for dismantling

purposes.

Each of faces 1 2.5 of lever 1 2 includes a similar slightly curved,

elongated, blind substantially eliptically shaped recess 58 located

towards its trailing side 1 2.4. Recesses 58, which are each coloured

bright red, are located in such positions on faces 12.5 that they are

located outside the aforesaid area defined between the inside of trigger

guard^" 28 and trigger 20 when pistol 18 is in the 'fire' mode, their red

colour serving to alert a would be user of pistol 18 that it is unsafe.

When lever 12 is moved to the 'safe' position, recesses 58 are obscured

by trigger guard 28. Recesses 58 accordingly provide visible means for

indicating each of the modes of pistol 1 8.

It will be appreciated that if a pistol holster is provided which includes a

sheath which fits snugly around trigger guard 28, and pistol 1 8 is

inserted into such sheath while it is in the "fire" mode, lever 1 2 will be

caused automatically to move to the 'safe' position as a result of the interaction between the trailing side 12.4 of lever 12 and the inner

surface of such sheath, thereby rendering pistol 18 'safe'.

It will be appreciated further that the invention provides a safety and

dismantling arrangement which has distinct advantages over the known

arrangements referred to in the preamble of this specification. Thus it

will be appreciated that the location, line of movement and configuration

of lever 12 serve to lessen the relative width of pistol 18 compared to

conventional pistols, thereby rendering it relatively less bulky when

carried on the body of a person. Also, because the safety device

presents no transversely extending protrusions, it is less susceptible to

hook onto extraneous articles during use.

It will further be appreciated that the invention also includes within its

scope a firearm, particularly a pistol, provided with a safety and

dismantling device according to the invention.

It will still further be appreciated that there are no doubt many variations

in detail possible with a safety and dismantling device according to the

invention without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

CLAIM 1 A safety and dismantling device for a trigger operated

firearm which includes a lever which is slidably movable

relative to the firearm from a first or 'safe' position where

it serves releasably to lock the trigger against movement in

that direction where it can activate the firing mechanism of

the firearm, to at least one other or 'fire' position where it

does not so lock the trigger; the lever being located towards

the front end of the firearm substantially in the same plane

as the firearm.

CLAIM 2 The device of claim 1 wherein the firearm includes a

substantially circular trigger guard which is provided

towards its leading end with a slot through which the lever

is movable, the arrangement being such that part of the

lever extends into the area encircled by the trigger guard

when the lever is in any of its aforesaid positions other than

the 'fire' position. CLAIM 3 The device of claim 2 wherein the lever includes a marked

zone which extends on the outside of the area encircled by

the trigger guard when the lever is in the 'fire' position.

CLAIM 4 The device of claim 3 wherein the marked zone is coloured

red.

CLAIM 5 The device of any one of the preceding claims including a

stop which prevents the slide of the firearm from sliding

past it when the lever is in the 'fire' or 'safe' positions, thus

preventing the slide from being removed from the firearm;

the slide stop being slidably movable relative to the lever in

a direction extending transversely the longitudinal axis of

the barrel of the fire arm between a first position wherein

the lever is in the said 'safe' position, to at least one further

position wherein the lever is in the said 'fire' position.

CLAIM 6 The device of claim 5 wherein the slide stop is also slidably

movable relative to the lever to a third or 'dismantling'

position wherein it allows the slide of the firearm to slide - 1 1

past it to a position where it can be removed from the firearm.

CLAIM 7 The device of claims 5 or 6 wherein the slide stop

comprises two elongated members in substantially parallel

spaced relationship to each other, the one set of ends of

the members being interconnected by a transversely

extending rod.

CLAIM 8 The device of claim 7 wherein the lever includes an angled

slot in which the said rod is slidably movable from a first

position located towards the one end of such slot, which

corresponds to the position where the lever is in the 'fire'

position; to a second position where the lever is in the

'safe' position; and to a third position where the lever is in the 'dismantling' position.

CLAIM 9 The device of any one of claims 6 to 9 including a trigger

lock comprising an elongate element of which the one end

can engage the trigger of the firearm so that the element is

movable with it when the lever is in the 'fire' position, and of which the other end can releasably be trapped against

such movement by the said elongated members when the

lever is in the 'safe' or 'dismantling' positions.

CLAIM 10 The device of any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein at least one

of the said elongated members includes a slot through

which the said other end of the trigger lock element can

pass slidably when the lever is in the 'fire' position, the

arrangement being such that when the lever is in the 'safe'

or 'dismantling' positions the said member presents an

obstacle against such sliding movement of the trigger lock

element.

CLAIM 1 1 The device of claims 9 or 10 wherein the said one end of

the trigger lock element includes a hook formation adapted

releasably to engage a complimentary shaped formation on

the trigger.

CLAIM 12 The device of any one of the preceding claims wherein the

lever includes towards its one end a transversely extending

elongated lip formation which is adapted slidably to engage a complimentary shaped groove in the body of the firearm

to allow for said sliding movement of the lever.

CLAIM 13 The device of claim 12 wherein the said one end of the

lever also includes a transversely extending elongated ledge

which is located adjacent said lip formation, the ledge

providing a track which can be engaged slidably by the said

other end of the trigger lock element during its said

movement while the lever is in the 'fire' position.

CLAIM 14 The device of any one of the preceding claims wherein the

lever is provided with a spring biased pin of which the free

end is adapted in turn releasably to engage complimentary

shaped recesses on the body of the firearm when the lever

is in the said 'fire' and 'safe' positions respectively.

CLAIM 15 A safety and dismantling device for a firearm substantially

as herein described and as illustrated in the drawings.

CLAIM 16 A fire arm including a safety and dismantling device as

claimed in any one of the preceding claims.