TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to firearms and, more particularly, to a bi-folding buttstock hinge system, device and assembly.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
Folding stocks for firearms typically fold to one side or the other, but not both, and typically are not removable so as to be capable of exchange with alternate buttstock assemblies to meet various mission profiles. Further, many stock folding mechanisms use single diameter pins that rattle in clearance holes.
The present disclosure provides an ambidextrous buttstock hinge system, device and assembly for a firearm capable of folding in the left and right directions while also providing for the rapid exchange of complete buttstock assemblies. In various embodiments, the system, device and assembly provide anti-rattle capabilities.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include multiple spring-loaded tapered hinge pins that operate in an opposed manner. Each pair of opposed tapered pins drive across a shear line that acts as the splitting plane for a latch and a shear line of the hinge and into their mating bore to create a latch. A leaf spring acting on the hinge plate can take up remaining tolerance and facilitates a rattle free system. The leaf spring can further provide the benefit of friction to the opening of the hinge allowing the buttstock to be folded and held to one side or the other of the weapon. Among different advantages, the presently disclosed hinge device, system and assembly facilitate the stock folding to the left and right while being completely removable from the weapon. Further, should the firearm be dropped, the opposed tapered pin arrangement of embodiments of the present disclosure minimize the risk that the buttstock will accidentally become detached.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a firearm with attached buttstock employing a hinge assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure, showing the hinge assembly in the fully connected, unhinged position.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a hinge plate according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is an exploded rear perspective view showing the hinge plate of FIG. 2 with related components.
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view showing the hinge plate of FIG. 3 with a portion of related components installed.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a receiver back plate and related components according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the receiver back plate of FIG. 5 with related components installed according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a hinge plate secured to a receiver back plate and related components according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a firearm employing a hinge assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure, showing the hinge assembly in a partially disconnected, hinged position.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an activation button according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter are shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The presently disclosed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications and other embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed subject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims
It will be appreciated that reference to “a”, “an” or other indefinite article in the present disclosure encompasses one or a plurality of the described element. Thus, for example, reference to a spring may encompass one or more springs, reference to a collar arm may encompass one or more collar arms and so forth.
As shown in FIGS. 1 through 8, embodiments of a buttstock hinge assembly 10 of the present disclosure include a hinge plate 20 having a back wall 22, wherein the hinge plate 20 is formed with first 24 and second 26 arms, wherein each of the arms 24, 26 has a substantially cylindrical wall 25 having an opening 28 extending axially therethrough. In various embodiments, the back wall 22 is formed with ridges to permit variable positioning of one or more buttstocks (e.g., see portion of buttstock 18 in FIG. 1) along the surface of the back wall 22 when attached. It will be appreciated that a buttstock can be removed from the full firearm assembly including the hinge plate 20 and receiver plate 50 as described herein, and can also be removed from the full firearm assembly with the hinge plate 20 still secured thereto. A hinge spring 30 is positioned in the opening 28 of the first arm 24, and the hinge spring 30 has a first axial end 32 and a second axial end 34. A similar hinge spring 31 is positioned in the opening 28 of the second arm 26, and the hinge spring 31 in the second arm 26 has a primary axial end 33 and a secondary axial end 35 similar to the first 32 and second 34 axial ends, respectively of hinge spring 30. A first hinge pin 40 is operably engaged with the first axial end 32 of the hinge spring 30 and a second hinge pin 42 is operably engaged with the second axial end 34 of the hinge spring 30. Similarly, a primary hinge pin 44 is operably engaged with the primary axial end 33 of the hinge spring 31 in the second arm 26 and a secondary hinge pin 46 is operably engaged with the secondary axial end 35 of the hinge spring 31 in the second arm 26. Retaining pins 48 positioned in respective apertures 29 formed in the hinge plate 20 can engage a respective slot (e.g., 41 in FIG. 3) formed in the side wall 49 of respective hinge pins 40, 42, 44, 46 to permit each hinge pin to slide axially back and forth within openings 28 while still being retained within the openings by pins 48. In various embodiments, the first 40 and second 42 hinge pins are at least partially positioned within the opening 28 of the first arm 24, and the primary 44 and secondary 46 hinge pins are at least partially positioned within the opening 28 of the second arm 26.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 through 8, a receiver back plate 50 is securable to the hinge plate 20. The receiver back plate 50 can include upper left 52, upper right 54, lower left 56 and lower right 58 collar arms, wherein each of the collar arms has a bore opening such as shown at 55 extending axially therethrough. A first activation button 61 is retained at least partially within the bore opening of the upper left collar arm 52 and is operably engageable with the first hinge pin 40 of the hinge plate 20. A second activation button 62 is retained at least partially within the bore opening of the lower left collar arm 56 and is operably engageable with the second hinge pin 42. A third activation button 63 is retained at least partially within the bore opening of the upper right collar arm 54 and is operably engageable with the primary hinge pin 44. A fourth activation button 64 is retained at least partially within the bore opening of the lower right collar arm 58 and is operably engageable with the secondary hinge pin 46. It will be appreciated that the bore openings 55 of the upper left 52 and lower left 56 collar arms are axially aligned, and the bore openings 55 of the upper right 54 and lower right 58 collar arms are axially aligned. This axial alignment facilitates alignment of the hinge pins and activation buttons during operation as described elsewhere herein.
In various embodiments, each activation button is provided with an outer wall 68 formed with one or more indentations 69 as illustrated by activation button 61 shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a core spring 80 with axial ends 81, 82 can be positioned in a slot 84 formed in the receiver back plate 50. A left side detent 85 can be positioned in the slot 84 with a first end 86 engaging the axial end 81 of the core spring 80 and a second end 87 engaging the indentation 69 of the outer wall 68 of the activation button 61 in FIG. 5. Similarly, a right-side detent 90 can be positioned in the slot 84 with one end 91 engaging the axial end 82 of the core spring 80 and another end 92 engaging the indentation 69 of the outer wall 68 of activation button 63, also shown in FIG. 5. The detents 85, 90 hold the activation buttons 61, 63, respectively, in place in the bore openings 55 by engaging a top edge 94 of the indentation 69 when hinging takes place and there are no hinge pins in place to engage the activation buttons. When hinge pins are snapped into place, the hinge pins push each corresponding activation button outwardly of the activation button's respective bore opening 55, and the detents 85, 90 slide along the indentations 69 until reaching a bottom edge 95 of the indentation 69. In various embodiments, a similar spring-loaded detent arrangement such as illustrated at 88 and 89 in FIG. 5 and as described elsewhere herein can assist with retaining activation buttons 62 and 64 in place either individually or jointly.
The first 40 and second 42 hinge pins are disengageable from the upper left 52 and lower left 56 collar arms upon pressure being applied to the first 61 and second 62 activation buttons, respectively. Further, the primary 44 and secondary 46 hinge pins are disengageable from the upper right 54 and lower right 58 collar arms upon pressure being applied to the third 63 and fourth 64 activation buttons, respectively. The hinge engagement and disengagement works across multiple shear lines 65. When a pair of activation buttons (e.g., 61 and 62, or 63 and 64) are pinched together the spring-loaded hinge pins (e.g., 40 and 42 when buttons 61 and 62 are pushed, or 44 and 46 when buttons 63 and 64 are pushed) are depressed within their respective hinge bore openings 28 and allowed to pass through the shear line 65. It will be appreciated that pushing just a single one of the activation buttons (61, 62, 63 or 64) will not release the hinge plate 20 from the receiver back plate 50 according to embodiments as described herein, which assists in minimizing the risk that dropping a firearm with the present hinge system or other accidental action will somehow result in the buttstock hinging away from the receiver plate 50 or even completely disconnecting from the receiver plate 50. It will further be appreciated that embodiments of the present disclosure can operate with a single activation button and a single hinge pin on one side (e.g., activation button 61 and hinge pin 40) and a different single activation button and different single hinge pin on the other side (e.g., activation button 63 and hinge pin 44).
In various embodiments, the hinge pins 40, 42, 44, 46 are formed with an outer wall 47 comprising a taper from a first diameter A to a second diameter B, wherein the first diameter A is larger than the second diameter B. See hinge pin 40 in FIG. 4, for example. Further, each of the bore openings 55 in the receiver back plate 50 can be formed with a bore diameter C that is larger than the second diameter B and smaller than the first diameter A of each of the hinge pins 40, 42, 44, 46. Because the hinge pins 40, 42, 44, 46 are tapered and movable into bore openings 55 smaller than the largest diameter A of the hinge pins, each pin will not reach a fixed depth in operation, thus preventing rattling in the assembly and device by taking up the full diameter C of the bore opening 55. Latching occurs on the first side of the assembly when hinge pins 40, 42 are maintained within bore openings 55 of the upper left 52 and lower left 56 collar arms, respectively. Latching occurs on the right side of the assembly when hinge pins 44, 46 are maintained within bore openings 55 of the upper right 54 and lower right 58 collar arms, respectively. Each time a hinge is functioned and latched, the tapered pins snap into the mating hinge bores creating a mating taper which over time makes for a tighter and more ridged joint.
In various embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the receiver back plate 50 can be formed with a ramp wall 99 proximate each of the upper left 52, upper right 54, lower left 56 and lower right 58 collar arms. The ramp wall 99 provides a hinge pin guiding surface as each hinge pin detaches from and/or re-latches with bore openings 55 in the receiver back plate 50.
As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8, according to various embodiments, a leaf spring 70 is secured to a center wall 72 of the receiver back plate 40, such as by a threaded bolt 79 or other connector element. The leaf spring 70 is operably engageable with the hinge plate 20. For example, when the hinge plate 20 is disengaged from the left or right side, the leaf spring 70 acts to push the hinge plate 20 away from the disengaged side so as to hinge along the side that is still engaged. The leaf spring 70 acting on the hinge plate 20 takes up all remaining tolerance in the assembly and ensures a rattle free system. In various embodiments, the leaf spring 70 provides an additional benefit of friction to the opening of the hinge assembly, allowing the buttstock of a firearm to which the assembly is secured to be folded and held to one side or the other of the firearm.
According to various embodiments, the combination of the upper left 52 and lower left 56 collar arms and/or the respective inserts therein can be considered a left collar assembly. Thus, for example, the left collar assembly can include the upper left collar arm 52, the lower left collar arm 56, activation button 61 and/or activation button 62. Similarly, a right collar assembly can include the upper right collar arm 54, the lower right collar arm 58, activation button 63 and/or activation button 64.
Further, various embodiments of the present disclosure provide first and second hinge assemblies. The first hinge assembly can include the first hinge spring 30 positioned in the opening 28 of the first arm 24, hinge pin 40 and hinge pin 42. The second hinge assembly can include the second hinge spring 31 positioned in the opening 28 of the second arm 26, hinge pin 44 and hinge pin 46.
Various modes of assembly of the presently disclosed embodiments can occur. For example, the receiver back plate 50 can be provided and core spring 80 with detents 85, 90 can be inserted in the slot 84 as shown in FIG. 7. Activation buttons 61 and 63 can be inserted into respective bore openings 55 in collar arms 52, 54 so as to engage the respective ends 86, 92 of detents 85, 90. Activation buttons 62 and 64 can be inserted into respective bore openings 55 and optional spring-loaded or otherwise retainable detents 88 can be employed such as by being positioned through opening 77 in collar arm 56 and a similar opening in collar arm 58. Springs 89 can be employed with detents 88 in the embodiment as shown in FIG. 5. The receiver back plate 50 can be mounted and/or secured to a firearm 100 by connecting a threaded bolt or other device to a suitable receiving element of firearm 100. For purposes of the present disclosure, it will be appreciated that the firearm 100 in FIG. 1 can be considered a firearm even without buttstock connected thereto. With receiver back plate 50 attached to the firearm 100, a first side (e.g., the left side) of the hinge plate 20 can be secured to the receiver back plate 50 by sliding hinge pins 40, 42 (e.g., along ramps 99) adjacent the collar arms 52, 56, enabling the hinge pins 40, 42 to compress spring 30 and slide along a respective shear line 65 before snapping into place in bore openings 55 of collar arms 52, 56, respectively. The hinge plate 20 can then be rotated toward the receiver back plate 50 such that hinge pins 44, 46 compress spring 31 and snap into place in bore openings 55 of collar arms 54, 58, respectively. When fully assembled and latched, it will be appreciated that either side of the hinge plate 20 can be detached by pressing corresponding pairs of activation buttons (e.g., 61 and 62 together, or 63 and 64 together), which push respective hinge pin pairs towards one another to permit disengagement from the receiver back plate 50 along respective shear lines 65. As the stock is moved from its locked position, the hinge pins snap back out to their extended position. The activation buttons are held depressed by friction from their retaining detents. When the stock is closed and when ramps are employed, the hinge pins are automatically depressed by the ramps and when the hinge pins align with their respective bores the pins are forced back into engagement with the back plate. At such time, the activation buttons are pushed back to their extended position by the hinge pins. It will be appreciated that the hinge pins can be provided with curved or rounded outer surfaces to facilitate operations as described herein. As described elsewhere herein, it will further be appreciated that hinging can occur in some embodiments by depressing a single activation button instead of a pair of activation buttons.
To remove the stock with the hinge plate 20, once one side has been released and partially folded open as shown in FIG. 6, the other side's activation buttons are pinched together and the stock is pulled from the rear of the weapon. To reattach or exchange the stock assembly, the operator brings the hinge pins into contact with the ramps and snaps the hinge assembly back into its attached position. No buttons need to be activated for reassembly. It will be appreciated that the hinge plate(s) according to embodiments of the present disclosure create a near universal stock mounting solution for platforms that do not require a functioning buffer tube for operation.
It will further be appreciated that the components of the presently disclosed device can be fabricated from various types of materials, including aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, plastic and/or other suitable materials consistent with the environments in which the device can operate.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims of the application rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
Patent Application
20250237470
