Patent Application
20070266612
The novel features which are characteristic of the invention, both as to structure and method of operation thereof, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be understood from the following description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustration and description only and not as a definition of the limits or scope of the invention.
In the following description, a specific arrangement, construction, and other details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the instant invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the instant invention may be practiced without these specific details and that other embodiments are within the scope of the instant invention.
One such prior art rail comprises a series of longitudinally spaced-apart ribs 16 as specified in MIL-STD-1913, commonly known as a Picatinny rail and shown in
As can be seen in
The first mounting component 32 and the second mounting component 40 combine with one another to form a mount 30. The first clamping component 72 and the second clamping component 80 combine with one another to form a clamp 70. The clamp 70 has an opening 82 that can be adjusted to accommodate accessories of different sizes such as generally cylindrical accessories (e.g., flashlight 18) of different diameters.
As seen in
The second clamping component 80 comprises an arcuate clamp member 84, a pivot pin 86 (preferably longitudinally disposed when the clamp 70 is in its latched condition shown in
The latch 96 comprises a latch plate 100, a latch bar 98, and a latch bar pin 99. The latch 96 is attached to the clamp member 84 via the latch pins 88a and 88b. The latch 96 can rotate about the latch pins 88a and 88b. One end of the latch bar 98 is attached to the latch plate 100 via the latch bar pin 99. The latch bar 98 can rotate about the latch bar pin 99. The other end of the latch bar 98 has a hook 108 that engages the catch 76 of the first clamping component 72.
To operate the clamp 70, a user opens the clamp 70 by pulling or flipping the latch plate 100 away from the arcuate clamp member 84, thereby pivoting the latch plate 100 about the longitudinal pivot pin 88. This action causes the longitudinal pivot pin 99 to rotate upwardly and outwardly (as viewed in
For adjusting the clamp 70, the latch 96 is opened as described above until the hook 108 clears the catch 76.
When the hook 108 is clear of the catch 76, the second clamping component 80 is then rotated by hand with respect to the structural member 22, about the axis b of the threaded bore 74, which is perpendicular to the axis c of the pivot pin 86, thereby correspondingly rotating the adjusting screw 91 and its threaded shaft 94 in the adjustment bore 74. When the second clamping component 80 is rotated in this manner, all of its subcomponents rotate with it, including the latch 96, latch pins 88a and 88b, screw head pin 86, screw head 92, and threaded screw shaft 94. Rotating the adjusting screw 91 in this manner increases or decreases the distance between the screw head 92 and the landing surface 75. Increasing this distance will increase the size of the clamp opening 82 (i.e., the separation between the first and second clamping components 72 and 80), and decreasing this distance will decrease the size of the clamp opening 82.
After the second clamping component 80 has been rotated until the desired distance between the screw head 92 and landing surface 75 has been achieved, the accessory is then placed to the first clamping component 72, preferably in contact with the pad 77. The pad 77 is preferably resilient, fabricated of an elastomeric material and preferably conforming to the surface of the accessory that is being held in the clamp opening 82. In this manner, the pad 77 helps to maintain a secure fit between the accessory and the clamp 70.
The arcuate clamping member 84 is thereupon pivoted about the pin 86 to capture the accessory 18 (see also
If the compressive or clamping force at this point is not sufficient to properly hold the accessory in the clamp opening 82, the clamping force can be increased by decreasing the size of the clamp opening 82. The size of the clamp opening 82 is decreased by first opening the latch 96, rotating the second clamping component 80 through 360° to decrease the distance between the screw head 92 and the landing surface 75, and then closing the latch 96. If needed, the clamping force can be decreased by increasing the size of the clamp opening 82. The size of the clamp opening 82 is increased by first opening the latch 96, rotating the second clamping component 80 through 360° to increase the distance between the screw head 92 and the landing surface 75, and then closing the latch 96. The steps of opening the latch 96, adjusting the distance between the screw head 92 and landing surface 75, and closing the latch 96, can be repeated as needed for any accessory until the desired clamping force is achieved for that particular accessory.
The sequence of mounting the mount 30 on a rail and installing an accessory in the clamp 70 need not follow any particular order. The mount 30 may be installed on a rail first followed by installation of the accessory in the clamp 70. Alternatively, the accessory may be installed in a clamp 70 first followed by attachment of the mount 30 to a rail.
In a second preferred embodiment of the instant invention, shown in
The clamp mount or double clamp apparatus 73 comprises a structural member 122 having a first mounting (or first gun clamping) component 110 at one end, and a first accessory clamping component 72a at the opposite end thereof. The double clamp apparatus 73 further includes a second mounting (or second gun clamping) component 80′, and a second accessory clamping component 80. The first gun clamping component (i.e., the third clamping component) 110 and the second gun clamping component (i.e., the fourth clamping component) 80′ combine with one another to form the gun clamp 71, which is substantially similar in structure and function to the accessory clamp 70.
The first accessory clamping component 72a and the second accessory clamping component 80 combine with one another to form an accessory clamp 70a. Clamps 70a and 70 embody substantially similar structure and operate substantially in similar manner.
To operate the double clamp 73, the gun clamp 71 is opened as described above for the clamp 70, and the gun clamp 71 is positioned about the gun's barrel 12 with the barrel 12 preferably bearing against an inwardly biased finger 124. The gun clamp 71 is then closed and, if needed, adjusted as described above pertaining to clamp 70. An accessory 18 may be installed in clamp 70a substantially as described above with respect to the clamp 70.
The foregoing description is for illustrative purposes only. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the instant invention without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the instant invention. It is in that context that the following claims are made.
