Patent Application
20220049934
The present invention relates generally to scope for firearms, and more specifically, to an optical aiming device for firearms such as a scope, sight, and laser.
When buying a new scope, a person also has to buy some sort of mount to affix the scope to their firearm. Then they must set aside some time to affix the scope to the mount so that it is level—that is, the scope reticle (the cross-hairs) ideally should not be tilted to one side or the other. The vertical line in the reticle should be perpendicular to the ground.
A small amount of tilt can cause a shot to be thrown off target by varying amounts depending on how far away the target is. This is because as the shooter adjusts his scope for a longer range shot by dialing the scope up, he/she also ends up adjusting it to the right or left, depending on which way the reticle is tilted and how much.
Everyone strives for having a perfectly mounted scope. Systems and devices are available using external leveling references, such as bubble levels, and tools that temporarily attach to the firearm that provide a similar visual reference. These are usually gadgets that cost between $20 and $200. Some of the external level references also require the firearm to be sitting perfectly level during the installation process.
The problem with leveling is that for most folks, it is terribly imprecise and the devices do not do much to minimize the time/hassle of installation. The person also needs to be very careful while installing the scope mount, to not accidentally bump anything, and also keep checking the level of the scope while tightening all the screws. Some folks just end up taking their scope and mount to a gunsmith who has all of these tools and experience. And in the end, the installer is basically eye-balling it.
It would be desirable to provide system to install a scope quickly and precisely without any additional leveling tools.
Disclosed is an optical aiming device that includes cylindrical body having grooves coupled with front and rear mounting rings having detachable protrusion inserts that couple with the grooves for alignment.
The invention is directed to an optical aiming device body having grooves coupled with front and rear mounting rings having detachable protrusion inserts.
During manufacturing, one or more small grooves are cut in lines that are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the scope, in the area where the front and rear mounting rings are attached. The groove(s) are cut at locations on the scope tube that are calibrated with the installation of the reticle.
The scope mounts (rings) will also have a corresponding number of protrusions added that will mate-up with the grooves in the scope.
There may be more than one “set” of grooves, in order to account for users who may mount their scopes on platforms that are canted to one side or the other. For instance, a rifle may have an additional mounting area off to the side that is canted/tilted 45 degrees. There may be multiple sets of grooves cut into the scope tube to accommodate this situation.
The main functional difference is that the modification allows for a more “plug and play” experience for the user. They do not need special tools/gadgets that only apply to scope mounting, and the user can quickly/easily mount the scope with high precision.
Scopes have been around since 1835, and I have found nothing in my research that has ever pointed to something like this. There are mounting systems for cameras that approach being similar; however, those systems are not at all concerned with leveling. They are concerned with providing a secure attachment point.
The optical aiming device 100 includes one or more features for aiming, such as an ocular lens 128 and an eyepiece 130 that the shooter looks through coupled to one end of the cylindrical body 108b, and an objective 132 coupled to an opposite end with internal crosshair or aiming point (reticle) within the scope 100. The optical aiming device 100 also includes various adjustment rings and knobs for sighting and focus. In the embodiment shown, the optical aiming device is a scope 100. In other embodiments, the optical aiming device 100 may be other devices, such as a sight or laser.
The front and rear bottom sections 104b, 106b include a protrusion 124 on a mating surface 126 that is configured to engage the groove 112 on the surface 114 of the cylindrical body 108 when it is coupled with the front and/or rear mounting rings 104, 106.
The groove 112 and protrusion 124 are shown as a triangle or pyramid shape. In other embodiments, the groove 112 and protrusion 124 may another mating shapes, such as rectangular.
The cylindrical body 108 is positioned between the top section 104a, 106a and the bottom section 104b, 106b. The top 104a, 106a and bottom 104b, 106b sections include outward extending upper and lower mating tabs or flanges 134, 135 with screw holes 118, 120 or 121. Once the top sections 104a, 106a and bottom sections 104b, 106b are joined, the screws 116 are inserted through a screw holes 118 in the upper mating tabs 135 of the top sections 104a, 106a, and and engage either threaded openings 120 in the bottom sections 104b, 106b in the lower mating tabs 136, or pass through screw holes 121 and couple with nuts 122.
The coupling of the groove 112 and protrusion 124 provides accurate positioning of the scope 100 on the firearm 102. As pointed out above, the groove 112 on the cylindrical body 108 is calibrated with the crosshair or aiming point (reticle) in the scope 100. So when the cylindrical body 108 is inserted into the front and rear mounting rings 104a, 104b, the coupling of the groove 112 and protrusion 124 provides accurate positioning of the crosshair or aiming point (reticle) in the scope 100 relative to the firearm 102, and the scope 100 does not need to be re-leveled each time it is changed to a different firearm 102.
In some embodiments, the cylindrical body 108 includes a front set of grooves 112a configured to couple with protrusions of the front mounting ring 104 and a rear set of grooves 112b configured to couple with protrusions of the rear mounting ring 106. The front set of grooves 112a and the rear set of grooves 112b may be different so that the cylindrical body 108 is positioned in the correct orientation on the firearm.
The top 204a, 206a and bottom 204b, 206b sections include a semicircular shape that is sized to clamp the cylindrical body 208 when joined.
The front and rear mounting rings 204, 206 include a detachable protrusion insert 224 that is sized to fit within a slot 225 on a mating surface 226 that is configured to engage the groove 212 on the bottom surface of the cylindrical body 208. The detachable protrusion insert 224 shown as a triangle or pyramid shape.
The coupling of the groove 212 and detachable protrusion insert 224 provides accurate positioning of the scope 200. As pointed out above, the groove 212 on the cylindrical body 208 is calibrated with the crosshair or aiming point (reticle) in the scope 200. So when the cylindrical body 208 is inserted into the front and rear mounting rings 204, 204, the coupling of the groove 212 and detachable protrusion insert 224 provides accurate positioning of the crosshair or aiming point (reticle) in the scope 200 relative to the firearm 202 and the scope 200 does not need to be re-leveled each time it is changed to a different firearm 202.
In some embodiments, the detachable inserts 324 may have different protrusion shapes configured to couple with different groove shapes on the cylindrical body 108. In the embodiments shown, there are three different detachable inserts. Detachable insert 334a is a detachable smooth insert without a protrusion that may be positioned within slots 325a, 325b, 325c. This allows the front and rear mounting rings 304b, 306b to be used for scopes that do not have grooves. Detachable insert 334b is a detachable protrusion insert having a triangle or pyramid shape. Detachable insert 334c is a detachable protrusion insert having a square or rectangular shaped protrusion.
While the embodiments show the groove(s) located in the cylindrical body and the protrusion(s) on the front and rear mounting rings, in other embodiments these may be opposite, with the groove(s) in the front and rear mounting rings and the protrusion(s) on the cylindrical body.
The embodiments shown describe the groove as being parallel to the longitudinal axis. In other embodiments, the groove may be positioned in any orientation on the cylindrical body or tube. The only requirement is that the groove couple with the protrusion provides accurate positioning of the crosshair or aiming point (reticle) in the scope 100 relative to the firearm 102
Example embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention have been described herein. As noted elsewhere, these example embodiments have been described for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting. Other embodiments are possible and are covered by the invention. Such embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/029,448, filed on May 24, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63029448 | May 2020 | US |
