Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6308449
-
Patent Number
6,308,449
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, February 9, 199926 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, October 30, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Carone; Michael J.
- Mun; Kyongtaek K.
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 042 66
- 042 7008
- 042 7001
- 042 7004
- 042 7005
- 042 7009
- 089 147
- 089 154
- 089 148
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
Permanent safety device for preventing the accidental firing of a weapon whose firing mechanism comprises a trigger, a hammer, a loaded spring which exerts a force along a given line of action on said hammer, retention means which hold the hammer in opposition to said spring and, inserted between the trigger and said hammer retention means, a lever which disengages these latter at the time of firing as a result of the trigger being pulled. The abovementioned firing mechanism includes a stop piece which can be moved between an interference position in which it interferes with the action of said spring on the hammer and a position in which it does not interfere with said action, and vice versa, and a mechanism, connected to the trigger, which is designed to move said stop piece out of said interference position only if the trigger is pulled.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a permanent safety device for preventing the accidental firing of a weapon whose firing mechanism comprises a trigger, a hammer, a loaded spring which exerts a force along a given line of action on said hammer, retention means which hold the hammer in opposition to said spring and, inserted between the trigger and said hammer retention means, a lever which disengages these latter at the time of firing as a result of the trigger being pulled.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Firing mechanisms of the type detailed above are well known within the firearms sector, in both hunting and military guns.
The fact these mechanisms include a safety device which can be engaged and disengaged manually is also well known.
The known manual safety devices usually used in firearms consist of catch mechanisms which, once engaged, make it impossible to move those components which are designed to disengage the hammer retention means and therefore, even if pressure is exerted on the trigger, prevent the sequence of movements that result in a shot being fired from taking place, including, in particular, the movement of the hammer which, as is known, is permanently subjected to the action of a spring.
Despite immobilizing the components mentioned above, or even the trigger, by means of the conventional safety devices found in firearms, there is still the problem—and one which can sometimes have extremely serious consequences—of the gun firing accidentally as a result of the hammer retention means being disengaged inadvertently.
As mentioned earlier, the hammer is permanently subjected to the action of a spring and is held in opposition to the latter by means which are usually in the form of a hook.
If these means should, for whatever reason—for example as a result of a violent knock to the weapon or wear of the hooking surfaces—cease to function properly, the hammer is released and the force of the spring is fully discharged onto said hammer, causing the gun to fire accidentally.
The object of the present invention is to equip the firing mechanism of a firearm of the type specified above with a permanent safety device which is independent of the conventional safety catch and which, even if the hammer retention means are released or disengaged accidentally, will not allow the hammer, even though it is subjected to the force of the spring, to receive a sufficient force to cause the gun to fire.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is achieved by a permanent safety device for preventing the accidental firing of a weapon whose firing mechanism comprises a trigger, a hammer, a loaded spring which exerts a force along a given line of action on said hammer, retention means which hold the hammer in opposition to said spring and, inserted between the trigger and said hammer retention means, a lever which disengages these latter at the time of firing as a result of the trigger being pulled. The permanent safety device includes a stop piece which can be moved between an interference position in which it interferes with the action of said spring and a position in which it does not interfere with said action, and vice versa, and a mechanism, connected to the trigger, which is designed to move said stop piece out of said interference position only if the trigger is pulled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to a number of practical embodiments thereof which are given solely by way of non-limiting example and illustrated in the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
shows a perspective view of the basic elements of a firing mechanism of a firearm, especially a hunting rifle or shotgun, fitted with the permanent safety device according to the invention in a first embodiment;
FIG. 2
shows a perspective view of a component of the mechanism of the permanent safety device according to the invention, from the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
shows a diagrammatic perspective view of the permanent safety mechanism of the example shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, in the active position;
FIG. 4
shows the mechanism of the previous figure in the inactive position that immediately precedes an intentional shot;
FIG. 5
shows a second embodiment of the permanent safety device according to the invention, in its active position;
FIG. 6
shows the device of the embodiment shown in
FIG. 5
in the inactive position that immediately precedes an intentional shot;
FIG. 7
shows a third embodiment of the permanent safety device according to the invention, in the active position;
FIG. 8
shows the device of the embodiment shown in
FIG. 7
in the inactive position immediately prior to an intentional shot.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the abovementioned figures and in particular to
FIGS. 1
to
4
, the reference
1
denotes, overall, the support frame of the firing mechanism of a firearm, for example a shotgun.
The trigger
2
pivots on the pin
3
and the hammer
4
is mounted so that it can rotate about the pin
5
.
In the example described, the hammer
4
takes the form of a cranked lever having a longitudinal portion
4
a
and a transverse portion
4
b.
The latter portion terminates in a hook-shaped end
6
, the front of which engages with another hook
7
carried on the end
8
of a lever
9
which is mounted so that it can rotate about the pin
10
.
The other end
11
of the lever
9
is designed to work in conjunction with a catch element of the conventional safety system which has not been illustrated since it is not relevant to the present invention.
The back
12
of the hammer is, in the conventional manner, designed to strike the firing pin (not illustrated in the drawings) at the time of firing as a result of its rotation about the pin
5
.
The side
13
, opposite the back
12
of the hammer, carries a projection
14
which is permanently in contact with the end
15
of a cap
15
a
which at least partially encloses a compressed spring, shown diagrammatically as
16
. The other end
17
of the spring
16
reacts, in the conventional manner, against the frame
1
which has not been illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 4
for the sake of simplicity and clarity.
The lever
9
, its tooth
7
and the tooth
6
of the hammer
4
that engages with the tooth
7
, constitute the retention means which hold the hammer in opposition to the thrust force exerted along the line of action X—X by the spring
16
which is in permanent contact with the projection
14
via the cap
15
a.
Inserted between the lever
9
and the trigger
2
is a lever
18
which, via its end
18
a
, is hinged to the end
2
a
of the trigger by means of a pin
19
.
The tip of the other end
18
b
presses against the lever
9
, at a point between the pivot pin
10
and the end
8
.
This same end
18
b
of the lever
18
has a projection
20
, positioned at an angle with respect to the axial extension of the lever, which engages slidably within the window
21
formed in the end
22
a
of a lever
22
.
This lever
22
pivots like a rocker arm by means of the hole
10
a
around the pin
10
—on which the lever
9
is also pivotably mounted—and carries a transverse piece, denoted
23
, on its other end
22
b.
The projection
20
and the window
21
form a connection means between the lever
18
and the lever
22
.
The piece
23
on the lever
22
is usually positioned such that it interferes with a zone
15
b
affected by the movement of the cap
15
a
containing the spring
16
, generally to the side of the line of action X—X of the force of the spring
16
, as illustrated in FIG.
3
.
In addition, the piece
23
is positioned, in the direction of the line X—X, a preset distance away from the end
15
of the cap
15
a.
This positioning means that, in the event of the teeth
6
and
7
disengaging for whatever reason—for example as a result of wear of the contact surfaces of the hooked connection or an accidental knock, but not because the trigger
2
has been pulled—the thrust force of the spring
16
, whose cap
15
a
is permanently pressed against the projection
14
on the hammer, cannot be fully discharged because, beyond the preset distance, at least part of the end
15
of the cap
15
a
hits the piece
23
on the lever
22
, which acts as a stop.
The spring
16
can therefore only transmit a limited thrust via the cap
15
a
to the hammer
4
and this thrust is not enough to release the hammer so that it can strike the firing pin (not illustrated) with sufficient energy to fire a shot.
Only when the shot is intentional, i.e. caused by the trigger
2
being pulled, is the piece
23
on the lever
22
first moved out of the zone of displacement of the spring
16
.
The axial movement of the lever
18
and the resultant pressure exerted by the end of the latter on the lever
9
, then cause the teeth
6
and
7
to disengage.
When this happens, the hammer can then receive the full force of the spring
16
and so strike the firing pin with sufficient energy to fire the gun.
Displacement of the transverse piece
23
, which acts as a stop for the cap
15
a
containing the spring
16
and limits the force of the energy discharged by the latter on the hammer, is achieved by virtue of the connection between the lever
18
and the rocker lever
22
.
This is because the axial movement of the lever
18
, which gradually causes the tooth
7
to disengage from the tooth
6
on the hammer
4
, also causes the angular movement of the lever
22
and, because of the different lengths of the arms relative to the pivot pin
10
, moves the piece
23
out of the zone
15
b
of displacement of the cap
15
a
, slightly before disengagement of the teeth
6
and
7
takes place.
The device of the invention therefore constitutes a permanent safety mechanism which does not need to be engaged and disengaged manually.
It is only when the gun is to be fired intentionally that, in an action consequent upon the moving of the trigger, this safety mechanism renders the spring
16
fully active and allows all its energy to be discharged onto the hammer
4
in order to fire a shot.
In all other cases, unless the trigger
2
is moved, the safety device continues to remain active, even when the teeth
6
and
7
accidentally disengage, thereby releasing the hammer.
More specifically, with reference to the embodiment of
FIGS. 3 and 4
, if the teeth
6
and
7
do disengage accidentally, the pressure exerted by the spring
16
, via the cap
15
a
, on the stop piece
23
tends to cause the lever
22
to rotate clockwise about the pin
10
, thereby holding the piece
23
even more firmly in its operational stop position, therefore making the safety device even more effective.
With reference to the example illustrated in
FIGS. 5 and 6
, in which elements corresponding to those in the embodiment o f
FIGS. 1
to
4
have been given the same reference numerals, it will be noted that a stop piece
123
is carried by the end
122
b
of a rod
122
which is mounted on the frame of the weapon such that it can be moved axially in both directions.
The end
122
a
of this rod
122
hooks onto the end
118
b
of the lever
118
which, similarly to the example shown in
FIGS. 1
to
4
, is actuated by the trigger
2
.
Unless the trigger
2
is moved, the stop piece
123
interferes with the action of the spring
16
and so prevents, should the teeth
6
and
7
disengage accidentally, the full elastic force of the spring from being discharged onto the hammer
4
and causing the gun to fire accidentally.
In contrast, when the trigger
2
is pulled, the lever
118
axially pushes the rod
122
while its tip acts simultaneously on the lever
9
.
Before the teeth
6
and
7
are disengaged, the rod
112
moves the stop piece
123
out of the way, thereby releasing the spring
16
.
With reference to the example illustrated in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, it will be noted that the permanent safety device according to the invention can also be used in a shotgun in which the barrels are on top of each other and which has a known, conventional firing mechanism.
It should be noted in this example that the spring
216
is mounted coaxial on a rod
217
whose end
217
a
bears against the hammer
204
which can rotate about the pin
205
, while a portion
217
b
of its opposite end passes through a wall
218
of the frame and terminates in an enlargement
219
formed, for example, by a nut screwed onto the threaded end of the rod.
When the hammer is in the cocked position, as shown in
FIG. 7
, in which the teeth
206
and
207
are mutually engaged, the spring
216
is compressed between the wall
218
and the flange
220
of the end
217
a.
The end
221
of a rocker lever
222
, which is mounted so that it can rotate around the pin
223
, is inserted along the portion
217
b
and presses against the enlargement
219
.
The other end
224
of this lever
222
is forked, its times
225
enclosing the portion
226
of an extension piece integral with the trigger
2
.
When the components are in the position described, it is clear that, if the elements retaining the hammer
204
in position—i.e. the teeth
206
and
207
—are released, the force of the spring
216
cannot be discharged onto the hammer
204
because the rod
217
is axially immobilized by the end
221
of the lever
222
.
With reference to
FIG. 8
which relates to the same embodiment, it will be noted that, when the gun is fired intentionally, the action of moving the trigger
2
causes the end
221
of the lever
222
to be moved out of the way even before the teeth
206
and
207
are disengaged, releasing the rod
217
which, as soon as the teeth
206
and
207
are disengaged, discharges the full force of the spring
216
onto the hammer
204
, thereby firing the gun.
It will be obvious that the invention described with reference to the specific embodiments detailed above can undergo various modifications, especially with regard to the shape of the mechanical parts and their physical layout within the framework of a firing mechanism, depending on the type of weapon, without thereby departing from the scope of the following claims.
Claims
- 1. A permanent safety device for preventing the accidental firing of a weapon whose firing mechanism comprises:a trigger; a trigger lever connected to said trigger; a hammer coupled to said trigger lever at a first end of said hammer; a loaded spring which exerts a force along a given line of action on a second end of said hammer; a hammer retention means which holds said hammer in opposition to said loaded spring, said hammer retention means being disengaged by said trigger lever when said trigger is activated; and a rocker lever, coupled to said trigger lever and said hammer retention means, said rocker lever further comprising a stop piece movable between a first interference position in which said stop piece interferes with said loaded spring thereby preventing said loaded spring from being fully activated against said second end of said hammer and a second position in which said stop piece does not interfere with said loaded spring when said trigger is activated.
- 2. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stop piece is positioned between said loaded spring and the second end of said hammer.
- 3. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stop piece is positioned directly between said second end of said hammer and said line of action of said loaded spring, so that said stop piece interferes directly with the action of said loaded spring when said stop piece is in said first interference position.
- 4. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rocker lever is provided with first and second ends, said stop piece being integral with said first end of said rocker lever, said second end of said rocker coupled to said hammer retention means so that when said hammer retention means is disengaged by said trigger, said stop piece is moved into said second position.
- 5. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first end of said rocker lever is an axially sliding rod, said axially sliding rod being actuated by said trigger lever in order to disengage said hammer retention means when said trigger is activated.
- 6. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said loaded spring further comprises a cap mounted on said loaded spring, said cap having a zone of displacement, wherein said stop piece interferes with said cap in said zone of displacement when said rocker lever is in said first interference position.
- 7. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said cap is disposed on said loaded spring and configured, at least in part, to enclose said loaded spring acting on said second end of said hammer.
- 8. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said stop piece can be moved between a first interference position in which it interferes with said zone covered by the displacement of said cap and a second position in which it does not interfere with said zone.
- 9. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said stop piece is positioned in the direction of said line of action of said loaded spring, a preset distance away from the end said cap of said loaded spring which acts on said second end of said hammer.
- 10. The permanent safety device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said rocker lever is pivotable about an axis, said rocker lever having first and second arms, said arms being of unequal lengths, so that when said rocker lever is moved by said trigger, said stop piece is moved out of said zone of displacement before said hammer retention means are disengaged.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
903440A |
Jul 1998 |
BE |
0540778 |
May 1993 |
EP |
505526 |
Oct 1919 |
FR |