Patent Application
20240344805
The present invention is in the technical field of aiming devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to sighting configurations for use on firearms and other projectile-firing devices. It offers an improved sighting system and method for aiming.
Conventional notch and post style gun sights have been around for centuries. However, this conventional design has some inherent shortcomings. For example, the basic notch and post design lacks an intuitive element to aiming, meaning an aligned sight picture has no inherent meaning to the aimer. This can make it more difficult to explain and train a new shooter, and more difficult to retain that skill under stress without regular and significant practice. Due to the rear sight necessarily being larger than the front sight, notch and post sights can be more difficult to roughly align them when the eye's focus is on the target (which can be critical in a gun fight). Not only is the front sight relatively small and therefore harder to see, but it is also possible for the front sight to become visually obscured by the rear sight. This can cause inexperienced shooters to lose their sighting index. The above attributes combined can make notch and post sights particularly difficult to use under stress, such as a gun fight. Alternative designs to conventional notch and post sights have sought to remedy some of these shortcomings, but may cause other problems, such as an inherent lack of precision or speed. However, these solutions still have some potential shortcomings, such as a smaller (and therefore less) visible front sight, only one primary way to align the sights or a lack of intuitiveness. There is still room for improvement.
The present invention is an aiming device and method for aiming that is primarily designed for use with firearms, and especially handguns. The invention and method accomplish this through several individual and separate features that may be used singly or combined in whatever manner the aimer chooses. This affords the aimer the ability to refine the sight picture when time and focus permit, or to align extremely quickly but slightly less precise in circumstances where time is constrained, or the aimer's eyes are focused on the target rather than the sights. The sights can also be used by whichever method or combination of methods that individual aimer prefers or feels best suits the circumstances and their individual visual perception. Some specific features include: 1) The sight picture formed by the visual alignment of the front and rear sight may form an easily recognized shape, i.e., a triangle. This capitalizes the Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organization, a phenomenon that causes humans to automatically complete shapes. 2) Distinctive and precise alignment reference points on both front and rear sights that can be visually aligned, which may aid in both speed and precision. In other words, aiming point(s) on the front sight may be visually brought into visual contact with corresponding aiming points on the rear sight to create precise alignment that reduces or eliminates guess work or estimation of proper and precise alignment. 3) The front sight is shaped in such a way that it visually protrudes above the top of the rear sight when aligned properly and is preferably large relative to the rear sight when compared with traditional notch & post sights. This makes it substantially more difficult for the front sight (which is most important in aiming) to become visually obscured by the rear sight or be lost during recoil. 4) The sight may be visually aligned by centering the lower portion front sight inside the rear notch, similar to standard notch and post sights. However, when properly centered, a portion of the front sight still protrudes above the visual height of the rear sight, resulting in greater visibility of the front sight. 5) For extremely rapid aiming, the sights may also be aligned “out of the notch”. This means by looking over the top of the aiming surface (i.e., top of the gun) and visually centering the front sight (typically the lower portion of the front sight) horizontally, but from a vantage point where the sights may not appear to form a perfectly aligned sight picture. In this use case, the mind estimates where the point of impact would be as if sights were aligned directly with the eye. 6) Any combination of the above-listed features, according to user preferences and circumstances.
The broken lines in some of the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and form no part of the claimed invention. They represent the top surface of the firearm, with the sights attaching to the via dovetails in the illustration. These attachments points may vary from gun to gun (or other platform) and are not required features of the patent. They are not called out in the drawings.
Referring now to the invention in more detail, in
The following is a description of the preferred embodiment. When boundaries and surfaces are mentioned, these are the surfaces and boundaries of the front sight 1 and rear sight 2 from an aimer's perspective. These are boundaries that the aimer can generally use to align and aim the sights. Other surfaces are obviously necessarily present. However, their specific design is not critical as it relates to the sight picture and sight alignment and are therefore not referenced. All that is necessary for the other surfaces is that they be structured so as to not interfere with the sight picture (or possibly enhance it, such as by providing additional visual feedback, such as an extra deep front sight that can be judged to be off center by seeing one side more prominently with the other) and that the sights be shaped in such a way to fit the device where they will be installed.
In the preferred embodiment, front sight 1 has five clearly defined external visual boundaries. Upper left edge 10 and upper right edge 11 form the vertex which is targeting reference point 12. On the left side of front sight 1 (from an aimer's perspective), lower edge 14 and upper edge 10 terminate to form a vertex that is alignment reference point 16. On the right side of front sight 1, lower edge 13 and upper edge 11 terminate to form a vertex that is alignment reference point 15. The lowermost visual portion of front sight 1 is shown as flat horizontal surface 17. On the left side, bottom edge 17 and left edge 14 form a vertex that is alignment reference point 32. On the right side, bottom edge 17 and right edge 13 form a vertex that is alignment reference point 31. In the preferred embodiment, there is a visual surface area 20 that can optionally accommodate an insert that may be brightly colored and replaceable with other colors for case of visual acquisition and to suit the aimer's color preferences. It is bounded by visual boundaries 18 on the left and 19 on the right, which may optionally be a contrasting color to surface 20, aiding in visual acquisition. In the preferred embodiment, these visual boundaries may also serve as rigid “lips” to aid in holding, protecting and indexing an insert into proper location. If present, these inserts may be glued or otherwise attached into place. Alternatively, this optional area may be painted or colored by any other means or left in its natural state. In another embodiment, the entire visual aiming surface (comprised of 18, 19, and 20) can be a single color or colored in any other manner. It may also be a single piece or not a separate piece at all, but simply the surface of the sight itself, with or without any coloring.
Rear sight 2 is designed in such a way as to complete the partial shape of front sight 1, so that when viewed together in alignment, front sight 1 and rear sight 2 form a recognizable shape, which in the preferred embodiment is substantially a triangle. For example, similar to what is depicted in
In the preferred embodiment, rear sight 2 has six clearly defined external visual boundaries. (A seventh optional side could be located at the bottom of rear sight 2 as boundary edge 35. This surface may be implied by the bottom of rear sight 2 and is less critical to the aiming process). Left external edge 21 and right internal edge 25 together form a vertex at the upper left side of the sight at alignment reference point 23. Right external edge 22 and right internal edge 26 for a vertex at the upper right side that is alignment reference point 24. Left internal edge 25, lower center edge 27, and right internal edge 26 together form a notch or void in rear sight 2. This notch visually corresponds to the lower center portion of the front sight 1. On the left side of rear sight 2, internal edge 25 and lower internal edge 27 form a vertex that is alignment reference point 34. On the right side, internal edge boundary 26 and lower internal edge boundary 27 form a vertex that is alignment reference point 33. As in the front sight 1, the preferred embodiment includes corresponding visual edge boundaries 28 on the left and 29 on the right, which may optionally be a contrasting color to surface 30, aiding in visual acquisition. In the preferred embodiment, these visual boundaries may also serve as rigid “lips” to aid in holding, protecting and indexing an insert into proper location. If present, these inserts may be glued or otherwise attached into place. Alternatively, this optional area may be painted or colored by any other means or left in its natural state.
In another embodiment, the entire visual surface (comprised of 28, 29, and 30) can be a single color or colored in any other manner. The rear sight also includes a visual surface 30 which may optionally accommodate a brightly colored replaceable insert. In the preferred embodiment, these visual boundaries may also serve as rigid “lips” to aid in holding and indexing an insert into proper location. On front sight 1, the “lips” are in the approximate location of left edge 10 and right edge 11. On rear sight 2, the “lips” are in the approximate location of left edge 21 and right edge 22. If present, these inserts may be glued or otherwise securely fastened into place. Alternatively, this optional area may be painted or colored by any other means. The visual surface areas of the sights may also be a single surface, with or without added lips, coloring, texturing, or inserts.
In more detail, still referring to the invention of
One method of aligning the sights is for the aimer to simply look at both front sight 1 and rear sight 2, and assure the combined visual image appears as substantially a recognizable shape, with the targeting reference point 12 substantially corresponding to the aiming point on the target. This aligned shape in the preferred embodiment depicted here is substantially a triangle, as shown in
Another method would be to visually verify any or all alignment reference points. For example, the aimer could verify that alignment reference point 15 located on front sight 1, is substantially visually contacting corresponding alignment reference point 24 on rear sight 2. Or to do the same with the alignment reference points on the left side of the sights, by visually contacting alignment reference point 16 on the front sight 1 with point 23 on the rear sight 2. Or to visually align lower left reference point 32 on front sight 1 with corresponding lower left reference point 34 on rear sight 2. Or on the right side, to visually align lower right reference point 31 on front sight 1 with corresponding lower right reference point 33 on rear sight 2. Verification of proper alignment can be accomplished through visually connecting any or all of the aforementioned alignment reference points.
In addition to the reference points, it is possible to verify elevation and to a lesser extent windage alignment by verifying the alignment of bottom surface 17 of front sight 1 with bottom internal surface 27 of rear sight 2.
Another method of aligning the sights would be to visually center the lower portion of the front sight 1 (which would be comprised of external edge boundaries 13, 14, 17) into the notch or void in the rear sight 2 defined by the left internal edge boundary 25, the right internal edge boundary 26, and the lower internal edge boundary 27. When visually aligned and with each other and the aimer's eye, lower surface 17 of the front sight 1 would appear to be approximately resting on top of surface 27 of rear sight 2. See
An additional method for aiming would be for the aimer to roughly align the front sight 1 and rear sight 2 in a technique traditionally known as “out of the notch” or “over the sights”. This is where the aimer may orient their line of sight over the tops of the sights, rather than in line with them. From this vantage point, it is still possibly to gauge the vertical and especially horizontal relative alignments of the front sight 1, rear sight 2, and desired target.
Once the front sight 1 and rear sight 2 are visually aligned using whichever method is preferred, the tip of the triangle at the front sight (aiming point 12) would substantially correspond to the desired aiming point on the intended target.
While the preferred embodiment is a triangle, any shape or method of aiming will work that: 1) Uses at least one point or surface of alignment on front sight to be visually aligned with corresponding point or surface of alignment on rear sight, and 2) the front sight visually protrudes above the rear sight when sights are directly aligned with aimer's eye.
Other criteria that can be used include: a) recognizable as a distinct shape that is visually formed when front and rear sights are viewed together, b) Front and rear sights feature distinct alignment reference points which can be aligned with one another for refined and precise aiming, c) the targeting reference point of the front sight visually extends above the top of the rear sight when sights are directly aligned with the aimer's eye. The preferred embodiment has the targeting reference point 12 located at substantially the center top of the front sight and is a distinct and easily recognized feature such as the vertex of two linear surfaces, the lower vertex of a “V” shape, or anything else that is easily recognized as to where the front sight is relative to the target, and where the aiming point is on front sight 1. For example, the present invention would allow the use of an octagonal front sight, oriented so that one of the vertices is at the tip. The rear sight in such an arrangement could be the lower part of the octagon, or the void (notch) in the rear sight could surround the octagon so that when aligned, it formed an entirely different shape, such as a triangle, circle, or square, with a distinct aiming point substantially at the center top of the front sight.
Some of the advantages of the present invention include the ability to align the sights faster, to be more confident in their alignment and to capitalize on a human's inborn ability to complete shapes, making the alignment more automatic, more intuitive and simpler, particularly under stress In the preferred embodiment, the front sight is also shaped and sized in such a manner as to be easily seen and grab more visual attention than the rear sight.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63495552 | Apr 2023 | US |
