Patent Grant
11927427
The present invention generally relates to the field of firearm accessories. Firearm accessories consist of a wide range of devices that attach to and enhance the performance of, or simply work in conjunction with a fire arm, all of which are produced to enhance the abilities of the firearm in one way or another. These accessories consist of various types of sights, scopes, night vision, laser sights, range finders, etc. as well as things like regular or infra-red high-powered lights, tripods, various types of mounting rail systems etc. This invention would fall more into the sight category but more particularly, this device is a new type of camera sight that was primarily devised and engineered to provide the user with the ability to surveil an area at a full radius of 360 degrees from protective cover to alert the user of advancing hostile combatants to locate snipers or other developing enemy scenarios, but basically to provide our combat soldiers with the ability to remain totally behind protective cover while performing some of their least to their most dangerous tasks that unfortunately result in very large percentage of American casualties.
This invention is basically in two different embodiments, both of which employ two cameras as well as their own smart phone or smart device mounting platform or mounting base. These devices supply the user with both the target image by means of the forward-facing camera, as well as an image of the area behind the user by means of an additional position adjustable rear viewing camera, that would be an integral part of a position adjustable armature. These cameras are illustrated as two different types that operate and supply the image of the area behind the user in two different manners. One would supply its image to the same smart device that would be mounted in the smart device mount, which is an integral part of this device. The other type of rear viewing camera illustrated in this patent application would be an integral part of its own small smart device, that would simply be much like a very small smart phone or tablet with no communication, internet or Wi-Fi transmitting or receiving abilities, but would simply be a tiny high-resolution camera with both zooming and viewing angle adjustability, as well as possibly recording abilities, like any other smart device that employs a camera. Some of the other differences would include, the type camera that it would employ would possess infra-red viewing abilities as well as a small infra-red illuminator, and would be an attachable part of a position adjustable armature, which would allow the user to position the camera with its own integral viewing screen, in the best operational position to both acquire the best vantage point, for both its rear viewing camera as well as its viewing screen, The cameras lens on this rear viewing would also be on the same side as its viewing screen to, face and receive the image of the area behind the user.
The other camera employed in these camera sights, would be the camera that actually supplies the target image to the smart device mounted on this device. This camera's lens would be positionally mounted in the forward portion of the camera housing in a close enough proximity to its viewing window, to attain a clear wide field of view. Which would prove of great benefit especially to our armed forces, whether using this device for surveillance purposes, or while using this device from behind protective cover, to quickly locate the point of fire, as well as to reveal other dangers such as approaching hostile enemy combatants, or other developing enemy scenarios, that would pose an immediate threat, that the soldier would be in desperate need to be made aware of. Both the forward and rear viewing cameras employed in these tactical camera sights, could be of the exact same type, in that they would both employ high-resolution infrared viewing cameras with Wi-Fi transmitting modules. Although all, except one, of the applicant's prototypes for these camera sights, simply employed higher quality non-magnifying type spy cameras, that employ the same type and quality of cameras as those found in smart phones, although these spy cameras also possess infrared viewing abilities as well as their own WI-FI transmitting modules, which actually lend themselves, and function very well, in these tactical camera sights, and this type of camera may well be still employed in this invention, but most likely restricted to the employment in the rear viewing camera device portions of this invention. In that there are other types of very small cameras that are available with infrared viewing abilities and their own, or are adaptable with WI-FI transmitting modules, of which there are several types to choose from on the market that would all lend themselves well, to be employed in these camera sights, all of which possess certain advantages and disadvantages to each other. The first of which being, the aforementioned type used in most of the prototypes for this invention, being one of the least expensive of these types of cameras. These cameras are available in high resolution of 1080 Pixels and greater, with these cameras also being widely available with their own integral or separate Wi-Fi transmitting module, most of which are available with infrared viewing capabilities as well. A hard wire-able model of this type of camera would be of the type that plugs into the same port on a smart device, which is also used as the charging port. Of course, the main down side to the employment of this type of camera would be the cord. Another type of available camera presently found on the market that these camera sights are also engineered to employ, are what is commonly referred to as a mini block camera which would function in much the same manner as the tiny HD spy camera, with models available with infrared viewing capabilities, as well as WI-FI transmitting or hard wire-able modules. The real advantage to the employment of this type of camera in these tactical sights is that they possess advantages such as much greater resiliency rating and zooming capabilities, as well as other abilities. The down sides to the employment of this type of camera in these devices, firstly would be, that presently they are more cost inhibitive, as well as their physical size being somewhat larger, although this type of camera has recently become available in even much smaller sizes. Electrical consumption has also been seriously reduced as well, which are all factors that would prove these types of cameras to lend themselves well to their application in these tactical camera sights. Yet another type of camera applicable to these camera sights, would of the same basic type, but that possesses optical zooming abilities, which up until now, were somewhat size restrictive, but at this time, are presently available in very small models, that are of a very high quality, that would lend themselves well to their application in these tactical camera sights, with very few modifications to their original design. Some of these very small cameras with optical zooming abilities were actually manufactured as spy and surveillance cameras, and are presently available with or adaptable with WI-FI transmitters, and some available with infrared viewing abilities as well. Yet another option would be to outsource the production of these cameras to camera or camera component manufactures, that would produce these cameras, not only equipped with optical zooming, and all the other components and abilities needed, but that would also be made in the perfect size and configuration that would be an easily installable component of these tactical camera sights during assemblage. The applicant has already contacted and spoke at length with various camera, and camera component manufactures, to estimate price as well as to determine technical options and feasibilities and has determined to equip these tactical camera sights with these cameras, with optical zooming abilities. Which in turn would provide the soldier or law enforcement with the ability to, either use these tactical camera sights as a non-magnifying reflex or holographic type of camera sight, that would provide the user with a non-magnified, and very wide field of view in the smart device, mounted in the smart device mounting base portion of this invention, or to optionally use this little device as a variable high powered scope, that presents the image of the target and the surrounding area perfectly centered in the screen of the smart device, behind the reticle, on the screen of a smart phone or smart device. With all of the types of cameras applicable to these camera sights, the ones employed in their final design would probably have to be decided as an executive decision at that time, once all of these factors are considered.
These camera sights are illustrated as two basic types, one of which is a combination smart phone mount and sight adjustable camera sight in which the camera sight transfers its target image to the smart phone or tablet that is mounted in its own mount, which is an integral part of the sight. The other embodiment of this invention is strictly a camera that is height adjustable to receive its target image from various types of target viewing devices that this device would be mounted behind on the mounting rail of the firearm. These target viewing devices such as red dot sights, scopes, etc. mount at different heights off of the mounting rail on firearm, so this camera sight would be mounted at the optimal distance behind, and height above the mounting rail, to obtain the perfect vantage point for the camera that receives its image from these various target viewing devices that it would be working in conjunction with. This camera in turn transfers its image of a nice wide view of the area to the smart phone, with the reticle always remaining perfectly centered in the smart phone or smart device's screen, that is mounted on its own mount, with this mount being an integral part of this device. This mount in turn is rotatable on its own platform, that makes up the upper most portion of the rail mount, that secures this device to the mounting rail of the firearm, and is rotatable there-on, to supply the user with a full 360 degree view, and is secured in and out of its preferred angle of rotation by means of a finger pull, that is simply pulled to unlock the smart device and its mount out of its particular position of rotation, and then released to lock the smart device and its mounting base into its desired position or angle of adjustment. The smart phone or tablet that mounts on both of these embodiments of this camera sight are rotate-ably adjustable to any angle, allowing the user to position the smart phone or smart device to any viewing angle. This, along with this invention's additional rear viewing camera, provides the user with the ability to rotate the smartphone and lock it into any desired angle, to surveil the area by viewing the image provided by the camera sight to the smart phone from any position that the user would need to position himself, in relation to the firearm, to remain behind protective cover. This is done while maintaining a full visual of the area behind the user at the same time, with the use of the rear viewing camera that would be made as an integral portion of this rotatable smart phone mount, with the camera portion of this device always receiving its image of the area 180 degrees from the image provided by the camera, mounted in the forward viewing camera sight portion of this invention, or in other words, providing the user with a view of the area behind the viewing screen, of the smart device mounted in the smart device s rotatable platform.
This would provide the user with the ability to remain totally behind protective cover while surveilling an area for things like developing enemy military scenarios advancing hostile forces or to locate sniper positions etc., without suffering loss of any of the functions and abilities of the rest of the firearm while doing so; this all from a safe secure position from protective cover such as from behind tree, building, vehicle, wall or other. This function provides far more than the ability of just the viewing angle of the smart phone screen to its best vantage point when using the smart phone screen as a sight screen, when using the fire arm in the conventional manner, but far more importantly, this feature, and this device for that matter, was devised to provide the user, primarily our military or our soldiers and law enforcement, with a level of safety that has never been availed to them up to this point, especially in some of the combat scenarios a soldier would constantly and unavoidably find himself in, that his only remedy to saving his own life as well as the lives of his fellow soldiers, would include placing himself in a position of serious danger to accomplish the tasks unavoidably required of him, historically resulting in a tremendous amount of U.S. casualties. These combat scenarios include situations such as when a squadron group on patrol or an individual soldier or officer of the law for that matter, comes under enemy fire and has to quickly take cover behind buildings, armored vehicles, trees or other, and shortly thereafter, must surveil the area to locate the source of fire, as well as to determine and locate other dangers, such as other advancing hostile forces, secondly to access the threat and take appropriate action to deal with it. Up to this point these necessary actions required the soldier or officer of the law to commit, or in other words, to stick his head out from behind protective cover to do so, which the enemy then knows where the solder is and is just waiting for him to do so, which creates a far too common extremely dangerous problem for the soldier that rarely ends well for anybody, in that the soldier knows that he must apply extreme haste to accomplish the task required of him. Sadly, in urban theaters of combat, a lot of collateral damage or the loss of non-combative civilian lives are lost as well, in that split second that the soldier or law enforcement has to expose himself as a target, because of the level of danger involved, this action is done in extreme haste which results in the expending of a tremendous amount of usually fully automatic fire power on anything that moves, believing it to be the enemy. Sadly, at times, severe haste created from the lack of their ability to remain behind protective cover and remain in control of a very common situation of this nature, not only results in the loss of the soldier's life, but can result in collateral damage or loss of life of the innocent as well.
Other extremely dangerous combat scenarios include various types of surveillance or patrol where a soldier has to constantly be exposed as a target. Unfortunately, these types of problems and dangers are radically compounded and become much more dangerous in theaters of urban combat, in that a large percentage of the enemy can take up hidden or sniper positions, which present some extremely dangerous scenarios and challenges for today's combat soldier as well as our military leaders, trying to complete military objectives with the fewest number of casualties possible.
The cameras employed in these camera sights have infra-red viewing abilities, along with infra-red illuminators that they are equipped with, that provide the image to the smart phone or smart device's screen mounted in this device, providing the user with a full clear view of the area whether at night or day. The employment of a smart phone, or smart device in these devices provide this device with a tremendous number of other abilities as well, such as the use of sighting apps designed to use with the device, as well as the use of GPS, not only to maintain location knowledge of all of our troops, but also to call in locations of enemy troop movements, as well as, to stay in communication with their squad leader or command center, to call in precise locations of enemy locations or movements either while under heavy attack, or simply from positions, of surveillance. This along with the wide range of cameras and other components that this device is designed to employ, such as cameras with extremely high resolution of 4 and 5×, as well as other image enhancement abilities, or yet other types that also possess optical zooming abilities which also optionally turn these camera sights with no-magnification into variable high-powered scopes. This, along with all of the cameras employable in these camera sights having infrared viewing abilities, and being equipped with infrared illuminators, give these sights amazing night viewing abilities as well. All of this and more, with a tiny device only approximately 2″×3″ inches in diameter and that weighs only several ounces, that would not only add very little weight to a soldier's already heavy load, but when all of the bulky and heavy equipment that this invention could very effectively replace is figured into the equation, this device could actually significantly lighten the soldiers load while providing him or her with a level of safety and control, that nothing up to this point has ever come close to providing them with in the past.
Since the applicant originally came up with the idea for these tactical reflex or red dot type camera sights for our military and law enforcement, it was for the main purpose of providing them with the ability to remain safely behind protective cover if they come under enemy fire, while remaining in total control of the conflict, but shortly after, the applicant started coming to the realization of their many other safety providing abilities, most importantly being the level of safety that these camera sights would provide our combat soldiers, while performing almost all of the duties required of them in various theaters of combat. Levels of safety, which up to this point have never been available to them in the past, to much more safely perform a wide range of duties consisting of some of their least to their most dangerous duties, which unfortunately, result in a very large percentage of American casualties.
It is well appreciated in the art of weaponry and particularly rifles and hand guns. There have been numerous attempts to develop more efficient firearm accessories that provide a soldier with a level of safety and control in theaters of combat where gun fire must be exchanged to the preservation of the soldier's life, in that first responders, soldiers, and law enforcement personnel often encounter hostile combatants, violent actors, or offenders who carry pistols, rifles, or other weapons. In military scenarios, battles and other military operations often occur in urban theaters of combat requiring armed forces to patrol and engage in battle in towns and cities, with personnel on patrol in theaters of combat, and if under fire from the enemy, must regularly take cover behind obstacles such as buildings, vehicles, trees, homes, etc. with the remedy to these scenarios being extremely dangerous, that rarely end well. The problem is that with the friendly combatants' entire body being behind protective cover, a clear lineal view to locate the point of fire, or be able to locate or accurately engage advancing hostile enemy combatants, when it's the only option to the soldiers survival, cannot be accomplished without looking over or around these fortified structures, exposing himself as a target while doing so. This, or to even change positions or to transverse from one location to another, the soldier must peek around corners of buildings or other objects to access the dangers in the path he must take, exposing himself as a target while doing so. Known statistics establish that a large percentage of American casualties occur on the battlefield while doing so, especially in theaters of urban combat which has presented all new dangers and challenges for today's soldiers. The ability to see and to be made aware of these dangers is vitally important to their very survival.
Current available solutions to this problem found in the prior art that actually accomplish the task of supplying a soldier with the ability to effectively both surveil an area while maintaining the accurate use of a firearm, totally from behind protective cover without exposing any part of the user's body to incoming fire while doing so, are very few, with most engineered to complete either one of these tasks or the other, to either be used for surveillance purposes or their primary function being just to accurately engage the enemy from a safer position, rarely with any of them doing either well. With only one known device that that performs both of these tasks with any degree of efficiency. This being the Israeli Corner Shot which consists of three models, two of which consist of a pistol mounted on the forward portion of a ratcheting bendable stock; the third being a single shot 40-millimeter grenade launcher that is simply mounted to this ratcheting bendable stock in place of the pistol. This firearm also has a video camera with a super imposed reticle that is wired to a 2½ inch monitor with a LED screen that is simply put into service by locking the sight screen into its non-rotatable 90 degree viewing position in relation to the rifle stock, viewable at lower portion of the left side of the firearm stock that the camera supplies its target image to. The ratcheting bendable forward portion of this firearm that the pistol and camera with its superimposed reticle is mounted to, is pivot-ably connected to the stock portion and swings and is lockable to either side of the firearm, to surveille the area for potential dangers. This, as well as to engage same if deemed necessary. This tactile firearm I'm sure, saved a great many of our troops as well as our ally's troops' lives, since its inception but even this tactical firearm in spite of its successes along with all of the rest of the prior art for that matter still suffer from a great many deficiencies as well. That prove evident many ways. That additional forethought and a wider conceptional vision of the overall needs, along with greater effort was put forth, along with innovative engineering, directed towards the development of a device with a greater range of application, versatility, cost effectiveness, and adaptability as well, to provide a greater range of services and abilities that would actually fulfill the overall needs of our armed forces. Which holds true in all of the prior art. Resulting in restrictions in the level of safety, control, and protection, providing abilities that they actually provide to our troops. For instance, the Israeli corner shot being an entire firearm with all of its components being exclusive to itself, and with its firepower limited to the fire power, range, and accuracy being limited to only what a pistol can provide. For this reason and others, this firearm is also seen and used by the military only as a secondary or specialty firearm and not to take the place of a soldier's primary firearm meaning that this entire firearm would have to be carried into battle along with the rest of the soldier's equipment, not only adding an additional eight and a half pounds to the soldier's existing heavy load but also getting in the way when not in use. But because of these things, also limiting the soldier's range of mobility, and abilities, and thus hindering the soldier's effectiveness in the use the rest of the equipment availed to him, hindering him in the performance of other duties required of him. This firearm is also limited in the positions that a soldier must place himself to the effective use of the firearm due to the location and non-position-ability of the target screen, which can present a problem in some of the more restrictive places a soldier would have to position himself to remain out of the line of fire, while maintaining full effective use of the firearm's tactical abilities. This tactical firearm, as well as other prior art, provides no abilities to the user to maintain a visual of the area behind the user to provide advanced warnings of things, like developing enemy scenario's, or advancing hostile combatants or other dangers approaching from the rear.
The main problem with this tactical firearm, as well as what almost all of the prior art suffers from, is that the current solutions are extremely lacking in their range of versatility, adaptability, as well as their very restrictive range of use, resulting in restrictions in the level of safety, control, and protection providing abilities that they actually provide to the user. Most of these current solutions also consist of multiple, bulky, heavy, high tech, and very expensive electronic devices, and components that not only take up space, but also add much additional weight to a soldier's existing heavy load. Most of these current solutions restrict their own range of versatility by doing things like engineering them in a way that these devices are exclusive either to themselves, and are manufactured as an integral part of a particular firearm, or exclusive to one type of firearm. The prior art's severe lack of versatility, in its lack of ability to be adapted to the many different types of firearms availed to our armed forces, such as the numerous types of rifles, whether standard issue or the various types of specialty and automatic rifles and pistols to even R.P.G.s and grenade launchers, that would greatly benefit from and are in desperate need of these abilities, the prior art has failed to supply.
These current solutions' exclusivity to themselves create other problems as well with their combinations of very expensive high-tech electronic components that are exclusive to themselves which not only limit versatility and range of application but also create additional problems of dependability, in that all of these components are dependent on each other to work as a functioning unit. These solutions, even with all of their very expensive high-tech complexity, are still found lacking in their overall technical abilities. That forethought and innovative engineering in the incorporation of a common smart device may have been a better choice as an electronic and technology source if possibly applicable to their solution, which possess the abilities to better provide the services that their specially manufactured, very expensive and exclusive components provide, but they would have also significantly brought down the cost of these prior solutions while enabling them with a vast number of other extremely useful abilities, as well as their range of use and most importantly, possibly the range of safety that they could have possibly offered the user.
Of course, no degree of electronic sophistication can make up for a lack of vision, innovation, forethought and creative engineering, But the added abilities of a very high-tech computer, which a smart device actually is, can radically expand other electronic devices' abilities, if applicable to their solution, and initially engineered to integrate into their solution. Furthermore, not only are these other current solutions very expensive because of their complexity and expensive and exclusive components that are exclusive to themselves, not only limits their versatility, portability and range of application but also creates additional problems of dependability, with all of these components being dependent on each other to work as a functioning unit, which even adds additional expense of the cost of repair, service, and maintenance of these systems, quite often making them unaffordable for most small entities such has militias, micro-states, police departments, or even our own military for that matter, when the number of these other current solutions needed to properly supply our troops are considered and the price of doing so.
All of the prior art exhibits problems or deficiencies of one sort or another, almost all are not only found lacking in their range of versatility, applicability, and portability but also in their range services, both tactical, and non-tactical that they actually provide to the user.
There are several known lower tech mirrored mechanical solutions as well which include rail mounted rotatable split beam mirrors that allow the user to view the target image provided by the red dot sight as the image is split and viewed from two positions from two small viewing ports or windows located at exactly 90 degrees to the firearm so that the user can view the target image but only from exactly 90 degrees to the firearm, and the other one located directly behind the red dot sight when using the firearm in the conventional manner. This restricts the view of the target image acquired by the red dot sight to a certain extent in that these red dot sights come with a variety of viewing window sizes, most of which are much larger than the one on the device. Split beam mirrors also have inherent problems such as image displacement, ghost imaging, problems with reflective light, and others.
Other known mirrored mechanical solutions consist of a rail mounted fold up mirror that, when folded up and put into service, this mirror does not fully rise to an angle of 90 degrees but rather stops into use at a much lesser angle. This restricts its range of use or positions that the user would have available to place himself in relation to the firearm and maintain a clear line of vision to the target image provided by the sight that this device is working in conjunction with. Another problem is that the mirror has an angled base, when this mirror is laid down into a position of non-use on top of the upper platform of this device, where the mirror assembly is rotatably coupled to the lower rail mount and the angled base of the mirror assembly lays over the hinge that connects the mirror assembly to the lower rail mount when this mirror assembly is put into a position of non-use. The device'sits at an even higher profile off of rail mount restricting more of the target image provided by the sight or further restricts the height requirements of the target viewing device it is working in conjunction with when this device is locked down in a position of non-use. On the back side of this mirror, is an iron sight that is an integral part of the back side of the mirror assembly that automatically comes into service that when the mirror is lowered and locked into a position of non-use. This iron sight is advertised as an aid to the user to find the reticle provided by the sight of the accessory device. The problem is that this iron sight is not removable and it blocks a large part of the target image in that this iron sight extends up into parts of at least one half of the red dot sight's viewing window where target image provided by the red dot type sight is acquired by the user. This iron sight with all of its target acquisition restrictions would also, in most cases, prove to be of no use when used in conjunction with most of the red dot type sights in that most of the newer red dot type sights produced today are parallax free type red dot sights. In a parallax free sight, the reticle and the target image remain true to each other no matter what position the user is viewing target image provided by the sight, and not only would this part of the mirror assembly block a large part of the target image, but in most applications it would prove to be of no use. This device, as well as the aforementioned mechanical solutions, mount on the firearm's weapon rail at one height on the rail and the red dot sights they work in conjunction with, all mount at various heights on firearm's rail mount which renders these devices unusable unless the sight that it is being used in conjunction with mounts at the same height on firearm's mounting rail. Many of these red dot sights are also made for fast, easy target acquisitions and with reticle in sight to be easily viewed from angles that these devices would not allow the red dot to be viewed from, which would further restrict the overall function of the sights and restrict the view of the surrounding area when trying to locate targets using firearm in conventional manner. These devices are not only very limited in their range of use but they also hinder these red dot sight's abilities when using them in the conventional manner. The biggest problem with all of these devices that receive the target image from a mirror or reflective device is that it reverses the target image which makes the ability to accurately aim and fire the firearm relative to the target while using these devices extremely difficult, if not impossible, without considerable practice on the firing range.
Other known devices offer no tactical solutions but use a smart, phone for target acquisition and/or display that mount on a rifle. One such device is by Intelliscope™, and is simply a smart phone mount that attaches to a weapons rail and uses the camera on the smart phone, along with sight apps that are programmable into the smart phone, solely as its sighting device. The problem with using the smart phone camera as a sight in this manner is a serious lack of accuracy that can be acquired in this manner. The device is made mainly for paint ball guns or novice shooters. Another device also offers no tactical advantage but uses a smart phone to acquire a target image form a scope on a firearm. This device consists of a smart phone mount with a bracket or clamp that attaches the smart phone in this mount with the camera on the smart phone in the vantage point to view the target image provided by the scope through the back lens of the scope. The target image is viewed on the screen of the smart phone but this device is very limited in its range of use and versatility in that this device is made to be mounted exclusively on high powered scopes and it does not give the user any tactical advantage to the use of the firearm as well and are used primarily for hunting purposes.
Applicant's present invention is a device that avails the user with the full use of the firearm, from a safe, secure position, superior to the high tech, highly complex and extremely expensive current solutions, even though applicant's core device is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce. This, while at the same time, provides the user with a far greater number of services and far superior abilities, many of which are actually much higher tech services and abilities, than the prior art. This is accomplished with this camera sight system's innovative engineering and mode of operation, working in conjunction with a common smart device, which is in fact actually a very high tech and complete computer, into this camera sight system's engineering and design. This, along with the applicant's development of a new type of camera sight and camera sight system that enables the user, primarily our military, to complete tasks and achieve objectives with a small relatively simple device that the user uses in conjunction with his own smartphone that provides him with a new level of safety and control as well as with a large number of new abilities that has never been availed to them in the past, with a device that is mountable on any firearm, with this invention's smart phone or tablet mount's ability to rotate and lock into various positions so that the target and surrounding area's image provided by this device can be viewed from basically any position the user would place himself in relation to the firearm. This along with the target image always remaining positioned perfectly centered in the smart phone or smart device's screen behind the reticle, provides the user with extremely fast and easy and accurate target acquisition. This, along with the added abilities that the secondary camera, that its mount is an integral portion of the back side of the smart phone mount on these devices, that provides the user with the ability to maintain a continuous visual of the area behind the user at all times to see approaching hostile combatants or other developing enemy scenarios, will probably prove to save many lives as well.
Another added advantage of using a smart phone or small tablet as a viewing screen adds tremendous sighting abilities as well, in that instead of having to find the target by looking through what's usually only approximately a 1 inch to a 1 and ⅜ inch viewing window in a reflex type sight or scope, and then having to find and line up the target with the reticle, as well as locating the target in the first place with a very small and restricted field of view, is both ineffective as well as time consuming, when time is very critical. These camera sights on the other hand operate in a completely different mode with the target reticle, always remaining perfectly centered in the smart device's screen, with the smart device's camera providing the user with a full wide field of view of the surrounding area, providing the user with extremely fast and accurate target acquisition, in that all the user has to do is center the target in the smart phone screen behind the reticle. The camera sight's wide field of view also provides the user with the ability to locate and access other potential dangers as well, such as advancing hostile forces, developing'enemy scenarios, sniper positions, etc. This, with the user's entire body remaining behind protective cover while doing so. This, along with the smart device's mounts' ability to employ any type or size of smart phone, as well as smaller tablets, further enhances this device's overall range of versatility.
Applicant's device also offers the user many additional tactical and non-tactical advantages as well, such as the ability to also use this device in conjunction with other smart devices, such as computer watches, such as iWatch or computer glasses such as Google Eye, or computer goggles, as well as large computers to sight-in the device.
Applicant's device also has night vision capabilities as well, when using this device in conjunction with its infrared illuminator engineered into this invention that works in conjunction with the infrared viewing cameras that this camera sight employs. There are several available types of cameras on the market employable in these camera sights and all of which are available with are or adaptable with infrared viewing abilities for night vision capabilities. All have other advantages and disadvantages to each other, consisting of things like cost, size, power consumption, and abilities, with one of these more cost inhibitive options possessing very high resolution and separate but transferable zooming abilities, although the zooming controls would actually be on the camera sight portion of the device itself, rather than controllable on the smart device's screen. The zooming abilities of this device provides this camera sight system initially with no magnification, into a variable high-powered scope, allowing the user to zoom in on sniper positions or to view developing enemy scenarios or advancing hostile forces, or simply for more accurate sighting abilities from a distance, etc. This, with the user's entire body remaining totally behind protective cover while doing so, as well as other sight enhancing abilities, such as the application of sighting applications, as well as features including the smart phone or tablet's ability to record photos and video for evidentiary use and maintain communication with other personnel. Also, using GPS to report enemy positions or call in air strikes, etc. Also, the target image can be brought up on a regular computer screen such as a laptop, that, when device is being sighted in or when the sights that this device is being used in conjunction with are being sighted in, the target image can also be enhanced in many other ways so that this device can be used to sight itself in. This, as well as other numerous non-tactical uses.
Applicant's present invention is a device that avails the user with the full use of the firearm, from a safe, secure position, superior to the high tech, highly complex and extremely expensive current solutions, even though applicant's core device is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce. This, while at the same time, provides the user with afar greater number of services and far superior abilities which are actually much higher-tech services and abilities, than the prior art. This is accomplished with this camera sight system's innovative engineering and mode of operation, working in conjunction with a common smart device, which is in fact, actually a very high tech and complete computer, into this camera sight system's engineering and design. This, along with the applicant's development of a new type of camera sight and camera sight system that enables the user, primarily our military, to complete tasks and achieve objectives never achievable by them in the past, by providing them with a large number of new abilities that has never been availed to them in the past, with this invention.
The embodiments of the invention described herein are basically the core rail mountable camera sight and smart phone or tablet mount, with a secondary camera and mount integral to the back of said smartphone mount. The smartphone or small tablet mount on this camera sight rotates and locks into various positions or angles of use to view targets and the surrounding area from any position the user could position himself in relation to the firearm with the first one having an integral vertically adjustable camera, with both embodiments of this invention possessing its own Wi-Fi transmitting module. These devices could also be made in a model that transfers its image to the smart device by wire. Both embodiments of this device possess infrared viewing capabilities, with the first embodiment of this device, possesses an integral vertically adjustable camera with infra-red viewing abilities that acquires its target image from various other target viewing devices on firearm such as reflex sights or scopes, thermal optics devices or other night vision devices or other. that would be mounted at various heights on firearm's weapons rail and transmits its image to the smart phone or tablet that is mounted on this device; the second embodiment of this invention possesses a sight adjustable camera sight and infrared viewing capabilities that transmit its own highly accurate sighted-in target image to either a smart phone or tablet that is mounted on this device. Both of these embodiments of this device also are equipped with an additional camera that would be one of several optional types, all of which being an integral part of, or attachable to, an armature that is adjustable both in height and angle that is provided to positionally adjust this camera's position to attain an unobstructed view behind the user at all times, with either a camera that transfers its image to the smart device and is viewed in a window or split screen on the smart device's screen or with another camera design option for this rear viewing camera which consists of a camera with its own tiny LED screen. This device would possess many of the same abilities of a smart phones camera, but its camera would be wired into the rest of the components of this rear viewing device, and would be fully operational as a complete unit. This invention also transmits the target image to other smart devices that can be used in conjunction with this device at the same time such as computer watches, such as iWatch, computer glasses such as Google Eye or computer goggles, laptops, tablets, or any other Bluetooth device of that matter.
There are several available types of cameras on the market employable in these camera sights and all are available with infra-red viewing abilities for night vision capabilities. All have other advantages and disadvantages to each other, consisting of things like cost, size, power consumption, and abilities, with one of these more cost inhibitive options possessing very high resolution zooming abilities, although the zooming controls would be on the camera sight portion of the device itself, rather than controllable on the smart device's screen. But the zooming abilities of this device provide this camera sight system initially with no-magnification into a variable high-powered scope allowing the user to zoom in on sniper positions or to view developing enemy scenarios or advancing hostile forces, or simply for more accurate sighting abilities from a distance, etc. This, with the user's entire body remaining totally behind protective cover while doing so.
The main objective of this present invention is to provide our troops, law enforcement and others with a level of safety and control providing abilities not limited to the ability to surveil areas or the ability to locate and engage hostile enemy combatants while under fire from same, or when absolutely necessary to the survival of our troops, while remaining totally behind protective cover. But also, with the numerous other, safety, providing abilities over hostile forces, enemy combatants, violent offenders and the like that would threaten the lives of the innocent, as well as to save a great many lives of our troops and law enforcement and others that put their lives on the line every day, in their never-ending battle against the evil forces that would threaten the freedom, safety and lives of the people of this great nation.
Another objective of this present invention is to provide accessory smart phone or smart device mounts and superior sight systems for firearms that are secured to the mounting rails of any type of firearm, that are adjustable and rotatable for multiple configurations, to accurately use the firearm from any position the user could position himself in relation to the firearm.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide improved firearm accessory mounts and sight systems for firearms that provide and improve the viewing of targets through primary firearm sights on the firearm and the target image of its own sight adjustable camera sight, on the screen of a smart phone or other art device's screen that widen the field of view and maintain the camera sight's camera lens in perfect lineal alignment with the firearm sights and reticles, or the target image provided by its own sighted in camera sight in the device, upon rotation of the smart device mount.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide improved firearm sights and smart phone mounts for firearms that improve viewing of targets either through primary sights on the firearm or its own sight adjustable camera sight with the smart phone or tablet rotated into various viewing positions relative to the firearm, thereby providing the user with a wide unobstructed view of an area providing the user with the ability to surveil an area in a theater of combat to reveal origins of incoming fire, advancing hostile combatants, developing enemy scenarios, sniper positions, etc. as well as to accurately engage same if absolutely necessary, if the threat presents an imminent danger to our troops and the decision is made to do so. This, all from a safe secure position with the user's entire body remaining behind protective cover such as from behind walls, trees, buildings, vehicles, trenches, berms etc. without exposing the user as a target while doing so.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an improved firearm accessory that is a smart phone mount and sight systems for firearms that improve viewing of targets through the primary firearm sights on the firearm or of the target image provided by the device's own sight adjustable sight that provides advanced targeting abilities with a wide field of view of the target image and surrounding area, with the target reticle always remaining perfectly-centered in the smart device's screen to the smart phone or smart device that is mounted on this accessory that is cost effective and operationally efficient.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a more efficient improved and superior accessory or smart phone mount and sight systems for firearms that provide the user with a wide view of the surrounding area acquired by means of the camera lens in this invention, mounted far enough forward in the sight housing and close enough to the forward viewing window behind the reflected reticle to acquire a full wide unobstructed view of the target image and surrounding area with the sight's target reticle always remaining perfectly centered in the smart device's screen.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a soldier with a view of his entire surroundings including the area behind the user to provide our troops with the ability to monitor advancing enemy troops, or other developing enemy scenarios or impending dangers from in front or to either side of the user while maintaining a constant visual of the area behind the user at the same time to alert the user of approaching dangers from behind, as well as from a position of full protective cover
It is, yet another objective of the present invention to provide a soldier or law enforcement with a view of his entire surroundings including the area behind the user, from full protective cover at night as well as during the day, with very effective night viewing abilities.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide advanced firearm sights and firearm sighting systems, for firearms that provides the user with all of the advanced sighting, and sight enabling abilities, that a smart device, which is in fact a full computer, provides to this new type camera sight system.
Its yet another objective of the present invention to provide advanced firearm sights and firearm sighting systems for firearms that are small and, light, yet possess a wide range of abilities that are also highly versatile, quickly and easily attachable, portable and more importantly, applicable to any type of firearm.
Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved accessory smart phone mounts and sight systems for firearms that incorporates all of the above-mentioned functions, objects, and features.
In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to accompanying drawings.
These drawings, 12A through
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/519,919 filed Jul. 23, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/884,067, filed on Jan. 30, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,359,256, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/452,986 filed on Jan. 31, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/467,197 filed on Mar. 5, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10359256 | Campbell | Jul 2019 | B2 |
| 11092409 | Campbell | Aug 2021 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210381805 A1 | Dec 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62467197 | Mar 2017 | US | |
| 62452986 | Jan 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16519919 | Jul 2019 | US |
| Child | 17403769 | US | |
| Parent | 15884067 | Jan 2018 | US |
| Child | 16519919 | US |
