Patent Application
20170321983
This invention relates to firearm trigger assemblies.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,572,880 teaches a trigger assembly and is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
There remains a need for novel trigger designs that provide benefits over prior designs.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.
In some embodiments, a firearm trigger assembly comprises a hammer arranged to pivot on a hammer axis. The hammer comprises a cavity offset from the hammer axis, and the cavity has an opening that extends along a length of the cavity. A secondary biasing mechanism comprises a support member and a biasing member. The support member comprises a first portion oriented in the cavity and a second portion arranged to support the biasing member. The first portion is fixedly attached to the second portion. The trigger assembly has a first orientation and a second orientation. The secondary biasing mechanism biases the hammer in a first direction about the hammer axis in the first orientation, and in a second direction about the hammer axis in the second orientation.
In some embodiments, a firearm trigger assembly comprises a hammer arranged to pivot on a hammer axis and a hammer spring biasing the hammer in a first direction about the hammer axis. The hammer comprises a cavity offset from the hammer axis, and a sidewall of the cavity comprises an opening. A support member comprises a first shaft, a second shaft and a cross member attached between the first shaft and the second shaft. The cross member is oriented in the cavity of the hammer.
These and other embodiments which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages and objectives obtained by its use, reference can be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof and the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illustrated and described various embodiments of the invention.
A detailed description of the invention is hereafter described with specific reference being made to the drawings.
While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein specific embodiments of the invention. This description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated.
For the purposes of this disclosure, like reference numerals in the figures shall refer to like features unless otherwise indicated.
The trigger assembly 1 further comprises a trigger biasing member 6 arranged to bias the trigger 4 in a predetermined rotational direction, and a hammer biasing member 7 arranged to bias the hammer 5 in a predetermined rotational direction. The trigger assembly 1 further comprises a secondary biasing mechanism 8 arranged to apply a force to the hammer 5. Desirably, a secondary biasing mechanism 8 applies a force to the hammer 5 at multiple orientations of the hammer 5. In some embodiments, the secondary biasing member 8 applies a force that cooperates with the hammer biasing member 7 in at least one orientation, and applies a force that counteracts the hammer biasing member 7 in at least one other orientation. In some embodiments, a secondary biasing mechanism 8 comprises a spring 44, a mounting shaft 15, a seat 14 and a frame 22.
In some embodiments, the secondary biasing mechanism 8 comprises a support 13 that is arranged to engage the engagement location 26 of the hammer 5 and support at least one biasing member 44. In some embodiments, the support 13 comprises a hammer engaging portion 40 constructed and arranged to be oriented in the cavity 27 of the hammer 5. In some embodiments, the support 13 comprises one or more shaft(s) 15, wherein each shaft 15 can support a spring 44. In some embodiments, the shaft(s) 15 are oriented orthogonal to the hammer engaging portion 40.
In some embodiments, a distance across the hammer engaging portion 40 as measured in the first direction is less than a distance across the cavity opening 28. In some embodiments, a distance across the hammer engaging portion 40 as measured in the second direction is greater than a distance across the cavity opening 28. Thus, the hammer engaging portion 40 can pass through the cavity opening 28 in certain orientations, but cannot pass through the cavity opening 28 in other orientations.
In some embodiments, the hammer engaging portion 40 comprises an arcuate surface 42 arranged to rotate within the hammer cavity 27. In some embodiments, the curvature of the arcuate surface 42 is similar to the curvature of a wall portion of the cavity 27 of the hammer 5.
In some embodiments, the support member 13 comprises a first flange 36 located adjacent to the first shaft 15a. In some embodiments, the first flange 36 comprises a surface arranged to abut a biasing member (e.g. 44). In some embodiments, the support member 13 comprises a second flange 38 located adjacent to the second shaft 15b. In some embodiments, the second flange 38 comprises a surface arranged to abut a biasing member (e.g. 44).
In some embodiments, a support member 13 comprises a first portion 40, a second portion 15a and a third portion 15b. In some embodiments, the first portion 40 is arranged to engage a hammer 5, and can be oriented in the cavity 27 of the hammer 5. In some embodiments, the second portion 15a is arranged to support a biasing member (e.g. 44). In some embodiments, the third portion 15b is arranged to support a second biasing member.
In some embodiments, a support member 13 as shown in
In some embodiments, a method of installing a trigger assembly comprises properly orienting the support 13 with respect to the cavity 27, passing the hammer engaging portion 40 through the cavity opening 28 and into the cavity 27. One or more springs 44 can then be installed on the shaft(s) 15.
The above disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive. This description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this field of art. All these alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims where the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to.” Those familiar with the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein which equivalents are also intended to be encompassed by the claims.
Further, the particular features presented in the dependent claims can be combined with each other in other manners within the scope of the invention such that the invention should be recognized as also specifically directed to other embodiments having any other possible combination of the features of the dependent claims. For instance, for purposes of claim publication, any dependent claim which follows should be taken as alternatively written in a multiple dependent form from all prior claims which possess all antecedents referenced in such dependent claim if such multiple dependent format is an accepted format within the jurisdiction (e.g. each claim depending directly from claim 1 should be alternatively taken as depending from all previous claims). In jurisdictions where multiple dependent claim formats are restricted, the following dependent claims should each be also taken as alternatively written in each singly dependent claim format which creates a dependency from a prior antecedent-possessing claim other than the specific claim listed in such dependent claim below.
This completes the description of the preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/332,744, filed May 6, 2016, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62332744 | May 2016 | US |
