Patent Application
20070039223
The invention relates to a trigger safety device for firearms comprising a trigger capable of reciprocal pivotal motion about a fulcrum, and a trigger guard which protects the free end of the trigger.
Devices of the aforementioned type are available in a variety of embodiments in the prior art and they are employed to prevent a shot from being fired when a firearm is dropped accidentally, for example. The known devices suffer from the drawback that they are not suitable for retrofitting.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a trigger safety device that ensures that a firearm will not fire a shot by accident. Advantageously, the device may be retrofitted to a firearm.
For a device as described above, this object is achieved in that a safety slide is mounted for reciprocation between first and second end positions on the trigger guard, such that the trigger can be freely pivoted in a first end position of the safety slide while it is blocked in the second end position of the safety slide.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the secondary claims and may be combined or separately implemented, as appropriate.
With the device of the invention, the combination of features comprising mounting a safety slide for reciprocal displacement between a first and a second position (e.g., end positions) and adapting the trigger such that it can pivot freely in a first end position of the safety slide but will be blocked in a second end position thereof is achieved. Blockage of the trigger may be caused by a specially designed, standardized, and refittable safety element, i.e., said safety slide, with only small interventions being necessary in the region of the trigger of the weapon for the purpose of installing such locking devices.
According to a first preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, the trigger guard has a linear configuration in the region in which the safety slide is displaceable.
In another preferred embodiment of the device of the invention provision is made for locking means to be mounted on the trigger guard for interaction with corresponding locking elements on the safety slide for locking the same in its first or second end position respectively. For example, such locking elements may be in the form of indentations on the trigger guard. Preferably, there are provided two opposing indentations located on opposite sides of the trigger guard for each of the two end positions of the safety slide.
According to another preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, provision is made for a locking element on the safety slide to be embodied as a resilient spring. The safety slide is preferably provided with two latch springs, each of which is assigned to a front and rear indentation on the trigger guard to define the front and rear end positions of the safety slide respectively. Additionally, the first and second end positions of the safety slide are defined by stop edges on the trigger guard.
According to another preferred embodiment, provision is made for the safety slide to have a top surface to which two side elements are attached, there being provided, on the inside of each side element, a guide rail to guide the movement of the safety slide along the trigger guard. The side elements are preferably of a resilient nature in order to allow the safety slide to be snapped onto the trigger guard manually and to permit manual removal of the safety slide from the trigger guard.
Generally speaking, the safety slide preferably features a profiled surface so that the trigger can move freely in the first position of the safety slide and is blocked by the safety slide in the second end position thereof.
To this end, the safety slide preferably has a curved surface profile that is designed to permit free pivotal movement of the trigger when the safety slide is in its first end position. Additionally, the surface profile of the safety slide preferably has a wedge-shaped surface portion which is constructed in such a manner that pivotal movement of the trigger is blocked when the safety slide is in its second end position.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the wedge-shaped portion of the surface of the safety slide is disposed between the curved surface profile and the locking elements.
The device of the invention is described below with reference to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which:
The trigger safety device for firearms, as proposed herein and illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8, features a trigger 110 which is reciprocally mounted for pivoting about a fulcrum 111, with its free end protected by a trigger guard 120. The essence of the invention is the displaceable safety slide 130 attached to the trigger guard 120 and capable of reciprocation between a first end position 122 and a second end position 123 such that the trigger 120 is free to pivot in the first end position 122 of the safety slide 130 and is blocked in the second end position 130 of the safety slide. In the embodiment shown, the trigger guard 120 is of linear configuration throughout the region 121 in which the safety slide is displaceable.
On the trigger guard 120 there are provided locking means which are adapted to engage corresponding locking elements 132 on the safety slide 130 and thus lock the safety slide in its first end position 122 and in its second end position 123 respectively. These locking means are in the form of indentations on the trigger guard 120. For each end position 122/123 of the safety slide 130 there are provided two indentations 126 on each side of the trigger guard 120 located opposite each other.
Two locking elements 132 on the safety slide 130 cooperate with the indentations 126 and are designed as resilient latch springs 132, to each of which a corresponding front and rear indentation 126 on the trigger guard 120 is assigned for the purpose of defining the first end position 122 and the second end position 123 of the safety slide 130 respectively. In addition, the first end position 122 and the second end position 123 are defined by stop edges 124/125 on the trigger guard.
The safety slide 130 has a top surface 131 and is equipped with two side elements 133 fastened to its top surface 131, while the inside surface of each side element 133 features a guide rail 134 to guide the movement of the safety slide 130 along the trigger guard 120. The side elements 133 are resilient so as to make it possible to manually snap the safety slide 130 onto the trigger guard 120 and to manually remove it therefrom. The safety slide 130 features a profiled surface 135/136 thus permitting the trigger 110 to freely move in the first position 122 of the safety slide and to be blocked by the safety slide 130 in its second position 123. The surface profile of the safety slide 130 comprises a curved element 135, which is constructed such that it permits the trigger to pivot in the first end position of the safety slide 130. Furthermore, the surface profile of the safety slide exhibits a wedge-shaped portion 136, which is designed to block any pivotal movement of the trigger 110 in the second end position 123 of the safety slide 130. This wedge-shaped portion 136 of the surface is disposed between the curved surface profile 135 and the locking elements 132. Exemplary slide manufactureing may involve molding of a polymer or machining from an alloy.
The exemplary embodiment explained above merely serves the purpose of achieving better understanding of the teaching of the invention defined in the claims, which teaching is not, as such, restricted to said exemplary embodiment.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2005 020 562.3 | May 2005 | DE | national |
