The present invention relates generally to firearms and, more particularly, to a revolver having an improved safety mechanism.
Revolvers have changed very little in their overall design and operation in over 100 years, and are generally comprised of a frame, a cylinder, a firing mechanism and a barrel. As is known in the art, revolvers begin as metal blanks that are forged into close approximations of these major parts. After annealing or heat-treating the parts, they undergo basic machining processes such as milling, drilling and tapping. This manufacturing and assembly process is often relatively costly and can require a great deal of hand fitting to orient and align the various metal components with one another so that smooth operation and firing is achieved.
As alluded to above, a revolver is essentially comprised of four main components: a frame, a cylinder, a firing mechanism and a barrel. The frame generally includes one or more frame portions, often a main frame portion, a hand grip portion, and a trigger guard. The cylinder is mounted on the frame by a yoke and fits within a window in the frame. The cylinder has formed therein a plurality of chambers for receiving cartridges. As the trigger is pulled, the cylinder rotates in the frame to successively present the chambers to the barrel for firing. The cylinder also includes an ejector mechanism for removing cartridge casings subsequent to firing, and a cylinder retaining mechanism for holding the cylinder in place within the window in the frame during operation. Often, a cylinder release bar that can be moved via a thumb piece is provided to actuate the retaining mechanism and thereby allow the cylinder and yoke to be rotated away from the frame and into the cylinder-open position.
The firing mechanism of a conventional revolver includes a trigger, a sear, a hammer, a main spring and a pawl that is sometimes referred to as a “hand.” When the revolver is in an operable mode, pulling the trigger causes the hand to move forward, reciprocate up and engage the ratchet, thereby rotating the ratchet and attached cylinder. However, this particular configuration requires that a slot be cut in the face of the frame in the breech face area to allow for the hand to move from the inner portion of the frame to engage the ratchet and turn the cylinder. Such a configuration results in increased manufacturing time and cost and requires that such components be hand fit precisely so that the revolver may operate smoothly.
Pulling the trigger also causes the sear and hammer to rotate away from the cylinder. The rotation away from the cylinder is resisted by the main spring. After a predetermined amount of travel, the sear and hammer disengage from the trigger and allow the spring to force the hammer toward the cylinder. The hammer is aligned with one of the cylinder chambers and the cylinder chamber, in turn, is aligned with the barrel. A firing pin on the hammer is positioned to strike the cartridge disposed in the chamber.
There is also an interest in designing firearms so that the inner parts of the revolver may be cleaned, serviced, repaired, etc. One solution to this problem is to provide a side plate on the side of the revolver that is pinned or otherwise secured to the frame of the revolver. The removal of the side plate allows access to the internal components of the revolver such as the hammer, sear, firing mechanism and hand. One drawback with the use of a side plate, however, is that the side plate can make the revolver less rigid and induces a series of a-symmetric stresses in the frame which can cause the frame to fatigue and ultimately fail over time. It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a revolver that is designed so as to allow access to the interior components while maintaining the structural rigidity of the frame.
A retaining mechanism is necessary to retain the cylinder within the rectangular aperture, especially subsequent to firing. Many prior art revolvers lock the yoke directly into the frame via known means. Other revolvers use a ball detent to restrain the forward end of the cylinder. Often times, however, when a round is discharged, the forces which propel the round down the length of the barrel exert a corresponding force in the opposite direction, that is, towards the rear, handgrip portion of the revolver. Although the effect of this opposite force is marginal on the interconnected elements of the revolver, the manufacturing tolerances inherent in the revolver permit a minute amount of structural translation to occur as a result of this incident and opposite discharge force. The effect of the structural translation of certain elements in the revolver may cause the cylinder and yoke assembly to move slightly rearwards, causing, e.g., a ball detent to disengage, thus facilitating the unintended pivoting of the cylinder from its closed position to its open position. In such a situation, the revolver must then be clicked back into its cylinder-closed position before additional firing. It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved cylinder retaining mechanism that will retain the cylinder within the frame during firing.
The invention concerns a revolver. In one example embodiment the revolver comprises a frame defining an aperture. A barrel is mounted on the frame. The barrel has a muzzle end. A yoke is pivotably mounted on the frame. A cylinder is rotatably mounted on the yoke. The cylinder is movable into and out of the aperture upon pivoting of the yoke. A rod is received within the cylinder. A biasing spring acts between the rod and the cylinder to bias the rod toward the muzzle end. The rod has a tip engageable with a portion of the frame to hold the cylinder within the opening. The rod is movable away from the muzzle end to disengage the tip from the portion of the frame and permit the yoke to pivot and move the cylinder out of the aperture. In a particular example embodiment, the rod comprises an ejector rod connected to an ejector, the ejector being positioned on the cylinder. By way of example, the portion of the frame engageable with the tip may comprise a shroud surrounding the barrel.
By way of example, the revolver may further comprise a recess positioned in the frame adjacent to the yoke when the cylinder is positioned within the aperture In this example, a pin is positioned within the yoke and aligned with the recess when the cylinder is positioned within the aperture. The pin is movable between a first position engaged with the recess to retain the cylinder within the aperture, and a second position out of engagement with the recess. In a specific example embodiment a spring biases the pin into engagement with the recess when the cylinder is positioned within the aperture. By way of example, the pin may have a round head engageable with the recess. In a further example, the pin may be positioned adjacent to the rod when the cylinder is positioned within the aperture. In a particular example, the pin is oriented transversely to a bore axis of the barrel.
The invention also encompasses an example revolver, comprising a frame defining an aperture. A barrel is mounted on the frame. The barrel has a muzzle end. A yoke is pivotably mounted on the frame. A cylinder is rotatably mounted on the yoke. The cylinder is movable into and out of the aperture upon pivoting of the yoke. A recess is positioned in the frame adjacent to the yoke when the cylinder is positioned within the aperture. A pin is positioned within the yoke and aligned with the recess when the cylinder is positioned within the aperture. The pin is movable between a first position engaged with the recess to retain the cylinder within the aperture, and a second position out of engagement with the recess.
In a particular example, the revolver further comprises a spring biasing the pin into engagement with the recess when the cylinder is positioned within the aperture. By way of example, the pin may have a round head engageable with the recess. In a further example, the pin may be oriented transversely to a bore axis of the barrel.
The example revolver may further comprise a rod received within the cylinder. A biasing spring acts between the rod and the cylinder biasing the rod toward the muzzle end. In this example the rod has a tip engageable with a portion of the frame to hold the cylinder within the opening. The rod is movable away from the muzzle end to disengage the tip from the portion of the frame and permit the yoke to pivot and move the cylinder out of the aperture. In one example, the rod may comprise an ejector rod connected to an ejector, the ejector being positioned on the cylinder. By way of further example, the portion of the frame engageable with the tip may comprise a shroud surrounding the barrel. In a particular example, the pin may be positioned adjacent to the rod when the cylinder is positioned within the aperture.
The present invention will be better understood from reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein below:
Referring to
The frame is generally comprised of two main parts, an upper frame portion 20 and a lower frame portion 22.
The firearm frame portions are preferably comprised of metal stampings or inserts having a polymer over-molding on top of the inserts. It will be readily appreciated, however, that other metallic and nonmetallic materials may be used in the construction of the frame portions without departing from the scope of the present invention. Indeed, any polymer known in the firearm art may be used to form the upper and lower frame portions provided that sufficient strength and rigidity of the frame components is achieved. The metal inserts can also be varied in material and thickness to achieve a desired strength and rigidity.
As alluded to above, known methods of manufacturing firearms, and revolvers in particular, require the precision cutting, milling and fitting of many intricate parts. For example, known firearms require that a slot be cut in the breech face area to accommodate the hand which engages the ratchet on the cylinder to index the cylinder. Indeed, prior art revolvers must be bent and modified to ensure that the barrel, cylinder, firing and locking mechanisms all come into registration within prescribed tolerances so that the revolver operates properly. Importantly, such bending is not required with the polymer frame firearm of the present invention, as known polymer and other molding technologies may be employed to create all of the frame components so as to accommodate the barrel, cylinder, safety and firing mechanism without the need for any additional cutting, milling or modifying.
Importantly, the molded polymer frame portions 20,22 are formed such that they generally define open receptacles preconfigured to receive component subassemblies. As will be readily appreciated, this obviates the need for the frame portions to be milled, cut, and bent to accommodate the individual component parts of the firearm. Instead, various subassemblies, such as the firing mechanism, trigger mechanism and barrel can be preassembled into subassemblies remote from the frame portions and simply “dropped” into the receptacles in the molded polymer frame portions 20,22 and pinned or otherwise secured in place. As a result of this configuration, the frame portions do not need to be substantially modified after the molding process to accommodate the component parts, thus cutting down on assembly and manufacturing time, as well cost.
As shown in
Referring now to
A rear portion of the barrel 34 is externally threaded (not shown) for mating engagement with internal threads (not shown) in a bore on the upper frame portion 20 of the firearm frame. In a preferred embodiment, the barrel 34 is threaded at 36 threads per inch, although different thread sizes and thread counts may be used. There is also a second set of threads 38 on the distal or muzzle end of the barrel 34 that are enlarged in diameter and have substantially the same thread count as the rear portion of the barrel 34. The barrel 34 may then be threaded through the shroud 36 and locked into place. Upon assembly of the firearm 10, the cylindrical bore registers with the respective chambers of the cylinder and forms the longitudinal firing axis.
The barrel shroud 36 includes a radially disposed and rearwardly facing abutment surface for complimentary engagement with the forwardly facing seating surface on the forward end of the upper frame portion 20 of the firearm frame. In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface 40 of the barrel shroud 36 is substantially flat and is provided with an axially elongated, upwardly open sight receiving groove 42 formed therein. The groove is adapted to receive a front sight 44 which is pinned or otherwise secured in fixed position to the shroud member 36.
The clearance between the forward-most surface of the cylinder and the rearward-most surface of the barrel is referred to as the barrel-cylinder (BC) gap. To set the barrel-cylinder gap, a crush washer 110 is used, with typical barrel-cylinder gap tolerances being in the range of 4,000ths to 10,000ths of an inch. In particular, to set the barrel-cylinder gap, there are a series of machine flats 48 provided on the outer circumference of the muzzle end of the barrel 34 in the approximate position where the front sight 44 is located. The barrel 34 is threaded through the shroud 36 and into the upper frame portion 20 against the metal frame insert until the threading crushes the metal washer 110. Once the predetermined tolerance is reached, the barrel is cocked slightly further so that one of the machine flats 48 comes to the surface. A pin is then passed through the shroud 36 and rides across the top of the given flat 48 on the barrel 34, locking the barrel 34 in place.
Other sight configurations, such as a dove-tail sight, may also be used. In this embodiment, as shown in
Turning now to
As will be readily appreciated, all known revolvers require a retaining mechanism to retain the cylinder within the rectangular aperture 74, especially subsequent to firing. In one embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder retaining mechanism comprises an ejector rod 76 that is spring-biased forward and a ball detent mechanism 78. The spring-biased ejector rod 76 contacts a portion of the frame adjacent the tip of the ejector rod, thereby holding the cylinder in place. To further ensure that the cylinder does not come out of battery during firing, ball detent mechanism 78 is also provided.
The ball detent mechanism includes a vertical pin 80 with a substantially round head that is received within a corresponding shallow recess 82 on the underside of upper frame portion 20. In the preferred embodiment, vertical pin 80 is biased by a coil spring, or the functional equivalent thereof, towards shallow recess 82 when the firearm is in the cylinder-closed position, although no biasing means need be employed. Vertical pin 80 is mounted in yoke 70 along an axis that is perpendicular to the bore-axis/firing axis and, importantly, perpendicular to the axis along which the majority of recoil forces are generated. This orientation of the ball detent mechanism 78 will not allow the yoke 70 to be released and the cylinder 60 to be urged open due to recoil forces associated with discharge of the firearm. Vertical pin 80 also has includes flat 84 that is in registration with the ejector rod 76 and is axially movable along an axis perpendicular to the firing axis of the firearm 10. Both the spring-biased ejector rod 76 and the ball detent mechanism 78 prevent the yoke 70 from releasing during the firing of the gun. This design is advantageous because it allows for a simpler design and therefore the use of fewer parts than prior art retaining mechanisms.
As best shown in
As alluded to above, prior art drive mechanisms necessitated that a slot be cut in the frame in the breech face area to allow the hand to be urged from the interior portion of the gun to a ratcheting mechanism on the center portion of the cylinder to rotate the cylinder. As will be readily appreciated, this hand, ratchet and slot design was costly to manufacture and was very time consuming to align the parts with the needed precision. The present invention therefore benefits from the improved hub/head and interior hand and ratchet mechanism in that no slot need be cut in the breech face area of the frame because the hand does not move laterally out of the interior of the firearm, but instead reciprocates vertically, as described below.
With the cylinder indexing mechanism of the present invention, however, there is also a need to disengage the hub 86 from the cylinder 60 so that the cylinder 60 and yoke 70 can be rotated out of the frame, such as when an operator wishes to eject spent cartridges 68 and reload. As shown in
The present invention also contemplates using either or both of a hammer block and a firing pin block as a safety feature to prevent the unintended discharge of the firearm. In the preferred embodiment, there is a firing pin block, as is shown in
When the trigger 12 is pulled, however, hand 90 reciprocates up and contacts a lever arm 98 fixedly attached to blocking member 94. As hand 90 goes through its full stroke, it pushes against lever arm 98, causing blocking member 94 to rotate so that relieved portion 96 is in registration with relieved portion 100 on the underside of the firing pin 16. When in registration with one another, the relieved portions 96, 100 provide a clearance that allows the firing pin 16 to release and strike a cartridge. At rest, the pin 94 is urged back into action such that it comes forward and engages the firing pin 16, holding it in place.
Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to the detailed embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed in the above detailed description, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of this disclosure.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/044,079 filed Oct. 2, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,789,303, issued Jul. 29, 2014, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/648,902 filed Dec. 29, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,549,782, issued Oct. 8, 2013, that patent claiming the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/141,715, filed on Dec. 31, 2008, which applications and patents are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Child | 14044079 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14044079 | Oct 2013 | US |
Child | 14339922 | US |