Auxiliary device for a weapon and attachment thereof

Abstract

A plurality of actuators allow a gun operator to control the on/off status of an illuminator attached to a weapon in the area forward of the trigger guard. The actuators are spaced to allow them to extend rearwardly on opposite sides of the trigger guard. “Up” turns the light emitter on and keeps it on or allows it to turn on as long as the actuator is actuated, regardless of which side of the trigger guard the actuator is actuated.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to co-pending U.S. Application Ser. No. 11 / 008,090, filed Dec. 9, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 408,762, filed Apr. 7, 2003, which is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 706,085 filed Nov. 3, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,901, which is a continuation application of Ser. No. 09 / 109,048, filed Jul. 2, 1998, now U.S. Pat. NO. 6,185,854, both entitled “Auxiliary Device for a Weapon and Attachment Thereof”. This application is also a continuation-in-part of and claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 558,109, filed Nov. 9, 2006, which is a non-provisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 60 / 737,569, filed Nov. 17, 2005. The entire disclosures of these application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The invention relates generally to a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0035] According to another embodiment, the auxiliary device has a spring-biased mechanism that enables it to be secured to weapons having different dimensions from the front of the trigger guard to the transverse slot along the lower surface of the dust cover.

[0036] According to another embodiment, the auxiliary device has a rotatable member that can accommodate a range of rail dimensions and has a locking mechanism for preventing rotation of the rotatable member.

[0037] According to another embodiment there is provided an illuminator for use with a weapon having a trigger guard. The illuminator may include a housing having a longitudinal axis, the housing at least partially enclosing a battery and sup

Problems solved by technology

Further, such systems typically require use of two hands to mount the device on the weapon, with both hands performing a function beyond merely gripping the weapon.

Moreover, attachment and detachment of these devices can be time consuming and, in law enforcement and military applications, such time may be critical to the safety of the weapon's operator or others.

As a result of these and other problems with conventional devices, the user typically leaves the auxiliary device mounted on the weapon or performs a time consuming operation to mount the device when needed.

These alternatives are undesirable.

Also, in the context of handweapons, for example, many holsters do not readily accommodate weapons having auxiliary devices mounted thereon.

Thus, it is often difficult to holster or carry a weapon having such a device attached to it.

This presents special problems for law enforcement officers and others.

Additionally, the user may not want to use the device during daylight hours, but may want to attach the device to a weapon at night.

Moreover, depending on the configuration of the auxiliary device, the user may need to replace its batteries.

Another problem with conventional auxiliary devices is that the device is often wider than the weapon, or the device protrudes beyond the from end of the weapon.

These characteristics often result in subjecting the auxiliary device to greater wear and tear because the auxiliary device often contacts various obstructions in the environment where the weapon is being used.

For instance, a device extending beyond the end of a barrel of a weapon may collide with doorways, clothing, tree branches, or other objects, tending to tear the device apart from the weapon and possibly damaging, or rendering inoperable, the device or the weapon itself.

Another problem is that an assailant may more easily disarm a user by grabbing an auxiliary device which extends substantially beyond the weapon.

The danger of these and other problems occurring are greater at night or when ordinary vision is impaired.

Additionally, many prior auxiliary devices, especially illuminators, are bulky.

This characteristic a

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