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

[0017] Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for attaching an auxiliary device to a weapon such that the device will maintain or better maintain boresight alignment even after the shocks of repeated weapon fire recoils.

[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 supporting a first and a second movable actuator mechanically coupled to the housing. The first actuator moveable in a first general direction, independent of the second actuator, to cause a light emitter coupleable to the battery to turn on and stay on and moveable in a second general direction, independent of the second actuator, to cause the light emitter to turn on as long as the actuator is actuated, and the second actuator moveable in the first general direction, independent of the first actuator, to cause the light emitter to turn on and stay on and moveable in the second general direction, independent of the first actuator, to cause the light emitter to stay on as long as the actuator is actuated.

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 also is undesirable.

While the '967 Patent overcomes some of the problems traditionally associated with the attachment of an auxiliary device to a weapon, it too leaves room for improvement.

This flexible attachment is not ideal in some circumstances, for example, for use with auxiliary devices requiring precise boresight alignment.

Also, the attachment mechanism is relatively bulky, causing the auxiliary device to be relatively wider, resulting in an increase in the size of the device in at least one dimension.

Moreover, the engagement of portions of the auxiliary device with the corresponding portions of the weapon is limited by the degree of flexibility of the flexible mechanism.

Furthermore, the spring-loaded mechanism also limits the biasing force holding the auxiliary device to a weapon.

As a result, this attachment approach may be successful on weapons, such as handweapons, which have relatively modest recoil forces, but may be somewhat less successful on other weapons, such as shotguns, where the greater recoil forces may cause the auxiliary device to dislodge from the weapon.

While lights and other devices primarily have been mounted to weapons, many weapons are not specifically designed to facilitate this.

As a result, special brackets and other mounting devices often need to be used.

Some weapons have mounting racks, but various drawbacks exist even with these types of devices.

In many cases, it is difficult to mount a device to the weapon and / or complex mechanical structures are necessary.

This difference in dimension may cause an auxiliary device not to fit on to the weapon because the back end of the auxiliary device contacts that front surface of the trigger guard before a spring-biased mechanism can engage in the transverse slot.

Alternatively, the difference in dimension may cause the auxiliary device to unnecessarily extend past the end of the weapon.

This requires the owner to store a second part and adds to the manufactured cost.

This can cause an auxiliary device to fit nicely on some weapons and either be too tight or too loose on another weapon.

Other problems and drawbacks with prior approaches exist.

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