Firearm Accessory Mounting Interface With Rotation-Limited Fastener
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing firearm accessory mounting systems, such as Picatinny rails and KEYMOD, suffer from issues like weight, snagging, debris accumulation, discomfort, and complex installation, with KEYMOD requiring complex manufacturing and being difficult to implement in polymeric materials.
Innovation Solution
A firearm accessory mounting interface using a first elongated fastener, a second fastener, and an elongated slot, where the second fastener can rotate between open and closed positions, preventing further rotation by straight edges abutting the slot sidewall, and slot protrusions ensuring secure attachment without loosening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Picatinny rails are used for mounting accessories, then standardized mounting is achieved, but weight increases and snagging occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting interface is segmented into discrete attachment points with individual slots and fasteners, allowing selective mounting of accessories only where needed rather than requiring continuous rail coverage. This reduces overall weight while maintaining standardized mounting capability at specific locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The essential mounting functionality is extracted from the continuous rail structure and implemented through discrete attachment points with slots and fasteners. This removes the excess material of full rails while preserving the core mounting function at critical locations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If Picatinnym rails are used for mounting accessories, then standardized mounting is achieved, but debris accumulation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting function is extracted from continuous rail structures that trap debris and implemented through discrete attachment points with slots. This eliminates the crevices and surfaces where debris would accumulate while maintaining accessory mounting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The slot design allows for minimal material presence, creating a sleek profile that reduces surfaces for debris accumulation. The thin-film approach to mounting structure minimizes areas where dirt and debris can collect.
3Weight of moving object
If KEYMOD system is used for mounting, then weight is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting interface uses simple segmented slots and fasteners that can be easily manufactured separately and assembled, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while achieving lightweight construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The design uses simplified geometric parameters for slots and fasteners that are easier to manufacture than KEYMOD's complex aperture patterns, while still achieving the weight reduction goal through minimal material usage.
4Reliability
If traditional fastening systems are used, then secure attachment is achieved, but installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fasteners are designed to be pre-positioned or easily inserted into the slots before final tightening, allowing for quicker installation. The slot geometry guides proper alignment, eliminating time-consuming alignment steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting interface uses uniform slot and fastener designs that simplify the installation process, making each attachment point identical and reducing the time needed for installation compared to varied traditional fastening systems.
5Adaptability or versatility
If modular rails are used, then flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into simple, identical attachment points with slots and fasteners, providing flexibility through replication rather than through complex modular components. This reduces device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The slot and fastener design serves multiple functions: mounting accessories, providing adjustment capability, and ensuring secure attachment, all through a single simple mechanism. This universal design reduces overall system complexity compared to specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
An accessory mounting interface for a firearm, and a related method, are disclosed. The interface has a firearm accessory, a first elongated fastener, and a second fastener rotationally mated to the first elongated fastener. The first elongated fastener has right-handed threading and is arranged through a through hole in the firearm accessory with a first end extending below first and second halves of a first slot protrusion of the firearm accessory. The second fastener has a length greater than a width, the length measured along a longitudinal axis of the second fastener, the second fastener having a plurality of straight edges. At least one of the plurality of straight edges prevents the second fastener from rotating further than a closed position when the at least one of the straight edges abuts a sidewall of an elongated slot in the firearm.