Firearm Slide and Hammer Lock Safety Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing firearms with hammer-initiated firing pins can experience accidental discharges due to the firing pin being urged forward, and existing safety mechanisms are complex to install or difficult to activate/deactivate, while sights are often time-consuming to install and not customizable.
Innovation Solution
A manual slide and hammer lock safety mechanism with a rotatable tab and detent spring that blocks the slide and hammer movement, allowing easy activation and deactivation, and a configurable sight that can be quickly installed and customized.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a firing pin safety is used to prevent accidental discharge, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases and installation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety function from a complex internal firing pin safety mechanism and implements it through a simple external slide blockage system. The slide is modified to include a blockage feature that can be engaged by an external object (such as a safety accessory or the user's finger), thereby preventing slide movement and firearm operation without requiring complex internal safety components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary blockage feature on the slide that mediates between the user's safety intent and the firing mechanism. This blockage feature acts as a physical intermediary that must be overcome (by removing the blocking object or moving the slide) to enable firing, providing a simple yet effective safety mechanism.
2Reliability
If a grip safety or trigger lock is used to disable the firearm, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in re-activation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring positive action to disable the firearm (as with grip safeties or trigger locks), the patent inverts the approach by requiring positive action to enable firing. The slide includes a blockage feature that defaults to blocking firearm operation, and firing is enabled only when the blockage is removed or overcome, thereby simplifying re-activation while maintaining safety.
3Manufacturing precision
If sights are pinned into the slide during manufacture, then manufacturing precision is improved, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sight installation process from the main manufacturing process by providing the slide with pre-formed, dedicated receptacles for sights. These receptacles can be created during initial slide manufacturing, while the sights themselves can be installed separately in a subsequent step, thereby separating the precision-forming operation from the assembly operation and reducing overall manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-forming the sight receptacles in the slide during the main manufacturing process. This preliminary preparation of the mounting locations allows for quick and accurate sight installation later, as the precise receptacles are already in place, eliminating the need for time-consuming alignment and drilling operations during final assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The safety mechanism prevents accidental discharges by blocking the slide and hammer movement, and the configurable sight allows for easy installation and customization, enhancing usability and aesthetics.
Implementation Method 1
a detent spring that is mounted substantially vertically along the front edge of the tab and engages a triangular protrusion therefrom. As the tab is rotated between the 'on' and 'off' positions, the detent spring is displaced forward. Thus, when the tab is in an intermediate position, the tab is biased under the detent spring's pressure toward either the 'on' or 'off' position.
Data Source
AI summary
A firearm has a frame, a slide mounted to the frame, a trigger, a hammer-type firing mechanism including a hammer, and a manual slide and hammer lock safety mechanism (“manual safety”) including a detent spring biased rotatable tab mounted to the frame that blocks the slide from reciprocating and the hammer from rotating relative to the frame if the tab is actuated in an “on” position. The manual safety completely disables the firearm even if the trigger is actuated, thereby rendering the firearm safer.