Firearm Throw Lever With Movable Handle To Reduce Snagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current throw levers used for securing firearm accessories are hazardous due to their obtrusive handle portion, which can snag on clothing or materials, leading to accidental release of the accessory.
Innovation Solution
A throw lever assembly with a cam bed and engagement rod system, featuring a handle portion that can be selectively locked and unlocked to minimize snagging risks, providing enhanced leverage and a reduced profile when unlocked, and utilizing various locking mechanisms such as pins or sliding plates to secure the handle portion to the cam or arm.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a traditional throw lever with an extended handle is used, then it provides sufficient leverage for secure attachment, but the handle portion becomes obtrusive and can snag on clothing or materials causing accidental release
Solution Approach 1:
The handle portion is made movable relative to the cam mechanism, allowing it to dynamically change position between a deployed state (providing leverage) and a retracted state (minimizing snagging). The handle can be manually positioned to extend outward when attachment force is needed, then retracted close to the cam body when not in use, transforming a static hazardous structure into a dynamic adaptive one.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle portion is designed to move in multiple spatial dimensions relative to the cam mechanism - it can extend radially outward from the cam body, position itself tangentially along the cam perimeter, or retract inward. This multi-dimensional positioning capability allows the handle to optimize its configuration based on operational needs, providing leverage when extended and minimizing profile when retracted.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the handle portion is made shorter to reduce snagging risk, then the snagging hazard is reduced, but the leverage and locking ability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The handle's length is made variable through its movable connection to the cam. When full leverage is needed for secure attachment, the handle extends to its maximum effective length. When not in use, it retracts to a minimal profile. This dynamic length adjustment provides both short-handle safety benefits and long-handle operational capability without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is positioned and secured to the cam mechanism in advance of the attachment operation. Before the user needs to apply leverage, the handle is pre-positioned in the optimal extended configuration and locked to the cam, ensuring immediate operational effectiveness when needed while maintaining a safe retracted profile during transport or storage.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a movable handle mechanism is added to allow repositioning, then the snagging risk is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: the handle portion itself, the connection interface to the cam, the locking mechanism, and the release mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall design by breaking down the complex movable mechanism into manageable, well-defined parts that can be manufactured and assembled separately.
Solution Approach 2:
A locking mechanism serves as an intermediary between the handle portion and the cam mechanism. This intermediary component enables the handle to be securely positioned at different locations around the cam while maintaining a simple base design. The locking mechanism mediates the complexity by providing a standardized interface that allows movable functionality without requiring a completely complex integrated system.
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 solution enhances the security and ease of use of throw levers by reducing the risk of accidental release and providing a more streamlined design that minimizes snagging, while maintaining the ability to apply leverage for secure attachment and detachment of firearm accessories.
Implementation Method 1
Within the cam bed resides the cam. The cam is typically circular or semicircular in shape and rotates on the cam bed during operation of the throw lever (either fasten or release the assembly to the firearm) by a pinching action.
Implementation Method 2
An engagement rod is connected to the cam at an off-center location and extends through the base unit to the second half of the pinching element, an anchor clamp. As the engagement rod is withdrawn through the base unit when the cam is moved appropriately, the base unit to anchor clamp distance is reduced, thereby causing a 'clamping' or 'pinching' action against the firearm to secure the assembly with the firearm.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a throw lever assembly used to affix an accessory to a firearm. The throw lever assembly utilizes a base unit having a cam bed in which rests the cam. An anchor clamp secured to one end of an engagement rod with the other end affixed to the cam. The cam has an arm extending from it which is used connected to a handle portion. The handle portion is selectively locked/unlocked to the cam via an upper surface the arm. When locked to the arm, the handle portion is able to move the cam causing the assembly to be either locked or unlocked from the firearm.