Rotating Gun Safe Locking Mechanism for Fast Secure Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gun safes are cumbersome and difficult to use, with narrow access doors that make it hard to quickly retrieve weapons, ammunition, and accessories.
Innovation Solution
A weapons storage system featuring a rotating cylindrical assembly with a locking mechanism that includes a shaft, sear hub, stop plate, and sear lock, allowing for a large 180-degree access opening and quick disconnection of a self-contained weapons cassette for easy removal and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cylindrical gun safes are used, then security is maintained, but access time increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The safe is divided into a stationary outer housing and a rotatable inner cylinder assembly. The inner cylinder can be independently rotated to bring different weapon cassettes into the access position, eliminating the need to open the entire safe for each weapon retrieval. This segmentation allows rapid access while maintaining security when the outer housing remains locked.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism incorporates dynamic elements including a rotatable stop that moves between locked and unlocked positions, and a spring-loaded sear that automatically engages or disengages based on the stop's position. This dynamic system enables quick transition between secure and accessible states without manual manipulation of multiple bolts.
2Reliability
If conventional sliding bolt locking mechanisms are used, then security is provided, but device complexity and ease of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The complex multi-bolt sliding mechanism is extracted and replaced with a simplified single-point locking system. The sear engages with a single notch in the stop, eliminating the need for multiple cylindrical bolts and their corresponding circular cutouts. This reduces mechanical complexity while maintaining security through the notched engagement design.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded sear automatically engages with the notched stop when the inner cylinder is rotated into the locked position, and automatically disengages when the stop rotates to the unlocked position. This self-actuating mechanism eliminates the need for manual operation of multiple locking components, reducing complexity while ensuring secure engagement.
3Volume of stationary object
If narrow access doors are used, then safe size is reduced, but ease of operation and weapon retrieval speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the linear dimensions of the access opening, the patent utilizes the rotational dimension of the inner cylinder. Weapons are accessed by rotating the cylinder to bring the desired cassette into the fixed access portal, rather than by moving the portal itself. This dimensional approach maintains a compact safe size while providing easy access to multiple weapons.
Data Source
AI summary
A locking mechanism for a rotating cylindrical assembly in a weapons storage system. The locking mechanism includes a shaft fixed to a base. A sear hub is concentrically fixed to the shaft and has a notch on a peripheral surface. A stop rotates on the rotating cylindrical assembly between a first locked position and a second unlocked position. A stop plate is concentrically fixed to the shaft that has a first arm that engages the stop shaft in the first locked position, and a second arm that engages the stop shaft in the second unlocked position. A sear lock is provided that pivots into and out of the notch in the sear hub. A lock body is provided that pivotally attached to the sear lock. When the lock body is actuated, the projection of the sear lock is thrust into a notched indentation in the sear hub thereby blocking the sear hub from being rotated.