U.S. patent application number 12/290396 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-06 for self adjusting throw lever and rail clamp system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Machining Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Rafael Correa, William Samson.
Application Number | 20100107467 12/290396 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42129716 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100107467 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Samson; William ; et
al. |
May 6, 2010 |
Self adjusting throw lever and rail clamp system
Abstract
A self adjusting throw lever and rail clamp system for use with
sighting equipment where there is a need to efficiently remove or
interchange sighting equipment on a host mounting surface. The
throw lever self adjusts to compensate for variations in the host
mounting surface, such as an angular rail, and utilizes a buffer to
prevent the surface of the mounting surface from becoming marred.
No tool is required to adjust the throw lever releasable mounting
system as the system has an internal means to self adjust to fit
the mounting surface. Once the throw lever is secured in the closed
position, tension placed by a thru shaft on the housing of the
throw lever prevents free movement of the throw lever.
Inventors: |
Samson; William; (Salisbury,
MD) ; Correa; Rafael; (Salisbury, MD) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Wayne Thompson
5590 Crestwick Way
Cumming
GA
30040
US
|
Assignee: |
Machining Technologies,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
42129716 |
Appl. No.: |
12/290396 |
Filed: |
October 30, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
42/127 ;
42/124 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41G 11/003
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
42/127 ;
42/124 |
International
Class: |
F41G 1/387 20060101
F41G001/387; F41G 1/38 20060101 F41G001/38 |
Claims
1. A self adjusting mounting system comprising: a mounting base
with an aperture therein mounting into position on a secondary
device attached to a structure, at least one shouldered stud runs
transverse to the aperture thereby connecting a fixed clamping
structure to at least one moveable clamp and a moveable cam lever
with locking means; the moveable clamp defines a clamping surface
that has means to interface with said secondary device and has a
flat base portion; the moveable cam lever is in operational contact
with the moveable clamp and the secondary device, said cam lever
has an open position and closed position of operation; the
shouldered stud provides means to adjustably fit the mounting base
to the secondary device; the fixed clamping structure is oppositely
placed in relation to the moveable clamp and defines a clamping
surface which has means to interface with said secondary
device.
2. A self adjusting mounting system in accordance with claim 1,
wherein: between the fixed clamping structure and shouldered stud
is housed a means to resist said shouldered studs movement, with
the moveable cam lever in the open position the moveable clamp has
a free range of adjustment to accommodate the secondary device,
once mounting base is secured to the secondary device the moveable
cam lever is rotated approximately 180 degrees thereby actuating
the means to resist the shouldered studs movement by pulling the
shouldered stud through the mounting base thus removably securing
the moveable clamp against the secondary device, the cam lever acts
as a locking means to prevent the release of the moveable
clamps.
3. A self adjusting mounting system in accordance with claim 2,
further comprising: means to resist the shouldered studs movement
is provided by a series of disc springs placed between the
shouldered studs head and the fixed clamping structure, as the
moveable cam lever is rotated to the closed position the shouldered
stud is pulled through the mounting base thereby compressing the
disc springs.
4. A self adjusting mounting system in accordance with claim 2,
further comprising: the moveable cam lever has a rounded surface
which is in operational contact with the movable clamps and
provides a rotating surface by which the moveable cam lever is
moved from the open position to the closed position, also present
is an approximate 90 degree stop defining the back of the cam
lever.
5. The combination of a attachment means and a base, the attachment
means comprising a locking means and an actuating means, the
actuating means includes a rotatable throw lever in operational
contact with the locking means which is comprised of a shouldered
stud linking the throw lever with the spring biased moving clamps
and a fixed clamp surface adjacent to the moving clamps, the throw
lever is in operational contact with the spring biased moving
clamps; the base has a bottom surface having an aperture which is
designed to interface with a secondary mounting surface, a top
surface having means to secure an aiming device.
6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein the bottom surface
of the base will interface with a 1913 mil-standard rail.
7. The combination according to claim 5, wherein the springs which
resist the movement of the moving clamps are located between the
shouldered stud and the fixed clamp surface, when the actuating
means is utilized the shouldered stud is pulled through an aperture
in the moving clamp thereby compressing the springs and causing the
moving clamp to engage the secondary mounting surface.
8. The combination according to claim 5, wherein the throw lever
has an open position and closed position, the closed position of
the throw lever has a means to resist the movement of the
shouldered stud thereby preventing the movement of the moving
clamp.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The herein disclosed invention relates, in general, to
attachment means. The present invention also relates to firearms
and more specifically to quick-release mounting devices for optical
gun sights and other aiming devices for rifles. More particularly,
the present device is for quickly securing aiming devices to a US
MIL-STD 1913 or other type of railing.
[0003] 2. Prior Art
[0004] The sports and military firearm industry have developed
different attachments to be mounted on weapons; each of these
attachments enhances the performance of the sportsmen and the war
fighter and today they have become the standard in this industry.
Each manufacturer developed their own method of attachment,
claiming a certain amount of real state on the weapon and most of
them did not allow for ease of removal and reinstallation without
recalibration.
[0005] The small arms industry and in particular the military have
developed a standard mounting rail called the "Picatinny Rail".
This rail has a patented design with manufacturing tolerances that
allows for removal and reinstallation of attachments without
recalibration.
[0006] As new weapons are manufactured with Picatinny rails, the
attachment manufacturers began to develop clamping systems that
took advantage of these benefits. The U.S. Army developed the "Rail
Grabber". The benefit of this attachment is that it can not be over
tightened by the end user, as it includes a ratchet mechanism that
when the desired torque is reached, the knob skips making a ratchet
noise.
[0007] Other attachments manufacturers developed cam wedge methods.
This method, although practical does not serve the war fighter as
it can easily be loosened by vibration caused during automatic
fire, or the cam knob can get entangled with the soldier's gear.
One other alternative was the use of a machinist type screw and a
clamp. This method requires an allen torque wrench, and this tool
is not necessarily readily available to the soldier in the
field.
[0008] One other method is the use of a threaded stud and a clamp
with a knob such as in the weapon's carrying handle. Once again the
knob can be over tightened and it protrudes on the side of the
weapon where it can easily be entangled with the soldier's
gear.
[0009] The herein described invention relates to buffered means for
attaching a device to a 1913 mil-std rail or other angled
interface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,871 of Swan discloses a means for
attaching first and second Weaver interface platforms of an optical
rifle sight mount using throw-lever actuated locking mechanisms.
Swan's throw lever is adjustable, but only compensates for the
height variations within the rails range of manufacturing
tolerances. This limited self adjustability is limited often
preventing the throw-lever from being properly closed and the
related device secured. Later, Swan (U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,988)
developed a throw-lever actuated releasable optical sight mount
which incorporated a buffer to prevent wear on an aluminum rail.
This buffer or shim is small and with improper installation by the
user can become damaged rendering the optical sight mount
inoperable. Designs as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 7,272,904 by LaRue,
utilizes an adjustable nut which adjusts the clamping forces
exerted by the cam surface of the lever on opposing angular
surfaces. Without a buffer element between the cam surface and
mounting surface deformation of the mounting surface is highly
likely with repeated use. Further, this particular design requires
a hand tool to adjust the cam surface.
[0010] It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the
foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
[0011] Accordingly several objects and advantages of the present
invention are [0012] (a) To provide an attachment means which does
not loosen up after repeated use thereby preventing the mounted
accessory from falling off. [0013] (b) To provide an attachment
means which will not damage the mounting surface, i.e. rail,
receiver, etc. . . . through the incorporation of a buffer between
the mounting surface and the cam surface. [0014] (c) To provide an
attachment means which can self adjust to compensate for the
variations in mounting surface dimensions, no tools are required.
[0015] (d) To provide an attachment means which can be incorporated
to work with mounting rings for sighting devices, low light optical
devices, mechanical sighting devices and electronic optical gun
sites. [0016] (e) To provide an apparatus which permits the
selective interchanging of a variety of optical devices without
loss of a preset zero of each individual sighting device. [0017]
(f) To provide an apparatus that utilizes a throw lever that does
not require a secondary means to prevent the rotation thereof.
[0018] (g) To provide an apparatus which does not require tools to
be properly installed. [0019] (h) To provide an attachment means
which is both low profile and offers no point of entanglement for a
war fighter's equipment. [0020] (i) To provide an apparatus which
has no loose components that would render the device inoperable
should one be inadvertently lost. [0021] (j) To provide an
apparatus which has uniform tension on a railing mounting platform
regardless of who performs the installation.
[0022] Still further objects and advantages will become apparent
from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
SUMMARY
[0023] The present invention's primary function is to provide an
apparatus for removably securing accessories to a firearm having a
1913 MIL-STD rail, weaver rail or other angular mounting surface,
and a mounting platform to serve as a base to secure the apparatus
to the firearm.
[0024] A connecting rod runs transverse, to the bore line of the
host firearm, across the utilized rail mount beginning at the fixed
clamp, through the buffer element and attaches to the associated
throw lever. A series of opposing spring washers are utilized to
provide a means for the buffer element to be adjustably secured to
the desired mounting surface and place tension on the throw lever.
The connecting rod is attached to the throw lever by a pin which,
as the throw lever is rotated approximately 180 degrees to its
closed position, forces the buffer element against the mounting
surface and automatically adjusts the buffer's position to fit
snugly due to the tension placed on the system by the spring
washers being compressed.
[0025] The herein described apparatus increases the utility of a
firearm by allowing for the quick removal and attachment of various
mechanical and optical gun sites. Though the herein presented
invention and its application to firearms is the primary focus of
this disclosure it should be noted that this is not intended to
limit the scope of the present invention exclusively for use with
firearms. Many other uses will become obvious to one skilled in the
art upon examination of the attached detailed description and the
associated claims.
DRAWINGS
[0026] The novel features believed to be characteristic of the
invention, together with further advantages thereof, will be better
understood from the following description considered in connection
with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of
the present invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be
expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the
purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended
as a definition of the limits of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 1 is an illustration showing a sight mounting rail on a
firearm and showing a removably restrained, self adjusting optical
sight mount base according to the principles of the invention;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the herein described
invention;
[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates a horizontal side view of the herein
described invention;
[0030] FIG. 3A illustrates a partial sectional view taken along the
axis line "A" shown in FIG. 3.
[0031] FIG. 3B illustrates a partial sectional view taken along the
axis line "B" shown in FIG. 3.
[0032] FIG. 4 shows exploded elevational view according to the
invention;
[0033] FIG. 5 is a top view of thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0034] Turning now to the drawings in which like reference
characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several
views, attention is directed to FIG. 1. There is illustrated a
firearm 32 of the M16 family of weapons with a pistol grip 33,
magazine 34, butt stock 35, receiver with Picatinny interface 31
(1913 mil std. rail), handguards with a Picatinny interface 36, and
barrel 37. The secondary structures of the firearm, specifically
the handguards 36 and the receiver 31 have a Picatinny interface
located on the top of each part which is in parallel relation to
the barrel 37. Mount base 10 provided with a series of throw
levers, hereinafter referred to as cam levers 20A & B, provides
a method by which the mount base 10 may be secured to a Picatinny
interface 31 or 36. Further, a means is provided on the mount base
10 by which an electronic gun site 40 may be secured.
[0035] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the self adjusting throw lever
and rail clamp system 1. The mount base 10 has a Picatinny
interface 15 on its top surface. Two cam levers 20A & B are in
operational contact with two moving clamps 21A & B. Each cam
lever 20A & B is attached to a shouldered stud 18A & B
which runs transverse to the axis of the moving clamps 21A & B
as illustrated in FIG. 3. The shouldered studs 18A & B each of
which have a shoulder 22A & B which serves to contain a series
of disc springs 19A & B within a recess 14A & B located on
the side of the mount base 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B.
The mount base 10 has a Picatinny interface receiving receptacle 11
located on its underside which serves to attach the self adjusting
throw lever and rail clamp system 1 to a secondary structure 41 as
illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0036] FIG. 4 self adjusting throw lever and rail clamp system 1
consists of a fixed clamp 12 permanently attached to the mount body
10 holding apparatus with matching geometry to the secondary
structure 41 with a Picatinny rail interface, a floating opposite
clamp 21A or B with similar geometry is placed facing the fixed
clamp 12, held by a shouldered stud 18A or B, the stud 18A or B
would have a hole 24A & B through its' small diameter located
at the opposite end of the shoulder 22A & B, at the center of
the fixed clamp 12 there is a recess 14A & B, with a counter
bore 13A & B, matching the diameters of the shouldered stud 18A
& B to a depth equal to the sum of the disc washers 19A & B
and the shoulder 22A & B of the studs 18A & B. The moving
clamps 21A & B have a hole 23A & B matching the small
diameter of the shouldered stud 18A & B. A cam clamp 20A &
B is attached to the shouldered stud 18A & B by a spring pin
17A & B. The spring pin 17A & B passes freely through the
lateral holes 25A & B of the cam levers 20A & B and is
compressed and retained as it goes through the holes 24A & B
located on the shouldered studs 22A & B.
[0037] There are six "Belleville washers" or "disc springs"19A
& B, in the preferred embodiment, with approximately 36 lbs of
force and approximately 0.003 inch each of deflection when
compressed. Three disc springs 19A & B are placed back to back
inside the recess 14A & B of the fixed clamp 12, the shouldered
stud 18 A & B is then inserted through them, holding them in
place, on the opposite end the moving clamps 21A & B are
placed, oppositely facing the fixed clamp 12, defining the
Picatinny interface receiving channel 11, then the cam levers 20A
& B are assembled by inserting the spring pin 17A & B
through one ear 25A & B of the cam lever 20A & B, then the
hole 24A & B in the shouldered stud 18A & B and the other
ear 25A & B of the cam lever 20A & B.
[0038] The disc springs 19A & B allow the travel of the
shouldered stud 18A & B to compress the moving clamps 21A &
B actuated for the cam lever. When the cam lever 20A & B is
moving to the closed position, a maximum compression of the disc
springs 19A & B is nearly achieved when the cam levers 20A
& B are at an approximately 90 degree angle in relation to the
mount base 10. When the lock position is reached (as shown in FIG.
5) the disc springs 19A & B are compressed about 70% of the
maximum. The cam levers 20A & B are designed to use the
remaining force to hold the cam levers 20A & B closed. This
force reduces the possibilities of the cam levers 20A & B from
inadvertently becoming open (as shown in FIG. 2). The compression
of the disc springs 19A & B allows only 0.018 inch,
approximately, total cam lever 20A & B movement.
[0039] The cam levers 20A & B when in the open position must
allow clearance for the moving clamps 21A & B to clear the
outer edge of the secondary structure with Picatinny interface 41
(as shown in FIG. 3A) so that the attachment may be removed or
lifted away from the secondary structure with Picatinny interface
41. When the cam lever 20A & B is flipped 180 degrees to the
closed position, it absorbs the clearance and it compresses the
disc springs 19A & B maintaining a constant compression force,
thus insuring that the cam levers 20A& B do not pop open
inadvertently and preventing the mount base 10 from moving.
[0040] The shouldered stud 18A & B fits between the teeth of
the secondary structure with Picatinny interface 41 allowing it to
be centered between the fixed clamp 12 and moving clamps 21A &
B, at the same time restricting any movement forward or back of the
mount base 10. The quantity of moving clamps 21A & B would
depend on the weight and length of the attachment.
[0041] The mounting surface 15, located on top of the mount base
10, is configured so as to receive the bottom surface of an
electronic gun site 40. The electronic gun site 40 (depicted in
FIG. 1) has an integrated Picatinny mount on its bottom surface to
receive the mounting surface 15 provided by the herein described
device
[0042] Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein
chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those
skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and
variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are
intended to be included within the scope thereof, which is assessed
only by a fair interpretation of the following claims.
CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE
[0043] Accordingly the reader will see that I have provided a self
adjusting throw lever and rail clamp system for an optical gun
site. Moving clamps in operational contact with a throw lever,
shouldered stud and a series of disc springs provides a means to
removably secure the moving clamps, and thereby the mount base,
about a Picatinny or 1913 mil-std rail. The mounting surface
provided by the herein described device is, in its preferred
embodiment, a 1913 mil-std rail also known as a Picatinny rail.
This mounting surface allows for a variety of optical gun sites to
be attached. This system for attaching the mount base to a rifle
with a Picatinny rail, or other secondary structure, provides a low
profile which will not get tangled in a war fighter's gear during
use. Further, the herein described device does not require tools to
adjust the tension or retain the mount base on the appropriate
mounting surface.
[0044] Another embodiment of the self adjusting throw lever and
rail clamp system could be used for telescopic sights utilized with
firearms. A mount base or series of mount bases incorporating
standard scope rings, well known in the prior art, in place of the
Picatinny mounting surface would be provided. The mount base could
take the form of a single piece for better rigidity or two separate
units to reduce weight.
[0045] While my above drawings and description contain much
specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the
scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one
preferred embodiment thereof.
[0046] Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined
not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and
their legal equivalents.
* * * * *