U.S. patent application number 13/088896 was filed with the patent office on 2012-08-09 for automatic aligning aiming device.
Invention is credited to Ignacio Vicente Ospino Orozco.
Application Number | 20120198748 13/088896 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46599691 |
Filed Date | 2012-08-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120198748 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ospino Orozco; Ignacio
Vicente |
August 9, 2012 |
Automatic Aligning Aiming Device
Abstract
An automatically aligning aiming device that is magnetically
attached to a weapon and automatically aligns itself parallel to
the center axis of the gun barrel, using two magnet or sets of the
magnets perpendicular to each other, without the need of rails,
clamping, or other fastening aids, which allows the use of regular
laser pointers with none or few modifications. The present
invention provides additional aiming information without
obstructing the original aiming sights of the weapon. The present
invention uses two magnets or sets of magnets with resulting
attractive magnetic forces perpendicular to each other.
Inventors: |
Ospino Orozco; Ignacio Vicente;
(Hernando, FL) |
Family ID: |
46599691 |
Appl. No.: |
13/088896 |
Filed: |
April 18, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61440304 |
Feb 7, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
42/115 ;
42/117 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41G 11/004 20130101;
F41G 1/35 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
42/115 ;
42/117 |
International
Class: |
F41G 1/00 20060101
F41G001/00; F41G 1/32 20060101 F41G001/32 |
Claims
1. An automatically aligning aiming device comprises, a frame; a
front fastener; a back fastener; a laser pointer; a contact switch;
said frame comprises a barrel angle, a laser angle, a plate, a
first magnet, a second magnet, and a fixation; and said laser
pointer comprises a casing, a laser emitting mechanism, and an
external switch.
2. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 1
comprises, said second magnet being located in between said barrel
angle and said laser angle; said first magnet being located in
between said barrel angle and said plate; said barrel angle, said
laser angle, and said plate being connected by said fixation; said
laser pointer being cradled by said laser angle; and said laser
pointer being held in place by said front fastener and by said back
fastener.
3. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 1
comprises, said barrel angle comprises a first barrel leg, a first
magnet cavity, a second barrel leg, and a second magnet cavity;
said laser angle comprises a first laser leg, a third magnet
cavity, and a second laser leg; and said plate comprises a barrel
magnet cavity.
4. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 3
comprises, said first barrel leg being connected perpendicularly to
said second barrel leg; said first laser leg being connected
perpendicularly to said second laser leg; said first magnet cavity
being positioned on said first barrel leg; said second magnet
cavity being positioned on said second barrel leg; said third
magnet cavity being positioned on said first laser leg; said second
magnet being encapsulated by said second magnet cavity and by said
third magnet cavity; said second barrel leg being attached to said
first laser leg by said fixation; said first magnet being
encapsulated by said first cavity and said barrel magnet cavity;
and said first barrel leg and said second laser leg being attached
to said plate by said fixation.
5. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 3
comprises, said laser pointer being cradled by said first laser leg
and said second laser leg; said front fastener being attached to
said second barrel leg and said second laser leg; said back
fastener being attached to said second barrel leg and said second
laser leg; said contact switch being positioned on and traversing
through said second barrel leg and said first laser leg; and said
contact switch being electrically connected to said laser
pointer.
6. An automatically aligning aiming device comprises, a frame; a
front fastener; a back fastener; a laser pointer; a contact switch;
a barrel fine adjustment mechanism; Y-pivoting support; X-pivoting
support; said frame comprises a barrel angle, a laser angle, a
plate, a first magnet, a second magnet, and a fixation; said barrel
fine adjustment mechanism comprises a barrel Y-adjustment hole, a
barrel Y-adjustment screw, a barrel X-adjustment hole, and a barrel
X-adjustment screw; and said laser pointer comprises a casing, a
laser emitting mechanism, and an external switch.
7. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 6
comprises, said second magnet being located in between said barrel
angle and said laser angle; said first magnet being located in
between said barrel angle and said plate; said barrel angle, said
laser angle, and said plate being connected by said fixation; said
laser pointer being cradled by said laser angle; and said laser
pointer being held in place by said front fastener and by said back
fastener.
8. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 6
comprises, said barrel Y-adjustment hole being positioned on and
traversing through said plate and said laser angle; said barrel
Y-adjustment hole being traversed by said barrel Y-adjustment
screw; said barrel X-adjustment hole being positioned on and
traversing through said laser angle and said barrel angle; and said
barrel X-adjustment hole being traversed by said barrel
X-adjustment screw.
9. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 6
comprises, said barrel angle comprises a first barrel leg, a first
magnet cavity, a second barrel leg, and a second magnet cavity;
said laser angle comprises a first laser leg, a third magnet
cavity, and a second laser leg; and said plate comprises a barrel
magnet cavity.
10. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 8
comprises, said first barrel leg being connected perpendicularly to
said second barrel leg; said first laser leg being connected
perpendicularly to said second laser leg; said first magnet cavity
being positioned on said first barrel leg; said second magnet
cavity being positioned on said second barrel leg; said third
magnet cavity being positioned on said first laser leg; said second
magnet being encapsulated by said second magnet cavity and by said
third magnet cavity; said second barrel leg being attached to said
first laser leg by said fixation; said first magnet being
encapsulated by said first cavity and said barrel magnet cavity;
and said first barrel leg and said second laser leg being attached
to said plate by said fixation.
11. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 8
comprises, said laser pointer being cradled by said first laser leg
and said second laser leg; said front fastener being attached to
said second barrel leg and said second laser leg; said back
fastener being attached to said second barrel leg and said second
laser leg; said contact switch being positioned on and traversing
through said second barrel leg and said first laser leg; and said
contact switch being electrically connected to said laser
pointer.
12. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim 8
comprises, said barrel Y-adjustment hole being positioned on and
traversing through said first laser leg and said second barrel leg;
said Y-pivoting support is positioned on said second barrel leg;
said barrel X-adjustment hole being positioned on and traversing
through said plate and said first barrel leg; and said X-pivoting
support is positioned on said first barrel leg.
13. An automatically aligning aiming device comprises, a frame; a
pointer holder; a laser fine adjustment mechanism; a pivoting ring;
a laser pointer; a contact switch; said frame comprises a barrel
angle, a laser angle, a plate, a first magnet, a laser magnet, a
second magnet, and a fixation; said laser fine adjustment mechanism
comprises a laser Y-adjustment hole, a laser Y-adjustment screw, a
laser X-adjustment hole, and a laser X-adjustment screw; and said
laser pointer comprises a casing, a laser emitting mechanism, and
an external switch.
14. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim
13 comprises, said second magnet being located in between said
barrel angle and said laser angle; said first magnet being located
in between said barrel angle and said plate; said laser magnet
being located in between said laser angle and said plate; said
barrel angle, said laser angle, and said plate being connected by
said fixation; said pointer holder being connected to said laser
angle; said pivoting ring being bracketed said pointer holder and
said laser angle; said pivoting ring being traversed by said laser
pointer; said laser pointer being cradled by said pointer holder
and said laser angle; and said laser pointer being held in place by
said second magnet and said laser magnet.
15. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim
13 comprises, said laser Y-adjustment hole being positioned on and
traversing through said plate and said laser angle; said laser
Y-adjustment hole being traversed by said laser Y-adjustment screw;
said casing being contacted by said laser Y-adjustment screw; said
laser X-adjustment hole being positioned on and traversing through
said pointer holder; said laser X-adjustment hole being traversed
by said laser X-adjustment screw; and said casing being contacted
by said laser X-adjustment screw.
16. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim
13 comprises, said barrel angle comprises a first barrel leg, a
first magnet cavity, a second barrel leg, and a second magnet
cavity; said laser angle comprises a first laser leg, a third
magnet cavity, a second laser leg, and a fourth magnet cavity; and
said plate comprises a barrel magnet cavity and a laser magnet
cavity.
17. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim
16 comprises, said first barrel leg being connected perpendicularly
to said second barrel leg; said first laser leg being connected
perpendicularly to said second laser leg; said first magnet cavity
being positioned on said first barrel leg; said second magnet
cavity being positioned on said second barrel leg; said third
magnet cavity being positioned on said first laser leg; said fourth
magnet cavity being positioned on said second laser leg; said
second magnet being encapsulated by said second magnet cavity and
by said third magnet cavity; said second barrel leg being attached
to said first laser leg by said fixation; said first magnet being
encapsulated by said first cavity and said barrel magnet cavity;
said laser magnet being encapsulated by said fourth cavity and said
laser magnet cavity; and said first barrel leg and said second
laser leg being attached to said plate by said fixation.
18. Said automatically aligning aiming device as claimed in claim
16 comprises, said pointer holder being connected perpendicularly
to said second laser leg; said pivoting ring being positioned in
between said pointer holder and said first laser leg and being
positioned adjacent to said second laser leg; said pivoting ring
being traversed by said laser pointer; said laser pointer being
cradled by said pointer holder, said first laser leg, and said
second laser leg; said laser Y-adjustment hole being positioned on
and traversing through said plate and said second laser leg; said
second barrel leg and said first laser leg being traversed through
by said contact switch; and said contact switch being electrically
connected to said laser pointer.
Description
[0001] The current application claims a priority to the U.S.
Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/440,304 filed on Feb. 7,
2011.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for
aiming. More particularly, the present invention is an aiming
device that adheres to a weapon and automatically aligns itself
parallel to the center axis of the barrel, without the need of
rails, clamping, or other fastening aids, which allows the use of
regular laser pointers with none or few modifications. The present
invention provides additional aiming information without
obstructing the original aiming sights of the weapon. The present
invention uses two magnets or sets of magnets resulting with
attractive magnetic forces perpendicular to each other.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Currently, available aiming devices for guns are
mechanically integrated into the gun structure or can be attached
or affixed to a specific type of gun with a particular geometry or
need additional clamping or fastening for alignment. Therefore, the
objective of the present invention is to introduce an apparatus,
which can be used with any gun made of ferromagnetic material that
allows free access to the barrel or to any part of the structure
with at least two surfaces or surface lines (tangential touch)
forming a right angle and that are parallel to the center axis of
the gun barrel. The device is easy to attach and to remove without
tools and can be used for different various guns. The present
invention allows the use of commercially available laser pointers,
with few to no modifications. The present invention also offers the
possibility of precision adjusting the direction of the laser beam
for better accuracy in order to compensate for irregularities in
the gun, laser pointer geometry, or variations in the trajectory of
the projectile as a function of distance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the
present invention.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment of the present
invention in which a sectional view is taken and shown in FIG.
3.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the first embodiment of
the present invention.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the
present invention attached to the barrel of a gun.
[0008] FIG. 5 is perspective view of the second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0009] FIG. 6 is a side view of the second embodiment of the
present invention in which a sectional view is taken and shown in
FIG. 7.
[0010] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the second embodiment of
the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 8 is a view of the second embodiment of the present
invention.
[0012] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the third embodiment of the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 10 is a side view of the third embodiment of the
present invention in which a sectional view is taken and shown in
FIG. 11.
[0014] FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the third embodiment of
the present invention.
DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION
[0015] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of
describing selected versions of the present invention and are not
intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
[0016] The present invention is an automatically aligning aiming
device used to align a laser beam on an axis parallel to the center
axis of a gun barrel 1, which allows the user to better aim the gun
towards its intended target. The gun barrel 1 must be made of a
ferromagnetic material for the device to function properly. The
present invention can be defined in three different
embodiments.
[0017] One embodiment of the present invention will allow basic
accuracy and will most likely be used for short distance aiming or
at a shooting range. In reference to FIG. 1-4, this embodiment of
the present invention comprises a frame 2, a laser pointer 27, a
front fastener 32, a back fastener 33, and a contact switch 31. The
frame 2 is the main structure of the device and provides a base for
other components of the device to be connected together. The frame
2 consists of a barrel angle 3, a laser angle 8, a plate 13, a
first magnet 16, a second magnet 18, and a fixation 19. The barrel
angle 3 is an L-bracket, which allows the frame 2 to embrace the
gun barrel 1. The barrel angle 3 comprises of a first barrel leg 4,
a first magnet cavity 5, a second barrel leg 6, and a second magnet
cavity 7. The first barrel leg 4 and the second barrel leg 6 are
the perpendicular panels of the L-bracket. The first magnet cavity
5 is located along the first barrel leg 4 and is a recessed
rectangular space. The second magnet cavity 7 is located along the
second barrel leg 6 and is a recessed rectangular space with.
Likewise, the laser angle 8 is an L-bracket, which allows the frame
2 to embrace the laser pointer 27. The laser angle 8 comprises a
first laser leg 9, a third magnet cavity 10, and a second laser leg
11. The first laser leg 9 and the second laser leg 11 are the
perpendicular panels of the L-bracket. The third magnet cavity 10
is located along the first laser leg 9 and is a recessed
rectangular space with a length equal to the length of the second
magnet cavity 7. The plate 13 is a rectangular panel having a
barrel magnet cavity 14. The barrel magnet cavity 14 is a recessed
rectangular space with a length equal to the length of the first
magnet cavity 5. The barrel angle 3, the laser angle 8, and the
plate 13 are made of a material, such as aluminum or a suitable
plastic, capable of withstanding the mechanical and thermal loads
experienced when the gun is being fired. The second magnet 18 is
tightly encapsulated by the second magnet cavity 7 and the third
magnet cavity 10 as the second barrel leg 6 and the first laser leg
9 are adhered together by the fixation 19. The first magnet 16 is
tightly encapsulated by the first magnet cavity 5 and the barrel
magnet cavity 14 as the plate 13 adheres to the combined surface of
the first barrel leg 4 and the second laser leg 11 by the fixation
19. The fixation 19 is any means to connect the barrel angle 3, the
laser angle 8, and the plate 13 together such as rivets or
adhesives. The symmetric arrangement between these combined
cavities positions the first magnet 16 in a plane perpendicular to
the plane of the second magnet 18, which provides the barrel angle
3 with resulting perpendicular and symmetrical attractive magnetic
forces upon the gun barrel 1 that produce the parallel self
alignment of the device to the center axis of the gun barrel 1.
[0018] The first magnet 16 and the second magnet 18 are strong
permanent magnets, which are usually made of rare earth metals. The
first magnet 16 and the second magnet 18 provide the device with
the necessary magnetic force to attach the gun barrel 1 to the
barrel angle 3, but the magnetic force is weak enough to allow the
user to detach the device from the gun barrel 1. The magnetic force
is strong enough to prevent a separation between the device and the
gun barrel 1 when the gun recoils or vibrates from a shot. When the
gun barrel 1 attaches to the barrel angle 3, the magnetic
attraction and the friction between the surface of the gun barrel 1
and the surface of the barrel angle 3 will stabilize the gun barrel
1 against the barrel angle 3 during normal movements. The distance
between the first magnet 16 and the second magnet 18 and the
tangential line of touch with the barrel surface are designed to be
short, which maximizes the magnetic attractive forces. The magnetic
force provided by the first magnet 16 and the second magnet 18 will
also allow the device to self-align if the device is slightly moved
out of position. If the device is used in particularly rough
circumstances while being attached to the gun, an additional
mechanical fastener can be used to secure the gun barrel 1 against
the barrel angle 3. The additional mechanical fastener should not
affect the ability of the device to self-align and serves only the
purpose of avoiding a total separation in the special condition of
use.
[0019] In this embodiment of the present invention, the lateral
surface of the laser pointer 27 makes contact with the laser angle
8 along two parallel tangential lines for the full length of the
laser pointer 27. The front fastener 32 connects from the second
barrel leg 6 to the plate 13 and presses the front half of the
laser pointer 27 against the laser angle 8. The back fastener 33
connects from the second barrel leg 6 to the plate 13 and presses
the back half of the laser pointer 27 against the laser angle 8.
Both the front fastener 32 and the back fastener 33 hold the laser
pointer 27 in the place on the device. A parallel geometry is
created between the center axis of the gun barrel 1 and the center
axis of the cylindrical laser pointer 27 because of the positioning
of the gun barrel 1 and the laser pointer 27 on the device. The
parallel geometry begins with the center axis of the gun barrel 1
being parallel to the lateral surface of the gun barrel 1. The
barrel angle 3 makes contact with the lateral surface of the gun
barrel 1 along two parallel lines, which allows the barrel angle 3
to be parallel to the center axis of the gun barrel 1. The barrel
angle 3 and the laser angle 8 connect to each other on an even
surface, which allows the laser angle 8 to be parallel to the
center axis of the gun barrel 1. The laser angle 8 makes contact
with the lateral surface of the laser pointer 27 along two parallel
lines, which allows the lateral surface of the laser pointer 27 to
be parallel to the center axis of the gun barrel 1. The lateral
surface of the laser pointer 27 is parallel to the center axis of
the laser pointer 27, which means that the center axis of the
cylindrical laser pointer 27 is parallel to the center axis of the
cylindrical gun barrel 1. The same alignment occurs when the barrel
angle 3 is attached to any two perpendicular surface or tangential
lines on the gun that are parallel to the center axis of the gun
barrel 1.
[0020] The laser pointer 27 allows the user to aim the gun at the
intended target. The laser pointer 27 comprises a casing 28, a
laser emitting mechanism 29, and an external switch 30. The casing
28 is the cylindrical lateral surface of the laser pointer 27 and
is usually made of ferromagnetic material, which is not important
for this embodiment of the present invention but will be important
for embodiments described later. Circumfused by the casing 28, the
laser emitting mechanism 29 emits a laser beam out of the laser
pointer 27 along the center axis of the laser pointer 27. The laser
beam is guided by the user to touch the intended target. The user
will shoot a bullet along the center axis of the gun barrel 1,
which will hit the intended target because the path of the laser
beam and the path of the bullet are parallel and near each other.
The external switch 30 allows the user to manually turn the laser
pointer 27 on and off. The contact switch 31 automatically turns on
the laser pointer 27 when the device is attached to the gun barrel
1. However, the turning on/off of the laser pointer 27 can achieved
in a variety of different ways that are not important to the nature
of the present invention.
[0021] In another embodiment of the present invention as shown in
FIG. 5-8, the device comprises the components mentioned in the
previous embodiment, but the device also comprises of a barrel fine
adjustment mechanism 34, an Y-pivoting support 39, and a X-pivoting
support 40. Even though the device is designed to automatically
align the center axis of the laser pointer 27 and the center axis
of gun barrel 1, the barrel fine adjustment mechanism 34 allows the
user to correct for minor misalignments created by several factors
such as irregularities in the geometry of the device or the gun and
projectile trajectory as a function of distance. The barrel fine
adjustment mechanism 34 aligns the center axis of the gun barrel 1
to be parallel with the center axis of the laser pointer 27. The
lateral surface of the gun barrel 1 balances on the Y-pivoting
support 39 and the X-pivoting support 40, which as used as fulcrums
in their respective planes. The Y-pivoting support 39 is a small
rectangular protrusion attached to the front half of the first
barrel leg 4 and makes contact with the gun barrel 1. The
X-pivoting support 40 is a small rectangular protrusion attached to
the front half of the second barrel leg 6 and makes contact with
the gun barrel 1. The barrel fine adjustment mechanism 34 comprises
a barrel Y-adjustment hole 35, a barrel Y-adjustment screw 36, a
barrel X-adjustment hole 37, and a barrel X-adjustment screw 38.
The barrel Y-adjustment hole 35 is a threaded hole that is located
along the same line as the Y-pivoting support 39. The barrel
Y-adjustment hole 35 traverses through both the plate 13 and the
first barrel leg 4. The barrel Y-adjustment screw 36 engages the
barrel Y-adjustment hole 35 and makes contact with the gun barrel
1. The barrel Y-adjustment screw 36 applies a counter force on the
gun barrel 1 against the attractive force applied by the first
magnet 16. The counter force applied by the barrel Y-adjustment
screw 36 and the attractive force applied by the first magnet 16
balance the gun barrel 1 on the Y-pivoting support 39 along a plane
parallel to the plane of the second magnet 18. Similarly, the
barrel X-adjustment hole 37 is a threaded hole that is located
along the same line as the X-pivoting support 40. The barrel
X-adjustment hole 37 traverses through the second barrel leg 6 and
the first laser leg 9. The barrel X-adjustment screw 38 engages the
barrel X-adjustment hole 37 and makes contact with the gun barrel
1. The barrel X-adjustment screw 38 applies a counter force on the
gun barrel 1 against the attractive force applied by the second
magnet 18. The counter force applied by the barrel X-adjustment
screw 38 and the attractive force applied by the second magnet 18
balance the gun barrel 1 on the X-pivoting support 40 along a plane
parallel to the plane of the first magnet 16. In this embodiment of
the present invention, the first magnet 16 and the second magnet 18
need to apply a stronger attractive magnetic force than in the
previous embodiment because only the Y-pivoting support 39, the
X-pivoting support 40, the barrel Y-adjustment screw 36, and the
barrel X-adjustment screw 38 make contact with the gun barrel 1.
This embodiment of the present invention will most likely be used
on a gun with known dimensions for the gun barrel 1 because the
Y-pivoting support 39, the X-pivoting support 40, the barrel
Y-adjustment screw 36, and the barrel X-adjustment screw 38 need to
the placed along the tangential lines of touch between the gun
barrel 1 and the barrel angle 6.
[0022] In another embodiment of the present invention as shown in
FIG. 9-11, the device comprises of the components mentioned in the
former embodiment, but does not include the front fastener 32 and
the back fastener 33. In this embodiment of the present invention,
the device additionally comprises a pointer holder 20, a laser fine
adjustment mechanism 21, and a pivoting ring 26. Other new
components of this embodiment include the frame 2 additionally
comprising a laser magnet 17, the laser angle 8 additionally
comprising a fourth magnet cavity 12, and the plate 13 additionally
comprising of a laser magnet cavity 15. The fourth magnet cavity 12
is located along second laser leg 11 and is a recessed rectangular
space with the same length as the first magnet cavity 5. The laser
magnet cavity 15 is a recessed rectangular space with a length
equal to the length of the fourth magnet cavity 12. Both the barrel
magnet cavity 14 and the laser magnet cavity 15 are facing out of
the same side of the plate 13, and both are equidistant from the
center of the plate 13. Similarly, as the plate 13 adheres to the
combined surface of the first barrel leg 4 and the second laser leg
11 by the fixation 19, the first magnet 16 is tightly encapsulated
by the first magnet cavity 5 and the barrel magnet cavity 14, and
the laser magnet 17 is tightly encapsulated by the fourth magnet
cavity 12 and the laser magnet cavity 15. The symmetric arrangement
of these cavities positions the first magnet 16 and the laser
magnet 17 in the same plane and the second magnet 18 in a
perpendicular plane. The laser magnet 17 is a strong permanent
magnet like the first magnet 16 and the second magnet 18. The laser
magnet 17 and the second magnet 18 provide the device with
necessary magnetic force to attract the laser pointer 27 into the
laser angle 8, but the laser pointer 27 does not make contact with
the laser angle 8 along the entire length of the laser pointer 27
in this embodiment of the present invention. The laser magnet 17
and the second magnet 18 attract the laser pointer 27 into the
laser angle 8 because the casing 28 is made of a ferromagnetic
material. The laser magnet 17 and the second magnet 18 allow the
device to self-align the laser pointer 27 so that the center axis
of the laser pointer 27 is parallel to the center axis of the gun
barrel 1.
[0023] In order to physically attach the laser pointer 27 to the
device for this embodiment, the pointer holder 20 and the pivoting
ring 26 must be properly positioned on the device. The pointer
holder 20 is a rectangular protrusion, which is perpendicularly
connected to the second laser leg 11. Together, the first laser leg
9, the second laser leg 11, and the pointer holder 20 form a square
channel. The pivoting ring 26 is placed in between the first laser
leg 9 and the pointer holder 20 and adjacent to the second laser
leg 11 or is placed into the square channel. The pivoting ring 26
is located on the back half of the square channel, beyond the
middle of the frame 2, and on the opposite side of the laser diode.
The laser pointer 27 is also placed in between the first laser leg
9 and the pointer holder 20 and adjacent to the second laser leg 11
or within the square channel, but the laser pointer 27 traverse
through the pivoting ring 26. The front of the laser pointer 27
makes contact with the first laser leg 9 and the second laser leg
11 because of the attractive magnetic force provided by the laser
magnet 17 and the second magnet 18. The laser pointer 27 simulates
an unbalanced seesaw with the pivoting ring 26 as the fulcrum, but
the scale on which the laser pointer 27 simulates an unbalance
seesaw is too small to significantly alter the parallel geometry
between the center axis of the gun barrel 1 and the center axis of
the laser pointer 27 and only allows for a fine adjustment.
[0024] The laser fine adjustment mechanism 21 is different from the
barrel fine adjustment mechanism 34 mentioned in the latter
embodiment. Similarly, even though the device is designed to
automatically align the center axis of the laser pointer 27 and the
center axis of gun barrel 1, the laser fine adjustment mechanism 21
allows the user to correct for minor misalignments arising from
hidden variables, but does so by allowing the user to align the
laser pointer 27. The laser fine adjustment mechanism 21 comprises
a laser Y-adjustment hole 22, a laser Y-adjustment screw 23, a
laser X-adjustment hole 24, and a laser X-adjustment screw 25. The
laser Y-adjustment hole 22 is a threaded hole that is located on
the front half of the second laser leg 11 behind the laser magnet
17 and is adjacent to the portion of the casing 28 closest to the
second laser leg 11. The laser Y-adjustment hole 22 traverses
through both the plate 13 and the second laser leg 11. The laser
Y-adjustment screw 23 engages the laser Y-adjustment hole 22 and
makes contact with the front half of the laser pointer 27. The
laser Y-adjustment screw 23 applies a counter force on the laser
pointer 27 against the attractive force applied by the laser magnet
17. The counter force applied by the laser Y-adjustment screw 23
and the attractive force applied by the laser magnet 17 balance the
laser pointer 27 on a pivoting ring 26 along a plane parallel to
the plane of the second magnet 18. Similarly, the laser
X-adjustment hole 24 is a threaded hole that is located on the back
half of the pointer holder 20 and is adjacent to the portion of the
casing 28 closest to the pointer holder 20. The laser X-adjustment
hole 24 traverses through the pointer holder 20. The laser
X-adjustment screw 25 engages the laser X-adjustment hole 24 and
makes contact with the back half of the laser pointer 27. The laser
X-adjustment screw 25 applies a counter force on the laser pointer
27 against the attractive force applied by the second magnet 18.
The counter force applied by the laser X-adjustment screw 25 and
the attractive force applied by the second magnet 18 balance the
laser pointer 27 on the pivoting ring 26 along a plane parallel to
the plane of the laser magnet 17 and the first magnet 16.
[0025] Optional features for the present invention include the
finishing of the device, any additional fastening of the gun barrel
1 or the laser pointer 27 to the device for mechanical stability,
or adding an LED light. The LED light could be used in combination
with the laser pointer 27 or just replace the laser pointer 27
altogether.
[0026] The magnets are commercially available and can be ordered in
custom sizes and strengths. The expected magnetic forces required
to attach the device to a steel weapon is about three to six pounds
per tangential line of touch. The production of the present
invention can be done with standard mechanical construction
methods. The laser pointer 27 can be either ordered as already
commercially available or special ordered with a few modifications
in order to make it suitable for the intended purpose. The material
of choice for the frame 2 would be a hard plastic or light metal,
but the particular material of choice would depend on the intended
use of the device, the user's preferences on the specifications, or
the market's needs. The required precision grade for the
construction of the device is not especially high. If the magnetic
forces exerted by the magnets are particularly strong, then an
additional tool may be needed to detach the device from the gun
barrel 1. The additional tool can be just a simple lever.
[0027] The present invention can be used by the armed forces and
law enforcement personal with their regular weapons for training
purposes without the need of modifying the weapons and with the
possibility of easily attaching and removing the device. Range
shooting will be highly improved with the information provided by
the present invention associated to the aiming ways and customs of
every particular person given the simplicity of attaching and
detaching the device. For personal defense at home, the benefits of
the present invention are great. A lot of weapons in private
possession do not have a special design, mountings, or mounting
rails to accommodate accessories like laser aiming devices. For
those weapons, the present invention will provide a very useful
enhancement. Hunters will also benefit from the advantages provided
by the present invention.
[0028] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its
preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that many other
possible modifications and variations can be made without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter
claimed.
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