U.S. patent application number 13/608564 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-14 for accessory attaching device for standardized small arm mounting rails.
The applicant listed for this patent is William B. Atkinson. Invention is credited to William B. Atkinson.
Application Number | 20130061506 13/608564 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47828565 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130061506 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Atkinson; William B. |
March 14, 2013 |
ACCESSORY ATTACHING DEVICE FOR STANDARDIZED SMALL ARM MOUNTING
RAILS
Abstract
The present invention is an easily detachable "rail clip" to
provide an inexpensive, rapid and secure fastening means to affix
sight components, flashlights, lasers, electrical wires, tags,
tools, carrying straps, or other tactical gear or accessories to a
standardized firearm mounting rail as defined by MIL-STD-1913(AR).
The herein disclosed rail clip is economically manufactured as a
single piece spring without moving parts, can be operated silently,
can be repositioned in seconds, and can be attached and detached
from the weapon without the need for any tool making this an
important alternative attachment means for military and police
forces.
Inventors: |
Atkinson; William B.;
(Placerville, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Atkinson; William B. |
Placerville |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47828565 |
Appl. No.: |
13/608564 |
Filed: |
September 10, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61533206 |
Sep 10, 2011 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
42/90 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41G 11/003 20130101;
F41C 27/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
42/90 |
International
Class: |
F41C 27/00 20060101
F41C027/00 |
Claims
1. A single piece spring clip for mounting an accessory to a
standardized firearm mounting rail, comprising: a main part that
provides two primary locking arms extended perpendicularly
downward, configured with a locking claw formed to couple to the
lower angular side of said mounting rail; a secondary spring arm
that includes a retaining lip formed transversely to the said main
part to snap past the corner formed by the angular sides of the
said mounting rail, directly opposed to said primary locking arms,
retaining the rail clip in a fixed position relative to the said
mounting rail; two locating tabs that extend perpendicularly
downward that engage the side walls of a transverse slot of the
said mounting rail, thereby preventing front to back motion of the
rail clip when the weapon is handled or fired; and including offset
top and side accessory holes for attaching an accessory or carrying
options.
2. The accessory mounting rail clip of claim 1, wherein the device
single piece structure provides simultaneous rigid and flexible
mounting characteristics.
3. The accessory mounting rail clip of claim 1, wherein the device
provides a practical disengagement lever that is formed as an
integral part of said main part.
4. The accessory mounting rail clip of claim 1, wherein the device
provides a uniform centerline accessory mounting hole for mounting
sight components or optics.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Provisional application No. 61/533206, filed on Sep. 10,
2011
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is in the field of firearm
accessories. More particularly, the present invention refers to the
attachment of sight components, tools, accessories, and personal or
tactical gear to standardized firearm mounting systems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Modern tactical firearms, as typically used by military and
police forces can be be fitted with a wide variety of optional
accessories to enhance the weapon's functionality, configure the
weapon for specific applications, improve sighting and accuracy,
improve handling or achieve more effective operation. The
utilization of accessories provides maximum convenience and
personalization of a weapon for the individual operator's shooting
preferences or tactical role. The increasing practice of attaching
accessories directly to firearms created the need for a uniform,
practical and efficient standardized mounting rail to securely and
accurately position accessories in relation to operational parts of
the weapon.
[0004] To address this demand, a military standard for an accessory
mounting "rail" was standardized by the United States Department of
Defense, Picatinny Arsenal, and carries the official designation of
MIL-STD-1913. It is also known by the NATO designation STANAG 2324.
Since this standard was established, the Picatinny rail mounting
system has been widely implemented across numerous military and
police organizations in the United States and other countries
around the world, and is also in broad use with numerous civilian
firearms.
[0005] The Picatinny mounting rail is typically placed in a
parallel orientation to weapon's receiver or barrel, or can be
incorporated into a long arm's stock or a pistol frame. Accessories
have been typically clamped or attached to the rail by a
combination of rigid and clamping members, affixed by screws,
bolts, thumbscrews and/or cam levers that index into transverse
slots that repeat for the length of the rail at a precise uniform
spacing. These slots are standardized in size in the Picatinny rail
with a width of 0.206'' (5.2324 mm). The spacing of slot centers is
0.394'' (10.0076 mm) and the slot depth is typically 0.118''
(2.9972 mm).
[0006] There also exists an alternative, similar mounting rail that
is used primarily on civilian hunting and target type weapons that
is referred to as a "Weaver" rail. The primary difference between
the Picatinny rail standard and the Weaver rail design is the size
of the transverse slots, the Weaver type having a slot width of
0.180'' (4.572 mm) and due to production inconsistencies of various
commercial vendors, can be inconsistent in the spacing of slot
centers. Because of this dissimilarity, Weaver devices will usually
fit on Picatinny type rails, but Picatinny devices will not always
fit on Weaver type rails.
[0007] The widespread adoption of standardized mounting systems by
the Department of Defense has created the need for a simple,
cost-effective, and reliable rail clip designed specifically for
the standardized MIL-STD-1913 mounting rail, such as embodied by
the present invention. This is particularly true for accessories
that, unlike optical sights, do not need to be critically aligned
to the weapon. The present invention is more economical to produce
and is less complex for increased reliability and ease-of-use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a side view of the rail clip of the present
invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side view of rail clip of FIG. 1 showing
engagement with a standardized mounting rail.
[0010] FIG. 3 is an oblique side view of the rail clip of the
present invention showing the position of the rail clip's rigid end
and flexible end accessory attaching holes.
[0011] FIG. 4 is an oblique bottom view of the rail clip of the
present invention showing the position of the rail clip's locating
tabs and locking arms, and the retaining lip.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a top view of the rail clip of the present
invention showing the shape and orientation of the rail clip's
rigid and flexible ends.
[0013] FIG. 6 is an elevated perspective view of the rail clip of
FIG. 2 that shows the rail clip locating tab positions and
engagement in the transverse groove of a standardized mounting
rail.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the rail clip of FIG.
2 showing the engagement of the rail clip retaining lip against the
bottom longitudinal grip surface of a standardized mounting
rail.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the rail clip of FIG.
2 showing the engagement of the rail clip's locking arms against
the bottom longitudinal grip surface of a standardized mounting
rail.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Referring now to the rail clip invention in more detail, in
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 there is shown a side view of the rail clip's
body (1) that shows the downward extension of the locking arm (7),
rigid side hole (4B) and the integral retaining lip (9) created by
the curved edge, angular shape formed by a fold in the body
(1).
[0017] FIG. 2 further illustrates the position of the retaining lip
(9) as it corresponds to the lower longitudinal grip surface of a
standardized mounting rail (10), when engaged.
[0018] In further detail, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the
device body (1) provides a duality of ends, a rigid end (2) and a
flexible end (3) that extend outwardly from the center of the
device body (1). The rigid end (2) is located and held in
engagement by two locking arms (7) that extend perpendicularly
downward from the rigid end (2) forming a rigid "box" structure and
providing rigid contact edges that corresponds angularly to the
lower surface of the longitudinal grip surface that runs along both
sides of a standardized mounting rail (10). Into the rigid end (2),
a top hole (4A) is provided, and in the two locking arms (7) side
holes (4B) are provided that are of suitably large diameter to
permit a wide variety of bolts, straps, "zip-ties," cord, or
numerous other conventional mounting means to be attached.
[0019] The off-center relation to the weapon provided by the rigid
end (2) permits the attachment of accessories in a manner that will
not impede or block the critical sight line that crosses the device
body (1) transversely at the point of and bisecting the center hole
(6). Because of the dynamic relationship of the weapon's central
sight line to the center hole (6), the accessory device can be used
to locate sight components and other optical accessories, aligned
with and on the critical sight line if desired.
[0020] The design of the present invention permits the placement of
such sight components forward or backward along the standardized
mounting rail (10), while maintaining the critical central
alignment along the sight line. The center hole (6) is of suitable
diameter to permit the use of a fastener, rivet, or screw to attach
sight components aligned to the critical center sight line of the
firearm.
[0021] The symmetrical design of the standardized mounting rail
(10) permits the rail clip to be engaged with the rigid end (2) and
flexible end (3) reversed. This permits the user to optionally
locate accessories offset to either side of the centerline of the
weapon horizontally, or offset reversibly vertically if the
mounting rail is located on the left or right side of the
weapon.
[0022] Additional applications of the current invention could
employ 2 or more of the rail clips. This means, for example, that a
pair of rail clips could be used to mount a flashlight with one
rail clip fastened to each end of the flashlight and the two rail
clips engaged simultaneously in corresponding transverse grooves of
a standardized mounting rail (10).
[0023] The flexible end (3) is aligned and held in place by a
strong elastic spring tension formed by the body (1) as it is held
firmly against the standardized mounting rail (10) by the locking
arms (7) from one side and the opposing retaining lip (9) from the
other side. This combination of opposing engaging elements requires
that any force that would be applied to remove the rigid end (2)
from engagement with the standardized mounting rail (10), would
need to increase the length between the locking arms (7), and the
retaining lip (9). This increase of length is strongly opposed by
the shape of the rail clip and the spring tension provided by the
material characteristics of the device body (1).
[0024] The device body (1) shape corresponds closely and wraps over
the flat upper surface of the standardized mounting rail (10)
between the two angular grip surfaces that extend longitudinally on
both lower sides of the rail. The rail clip body (1), when engaged
on the standardized rail, forms a bridge over a single transverse
groove of the mounting rail (10) while the locating tabs (8)
simultaneously protrude into the bridged transverse groove,
providing front to back positioning of the rail clip body (1) in
relation to the weapon. The locating tabs (8) also serve to accept
recoil energy and prevent the rail clip, with or without accessory
attached, from moving front to back along the standardized mounting
rail (10) while the firearm is being handled or fired.
[0025] The flexible end (3) is formed at the point that the device
body (1) is folded to create the retaining lip (9). The flexible
end (3) is essential to the novel functioning of the rail clip as
it provides a integral "lever" that assists with the engagement and
disengagement of the device from the standardized mounting rail
(10). When the device body (1) is being engaged, a suitable
downward force applied by pressing against the body (1) at a
position approximately between the center hole (6) and the
retaining lip (9) will flex the flat device body (1) and force the
retaining lip (9) over and past the corner formed by the angular
side surfaces of the standardized mounting rail (10) with a
positive snapping action. This requires a significant deformation
of the relaxed state and shape of the strong spring material of the
device body (1). The user is assisted in that downward deformation
and snapping action of the retaining lip (9) by a simultaneous
opposing upward force applied against the outer extent of the
flexible end (3), if needed.
[0026] Conversely, a sufficient upward deformation force applied
against the outer extent of the flexible end (3) provides leverage
and produces the means by which the device is effectively
disengaged from the standardized mounting rail (10). This is
further optionally facilitated by a flexible hole (5) that provides
a diameter suitable for lacing through a length of shock cord or
ring that can be gripped to apply greater upward force to disengage
the retaining lip (9), disengaging the rail clip from the mounting
rail (10) without the need for a tool.
[0027] In addition, a loop of cord being connected to, hung, or
retained by some external hook or body, while passing through the
flexible hole (5) permits the rail clip to be forcibly and rapidly
disengaged from the weapon without any contact by hand on the rail
clip itself in an emergency or tactical situation, providing a
desirable and possibly critical "break-away" function wherein the
rail clip can be disengaged without physical contact by the user.
This function is provided in that a sharp pull on the weapon in a
direction that would cause sufficient upward perpendicular force on
the flexible end (3) by a cord passed through the flexible end hole
(5) so as to deform and overcome the spring tension of the body (1)
to permit the retaining lip (9) to pass past the corner formed by
the angular side surfaces of the standardized mounting rail
(10).
[0028] In this manner, the rail clip can perform a alternative
function, not of an attachment means for an accessory, but a means
for holding or hanging a firearm in a manner in preparation for
rapid access and deployment by the user. In a similar manner, one
or more of the rail clips could be used with a connecting strap,
cord, or sling attached to the rigid end top hole (4A) or side
holes (4B) to provide a secure lightweight, flexible, easily
re-positionable, removable, temporary, or discardable carrying or
hanging means for the firearm.
[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the current invention, the
construction and material details of the invention as shown in
FIGS. 1, 3 4, and 5 are that the device body (1) could be made of a
sufficiently rigid and strong metallic material that can be
stamped, pierced, formed and tempered to produce a generally flat
spring with the previously defined integral functions and details.
A suitable thickness of metal is utilized to provide sufficient
spring tension to hold the retaining lip (9) securely and firmly
against the lower grip surface of the standardized mounting rail
(10). In addition, suitable thickness and dimension are required
for the device to provide suitable strength to the locking arms (7)
to firmly grip the lower grip surface of the standardized mounting
rail (10), without the arms bending or deflecting when forces are
applied to the rigid end (2), or to any mounting means that is
provided by the holes (4A or 4B).
[0030] In addition, suitable material thickness and strength are
required to provide satisfactory locating tabs (8) that can locate
the rail clip, while preventing deflection or damage when the
device body (1) is engaged with the standardized mounting rail (10)
and the weapon is handled or fired.
[0031] The top hole (4A), the side holes (4B), the center hole (6)
or the flexible hole (5) can further provide a convenient means for
the one or more of the rail clips to be carried on a key ring or
hung on a hook by the user when not in use, for easy storage.
[0032] The uniquely simple construction, light weight, and
relatively small size of the rail clip makes reasonable the
permanent attachment of the device to accessories, creating a
modular system where the rail clip that is the subject of this
invention becomes an incorporated universal attachment feature of
the accessory, for example, a rail clip being left permanently
affixed to the wire of an electronic accessory when it is stored
between uses.
[0033] The advantages of the present invention include that it is
lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, and is exceedingly easy to
use. It is advantageous over other many accessory mounting means as
this device requires no tools for attaching, detaching or
repositioning. Further, it can be used preferably in tactical
situations as its functioning is instantaneous and silent. Further,
it is reliably fabricated from a single piece and has no moving
parts. Further, the device can be utilized without adding
significant dimension or weight to the firearm.
[0034] Another significant and distinct advantage of the present
invention is that it offers, simultaneously, either a rigid or
flexible mounting means depending on which side of the device the
attachment is made, permitting a rigidly locked or alternatively
"break-away" attachment means, an option that may be of major
importance in a combat or tactical use.
[0035] Another advantage of the present invention is that it can be
manufactured to conform to both the MIL-STD-1913 as well as the
alternative standard Weaver type mounting rails.
[0036] In addition, this invention is an ideal solution when there
exists a need to temporarily attach items to a firearm such as
repair tags, manuals, lubrication bottles, cleaning cloths and
supplies, weapon specific tools such as sight adjustment devices,
extra batteries, spare parts, electrical wires and switches, or
camouflage for military operations where the complex nature and
increased expense of exiting standardized mounting rail devices
makes those solutions cost prohibitive or impractical.
[0037] This invention overcomes the undesirable requirement for
many existing accessory attachment means for standardized mounting
rails whereas a screw or bolt needs to be removed, requiring the
use of a tool and further, a length of time to accomplish that
disassembly and added difficulty of handling multiple parts, that
may be exceedingly difficult in cold or low light situations where
this type of firearm is regularly utilized.
[0038] While the foregoing written description of the invention
enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered
presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will
understand and appreciate the existence of variations,
combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method,
materials, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not
be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples,
but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of
the invention.
* * * * *