U.S. patent application number 14/740951 was filed with the patent office on 2015-11-19 for semiautomatic pistol.
The applicant listed for this patent is REVOL ARMS LLC. Invention is credited to Dan Love.
Application Number | 20150330736 14/740951 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51300238 |
Filed Date | 2015-11-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150330736 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Love; Dan |
November 19, 2015 |
SEMIAUTOMATIC PISTOL
Abstract
The present invention is directed to semiautomatic pistols with
partially internalized recoil. In an aspect of the invention, the
semiautomatic pistol allows for the shooter's grip to be aligned
closer to the center-axis of the barrel so that the recoil force is
substantially in line with the shooter's grip, thereby reducing
and/or preventing muzzle flip. In another aspect of the invention,
the semiautomatic pistol is configured to translate the linear
recoil movement into rotational movement, which allows internalized
recoil.
Inventors: |
Love; Dan; (Arthur,
IA) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
REVOL ARMS LLC |
Alden |
IA |
US |
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Family ID: |
51300238 |
Appl. No.: |
14/740951 |
Filed: |
June 16, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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PCT/US13/75938 |
Dec 18, 2013 |
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14740951 |
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61738494 |
Dec 18, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
42/16 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41C 3/00 20130101; F41A
35/06 20130101; F41A 17/80 20130101; F41A 17/52 20130101; F41A
17/62 20130101; F41A 5/02 20130101; F41A 19/06 20130101; F41A 17/46
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F41A 19/06 20060101
F41A019/06; F41A 35/06 20060101 F41A035/06; F41A 17/62 20060101
F41A017/62; F41A 17/80 20060101 F41A017/80; F41C 3/00 20060101
F41C003/00; F41A 17/52 20060101 F41A017/52 |
Claims
1. A semiautomatic pistol, comprising: a frame and a handle
extending therefrom; a barrel and slide operably connected to the
frame and in communication with one another such that recoil of the
barrel and slide will not extend beyond a rear surface of the
pistol; and a trigger mechanism including a sliding safety movable
between a locked position wherein the trigger cannot be moved, and
an unlocked position wherein the trigger is operable.
2. The pistol of claim 1 wherein the safety locks the hammer, sear,
and trigger at the same time when in a locked position.
3. The pistol of claim 2 wherein the safety is an ambidextrous
safety.
4. The pistol of claim 1 further comprising a pivot block operably
connected to the frame and configured to receive and restrain
movement of the barrel and slide; and wherein, said pivot block can
be vertically pivoted to permit take-down of the pistol.
5. The pistol of claim 1 wherein the upper part of the grip is in
even alignment with the center line of the barrel.
6. The pistol of claim 1 wherein the recoil of the barrel and slide
is internal.
7. The pistol of claim 1 wherein the recoil is longitudinal and
linear, and wherein the linear recoil is translated into rotational
movement of a cam around a pin.
8. The pistol of claim 1 further comprising a magazine release
pivotally connected to the handle and configured to selectively
hold and release a magazine within the handle.
9. A semiautomatic pistol with internal recoil, comprising: a frame
including a handle and magazine chamber; a trigger mechanism
operably connected to the frame; and a barrel and slide operably
connected to the frame and in communication with one another such
that the recoil of the barrel and slide is internal and does not
extend beyond the rear of the pistol; wherein said barrel is
operably connected to a cam; and wherein said frame includes a pin
configured to communicate with said cam to translate linear
longitudinal recoil of the barrel and slide into rotational
movement.
10. The pistol of claim 9 wherein said pin is removable and
horizontally pierces the frame through pinholes transverse to the
barrel and slide, so that the pin is fixed and free from movement
along the length of the barrel.
11. The pistol of claim 10 wherein said barrel and cam move in
communication longitudinally in linear fashion during recoil.
12. The pistol of claim 11 wherein said linear recoil movement of
the barrel and slide is translated into rotational movement of the
cam around said horizontally fixed pin.
13. The pistol of claim 9 further comprising a safety operably
connected to the frame.
14. The pistol of claim 13 wherein said safety comprises a hammer
block and a trigger block; and wherein said safety locks the
hammer, sear, and trigger at the same time when in a locked
position.
15. The pistol of claim 13 wherein the safety is a sliding
ambidextrous safety.
16. The pistol of claim 13 wherein the safety is a two-thumb piece
slidable safety.
17. The pistol of claim 9 further comprising a magazine release
operably connected to the frame.
18. The pistol of claim 17 wherein said magazine release is
pivotally connected to the handle and configured to selectively
hold and release a magazine within the handle.
19. The pistol of claim 9 further comprising a pivot block operably
connected to the frame and configured to receive and restrain
movement of the barrel and slide.
20. The pistol of claim 19 wherein said pivot block can be
vertically pivoted to permit take down of the pistol.
21. The pistol of claim 9 wherein the upper part of the hand grip
is in even alignment with the center line of the barrel.
Description
[0001] This is a Continuation Application of PCT/US13/075938 filed
Dec. 18, 2013, which application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119 to U.S. application Ser. No. 61/738,494 filed Dec. 18,
2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to semiautomatic pistols, and
more particularly, but not exclusively, to internalized recoil,
safety mechanisms, magazine releases, and take-down mechanisms for
use with firearms.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A semiautomatic pistol is a handgun that harnesses the power
of a previous discharge to load a new cartridge. It typically
includes a single barrel, a magazine, a slide, and a firing
mechanism, which includes a trigger mechanism. The trigger
mechanism usually includes a trigger, sear, hammer, and firing pin.
In some semiautomatic pistols, a sear assembly is the mechanism
that facilitates movement of the hammer and firing pin to discharge
the ammunition cartridge. In such semiautomatic pistols, when the
safety is disengaged, movement of the trigger causes the trigger
bar to move within the frame and actuate the sear assembly out of
engagement with the hammer, thereby allowing the firing pin to
contact an ammunition cartridge loaded in the firing chamber. This
causes discharge of the ammunition round. Discharge of the
ammunition results in recoil, which typically occurs through the
rearward movement of the barrel and/or slide. When the slide has
moved to the fullest rearward extent, springs thrust the slide
forward to its original position. The slide's rearward and
subsequent forward movement is in communication with an upward
movement of an ammunition cartridge such that the subsequent
cartridge is loaded into the firing chamber by the slide's
movement. This results in the discharge of single ammunition round
every time the trigger is pulled.
[0004] Recoil is a reactive force equal and opposite in energy to
the force propelling the ammunition round. The force is
longitudinal and in line with the barrel of the gun. The design of
semiautomatic pistols places the grip of the shooter's hand below
the recoil axis, which results in an upward and rearward rotation
of the gun in the hand of the shooter upon firing of the firearm,
sometimes referred to as "muzzle flip." The shooter has less
control of the direction of firing due to muzzle flip. The muzzle
flip also requires significant realignment of the gun after each
shot and can increase the amount of time before the shooter is able
to accurately discharge the pistol. This result is counter to the
chief purpose of the semiautomatic pistol, which is to provide an
ability to rapidly and accurately fire individual shots.
[0005] It is particularly important in target shooting
applications, where the shooter is judged on the number of shots
and accuracy of those shots within a specified time period. Thus,
there is a need to provide a semiautomatic pistol structure
allowing the shooter to align the upper part of their grip with the
center-line axis of the barrel, in order to limit or even prevent
upward rotation of the pistol after each discharge so as to
facilitate more rapid and accurate discharge of the semiautomatic
pistol.
[0006] Other attempts to prevent the upward rotation of the pistol
during and after recoil have been unsuccessful. One such attempt is
exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,680, which is hereby
incorporated in its entirety, where the semiautomatic pistol was
designed so that the shooter's grip was raised on the vertical axis
of the gun, but the slide still extended over the shooter's hand
during recoil. However, this design has many problems, including
the following examples: safety concerns due to the slide moving
over the shooter's hand toward their arm during recoil movement;
continual movement of external parts creates greater concern for
break down or wear on those parts; and the sight base is positioned
so that it is subject to movement from the slide and thereby loses
alignment more quickly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, it is an object, feature, and/or advantage of
the present invention to overcome deficiencies in the art.
[0008] It is yet another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a semiautomatic pistol where the upper portion
of the shooter's grip is aligned closer to the center-axis of the
barrel.
[0009] It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a semiautomatic pistol that is capable of more
rapid and accurate shooting.
[0010] It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a semiautomatic pistol wherein the rearward
movement of components due to recoil does not extend beyond the
rear of the pistol.
[0011] It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a semiautomatic pistol wherein the barrel and
slide are operably connected and their movement due to recoil takes
place internally.
[0012] It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a triple-point sliding safety that
simultaneously locks the trigger, sear, and hammer
[0013] It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a sliding safety that can be operated
ambidextrously by the hand gripping the gun or the thumb of the
free hand while in a supportive grip position.
[0014] It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a magazine release that is pivotally connected
to the frame and grip to compliment a shooter's grip placed higher
on the vertical axis of the pistol.
[0015] It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a pivot block that physically restrains
rearward movement of the barrel during recoil and can be vertically
pivoted to effectively take apart the pistol for cleaning,
inspection, and repair.
[0016] It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the
invention to provide a configuration that translates linear
movement of the barrel and slide due to recoil into rotational
movement of a cam around a pin.
[0017] These and/or other objects, features, and advantages of the
present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The
present invention is not to be limited to or by these objects,
features, and advantages. No single embodiment need provide each
and every object, feature, or advantage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the semiautomatic pistol of
the type embodying the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2A is a side elevation view of the semiautomatic pistol
of the type embodying the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2B is a side elevation view of the semiautomatic pistol
of the type embodying the present invention in full recoil
position.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the semiautomatic pistol of
FIG. 1 embodying the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 4A is a top plan view of an embodiment of a safety of
the type embodying the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the safety of FIG. 4A
embodying the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 4C is an exploded perspective view of the safety of
FIG. 4A embodying the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the magazine release
embodying the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a slide release lever
embodying the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a hammer embodying the
present invention.
[0028] FIG. 7B is an exploded view of the hammer of FIG. 7A
embodying the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the slide embodying the
present invention.
[0030] FIG. 9A is a side elevation view of the semiautomatic pistol
of the type embodying the present invention with some internal
components showing.
[0031] FIG. 9B is a side elevation view of the semiautomatic pistol
of the type embodying the present invention with some internal
components showing.
[0032] FIG. 9C is an exploded perspective view of the semiautomatic
pistol of the type embodying the present invention with some
internal components showing.
[0033] FIG. 9D is a side elevation view of an upper portion of the
frame embodying the present invention with internal components
showing.
[0034] FIG. 10 is a side elevation perspective view of the frame
without the handle embodying the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the pivot block embodying
the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a trigger mechanism and
disconnector embodying the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0037] The embodiments of this invention are not limited to
particular semiautomatic pistols, their components, and methods of
use thereof, which can vary and are understood by skilled artisans.
It is further to be understood that all terminology used herein is
for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is
not intended to be limiting in any manner or scope. For example, as
used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular
forms "a," "an," and "the" can include plural referents unless the
content clearly indicates otherwise.
[0038] The Figures show a semiautomatic pistol 10, in particular, a
locked breech, short recoil, center-fire action semiautomatic
pistol 10 with a structure exhibiting internal recoil and
permitting a high hand hold on the vertical axis of the pistol 10
so that the upper part of the hand is equal or near equal to the
center-line of the barrel 14. FIGS. 1-2B and 9B-10 show this
uppermost grip contour 40. The design is one that provides better
accuracy and control for a shooter, as it reduces and/or prevents
upward rotation of the pistol 10 due to recoil. Thus, the shooter
is able to shoot more rapidly and accurately, as the upward
rotation is reduced and thereby the movement and readjusting
required for retargeting is lessened, if not completely
reduced.
[0039] Internal recoil is achieved by use of a translating pin 38
and a cam 48. The cam 48 is operably connected to the barrel 14,
which is operably connected to the frame 12. The barrel 14 and
slide 16 are operably connected to the frame 12 and move in
communication with one another. The barrel 14 is rounded and the
slide 16 has a complimentary concave cutout, such that the barrel
14 can travel under the slide 16 and such that the slide 16 can
travel over the barrel 14 without the need for rails, internal
notches, or other known methods of accomplishing slide or barrel
movement. Furthermore, the slide 16 contains a cam cutout 82, for
which an embodiment is exemplified in FIG. 8. The cam cutout 82
compliments the shape of the upper part of the cam 48. The
translating pin 38 is removable and horizontally pierces the frame
12 through the translating pinholes 62 transverse to the barrel 14
and slide 16. The translating pin 38 is designed with a width and
length in relation to the translating pinholes 62, such that the
pin is fixed and free from movement. Alternatively, the translating
pin 38 may be non-removable and permanently fixed to the frame
12.
[0040] During recoil, the barrel 14 and slide 16 move rearward in a
longitudinal and linear motion. The cam 48, which is operably
connected to the barrel 14, contacts the translating pin 38,
whereby the cam 48 translates the linear longitudinal motion due to
recoil into rotational movement around the translating pin 38.
[0041] According to another aspect of the invention, a pivot block
46 is positioned at the front of the frame 12. The frame 12
contains a forward pivot block pinhole 58 and a rear pivot block
pinhole 60, as shown in FIG. 10. The pivot block 46 contains
complimentary pinholes such that a forward pivot block pin 34 and
rear pivot block pin 36 may horizontally pierce the frame 12 and
pivot block 46 transverse to the barrel 14 and slide 16 as
exemplified in FIG. 9C. An embodiment of the pivot block 46 is also
illustrated in FIG. 11. The pivot block 46 stops rearward and
forward movement of the barrel 14 due to recoil and recoil spring
56 extension. Thus, the pivot block 46 takes the force of these
movements away from the cam 48 and translating pin 38.
[0042] According to another aspect of the invention, the rotational
movement of the cam 48 around the translating pin 38 unlatches the
slide 16 so that it can continue in linear rearward recoil movement
and as the slide 16 continues in rearward recoil movement the case
ejection port 28 passes over the firing chamber 84.
[0043] The slide 16 contains upper slide cutouts 76, lateral slide
cutouts 78, and lower slide cutouts 80, which are shown in FIGS. 3
and 8. During rearward movement of the slide 16 due to recoil, the
slide 16 is able to move within the frame casing 13. Thus, rearward
movement due to recoil is internal and there is no extension beyond
the rear end or surface of the pistol 10. The top of the slide 16
also contains a case ejection port 28, which can be best seen in
FIGS. 1, 3, and 8. As the slide 16 moves rearwardly during recoil,
the case ejection port 28 passes over the firing chamber 84 and the
ammunition cartridge is ejected vertically through the case
ejection port 28. The slide 16 contains a small tapered projection
at the rear center of the slide protruding from the concave cutout.
This small tapered projection supports the bottom rim of the
cartridge casing thereby holding the casing firmly against the
spring loaded extractor 27 until the cartridge is expelled through
the case ejection port 28. In an embodiment of the invention, dual
ejectors can be timed to eject the casing straight up through the
case ejection port 28 so that no part of the casing contacts any
part of the slide 16. This embodiment reduces and/or even prevents
damage to the empty casing, so that it is in a condition for
reuse.
[0044] Within the frame casing 13 are two recoil springs 56, shown
in FIGS. 9A-9C, one on each lateral side of the pistol, which
extend longitudinally and linearly to the rear of the pistol 10 in
alignment with the sides of the slide 16. The recoil springs 56 are
held in place by guide rods 74. A non-limiting example of the guide
rods 74 and the recoil springs 56 can be seen in FIGS. 9A and 9B.
Alternatively, other methods of holding the springs in place may be
used and are known to those skilled in the art. In an embodiment of
the invention, as the slide 16 moves rearwardly during recoil, the
rearward movement can be stopped by a vertical slide stop 55
connected to the frame 12 or the frame casing 13. In an embodiment,
the slide stop 55 is comprised of nylon. When the pistol 10 is in
full recoil (see FIG. 2B), that is, when the barrel 14 and slide 16
have full rearward extension, the recoil springs 56, are compressed
and necessarily extend thereby forcing the slide 16 forward to the
position it was in prior to discharge of the pistol 10. As the
slide 16 moves in communication with the barrel 14, the barrel 14
also moves forward during the extension of the recoil springs 56.
The magazine 108 is housed within the handle 44 of the frame 12 as
understood by those of skill in the art. As well-known by those of
skill in the art, the magazine 108 contains a spring, which exerts
an upward vertical force on the cartridges such that one is pushed
up into the firing chamber 84 after rearward recoil movement. In an
embodiment, the slide 16 catches the cartridge being pushed up by
the magazine spring and is pushed into the firing chamber 84. The
tapering projection 114 serves to push the cartridges into a
horizontal position parallel to the barrel 14 while being
loaded.
[0045] In an embodiment of the invention, the slide 16 is angled to
taper toward the front of the slide 16 on both forward lateral
sides of the slide 16. The tapering is exemplified at least in
FIGS. 1, 3, 8, and 9C. This tapering permits the shooter to grip
the slide 16 so that it can be manually drawn into full recoil
position with ease, by necessitating less grip strength. Manual
recoil is particularly useful for initially loading a cartridge
into the firing chamber 84 before the first discharge. In another
aspect of the invention, the slide 16 has forward slide texturing
42 on both forward lateral sides of the slide 16. The forward slide
texturing 42 is exemplified at least in FIGS. 1-3, 8, and 9A.
Texturing may be achieved by any method known to those of skill in
the art, including, but not limited to, the addition of grooves,
bumps, teeth, notches, or serrations. This forward slide texturing
42 increases the friction between the shooter's hand and the slide
16 so that it can be manually drawn into full recoil position. The
pistol 10 may be designed to contain both forward slide texturing
42 and angled tapering toward the front of the slide 16, or either
feature individually, so that manual recoil can be accomplished
with ease.
[0046] According to an aspect of the invention, the pistol 10
includes a slidable two-thumb piece safety 18, which can be
operated ambidextrously, and also which can be located on either
side of the pistol 10. The safety is a triple-point safety
simultaneously locking the hammer 52, sear 50, and trigger 26. The
triple-point safety 18, exemplified in FIGS. 4A-4C, is comprised of
a trigger and sear block 90 and a hammer block 92. Thus, the
lateral interior of the safety 18 is comprised of these protruding
blocks 90 and 92 and further comprises a rear safety slide block
106 at the rear. The frame 12 contains three safety mechanism
cutouts 64, 66, 68, which correspond to the trigger and sear block
90, hammer block 92, and rear safety slide block 106. These three
safety mechanism cutouts 64, 66, 68 are large enough to accommodate
the corresponding rear safety slide block 106, hammer block 92, and
the trigger and sear block 90, and allow the sliding of these
blocks 90, 92, 106 between two slidable positions. When moved
forward, the safety 18 is in an unlocked position and the pistol 10
is capable of discharge. When the trigger is pulled, the
disconnector 72 pulls the sear 50. When moved rearward, the safety
18 is in a locked position and the pistol 10 is incapable of
discharge. When in a locked position, the trigger and sear block 90
locks the trigger 26 by preventing it from moving enough to cause
release of the hammer 52 and thereby discharge of the pistol 10 by
positioning the trigger and sear block 90 against the safety
locking surface 70. The sear 50 is positioned against the trigger
26, thus when the trigger 26 is locked by the trigger and sear
block 90 against the safety locking surface 70, the sear 50 is also
locked; and the hammer block 92 is positioned so as to prevent the
hammer 52 from moving and contacting the firing pin 54. In an
embodiment, when in a locked position the hammer lock notch 86
interlocks with the hammer lock 92 so as to prevent movement of the
hammer 52. In many semiautomatic pistols, the trigger still has a
minimal amount of residual movement; however, in an embodiment of
the present invention, the trigger 26 is completely unable to move
when the safety 18 is in a locked position.
[0047] An embodiment of the hammer 52 is illustrated in FIGS. 7A
and 7B. The hammer 52 has holes 51 transverse through the hammer 52
body so that a hammer strut pivot pin 49 can pierce the hammer 52.
The hammer struts 53 have complimentary holes 51 so that the hammer
strut pivot pin 49 can pierce the hammer struts 53 such that the
hammer 52 and hammer struts 53 are operably connected. In an
embodiment, the hammer 52 also has hammer pivot pin holes 47 that
transversely pierce the hammer 52 so that a hammer pivot pin 45 can
pierce the hammer 52, while extending from the sides of the hammer
52, which can allow the hammer 52 to rotate within the pistol
10.
[0048] The external lateral surface of the safety 18 can have two
raised and textured parts 96, 98. These two raised textured parts
96, 98 can be a first and second thumb piece, of the two-thumb
piece slidable safety. The forward-most part of the safety 18
contains the front textured surface 96. Near the rear of the safety
18 is a raised rear textured surface 98. Texturing of the front and
rear textured surfaces 96, 98 may be achieved by any method known
to those of skill in the art, including, but not limited to, the
addition of grooves, bumps, teeth, notches, or serrations.
According to an embodiment, the texturing of the front textured
surface 96 is different from the texturing of the rear textured
surface 98. For example, the front textured surface 96 may be
textured by bumps, while the rear textured surface 98 may be
textured by vertical grooves. The forward and rear textured
surfaces 96, 98 are raised and textured so as to permit
ambidextrous use of the safety 18 with the thumb of either the left
or right hand. For example, when the pistol 10 is held and
discharged using one hand, the shooter can manipulate the safety 18
with the thumb of the grip hand; but the shooter can also attain a
firm grip on the pistol 10 with the grip hand in a manner that said
grip hand does not touch the safety 18 and the shooter can use
their free hand in a supportive grip position and then when aimed
toward the target can manipulate the safety 18 to the forward
unlocked position with the thumb of the free hand or the shooter
can manipulate the safety 18 to the rear locked position with the
thumb of the free hand by pushing rearward against the rear
textured surface 98. In an embodiment of the present invention, the
two-thumb piece slidable safety 18 can be designed to require
substantial force to move the safety 18 to an unlocked position,
such as requiring the strength of either thumb, or it can be
designed to require less force so that the safety 18 can be
operated by the shooter's trigger finger or other non-thumb
finger.
[0049] According to another aspect of the invention, the safety 18
additionally comprises a locking lever 100, which is horizontally
pivotable about a vertical locking lever pin 104, and is
horizontally extended from the lateral surface of the safety 18
when the safety is in an unlocked position. On the interior lateral
surface of the safety 18 is a spring loaded detent 102. This spring
loaded detent 102 is directly opposite to and connected with the
locking lever 100. Between the frame 12 and safety 18 is a slide
release lever 19, which is in the slidable path of the safety 18
corresponding to the path that the spring loaded detent 102
travels. The slide release lever 19 contains a recess 103, which is
designed so that the spring loaded detent 102 extends into the
recess 103 while in the locked position. The slide release lever 19
and recess 103 for the spring loaded detent 102 are exemplified in
FIG. 6. When in an unlocked position the locking lever 100 is
horizontally pivoted outward from the rear of the safety 18. This
helps ensure that during recoil movement the safety 18 does not
slide into the locked position, which would prevent subsequent
rapid discharge of the pistol 10. Extension of the locking lever
100 can be best seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The rear safety slide
block 106 supports the slide release lever 19 mounted between the
safety 18 and the frame 12. The rear safety mechanism cutout 68
allows the slide release lever 19 to protrude through the frame 12.
In an embodiment of the invention, when the magazine is empty the
magazine follower pushes upward and engages the slide release lever
19, which causes the slide release lever 19 to pivot into a slide
stop notch 83 on the slide 16, so as to lock the slide 16 in a full
recoil position, thereby indicating that the magazine is empty. In
this aspect of the invention, the hammer 52, trigger 26, and slide
release lever 19 all pivot on the same pin.
[0050] In another aspect of the invention, the frame 12 contains a
magazine release 20, which resembles a push button style release,
which can be located on either side of the pistol 10. The magazine
release 20 is connected to a horizontal pin 21, which is embedded
in the handle 44 and protrudes through the grip 22. The horizontal
pin 21 permits pivoting of the magazine release 20 about a
generally horizontal axis by the application of pressure on the
bottom part of the magazine release 20. When pressed, the magazine
release 20 releases the magazine 108 from within the handle 44. The
magazine release 20 can have a surface that contacts a notched
surface 110 of the magazine such that the magazine 108 is held in
place in the handle of the pistol 10 until released.
[0051] In another aspect of the invention, the pivot block 46 can
be vertically pivoted around the forward pivot block pin 34 to
remove the barrel 14 and slide 16 from the front of the pistol 10
and subsequently remove the recoil springs 56 and frame casing 13.
This process is generally referred to as field stripping or
"take-down" and is used to clean, inspect, and/or repair the pistol
or its components.
[0052] In a further aspect of the invention, atop the frame casing
13 an optional sight base 30 may be placed. This sight base 30 is
attached so as to align with the barrel sight 32, which is
positioned atop the barrel 14 in a manner known to those of skill
in the art. In an additional aspect of the invention, part of the
frame 12 is an optional trigger guard 24, for which an embodiment
is exemplified in FIGS. 1-2B and 9A-9C.
[0053] In a further aspect of the invention, the firing pin
retainer 88 is attached to the pistol 10 as shown in FIG. 8. The
firing pin retainer 88 keeps the firing pin 54 in place within the
slide 16. The firing pin retainer 88 can also serve as a lateral
guide for the firing pin 54 when the firing pin 54 is in movement
related to discharge of the pistol 10. In an embodiment of the
invention, a dust cover 89 can serve to hold the firing pin
retainer 88 in place.
[0054] The invention has been shown and described above with
reference to the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that
many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which
are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention.
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