U.S. patent application number 14/998181 was filed with the patent office on 2016-07-28 for quick disconnect accessory mount and safety latch.
The applicant listed for this patent is Remy Trotabas. Invention is credited to Remy Trotabas.
Application Number | 20160216062 14/998181 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56432487 |
Filed Date | 2016-07-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160216062 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Trotabas; Remy |
July 28, 2016 |
Quick disconnect accessory mount and safety latch
Abstract
A mechanism for facilitating the quick assembly and disassembly
of firearm accessories onto a rail, providing users with versatile
and modular firearm capability to accommodate variable field
conditions and missions. A dual safety mechanism avoids
unintentional release. A streamlined design minimizes the potential
for catching foreign objects.
Inventors: |
Trotabas; Remy; (Chester,
NH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Trotabas; Remy |
Chester |
NH |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56432487 |
Appl. No.: |
14/998181 |
Filed: |
December 24, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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62096663 |
Dec 24, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41G 11/003
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F41C 27/00 20060101
F41C027/00 |
Claims
1: An accessory mounting system for releasable attachment to a
mounting rail having oppositely angulated clamping surfaces, the
system comprising: a mounting base having a plurality of angulated
rail clamping surfaces, said mounting base having at least one
lever pivot cylinder opening therein; at least one locking lever,
each said locking lever comprising a pivot cylinder further
comprising at least one threaded hole configured for insertion into
and rotation relative to said lever pivot cylinder opening, and
further comprising a peripheral angulated cam surface being
moveable into a force transmitting locking engagement with one of
said oppositely angulated clamping surfaces upon rotation of said
locking lever from a release position to a clamping position; a
retention member threaded to said threaded hole of said locking
lever pivot cylinder; and a resilient member installed between said
mounting base and said retention member, continuously urging said
locking lever against said mounting rail, towards said mounting
base.
2: The accessory mounting system of claim 1, whereby the position
of the retention member can be adjusted, so that upon rotation of
said retention member, adjustment of the clamping force of said
peripheral angulated cam surface against said mounting rail is
effected.
3: The accessory mounting system of claim 1, whereby the retention
member is a shoulder screw and is fully threaded in said locking
lever's threaded hole.
4: The accessory mounting system of claim 1, further comprising: a
locking member integral with or mounted to said mounting base; and
a safety latch mounted to said locking lever and having a latched
position securing said locking lever at said clamping position and
an open position permitting rotation of said locking lever from
said clamping position to said release position.
5: An accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mounting rail,
comprising: a mounting base having a plurality of angulated rail
clamping surfaces; at least one locking lever mounted to said
mounting base and having a clamping position establishing clamping
engagement with said mounting rail and a release position releasing
clamping engagement with said mounting rail, said locking lever
comprising a peripheral angulated cam surface and a latch
projection; a safety latch assembled to said mounting base,
selectively engaging said latch projection when said locking lever
is at said clamping position and securing said locking lever
against rotation from said clamping position, and configured for
selective separation from said latch projection, whereby rotation
of said locking lever from said clamping position to said release
position may be effected; and a resilient member continuously
biasing said safety latch to said latched position.
6: The accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mounting rail
of claim 5, wherein, when said locking lever is at said clamping
position, the projection of said locking lever on a plane
perpendicular to the axis of said resilient member is contained
substantially within the projection of said mounting base on the
same plane.
7: The accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mounting rail
of claim 5, wherein said safety latch does not protrude
substantially from said mounting base.
8: An accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mounting rail,
comprising: a mounting base having a plurality of angulated rail
clamping surfaces and a latch projection; at least one locking
lever mounted to said mounting base, moveable between a clamping
position establishing clamping engagement with said mounting rail
and a release position releasing clamping engagement with said
mounting rail; a safety latch assembled to said locking lever,
selectively engaging said latch projection when said locking lever
is at said clamping position and securing said locking lever
against rotation from said clamping position, and configured for
selective separation from said latch projection, whereby rotation
of said locking lever from said clamping position to said release
position may be effected; and a resilient member continuously
biasing said safety latch to said latched position.
9: The accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mounting rail
of claim 8, wherein, when said locking lever is in the clamping
position, the projection of said locking lever on a plane
perpendicular to the axis of said resilient member is contained
substantially within the projection of said mounting base on the
same plane.
10: The accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mounting
rail of claim 8, wherein said safety latch does protrude
substantially from said mounting base.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This disclosure relates to mechanisms for releasable
mounting of various devices on a support structure, and, more
particularly, to mechanisms for facilitating the quick and secure
assembly and disassembly of firearm accessories onto a rail
system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] As the field of combat and commercial weaponry expands,
numerous add-on enhancements or accessories have become available
for attachment to basic models. Firearms such as the M-16/M4 and
AR-15 rifles, as well as their numerous variants, are often used
with accessories such as bipods, scopes, sights, lasers, and
lighting devices. Typically, such accessories are associated with
the firearm via one or more rails positioned below, above or on the
sides of the barrel. Such a rail may include a number of mounting
projections interleaved with a series of grooves, and these
mounting projections and grooves may be employed to associate the
accessory with the rail.
[0003] Rails usually conform to certain standards. For example, two
common rails include the "Picatinny" MIL-STD 1913 rail and the
"Weaver" rail; both include interleaved mounting projections and
grooves, but differ in dimension.
[0004] Firearm accessories have historically been mounted by means
of mounting screws. This is typically referred to as a permanent
mount since the accessory will typically remain assembled to the
firearm until the end of a mission. Because various missions often
require a different set of accessories, there is a need for
versatile and reliable quick-disconnect (QD) attachment mechanisms,
also known as "throw lever" mechanisms. This is especially
important when in-the-field modification of a weapon configuration
is necessary, and can be absolutely critical in combat
situations.
[0005] As the name indicates, quick disconnects enable the quick
disconnect from the mount. However the initial connection to a
specific rail requires an initial adjustment. Subsequent
connections are then quick. Such adjustment provides the user with
a means to compensate for the rails dimensional tolerances, which
can vary from rail to rail and even from position to position on
the same rail.
[0006] A typical throw lever includes a fixed mount portion and a
lever arm portion. The lever arm portion may be actuated to
selectively clamp the throw lever to the rail, or to release the
throw lever from the rail. However, there are several types of QD
mechanisms.
[0007] In one type, the lever arm portion may indirectly act on the
clamping portion via an intervening cam. The cam may then transfer
the movement of the lever arm portion to the clamping portion,
forcing the clamping portion into abutment against the rail.
Systems of this type often have a fixed mount with 2 clamping
surfaces and a movable clamp with two clamping surfaces.
Commercially available examples include products from American
Defense Manufacturing and Daniel Defense.
[0008] In another type, the lever arm portion of the throw lever
may directly move the clamping portion into abutment against the
rail. Systems of this type often have a fixed mount portion with 3
clamping surfaces and a movable clamp with one clamping surface.
Commercially available examples include products from LaRue and
ARMS. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,845,871 and 5,276,988 of Swan as well as
U.S. Pat. No. 7,272,904 B2 and 2014/0082985 A1 of LaRue also
describe such mounting systems. They are, however, more complicated
to manufacture and involve more parts than are necessary to achieve
the desired functionality.
[0009] While the tension of the clamping assembly is normally
adequate to retain the actuator arm in the engaged position, one
problem with throw levers is that if the firearm is subject to
sustained vibrations from transport or rapid fire, or if the lever
arm snags against an external object, the throw lever may loosen.
This can cause the mount to shift, which can be especially
detrimental for sighting devices, such as optics or lasers, where
it will result in the aim-point of a sighting device being lost. In
other instances, the throw lever may even rotate after loosening,
resulting in dislodgement of the mount and the attached accessory
from the weapon. For this reason, some firearm operators take the
precaution of tethering the accessory to the firearm using a
string, so that the accessory is not lost if the throw lever
opens.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 2006/0207156 A1 to LaRue discloses a lever
safety latch. However this safety latch may be accidentally
released by friction or direct shock.
[0011] Furthermore, many existing quick-disconnect mounts define
projecting components that tend to catch on various objects or
vegetation as a firearm is being carried by a user.
[0012] What is needed, therefore, are quick-disconnect mounts that
include a latching system allowing for adjustment to accommodate
various rails of slightly differing dimensions, adequately prevent
accidental rotation of the actuator arm even under the harshest
operating conditions and minimize the potential for catching and
becoming tangled during use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] One embodiment of the present invention provides an
adjustable accessory mounting system for releasable attachment to a
mounting rail, the system comprising a mounting base having a
plurality of angular rail clamping surfaces, the mounting base
having at least one lever pivot cylinder opening therein; at least
one locking lever comprising a pivot cylinder further comprising at
least one threaded hole configured for insertion into and rotation
relative to the lever pivot cylinder opening, and further
comprising a peripheral angulated cam surface being moveable into a
force transmitting locking engagement with one of the oppositely
angulated clamping surfaces upon rotation of the locking lever from
a release position to a clamping position; an adjustment member
threaded to the threaded hole of the locking lever pivot cylinder
whereby, upon rotation of the adjustment member, adjustment of the
clamping position of the peripheral angulated cam surface relative
to one of the oppositely angulated clamping surfaces is effected,
wherein the adjustment member, after adjustment, is bonded with low
strength adhesive to the pivot cylinder threaded hole so as to
resist inadvertent rotation of the adjustment member relative to
the pivot cylinder; and a resilient member installed between the
mounting base and the adjustment member, continuously urging the
locking lever against the mount rail, towards the mounting
base.
[0014] An embodiment of the present invention provides such an
adjustable accessory mounting mechanism further comprising: a
locking member integral with or mounted to the mounting base; and a
safety latch mounted to the locking lever and having a latched
position securing the locking lever at the clamping position and an
open position permitting rotation of the locking lever from the
clamping position to the release position.
[0015] One embodiment of the present invention provides an
accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail,
comprising: a mounting base having angulated rail clamping
surfaces; at least one locking lever mounted to the mounting base
and having a clamping position establishing clamping engagement
with the mount rail and a release position releasing clamping
engagement with the mount rail, the locking lever comprising a
peripheral angulated cam surface and a latch projection; a safety
latch assembled to the mounting base, selectively engaging the
latch projection when the locking lever is at the clamping position
and securing the locking lever against rotation from the clamping
position, and configured for selective separation from the latch
projection, whereby rotation of the locking lever from the clamping
position to the release position may be effected; and a resilient
member continuously biasing the safety latch to the latched
position.
[0016] An embodiment of the present invention provides such an
accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, wherein,
when the locking lever is in the clamping position, the projection
of the locking lever on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the
resilient member is contained within the projection of the mounting
base on the same plane.
[0017] An embodiment of the present invention provides such an
accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, wherein
the safety latch does not protrude substantially from the mounting
base.
[0018] One embodiment of the present invention provides an
accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail,
comprising: a mounting base having a rail engaging clamp member; at
least one locking lever mounted to the mounting base and moveable
from a clamping position for establishing clamping engagement with
the mount rail to a release position releasing clamping engagement
with the mount rail; a safety latch assembled to the locking lever,
having a latched position securing the locking lever at the
clamping position and having an open position permitting rotation
of the locking lever from the clamping position; and a resilient
member continuously biasing the safety latch to the latched
position.
[0019] An embodiment of the present invention provides such an
accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, wherein,
when the locking lever is in the clamping position, the projection
of the locking lever on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the
resilient member is contained substantially within the projection
of the mounting base on the same plane.
[0020] An embodiment of the present invention provides such an
accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, wherein
the safety latch does protrude substantially from the mounting
base.
[0021] The features and advantages described herein are not
all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and
advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in
view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it
should be noted that the language used in the specification has
been principally selected for readability and instructional
purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject
matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a top, rear, right-side perspective view
illustrating a rail mounted quick disconnect device configured in
accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0023] FIG. 2A is a bottom, front, left-side exploded perspective
view of a locking lever mechanism in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 2B is a front, elevated section view of a locking lever
mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 3A is a bottom, front, left-side exploded perspective
views of a locking lever and safety latch mechanism in accordance
with embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 3B is a top, rear, right-side exploded perspective view
of locking lever and safety latch mechanisms in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a top, rear, right-side detail perspective view of
a locking lever in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 5A is a rear elevation section view of a safety latch
mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0029] FIG. 5B is a rear elevation section view of a safety latch
mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0030] FIG. 5C is a rear elevation section view of a safety latch
mechanism with a locking lever in an open position, in accordance
with embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 6A is a perspective section view of a safety latch
mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 6B is a perspective section view of a safety latch
mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0033] FIG. 6C is a rear, bottom, left-side perspective section
view of a safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0034] FIG. 7A is a top view of a second embodiment of a safety
latch in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0035] FIG. 7B is a top view of a second embodiment of a safety
latch in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0036] FIG. 7C is a top view of a second embodiment of the safety
latch with a locking lever in an open position, in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0037] FIG. 7D is an upside-down front elevation view of a second
embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in a locked
position, in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0038] FIG. 7E is an upside-down front elevation view of a second
embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in an open
position, in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0039] FIG. 7F is a top view of a second embodiment of the safety
latch with a locking lever in an open position, in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0040] FIG. 7G is a bottom, front, left-side perspective view of a
second embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in a
locked position, in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0041] FIG. 8A is a bottom, front, left-side perspective view of a
third embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in a
locked position, in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0042] FIG. 8B is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of a
third embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in a
locked position, in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0043] FIG. 8C is a top, front, right-side detail perspective view
of a third embodiment of a locking lever in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0044] FIG. 8D is a bottom, rear, right-side detail perspective
view of a third embodiment of a locking lever in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0045] FIG. 8E is a front, bottom, left-side exploded perspective
view of a third embodiment of a safety latch in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0046] FIG. 9A is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an
accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0047] FIG. 9B is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an
accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0048] FIG. 9C is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an
accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0049] FIG. 9D is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an
accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0050] FIG. 9E is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an
accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0051] FIG. 9F is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of the
accessory side of the mounting base in accordance with embodiments
of the present disclosure; and
[0052] FIG. 9G is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of the
accessory side of the mounting base in accordance with embodiments
of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0053] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a
mechanism for facilitating the quick assembly and disassembly of
accessories onto a rail that is more cost effective to
manufacture.
[0054] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a
quick-disconnect mechanism that provides enhanced features against
accidental release of the mechanism.
[0055] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to
provide an accessory mount mechanism that eliminates or minimizes
the potential for catching foreign objects and becoming
tangled.
[0056] The present disclosure provides a quick-disconnect mounting
system for MIL 1913 Picatinny and NATO Accessory Rail Stanag 4694
rail systems commonly used on modular weapons systems. The
teachings of this disclosure, however, shall not be limited to
firearms or to the specific aforementioned rail specification, as
embodiments of the present disclosure may readily be adapted for
use in conjunction with photographic and video equipment as well as
for other applications.
[0057] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an adjustable,
rotatable, locking lever actuated clamp mechanism, also known as a
throw-lever clamping system, for the quick assembly and disassembly
of firearm accessories such as aiming devices, laser illumination
devices, lighting devices and bipods onto a firearm mount rail.
Embodiments also provide locking or latching systems for positively
maintaining throw-levers in a closed clamping position to prevent
inadvertent opening due to firearm handling in rough field
conditions such as sustained vibrations, shocks and friction with
clothing, walls or terrain.
[0058] Notable improvements over the prior art include a dual
safety mechanism to prevent unintentional release and a streamlined
design to minimize the potential for catching or snagging on
foreign objects.
[0059] Now referring to FIGS. 1-6, which illustrate the assembly of
the present disclosure according to a first embodiment. The present
disclosure comprises two mechanisms: a locking lever mechanism and
a safety latch mechanism.
[0060] Now referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of the present
disclosure, assembled onto a rail 8 is shown. Rail 8 has four
oppositely angulated clamping surfaces 80, defining a generally
elongated hexagon with three pairs of parallel sides (2 trapezoids
sharing the long side) mating surface for accessories.
[0061] Now referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an exploded perspective
view of the locking lever mechanism of the present disclosure is
shown. Notably, the locking lever mechanism only requires four
components: a mounting base 1, a locking lever 2, a resilient
member 3 and an adjustment member 4. The resilient member 3 may be
in the form of a circular wave spring or other suitable device. The
adjustment member 4 may be in the form of a screw, shoulder screw,
bolt, thumbscrew or the like.
[0062] The mounting base 1 may further comprise a lever pivot
cylinder opening 12, which may advantageously be of a generally
cylindrical shape. The locking lever 2, in embodiments, further
comprises a pivot cylinder 21 suitable for insertion into said
lever pivot cylinder opening. The pivot cylinder 21 and the lever
pivot cylinder opening 12 are designed for a close fit while still
enabling rotation therebetween. Relief cuts and grooves in the
lever pivot cylinder opening 12 and/or pivot cylinder 21 may be
added to allow for debris to escape without exceeding the scope of
the disclosure.
[0063] The retention member 4 may be threaded in the locking
lever's threaded hole 22 (depicted in FIG. 4). Alternate methods of
establishing adjustment of a retention member 4 are assumed to be
known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0064] The mounting base 1, in embodiments and when used in
conjunction with MIL 1913 Picatinny rail systems, may have 3
angulated clamping surfaces 10 dimensioned to mate with 3 of the
rail's surfaces 80. When designed for the NATO Accessory Rail
Stanag 4694 system, the mounting base would clamp against a
different set of rail surfaces.
[0065] The resilient member 3, in embodiments, is mounted so as to
bias the locking lever 2 towards mounting base 1, as shown in FIG.
2B.
[0066] Variation in rails 8 may be compensated for by adjustment of
retention member 4. Once the position of retention member 4
yielding the desired clamping force has been determined, it is
important that the retention member 4 does not rotate in relation
to the locking lever 2 when the locking lever 2 rotates around the
mounting base 1. To achieve this, the retention member 4 may be
bonded with an adhesive (not shown) into the locking lever's
threaded hole 22. To enable the later adjustment for use with other
rails, a non-permanent adhesive should be used. A non-permanent
adhesive, for the purposes of this specification should be
considered an adhesive whose strength is enough to resist the
friction force of the resilient member 3 against the retention
member 4, but whose strength is weak enough so as to enable the
bond to be broken through the use of a tool such as a wrench to
unscrew the retention member 4. Alternatively, or jointly, an
interference fit may be implemented between the retention member 4
and the locking lever's threaded hole 22. Alternatively, resilient
member 3 may be designed so as to have enough travel amplitude to
compensate for dimensional tolerances in rails 8 while providing
adequate clamping force and a shoulder screw may be used as
retention member 4.
[0067] Now referring to FIG. 4, a perspective view of the locking
lever 2 is shown. The locking lever 2 features a peripheral
angulated cam surface 28. This surface, in embodiments, comprises a
long straight section 20 designed to contact the fourth oppositely
angulated clamping surface 80 (the one that is not in contact with
the mounting base 1) and a short straight section 24. The distance
from the locking lever's axis to the long straight section 20 is
greater than the distance to the short straight section 24 to
enable engagement and disengagement from rail 8.
[0068] The locking lever 2 may also, in embodiments, feature a
safety latch cavity 25. The safety latch cavity 25 also has a latch
head well 26 that may be cylindrical as in this disclosure but may
also be of any different shape without exceeding the scope of the
present disclosure. These features are used for the safety latch
mechanism.
[0069] The locking lever 2 is said to be in clamping position when
the long straight section 24 contacts a rail clamping surface 80.
The locking lever 2 is said to be in release position when the
locking lever has rotated away from the clamping position.
[0070] Now referring to FIG. 3A and 3B, exploded perspective views
of both the locking lever mechanism and the safety latch mechanism
in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are shown.
The safety latch mechanism comprises three further components: a
safety latch 5, a resilient member 6 and a safety latch head 7, as
well as an additional feature in the mounting base 1: safety latch
cavity 14.
[0071] The resilient member 6 may be in the form of a circular wave
spring or other suitable biasing device. The safety latch head 7
may be in the form of a screw and may be screwed to safety latch 5
or otherwise attached to it by any other suitable means.
[0072] The resilient member 6 is mounted so as to push the safety
latch 5 away from the mounting base 1, as shown in section views 5
and perspective section views 6.
[0073] The safety latch 5 is said to be in latched position when
the safety latch head 7 prevents the locking lever 2 from rotating.
The safety latch 5 is said to be in open position when the safety
latch 5 is depressed, allowing the locking lever 2 to be
rotated.
[0074] Now referring to FIG. 5A, 5B and 5C, section views of the
safety latch mechanism of the present disclosure in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention are shown. In FIG. 5A the
safety latch 5 is in latched position and the locking lever 2 is in
clamping position (mount rail 8 is clamped). This is the default
spring-loaded position of the safety latch mechanism. In this
position the locking lever 2 cannot rotate due to an interfering
relationship between the head of the latch lever head 7 and the
latch head well 26.
[0075] In FIG. 5B the safety latch 5 is shown in an open position
(the locking lever 2 may rotate) and the locking lever 2 is in
clamping position (mount rail 8 is clamped). In this position the
locking lever 2 may rotate because the head of the latch lever head
7 has been pushed above the latch head well 26. To be in this
position, the safety latch must be pushed by the user. The user
must keep applying pressure on the safety latch 5 to initiate the
rotation of the locking lever 2. In this sense, a double safety
mechanism is thereby created.
[0076] In FIG. 5C the locking lever 2 is in a release position; the
mount may be removed from rail 8 when configured in this manner. In
this view it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art
why the peripheral angulated cam surface 28 must have a short
straight section 24. When the locking lever 2 is in a release
position, the user may ease pressure on the safety latch 5. To
close the locking lever 2, the user must push the safety latch 5,
complete the rotation, then release the safety latch 5 over the
latch head well 26.
[0077] Now referring to FIG. 6A, 6B and 6C, perspective section
views of the safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments
of the present disclosure are shown.
[0078] Now referring to FIG. 7, a second embodiment that shares the
same locking lever assembly mechanism with the first and third
embodiments but features a different safety latch 5 as well as a
different latching mechanism is illustrated. In this embodiment the
mounting base features a locking member 18 that the safety latch 5
engages to prevent accidental rotation of the locking lever 2.
[0079] FIG. 7A shows the safety latch 5 in latched position and
locking lever 2 in a clamped position.
[0080] FIG. 7B and 7D show the safety latch 5 in an open position,
with the locking lever 2 still in a clamped position.
[0081] FIGS. 7C, 7F and 7E show the safety latch 5 in an open
position and locking lever 2 in a release position. In this
position the rail 8 may be disengaged.
[0082] In the second embodiment described above, and unlike the
first embodiments previously described and third embodiments yet to
be described, the safety latch is not spring loaded. Instead, it
may be indexed with a ball plunger (not shown) in either the
latched or open position.
[0083] Now referring to FIG. 8A-8E, a third embodiment, which
differs from the first embodiment primarily in that the safety
latch 5 is integral to the locking lever 2, and not to the mounting
base 1 as is the case with the first embodiment, is
illustrated.
[0084] As shown in FIG. 8E the mounting base 1 may feature a
locking member 19.
[0085] As shown in FIG. 8D the locking lever 2 may feature a safety
latch hole 27.
[0086] As with the first embodiment, the user must apply pressure
on the safety latch 5 to initiate rotation of locking lever 2,
preventing accidental loosening of the quick-disconnect mount. Once
the locking lever has rotated away from the safety latch adjustment
member 7, the user may ease pressure on the safety latch 5. To
close the locking lever 2, the user must push the safety latch 5,
complete the rotation, then release the safety latch 5.
[0087] Now referring to FIGS. 9A-9G various embodiments of the
accessory facing side of the mounting base 1 are illustrated.
[0088] As depicted in FIG. 9A, the accessory facing side, in
embodiments, may be flat and feature any number of accessory
mounting holes 16.
[0089] As depicted in FIG. 9B, the accessory facing side may
provide a cut-off feature 15 in the form of a groove as well as any
number of accessory mounting holes 16.
[0090] As depicted in FIG. 9C, the accessory facing side may
provide any number of accessory mounting projections 17, for
instance to mount sighting devices.
[0091] As depicted in FIG. 9D, the accessory facing side may
provide a cylindrical accessory mounting projection 17 that would
enable the accessory to rotate around the axis of said
projection.
[0092] As depicted in FIG. 9E, the accessory facing side may
provide any number of accessory mounting projections 17 that would
enable the accessory to pivot to the side of the firearm.
[0093] As depicted in FIG. 9F, the accessory facing side may
provide a concave cut-off feature 15 as well as any number of
accessory mounting holes 16.
[0094] As depicted in FIG. 9G, the accessory facing side may
provide a cylindrical accessory mounting cavity 13 that would
enable the accessory to rotate around the axis of said cavity.
[0095] The locking lever 2 may also be located on the accessory
side of the mounting base 1, instead of the rail side as is the
case in the first, second and third embodiments previously
described, without departing from the intended scope of the present
invention.
[0096] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the
disclosure has been presented for the purposes of illustration and
description. Each and every page of this submission, and all
contents thereon, however characterized, identified, or numbered,
is considered a substantive part of this application for all
purposes, irrespective of form or placement within the application.
This specification is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and
variations are possible in light of this disclosure.
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