Gun lock assembly

• US 6,389,726 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James K. Bentley
• Original Assignee: James K. Bentley
• Inventors: Bentley, James K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sukman, Gabriel S
• Application Number:
  US09/680,234
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 42/700.1, 42/700.6, 42/700.7, 42/701.1
• US Class Current: 42/70.07
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/54 Protecting-caps for trigger guards; Trigger locking pieces mounted on, or within, the trigger guard

Abstract

A dual locking system for a firearm that allows the owner to keep a loaded gun unlocked for protection purposes while maintaining maximum security from a child'"'"'s being able to fire the weapon. The gun lock assembly has a lock housing and a lock housing support assembly as its major structure. The lock housing support assembly is secured to the vertical leg portion of the trigger guard of the firearm. The lock housing is an elongated tubular member having a lock assembly mounted in its front end. Internal grooves in the lock housing act as a track for guiding it onto the lock housing support assembly. There is a spring loaded release button mounted on the bottom wall of the lock housing support assembly that travels along the inner surface of the bottom wall of the lock housing. The release button can drop into either one of two apertures in the bottom wall to provide two specific positions for the lock housing on the handgun. In the rearmost position, the trigger is completely hidden from view. In the forward position, the trigger is accessible and the firearm can be fired. The force required to depress the release button is sufficient to make it childproof and there is further structure in the form of a plastic overmold layer that conceals the location of the release button.

Claims

1. A lock gun assembly comprising;

an elongated housing having a front end, a rear end, a top wall, a bottom wall, a left side wall and a right side wall;

a lock housing support assembly having means for rigidly attaching said lock housing support assembly to the vertical leg portion of a trigger guard of a firearm;

said lock housing support assembly having a front end, a rear end, a bottom end, a left side and a right side;

said lock housing support assembly having a U-shaped bracket that would surround a vertical leg portion of a trigger guard of a firearm;

said U-shaped bracket having a front end; and

means for telescopically guiding said rear end of said elongated lock housing over said lock housing support assembly to a rearward position where the trigger of a firearm is not accessible.

2. A gun lock assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said lock housing support assembly further comprises a latch member that is connected to said front end of said U-shaped bracket.

3. A gun lock assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein said lock housing support assembly further comprises a plug member that is removably connected across said front end of said U-shaped bracket to capture a vertical leg portion of a trigger guard of a firearm.

4. A gun lock assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein said plug member has a bottom surface having a spring loaded button extending downwardly therefrom.

5. A gun lock assembly as recited in claim 4 wherein said bottom wall of said elongated lock housing has a first aperture through which said spring loaded button extends to lock said lock housing against longitudinal movement of said lock housing with respect to said lock housing support assembly while preventing access to a trigger of a firearm.

6. A gun lock assembly as recited in claim 5 wherein said bottom wall of said elongated lock housing has a second aperture through which said spring loaded button may extend to lock said lock housing against longitudinal movement of said lock housing with respect to said lock housing support assembly;

said second aperture being longitudinally spaced from said first aperture to provide a position which allows a trigger of a firearm to be pulled without requiring said lock housing to be removed from said lock housing support assembly.

7. A gun lock assembly as recited in claim 5 further comprising means for concealing said bottom surface of said spring loaded button when said spring loaded button extends downwardly through said first aperture in said bottom wall of said lock housing.

8. A gun lock housing as recited in claim 6 further comprising means for concealing of said bottom surface of said spring loaded button when spring loaded button extends downwardly through said second aperture in said bottom wall of said lock housing.

9. A gun lock housing as recited in claim 1 in combination with a firearm having a trigger, a trigger guard having a horizontal leg portion and a vertical leg portion, a handle, and a gun barrel;

said lock housing support assembly being removably connected to said vertical leg portion.

10. A gun lock assembly comprising:

an elongated housing in the form of an integrally formed tubular sleeve having a front end, a rear end, a top wall, a bottom wall, a left side wall and a right side wall;

said top wall having a slot that extends from said rear end of said tubular sleeve more than half the length of said tubular sleeve for removably receiving a trigger guard of a firearm;

a lock housing support assembly having means for rigidly attaching said lock housing support assembly to the vertical leg portion of a trigger guard of a firearm;

said lock housing support assembly having a front end, a rear end, a bottom end, a left side and a right side;

means for telescopically guiding said rear end of said elongated lock housing over said lock housing support assembly to a rearward position where the trigger of a firearm is not accessible; and

a first means for locking said elongated housing in said rearward position;

said first means having a lock assembly mounted in said front end of said tubular sleeve;

said lock assembly having a key slot, a lock cylinder and a rotatable latch finger.

11. A gun lock assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein said first means further comprises said front end of said lock housing support assembly having a latch and said latch captures said rotatable latch finger when said latch finger is rotated to a vertical position.

12. A gun lock assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein said means for telescopically guiding said rear end of said elongated lock housing comprises grooves on said inside wall surfaces of said left and right side walls of said lock support assembly.