Fire control authorization system for a firearm

• US 6,735,897 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2002
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fn Herstal, FN Manufacturing, LLC (Société Herstalienne Pour La Fin Lindustrie Et le Commerce)
• Original Assignee: FN Manufacturing, Inc.
• Inventors: Schmitter, Edward P., Ruemping, Thomas Jerome, Hitchcox, Jason Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): CLEMENT, MICHELLE RENEE
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomson, M.
• Application Number:
  US10/268,591
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 42/700.1, 42/701.1, 42/700.6, 42/84
• US Class Current: 42/70.01
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/063 comprising a transponder
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/54 Protecting-caps for trigger guards; Trigger locking pieces mounted on, or within, the trigger guard

Abstract

An authorization system for a firearm includes a personal device worn by the authorized user, modifications to the firearm'"'"'s fire control system, and an authorization control circuit carried in the backstrap of the firearm handle. The authorization control circuit controls the fire control system and communicates with the personal device. In particular, the authorization control circuit will send a first coded signal to the personal device via an ultrasonic transponder and wait for a coded response. If the personal device is worn by a user and is within range, properly oriented and has received a correct code, it will respond to the signal by sending a coded response. If the correct coded response is not received, the authorization control circuit signals a brake solenoid located near the trigger bar to move to a locked position where it will cam the trigger bar out of engagement with the sear as the trigger is pulled. Consequently, the trigger bar will not move the sear and the firearm will not fire. If a correct coded response is received the brake solenoid moves to an unlocked position wherein it will not alter the trigger bar'"'"'s normal rearward movement, thereby allowing engagement of the sear and firing of the firearm.

Claims

1. A firearm, comprising:

a frame;

a barrel carried by said frame;

fire control means carried by said frame and adapted to be able to fire a round of ammunition through said barrel;

a brake solenoid carried by said frame having a locked position and an unlocked position, and wherein said brake solenoid disables said fire control means by disconnecting said fire control means when said brake solenoid is in said locked position; and

authorizing means for verifying authorization of a user, said authorizing means being carried by said frame, said brake solenoid responsive to signals from said authorizing means so that said brake solenoid is moved to said unlocked position and said fire control means is enabled when so signaled by said authorizing means and said brake solenoid is moved to said locked position and said fire control means is disabled when so signaled by said authorizing means.

2. The firearm as recited in claim 1, wherein said fire control means includes a trigger, a trigger bar responsive to movement of said trigger, and a sear responsive to movement of said trigger bar, and wherein said brake solenoid disconnects said fire control means by camming said trigger bar out of engagement with said sear when said brake solenoid is in said locked position.

3. The firearm as recited in claim 1, wherein said brake solenoid includes a armature assembly having holes and a stator assembly having holes and ball bearings between said armature assembly and said stator assembly, and wherein said ball bearings are captured between said holes when said brake solenoid is in said locked position.

4. The firearm as recited in claim 3, wherein said armature assembly is free to rotate when said ball bearings are not captured between said holes.

5. The firearm as recited in claim 3, wherein said fire control means includes a trigger, a trigger bar responsive to movement of said trigger, and a sear responsive to movement of said trigger bar, and wherein said armature assembly carries a solenoid pin, and wherein said pin engages said trigger bar when said trigger bar responds to said movement of said trigger.

6. The firearm as recited in claim 1, wherein said brake solenoid carries a armature assembly and wherein said armature assembly rotates when said brake solenoid is in said unlocked position and does not rotate when said brake solenoid is in said locked position.

7. The firearm as recited in claim 1, wherein said brake solenoid has an armature assembly and means for urging said armature assembly to rotate from a first position to a second position when said authorizing means enables said fire control means.

8. The firearm as recited in claim 7, wherein said armature assembly has holes and wherein said brake solenoid has a stator assembly having holes and ball bearings between said armature assembly and said stator assembly, and wherein said ball bearings are captured between said holes of said armature assembly and said stator assembly when said brake solenoid is in said locked position and said armature assembly is in said first position.

9. A firearm, comprising:

a frame;

a barrel carried by said frame;

a trigger carried by said frame;

a trigger bar carried by said frame and responsive to movement of said trigger;

a sear carried by said frame and responsive to movement of said trigger bar;

a firing pin loadable by movement of said sear, said firing pin able to fire a round of ammunition from said barrel;

a brake solenoid carried by said frame, said brake solenoid having a solenoid pin engaging said trigger bar, said brake solenoid having a locked position wherein said solenoid pin cams said trigger bar out of engagement with said sear and an unlocked position wherein said solenoid pin does not cam said trigger bar out of engagement with said sear;

authorizing means for verifying authorization of a user, said authorizing means being carried by said frame, said brake solenoid being moved to said locked position when said user is not authorized and being moved to said unlocked position when said user is authorized.

10. The firearm as recited in claim 9, wherein said brake solenoid has a stator assembly and an armature assembly rotatably mounted to said stator assembly and ball bearings between said armature assembly and said stator assembly, and wherein said stator assembly and said armature assembly carry means for preventing rotation of said armature assembly with respect to said stator assembly when said ball bearings are captured between said armature assembly and said stator assembly when said brake solenoid is in said locked position.

11. The firearm as recited in claim 9, wherein said trigger bar has a camming edge and wherein said brake solenoid pin engages said camming edge.

12. The firearm as recited in claim 11, wherein said solenoid pin is movable by said camming edge when said brake solenoid is in said unlocked position and is not movable when said brake solenoid is in said locked position.

13. The firearm as recited in claim 11, wherein said solenoid pin disconnects said trigger bar from said sear so that said sear does not move when said trigger bar moves in response to movement of said trigger when said brake solenoid is in said locked position.

14. A firearm, comprising:

a frame;

a barrel carried by said frame;

a trigger carried by said frame;

a trigger bar carried by said frame and responsive to movement of said trigger, said trigger bar having a camming edge;

a sear carried by said frame and responsive to movement of said trigger bar;

a firing pin loadable by movement of said sear, said firing pin able to fire a round of ammunition from said barrel;

a brake solenoid carried by said frame, said brake solenoid having

a stator assembly,

a armature assembly rotatable within said stator assembly, and

a solenoid pin carried by said armature assembly, said solenoid pin engaging said camming edge of said trigger bar,

said brake solenoid having a locked position wherein said solenoid pin cams said trigger bar away from said sear and an unlocked position wherein said solenoid pin does not cam said trigger bar from said sear; and

authorizing means for verifying authorization of a user, said authorizing means being carried by said frame, said brake solenoid being moved to said locked position when said user is not authorized and being moved to said unlocked position when said user is authorized.

15. The firearm as recited in claim 14, wherein said armature assembly rotates when said brake solenoid is in said unlocked position and does not rotate when said armature assembly is in said locked position.

16. The firearm as recited in claim 14, wherein said armature assembly has holes formed through and said stator assembly has holes formed through and ball bearings between said armature assembly and said stator assembly, said ball bearings being captured between said holes when said brake solenoid is in said locked position.

17. The firearm as recited in claim 14, wherein said armature assembly rotates between a first position and a second position and wherein said brake solenoid further comprises means for urging said plate to rotate back to said first position from said second position.

18. The firearm as recited in claim 17, wherein said armature assembly is in said first position when said brake solenoid is in said locked position.

19. The firearm as recited in claim 14, further comprising pressure sensors carried by said handle, said authorization system being responsive to signals from said pressure sensors.

20. The firearm as recited in claim 19, wherein said pressure sensors include at least three pressure sensors and wherein said authorization system responds to a signal from any one pressure sensor of said multiple pressure sensors.