Light rail and accessory rail mount for vertical fore grip

• US 7,568,304 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grip Pod Systems International, LLC
• Original Assignee: Grip Pod Systems LLC (Grip Pod Systems International, LLC)
• Inventors: Gaddini, Joseph D., Moody, Joseph R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CLEMENT, MICHELLE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US11/652,337
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 42/94, 42/710.1, 42/72, 89/14.2, 89/370.4
• US Class Current: 42/72
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 23/08 Bipods
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 23/16 Forestocks; Handgrips; Hand guards pump-action guns F41C7/02
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 27/00 Accessories; Details or attachments not otherwise provided for

Abstract

Devices, and methods of attaching accessory mounts to vertical fore grip handles on firearms, such as rifles. The accessory mounts can be molded to extend off of the handles. The accessory mounts can attach to the handles by interlocking plugs and slots. The accessory mount can have rails so that an accessory can attach to the rails on the accessory mount. The accessory can include lights, lasers, bayonets, sights, scopes, and the like. The vertical fore grip can be an elongated handle fixed to the firearm. The vertical fore grip can be an elongated handle that is detachable from beneath rails on the firearm. The vertical fore grip can include expandable bipod legs.

Claims

1. A removable firearm fore grip with accessory mount holder for use with firearms, comprising:

an elongated handle having a top end and a bottom end and generally cylindrical outer sidewalls between the top end and the bottom end, the top end having head member with an upper facing end having a pair of parallel clamp mounts adapted for clamping about lower facing picatinny rails underneath of a firearm, the head member having a front side face below the upper facing end, the front side face being between and below the clamp mounts, the front side face having a slot, the head member having a side wall generally perpendicular to the front side face, the side wall having a hole;

a removable one piece light rail accessory mount having a front end and a rear end and a left side and a right side, the rear end having a plug for mateably fitting and interlocking into the slot of the front side face of the head member, the accessory mount having a rearwardly facing tab perpendicular to and extending behind the rear end, the rearwardly facing tab having an opening therethrough, one of the right side and the left side of the accessory mount having a single elongated side set of picatinny rails oriented perpendicular to and below the lower facing picatinny rails on the firearm, the single elongated side set of picatinny rails is located in front of and is extending forward from the front side face of the elongated handle; and

a connector for connecting the rearwardly facing tab on the accessory mount to the side wall of the head member, by passing the connector through both the opening in the tab and the hole in the side wall of the head member, wherein the side set of picatinny rails is adapted for allowing an accessory to be removably attached to the picatinny rails on the accessory mount.

2. The fore grip of claim 1, wherein the slot and the plug portion each includes:

a cylindrical configuration.

3. The fore grip of claim 1, wherein the slot and the plug portion each includes:

a rectangular configuration.

4. The fore grip of claim 1, further comprising:

a light selected from at least one of a flashlight and a laser light, for attaching to the elongated single set of picatinny rails on the accessory mount.

7. The fore grip of claim 1, wherein the accessory mount includes:

a triangular configuration with a base having the rearwardly protruding plug.

8. The fore grip of claim 1, wherein the connector is

a cylindrical connector for attaching the rearwardly facing tab to a side wall of the head member of the handle, by inserting the cylindrical connector through both the opening in the tab and a hole in the side wall of the head member.

5. A method of mounting accessories from accessory mounts that at attached to fore grips of firearms, comprising the steps of:

providing a firearm having a set of horizontal picatinny rails beneath the firearm;

providing a removable elongated generally cylindrical vertical fore grip handle having a head member with an upper facing pair of parallel clamp mounts, the head member having a forward facing side with a slot, the head member having a side face with an hole, the side face being perpendicular to the forward facing side;

providing an accessory mount having a front end a rear end, a left side and a right side, one of the left side and the right side having an elongated single set of picatinny rails extending forward from the rear end of the accessory mount, the accessory mount having a rearwardly facing tab perpendicular to and extending behind the rear end, the rearwardly facing tab having an opening therethrough, the rear end of the accessory mount having a plug extending rearwardly therefrom

clamping the upper facing parallel clamp mounts of the vertical fore grip handle about the picatinny rails underneath the firearm;

attaching the accessory mount to the handle by mateably interlocking the rearwardly extending plug of the accessory mount into the slot of the forward facing side of the head member of the handle;

additionally attaching the accessory mount to the handle by inserting a connector through both the opening in the rearwardly facing tab and the hole in the side face of the head member; and

attaching an accessory to the elongated single set of picatinny rails of the accessory mount.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the accessory includes:

a light selected from at least one of a flashlight and a laser light, for attaching to the elongated single set of picatinny rails on the accessory mount.

9. A removable firearm fore grip with accessory mount holder for use with firearms, comprising:

an elongated handle having a top end and a bottom end and generally cylindrical outer sidewalls between the top end and the bottom end, the top end having head member with an upper facing end having a pair of parallel mounts for clamping about lower facing picatinny rails underneath of a firearm, the head member having a front side face below the upper facing end, the front side face being between and below the clamp mounts the front side face having a slot, the head member having a side wall generally perpendicular to the front side face, the side wall having a hole;

a removable one piece light rail accessory mount having a triangular configuration with a front end and a rear end and a left side and a right side, the rear end being a base of the triangular configuration having a plug for mateably fitting and interlocking into the slot of the front side face of the head member, the accessory mount having a rearwardly facing tab perpendicular to and extending behind the rear end, the rearwardly facing tab having an opening therethrough, one of the right side and the left side of the accessory mount having a single elongated side set of picatinny rails oriented perpendicular to and below the lower facing picatinny rails on the firearm, the single elongated side set of picatinny rails is located in front of and is extending forward from the front side face of the elongated handle, the accessory mount having a rearwardly facing tab having an opening therethrough; and

a connector for attaching the rearwardly facing tab to the side wall of the head member of the handle, by passing the connector through both the opening the tab and a hole in the side wall of the head member, wherein the side set of picatinny rails is adapted for allowing an accessory to be removably attached to the picatinny rails on the accessory mount.