Accessory devices for firearms

• US 7,591,098 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SureFire LLC (Surefire Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: SureFire LLC (Surefire Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Kim, Paul Y., Matthews, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELDRED, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US11/302,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20060196099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 42/85, 421/90, 421/24, 421/13, 42/90, 892/00, 362/110
• US Class Current: 42/85
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 11/003 Mountings with a dove tail element, e.g. "Picatinny rail systems"

Abstract

An accessory device for being mounted to a longitudinal rail carried by a firearm and accommodating longitudinal rails of different configurations. A preferred embodiment comprises a light beam generator including a housing, elongate members removably secured to the housing and complementing the rail for enabling the housing to be retainably slid along the rail, a transverse rail latching device removably secured to the housing, and a replaceable ambidextrous tail cap switch.

Claims

1. An accessory device for a firearm carrying a longitudinal rail including a transverse slot, the accessory device comprising:

a housing;

elongate members secured to said housing, said elongate members complementing the rail for enabling said housing to be retainably slid along the rail;

a generally U-shaped plate including two resilient legs longitudinally extending from a base pivotally secured to said housing about a transverse axis, each of said legs having a free end and an upstanding protuberance in the vicinity of said free end, said legs transversely urgable for resiliently displacing the free ends toward one another; and

said housing adapted for releasably retaining said free ends in a first vertical position with the upstanding protuberances non-receivable in the slot when said housing is applied to said rail with said free ends resiliently displaced toward one another and said plate downwardly pivoted, said housing adapted for supporting said free ends in a second vertical position with said upstanding protuberances receivable in the slot.

2. The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein:

said plate includes two arms transversely extending from said legs respectively, said arms urgable by a user for resiliently displacing said free ends toward each other and for pivoting said plate.

3. The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein:

each of said legs includes a forward protuberance at said free end;

said housing includes two spaced-apart supports engageable with the forward protuberances for supporting said free ends in said second vertical position; and

said housing includes two depressions adjacent to said supports for respectively receiving said forward protuberances with said free ends in said first vertical position when said legs are transversely urged and said plate is downwardly pivoted.

4. The accessory device according to claim 3, wherein:

said depressions are configured for releasably retaining said forward protuberances resiliently biased by said legs.

5. The accessory device according to claim 3, wherein:

each of said depressions includes a wall for being laterally engaged by said forward protuberances resiliently biased by said legs with said free ends displaced toward one another.

6. The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein:

said elongate members are removably secured to said housing.

7. The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein:

said plate is removably secured to said housing.

8. The accessory device according to claim 6, wherein:

said plate is captured to said housing by said elongate members secured to said housing, and said plate is removable from said housing when said elongate members are removed from said housing.

9. The accessory according to claim 8, wherein:

said plate is removable from its securement about said transverse axis when said elongate members are removed from said housing.

10. The accessory device according to claim 1, including:

a light emitter assembly carried by said housing;

a battery carried by said housing in circuit for energizing said light emitter assembly when switch actuated; and

a switch device including a switch actuator for said battery.

11. The accessory device according to claim 10, wherein:

said switch device is removably secured to said housing.

12. The accessory device according to claim 10, wherein:

said switch actuator is rotatably urgable by either hand of an operator when said housing is installed on the rail for placing said switch device in a CONSTANT ON or OFF position, and forwardly urgable by either hand of the operator when said housing is installed on the rail for placing said switch device in a MOMENTARY ON position.

13. The accessory device according to claim 12, including:

a remote switch actuator communicating with said switch device for remotely actuating said switch device to a MOMENTARY ON position.

14. The accessory device according to claim 10, wherein:

said switch device comprises a tail cap switch pivotally secured to said housing about a pivot axis, said tail cap switch pivotable about said pivot axis away from said housing.

15. The accessory device according to claim 14, wherein:

said tail cap switch is adapted for being removed by an operator from its securement about said pivot axis.

16. The accessory device according to claim 14, wherein:

said tail cap switch is adapted for being removed by an operator from its securement about said pivot axis only when said tail cap switch is pivoted away from said housing.

17. The accessory device according to claim 14, wherein:

said tail cap switch includes a switch actuator rotatably urgable by either hand of an operator when said housing is installed on the rail for placing said tail cap switch in a CONSTANT ON or OFF position, and axially urgable by either hand of the operator when said housing is installed on the rail for placing said tail cap switch in a MOMENTARY ON position.

18. The accessory device according to claim 17, including:

a remote switch actuator communicating with said tail cap switch and operable by either hand of the operator for placing said tail cap switch in a MOMENTARY ON position.

19. The accessory device according to claim 10, wherein:

said switch device comprises a tail cap switch and said switch actuator includes an actuator arm rotable at its center about a longitudinal axis of said housing, said actuator arm including longitudinally displaceable ends with handles at said ends, one of said handles accessible to one hand of the operator and the other of said handles accessible to the other hand of the operator when said housing is installed on the rail;

said switch actuator is adapted for placing said tail cap switch in a CONSTANT ON position when either of said handles is upwardly or downwardly urged by the operator from an OFF position of said switch, and for returning said tail cap switch to the OFF position upon reverse urging of either of said handles; and

said switch actuator is adapted for placing said switch in a MOMENTARY ON position when either of said handles is forwardly urged from the OFF position by the operator.

20. The accessory device according to claim 19, wherein:

said switch actuator is latched in the OFF position when said actuator arm is transversely oriented, and said switch actuator is latched in the CONSTANT ON position when said actuator arm is rotationally displaced from its transverse orientation.

21. The accessory device according to claim 19, wherein:

said tail cap switch is pivotally secured to said housing about a pivot axis.

22. The accessory device according to claim 21, wherein:

said tail cap switch is adapted for being removed by an operator from its securement about said pivot axis.

23. The accessory device according to claim 6, wherein:

the securement of said elongate members is transversely adjustable.

24. The accessory device according to claim 6, wherein:

said elongate members are secured to said housing with headed screws retained in bores in said elongate members respectively communicating with threaded bores in said housing, said bores in said elongate members providing a loose fit with said headed screws at least in the transverse direction for adjusting the transverse distance between said members.

25. A method of assembling an accessory device for installation on a longitudinal rail carried by a firearm, the rail including a transverse slot therein, the method comprising:

providing the accessory device including a housing;

providing elongate members complementing the rail;

providing a latch plate including at least one upstanding protuberance sized for being received by the slot in the rail;

pivotally securing said plate to said housing with said at least one upstanding protuberance in the vicinity of at least one free end of said plate; and

removably securing said elongate members to said housing with said elongate members capturing said plate to said housing and enabling said housing to be retainably slid along the rail.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein:

in the pivotally securing step, said plate is removably secured to said housing about a transverse axis.

27. The method according to claim 26 wherein the rail is a first rail, further including:

removing said elongate members from said housing;

removing said plate from said housing;

providing a second latch plate including at least one upstanding protuberance sized for being received by a transverse slot in a second longitudinal rail carried by a firearm;

pivotally securing said second plate to said housing with said at least one upstanding protuberance in the vicinity of at least one free end thereof; and

removably securing said elongate members to said housing with said elongate members capturing said second plate to said housing and enabling said housing to be retainably slid along the second rail.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein:

in the second plate providing step, said at least one upstanding protuberance of said second plate is of a different size than said least one upstanding protuberance of said first plate.

29. The method according to claim 25, wherein:

during the plate providing step, said plate is generally U-shaped having two resilient legs longitudinally extending from a base, each of said legs having a free end with one of said at least one upstanding protuberance in the vicinity of said free end;

in the accessory device providing step, said housing is adapted for releasably retaining the free ends of said legs in a first vertical position, said housing adapted for supporting said free ends of said legs in a second vertical position; and

during the pivotally securing step, said base of said plate is removably pivotally secured to said housing about a transverse axis.

30. A method of installing an accessory device to a longitudinal rail including a transverse slot, comprising:

providing an accessory device slidable along the rail and including a housing, a generally U-shaped plate having two resilient legs longitudinally extending from a base pivotally secured to said housing about a transverse axis, each of said legs having a free end and an upstanding protuberance in the vicinity of said free end, said housing adapted for releasably retaining the free ends in a first vertical position with the upstanding protuberances non-receivable in the slot, said housing adapted for supporting said free ends in a second vertical position with said upstanding protuberances receivable in the slot;

transversely urging said legs to resiliently displace said free ends toward one another while downwardly pivoting said plate to place said free ends in said first vertical position in said housing;

sliding said accessory device along the rail until said upstanding protuberances are positioned beneath the slot; and

upwardly pivoting said plate to release said free ends from said first vertical position and to be supported by said housing in said second vertical position with said upstanding protuberances received in the slot.

31. The method according to claim 30, further including:

transversely urging said legs to displace said free ends toward one another while downwardly pivoting said plate to place said free ends in said first vertical position with said upstanding protuberances removed from the slot; and

sliding said accessory device along said rail until said accessory device is removed therefrom.

32. The method according to claim 30, wherein:

during the accessory device providing step, each of said legs includes a forward protuberance at said free end, said housing includes two spaced-apart supports engageable with the forward protuberances, and said housing includes two depressions adjacent to said supports for respectively receiving said forward protuberances;

during the transversely urging step, said forward protuberances are disengaged from said supports and are respectively received by said depressions to place said free ends in said first vertical position; and

during the upwardly pivoting step, said forward protuberances are removed from said depressions and engage said supports to place said free ends in said second vertical position.

33. A method of adapting an accessory device normally installable on a first longitudinal rail including a transverse slot, for installation on a second longitudinal rail including a transverse slot of a different size than the slot in the first rail, the method comprising:

providing an accessory device including a housing, a generally U-shaped first plate having two resilient legs longitudinally extending from a base removably pivotally secured to said housing about a transverse axis, each of said legs having a free end and an upstanding protuberance in the vicinity of said free end, the upstanding protuberances of said first plate sized for being received by the slot in the first rail, and elongate members complementing the first rail and removably secured to said housing and capturing said plate to said housing, said elongate members enabling said housing to be retainably slid along the first rail;

removing said elongate members from said housing;

removing said first plate from said housing;

providing a generally U-shaped second plate having two resilient legs longitudinally extending from a base removably pivotally securable to said housing about a transverse axis, each of said legs having a free end and an upstanding protuberance in the vicinity of said free end, the upstanding protuberances of said second plate sized for being received by the slot in the second rail;

removably pivotally securing said second plate to said housing; and

removably securing elongate members complementing said second rail to said housing and capturing said second plate to said housing and enabling said housing to be retainably slid along the second rail.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein:

in the elongate members securing step, the elongate members being secured are the same elongate members removed in the elongate members removing step.