Connecting pieces for weapon rails

• US 7,814,698 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heckler & KOCH GmbH (H&K AG)
• Original Assignee: Heckler & KOCH GmbH (H&K AG)
• Inventors: Bantle, Wolfgang, Bantle, Johannes-August, Fluhr, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): CLEMENT, MICHELLE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US12/510,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 421/11, 42124-128, 421/48
• US Class Current: 42/127
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/02 Foresights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/033 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/08 with aperture ; tubular or of ring form; Peep sights F41G1/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/26 screw
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 11/003 Mountings with a dove tail element, e.g. "Picatinny rail systems"

Abstract

A connecting piece couplable to a rail of a weapon is described. An example connecting pieces includes a first retaining element including a first receiving region configured to engage a corresponding first counterface of the rail. The example connecting piece also includes a second retaining element including a second receiving region configured to engage a corresponding second counterface of the rail. In addition, the example connecting piece includes a guide slot running diagonally to a longitudinal direction of the rail via which the first retaining element and the second retaining elements are coupled. When one of the two retaining elements is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the rail, at least one of the first retaining element or the second retaining element moves obliquely relative to the other of the first retaining element or the second retaining element following the orientation of the guide slot to move the connecting piece between a working position in which the first receiving region is engaged with the corresponding first counterface and the second receiving region is engaged with the second counterface to a release position in which both the first receiving region and the second receiving region are no engaged with the corresponding first counterface and the second counterface, respectively.

Claims

1. A connecting piece couplable to a rail of a weapon, the connecting piece comprising:

a first retaining element including a first receiving region configured to engage a corresponding first counterface of the rail;

a second retaining element including a second receiving region configured to engage a corresponding second counterface of the rail; and

a guide slot running diagonally to a longitudinal direction of the rail via which the first retaining element and the second retaining element are coupled,

when one of the two retaining elements is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the rail, at least one of the first retaining element or the second retaining element moves obliquely relative to the other of the first retaining element or the second retaining element following the orientation of the guide slot to move the connecting piece between a working position in which the first receiving region is engaged with the corresponding first counterface and the second receiving region is engaged with the second counterface to a release position in which both the first receiving region and the second receiving region are not engaged with the corresponding first counterface and the second counterface, respectively.

2. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1 further comprising a spring element configured to hold the first retaining element and the second retaining element in the working position.

3. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1, where the first retaining element includes a recess which a corresponding projection on the second retaining element engages.

4. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1, where the guide slot includes a groove and at least one guide element.

5. A connecting piece as defined in claim 4, where the guide element is a cam associated with the first retaining element and is coupled by the groove with the second retaining element.

6. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1 that is kept in the working position when a force acts on the connecting piece in the longitudinal directional of the rail.

7. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1 further comprising a handle coupled to one of the first retaining element or the second retaining element that is configured to move the connecting piece to the release position.

8. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1, where the first retaining element and the second retaining element encompass the first counterface and the second countersurface, respectively, in the manner of a shoe.

9. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1, where the first retaining element and the second retaining element encompass the first counterface and the second countersurface, respectively, in the manner of a wedge.

10. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1 further comprising a formation configured to engage a counter-formation of the rail.

11. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1, where the rail is a Picatinny rail.

12. A connecting piece as defined in claim 10, where the formation is a twist lock and the counter-formation is a transverse slot.

13. A connecting piece as defined in claim 1 further comprising a sight.

14. A connecting piece as defined in claim 13, where the sight includes an adjustment element that is movable, in opposition to a spring force, from a sight position into an adjustment position, the adjustment element being releasably fixed in the sight position in relation to the sight by a detent mechanism and moveable into a plurality of sight positions in the adjustment position.

15. A connecting piece as defined in claim 13, where the sight includes a second adjustment element.

16. A connecting piece as defined in claim 13, where the adjustment element is a height adjustment element configured to adjust the height of the sight.

17. A connecting piece as defined in claim 13, where the adjustment element is a lateral adjustment element configured to adjust the lateral position of the sight.

18. A connecting piece as defined in claim 15, where the adjustment element is a height adjustment element to adjust the height of the sight and the second adjustment element is a lateral adjustment element to adjust the lateral position of the sight.

19. A connecting piece as defined in claim 15, where the adjustment element and the second adjustment element each have a threaded section configured to cooperate with a corresponding counter-threaded section for adjustment of height and/or lateral adjustment.

20. A connecting piece as defined in claim 15, where the adjustment element and the second adjustment element each have

a handle configured to bring the adjustment element and the second adjustment element from the sight position to the adjustment position, and

a detent formation configured to releasably lock the adjustment element and the second adjustment element in the sight position.

21. A connecting piece as defined in claim 20, where the handle is a rear sight notch.

22. A connecting piece as defined in claim 14, where adjustment element includes specified bevels of 60°

, 90° and

/or 180°

.

23. A connecting piece as defined in claim 14, where the sight is incrementally or progressively height and/or laterally adjustable by the adjustment element by fixed, equal amounts.

24. A connecting piece as defined in claim 13, where the sight is a notch arrangement or a bead arrangement.

25. A connecting piece as defined in claim 14, where the adjustment element is spring-loaded and unlockable against the spring force for lateral or height adjustment of the sight.

26. A connecting piece as defined in claim 13 further comprising a spring-loaded locking element against which the sight is adjustable from an unused position to a working position.

27. A connecting piece as defined in claim 25, where the sight is pivotable around a pivoting axis from an unused position to a working position, the pivoting axis corresponds to an adjustment axis of the adjustment element.

28. A connecting piece as defined in claim 26, where the locking element is configured to detachably lock the sight in the unused position and in the working position.

29. A connecting piece as defined in claim 26 further comprising a recess configured to hold the sight in the unused position.

30. A connecting piece as defined in claim 13 further comprising a second sight.

31. A connecting piece as defined in claim 30, where the second sight is mountable directly on a hand guard of the weapon.

32. A connecting piece as defined in claim 30, where the second sight is pivotable about a pivoting element from an unused position into a working position, and the second sight has a safety element that fixes the sight in the working position against a stop transversely to an axis of a bore of the weapon.

33. A connecting piece as defined in claim 32, where in the working position, the safety element engages a recess on the pivoting element.

34. A connecting piece as defined in claim 33, where the safety element and the pivoting element each have wedge-shaped active areas that engage in the working position.

35. A connecting piece as defined in claim 32, where safety element fixes the pivoting element with regard to the sight.

36. A connecting piece as defined in claim 32, where, in the working position, the sight and the pivoting element each occupy a defined reference position to the axis of the bore.

37. A connecting piece as defined in claim 32, where the sight is pivotable against a spring-loaded locking element around a pivoting axis from the unused position into the working position.

38. A connecting piece as defined in claim 37, where the locking element is configured to detachably lock the sight by a detent mechanism in the unused position and in the working position.

39. A connecting piece as defined in claim 31 further comprising a recess in which the sight is concealable in the unused position.

40. A connecting piece as defined in claim 31, where the second sight is a notch arrangement or as a bead arrangement.

41. A hand guard for a weapon with a connecting piece, the connecting piece comprising:

a first retaining element including a first receiving region configured to engage a corresponding first counterface;

a second retaining element including a second receiving region configured to engage a corresponding second counterface; and

a guide slot running diagonally to a longitudinal direction of the rail via which the first retaining element and the second retaining elements are coupled,

when one of the two retaining elements is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the hand guard, at least one of the first retaining element or the second retaining element moves obliquely relative to the other of the first retaining element or the second retaining element following the orientation of the guide slot to move the connecting piece between a working position in which the first receiving region is engaged with the corresponding first counterface and the second receiving region is engaged with the second counterface to a release position in which both the first receiving region and the second receiving region are no engaged with the corresponding first counterface and the second counterface, respectively.

42. A weapon with a connecting piece, the connecting piece comprising:

a first retaining element including a first receiving region configured to engage a corresponding first counterface;

a second retaining element including a second receiving region configured to engage a corresponding second counterface; and

a guide slot running diagonally to a longitudinal direction of the rail via which the first retaining element and the second retaining elements are coupled,

when one of the two retaining elements is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the weapon, at least one of the first retaining element or the second retaining element moves obliquely relative to the other of the first retaining element or the second retaining element following the orientation of the guide slot to move the connecting piece between a working position in which the first receiving region is engaged with the corresponding first counterface and the second receiving region is engaged with the second counterface to a release position in which both the first receiving region and the second receiving region are no engaged with the corresponding first counterface and the second counterface, respectively.