Flip-up aiming sight

• US 7,921,591 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Terry Adcock
• Original Assignee: Terry Adcock
• Inventors: Adcock, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norman; Richard L
• Application Number:
  US12/387,303
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 421/45, 421/13, 421/11, 42/90
• US Class Current: 42/113
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/01 characterised by the visual combination effect of the respective geometrical forms of fore and rear sight F41G1/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/14 with lens
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/30 Reflecting-sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance reflecting-sights in general G02B
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/345 for illuminating the sights

Abstract

An aiming system having a two-tone colored rear sight lens as the primary aiming component. The lens is held in an L-shaped lens frame which also incorporated conventional “iron sights.” The two-tone colored lens has an outside perimeter portion of one color and a central portion of another color. The lens frame can fold or rotate forward from an upright locked position to a locked-down position using a manually activated one-handed operation.

Claims

1. An aiming system mounted on a handgun having a front, rear, top, bottom, and two lateral sides, said handgun having a frame, a slide and a fire control mechanism actuated by a trigger, said slide displaceable on said frame and forming the handgun top, said slide housing a barrel in a slide forward end, said barrel cooperatively linked with the slide and, together with the slide, defining a longitudinal firing axis, said aiming system incorporated onto the slide and comprising:

a front sight vertically protruding from said slide near the handgun front; and

a rear sight mounted on the handgun slide near the handgun rear, said rear sight comprising;

a base unit having a front, a rear, a left side, a right side, a top surface and a bottom surface, said base unit front and rear defining a base unit longitudinal axis, said base unit longitudinal axis being parallel to the handgun longitudinal firing axis;

a flip-up lens pivotally attached to said base unit, comprising;

an aiming lens having a perimeter portion of one color and a central portion of another color, said central portion having a geometry selected from the group consisting of;

circle, polygon, oval, and cone; and

a lens frame holding said aiming lens, said lens frame having distal end, a proximal end, a left side, a right side, a front surface and a rear surface, said lens frame distal and proximal ends defining a lens frame longitudinal axis, said lens frame longitudinal distance along its longitudinal axis being less than the base unit longitudinal distance along its longitudinal axis.

2. The aiming system recited in claim 1, further comprising:

two hollow hinge cylinders attached to the base unit rear, each said base unit hinge cylinder having a central axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the base unit, each base unit hinge cylinder having two ends, an exterior end and an interior end, each said base unit hinge cylinder exterior end terminating as a base unit side, each said base unit hinge cylinder interior end facing the opposite base unit hinge cylinder interior end, each said base unit hinge cylinder interior end terminating in a coil spring;

a hollow hinge cylinder centrally attached to the lens frame proximal end, said lens frame hinge cylinder positionable between said base unit hinge cylinders and engaging the two base unit coil springs; and

an elongated hinge pin inserted into and through said base unit hinge cylinders and said lens frame hinge cylinder.

3. The aiming system recited in claim 2, wherein:

the lens frame rear surface at the lens frame proximal end has a ninety degree flange formed therein, said flange having a notch formed centrally therein.

4. The aiming system as recited in claim 3, wherein:

the base unit has a left and right raised side rail on the base unit top, each side rail adjacent a base unit side, respectively, and extending from the base unit front to the base unit rear, said base unit front and rear defining a longitudinal axis for each side rail; and

the lens frame has a side-to-side width less than a distance between said base unit side rails.

5. The aiming system as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

a tab formed on the lens frame left side near to the lens frame distal end, said tab protruding laterally away from the lens frame left side;

a first and a second aperture in the base unit left side rail, said left side first aperture extending through the left side rail and corresponding to the lens frame tab, said left side second aperture positioned rearward of the left side first aperture and extending partly through said left side rail;

a lock-down lever inserted into the left side rail first and second apertures comprising;

a pivot element inserted into the left side rail second aperture;

an action element attached to said pivot element and extending into and partly through the left side rail first aperture, said action element adapted to engage the lens frame tab;

a control element attached to said pivot element and extending rearward parallel to said left side rail longitudinal axis, engagement of said control element adapted to pivot about said pivot element disengaging the action element away from the lens frame tab.

6. The aiming system as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

a third aperture in the base unit left side rail positioned near to the base unit rear;

a curved notch in the lens frame left side extending from the lens frame front surface to the lens frame proximal end; and

a spring-loaded plunger extending through the left side rail third aperture into the lens frame left side curved notch.

7. The aiming system as recited in claim 6, wherein:

the lens frame has a central aperture adapted to hold said aiming lens.

8. The aiming system as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the front sight has a rearward side facing the rear sight and an opposite forward side, said front sight rearward side has a tritium insert.

9. The aiming system as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the lens frame flange notch has a tritium insert embedded on each side.

10. The aiming system as recited in claim 9, wherein:

the front sight is painted white around the tritium insert.