Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIREARM S~FETY LOCKING DEVICE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
~ The present invention relates to firearm sa~ety
devlces, and more particularly, to a firearm locking system for
safely securing a firearm in a rest or s-torage position and
insuring that the firearm cannot be tampered with when not in use
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Importance of flrearm safety devices has become
increasingly apparent with the proliferation of small firearms
carried for personal security, and some government authorities
have even enacted legislation requiring trigger locks for all
flrearms. These and other safety devices are designed to Insure
against unauthorized use of the firearms. Some deslgns insure
agalnst unauthorized removal of firearms from secure storage. The
ultlmate goal is to reduce accidents caused by unauthorized use
or accidental discharge of the firearm.
Firearm safety devices include trlgger padlocks as
disclosed in US Patent 4,l98,0256 to Capolupo. In US Patent
4,509,281 to Dreillng et al., a gun trlgger locking device is
disclosed comprising members adapted to mate and surround the
trigger, to immobilize it when locked. US Patent 4,328,687 to
Rltchie discloses a tr~gger locklng device comprising a shank
passing through the trigger guard to secure It -to a fixture. US
Patent 4,084,34l to Cervantes discloses a detachable gun lock
having a plate carrying a post which engages through the trigger
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guard, to immobilize the trigger. US Patent 3,711,979 to Small
discloses a clamp attachment to the trigger guard and a trigger-
engaglng component which locks the trigger and immoblizes it.
Other firearm saftey devices are designed to secure the
firing mechanism. Examples of this type include a firearm lock
assembly with a trigger blocking element and a cable lock to
secure the breech bolt, as disclosed in US Patent 5,048,212 to
Mossberg. US Patent 4,654,992 to Lavergne discloses a lock having
a stop member which interferes with the loading chamber to
prevent loading and passage of cartridges to the breech. A
locking mechanism for placement into the firearm ejection port is
disclosed in US Patent 3,634,963 to Hermann. A barrel locking
safety device to secure the firing mechanism against accidental
actuation is disclosed in US Patent 3,120,713 to Lizza et al.
lS Yet another type of firearm safety device is designed
to hold the firearm and prevent its unauthorized rem~val, for
example by children, to avoid accidents and eliminate theft. An
example of this design is disclosed in US Patent 5,022,536 to
Pierson, In which a block-shaped anchor housing is secured to the
walls where a corner is formed. A rifle butt loom is attached to
the corner for leaning a rifle thereon, and a cable assembly
threaded through the trigger guard secures the firearm to the
anchor housing. A simpler variation of this design is given in US
Patent 4,813,252 to Ray, with a padlock on the cable assembly. US
Patent 4,5809,483 to Garblni discloses a weapon rest for rifles,
but does not provide a safety mechanism against accidental firing
Security and military regulations require that weapons
which are Issued to individual personnel remaln In thelr
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possession at all times. A problem often encountered by security
and military personnel is the need to safely store a weapon,
while llmiting access only to the individual to whom the weapon
has ~been issued. The need to physically secure the firearm and
prevent its accidental firing, while allowing the authorized
individual quick and easy access, presents the combined
requirement of malntaining safety and "tagging" a weapon. Whlle
the prior art has provided locking devices to protect the weapon,
the combined safety and "tagging" requirements were not addressed
Therefore, it would be deslrable to provide a firearm
safety locking device which secures a firearm when not in use,
while providlng qulck and easy access to an authorized indlvldual
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
! Accordingly, It is a princlpal object of the invention
to address the requirements not met by the pr~or art, and proYide
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a ~ firearm safety locking device for securely storing an
identified weapon while preventing use thereof, until released
for use by the authorlzed individual with matching identification
In accordance with a preferred embodlment of the
invention, there is provided a firearm safety locking device
compr~sing:
10 means for supporting a firearm and covering at least a
portion thereof to block access at least to its trigger; and
means for releasably locking said firearm in said
supporting means and securing it therein.
In a preferred embodiment, the firearm safety locking
device is provided as a housing compartment with a door, within
which a firearm may be stored. The door is hinged over the
housing compartment and may be locked, blocking access to the
firearm trigger. The locking device is provided as a removable
lock in the door, to enable quick and easy substitution with
another lock. Thus, a firearm issued to an individual may be
associated with a particular lock, and when that firearm is
removed, a different lock may be inserted for securing a
dlfferent firearm which has been issued to a different individual
Alternatively, the lock may be interchanged with
another lock independently of the weapon to be secured.
When used to store an automatic rifle, the housing
compartment conceals the cartridge magazine, trigger, safety
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catch and loading mechanism so that the rifle may be stored in a
loaded fashlon, ready for immediate use.
The housing compartment may be mounted on a wal~ by
mountlng hardware concealed withln the compartment. The frame of
the houslng compartment is constructed wlth replaceable sldes
each formed with a cutout matching the flrearm shape, so as to be
adaptable to many types of flrearms. This novel construction
insures that although a portlon of the firearm protrudes from the
housing, lt Is securely held, insuring overall design safety.
In an alternatlve embodlment, the housing compartment
is provlded as a hinged cage having security bars extendlng from
lts sides and shaped to encompass and immobllize the weapon.
The inventive firearm safety locklng device has many
appllcatlons, in temporary Installatlons, security outposts,
mllltary bases, and on shlps, alrplanes, etc.
Other features and advantages of the invention will
become apparent from the following drawings and description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the inventlon with regard
to the embodiments thereof, reference is made to the accompanying
drawlngs, in which like numerals designate corresponding elements
or sections throughout, and in which:
F~g. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment
of a firearm safety locking device constructed and operated in
accordance with the present invention;
Figs. 2-3 are perspective views, respectively, of frame
portions and a housing compartment for the device of Fig. l;
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Fig. 4 is a perspectlve vlew of the flrearm safety
locking ~devlce of Fig. 1, for use In securing a rifle thereln;
Flg. 5 Is a detailed view of a locklng pin arrangement
~for use in the firearm safety locking device of Figs. 1 and 4;
5Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional vlew of the pln
locking arrangement of Fig. 5, taken along section lines 6-6;
Figs. 7-8 are, respectively, general and detailed views
of a removable locking device and mounting arrangement;
Fig. 9 is a front view of the removable locking devic
10and an identification key provided for use therewith;
Flgs. lOa-b lllustrate the firearm safety locking
device of Figs. 1-4, in a wa11 installation for a rifle;
Fig. 11 is an illustratlon of an alternative embodiment
of the locking device, as a hinged cage with security bars;
15Fig. 12 is an Illustratlon of the hlnged ~acket of Flg.
11 with a weapon secured therein; and
Figs. 13-14 are end views showing the hinged cage of
the alternative embodiment of Figs. 11-12, in the locked positlnn
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
20Referring now to Flgs. 1-3, there are shown perspectlve
views of a preferred embodiment of a firearm safety locking
device 20 constructed and operated in accordance with the present
invention. Device 20 comprises a box-llke housing 22 having a
door 24 mounted on hinges 26, arranged to open and close on a
25rear housing portion 28, to provide a housing compartment 30 for
storage. A set of mounting screws 32 can be fit through holes 34
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in rear housing portion 28, for fastening it to a wall tFig. 10).
! ` A set of 3-sided frame pieces ~6 and 38 (Fig. 2) is
;attached, respectlvely, to door 24 edges and rear housing portlon
28. Each of frame pieces 36 and 38 has formed therein,
5respectively, cutouts 39a-b, 40a-b and 41a-b, forming pairs of
matching shaped cutouts in the hinged housing 22 portions.
Cutouts 39-41 provide openings in housing 22 when door 24 closes.
A hollow anchor post 42 is attached to rear housing
portion 28 and extends vertically into housing compartment 30. A
lOcone-shaped plug 44 attached to door 24 engages the tip of anchor
post 42 when door 24 closes. A set of locking pins 46 Is seated
in an enclosure 48 attached to rear housing portion 28, so that
pins 46 can engage a lock 50 seated in a mounting bracket 52.
Figs. 2-3 reveal further construction details of
15housing 22, with frame pieces 36 and 38 shown removed. The
housing may be constructed of heavy plate metal so as to provide
a strong, tamper resistant assembly. A key insert 53 of lock 50
enables a key to be inserted therein to release locking pins 46.
In Fig. 4, there is shown a perspective view of the
20flrearm safety locking device 20 of Fig. 1, for use in securing
a rifle 54. The rifle 54 may be placed in housing compartment 30
so that its barrel 55 extends through cutout 39a-b, and its
car~ridge magazine 56 fits through cutouts 40a-b. The rifle 54
trigger guard 58 fits over anchor post 42, and stock 60 extends
25through cutout 41a-b. Thus, when door 24 is closed, cohe-shaped
plug 44 fits into anchor post 42 and locklng pins 46 engage lock
50, securing rifle 54 and blocking access to trigger 61,- until
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lock 50 is released by its key (not shown). This design provides
the safety locking function of rifle 54 in housing compartment 30
When used to store an automatic rifle, houslng
compartment 30 conceals cartridge magazine 56, so that the rifle
554 may be stored in a loaded fashion, ready for immediate use.
As will be appreciated, the profile of frame pieces 36
and 38 (Fig. 2) may be adjusted in accordance wi-th the shape of
the firearm, to provide appropria-te cutout openings ln housing
22. Device 20 may be used to secure pistols or revolvers therein.
10In Fig. 5, a detailed view of the locking pin 46
arrangement is shown, illustrating the pin pivot movement in
enclosure 48. As door 24 closes, pins 46 engage lock 50 by
pivoting movement slnce lock 50 does not move ~n a linear
fashion, rather, It moves in an arc de-termlned by its spacing in
15housing 22 from hinges 26. Thus, pivoting movement of pin 46
provides the necessary flexibility to insure lock 50 engagement.
An enlarged cross-sectional view of pin arrangement 46
is shown in Fig. 6, taken along section lines 6-6 of Fig. 5. Pin
46 is seated in enclosure 48 on a pivot rod 63 and rides against
20a spring detent 64, which is seated in a slot 66 of enclosure 48.
This arrangement enables pin 46 to pivot when engaging lock 50.
Figs. 7-8 are, respectively, general and detalled views
of a mounting arrangement for lock 50. In accordance with the
principles of the present invention, lock 50 is arranged to be
25removably insertable in door 24, to enable quick and easy
substltution With another lock. Thus, a firearm issued to an
indlvidual may be associated with a personally issued lock, and
when that firearm is removed, a different lock may be inserted
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for securing another firearm which has been issued to a different
indivld!ual. Lock 50 is insertable into mounting bracket 52, where
it is supported by a support brace 68. By finger depression under
mountlng bracket 52, lock 50 may be quickly removed and replaced.
Flg. 9 Is a front view of the removable lock 50,
engagement pins 46 and a key 69 provided for use therewlth. Key
69 may be provided with an identification number and worn around
the neck, as a military dog tag, which may be issued individually
Figs. lOa-b illustrate the flrearm safety lockln
device 20 in a wall installation for rifle 54. As shown in Fig.
l, wall mounting hardware is concealed in compartment 30, to
provlde a tamper reslstant design. If required, device 20 may be
mounted at a lower height on the wall, and a receptacle 70 may be
provided in the floor, to secure the stock at the lower end of
the firearm, which may be a heavy weapon or a machine gun.
As shown in the cross-sectional view of Flg. lOb, receptacle 70
is secured to the floor ~sing screws 72 under a cover plate 74.
An alternative embodiment of firearm safety lockinQ
device 20 is illustrated in Fig. ll. In this embodiment, housing
compartment 30 is replaced by a hinged cage 80, comprising hlnged
front and rear panels 82 and 84 each having a mountlng plate 86,
88 fastened at its center. A plurality of security bars 90a-b
extends from each of mounting plates 86, 88, each bar 9~ having a
shaped free end 929 whlch Is deslgned to abut the end 93 of an
opposing bar 90b, when cage 80 Is closed. Panels 82, 84 are
hinged on a section 94, provided with holes 95 for wall mounting.
As with the embodiment of Fig. l, hinged cage 80 is
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provided with anchor post 42, plug 44, locking pins 46 and
mount~ng bracket 52 for lock 50. Guide pins 96 and holes 97 on
panels 82, 84 insure proper alignment when closing hinged cage 80
As shown in Fig. 12, when rlfle 54 is placed within
5 - hlnged cage 80 between panels 82, 84, and they are closed one
against the other on hinges 26, security bars 90a-b encompass
rifle 54, to secure it therein. Thus, cage 80 blocks access to
the trigger 61, cartridge magazine 56, safety catch and loading
mechanism. Cage 80 may be adapted to each of various different
lo firearms, by replacing mounting plates 86, 88 with the
approprlately shaped security bars 90a-b. A locating pin 98
extending from panels 82, 84 engages a hole 99 In mounting plates
86, 88 and is used to locate them with the proper orlentation.
Flgs. 13-14 illustrate end views of cage 80 locked in
the closed position, showing further construction details.
As will be appreciated, the hlnged cage 80 design of
Figs. 11-14 provides advantages over that of Fig. 1, including a
reductlon in the amount of materlal required, whlch In turn
reduces the weight and manufacturlng cost. For applIcations with
a low rlsk of tampering, this design is especially useful.
In summary, the Inventlve firearm safety locking device
may be provided in many applications, Includlng temporary
Installations, security outposts, mllitary bases, and on shlps,
alrplanes, etc. In a military tent camp, for example, a large
2s weight could be used for anchoring the device 2~ in each tent.
The inventive firearm safety locking device provides
increased safety and can reduce accidents and eliminate misuse.
Havlng descrlbed the inventlon wlth regard to certaln
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specific embodlments thereof, it is to be understood that the
descripti,o~ is not meant as a limitation, since further
modiflcations may now become apparent to those skilled in the
art, and it is intended to cover such modifications as fall
s within the scope of the appended claims.
