Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
GUN SIGHT WITH RANGE FINDER
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U. S. Patent Application Serial
Number
13/665,309 filed October 31, 2012 which claims priority to U. S. Provisional
Application Serial No. 61/620,601 filed April 5, 2012 and this application
claims
priority to U. S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/769,993 filed February
27,
2013, all of the specifications of which are hereby incorporated by reference
in
their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This invention relates to gun sights for firearms and more
particularly to a
gun sight for acquiring and hitting moving targets, whether the moving targets
are
artificial, such as clay disks hurled by trapshooting machines, game birds, or
assailants.
[0003] Sights for firearms typically comprise front and rear aiming pieces
that are
aligned and pointed at a target. Such sights can be found on many types of
firearms including shotguns, rifles and handguns. These sights are usually
formed
of rugged metal parts and are frequently referred to as "iron sights", in
order to
distinguish them from other complex weapon sights such as optical or computing
sights. Firearms are manufactured with original equipment iron sights, but
such
sights may be replaced with one or more varieties of after-market iron sights.
Iron sights also are classified in forms of notch (open sight) or aperture
(closed
sight). Such types of sights often require considerable experience and skill
in the
user who has to hold a proper eye position and simultaneously focus on the
rear
sight, the front sight, a target at different distances, and align all three
planes of
focus. However, such iron sights provide no information regarding distance to
the
target. Although advanced optical sights may provide range information, the
cost
of such sights is often prohibitive or useless for erratically moving targets.
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
[0004] It is the general practice in designing guns, particularly hand
guns, to
locate sighting devices on the gun barrel at both the front and the rear ends
of the
gun. The rear sight cooperates with the forward sight for aligning the line of
fire
of the gun for accurate marksmanship. It is generally desirable to provide
means
for adjusting the elevation and lateral positions of the rear sight and
various sights
have been designed for this purpose. Adjustments of this kind enable the
marksman to adjust for accurate firing of the hand gun. Of course, accuracy
can
be improved with optical sights, laser targeting and other aids.
[0005] However, in many situations optical apparatus may interfere with
the
intended purpose of the user of the firearm. A conventional iron sight on a
firearm provides for accurately pointing the gun in the exact direction of the
target. However, with moving targets such as birds, etc., it is necessary for
a
marksman or hunter to develop a great deal of skill in sighting the target
with the
gun sight as it moves and to accurately shoot at the target as it moves.
Acquiring
and shooting a moving target may be part of such recreational activities as
trap
shooting or game bird hunting. However, moving targets could also be
assailants.
When a moving target is an assailant and the user is law enforcement officer
or a
private citizen who is defending an attack made by the assailant, it is
important to
for the user to rapidly and accurately acquire the target and fire when the
target is
in range of the user. When one considers the anxiety produced by an assailant,
it
is difficult even for experienced users to quickly judge distance and properly
aim
the handgun to target and disable the assailant.
SUMMARY
[0006] The invention is a gun sight for a firearm such as a shotgun, rifle
or pistol.
In one embodiment the invention is adapted for a shotgun with a ventilated
rib.
The invention includes a front sight having a light pipe and a rear sight
having an
annular (circular, oval, rectangular) compass ring including at least four
compass
2
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
points. The gun sight allows the user to target a gun on an object and
provides a
range indication to the target and enables leading a moving target. For a
shotgun
with ventilating rib, a front sight is mounted to the front or discharge end
of a
ventilating rib and the rear sight is mounted at the rear of the ventilating
rib. The
rear sight has a mounting mechanism that adapts to different widths of
ventilating
ribs and allows the rear sight to be moved forward or backward and left and
right
on the ventilating rib in order to center the gun sight on the target. To this
end,
the rear sight is a closed sight with one opening corresponding to the
effective
range of the firearm.
[0007] For a handgun, the front sight may be slightly slanted down from
the user
and carry a front light pipe. The rear sight is a closed, round sight with a
compass
ring having four main points and light pipes at outside the ring and located
at 90
and 270 degrees. The size of the opening in the rear sight provides range
information and the light pipes assist the user to rapidly align and fire
against an
assailant.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a partial plan view of the invention mounted on a
ventilating rib
on a barrel of the shotgun.
[0009] FIG. 2A is an end view of the front sight light pipe; FIG. 2B is a
sectional
view taken along the line 2B-2B of FIG. 2A; FIG. 2C is a elevation view of the
light pipe and FIG. 2D is a perspective view of the light pipe.
[00010] FIG. 3A is a plan view of the front sight alignment bearing; FIG.
3B is a
sectional view of the bearing taken along line 3B-3B of FIG. 3A; FIG. 3C is a
3
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
sectional view of the bearing taken along line 3C-3C of FIG. 3A; FIG. 3D is a
perspective view of the bearing.
[00011] FIG. 4A is a plan view of a circular rear sight; FIG. 4B is a
sectional view
of the circular rear sight taken along line 4B-4B of FIG. 4A; FIG. 4C is a
sectional view of the circular rear sight taken along line 4C-4C of FIG. 4A;
FIG.
4D is a perspective view of the circular rear sight.
[00012] FIG. 5 shows an adjustment mechanism for the rear sight.
[00013] FIG. 6A is a plan view of an annular oval rear sight; FIG. 6B is a
sectional
view of the annular oval sight taken along line 6B-6B of FIG. 6A; FIG. 6C is
an
end view the annular oval sight; FIG. 6D is a perspective view of the annular
oval
rear sight.
[00014] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the circular compass ring; FIG.
7B is a
perspective view of the oval compass ring.
[00015] FIG. 7C is a perspective view of the rear sight; FIG. 7D is a
perspective
view of the rear sight compass ring proximate the user; FIG. 7E is a
perspective
view of the rectangular oval ring distal from the user.
[00016] FIG. 8A is a plan view of the front sight of a handgun; FIG. 8B is
an
perspective view of the front sight; FIG. 8C is an elevation view of the front
sight;
FIG. 8D is a sectional view of the front sight taken along the line 8D-8D of
FIG.
8C; FIG. 8E is a bottom view of the front sight.
[00017] FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a rear sight of a handgun taken
in one
direction; FIG. 9 B is a plan view of the rear sight; FIG. 9C is an alternate
4
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
perspective view of the rear sight taken in another direction; FIG. 9D is an
elevation view of the rear sight; FIG. 9E is a end view of the rear sight.
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00018] A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from
the
shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small
spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns
come in a
wide variety of sizes, ranging from 5.5 mm (.22 inch) bore up to 5 cm (2 inch)
bore, and in a range of firearm operating mechanisms, including breech
loading,
single-barreled, double or combination gun, pump-action, bolt-, and lever-
action,
semi-automatic, and even fully automatic variants.
[00019] A shotgun is generally a smoothbore firearm, which means that the
inside
of the barrel is not rifled. The shot pellets from a shotgun spread upon
leaving the
barrel, and the power of the burning charge is divided among the pellets,
which
means that the energy of any one ball of shot is fairly low. In a hunting
context,
this makes shotguns useful primarily for hunting birds and other small game.
However, in a military or law enforcement context, the large number of
projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a close quarters combat weapon or a
defensive weapon. Shotguns are also used for target shooting sports such as
skeet,
trap, and sporting clays. These involve shooting clay disks, known as clay
pigeons, thrown in various ways. Shotguns have one or two barrels and the dual
barrels may be side-by-side or one over the other (over-and-under). Many
shotguns have ventilated ribs disposed along the length of the barrel. The
barrel
heats up when the weapon is fired, and the sights become off center or
misaligned
with each other. The ventilated rib is a bridge supported on bases fixed to
the
barrel. The sights are on the bridge. The air under the rib cools the bridge
to keep
the sights centered and aligned.
[00020] A handgun is a firearm designed to be held, in either one or both
hands.
This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms
from
long guns such as rifles and shotguns (which are mounted against the
shoulder).
Major handgun subtypes are the revolver and pistol; other subtypes include
6
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
derringers, single-shot pistols, semi-automatic pistols, pepperboxes, and
machine
pistols. Users often distinguish revolvers from pistols. Often handgun experts
make a technical distinction that views pistols as a subset of handguns.
Sometimes in American usage, the term "pistol" refers to a handgun having one
chamber integral with the barrel, making pistols distinct from the other main
type
of handgun, the revolver, which has a revolving cylinder containing multiple
chambers.
[00021] Turning
to FIG. 1, there is shown a barrel 11 of a shotgun. The top of the
barrel has a ventilating rib (bridge) 13 supported by rib bases 12.1, 12.2 and
12.3.
The base 12.1 is near the discharge opening of the barrel and base 12.3 is at
the
other, loading end of the barrel proximate the user. A front sight 20 is
mounted on
the distal end of the rib and a rear sight 40 is on the end of the rib
proximate the
user. The front sight 20 has a sight support 30 that holds a light pipe 21.
The rear
sight 40 has, in one embodiment, a rear support 41 that supports a compass
ring
60. The
light pipe may be made of translucent optical fiber and colored green or
orange with a fluorescent dye. The compass ring 60 is made of a polycarbonate
thermoplastic resin, such as Lexan brand plastic. It is also colored green
or
orange with a fluorescent dye. In order to provide contrast, the light pipe
and the
compass rings have different colors. The compass ring 60 has four points
extending inward at locations of 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees. In operation, a
hunter will adjust the barrel of the gun to position the front of the light
pipe (21)
in the center of the compass ring 60 using the compass points as guides.
[00022] Turning
to FIGS. 2A-2D, the light pipe 21 has elongated cylindrical body
24 terminated at a proximal, conical end 22 and a distal, flat end 25. A
raised key
23 on the cylindrical body 24 keeps light pipe fixed in place in the front
sight
support 30. Turning to FIGS. 3A-3D, the front support 30 has a base 27 with
alignment bearings 28, 31 at opposite ends. Between the ends, base 27 has an
aperture 33 for receiving a fixing screw that holds the base 27 on the
ventilating
rib 13. The alignment bearing 28 has an aperture 29 with a keyway 30.
Alignment
7
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
bearing 31 has as an aperture 32. Alignment bearing 28 faces the user. The
light
pipe 21 is inserted into the aperture 29 using the keyway 30 in the bearing
and the
key 23 on the light pipe to guide to pipe to aperture 32 in distal bearing 31.
After
the light pipe 21 is positioned between the apertures 29, 32, the light pipe
21 is
rotated in order to move the key 23 out of the keyway 30 and bear against the
surface of the alignment bearing member 28 that faced member 31.
[00023] Turning to FIGS. 4A-4D there are shown details of the rear sight
support
40. It has a base 41 that defines a circular aperture 42 having a half circle
cylindrical top portion 49. The base 41 has four mounting holes, 43, 44, 45,
46.
The mounting holes are elongated in order to allow the rear support 40 to be
positioned left or right on the ventilating rib 13. Mounting holes 43 ¨ 46
receive
mounting screws.
[00024] Rear sight 40 is mounted on the ventilating rib 13 using the
mounting
structures shown in FIG. 5. A bracket 79 is disposed below the rib 13. A rib
base
75 has a notch 76 wider than the width of the rib for fitting over the rib 13.
In
practice, a manufacturer may supply a set a front and rear sights with a
multiple
rib bases to provide the user with enough bases to fit the different width
ribs of
different shotguns. The rear sight base 41 is disposed over the rib base 75.
Four
screws including screws 71, 72 are threaded into openings in the sight base
41, the
rib base 75 and the bracket 76. The notch 76 allows the users to slide the
assembled rear sight 40 fore and aft on the rib 13 for range and the elongated
holes 43-46 in the rear base 41 allows left and right adjustment for centering
and
windage. FIG. 7A shows a circular ring 60 made from polycarbonate
thermoplastic resin, such as Lexan 0 brand plastic. It has four compass points
at
0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees. Ring 60 fits into the distal end of circular
opening 42.
[00025] An alternate rear support 50 is shown in FIGS. 6A-6D. The rear
sight
support 50 has a base 51 that defines an oval circular aperture 52 having a
half
oval top portion 59. The base 51 has four mounting holes, 53 ¨ 56. The
mounting
holes are elongated in order to allow the rear support 50 to be position left
or right
on the ventilating rib 13. Mounting holes 43 ¨ 46 receive mounting screws,
such
8
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
- - - - - - - -
as screws 71, 72 shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7B shows an oval ring 62 made from
polycarbonate thermoplastic resin, such as Lexan brand plastic. It has four
compass points at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees. Ring 62 fits into the distal end
of
oval opening 52.
[00026] The gun sight of the invention, when adjusted, also provide range
information to the user. For example, the circular rear sight 40 is set up by
the
user to enclose an exemplary shot pattern at a predetermined distance from the
hunter. For example, a preferred range of 35 yards is a typical range for a
employing a shotgun to hunt turkeys. At that range, a shot pattern will have a
small enough spread at the distance of 35 yards to mostly impact the head and
neck of the turkey and leave the body of the turkey free from shot. In a
similar
manner, the oval rear sight 50 has a width that corresponds to the wing spread
of a
flying duck or goose and a height corresponding to the distance between the
head
and feet of a duck or goose. The 90 degree or 270 degree point can be used to
lead the target.
[00027] As explained above, the invention may also be adapted to
embodiments
attached to handguns. Such embodiments provider the user with range and
aiming information to enable the user to quickly and accurately acquire an
adverse target. More specifically a rectangular rear sight is provided for
self
defense. The relatively large rectangular opening is designed to frame a
potential
assailant and is =wide enough to allow the user to employ both eyes to frame
the
target in the sight.
[00028] One rectangular handgun rear sight is 80 is shown in FIGS. 7C-7D
The
rear sight 80 has a base 81 that defines a rectangular aperture 82 having a
half
rectangular top portion 89. The base 81 has four mounting holes, 83-86. The
mounting holes are elongated in order to allow the rear support 80 to be
position
left or right on the ventilating rib 13. Mounting holes 83-86 receive mounting
screws, such as screws 71, 72 shown in FIG. 5. FIGS. 7D and 7E show
rectangular rings polycarbonate thermoplastic resin, such as Lexan 8 brand
plastic. Ring 91 has six compass points: lateral points are at 90 and 270
degrees.
9
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
Four other points are disposed at about 30, 120, 240 and 310 along the top and
bottom edges of the ring. Ring 91 fits into the distal end of opening 82 and
ring
92 fits into the proximate end of the opening 82. The rectangular opening is
sized
so that when user fills the frame with the torso or other body portion of the
assailant, the assailant is considered to be within an accurate range of the
handgun, e.g. 25 feet.
[00029] FIGS. 8A-8E, 9A-9E show an alternate handgun sight including a
front
sight 140 and rear sight 130, respectively. The front sight 140 has an
elongated,
rectangular body with one flat surface 141 at one end that faces the user and
another flat surface 144 facing the target. A light pipe, such light pipe 21
shown
in FIGS. 2C-2D, is inserted into the open space between the rear opening 141
and
forward opening 142. The body of the sight 140 has top and side windows 147,
148, 150, 152, 154, 156 to admit light in order to fluoresce the light pipe
21. The
base 146 of the body is angled at a depending angle of approximately 8
degrees.
The body is angled to allow the user to holster the handgun without catching
on
the holster, the rounded corer of the front sight slips easily into a holster.
An
aperture 155 in the base admits a set screw for fixing the front sight 140 to
the
discharge end of the handgun.
[00030] The rear handgun sight 120 a body 102 with a circular opening for
centering the target and a dovetail 114 for fixing the sight to the rear of
the
handgun. The configuration of the dovetail 114 will change depending upon the
manufacturer of the handgun. In the embodiment shown in this application the
dovetail 114 is modified to fit a handgun made by Glock. The rear gun sight
120
is configured to have the opening stepped back as shown in FIG. 9A so that
surface 110 of the body 102 faces the user.
[00031] The circular opening is defined by an upper portion with a curved
top
surface 118 and a lower portion with a tongue section 121 that has the same
radius of curvature as the opening and extends over the top of the center of
the
dovetail 114. The rear sight 120 has a step 113 between the bottom of the
aperture support body 102 and the dovetail 114. A compass ring such as ring 60
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
shown in FIG. 7A fits into the opening. The compass ring 60 is made from
polycarbonate thermoplastic resin, such as Lexan 0 brand plastic. It has four
compass points at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees. Ring 60 fits into the distal end
of
circular opening. The ring is colored with a fluorescent dye, preferably a red
dye
if the light pipe 21 is green or vice versa. The sight 120 has a pair of green
fluorescent dyed light pipes 116a, 116b arranged on opposite sides of the
diameter
of the circular opening. The light pipes llba, 116b are aligned with the 90
degree
and 270 degree compass points and establish an imaginary line across the
middle
of the opening. The front sight 120has a dovetail base 114 that fits into a
recess in
the top of a handgun. For example, pistols have conventional rear sights that
are
have dovetails which pressure fit into openings in the tops of the slide.
However,
a gunsmith, with the appropriate tools, may remove the original rear sight and
insert the new rear sight 120 into the space provided in the slide. The
dovetail
114 has apertures 115a, 115b for receiving screws which can engage recessed
threads in the slide to fix the dovetail in place. In other words, if the
dovetail
receptacle in the slide or top of the revolver is miss-sized, the screws will
engage
and pull the sight into place. In fact, the rear sight 120 is so firmly fixed
in place
that it can be used by law enforcement officers to cock their handgun by
pressing
the rear sight onto the edge of a holster or belt and forcing the body of the
slide
down to chamber and/or cock the trigger. In a similar manner, the user may
manipulate the slide to unlock a jammed round by tugging on the rear sight or
hammering the rear sight against a fixed object to free up the slide.
[00032] To aim at a target, the user orients the front, green light pipe 21
to sit in
middle of the imaginary line established by the rear sight light pipes 116a,
116b
and the compass points. The aim is deemed centered when the from green light
is
brought to the center of the circle of the rear sight. Centering is achieved
using
the compass points and the rear green lights to establish an imaginary line
across
the center of the circle. The closer the user positions the front green light
in the
center of the circle, the tighter the firing cluster of the bullets in the
profile. The
user will adjust the position of the center green light relative to the left
and right
11
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
rear lights 116a, 116b and the 0 and 180 degree compass points in order to
account of the user's aiming characteristics and the inherent firing
peculiarities of
the handgun and the interaction between the user and the handgun during
firing.
A user may shoot high or low, left or right. However, once the user knows
his/her
characteristics (or the peculiarities of the handgun) the user may adjust
his/her
aim accordingly. Such characteristics and peculiarities are established at a
firing
range where the user centers a number of trial shots on a target, observes the
variation in the location of the target hits to the aimed location indicated
in the
gun sight, and adjust for the user's aiming characteristics and the handgun's
firing
peculiarities and the interaction between the two.
[00033] In one embodiment the diameter of the opening in the rear sight is
about
0.418 + 001 inches. That opening is sized to provide the user with range
information. More specifically, when a profile of a target or an assailant
fills the
opening between the compass points of 90 and 270 degrees, the profile of the
target is in range of a accurate shot. The range is approximately 25 feet. In
other
words, if the user fills the opening between the 90 and 270 compass points
with a
target profile, then the target is with a range of 25 feet. Stated another
way, if the
user sees shoulder-to-shoulder inside the rear circle, the assailant is likely
within
25 feet of the user. If the handgun is then aimed to align the target profile
with
the imaginary line made by the light pipes, there is a very high likelihood
the
handgun with discharge a round that will strike the profile of the target.
[00034] The method for adjusting the sights to provide accurate targeting
of
shotgun with a ventilated rib is as follows. As first step, the user fixes the
front
sight on the discharge or distal end of the rib and fixes the rear sight at a
first
location on the end of the rib proximate the user. The user selects a
reasonable
target range, such as 35 yards, and places a target such as a full size image
of
turkey with a raised head at that location. The rear sight is set to a first
location
and the user fires a pattern at the target by positioning the image of the
turkey's
head between the 0 and 180 points of the compass ring. The user centers the
turkey head between the opposite compass points, fires, and then inspects the
12
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
----- ¨
pattern. If the pattern of shot is tight around the image of the turkey head,
no
further adjustment is required. However, if the pattern indicates shot
entering the
image of the turkey's body, then the rear sight is adjusted to improve the
shot
pattern. Moving the rear sight forward will make the shot pattern tighter and
moving the rear sight backward with widen the shot pattern. The steps may be
repeated until the rear sight is set to a pattern acceptable to the user.
During
actual hunting, the user may quickly acquire the target of a turkey and know
that
if the head of the turkey is touching or beyond the 0 and 180 points, the
turkey is
at a range of 35 yards and thus close enough to shot at and expect a tight
shot
pattern. The setting for in flight game birds is similar, but uses compass
points 0
and 180 for the head and fee and 90 and 270 for the wing spread.
[00035] Adjusting sights for handguns is slightly different. The target
distance for
a handgun is, for example, 25 feet. Other distances may be selected depending
upon the experience and skill of the user and the inherent accuracy of the
handgun. The user sets a target that corresponds to a shoulder-to-shoulder
profile
of the assailant and stands the selected and presumed accurate distance of 25
feet
from the target and fires a number of rounds to provide a pattern on the
target. In
order to target the profile, the user selects the 90 and 270 compass points so
that
the test target's shoulder-to-should profile is between or beyond both points.
To
assist the user, the rear sight has left and right light pipes disposed at the
90 and
270 degree location in the annular body of the rear sight and aligned with the
compass points. Thus, the front site is targeted in the middle of the
imaginary line
between the 90 and 270 degree points and thus in the center of a shoulder-to-
shoulder profile. If the boundary of the target far inside the 90 and 270
compass
points, the assailant may be too distant for an accurate shot. Depending upon
the
tightness of the pattern, the user may alter the location of the rear sight or
move
closer to the target to fill the rear sight left to right with the shoulder-to-
shoulder
profile. If the rear sight is not adjustable, the user practices until the
user can
provide a tight pattern inside the 90 and 270 compass points or find suitable
13
CA 02869586 2014-10-03
WO 2014/007899
PCT/US2013/034577
ranges where the shoulder-to-shoulder profile relative to the rear site
provides a
tight pattern at known range.
[00036] In summary, the gun sights of the invention provide range and
alignment
information without the cost of expensive ranger finders and optical gun
sights. It
also enables rapid eye-to-target acquisition which is especially important
when
the user is under assault and time is of the essence.
[00037] The gun sight of the invention is not limited to the exemplary
embodiments show above. The front and read sights may be mounted on any
shotgun, rifle or pistol. The sights may be permanently mounted by drilling
holes
in the barrel of the weapon, machining the opening to have a screw thread, and
then screwing the sights into the machined openings. Other methods of mounting
include using spring mounts and high temperature adhesives.
14
