Abstract:
Mount assemblies for securing laser sights (designators) to a wide variety of guns through mounting of the designator directly to an existing conventional scope. The mount assembly includes a base adapted for attaching the mount assembly to a scope, a rail pivotally attached to the base, and a ring assembly on the rail for mounting the designator to the rail. A first adjustment mechanism is provided for pivoting the rail in a first plane toward and away from the base to effect elevation changes in the trajectory of a laser beam generated by the designator, and a second adjustment mechanism is provided for pivoting the rail relative to the base in a second plane to effect windage changes in the trajectory of the laser beam.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/373,614, filed Aug. 13, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to devices adapted to mount a light to a scope of a firearm, air gun, airsoft gun, etc. 
         [0003]    Telescopic sights, or scopes, are commonly mounted on firearms including handguns, long guns, and automatic weapons, air guns including air pistols and air rifles, airsoft guns, and various other types of equipment. Optical sights and especially laser sights are also becoming more common for military, hunting and recreational use. Lasers emit a beam of coherent light that is concentrated and unidirectional, and are therefore preferred for targeting use over other forms of light that are incoherent, relatively weak, and omni-directional. 
         [0004]    In most cases, a laser sight (or “laser designator”) is mounted to a scope to emit a laser beam parallel to the axes of the scope and barrel from which a projectile is fired. The laser light appears as a small spot over long distances, enabling the user to place the spot on a target viewed through the reticle of the scope and, in doing so, indicate the trajectory of the projectile (not taking into consideration elevation (drop) and windage). Whereas most laser sights use a red laser diode, infrared diodes and other laser light colors have been used, including green laser diodes. Green laser beams having a wavelength of 532 nm are advantageous because green light is at the peak of the human eye&#39;s sensitivity, thereby producing more visible light with less energy compared to other light sources. Such efficiencies reduce the power requirements of the laser, and therefore increase battery life.  FIG. 14  schematically represents the operation of a green DPSS (diode-pumped solid-state) laser of a type known in the art. A commercial example of a laser designator using this technology is the ND-3 and ND-5 series available from Laser Genetics, Inc. 
         [0005]    Laser sights are often rigidly mounted, resulting in the inability of the user to make elevation (vertical) and windage (horizontal) adjusts to the laser beam. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides mount assemblies for securing laser sights (designators) to a wide variety of firearms, air guns, airsoft guns, etc., through mounting of the designator directly to an existing conventional telescopic sight (scope). 
         [0007]    According to a first aspect of the invention, a mount assembly includes a base comprising means for attaching the mount assembly to a scope, a rail pivotally attached to the base so as to pivot in first and second planes relative to the base, and a ring assembly on the rail for mounting a laser designator to the rail. In addition, a first adjustment means is provided for pivoting the rail in the first plane toward and away from the base to effect elevation changes in the trajectory of a laser beam generated by the designator mounted to the mount assembly, and a second adjustment means is provided for pivoting the rail relative to the base in the second plane to effect windage changes in the trajectory of a laser beam generated by the designator mounted to the mount assembly. 
         [0008]    Another aspect of the invention is a method of effecting elevation and windage changes in the trajectory of a laser beam generated by a designator mounted to a scope using a mount assembly comprising the elements described above. The method includes using the first adjustment means to cause the rail to pivot in the first plane toward and away from the base and effect an elevation change in the trajectory of the laser beam, using the second adjustment means to cause the rail to pivot relative to the base in the second plane and effect a windage change in the trajectory of the laser beam, and then setting the elevation and windage changes. 
         [0009]    A technical effect of the invention is that the mount assemblies enable a user to make very fine elevation and windage adjustments to the trajectory of a laser beam produced by a designator mounted to a scope, enabling the user to place the illumination of the laser beam on an object being viewed through the reticle of the scope. 
         [0010]    Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be better appreciated from the following detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIGS. 1 through 5  show various views of a mount assembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIGS. 6 and 7  show fragmentary cross-sectional views of the mount assembly of  FIGS. 1 through 5 . 
           [0013]      FIGS. 8 and 9  depict the capability of the mount of  FIGS. 1 through 5  to make elevation and windage adjustments, respectively, the trajectory of a laser beam relative to a scope. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 10 through 13  show various views of a mount assembly in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 14  schematically represents the operation of a green DPSS laser of a type known in the art, and which is suitable for generating a laser beam from a laser designator that can be mounted with the mount assemblies of this invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]      FIGS. 1 through 9  show a laser sight mount assembly  10  comprising a base  12  for attaching the mount assembly  10  to a scope  80  ( FIGS. 8 and 9 ), a rail  14  pivotally attached to the base  12 , and a ring assembly  16  adjustably mounted to the rail  14  for mounting a designator  90  ( FIGS. 8 and 9 ). Examples of suitable designators include but are limited to the ND-3 and ND-5 series available from Laser Genetics, Inc. 
         [0017]    To facilitate the description of the assembly  10  provided below, the terms “vertical,” “horizontal,” “front,” “rear,” “forward,” “rearward,” “side,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” “right,” “left,” etc., will be used in reference to the perspective of one using the assembly  10  when mounted on a scope, and therefore are relative terms and should not be otherwise interpreted as limitations to the construction and use of the assembly  10 . 
         [0018]    The base  12  comprises a two-piece mounting ring  18  adapted for gripping a scope  80  (as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 ), and a platform  20  that is above and extends forward of the ring  18 . A threaded shaft  23  of a windage adjustment screw  22  is received in a transverse bore  24  ( FIG. 5 ) in the platform  20  and engages a nut  25  on the opposite side of the base  12 . A set screw  26  is threaded into the front surface of the platform  20  and extends into a slot  28  ( FIG. 5 ) in the upper surface of the base  12 , where the set screw  26  is able to engage the shaft  23  of the adjustment screw  22  to prevent the adjustment wheel  22  from rotating. The platform  20  is also formed to have a bore  30  in its upper surface above the ring  18 . 
         [0019]    The rail  14  comprises a flange  32  received in the slot  28  of the base  12 , and a threaded bore  34  is defined in the flange  32  through which the threaded shaft  23  of the adjustment screw  22  is threaded to secure the rail  14  to the base  12  while also defining a pivot axis about which the rail  14  is able to pivot relative to the base  12  in a vertical plane. A lower shaft  37  of an elevation adjustment wheel  36  is threaded into a nut  31  within the bore  30  in the base  12 , and an upper shaft  39  of the adjustment wheel  36  is received in a bore (shown in  FIG. 7 ) in the lower surface of the rail  14 . A pin  38  engages a groove  40  on the upper shaft  39  of the wheel  36  to retain the adjustment wheel  36  to the rail  14 . The shafts  37  and  39  of the adjustment wheel  36  define a second pivot axis about which the rail  14  pivots relative to the base  12  in a horizontal plane (i.e., transverse to the vertical pivot plane established by the shaft  23  of the adjustment screw  22 ). A set screw  42  threaded into the rail  14  is able to engage the upper shaft  39  of the wheel  36  and thereby prevent the adjustment wheel  36  from rotating. 
         [0020]    From  FIGS. 1 through 9 , it can be seen that the pivot axes defined by the shafts  23 ,  37  and  39 , and about which the rail  14  and ring assembly  16  pivot in unison relative to the base  12 , are located at opposite ends of the mount assembly  10 . Turning of the adjustment wheel  36  (located at the rearward end of the assembly  10 ) results in the threaded lower shaft  37  of the wheel  36  acting as a power screw with the nut  31  ( FIG. 7 ), causing the rearward end of the rail  14  to be raised and lowered relative to the base  12  and the entire rail  14  to pivot in the vertical plane about the shaft  23  of the adjustment wheel  22 . Turning the adjustment screw  22  (located at the forward end of the assembly  10 ) causes the flange  32  (which is narrower than the slot  28 ) to move transversely within the slot  28  ( FIG. 6 ) and cause the entire rail  14  to pivot in the horizontal plane about the upper shaft  39  of the adjustment wheel  36 . The set screw  26  engages the front face of the flange  32  to secure the rotational position of the rail  14  relative to the base  12 . A spring  52  ( FIGS. 5 and 7 ) is preferably provided to bias the rail  14  away from the base  12  so that, when the set screw  26  is not engaged, the rail  14  is able to freely rotate relative to the base  12 , as well as eliminate free-play between the rail  14  and base  12 . 
         [0021]    As evident from  FIG. 5 , the rotational position of the adjustment screw  22  can be assisted with complementary detent features  44  and  48  defined in the opposing faces of the screw  22  and platform  20 , and the rotational position of the adjustment wheel  36  can be assisted with complementary detent features  46  and  50  defined in the opposing faces of the wheel  36  and rail  14 . The nuts  25  and  31  are shown as being accompanied by elastic washers  27  and  33 , respectively, which are compressible to provide for slight axial movement of the adjustment screw  22  and adjustment wheel  36  as their respective detent features  44 ,  46 ,  48  and  50  engage and disengage each other. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the ring assembly  16  serves to attach the designator  90  to the rail  14 . As seen in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , a pair of U-shaped channels  54  are slidably engaged with a weaver rail  56  formed in the sides of the rail  14 , and a set screw  58  serves to clamp the channels  54  to the rail  14 . Slots  60  formed in the upper surface of the rail  14  provide for incremental positioning of the ring assembly  16  in the forward and rearward linear directions along the length of the rail  14 . Finally, the ring assembly  16  includes a two-piece ring  62  configured to clamp around the designator  90 . 
         [0023]      FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate the manner in which rotation of the adjustment wheel  36  and adjustment screw  22  effect elevation and windage changes, respectively, in the trajectory of a laser beam  64  generated by the designator  90  mounted by the assembly  10  to a scope  80 . 
         [0024]    A second laser sight mount assembly  70  is represented in  FIGS. 10 through 13  that is similar to the assembly  10  of  FIGS. 1 through 9 , with the key difference being that the separate rail  14  and ring assembly  16  shown in  FIGS. 1 through 9  have been replaced with a unitary piece  66 . For convenience, identical reference numerals are used in  FIGS. 10 through 13  to denote the same or functionally equivalent elements described for the assembly  10  of  FIGS. 1 through 9 . The portion of the unitary piece  66  corresponding to the rail  14  of  FIGS. 1 through 9  is still referred to as a rail  14  even though, as explained below, the rail  14  shown in  FIGS. 10 through 13  does not have all of the functions of the rail  14  shown in  FIGS. 1 through 9 . 
         [0025]    By merging the separate rail  14  and ring assembly  16  of  FIGS. 1 through 9  into the unitary piece  66  of  FIGS. 10 through 13 , the channels  54 , weaver rail  56 , set screw  58 , and slots  60  are no longer required to adjust the ring assembly  16  in a forward and rearward direction relative to the rail  14 . Though the ability to move the ring assembly  16  relative to the rail  14  has been eliminated, the configurations and operations of the adjustment screw  22  and adjustment wheel  36  are essentially the same as described above. Specifically, through the pivotal connections between the rail  14  and the base  12 , the unitary piece  66  is able to pivot relative to the base  12  to make windage and elevation changes, respectively, to the trajectory of a laser beam generated by a designator (not shown) mounted by the assembly  70  to a scope, in the same manner as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . As with the assembly  10  of  FIGS. 1 through 9 , turning of the adjustment wheel  36  results in the threaded lower shaft  37  ( FIG. 11 ) of the wheel  36  acting as a power screw with the nut (not shown; corresponding to the nut  31  seen in  FIG. 7 ), causing the rearward end of the rail  14  to be raised and lowered relative to the base  12  and the entire rail  14  to pivot in a vertical plane about the shaft  23  ( FIG. 13 ) of the adjustment wheel  22 , and turning the adjustment screw  22  causes the flange of the rail  14  (not shown; corresponding to the flange  32  seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) to move transversely within the slot of the base  12  (not shown; corresponding to the slot  28  seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) and cause the entire rail  14  to pivot in a horizontal plane about the upper shaft  39  ( FIG. 11 ) of the adjustment wheel  36 . 
         [0026]    While the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the mount assemblies could differ in appearance and construction from the embodiments shown in the Figures, and the functions of each component of the mount assemblies could be performed by components of different construction but capable of a similar (though not necessarily equivalent) function. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.