Firearm trigger lock

A trigger lock for use on a firearm having a trigger and a trigger guard includes a plurality of spaced apart pins and means for holding and locking these pins in their spaced apart relationship. These pins cooperate to prevent trigger movement when one of them is placed and held behind the trigger, while another is placed and held against the inside of the trigger guard at a position behind the trigger.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention generally relates to firearms. More particularly,
 this invention relates to an external trigger lock for firearms.
 2. Description of the Related Art
 The use of external, firearm trigger locks is well known in the prior art.
 More specifically, such locks are known basically to consist of familiar
 structural configurations. These devices utilize a plurality of different
 types of wrenches, keys and other locking systems to prevent unauthorized
 or accidental operation of the firearm. For example, U.S. Pat. No.
 5,755,054 requires a special key wrench, whereas U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,400,538,
 5,647,158, and 5,535,605 utilize various types of combination locks that
 do not require the separate use of a key or wrench. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat.
 No. 5,050,328 employs only a childproof locking system that disengages the
 lock by manually spreading a pair of pins.
 Many of these prior art devices are configured to totally enclose a
 firearm's trigger guard. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,050,328,
 5,400,538, 5,535,605, 5,544,440, 5,755,054, 5,778,586 5,704,152 and
 5,829,179. Some even enclose portions of the firearm's barrel and handle.
 For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,768,819 and 5,680,723. Such enclosure
 techniques significantly differ from the present invention's total
 immobilization of a firearm's trigger, and leave the firearms that employ
 such techniques susceptible to the hazards associated with manipulating
 the enclosure in a manner so as to still allow the firearm to be
 discharged.
 The trigger lock according to the present invention substantially departs
 from conventional concepts and the design of the prior art, and in so
 doing provides an apparatus that is especially well suited for easy and
 rapid engagement and disengagement from a variety of firearms.
 Despite the prior art, there exists a continuing need for new and improved
 firearm trigger locks. The present invention substantially fulfills many
 such needs.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a new
 and improved trigger lock for use on a firearm having a trigger and a
 trigger guard comprises a pair of spaced apart pins that cooperate to
 prevent trigger movement by having one of the pins placed behind the
 trigger while the other pin is fixed against the inside of the trigger
 guard at a position behind the trigger, and means for holding and locking
 these pins in this spaced apart relationship.
 In a preferred embodiment, the means for holding these pins in this spaced
 apart relationship comprises: (a) a hollow base with an open top surface
 and a bottom, exterior surface having an elongated slot, (b) a latch plate
 having a toothed section, with the latch plate being slidably mounted in
 the base, (c) a keeper plate also having a toothed section, with this
 keeper plate being movable between a first position in which these toothed
 sections mesh together so as to restrict the latch plate from sliding, and
 a second position in which the toothed sections are not meshed so that the
 latch plate may slide within the base, (d) a set cylinder fixed for axial
 motion within the base so as to engage a portion of the keeper plate and
 move it between its first and second positions, (e) a means for biasing
 said cylinder into its second position, and (f) a cover plate that covers
 the base's open top surface and cooperates to hold and regulate the motion
 of the plates, cylinder and biasing means mounted within the base.
 With such a means for holding the pins apart, the pins themselves consist
 of a movable pin, one end of which is affixed to the latch plate such that
 its other free end extends normal to the plate and passes through the
 base's slot where it is free to be placed against and behind the trigger,
 and a fixed pin which has its base end affixed to the base exterior
 surface such that its other free end extends from the base so that it may
 be placed against a position on the inside of the trigger guard, behind
 the trigger, and in a spaced apart and operative relation to the movable
 pin free end.
 Thus, there has thus been summarized above, rather broadly, the more
 important features of the present invention in order that the detailed
 description that follows may be better understood and appreciated. There
 are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be
 described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims
 appended thereto.
 In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the present
 invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not
 limited in its application to the details of construction and to the
 arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or
 illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments
 and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be
 understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for
 the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
 As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon
 which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the
 designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the
 several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore,
 that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions
 insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present
 invention.
 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new trigger
 lock apparatus which has many of the advantages of the devices mentioned
 heretofore and many novel features that result in a firearm trigger lock
 which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by
 any of the prior art devices, either alone or in any combination thereof.
 It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved
 firearm trigger lock which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and
 marketed.
 It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and
 improved firearm trigger lock which is of durable and reliable
 construction.
 It is a still further object of the present invention is to provide a new
 and improved firearm trigger lock which provides some of the advantages of
 the apparatuses of the prior art, while simultaneously overcoming some of
 the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
 These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become
 readily apparent as the invention is better understood by reference to the
 accompanying drawings and the detailed description that follows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 Referring now to the drawings wherein are shown preferred embodiments and
 wherein like reference numerals designate like elements throughout, there
 is shown in FIG. 1 a side view of a preferred embodiment of the present
 invention which illustrates the placement of the invention on a firearm,
 having a trigger and a trigger guard, in such a manner as to prevent its
 operation.
 FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present
 invention. It is seen to comprise three spaced apart pins (40, 100, 120)
 that cooperate to prevent trigger movement by having one (40) of the pins
 placed behind the trigger, another (120) of the pins placed inside the
 front portion of the trigger guard, while the final pin (100) is fixed
 against the inside of the trigger guard at a position behind the trigger,
 and means for holding and locking these pins in this spaced apart
 relationship.
 To better understand the internal elements of this preferred embodiment,
 FIG. 3 is provided and illustrates an exploded, perspective view of the
 elements that comprise the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.
 The means for holding the pins (40, 100, 120) in a spaced apart
 relationship is seen to comprise: (a) a base (10) configured to have first
 (12), second (14), and third (16) hollow interior portions, an open top
 surface (18), a bottom, exterior surface (20), a first (22) and a second
 (23) elongated slot (22) in the bottom exterior surface (20), (b) a first
 latch plate (30) having a top (32) and a bottom (34) side, (c) a second
 latch plate (10) having a top (112) and a bottom (114) side, wherein these
 plates (30, 110) are slidably mounted in the base interior portion and
 have a portion of their top sides having toothed sections (36, 116), (d) a
 keeper plate (50) having a top (52) and a bottom (54) side, with a portion
 of this bottom side having a toothed section (56) that is meshable with
 the plate toothed sections (36, 116), wherein this keeper plate (50) is
 movable between a first position in which the toothed sections (36, 56,
 116) mesh so as to lock and restrict the latch plates (30, 110) from
 sliding, and a second position in which the toothed sections (36, 56, 116)
 are not meshed so that the latch plates (30, 110) may slide within the
 base, (e) a set cylinder (60) having an axis and a bottom (62) and a top
 (64) end, a bottom (66) and a top (68) sleeve, each of which extends
 perpendicular to the cylinder axis, with the cylinder being slidably
 mounted for axial motion in the base's second interior portion (14), and a
 portion of the bottom sleeve (66) engaging a portion of the keeper plate
 bottom side (54), (f) a means for biasing the cylinder (60) for motion
 along its axis from a first position in which the keeper toothed section
 (56) meshes with the latch plate toothed sections (36, 116) so as to lock
 and restrict the latch plates (30, 110) from sliding, and to a second
 position in which the toothed sections (36, 56, 116) are not meshed so
 that the latch plate (30, 110) may slide within the base's interior
 portion, and (g) a cover plate (90) having a top (92) and a bottom (94)
 surface, the plate (90) covering the base open top surface (18) and
 cooperating to hold and regulate the motion of the plates, cylinder and
 biasing means, with the plate (90) having an aperture (96) through which
 the top end (64) of the cylinder protrudes, and the top cylinder sleeve
 (68) engaging with the plate bottom surface (94) so as to control the
 height above the plate top surface (92) to which the cylinder top end (64)
 protrudes.
 This top cylinder end (64) is seen to function as a button for manually
 moving the top cylinder end (64) toward the cover plate top surface (92)
 so as to move the cylinder (60) to its first position and thereby locking
 said toothed sections (36, 56, 116) together until the locking means (4)
 is employed for this task.
 Meanwhile, the pins themselves consist of a first movable pin (40), one end
 of which is affixed to the first latch plate (30) such that its other free
 end (44) extends normal to the plate and passes through the base's first
 slot (22) where it is free to be placed against and behind the trigger.
 Similarly, a second movable pin (120), one end of which is affixed to the
 second latch plate (110) such that its other free end (124) extends normal
 to the plate and passes through the base's second slot (23) where it is
 free to be placed against a front, inside position of the trigger guard. A
 third pin (100) has its base end (102) affixed to the base exterior
 surface (20) such that its other free end (104) extends from the base so
 that it may be placed against a position on the inside of the trigger
 guard, behind the trigger, and in a spaced apart and operative relation to
 the movable pins (40, 120).
 The means for locking the pins in this spaced apart relationship can be
 accomplished by employing any one of a variety of locking mechanisms. The
 locking mechanism shown in FIG. 3 is of the key operated variety. It is
 seen to consist of a standard lock mechanism (80) that is configured to
 fit within the base's third interior portion (16). A rotatable lever (82)
 extends from one end of the mechanism such that the lever's distal end can
 be rotated so as to contact the cylinder's top sleeve (68) and hold the
 cylinder (60) in its first position and thereby lock the toothed sections
 (36, 56, 116) together.
 Materials suitable for construction of the various elements of the present
 invention include aluminum and steel in order to maximize the lock's
 durability.
 Although the foregoing disclosure relates to preferred embodiments of the
 invention, it is understood that these details have been given for the
 purposes of clarification only. Various changes and modifications of the
 invention will be apparent, to one having ordinary skill in the art,
 without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as
 hereinafter set forth in the claims.