Abstract:
A plurality of actuators allow a gun operator to control the on/off status of an illuminator attached to a weapon in the area forward of the trigger guard. The actuators are spaced to allow them to extend rearwardly on opposite sides of the trigger guard. “Up” turns the light emitter on and keeps it on or allows it to turn on as long as the actuator is actuated, regardless of which side of the trigger guard the actuators is actuated.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/737,569, filed Nov. 17, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The need to be able to effectively see a target and aim a weapon in the direction of the target is well recognized. Tactical illuminators to facilitate illuminating a target and aiming a weapon, especially under low light conditions, are known. Tactical illuminators typically have an incandescent lamp or light emitting diode (LED) to provide general illumination of an area or person of interest. The output is typically a white light capable of projecting 40 to 150 lumens, although higher output lights are also known. Some tactical illuminators have a laser for providing point of impact indication.  
         [0003]     The tactical illuminator may be attached to a weapon, for example a handgun, long gun, or shotgun, in a variety of different ways. Some tactical illuminators are secured to a handgun having a set of rails located under the barrel, in an area forward of the trigger guard, and some tactical illuminators are secured to the trigger guard.  
         [0004]     These tactical illuminators typically have one or more actuators to turn the light and/or laser on or off located on the ends of these devices. Some tactical illuminators for use with handguns have actuators that straddle the trigger guard to allow the operator to control the light from either side of the weapon. These actuators are not independent. Actuating one actuator on one side of the trigger guard causes the other actuator on the other side of the trigger guard to also move. In some tactical illuminators, rotating the actuator on the right side of the trigger guard upward (about a horizontal axis) causes the actuator on the left side of the trigger guard to also rotate upward. In other tactical illuminators, rotating the actuator on the right side of the trigger guard counterclockwise (about a longitudinal axis) causes the actuator on the left side of the trigger guard to also rotate counterclockwise. Placement of fingers on the trigger or non-trigger hand can impede movement of the actuator on an opposite side of the gun. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]     Features and advantages of the present invention are set forth by description of embodiments consistent therewith, which description should be considered along with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tactical illuminator consistent with one embodiment of the invention mounted to a weapon.  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the tactical illuminator of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a tail cap assembly of the tactical illuminator of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of a tap cap assembly consistent with a second embodiment of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0010]     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is depicted a tactical illuminator  100  consistent with one embodiment of the invention mountable to a weapon  200 . For convenience, the description that follows describes the tactical illuminator as a device generally used to cast light upon a target area or a portion thereof. The light may extend outwardly from a first end of the tactical illuminator  100  from a light emitter  170  and be generally aligned parallel with a longitudinal axis LA of the weapon  200 . The light may illuminate a large area (e.g. a flashlight) or may be concentrated on a small area (e.g. laser pointer).  
         [0011]     The weapon  200  may be a handgun (as shown), a long gun, or shotgun. A set of rails  202  may be disposed in an area forward of a trigger guard  204  extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis LA of the weapon  200 . The tactical illuminator  100  may be coupled to rails  202  in a variety of different ways. For example, the tactical illuminator may utilize the spring-biased mechanism disclosed in issued U.S. Pat. No. 6, 574,901, or a conventional rail or trigger guard clamping mechanism.  
         [0012]     One or more actuators for controlling the on/off status of the light emitter  170  may extend outwardly from a second end of the tactical illuminator  100 . A first actuator  106 A may be spaced from a second actuator  106 B (see  FIG. 3 ) by a distance sufficient to allow the trigger guard  204  to extend therebetween. The actuators may be part of a tail cap assembly  104  that may be coupled to the housing  102  with a retainer  144 . The retainer  144  may be secured to bosses  142  in the tail cap assembly  104  by a retainer pin  140  that may be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing  102 . Alternatively, a retainer may be secured to the housing by a retainer pin.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a tail cap assembly consistent with one embodiment of the invention. A first housing portion  120  and a second housing portion  122  may be coupled together with a gasket  124  and O rings  150  to form a water-tight tail cap assembly  104 . First actuator  106 A and second actuator  106 B may be pivotably coupled to the first housing portion  120  by fasteners  126  extending through openings  128  in the first and second actuators  106 A,  106 B and openings  130  in the first housing portion  120 . The first housing portion  120  may have protrusions  134  that extend through openings  132  in the first and second actuators  106 A,  106 B to limit the travel of the first and second actuators  106 A,  106 B.  
         [0014]     First and second actuators  106 A,  106 B may be coupled to cam members  152  to urge portions  154 A of conductors  154  into electrical contact with portions  156 A of electrical conductor  156 . The cam members  152  may have cammed surfaces on opposing sides to provide momentary and constant-on operation and provide tactile feel to actuators  106 A,  106 B. The end portion  156 B of electrical conductor  156  may extend through an opening  162  in second housing portion  122  to provide an electrical connection to a first battery  164  disposed in the housing  102 . Electrical conductor  158  may provide an electrical connection between conductors  154  and contact  160 , which in turn provide an electrical connection to a second battery  166  disposed in the housing  102 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of a tap cap assembly  104 ′ consistent with a second embodiment of the invention. The rear tail cap assembly  104 ′ may have protrusions  136  for limiting travel of the first and second actuators  106 A,  106 B.  
         [0016]     It has been discovered that it is easier to train a peace officer if a tactical illuminator actuator(s) works the same, regardless of which hand the weapon is in. FIGS.  3  and  4  show that the first actuator  106 A may be moveable in a first general direction D 1  (upward, when the weapon is operated in its typical orientation, i.e. the trigger guard under the barrel) to cause the light emitter to turn on and stay on and moveable in a second general direction D 2  (downward) to cause the light emitter to stay on as long as the actuator is actuated and turn off when released. Second actuator  106 B may be moveable in the first general direction D 1  to cause the light emitter to turn on and stay on and moveable in the second general direction D 2  to cause the light emitter to turn on as long as the actuator is actuated and turn off when released. Clockwise rotation of the first actuator  106 A may cause the light emitter  170  to turn on and stay on and counterclockwise rotation may cause the light emitter  170  to turn on as long as the actuator  106 A is actuated. Counterclockwise rotation of the second actuator  106 B may cause the light emitter  170  to turn on and stay on and clockwise rotation may cause the light emitter  170  to stay on as long as the actuator  106 B is actuated. The correlation between the clockwise/counterclockwise movement of the actuators  106 A,  106 B and whether the light emitter  170  turns on and stays on may be changed without departing from the invention.  
         [0017]     According to one aspect there is provided an illuminator for use with a weapon having a trigger guard. The illuminator may include a housing having a longitudinal axis, the housing at least partially enclosing a battery and supporting a first and a second movable actuator mechanically coupled to the housing. The first actuator moveable in a first general direction, independent of the second actuator, to cause a light emitter coupleable to the battery to turn on and stay on and moveable in a second general direction, independent of the second actuator, to cause the light emitter to turn on as long as the actuator is actuated, and the second actuator moveable in the first general direction, independent of the first actuator, to cause the light emitter to turn on and stay on and moveable in the second general direction, independent of the first actuator, to cause the light emitter to stay on as long as the actuator is actuated.  
         [0018]     According to another aspect there is provided a tactical illuminator for use with a weapon having a trigger guard. The tactical illuminator may include a housing for at least partially enclosing a battery and supporting a first actuator rotatable about a first axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the housing and a second actuator rotatable about a second axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. The first and second actuators configured to selectively control an on/off status of a light emitter coupleable to the battery. The first actuator actuatable from a first side of the trigger guard and the second actuator actuatable from a second side of the trigger guard, the second actuator being operable independent of the first actuator.  
         [0019]     According to a yet another aspect there is provided a method of controlling a light emitter in a tactical flashlight. The method may include the steps of rotating a first actuator about a first axis parallel with a longitudinal axis of the tactical flashlight in a first general direction to cause the light emitter to turn on and stay on and rotating the first actuator about the first axis in a second general direction to cause the light emitter to turn on as long as the actuator is actuated. The method may further include the steps of rotating a second actuator about a second axis spaced from the first axis and parallel with the longitudinal axis in the first general direction to cause the light emitter to turn on and stay on and rotating the second actuator about the second axis in the second general direction to cause the light emitter to turn on as long as the actuator is actuated.  
         [0020]     Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein, the invention is not limited hereto. It will be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without materially departing from the novel and advantageous teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are by way of example. It is to be understood that the cope of the invention is not limited thereby