Abstract:
A small gun contained in the buckle of a belt is provided. The gun may comprise a single barrel or a multiplicity of barrels. Each barrel is capable of firing a single shot. Each barrel has a safety to prevent unwanted discharge of the firearm. Each barrel has a trigger. When the trigger is released, the barrel of the gun rotates, thus producing a shot.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to the field of small firearms. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The concept of a Buckle Gun appears in the patent literature. Some exemplary inventions are mentioned hereinbelow. 
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,025 relates to a concealed buckle gun comprising a slidable cover plate, and is fired by pulling a lanyard. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,249 comprises a buckle which acts as a holster for a small pistol. In this reference, the pistol is removed from the buckle for use. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,087 also describes a buckle holster. Again, the pistol is removed from the buckle for use. 
         [0006]    Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,621 describes a compact foldable gun. This reference describes a foldable barrel. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention provides a small firearm contained in the buckle of a belt. 
         [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a firearm capable of firing a single shot. 
         [0009]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a firearm capable of firing multiple shots. 
         [0010]    It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a firearm which comprises a general “safety” mechanism that avoids unwanted discharge of the firearm, and an individual safety for each barrel when the general safety is taken off the mechanism. 
         [0011]    It is a still further object of the present invention to provide the gun collector a unique device of great mechanical appeal. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a cutaway side view of the firearm mechanism of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the case or receiver that holds the firearm mechanisms of the present invention.  FIGS. 2.1 ,  2 . 2 , are side views, and  FIG. 2.3  is an end view of the same case. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is also a cutaway side view of the buckle gun mechanism, showing one barrel being acted upon by a torsion spring and firing mechanisms of different design from those of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an end view of the buckle encasement of the present invention showing the reinforcing ribs, the clasp that holds the lid closed, the anvil, the lid hinge, and the inside leg of the lid torsion spring. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    The details of this novel buckle pistol are clearly described in the following detailed description and are shown in the accompanying drawings. In the description and the drawings, the same numbers refer to the same elements throughout. 
         [0017]    For the sake of convenience, below is set forth a table which lists the drawing elements with their corresponding numbers. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Case 
                 1 
               
               
                   
                 Barrel 
                 2 
               
               
                   
                 Threaded plug 
                 3 
               
               
                   
                 Firing pin 
                 4 
               
               
                   
                 Safety rod 
                 5 
               
               
                   
                 Trigger for each barrel 
                 6 
               
               
                   
                 Individual safety for each barrel 
                 7 
               
               
                   
                 Barrel pivot shaft 
                 8 
               
               
                   
                 Anvil 
                 9 
               
               
                   
                 Rivet 
                 10 
               
               
                   
                 Torsion spring central rod 
                 11 
               
               
                   
                 Flat steel spring 
                 12 
               
               
                   
                 Trigger pivot pin 
                 13 
               
               
                   
                 Case end extension 
                 14 
               
               
                   
                 Belt guide 
                 15 
               
               
                   
                 Safety dovetail 
                 16 
               
               
                   
                 Belt adjustment hook 
                 17 
               
               
                   
                 Rectangular slots for safety dovetails 
                 18 
               
               
                   
                 Case ears for lid clasp 
                 19 
               
               
                   
                 Hole for lid clasp pivot pin 
                 20 
               
               
                   
                 Assembly holes for channels, filling strips, 
                 21 
               
               
                   
                 anvil, and trigger screws 
               
               
                   
                 Hole for Llid clasp spring rivet 
                 22 
               
               
                   
                 Case hinge 
                 23 
               
               
                   
                 Case holes for Barrel pivots 
                 24 
               
               
                   
                 Case holes for torsion spring central rod 
                 25 
               
               
                   
                 Case holes for safety rods 
                 26 
               
               
                   
                 Reinforcing channels 
                 27 
               
               
                   
                 Filling strips 
                 28 
               
               
                   
                 Lid 
                 29 
               
               
                   
                 Lid and case hinge 
                 30 
               
               
                   
                 Lid and case hinge pivot pin 
                 31 
               
               
                   
                 Hook end of lid torsion spring 
                 32 
               
               
                   
                 Lid clasp 
                 33 
               
               
                   
                 Lid clasp pivot pin 
                 34 
               
               
                   
                 Lid clasp spring 
                 35 
               
               
                   
                 Torsion spring 
                 36 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0018]    In drawings  1  and,  2 , and  3 , line “S-S” is symmetry line. The device of the present invention comprises a belt buckle encasement having a cover which is hinged at its lower edge, so as to reveal the barrels when the cover is opened. The barrels are folded flat against the bottom of the buckle encasement, and held there by their respective trigger sears. When the trigger is pressed down, the sear disengages the barrel muzzle end; the barrel is released, and by the action of its torsion spring (or flat spring) gyrates to a perpendicular position striking violently the bottom of the encasement. Firing pin  4  is assembled into plug  3  screwed in the base of the barrel. The firing pin, which protrudes from the plug, impacts the case bottom and this impact is transmitted to the cartridge primer, thus producing a shot. 
         [0019]    The lid or cover being hinged to the case, as shown in  FIG. 4 , is held closed by spring-loaded clasp  33  which can be quickly and easily operated by the thumb of the user. 
         [0020]    The case is essentially rectangular in design and is reinforced adequately so as to protect the mechanism and the user from the impact of the shot recoil. 
         [0021]    In  FIG. 1  the case or receiver  1  has barrel  2 , which at its rear end has plug  3  screwed in to butt the barrel. Plug  3  has firing pin  4  which protrudes the right amount from the back of plug  3 . When plug  3  is screwed all the way in, the flat front or face of plug  3  closes the chamber of the barrel providing firm support to the base of the cartridge head and the correct head space for efficient firing. Immediately in front of plug  3  the barrel has the cartridge chamber. To load or unload the barrel, the chamber is opened or closed by screwing in or out plug  3 . 
         [0022]    The rear end of barrel  3  has a flat lug with a cylindrical through hole by means of which barrel  3  is assembled in case  1 , by barrel pivot shaft  8  through case holes  24 . 
         [0023]    Barrel pivot shaft  8 , of length that goes from one side to the other of case  1 , is firmly assembled to case  1  through holes  24  by its head of larger diameter at its upper end and a screw thread and hex nut at its opposite lower end. Barrels gyrate on pivot  8  within case  1 . 
         [0024]    Torsion spring rod  11  also has a head at its upper end and a hex nut at its lower end by means of which it is firmly assembled to case  1  through holes  25 . 
         [0025]    Safety rod  5 , inserted in case hole  26  all the way from one side to the other side of the case, also has a head at its upper end and a screw thread at its opposite lower end, and completely obstructs the gyration of barrels on pivots  8 , thus providing absolute safety during the loading and unloading of the barrel. 
         [0026]    Trigger  6  made of steel as shown in the drawing, or of plastic with a more convenient shape for the fingers, can gyrate clockwise on pivot  13  when safety  7  is slid all the way to the right, freeing trigger key  6  to be pressed down. 
         [0027]    The pressure of spring  12  holds trigger  6  firmly in ready to fire position, permanently impeding it to gyrate freely clockwise, unless pressure on the trigger overcomes the spring pressure, thus freeing the barrel and producing a shot. 
         [0028]    With safety rod  5  off the mechanism, when trigger key  6  is pressed down, trigger sear disengages the muzzle end of the barrel, the barrel gyrates violently counterclockwise by the action of its spring, striking the bottom of case  1  with firing pin  4  and plug  3  producing a shot. 
         [0029]    Case extension  14  has short bends  15  at both sides forming a channel whose inner width corresponds to the width of the belt thus providing guide to said belt. 
         [0030]    Case extension  14 ,  FIG. 2 , has adequate rectangular through slots  18  in which the rectangular bottoms of safeties  7  are inserted with a sliding fit, and in which slots, safeties  7  can be slid right or left for on or off position. Safeties  7  are held in their rectangular slots in the case extension by means of their dovetails  16 . 
         [0031]    Hook  17  at the end of case extension  14 , provides belt adjustment at both ends of the buckle, or if preferable, the left end of the belt may be riveted to the buckle. 
         [0032]    As in well balanced buckle guns, barrels come in pairs, one on the left side and a symmetrical one on the right. Buckle pistol shot capacity comes in pairs. The minimum practical capacity is  6  shots, in which case, the encasement and barrel pivots have one central reinforcing channel that provides them with increased resistance during barrel gyration, impact, and shot recoil. The next practical mechanism is the  10  shot capacity buckle that has  2  reinforcing channels, leaving  5  equal barrel channels of equal width and depth in the mechanism. These reinforcing channels are attached to the inside bottom of the case by any of the standard methods of assembly. 
         [0033]    It is also possible to have “L” shaped reinforcements for case and barrel pivot pins, in which case, a 4 or 8 shot capacity buckle is also practical. 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  is an end view of the buckle gun of the present invention illustrating channels  27  and filling strips  28 . Please note that this Figure does not show the barrels, safeties, or firing mechanisms. 
         [0035]    It is contemplated that the most well-liked buckle gun of the present invention has two parallel channels and three filling strips forming 5 channels of equal width and depth. Each channel is capable of receiving two barrels, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . Filling strips  28  are rectangles of the same thickness and metal of the channels, attached to the bottom of case  1  to ensure that all barrels rotate to the same perpendicular position to the case bottom. Channels and filling strips alternate so that the outside sides of the channels form other channels for adjacent barrels. The alternating arrangement of two channels and three filling strips give a total of five channels for receiving barrels, as seen in  FIG. 4 . As two barrels are provided in each channel, a total of ten barrels can be accommodated. 
         [0036]    As already explained, the barrels, like all cartridge firearm barrels, comprise a chamber for receiving the cartridge, as well as a female threaded portion for screwing in to butt plugs  3 . 
         [0037]    To load, unload, or extract an empty case from the barrel, push the barrel down against the back of the case so that the trigger sear catches the mouth end of the barrel. 
         [0038]    Insert safety rods  5  and screw their hex nuts onto them. 
         [0039]    Then plugs can be safely unscrewed from their respective barrels. Then you can load, unload, or extract empty cases from the barrels, with the rod provided for this operation, through the corresponding holes in the triggers. After the loading, unloading or empty case extracting operation is finished, plugs  3  are screwed into place. The plug can be equipped with small cylindrical holes on its back face for receiving the cylindrical tits of a universal joint specialized screw driver designed to mate with the holes on said back face of the plug. The screwdriver is then rotated to screw or unscrew the plug to butt; or the plug head can have small radial cylindrical holes centered on the plug head periphery to insert a pin to screw the plug in to butt or to loosen it and unscrew it out. 
         [0040]    Safety  7  can be clearly seen in  FIG. 1 . When safety  7  is engaged, it is slid up under trigger  6 -A, the trigger is immobilized and gyration of the barrel impeded. If the safety is disengaged, and slid out away from under the trigger, the trigger is free to be pressed down thereby producing a shot. 
         [0041]    The triggers shown in  FIG. 3 , when made of suitable material such as spring steel strip properly tempered, for example, function by means of their own elasticity. 
         [0042]    To operate the gun of the present invention, it is contemplated that the buckle is worn on a belt which encircles the midsection of the user and the buckle is in the front of the body of the user. The case is opened by the thumb of the user pressing down front cover or lid clasp  33 . 
         [0043]    Front cover or lid  29  of the case turns on hinges  30  to the open position by the action of the lid torsion spring. Safety  7  is slid outward to allow firing of the gun. The trigger is then pressed down with any of the fingers (except the thumb) disengaging the sear from the barrel end producing a shot. 
         [0044]    It is also possible to divide the buckle gun mechanism by its symmetry line in order to have an odd number of barrels and a much shorter and lighter buckle gun, in which case, a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 shot capacity shorter buckle would be possible and perhaps practical. 
         [0045]    Evidently, the buckle would require some modifications, but the mechanism would be essentially the same, and such modifications are believed to fall within the spirit and scope of this invention. 
         [0046]    Although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.