Abstract:
A method of preventing access to the firing mechanism of a handgun, or other similar firearm, is provided in which a keyed rotationally activated locking cylinder is employed to secure the invention to the trigger guard of the handgun. Additionally, the invention also employs a device which will hold the slide of the handgun in a rearward manner while the invention is in place. This allows for the access to the handgun&#39;s chamber, which enables a user to insert and remove a magazine from the weapon while the invention is in place, and which makes it impossible for the accidental discharge of a bullet from the handgun to be caused by the firing pin.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    While handguns and other firearms can serve the desirable function of defending a user against others, firearms can also be an undesirable source of harm when not properly handled or when custody of the gun is lost to an attacker. For the firearm to operate, it must both be loaded with rounds of ammunition and the trigger actuated.  
           [0002]    In the past, the use of locking mechanisms to prevent access to the weapon&#39;s trigger and thereby avoiding the accidental or unwanted discharge of a firearm has been very common. The prior art contains examples of these mechanisms which are typified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,460, issued to Van Niekerk et. al. Van Niekerk et. al. shows a positioning feature that allows the weapon to be fired without the removal of the invention by the activation of a safety switch contained on the invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,723, issued to Ruiz shows another device which prevents access to the trigger of the firearm by enclosing both the trigger guard and a portion of the firearm&#39;s body and barrel. This design not only prevents access to the trigger, but also locks access to the weapon&#39;s firing chamber which prevents it from being loaded or unloaded while the invention is in place.  
           [0003]    The limitations of these prior art examples are that the Van Niekerk et al. patent has the ability to accidentally discharge the firearm while the invention is in place on a handgun undermining the purpose of such devices. Additionally, the Ruiz patent purposefully makes it impossible to load or unload the firearm while the device is in place, even though the complete isolation of the trigger with the device in place makes this the safest time possible for the loading and unloading of a firearm.  
           [0004]    Accordingly, a need exists for a device and method for preventing access to a firearm&#39;s trigger and otherwise disabling the firearm that cannot be altered or removed without the use of a key or other device for restricting access to authorized users. Additionally, such a device or method would allow access to the weapon&#39;s firing chamber with the invention in place, allowing a magazine to be installed or removed without the possibility of accidentally discharging the firearm by inadvertent contact with the trigger.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    This invention provides a locking trigger disabling device which contains a lock housing portion of the present invention that is used to lock and disable the trigger and firing mechanism of a handgun or other similar firearm. The lock housing is made up of two vertically oriented parallel plates that are connected at their lowest points to form a U-shaped apparatus that is open at its top and rear ends. This configuration creates an upwardly open gap between the plates which corresponds in its inside dimension to the outside dimension of the trigger guard of a typical handgun. Additionally, the upper and rear surfaces of each of the parallel plates is formed in a manner so that the invention fits tightly against the body of the handgun when in place to lock the trigger. This shaping of the vertical plates ensures that the present invention will not move in relation to the trigger guard when installed on a handgun, which in turn prevents any accidental contact with the trigger of the handgun.  
           [0006]    The locking function of the present invention is facilitated by the use of a locking cylinder that (when installed on a handgun) is inserted through an opening located in the left and vertical plate. Once the locking cylinder passes through the left vertical plate, it passes between the inner front surface of the trigger guard and the trigger itself and then enters the hole in the right vertical plate. The hole in the right vertical plate differs in that it is preferably capped by a locking pin carrier that forms a closed cylindrical chamber that extends outwardly from the outside surface of the right vertical plate. The primary importance of this feature is that it provides a point of attachment for a locking pin used with the locking cylinder of the present invention.  
           [0007]    The locking cylinder component of the present invention is of a type that is commonly available in the marketplace today. Specifically, it is a locking cylinder having a stationary outer cylinder and a rotationally movable inner cylinder that controls the locking function of the cylinder and which can be manipulated by the insertion of a key in its exposed outer surface. The most rearward end of the inner cylinder is equipped with a coupling fixture which engages the lock pin located in the locking pin carrier and serves to draw the entire cylinder into the trigger lock body as the inner cylinder is rotated. Upon full rotation, the lock cylinder is drawn completely into the trigger lock body, whereby the key can be removed which makes it impossible to remove the lock cylinder without the reinsertion of the key into the lock cylinder.  
           [0008]    The present invention also includes a slide retainer, which is the component of the present invention which is employed to hold the slide of the handgun in an open position when the device of this invention is in place. The slide retainer is a forward oriented extension of the trigger lock body that at the correct point diverges at a ninety degree angle upward. The upward face of the slide retainer contains an opening which corresponds in size and location to the handgun&#39;s barrel and lower slide frame. When installing the present invention, the slide of the handgun is held in a rearward manner and the opening(s) of the slide retainer is then slid over the exposed portion of the firearm (such as part of the barrel) until it contacts the weapon&#39;s slide. On many handguns a lower frame member extends horizontally below the barrel and can extend through the opening in the slide retainer and also hold the slide in a rearward position. Once this is complete, the trigger lock body is locked to the trigger guard as previously described, which in turn causes the slide retainer to hold the slide in a rearward orientation.  
           [0009]    This slide retainer feature of the present invention holds the slide in a position which allows a user to access the chamber of the handgun, allowing the magazine of the firearm to be installed or removed in this, the safest of positions. Additionally, this positioning of the slide makes it impossible for the firearm to be discharged as it is the forward motion of the slide in normal operation which chambers ammunition into the breech of the weapon, followed by the firing pin striking the round when the trigger is actuated, and discharging a bullet from the barrel. Therefore, the present invention makes use of redundant mechanisms that ensure a firearm cannot be accidentally discharged while in storage or during transport.  
           [0010]    For a better understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the drawings and the description in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention to provide a device which serves to lock the trigger of a handgun, or other similar firearm, so that it cannot be moved and thereby risk activating the firing mechanism.  
           [0012]    Another object of the present invention is to provide such a trigger lock which, when in the locked position on the handgun, also serves to hold the slide of the handgun in a rearward position so that the chamber and any magazine receiving bore is open, allowing insertion and removal of magazines with the lock on.  
           [0013]    Another object of the present invention is to hold the slide of the handgun in a rearward position which allows a magazine to be removed or installed into the firearm while the locking mechanism is in place.  
           [0014]    Another object of the present invention is to provide such a trigger lock that will hold the slide of the handgun in a rearward position which ensures that it cannot move forward to chamber a round of ammunition into the firing chamber and release the firing pin to strike a round and fire the bullet from the handgun.  
           [0015]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a trigger lock which can be quickly removed by an authorized user so that the handgun is readily available.  
           [0016]    In addition to the above objects, various other objects of this invention will be apparent from a careful reading of this specification including the detailed description contained herein below.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the present invention illustrating the manner in which it engages the trigger guard and barrel of a typical handgun when installed to prevent the unintended firing of the weapon. Portions of the trigger guard and trigger of the handgun which are covered by the invention are shown in broken lines.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention and a typical handgun as shown in FIG. 1 and detailing the manner in which the invention is installed on the firearm. A portion of a left vertical plate of the invention is cut away to reveal interior details of the invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention illustrating the orientation of its major components.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a left side elevation view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a bottom elevation view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the locking cylinder component of the present invention illustrating the orientation of its major components.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the locking cylinder component of the present invention as shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the locking cylinder component of the present invention as shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 is a top view of the locking cylinder component of the present invention as shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 is a perspective cross sectional view of the present invention, cut along line  11 - 11  shown in FIG. 5, and shows the position of the locking cylinder when the invention is in the locked position.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 11 except showing the orientation of the locking cylinder while it is being rotated to unlock it.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 13 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 11 except showing the orientation of the locking cylinder when fully unlocked and just prior to its removal from the body of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]    Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, the firearm disabling device  10  is primarily made up of three components. The first of these is the trigger lock body  38  portion of the present invention which is used to lock and disable the trigger  20  of a handgun  12  or other similar firearm. The trigger lock body  38  (most clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3) is made up of two vertically oriented and parallel plates, the left vertical plate  40  and the right vertical plate  41 , which are connected at their lowest points by means of the body floor  46  to form a U-shaped boundary that is open at its top and rear sides. This configuration creates an upwardly open body cavity  48  between the left and right vertical plates,  40  and  41 , which corresponds in its inside dimension to the outside dimension of the trigger guard  22  of a typical handgun  12 . While preferably vertical and parallel, the plates  40 ,  41  can function to enclose the trigger guard  22  and trigger  20  so long as they extend at least partially vertically.  
         [0031]    Additionally, the upper and rear surfaces (in relation to the orientation of the handgun) of each of the parallel left and right vertical plates  40  and  41  are formed in a manner so that the trigger lock body  38  fits tightly against the handgun body  30  and handle  18  when in place to lock the trigger  20 . This shaping of the trigger lock body  38  ensures that the present invention will not move in relation to the trigger guard  22  when installed and locked on a handgun  12 , which in turn prevents any accidental contact with the trigger  20 , thus, avoiding any accidental discharging of the weapon. On handguns having different sizes and configurations, the contours of the upper surfaces of the vertical plates  40 ,  41  are appropriately modified.  
         [0032]    The locking function of the present invention is provided by a locking cylinder  24  that, when installed on a handgun  12 , is inserted through an opening fabricated to provide a locating fixture for the locking cylinder  24 . Preferably, the opening  12  is in the form of a substantially circular lock cylinder hole  62  located towards the front center surface of the left vertical plate  40 . The locking cylinder  24  could be any form of hole or other opening and does not require a cylindrical contour. During the installation process of the invention to a handgun  12 , once the locking cylinder  24  passes through the left vertical plate  40 , it passes between the inner front surface of the trigger guard  22  and the trigger  20  itself and then preferably enters the additional locking pin carrier on the inside of the cap  44  located in the right vertical plate  41 .  
         [0033]    The lock cylinder hole  62  in the right vertical plate  41  differs from the one in the left vertical plate  40  in that it is closed off by the locking pin carrier and the protruding cylinder cap  44  that extend outwardly from the outside surface of the right vertical plate  41 . The primary purposes of the cap  44  is to provide a point of attachment for a locking pin  58  which works with the locking cylinder  24  to provide the locking function of the present invention (which will be discussed in further detail below) and to close off the interior mechanics of the locking cylinder  24  to keep it free from collecting harmful debris or being thwarted by an unauthorized user.  
         [0034]    The locking cylinder  24  (FIGS.  7 - 10 ) component of the present invention includes a stationary outer lock cylinder  32  and a rotationally movable inner lock cylinder  34  that controls the locking function of the locking cylinder  24  and that can be manipulated by the insertion of a key  36  (FIG. 11) in its exposed outer surface. The rotation of the inner lock cylinder  34  locks and unlocks the locking cylinder  24  within the lock cylinder holes  62  in the left and right vertical plates  40 ,  41 , which serves to lock and unlock the present invention to the trigger guard  22  of a handgun  12 . Further details of the locking cylinder  24  are described below.  
         [0035]    The second component of the present invention is the slide retainer  28  (the configuration of which is best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3,  5  and  6 ), which operates to hold the slide  14  of the handgun  12  in a rearward position when the present invention is in place over the trigger guard  22 . The slide retainer  28  is essentially a forward extending portion of the body floor  46  and front wall  50 , which is made up of primarily the retainer extension  52  and the slide stop  64 . The retainer extension  52  is the portion of the slide retainer  28  which preferably runs substantially parallel to the lower surface of the handgun barrel  16  and the lower frame of the weapon directly beneath the barrel  16 , and extends forward to the point that is necessary to hold the handgun slide  14 , while the present invention is in place on a handgun  12 . The slide stop  64  extends up from the distal tip of the extension  52 . Thus, the retainer extension  52  serves to hold the slide stop  64  in a reward position so that the chamber of the handgun  12  is open, which allows the magazine to be installed and removed while the present invention is in place on the handgun  12 .  
         [0036]    From the most forward point of the retainer extension  52 , the slide stop  64  diverges upward, preferably at a ninety degree angle, to a point at which it can engage and securely hold the slide  14  of the handgun  12 . The mechanism by which the slide stop  64  remains adjacent to and holds the slide  14  in its retracted position is accomplished by the use of the barrel hole  42  or other frame receiving opening, which is preferably a circular hole in the face of the slide stop  64  that is slipped over the handgun&#39;s barrel  16  during the installation process of the present invention to a typical handgun  12 . The barrel hole  42  preferably completely surrounds the barrel  42  but could function if merely being a barrel abutting portion which surrounds part of the barrel  16 , and preferably a majority of the barrel  16 .  
         [0037]    Therefore, the installation of the invention by passing the locking cylinder  24  through the trigger lock body  38  and the inside of the trigger guard  22 , also serves to hold the slide  14  in a reward position.  
         [0038]    The trigger lock body  38  and slide retainer  28  are preferably formed rigidly together as a single unitary mass by casting, welding, bonding or permanently fastening the body  38  and retainer  28  together. Hence, a first distance between the slide stop of the slide retainer and the body  38  or other handgun attachment region is fixed. A second distance between the formed tip of the slide  14  (when retracted) and a portion of the handgun  12  to which the body  38  attaches can match this first distance so that the slide is prevented from advancing.  
         [0039]    The third component of the present invention is the locking cylinder  24 , the construction of which is further illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8,  9 , and  10 . As previously stated, the locking cylinder  24  is made up primarily of the outer and inner lock cylinders,  32  and  34 . The outer lock cylinder  32  also has in its substantially cylindrical outer surface at least one positioning flat  54  (and preferably two) which corresponds in shape to a similar hole positioning flat  56  located in the lock cylinder opening  62  on the left and right vertical plates,  40  and  41 . The purpose of the cylinder positioning flat  54  is to locate the locking cylinder  24  within the lock cylinder opening  62  in the position that is necessary for the locking cylinder  24  to properly function to lock and unlock the present invention to the trigger guard  22  of a handgun  12 . The cylinder positioning flat  54  also serves to hold the outer lock cylinder  32  in a stationary position relative to the trigger lock body  38  and the inner lock cylinder  34 . This ensures that the rotation of a key  36  within the key slot  26 , which operates the inner lock cylinder  34 , will not affect the position of the outer lock cylinder  32  in relation to the trigger lock body  38 .  
         [0040]    Additionally, the inner lock cylinder  34  extends further back, in relation to the locking cylinder  24  itself, beyond the most rearward end of the outer lock cylinder  32 . This portion of the inner lock cylinder  34  is the component of the present invention which extends into the locking pin carrier inside of the cylinder cap  44  located on the right vertical plate  41 . The rear portion of the inner lock cylinder  34  is also the component of the present invention which supports the locking pin slot  60 , which serves to engage the locking pin  58  (the location within the cylinder cap  44  is best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 13).  
         [0041]    The diagonal locking pin slot  60  is a slot helically cut into the surface of the inner lock cylinder  34  whose ending point is forward, in relation to the locking cylinder  24 , and offset in a counter clockwise manner from its starting point on the most rearward portion of the inner lock cylinder  34 . Preferably, two opposing slots  60  extend as a double helix along the surface of the inner lock cylinder  34 . The locking pin  58  and the diagonal locking pin slot  60  are the components of the invention which control the location of the inner locking cylinder  34 , and therefore the entirety of the locking cylinder  24 , through the rotation of the inner lock cylinder  34 , by the use of a key  36  within the trigger lock body  38  of the present invention. When two opposing slots  60  are provided, the locking pin extends across the recess in the cap  44 , making the cap  44  more secure.  
         [0042]    The manner in which the locking cylinder  24  serves to lock and unlock the present invention is further illustrated in FIGS. 11, 12, and  13 . FIG. 11 illustrates the position of the locking cylinder  24  with the trigger lock body  38  of the present invention when the inner lock cylinder  34  is fully rotated to the locked position by the use of the key  36  (at this point it is important to note that for illustrative purposes the invention is depicted as being used with a Tubular Ace type key system, but will work equally as well with any of the other available styles of keyed locking mechanisms). When the key  36  and the inner lock cylinder  34  are rotated fully in the counter clockwise manner, the locking pin  58  is positioned at the most forward point of the diagonal locking pin slot  60  which serves to pull the lock cylinder fully within the trigger lock body  38 . This is the fully locked position of the present invention. Preferably, the key  36  is captured within the locking cylinder  24  at all times, except when the key  36  rotates within the cylinder  24  to the fully locked position. In this way, the user is precluded from accidentally only partially locking the cylinder  24  in place.  
         [0043]    In this position, it is impossible to remove the locking cylinder  24  from the invention without the use of a key  36 , which provides a method of attachment for the present invention to the trigger guard of a handgun  12 , in a manner that prevents unintended or unwanted removal of the device  10 . Also, in this position the locking cylinder  24 , along with the vertical plates  40 ,  41  secured thereto, completely surround the trigger  20 , preventing it from being moved.  
         [0044]    As a clockwise rotational force is applied to the inner lock cylinder  34  through the key  36 , which is illustrated in FIG. 12, the position of the locking pin  58  relative to the length of the diagonal locking pin slot  60  is moved rearward, which in turn forces the locking cylinder  24  outward in relation to the trigger lock body  38 . This clockwise rotation serves to expose the outward end of the locking cylinder  24  beyond the outer surface of the trigger lock body  38  and is the initial step in the removal of the locking cylinder  24  and therefore, the entirety of the present invention from the handgun  12 .  
         [0045]    Finally, the completion of the clockwise rotation of the inner lock cylinder  34  through the key  36  is illustrated in FIG. 13. In the position in which the inner lock cylinder  34  has been fully rotated in a clockwise manner, the locking pin  58  has fully cleared the diagonal locking pin slot  60  and the locking cylinder  24  has been forced further out in relation to the trigger lock body  38 . At this point, the locking cylinder  24  can be freely pulled from the lock cylinder holes  62  of the trigger lock body  38  and the present invention can be removed from the trigger guard  22  of the handgun  12 . The installation process of the invention to the handgun  12  is simply the reverse of the above process in which counter clockwise rotational force applied to the inner lock cylinder  34  through the key  36  serves to pull the locking cylinder  24  into the trigger lock body  38  as the locking pin  58  moves forward within the diagonal locking pin slot  60  in relation to the body of the locking cylinder  24 .  
         [0046]    This disclosure is provided to reveal a preferred embodiment of the invention and a best mode for practicing the invention. Having thus described the invention in this way, it should be apparent that various different modifications can be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. When structures are identified as a means to perform a function, the identification is intended to include all structures which can perform the function specified.