Abstract:
A mechanism for facilitating the quick assembly and disassembly of firearm accessories onto a rail, providing users with versatile and modular firearm capability to accommodate variable field conditions and missions. A dual safety mechanism avoids unintentional release. A streamlined design minimizes the potential for catching foreign objects.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This disclosure relates to mechanisms for releasable mounting of various devices on a support structure, and, more particularly, to mechanisms for facilitating the quick and secure assembly and disassembly of firearm accessories onto a rail system. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    As the field of combat and commercial weaponry expands, numerous add-on enhancements or accessories have become available for attachment to basic models. Firearms such as the M-16/M4 and AR-15 rifles, as well as their numerous variants, are often used with accessories such as bipods, scopes, sights, lasers, and lighting devices. Typically, such accessories are associated with the firearm via one or more rails positioned below, above or on the sides of the barrel. Such a rail may include a number of mounting projections interleaved with a series of grooves, and these mounting projections and grooves may be employed to associate the accessory with the rail. 
         [0003]    Rails usually conform to certain standards. For example, two common rails include the “Picatinny” MIL-STD 1913 rail and the “Weaver” rail; both include interleaved mounting projections and grooves, but differ in dimension. 
         [0004]    Firearm accessories have historically been mounted by means of mounting screws. This is typically referred to as a permanent mount since the accessory will typically remain assembled to the firearm until the end of a mission. Because various missions often require a different set of accessories, there is a need for versatile and reliable quick-disconnect (QD) attachment mechanisms, also known as “throw lever” mechanisms. This is especially important when in-the-field modification of a weapon configuration is necessary, and can be absolutely critical in combat situations. 
         [0005]    As the name indicates, quick disconnects enable the quick disconnect from the mount. However the initial connection to a specific rail requires an initial adjustment. Subsequent connections are then quick. Such adjustment provides the user with a means to compensate for the rails dimensional tolerances, which can vary from rail to rail and even from position to position on the same rail. 
         [0006]    A typical throw lever includes a fixed mount portion and a lever arm portion. The lever arm portion may be actuated to selectively clamp the throw lever to the rail, or to release the throw lever from the rail. However, there are several types of QD mechanisms. 
         [0007]    In one type, the lever arm portion may indirectly act on the clamping portion via an intervening cam. The cam may then transfer the movement of the lever arm portion to the clamping portion, forcing the clamping portion into abutment against the rail. Systems of this type often have a fixed mount with 2 clamping surfaces and a movable clamp with two clamping surfaces. Commercially available examples include products from American Defense Manufacturing and Daniel Defense. 
         [0008]    In another type, the lever arm portion of the throw lever may directly move the clamping portion into abutment against the rail. Systems of this type often have a fixed mount portion with 3 clamping surfaces and a movable clamp with one clamping surface. Commercially available examples include products from LaRue and ARMS. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,845,871 and 5,276,988 of Swan as well as U.S. Pat. No. 7,272,904 B2 and 2014/0082985 A1 of LaRue also describe such mounting systems. They are, however, more complicated to manufacture and involve more parts than are necessary to achieve the desired functionality. 
         [0009]    While the tension of the clamping assembly is normally adequate to retain the actuator arm in the engaged position, one problem with throw levers is that if the firearm is subject to sustained vibrations from transport or rapid fire, or if the lever arm snags against an external object, the throw lever may loosen. This can cause the mount to shift, which can be especially detrimental for sighting devices, such as optics or lasers, where it will result in the aim-point of a sighting device being lost. In other instances, the throw lever may even rotate after loosening, resulting in dislodgement of the mount and the attached accessory from the weapon. For this reason, some firearm operators take the precaution of tethering the accessory to the firearm using a string, so that the accessory is not lost if the throw lever opens. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 2006/0207156 A1 to LaRue discloses a lever safety latch. However this safety latch may be accidentally released by friction or direct shock. 
         [0011]    Furthermore, many existing quick-disconnect mounts define projecting components that tend to catch on various objects or vegetation as a firearm is being carried by a user. 
         [0012]    What is needed, therefore, are quick-disconnect mounts that include a latching system allowing for adjustment to accommodate various rails of slightly differing dimensions, adequately prevent accidental rotation of the actuator arm even under the harshest operating conditions and minimize the potential for catching and becoming tangled during use. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    One embodiment of the present invention provides an adjustable accessory mounting system for releasable attachment to a mounting rail, the system comprising a mounting base having a plurality of angular rail clamping surfaces, the mounting base having at least one lever pivot cylinder opening therein; at least one locking lever comprising a pivot cylinder further comprising at least one threaded hole configured for insertion into and rotation relative to the lever pivot cylinder opening, and further comprising a peripheral angulated cam surface being moveable into a force transmitting locking engagement with one of the oppositely angulated clamping surfaces upon rotation of the locking lever from a release position to a clamping position; an adjustment member threaded to the threaded hole of the locking lever pivot cylinder whereby, upon rotation of the adjustment member, adjustment of the clamping position of the peripheral angulated cam surface relative to one of the oppositely angulated clamping surfaces is effected, wherein the adjustment member, after adjustment, is bonded with low strength adhesive to the pivot cylinder threaded hole so as to resist inadvertent rotation of the adjustment member relative to the pivot cylinder; and a resilient member installed between the mounting base and the adjustment member, continuously urging the locking lever against the mount rail, towards the mounting base. 
         [0014]    An embodiment of the present invention provides such an adjustable accessory mounting mechanism further comprising: a locking member integral with or mounted to the mounting base; and a safety latch mounted to the locking lever and having a latched position securing the locking lever at the clamping position and an open position permitting rotation of the locking lever from the clamping position to the release position. 
         [0015]    One embodiment of the present invention provides an accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, comprising: a mounting base having angulated rail clamping surfaces; at least one locking lever mounted to the mounting base and having a clamping position establishing clamping engagement with the mount rail and a release position releasing clamping engagement with the mount rail, the locking lever comprising a peripheral angulated cam surface and a latch projection; a safety latch assembled to the mounting base, selectively engaging the latch projection when the locking lever is at the clamping position and securing the locking lever against rotation from the clamping position, and configured for selective separation from the latch projection, whereby rotation of the locking lever from the clamping position to the release position may be effected; and a resilient member continuously biasing the safety latch to the latched position. 
         [0016]    An embodiment of the present invention provides such an accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, wherein, when the locking lever is in the clamping position, the projection of the locking lever on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the resilient member is contained within the projection of the mounting base on the same plane. 
         [0017]    An embodiment of the present invention provides such an accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, wherein the safety latch does not protrude substantially from the mounting base. 
         [0018]    One embodiment of the present invention provides an accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, comprising: a mounting base having a rail engaging clamp member; at least one locking lever mounted to the mounting base and moveable from a clamping position for establishing clamping engagement with the mount rail to a release position releasing clamping engagement with the mount rail; a safety latch assembled to the locking lever, having a latched position securing the locking lever at the clamping position and having an open position permitting rotation of the locking lever from the clamping position; and a resilient member continuously biasing the safety latch to the latched position. 
         [0019]    An embodiment of the present invention provides such an accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, wherein, when the locking lever is in the clamping position, the projection of the locking lever on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the resilient member is contained substantially within the projection of the mounting base on the same plane. 
         [0020]    An embodiment of the present invention provides such an accessory mount for releasable attachment to a mount rail, wherein the safety latch does protrude substantially from the mounting base. 
         [0021]    The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view illustrating a rail mounted quick disconnect device configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2A  is a bottom, front, left-side exploded perspective view of a locking lever mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2B  is a front, elevated section view of a locking lever mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0025]      FIG. 3A  is a bottom, front, left-side exploded perspective views of a locking lever and safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3B  is a top, rear, right-side exploded perspective view of locking lever and safety latch mechanisms in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a top, rear, right-side detail perspective view of a locking lever in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5A  is a rear elevation section view of a safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5B  is a rear elevation section view of a safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0030]      FIG. 5C  is a rear elevation section view of a safety latch mechanism with a locking lever in an open position, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0031]      FIG. 6A  is a perspective section view of a safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0032]      FIG. 6B  is a perspective section view of a safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0033]      FIG. 6C  is a rear, bottom, left-side perspective section view of a safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0034]      FIG. 7A  is a top view of a second embodiment of a safety latch in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0035]      FIG. 7B  is a top view of a second embodiment of a safety latch in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0036]      FIG. 7C  is a top view of a second embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in an open position, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0037]      FIG. 7D  is an upside-down front elevation view of a second embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in a locked position, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0038]      FIG. 7E  is an upside-down front elevation view of a second embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in an open position, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0039]      FIG. 7F  is a top view of a second embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in an open position, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0040]      FIG. 7G  is a bottom, front, left-side perspective view of a second embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in a locked position, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0041]      FIG. 8A  is a bottom, front, left-side perspective view of a third embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in a locked position, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0042]      FIG. 8B  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of a third embodiment of the safety latch with a locking lever in a locked position, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0043]      FIG. 8C  is a top, front, right-side detail perspective view of a third embodiment of a locking lever in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0044]      FIG. 8D  is a bottom, rear, right-side detail perspective view of a third embodiment of a locking lever in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0045]      FIG. 8E  is a front, bottom, left-side exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of a safety latch in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0046]      FIG. 9A  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0047]      FIG. 9B  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0048]      FIG. 9C  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0049]      FIG. 9D  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0050]      FIG. 9E  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of an accessory side of a mounting base in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0051]      FIG. 9F  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of the accessory side of the mounting base in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
           [0052]      FIG. 9G  is a top, rear, right-side perspective view of the accessory side of the mounting base in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0053]    It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a mechanism for facilitating the quick assembly and disassembly of accessories onto a rail that is more cost effective to manufacture. 
         [0054]    It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a quick-disconnect mechanism that provides enhanced features against accidental release of the mechanism. 
         [0055]    It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide an accessory mount mechanism that eliminates or minimizes the potential for catching foreign objects and becoming tangled. 
         [0056]    The present disclosure provides a quick-disconnect mounting system for MIL 1913 Picatinny and NATO Accessory Rail Stanag 4694 rail systems commonly used on modular weapons systems. The teachings of this disclosure, however, shall not be limited to firearms or to the specific aforementioned rail specification, as embodiments of the present disclosure may readily be adapted for use in conjunction with photographic and video equipment as well as for other applications. 
         [0057]    Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an adjustable, rotatable, locking lever actuated clamp mechanism, also known as a throw-lever clamping system, for the quick assembly and disassembly of firearm accessories such as aiming devices, laser illumination devices, lighting devices and bipods onto a firearm mount rail. Embodiments also provide locking or latching systems for positively maintaining throw-levers in a closed clamping position to prevent inadvertent opening due to firearm handling in rough field conditions such as sustained vibrations, shocks and friction with clothing, walls or terrain. 
         [0058]    Notable improvements over the prior art include a dual safety mechanism to prevent unintentional release and a streamlined design to minimize the potential for catching or snagging on foreign objects. 
         [0059]    Now referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , which illustrate the assembly of the present disclosure according to a first embodiment. The present disclosure comprises two mechanisms: a locking lever mechanism and a safety latch mechanism. 
         [0060]    Now referring to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of the present disclosure, assembled onto a rail  8  is shown. Rail  8  has four oppositely angulated clamping surfaces  80 , defining a generally elongated hexagon with three pairs of parallel sides ( 2  trapezoids sharing the long side) mating surface for accessories. 
         [0061]    Now referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , an exploded perspective view of the locking lever mechanism of the present disclosure is shown. Notably, the locking lever mechanism only requires four components: a mounting base  1 , a locking lever  2 , a resilient member  3  and an adjustment member  4 . The resilient member  3  may be in the form of a circular wave spring or other suitable device. The adjustment member  4  may be in the form of a screw, shoulder screw, bolt, thumbscrew or the like. 
         [0062]    The mounting base  1  may further comprise a lever pivot cylinder opening  12 , which may advantageously be of a generally cylindrical shape. The locking lever  2 , in embodiments, further comprises a pivot cylinder  21  suitable for insertion into said lever pivot cylinder opening. The pivot cylinder  21  and the lever pivot cylinder opening  12  are designed for a close fit while still enabling rotation therebetween. Relief cuts and grooves in the lever pivot cylinder opening  12  and/or pivot cylinder  21  may be added to allow for debris to escape without exceeding the scope of the disclosure. 
         [0063]    The retention member  4  may be threaded in the locking lever&#39;s threaded hole  22  (depicted in  FIG. 4 ). Alternate methods of establishing adjustment of a retention member  4  are assumed to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0064]    The mounting base  1 , in embodiments and when used in conjunction with MIL 1913 Picatinny rail systems, may have 3 angulated clamping surfaces  10  dimensioned to mate with 3 of the rail&#39;s surfaces  80 . When designed for the NATO Accessory Rail Stanag 4694 system, the mounting base would clamp against a different set of rail surfaces. 
         [0065]    The resilient member  3 , in embodiments, is mounted so as to bias the locking lever  2  towards mounting base  1 , as shown in  FIG. 2B . 
         [0066]    Variation in rails  8  may be compensated for by adjustment of retention member  4 . Once the position of retention member  4  yielding the desired clamping force has been determined, it is important that the retention member  4  does not rotate in relation to the locking lever  2  when the locking lever  2  rotates around the mounting base  1 . To achieve this, the retention member  4  may be bonded with an adhesive (not shown) into the locking lever&#39;s threaded hole  22 . To enable the later adjustment for use with other rails, a non-permanent adhesive should be used. A non-permanent adhesive, for the purposes of this specification should be considered an adhesive whose strength is enough to resist the friction force of the resilient member  3  against the retention member  4 , but whose strength is weak enough so as to enable the bond to be broken through the use of a tool such as a wrench to unscrew the retention member  4 . Alternatively, or jointly, an interference fit may be implemented between the retention member  4  and the locking lever&#39;s threaded hole  22 . Alternatively, resilient member  3  may be designed so as to have enough travel amplitude to compensate for dimensional tolerances in rails  8  while providing adequate clamping force and a shoulder screw may be used as retention member  4 . 
         [0067]    Now referring to  FIG. 4 , a perspective view of the locking lever  2  is shown. The locking lever  2  features a peripheral angulated cam surface  28 . This surface, in embodiments, comprises a long straight section  20  designed to contact the fourth oppositely angulated clamping surface  80  (the one that is not in contact with the mounting base  1 ) and a short straight section  24 . The distance from the locking lever&#39;s axis to the long straight section  20  is greater than the distance to the short straight section  24  to enable engagement and disengagement from rail  8 . 
         [0068]    The locking lever  2  may also, in embodiments, feature a safety latch cavity  25 . The safety latch cavity  25  also has a latch head well  26  that may be cylindrical as in this disclosure but may also be of any different shape without exceeding the scope of the present disclosure. These features are used for the safety latch mechanism. 
         [0069]    The locking lever  2  is said to be in clamping position when the long straight section  24  contacts a rail clamping surface  80 . The locking lever  2  is said to be in release position when the locking lever has rotated away from the clamping position. 
         [0070]    Now referring to  FIG. 3A and 3B , exploded perspective views of both the locking lever mechanism and the safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are shown. The safety latch mechanism comprises three further components: a safety latch  5 , a resilient member  6  and a safety latch head  7 , as well as an additional feature in the mounting base  1 : safety latch cavity  14 . 
         [0071]    The resilient member  6  may be in the form of a circular wave spring or other suitable biasing device. The safety latch head  7  may be in the form of a screw and may be screwed to safety latch  5  or otherwise attached to it by any other suitable means. 
         [0072]    The resilient member  6  is mounted so as to push the safety latch  5  away from the mounting base  1 , as shown in section views  5  and perspective section views  6 . 
         [0073]    The safety latch  5  is said to be in latched position when the safety latch head  7  prevents the locking lever  2  from rotating. The safety latch  5  is said to be in open position when the safety latch  5  is depressed, allowing the locking lever  2  to be rotated. 
         [0074]    Now referring to  FIG. 5A, 5B and 5C , section views of the safety latch mechanism of the present disclosure in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are shown. In  FIG. 5A  the safety latch  5  is in latched position and the locking lever  2  is in clamping position (mount rail  8  is clamped). This is the default spring-loaded position of the safety latch mechanism. In this position the locking lever  2  cannot rotate due to an interfering relationship between the head of the latch lever head  7  and the latch head well  26 . 
         [0075]    In  FIG. 5B  the safety latch  5  is shown in an open position (the locking lever  2  may rotate) and the locking lever  2  is in clamping position (mount rail  8  is clamped). In this position the locking lever  2  may rotate because the head of the latch lever head  7  has been pushed above the latch head well  26 . To be in this position, the safety latch must be pushed by the user. The user must keep applying pressure on the safety latch  5  to initiate the rotation of the locking lever  2 . In this sense, a double safety mechanism is thereby created. 
         [0076]    In  FIG. 5C  the locking lever  2  is in a release position; the mount may be removed from rail  8  when configured in this manner. In this view it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art why the peripheral angulated cam surface  28  must have a short straight section  24 . When the locking lever  2  is in a release position, the user may ease pressure on the safety latch  5 . To close the locking lever  2 , the user must push the safety latch  5 , complete the rotation, then release the safety latch  5  over the latch head well  26 . 
         [0077]    Now referring to  FIG. 6A, 6B and 6C , perspective section views of the safety latch mechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. 
         [0078]    Now referring to  FIG. 7 , a second embodiment that shares the same locking lever assembly mechanism with the first and third embodiments but features a different safety latch  5  as well as a different latching mechanism is illustrated. In this embodiment the mounting base features a locking member  18  that the safety latch  5  engages to prevent accidental rotation of the locking lever  2 . 
         [0079]      FIG. 7A  shows the safety latch  5  in latched position and locking lever  2  in a clamped position. 
         [0080]      FIG. 7B and 7D  show the safety latch  5  in an open position, with the locking lever  2  still in a clamped position. 
         [0081]      FIGS. 7C, 7F and 7E  show the safety latch  5  in an open position and locking lever  2  in a release position. In this position the rail  8  may be disengaged. 
         [0082]    In the second embodiment described above, and unlike the first embodiments previously described and third embodiments yet to be described, the safety latch is not spring loaded. Instead, it may be indexed with a ball plunger (not shown) in either the latched or open position. 
         [0083]    Now referring to  FIG. 8A-8E , a third embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment primarily in that the safety latch  5  is integral to the locking lever  2 , and not to the mounting base  1  as is the case with the first embodiment, is illustrated. 
         [0084]    As shown in  FIG. 8E  the mounting base  1  may feature a locking member  19 . 
         [0085]    As shown in  FIG. 8D  the locking lever  2  may feature a safety latch hole  27 . 
         [0086]    As with the first embodiment, the user must apply pressure on the safety latch  5  to initiate rotation of locking lever  2 , preventing accidental loosening of the quick-disconnect mount. Once the locking lever has rotated away from the safety latch adjustment member  7 , the user may ease pressure on the safety latch  5 . To close the locking lever  2 , the user must push the safety latch  5 , complete the rotation, then release the safety latch  5 . 
         [0087]    Now referring to  FIGS. 9A-9G  various embodiments of the accessory facing side of the mounting base  1  are illustrated. 
         [0088]    As depicted in  FIG. 9A , the accessory facing side, in embodiments, may be flat and feature any number of accessory mounting holes  16 . 
         [0089]    As depicted in  FIG. 9B , the accessory facing side may provide a cut-off feature  15  in the form of a groove as well as any number of accessory mounting holes  16 . 
         [0090]    As depicted in  FIG. 9C , the accessory facing side may provide any number of accessory mounting projections  17 , for instance to mount sighting devices. 
         [0091]    As depicted in  FIG. 9D , the accessory facing side may provide a cylindrical accessory mounting projection  17  that would enable the accessory to rotate around the axis of said projection. 
         [0092]    As depicted in  FIG. 9E , the accessory facing side may provide any number of accessory mounting projections  17  that would enable the accessory to pivot to the side of the firearm. 
         [0093]    As depicted in  FIG. 9F , the accessory facing side may provide a concave cut-off feature  15  as well as any number of accessory mounting holes  16 . 
         [0094]    As depicted in  FIG. 9G , the accessory facing side may provide a cylindrical accessory mounting cavity  13  that would enable the accessory to rotate around the axis of said cavity. 
         [0095]    The locking lever  2  may also be located on the accessory side of the mounting base  1 , instead of the rail side as is the case in the first, second and third embodiments previously described, without departing from the intended scope of the present invention. 
         [0096]    The foregoing description of the embodiments of the disclosure has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Each and every page of this submission, and all contents thereon, however characterized, identified, or numbered, is considered a substantive part of this application for all purposes, irrespective of form or placement within the application. This specification is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure.