Abstract:
An improved device for enabling a user to quickly and securely attach and detach an accessory (e.g., a scope, light, bayonet, etc.) to the Picatinny or tactical rail of a firearm. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device comprises a lower portion, an upper portion and a locking mechanism. The device is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and safe and easy to use.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/058,225 filed Oct. 1, 2014. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a quick release attachment for mounting accessories (e.g., a scope, light, bayonet, etc.) on the Picatinny or tactical rail of a firearm. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Many individuals and firearm enthusiasts desire to mount one or more interchangeable accessories, such as a scope, light, bayonet and the like, onto their firearms. Historically, this has been accomplished by fixedly mounting the accessory to the Picatinny or tactical rail of the firearm, which is essentially a bracket that can be attached to a firearm and which provides a standard mounting platform for a desired attachment. However, heretofore, the process of mounting such accessories to the Picatinny rail has required the use of external tools, and has been both awkward and time-consuming. Moreover, the inability to timely attach a desired accessory to a firearm, or switch accessories, can be dangerous for the user. For example, in combat, a soldier&#39;s inability to quickly attach a bayonet to his or her firearm could result in death or serious injury to the soldier. 
         [0004]    Consequently, there is a long felt need in the art for a device that enables a user to quickly and securely attach/detach an accessory (e.g., a scope, light, bayonet, etc.) to the Picatinny or tactical rail of a firearm without the use of external tools. There is also a long felt need for a device that is capable of being locked/unlocked with a single hand, thereby allowing the user to retain possession of the firearm with his or her remaining hand. Finally, there is a long felt need for a device that accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives, and that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and safe and easy to use. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
         [0006]    The subject matter disclosed herein, in one aspect thereof, is a device for enabling a user to quickly and securely attach/detach an accessory (e.g., a scope, light, bayonet, etc.) to the Picatinny or tactical rail of a firearm. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device comprises a lower portion; an upper portion; and a locking mechanism, wherein said locking mechanism further comprises an elongated arm portion, a handle portion, a rotating lock with a locking key and a spring. 
         [0007]    To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention securely attached to a Picatinny rail of a firearm. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1  detached and apart from a Picatinny rail of a firearm. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective and partially exploded view of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the lower portion of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 6A  is a bottom perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 6B  is a perspective view of a Picatinny rail of a firearm. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. 
         [0016]    Referring initially to the drawings,  FIG. 1  depicts a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the swivel quick release device  100  of the present invention securely attached to a Picatinny rail  20  of a firearm, and  FIG. 2  depicts a perspective view of the swivel quick release device  100  of the present invention detached from Picatinny rail  20 . By way of background, Picatinny rail  20  is an elongated bracket that may be attached to a firearm to provide a standard mounting platform for accessories and attachments such as a scope, light, bayonet and the like. Rail  20  is typically comprised of a plurality of raised spaced apart lugs or ridges  22  along its top or upper surface, with channels  24  located between and formed by said ridges  22 , and a rail flange  26  extending along each side of rail  20 . 
         [0017]    The swivel quick release device  100  of the present invention is preferably comprised of a lower portion  110 , an upper portion  120  removably attached to said lower portion  110  through the use of fasteners  130  and a locking mechanism  140  for detachably securing device  100  to rail  20  without the need for external tools. As best illustrated in  FIGS. 3-5 , lower portion  110  is an elongated member having a top surface  111 , a bottom surface  112 , opposing side surfaces  113 , a rear  115 , a front  116 , a rear fence  117  and a forward fence  118 , wherein said rear fence  117  and said forward fence  118  extend downwardly from said bottom surface  112  for mating engagement with rail  20 , as described more fully below. 
         [0018]    Said top surface  111  further comprises an elongated longitudinal opening or channel  1110  therein for receipt of a portion of locking mechanism  140 , as described more fully below. Channel  1110  extends along a partial length of lower portion  110  from rear  115  in the direction of front  116 . Top surface  111  further comprises a spring channel  1116  for receipt of a spring  147 , wherein said spring channel  1116  also extends a partial length of lower portion  110  from channel  1110  in the direction of front  116 . 
         [0019]    Lower portion  110  further comprises a continuous opening  1112  that extends between top surface  111  and bottom surface  112  for receipt of a portion of locking mechanism  140 , as described more fully below. Top surface  111  of lower portion  110  may also comprise a plurality of spaced apart openings  1114  for receipt of fasteners  130  to fixedly attach lower portion  110  to upper portion  120 . 
         [0020]    As previously described, lower portion  110  is also comprised of a pair of spaced apart fences  117 ,  118  that extend downwardly from said bottom surface  112  for mating engagement with rail  20 . More specifically, rear fence  117  protrudes downwardly from one side of bottom surface  112  towards the front  116  of lower portion  110  and has a length that extends parallel to the length of lower portion  110 , but only partially along said length. Similarly, forward fence  118  protrudes downwardly from the opposite side of bottom surface  112  towards the rear  115  of lower portion  110  and has a length that extends parallel to the length of lower portion  110 , but only partially along said length as best shown in  FIG. 5 . Each of rear fence  117  and forward fence  118  further comprise a generally v-shaped groove  119  extending along a substantial portion of the length of each of said rear and forward fences  117 ,  118  for mating engagement with rail flanges  26  of rail  20 . 
         [0021]    Upper portion  120  is also a generally elongated member that is comprised of a top  121 , an opposing bottom  122 , a pair of opposing side slots  124 , a rear end  125  and a front end  126 . Similar to Picatinny rail  20 , top  121  is also comprised of a plurality of raised spaced apart lugs or ridges  1210 , with channels  1212  located between said ridges  1210  and formed by said ridges  1210 . Bottom  122  is generally flat and preferably corresponds in shape and size with top surface  111  of lower portion  110  as shown in the Figures. Opposing side slots  124  are similar to rail flanges  26  in rail  20 , and preferably extend between rear end  125  and front end  126  and are useful for attaching accessories (such as a scope, light, bayonet, etc.) to device  100  in generally the same manner that accessories (not shown) would ordinarily be attached to rail  20 . Opposing side slots  124  may further comprise a plurality of spaced apart openings  1240  extending entirely through bottom  122 . The number and placement of openings  1240  preferably correspond to the number and placement of openings  1114  in lower portion  110  for receipt of fasteners  130 , which are used to fixedly attach upper portion  120  to lower portion  110  as best shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
         [0022]    As best shown in  FIGS. 4, 5 and 6A , locking mechanism or linear lock release  140  is preferably comprised of an elongated arm portion  142 , a handle portion  144  for engaging and dis-engaging locking mechanism  140 , a rotating lock  146  and a spring  147 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, handle portion  144  is integrally formed with arm portion  142 , and arm portion  142  is sized to fit and slide longitudinally within channel  1110  between a locked position and an unlocked position, as described more fully below. Arm portion  142  also further comprises at least one notch  1420  on each of its sides for receipt of a latch on one side and a safety stop on the opposing side, as described more fully below. 
         [0023]    More specifically, rotating lock  146  further comprises a locking key  1460  positioned along the bottom surface of rotating lock  146  for mating engagement with a selected channel  24  along rail  20 , and a latch  1462  and a safety stop  1464  positioned on a top surface of rotating lock  146  for mating engagement with a respective one of notches  1420  in arm portion  142 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of latch  1462 , safety stop  1464  and locking key  1460  are integrally formed with rotating lock  146 . More specifically, each of latch  1462  and safety stop  1464  extends upwardly from the top surface of rotating lock  146  for mating engagement with a respective one of notches  1420  in arm portion  142 , thereby preventing longitudinal or rotational movement of device  100  relative to rail  20  when locking mechanism  140  is in the locked position, as described more fully below. Similarly, locking key  1460  extends downwardly from rotating lock  146  beyond the bottom surface  112  of lower portion  110  for mating engagement with one of channels  24  (between two of ridges  22 ) in rail  20 , thereby preventing longitudinal movement of device  100  relative to rail  20  when locking mechanism  140  is in the locked position, as described more fully below. 
         [0024]    Spring  147  is positioned within spring channel  1116  in lower member  110  and is comprised of a first end  1472  and a second end  1474 . Spring  147  is biased in the general direction of arm member  142 , as best shown in  FIG. 4 , and first end  1472  is fixedly attached to lower portion  110  and second end is fixedly attached to the end of arm portion  142  opposite of handle portion  144 . 
         [0025]    Having now described the general structure of a preferred embodiment of device  100 , its function will now be described in general terms. A user (not shown) desiring to securely mount device  100  onto rail  20  would simply place device  100  (in an unlocked position) at a desired position along and on top of Picatinny rail  20  at a slight angle—meaning that the alignment of device  100  would be slightly offset (i.e., preferably less than 45°) from rail  20  but so that fences  117 ,  118  clear rail flanges  26  and locking key  1460  is capable of being inserted into a select one of said channels  24  (between two of ridges  22 ).  FIG. 6B  is a perspective view of a Picatinny rail  20  of a firearm. Once device  100  is placed on rail  20  such that locking key  1460  is placed within a selected one of channels  24  along rail  20  (between two of ridges  22 ), the user would rotate device  100  to generally align the same longitudinally with rail  20 . As device  100  is being rotated, locking key  1460  will cause latch  1462  to disengage from notch  1420  and spring  147  will elongate, thereby causing arm portion  142  to slide outwardly along channel  1110 . Nonetheless, safety stop  1464  will prevent arm portion  142  from being removed from channel  1110 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . As device  100  is rotated into a position substantially parallel with rail  20 , rear fence  117  matingly engages with one of rail flanges  26  and front fence  118  matingly engages with the opposite rail flange  26 , while locking key  1460 , which is positioned within a select channel  24  between two of ridges  22 , prevents longitudinal movement of device  100  relative to rail  20  while locking mechanism  140  is in the locked position. 
         [0026]    Similarly, to unlock locking mechanism  140  to reposition device  100  along rail  20  or remove device  100  from rail  20  altogether, a user (not shown) would simply push handle portion  144  in the direction of device  100 , thereby compressing spring  147  and engaging latch  1462  with notch  1420 , and rotating device  100  relative to rail  20  to disengage rear fence  117  and front fence  118  from their respective rail flange  26 . 
         [0027]    Other variations are also within the spirit of the present invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. 
         [0028]    The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. 
         [0029]    Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventor intends for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.