Patent Publication Number: US-2012030988-A1

Title: Rotary-ring firearm scope

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     The present patent application is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/362,897, filed Jul. 9, 2010, entitled “Rotary Ring Firearm Scope Adjustment,” and invented by Bernard T. Windauer, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Military and tactical operations require the utmost in accuracy and diligence on the part of an operator (or shooter or marksman) to remain focused on their task. Focusing on the task at hand requires concentration on a target that is in view through a rifle scope. Accordingly, a minimal amount of movement is necessary (i.e., to adjust sight settings) while in a shooting position (i.e., prone, sitting, kneeling, or standing) in order to remain looking through the rifle scope at the target. The ability to make sight adjustments with the hand/arm that is not being used to fire the rifle, that is, the hand/arm that is not on the trigger (i.e., the non-shooting hand), is extremely advantageous. The subject matter disclosed herein allows an operator (shooter/marksman) to make major sight adjustments (windage and elevation adjustment) and minor adjustment (parallax adjustment) with the non-shooting hand independent of whether the shooter is right or left handed. Additionally, the repeatability of a rifle scope is dependent on the number, quality, and close machining tolerances of the internal parts. Therefore, the fewer number of parts used by the subject matter disclosed herein equates to tighter overall tolerances of the total assembly, greater repeatability, and overall lower cost of the total scope. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The subject matter disclosed herein is illustrated by way of example and not by limitation in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1A  depicts a left side view of a first exemplary embodiment of a Rotary-Ring Scope (RRS) according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 1B  depicts a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in  FIG. 1A  of the first exemplary embodiment of an RRS according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment of an RRS according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 3  depicts an exploded perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment of an RRS according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
         FIGS. 4A-4E  depict different views of an exemplary embodiment of a rotary ring according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
         FIGS. 5A-5D  depict different views of another exemplary embodiment of Rotary-Ring Scope according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
         FIGS. 6A-6C  depict different views of yet another exemplary embodiment of Rotary-Ring Scope according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 7  depicts a first exemplary reticle view through an optical firearms scope with adjustable optical marker scales to indicate erector tube assembly movements according to the subject matter disclosed herein; and 
         FIG. 8  depicts a second exemplary reticle view through an optical firearms scope with electronic/digital markers to indicate erector tube assembly movements according to the subject matter disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     It should be understood that the word “exemplary,” as used herein, means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not to be construed as necessarily preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Additionally, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, in some figures only one or two of a plurality of similar components or items may be indicated by reference characters for clarity of the figure. 
       FIGS. 1A and 2  respectively depict a left side view and a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a Rotary-Ring Scope (RRS)  100  according to the subject matter disclosed herein.  FIG. 1B  depicts a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in  FIG. 1A  of the first exemplary embodiment of RRS  100 .  FIG. 3  depicts an exploded perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment of RRS  100 . 
     RRS  100  comprises a scope body  201 , an elevation adjustment ring  202 , an elevation adjustment plunger  203 , a windage adjustment ring  204 , a windage adjustment plunger  205 , and an ocular-lens end  215 . The interior construction of RRS  100  ( FIGS. 1B and 3 ) is essentially conventional with the presence of an erector tube assembly  206  (shown in  FIGS. 1B and 3 , but not shown in  FIGS. 1A and 2 ) and an erector tube reaction spring(s) (not shown), and an optical pathway that extends along a longitudinal axis  210 , as depicted in  FIG. 1B . 
     The front  207  of erector tube assembly  206  (into which the aiming point (dot or cross hair, not shown) is mounted) is physically moved vertically (i.e., the elevation adjustment) and horizontally (i.e., windage adjustment) to provide adjustment of the internal aiming point of RRS  100 . Erector tube assembly  206  is positioned in a vertical direction by pivoting around spherically shaped rear-end section  208  based on movement of elevation adjustment plunger  203  and spring-pressure counter force via erector tube reaction spring(s) (not shown) in opposition to movement of elevation adjustment plunger  203 . That is, as elevation adjustment ring  202  is rotated around an axis of rotation that is substantially coincident with longitudinal axis  210 , elevation adjustment plunger  203  is extended (or retracted) based on contact of its rounded end within a variable-depth groove  402  ( FIGS. 4A-4E ). Erector tube assembly  206  is selectably positioned in a vertical direction as elevation adjustment ring  202  is rotated around its axis of rotation, thereby shifting the internal aiming point upward or downward. It should be understood that the exact mechanical configuration of the elevation adjustment plunger  203  and the variable depth groove  402  ( FIG. 4A-4E ) machined on the interior circumference of the elevation adjustment ring  202  can be any of a number of well-known mechanical configurations. 
     Erector tube assembly  206  is positioned in a horizontal direction by pivoting around spherically shaped rear end section  208  based on movement of windage adjustment plunger  205  and spring-pressure counter force in opposition to movement of windage adjustment plunger  205 . That is, as windage adjustment ring  204  is rotated around an axis of rotation that is substantially coincident with longitudinal axis  210 , windage adjustment plunger  205  is extended (or retracted) based on contact of its rounded end within a variable-depth groove. Erector tube assembly  206  is selectably positioned in a horizontal direction as horizontal adjustment ring  204  is rotated around its axis of rotation, thereby shifting the internal aiming point to the left or right. It should be understood that the exact mechanical configuration of windage adjustment plunger  205  and variable-depth groove  402  ( FIG. 4A-4E ) machined on the interior circumference of windage adjustment ring  204  could be any of a number of well-known mechanical configurations. It should also be understood that more than one variable depth groove  402  could be used, in which case a corresponding number of plungers (i.e., plungers  203  and  205 ) would be used. It should also be understood that a spiral path variable-depth groove  402  could be used for finer adjustment or longitudinal movement of internal mechanisms as in the case of parallax adjustment with the rotary-ring concept disclosed herein. 
       FIGS. 4A-4E  depict different views of an exemplary embodiment of a rotary ring  400  according to the subject matter disclosed herein. In particular,  FIG. 4A  is a left-side view of rotary ring  400 ,  FIG. 4B  is a front view of rotary ring  400 , and  FIG. 4C  is a right-side view of rotary ring  400 .  FIG. 4D  is a perspective view of rotary ring  400 , and  FIG. 4E  is a cross-sectional view of rotary ring  400  taken along line B-B in  FIG. 4B . In one exemplary embodiment, rotary ring  400  comprises elevation adjustment ring  202 . In another exemplary embodiment, rotary ring  400  comprises windage adjustment ring  204 . As depicted in  FIGS. 4A-4E , rotary ring  400  comprises a body member  401 , and an internally positioned variable-depth groove  402 . The depth of variable-depth groove  402  varies as groove  402  traverses the interior surface  403  of rotary ring  400 . In one exemplary embodiment, the variation of the depth of groove  402  is constant or linear for at least a portion of the length of groove  402 . In another exemplary embodiment, the variation of the depth of groove  402  is not constant or is nonlinear for at least a portion of the length of groove  402 . In still another exemplary embodiment, groove  402  can include protuberances along the length of the groove that provide a tactic feel as the rotary ring is rotated. In still another exemplary embodiment, groove  402  can be configured as a spiral so that the length of groove  402  around the internal surface  403  of rotary ring  400  can be selectably varied depending on the application. 
     It should be understood that the rotary-ring configurations for the various adjustments for the exemplary embodiment of the RRS  100  depicted in the Figures could be adapted for use with an optical adjustment mechanism for an automatic optical sighting system, such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0266892 A1 to Windauer et al., Ser. No. 11/720,426, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,806,331 B2 to Windauer et al. Moreover, while the exemplary embodiments of a RRS depicted in the Figures comprise an optical pathway that extends along a single longitudinal axis, it should be understood that an exemplary embodiment of an RRS could comprise an optical pathway that extends along one or more axes, such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0266892 A1 to Windauer et al., Ser. No. 11/720,426, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,806,331 B2 to Windauer et al., the disclosure of which being incorporated by reference herein. 
       FIGS. 5A-5D  depict different views of another exemplary embodiment of Rotary-Ring Rifle Scope (RRS)  500  according to the subject matter disclosed herein. In particular,  FIGS. 5A and 5B  respectively depict top and side views of RRS  500 .  FIG. 5C  depicts a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in  FIG. 5B  of RRS  500 .  FIG. 5D  depicts an ocular-lens end view of RRS  500 . RRS  500  comprises a scope body  501 , an elevation adjustment actuator  502 , an elevation adjustment plunger (not shown), a windage adjustment actuator  504 , a windage adjustment plunger  505 , and an ocular-lens end  515 . The interior construction of RRS  500  is essentially conventional with the presence of an erector tube assembly  506  and an erector tube reaction spring(s) (not shown), and an optical pathway that extends along a longitudinal axis  510 , as depicted in  FIG. 5C . 
     The front  507  of erector tube assembly  506  (into which the aiming point (dot or cross hair, not shown) is mounted) is physically moved vertically (i.e., the elevation adjustment) and horizontally (i.e., windage adjustment) to provide adjustment of the internal aiming point of RRS  500 . Erector tube assembly  506  is positioned in a horizontal direction by pivoting around spherically shaped rear-end section  508  based on movement of windage adjustment plunger  505  and spring-pressure counter force via erector tube reaction spring(s) (not shown) in opposition to movement of windage adjustment plunger  505 . That is, as windage adjustment actuator  504  is rotated around an axis of rotation  513  ( FIG. 5C ) that is substantially parallel to longitudinal axis  510 , windage adjustment plunger  505  is extended (or retracted) based on contact of its rounded end within a variable-depth groove  511  formed on the exterior surface  512  of windage adjustment actuator  504 . Erector tube assembly  506  is selectably positioned in a horizontal direction as windage adjustment actuator  504  is rotated around its axis of rotation, thereby shifting the internal aiming point upward or downward. It should be understood that the exact mechanical configuration of the windage adjustment plunger  505  and the variable depth groove  511  machined on the exterior circumference of the windage adjustment actuator  504  can be any of a number of well-known mechanical configurations. Further, it should be understood that the elevation adjustment for the exemplary embodiment of RRS  500  depicted in  FIGS. 5A-5D  operates in a manner similar to the horizontal adjustment. 
       FIGS. 6A-6C  depict different views of yet another exemplary embodiment of Rotary-Ring Rifle Scope (RRS)  600  according to the subject matter disclosed herein. In particular,  FIGS. 6A and 6B  respectively depict top and side views of RRS  600 .  FIG. 6C  depicts a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in  FIG. 6B  of RRS  600 . RRS  600  comprises a scope body  601 , an elevation adjustment actuator  602 , an elevation plunger screw  603 , an elevation plunger gear  623 , a windage adjustment actuator  604 , a windage plunger screw  605 , a windage adjustment gear  624 , and an ocular-lens end  615 . The interior construction of RRS  600  is essentially conventional with the presence of an erector tube assembly  606  and an erector tube reaction spring(s) (not shown), and an optical pathway that extends along a longitudinal axis  610 , as depicted in  FIG. 6C . 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 6A-6C , elevation adjustment actuator  602  and windage adjustment actuator  604  respectively comprise gear teeth  621  and  622  on an interior surface of the actuator. Gear teeth  621  and  622  respectively engage with gear teeth on elevation adjustment gear  623  and windage adjustment gear  624  on the respective plunger screws  603  and  605  to provide either elevation or windage adjustment. Plunger screw gears  623  and  624  comprises screw threads on its interior bore (not shown) that engage with the threads of a mating plunger screw. A plunger screw gear is restrained from radial movement (movement perpendicular to the longitudinal axis) by the housing, and the plunger screw is restrained from rotation by the scope body. When an adjustment actuator (elevation adjustment actuator  602  or windage adjustment actuator  604 ) is rotated the gear teeth on the internal surface of the actuator cause the corresponding plunger gear screw to rotate and the gear threads cause the plunger to either enter or retract from the hole in the scope body  601 . The end of the plunger that is within the scope body is touching erector tube  606  and causes movement of the erector tube  606  either vertically for elevation or horizontally for windage as the rear end of the erector tube pivots about its spherical surface  608 . All movements of the front end (or back end if the design is reversed) are counteracted by a spring body (leaf or coil spring) (not shown) to maintain contact of the erector tube  606  with the windage or elevation adjustment mechanisms. 
     Parallax adjustment and illuminated-reticle control can be accomplished by the addition of a third and fourth (respectively) ring (not shown) or with knobs in a well-known manner. 
     It is common practice in the firearms optics industry to have index/calibration marks on the elevation and windage adjustments and a fixed index mark on the scope body to give the user a point of reference for rotational adjustment movements. It is also normal practice for the user to “zero” the scope prior to normal use. To “zero” a scope, the user chooses a distance where the bullet point of impact will coincide with the point of aim. This practice is accomplished by shooting the firearm at the chosen distance and measuring the distance of separation of both points. The scope aiming point adjustment mechanisms (windage and/or elevation) are adjusted a specific amount to make both points coincide. The firearm is again fired to verify that the adjustment of the scope aiming point adjustments was adequate to have both points coincide. The physical contact surfaces of the adjustments are then loosened from the internal mechanical assembly to align the “zero” index mark on the rotating adjustment surfaces with the fixed index mark on the scope body. Based on the aligning of the two marks, the scope can be adjusted during use and returned to the “zero” or base setting where the point of aim and point of bullet impact are aligned with one another. Separation of the physical contact surfaces of the rotary adjustment rings from the internal ring (housing the variable depth groove) of the RRS can be accomplished using nested rings (not shown) and set screws or spring-loaded pins in a well-known manner. Datum (bottom stop) positions can also be provided in a well-known manner (not shown) to allow alignment of the “zero” digit of the index scale to the fixed “datum” mark on the RRS. 
     There are times during use when the index marks on the outside of the scope are not readily visible, for example, at night. There are other times when the operator (or shooter or marksman) does not want to lose sight of the target through the scope by looking at the index marks. The subject matter disclosed herein provides an internal adjustable scale that can be aligned with the “cross hair,” “dot,” or another type of reticle to give the “zeroed” position of the reticle without having to check the index marks on the outside of the scope. The subject matter disclosed herein provides an operator an advantage of making or verifying sight changes without dismounting the rifle to look at the external index marks on the rotating knob and fixed index mark. In one exemplary embodiment, separate adjustable optical markers are added to indicate the correct sight settings or direct movement of the erector tube assembly  206  for specific user designated distances. In a second exemplary embodiment the rotational movement of the adjustment rings or the direct movement of the erector tube assembly  206  is indicated by electronic or digital numerals in the field of view within the optical firearms scope. 
       FIG. 7  depicts a reticle view  700  through an optical firearms scope with adjustable optical internal scales/markers to indicate movements of erector tube assembly  206  ( FIG. 3 ) according to the subject matter disclosed herein. An adjustable elevation scale  701  is shown towards the left of the reticle view shown. An adjustable windage scale  702  is shown towards the bottom of the reticle view shown. Scales  701  and  702  include calibration markings that are not clearly shown (due to the relatively small scale of the drawing) in  FIG. 7 . The center mark  703  represents the aiming point. The elevation setting for a user adjusted sight setting can be read at  704 . 
       FIG. 8  depicts a reticle view  800  through an optical firearms scope with electronic/digital markers to indicate erector tube assembly  206  ( FIG. 3 ) movements according to the subject matter disclosed herein. An adjustable numeric marker  801  for elevation position of the internal point of aim is shown towards the left of the reticle view shown. An adjustable numeric marker  802  for lateral movement (windage) of the internal point of aim is shown towards the bottom of the reticle view shown. Markers  801  and  802  can be “zeroed” at any point of adjustment knob rotational position or erector tube assembly elevation of windage position. 
     It should be understood that one exemplary embodiment of the reticle with internal adjustment readings provides variable illumination in a well-known manner. Additionally, it should be understood that the internal adjustment reading reticles depicted in  FIGS. 7 and 8  could be used in an optical rifle scope that uses separate knobs for adjusting elevation and windage, or an optical rifle scope that uses a multi-function turret knob, such as that disclosed in PCT/US2009/067215, entitled “Multi-Function Turret Knob,” and invented by Bernard T. Windauer, now U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/133,454. Further still, it should be understood that the particular scales shown as an internal adjustment reading could be different depending on the application. It should also be understood that the internal scales to indicate adjustment settings can be numerically indicated with liquid crystal displays (LCD) or light emitting diodes (LED) or other electronically controlled methods. 
     Although the foregoing disclosed subject matter has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced that are within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the subject matter disclosed herein is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.