Patent Publication Number: US-11385009-B2

Title: Firearms trigger assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/398,232, filed Sep. 22, 2016. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates generally to firearms and more particularly to a firearms trigger assembly. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The two most common types of triggers for firearms are (1) rotational; and (2) translational. A rotational trigger is generally considered safer because of the way it interacts with safety mechanisms, while a translational trigger has the advantages of a better “feel” or crispness in the action and also improved sighting. The improved sighting is due in part to the low amount of movement introduced on the sight picture during the shot process. Translational triggers, however, are considered less safe than rotational triggers because they are more likely to be prone to unintentional discharge from drop shock or occurrences which cause the safety mechanisms to fail. 
     There is an unmet need, therefore, for a translational trigger that preserves the feel of a traditional translational trigger while providing improved safety performance over traditional translational triggers. 
     SUMMARY 
     A firearms trigger assembly for a firearm having a yoked trigger with an integral safety includes a trigger piece, a safety cam pin, a trigger housing piece, and a trigger yoke to provide a crisp pull feel and good sighting while also providing reliable safety. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view diagrammatic illustration of a trigger assembly of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view diagrammatic illustration of the trigger assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side cross-section view detail of a firearm having a trigger assembly of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a side cross-section view detail of a firearm having the trigger assembly of  FIG. 3  during trigger pull. 
         FIG. 5  is a side cross-section view detail of a firearm having the trigger assembly of  FIG. 4  during a later stage of trigger pull. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of the invention. The term “invention” is not intended to refer to any particular embodiment or otherwise limit the scope of the disclosure. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment. 
     In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to.” Also, the term “connect” or “connected” where used if at all is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first component connects to a second component, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other components and connections. 
     Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components and method steps. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different companies may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, the reference numeral  100  generally designates a trigger assembly embodying features of the present disclosure. Trigger assembly  100  includes trigger safety  110 , trigger housing piece  120 , and trigger yoke  130  to form a yoked translational trigger having an integral safety. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view diagrammatic illustration of the trigger assembly of  FIG. 1 . Trigger housing  120  provides trigger piece receiving slot  122 , receptacle  124  for receiving vertical spring  210 , stops  240 / 242  and pin bores  126 A and  126 B,  127 , and  128  to receive pins  232 ,  234 , and  236 , respectively, to connect trigger safety  110  to trigger housing piece  120  and trigger housing piece  120  to trigger yoke  130  at attachment portion  132  (see,  FIG. 2 ). Additionally, set screw  220  is housed in trigger housing piece  120 . 
     Trigger yoke  130  provides attachment portion  132  having pin bores  134 ,  136  to receive pins  236  and  234 , respectively, and shoulder portion  138 . 
     Trigger safety  110  has textured finger grip surface  112 , cam  115  and pin bore  126 C to receive pin  232 . 
       FIG. 3  is a side cross-section view detail of a firearm having a trigger assembly of the present invention that operably interacts with the firearm housing or an insert of the firearm housing. Magazine release  310  is identified for orientation purposes located under trigger yoke  130 . The firearm is at battery with has begun. Spring  210  biases cam  115  against surface  320  so that cam  115  of safety  110  is engaged with surface  320 . Spring  210  is at full extension (minimum compression). Trigger yoke  130  is not engaged with fire control assembly  520  (see,  FIG. 5 ). 
       FIG. 4  is a side cross-section view detail of a firearm having the trigger assembly of  FIG. 3  during trigger pull. Safety  110  is disengaged. Safety  110  pivots slightly forward about pin  232  compressing spring  210  downward and disengaging cam  115  from surface  320 . The bottom surface of cam  115  mates with trigger yoke shoulder portion  138 . Set screw  220  has not yet begun to translate with trigger assembly  100  toward firing assembly  520 . As trigger assembly  100  is pulled translationally, cam  115  disengages from surface  320  to allow trigger yoke  130  to translate unimpeded toward fire control assembly  520 . Cam  115  engages trigger yoke shoulder portion  138  and pushes trigger yoke  130  toward fire control assembly  520 . 
       FIG. 5  is a side cross-section view detail of a firearm having the trigger assembly of  FIG. 4  during a later stage of trigger pull. Trigger yoke  130  translates straight back toward and engages fire control assembly  520  at surface  510 . Set screw  220  translates with trigger safety  110  as trigger assembly  100  moves translationally toward fire control assembly  520 . 
     The use of a firearms trigger assembly of the present disclosure provides many advantages over the prior art including reducing the need for other redundant safety systems that complicate the firearm design. It allows a proven design to be used in the new context of a translational trigger system. Other translational trigger systems contain multiple manual systems, something that rotational triggers overcame by including the safety in the trigger itself. This allows the firearm to be safe when not in use. 
     The traditional firearms that utilize a translational trigger system either incorporated multiple manual safeties (i.e., for example, backstrap (grip) safety and thumb safeties) or they utilized a system of gears to actuate a drop safety (which affected the trigger feel). These types of safeties are found in traditional 1911 designs and the series 80 Colt™ designs. 
     Traditional rotational triggers use an integrated trigger safety that is biased against a ledge in the grip and utilize a cam on the trigger bar to disengage the drop safety. This is relatively easy to do by using the front rotation and an attached trigger bar to accomplish it, as is the case with Glock™ and Smith and Wesson™ M&amp;P™s. 
     The arrangement of the grip/insert construction of the present invention creates a safety arrangement that occurs at the front of a translational trigger without affecting the feel of the trigger pull. This geometry would be nearly impossible to create without the insert construction inherent in the design that creates surface  320 . 
     Many modifications and other embodiments of the firearms trigger assembly described herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.