Patent Publication Number: US-6698130-B2

Title: Holding device for trigger&#39;s protection bow

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to pistol accessories, and in particular, to a holding device for the protection bow of a trigger on a pistol. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The Chinese invented the gunpowder in ancient times. For example, tracing back to the Tang Dynasty (around 1,000 AD), there were already records about gunpowder. At beginning, the alchemist discovered that a mix of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal would produce a powder capable of generating a strong flame, which was called gunpowder. Except for the application of its explosive force and combustion force, taking iron sand and stone as projectiles for smashing and wounding targets made simple firearm and cannon. The gunpowder was used extensively for warfare during the Sung Dynasty, and was then brought to the western world by Mongol conquest of western lands. In modern times, mankind has further applied gunpowder for use with shooting arms, such as pistols, rifles, and machine guns, among others. 
     The modern shooting arms described hereinabove are all equipped with a trigger, which activates an anvil to hit a firing pin, which then directly hits the base gunpowder to further produce a flame flowing through the pipe to ignite the gunpowder. In order to prevent inadvertent actuation of the trigger, a trigger is provided with a protection bow along the outer edge of the trigger that functions to prevent the trigger from being inadvertently actuated. In addition, to enable the shooter to hit a target more accurately, modern shooting arms are further equipped with an indicating device (for example, a sniper mirror, a sniper scope, a laser gun-sight, etc.) to improve a shooter&#39;s aim. The indicating device is typically provided on a holding device that is removably connected to the protection bow of a trigger. 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional holding device showing how the holding device is removably attached to the protection bow of a trigger. The holding device has a main body  1 , which has a plate  12  that abuts against one side of the protection bow  8 . An adjusting-and-fixing portion  13  and an insetting-and-abutting portion  14  are provided on two opposing sides of the plate  12 , with an accommodation space  15  formed between the adjusting-and-fixing portion  13  and the insetting-and-abutting portion  14  for receiving the protection bow  8 . Since the shape of the inner surface of the insetting-and-abutting portion  14  (i.e., the surface on the side of the accomodation space  15 ) is the same as the shape of the protection bow  8 , the protection bow  8  can be aligned and abutted against the insetting-and-abutting portion  14  to form a form-fitting contact. Two threaded bolts  16  can be threadably extended through corresponding bores in the adjusting-and-fixing portion  13  and made to extend into the accommodation space  15  to contact the protection bow  8 , thereby securing the protection bow  8  tightly inside the accomodation space  15 . 
     The conventional holding device works effectively when the configuration of the adjusting-and-fixing portion  13  and the insetting-and-abutting portion  14  correspond to the configuration of the protection bow  8 . However, not all protection bows  8  are provided in the same configuration, so the only way to achieve the desired tight fit of the protection bow  8  in the accomodation space  15  would be to provide customized holding devices for each different model of protection bow  8 . Otherwise, if a holding device is secured to a protection bow  8  that has a different non-corresponding shape, then the protection bow  8  cannot be securely held inside the accomodation space  15 . In particular, the contact between the insetting-and-abutting portion  14  and the protection bow  8  would become point contact, thereby creating a relative sliding motion when the insetting-and-abutting portion  14  is abutted against the protection bow  8 . 
     Thus, there still remains a need for a holding device that can be tightly secured to protection bows of different shapes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a holding device that can be tightly secured to protection bows of different shapes. 
     In order to accomplish the objectives of the present invention, the present invention provides a holding device that can removably attached to the protection bow of a pistol. The holding device has a main body, a fixing portion, an abutting portion that is pivotably coupled to the main body, and an accommodation space defined between the fixing portion and the abutting portion for receiving the protection bow. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating how a conventional holding device is secured to a protection bow of a trigger. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating how a holding device according to one embodiment of the present invention is secured to a protection bow of a trigger. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating how an indicating device can be used with the holding device of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view illustrating one embodiment of the sliding connection between the gliding seat and the swinging arm. 
     FIG. 4B is a side view illustrating the sliding connection of FIG.  4 A. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating how a holding device according to another embodiment of the present invention is secured to a protection bow of a trigger. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     The holding device for a protection bow according to the present invention has an insetting-and-abutting portion that can be pivoted about a pivot axis to adapt to protection bows that have different shapes. When the protection bow of a trigger is placed into an accommodation space inside the holding device, four connection points are provided to tightly secure the holding device to the protection bow: two abutment points of a convex surface of the insetting-and-abutting portion that abut against the protection bow, and two bolts that can be adjusted to extend into the accommodation space to exert a force on the protection bow. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a holding device  2  of the present invention. The holding device  2  has a main body  21 , which includes a plate  22  that is positioned against one lateral side surface of the protection bow  8  (shown in phantom) of a trigger. An adjusting-and-fixing portion  23  (referred to hereinafter as the “fixing portion  23 ”) and an insetting-and-abutting portion  24  (referred to hereinafter as the “abutting portion  24 ”) are provided on the front end and the rear end, respectively, of the plate  22 . An accommodation space  25  is defined between the fixing portion  23  and the abutting portion  24  for receiving the protection bow  8 . The abutting portion  24  is pivotably coupled to the plate  22  at a pivoting connection point  241 , and the surface of the abutting portion  24  that faces the accomodation space  25  has a concave configuration with two abutment points  242 . Thus, by using the pivot point  241  as a central pivoting axis, the abutting portion  24  can pivot about the plate  22  so that the abutment points  242  can function to contact two separate and spaced-apart locations along any curved surface, such as a surface along a protection bow  8 . Two threaded bolts  26  can be threadably extended through corresponding bores in the fixing portion  23  and made to extend into the accommodation space  25  to contact the protection bow  8 . When the bolts  26  contact the protection bow  8 , the bolts  26  can slowly urge the protection bow  8  against the two abutment points  242  of the abutting portion  24 . The user can even adjust the threaded bolts  26  (by threading in either direction) to loosen or tighten the grip of the bolts  26  and the abutting portion  24  on the protection bow  8  in the accomodation space  25 . Thus, the grip provided by the two bolts  26  and the two abutment points  242  provide four fixing points in a single plane, which will ensure that the protection bow  8  is tightly secured in the accomodation space  25  and cannot be moved in any direction. 
     A cantilevered beam  298  can be attached to the main body  21 , and a holding apparatus  299  can be carried by the beam  298 , which functions as a holding arm. The holding apparatus  299  can be used to hold an indicating device (not shown). 
     FIG. 3 illustrates how the holding device  2  of FIG. 2 can be used with a pistol accessory, such as an indicating device  6 . The holding device  2  in FIG. 3 can be the same as the holding device  2  in FIG. 2. A rod-like swinging arm  27  is pivotably coupled to the main body  21  of the holding device  2  and has a pivoting connection  271  and a locking-and-fixing portion  272 . The pivoting connection  271  can be a shaft that couples the rear end of the swinging arm  27  with an end of the main body  21  for pivoting movement with respect to each other. The locking-and-fixing portion  272  is spaced apart from the pivoting connection  271  and includes an open trough  2721  and a bolting lock  2722  that extends through the trough  2721  and the main body  21 . With the pivoting connection  271  as a pivot point, the swinging arm  27  can be pivoted with respect to the main body  21 . The pivoting of the swinging arm  27  causes the bolting lock  2722  to move up and down within the trough  2721 , until the swinging arm  27  is oriented at a desired angle or position. The bolting lock  2722  can then be tightened to secure the swinging arm  27  at the desired angle or position. 
     A gliding seat  5  is coupled to the swinging arm  2  and has rotary wheels  51  that allow for sliding movement along the length of the swinging arm  27 . The gliding seat  5  can be locked at specific positions along the swinging arm  27  by engaging one or more rotary wheels  51  in one or more spaces defined between pairs of flanges  273 . An indicating device  6  is carried by the gliding seat  5 , and functions to project a signal that represents an indication line  61  for providing a relative position of the trajectory  71  between a target and the barrel  7  of a pistol. The indicating device  6  is positioned between the swinging arm  27  and the barrel  7 , so that the indicating device  6  can be positioned closely against the barrel  7  so that the indicating device  6  can be conveniently stored together with the pistol and its barrel  7  inside a holster. As shown in FIG. 3, the indicating line  61  and the trajectory  71  will form two parallel straight lines that are maintained at a certain distance apart from each other. However, the indicating line  61  can be adjusted by an angle (theta) by adjusting a bolting lock  62  on the indicating device  61 , such that the indicating line  61  and the trajectory  71  will intersect at a crossing point. This crossing point can be used by the shooter when aiming at a target. 
     Thus, the relative position between the indicating device  6  and the barrel  7  can be adjusted in the following manner. First, the main body  21  is connected to the protection bow  8  according to the technique described above in connection with FIG.  2 . Second, the swinging arm  27  can be pivoted with respect to main body  21  to the desired fixing angle, and this desired angle and orientation can be fixed by the locking-and-fixing portion  272  in the manner described above. Third, the gliding seat  5  is moved along the length of the swinging arm  27  and is secured at a desired fixed location along the swinging arm  27  by positioning the rotary wheels  51  between selected flanges  273 . 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate how the gliding seat  5  can be slidably coupled to the swinging arm  27 . The swinging arm  27  can be configured to have two opposing V-shaped sides  274 . The gliding seat  5  can have a barrel section  53  on its upper side that defines a through bore  54  for receiving the indicating device  6 . The gliding seat  5  also has two lateral side rails  55 , each having a V-shaped configuration that corresponds to the V-shaped configuration of the sides  274  on the swinging arm  27 . As a result, the swinging arm  27  can be slidably moved inside the space defined by the rails  55 , and the corresponding V-shape configurations of the rails  55  and the sides  274  allow for a secure but movable retention of the swinging arm  27  inside the gliding seat  5 , yet also allows for the easy and convenient removal of the gliding seat from the swinging arm  27  (i.e., the user can merely slide the gliding seat  5  off the swinging arm  27 ). In addition, one or more threaded bolts  52  can be extended through the wall of the rails  55  to secure the gliding seat  5  at a desired fixed location along the length of the swinging arm  27 . 
     FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a holding device for a protection bow. The holding device in FIG. 5 has a main body  21   c  (which can be identical to the main body  21  above), an extension  28  that extends at an offset step from the plate  22   c  of the main body  21   c , and a lateral cover  29  that is parallel to the plate  22   c  of the main body  21   c . The extension  28  has a thickness t which is also the same dimension of the space between the main body  21   c  and the lateral cover  29 . The extension  28  can be formed in one piece with the main body  21   c , or can be formed as a separate piece and then attached (e.g., by welding) to the main body  21   c . The thickness t is preferably larger than the width w of the protection bow  8  of any pistol, so that the accomodation space  25   c  can receive the protection bow  8  from virtually any commercial pistol. Since the lateral cover  29  is parallel to the plate  22   c  of the main body  21   c , the plate  22   c  and the lateral lid  29  are positioned at the two sides of the accommodation space  25   c . The lateral cover  29  is pivotably coupled to the plate  22   c  by a pivot shaft  241  that defines the pivoting connection point. The lateral cover  29  rotates about the shaft  241   c  in the direction indicated by the arrow  91 . To position the protection bow  8  inside the accomodation space  25   c , the lateral cover  29  is first opened by rotating it about the shaft  241   c  in the direction of arrow  91  away from the extension  28 , so that the protection bow  8  can be slid through the opening vacated by the pivoted lateral cover  29  and positioned in the accommodation space  25   c . The lateral cover  29  is then rotated so that the lateral cover  29  is adjacent the extension  28  again (see the position shown in FIG.  5 ), thereby securing the protection bow  8  inside the accomodation space  25   c . At least one locking-and-fixing bolt  291  (FIG. 5 shows two bolts  291 ) extends through corresponding openings in the plate  22   c . The bolts  291  can be threaded in and out of the openings, and are therefore adapted to contact a side surface  81  of the protection bow  8 , so as to urge the protection bow  8  against the lateral cover  29  to tightly secure the protection bow  8  inside the accomodation space  25   c . To remove the protection bow  8  from the accomodation space  25   c , the bolts  291  can be threaded to loosen their grip on the protection bow  8 : The lateral cover  29  is then pivoted away from the extension  28  so that the protection bow  8  can be removed from the accomodation space  25   c.    
     A swinging arm  27   c  having a pivoting connection  271   c  and a locking-and-fixing portion  272   c  can also be pivotably coupled to the extension  28 . The swinging arm  27   c , pivoting connection  271   c  and locking-and-fixing portion  272   c  can be the same as the corresponding elements  27 ,  271  and  272  described above, and function in the same manner. 
     Thus, the present invention provides a holding device for a protection bow of a trigger which provides sufficient locking and fixing strength to tightly secure the holding device to the protection bow, while allowing the user to use the holding device for different protection bows. 
     While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.