Patent Publication Number: US-2011047850-A1

Title: Laser aiming device for weapon foregrip

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is directed generally to weapon accessories. In particular, the present invention is directed to modular, electrically powered weapon accessories. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Users of weapons have often found it convenient to attach accessories of various types to their weapons, particularly firearms. Such accessories include foregrips, laser sighting devices, flash lights (both navigation lights and tactical lights), and radio frequency (RF) transmitter and/or receivers. Accessory rails mounted to a weapon make it easy to attach or remove accessories. These rails usually conform to a standard such as the Picatinny or Weaver standards to ensure that accessories made by different manufacturers can attach to the same rail. 
     Weapon users often have multiple accessories attached to their weapon. Presently, each accessory requiring electrical power has its own integral power supply. These redundant power supplies add unnecessary bulk and weight to the weapon. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an axonometric projection of a modular foregrip mounted on a weapon. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the modular foregrip and weapon. 
         FIG. 3A  is an axonometric projection of an embodiment of the modular foregrip. 
         FIG. 3B  is an exploded axonometric projection of the foregrip module embodiment of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of an embodiment of a tang (or center module) of the modular foregrip. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of an embodiment of a right panel grip of the modular foregrip. 
         FIG. 6  is an axonometric projection of an embodiment of the modular foregrip with an integral grip assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is an axonometric projection of a modular foregrip  100  mounted on a weapon  102 . Typically, the foregrip  100  mounts on an accessory rail attached to the underside of a barrel of a weapon  102 . Alternatively, the foregrip  100  could mount to an accessory rail  106  attached to the side of the weapon  102 . 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the modular foregrip  100  mounted on the weapon  102 . The modular foregrip  100  can be attached anywhere along the accessory rail  104  as convenient. 
       FIG. 3A  is an axonometric projection of an embodiment of the modular foregrip  100 .  FIG. 3B  is an exploded axonometric projection of the foregrip module  100  of  FIG. 3A . The modular foregrip  100  comprises a tang  108  and a grip assembly  110 . The tang  108  is sized and shaped to allow it to be disposed in a center cavity in the grip assembly  110 . The tang  108  has a mount  122  on one end that allows it to removably couple with the accessory rail  104 . 
     In other embodiments, the tang  108  does not have the mount  122  and thus cannot removably couple with the accessory rail  104 . Such an embodiment would still be useful as a handheld device. 
     The grip assembly  110  includes one or more accessories. The one or more accessories may include a visible laser aimer, an infrared laser aimer, a dual visible and infrared laser aimer, an infrared illuminator a radio transmitter, a tactical flashlight, and a navigation flashlight. In the example of  FIG. 3A , a first accessory  114  is a laser aiming device, and a second accessory  116  is a tactical flashlight. In the example of  FIG. 3A , the accessories  114  and  116  are shown disposed near the top of the grip assembly  110  and near to the point where the modular foregrip  100  removably couples with the accessory rail  104 . In other embodiments, the accessories  114  and  116  may be disposed near the bottom of the grip assembly  110 . In yet other embodiments, the first accessory  114  may be disposed in the top portion of the grip assembly  110  and the second accessory  116  disposed in the bottom portion of the grip assembly  110 , or vice versa. 
     The grip assembly  110  comprises a left grip  113  and a right grip  112 , where left and right are determined relative to a line of sight running from the breach toward the muzzle of the weapon  102 . Each component grip may have zero, one or more accessories. In other embodiments, the grip assembly  110  comprises a front grip and back grip, with the front grip closer to the muzzle of the weapon  102 . In yet other embodiments, the grip assembly  110  comprises a top and bottom grip, with the top grip closer to the weapon  102 . In yet other embodiments, the grip assembly  110  is an integral device and the accessories  112  and  114  are removably coupled with the grip assembly. 
     The modular foregrip  100  includes a butt plate  121  that is configured to securely hold the component grips together. The butt plate  121  is configured to engage with the tang  108  to hold the butt plate  121  in place relative to the tang  108 , yet allow the user to easily remove the butt plate. 
     The modular foregrip  100  has an electrical power source  126 , typically disposed in the tang  108 . In other embodiments, the electrical power source  126  is disposed in the grip assembly  110 . In some embodiments, the electrical power source  126  is a battery. In other embodiments, the electrical power source  126  is a capacitor or some other type of power supplying device. 
     Some accessories have a windage and elevation adjustment mechanism  120 , but some accessories do not. Typically, each adjustment mechanism  120  on the same modular foregrip  100  is independent of other adjustment mechanisms  120 . In the example of  FIG. 3A , the first accessory  114  is depicted as a laser aimer and has a windage and elevation adjustment mechanism  120 . The second accessory  116  is depicted as a flashlight and does not have an adjustment mechanism  120 . 
     In some embodiments, one or more control switches  118  are disposed in the grip assembly  110 . The control switches  117  and  118  control the flow of power to the accessories  114  and  116 . In some embodiments, the control switches  117  and  118  are disposed on one side of the grip assembly  110 . In some embodiments, the control switches  117  and  118  are disposed on the left side of the grip assembly  110 . In other embodiments, the control switches  117  and  118  may be disposed on the front side of the grip assembly  110 . In some embodiments, a first set of control switches  117  and  118  are disposed on one side of the gripe assembly  110  and a second set of control switches (not shown) are disposed on the opposite side of the grip assembly  110  in a mirror-image of the first set of control switches and perform the same functions. 
     In some embodiments, the modular foregrip  100  has a power port  119 . The power port  119  is electrically coupled with the electrical power source  126 . The power port  119  is configured to connect with an electrical jumper or pigtail in order to send electrical power to other accessories. These other accessories could be mounted on the same accessory rail  104  of the same weapon  102  that the modular foregrip  100  is currently mounted on. Alternatively, the other accessories could be on a different rail or not mounted on the weapon  102  at all. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of an embodiment of the tang  108  (or center module). The tang  108  has a mount  122  that is configured to allow the tang  108  to be removably coupled to an accessory rail (e.g., accessory rail  104 ). A housing  124  is mechanically coupled with the mount  122 . Typically, the mount  122  and the housing  124  are made of metal. 
     The tang  108  is configured to be removably attached to the grip assembly  110 . Typically, the housing  124  has mounting mechanisms to hold the grip assembly to the tang  108 . In some embodiments, the mount  122  has mounting mechanisms to hold the grip assembly  110  to the tang  108 . The mounting mechanisms are configured to allow the grip assembly  110  to be held securely to the tang  108 , but also allow a user to easily remove the grip assembly  110  from the tang  108 . In some embodiments, the tang  108  is configured to removably couple to and securely hold a single component grip of a grip assembly  110 . This allows a user to replace a first grip with a second grip while leaving a third grip coupled with the tang  108 . Typically, the electric power source  126  is disposed in the housing  124 . 
     A non-conductive sleeve  128  is disposed inside the housing  124 , electrically insulating the electric power source  126  from the housing  124 . Typically, the non-conductive sleeve is made of plastic, but may be made of some other material. 
     The tang  108  has a set of power contacts  130  disposed in the non-conductive sleeve  128 . The set of power contacts  130  is electrically coupled with the power source  126 . The set of power contacts  130  is positioned to contact a set of power pads (see  FIG. 5 , item  180 ) in the grip assembly  110  when the grip assembly  110  is coupled with the tang  108 . 
     The tang  108  has a first set of signal contacts  132  and second set of signal contacts  134  disposed in the non-conductive sleeve  128 . Both sets of signal contacts  132  and  134  are configured to provide signal paths through the tang  108 . The first set of signal contacts  132  are positioned to contact a first set of signal pads  182  (see  FIG. 5 ) in the grip assembly  110  when the grip assembly  110  (or a component grip in the grip assembly  110 ) is coupled with the tang  108 . The second set of signal contacts  134  are positioned to contact a second set of signal pads  184  (see  FIG. 5 ) in the grip assembly  110  when the grip assembly  110  (or a component grip in the grip assembly  110 ) is coupled with the tang  108 . In some embodiments, the signal contacts in sets  132  and  134  are pogo pins disposed in holes traversing the tang  108 . 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of an embodiment of the right panel grip  112 , part of the grip assembly  110  in the modular foregrip  100 . In the example of  FIG. 5 , the right panel grip  112  is part of an embodiment in which the grip assembly  110  is made of left and right panel grips. The grip assembly  110  would also include a mating left panel grip  113  that would be a substantially similar mirror image of the right panel grip  112 , although typically with a different accessory. The right panel grip  112  comprises a panel body  172 , one or more mechanical mounting mechanisms  172 , and one or more accessories  174 . The mechanical mounting mechanisms  172  are configured to enable the right panel grip  112  removably couple with the tang  108  and removably couple with the left panel grip  113 . 
     A user may have possession of a kit comprising several right panel grips  112 , each with a different accessory and several left panel grips  113  each with a different accessory. This kit will allow the user to combine one of the right panel grips  112  and one of the left panel grips  113  in different combinations. The kit may have a panel grip that does not have an accessory. A panel grip without an accessory is herein called a blank panel grip. 
     The right panel grip  112  has circuitry  178  disposed in a side of the right panel grip  112  that contacts the tang  108  when the right panel grip  112  is coupled with the tang  108 . The circuitry  178  includes a set of power pads  180 , a first set of signal pads  182 , a second set of signal pads  184 , and a remotely actuated switch  184 . The set of power pads  180  is located within the right panel grip  112  so as to engage with the set of power contacts  130  on the tang  180  when the panel grip  112  is coupled with the tang  108 . The set of power pads  180  is electrically coupled with the remotely actuated switch  186 , which is electrically coupled with the accessory  174 . The accessory  174  draws electrical power from the tang  108  through the set of power pads  180 . The power flows from the power pads  180  through the remotely actuated switch  186  to the accessory  174 . The remotely actuated switch  186  is configured to control the flow of power to the accessory  174 , allowing power to flow or not to flow. The remotely actuated switch  186  is controlled by control signals applied to control leads of the remotely actuated switch  186 . In some embodiments, the remotely actuated switch  186  is an electromechanical relay. In other embodiments, the remotely actuated switch  186  is a transistor. 
     A first switch (not shown) disposed in the panel body  172  is electrically coupled with the control leads of the remotely actuated switch  186 . The first switch is configured to generate a control signal to operate the remotely actuated switch  186 . The first set of signal pads  182  is also electrically coupled with the control leads of the remotely actuated switch  186 . A second control signal may be received through the first set of signal pads  182 . The second control signal originates in a switch disposed in the mating left panel grip (not shown). Thus the remotely actuated switch  186  may be operated either by the first control signal or the second control signal. 
     A second switch (not shown) disposed in the panel body  172  is electrically coupled with the second set of signal pads  184 . The second switch  190  is configured to generate a third control signal. The second set of signal pads  184  is configured to carry the third control signal to the matching signal contacts  132  in the tang  108  which carries the third control signal to the opposite (left) panel grip. The third control signal operates a remotely actuated switch in the opposite panel grip that controls power to an accessory in the opposite panel grip. 
       FIG. 6  is an axonometric projection of an embodiment of the modular foregrip  100  with an integral grip assembly  110 . The grip assembly  110  is configured to removably couple with the tang  108 . In some embodiments, the accessories  114  and  116  are an integral part of the grip assembly  110 . In other embodiments, the accessories  114  and  116  are configured to removably couple with the grip assembly  110 . 
     The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). 
     Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.