Patent Abstract:
A booster apparatus that is to be used with an autoloading handgun is provided. The proposed novel device utilizes a piston with five spokes which are secured against rotational movement by interfacing with five of ten indexing notches that are machined on the stopping flange of the booster housing. There are ten indexing notches provided which allows for ten positions of orientation for the silencer in relation to the bore of the host firearm. Unnecessary rotational movement is prevented by the indexing notches which are robust and secure the piston in place. This device when utilized with a handgun silencer will facilitate the proper semi automatic function of the host firearm.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION-FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates in general to silencers and in particular to devices and methods for indexing the silencer&#39;s orientation as it relates to the muzzle of the host firearm. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION-PRIOR ART 
       [0002]    Firearms silencers are well known in the prior art. The advantages of reducing the muzzle blast, noise and flash signature of a discharging firearm are well known. The apparatus and method herein described pertains to a booster mechanism which facilitates the autoloading function of the host firearm when the, silencer is in place. 
         [0003]    Autoloading handguns generally function by utilizing the energy generated by a discharged round of ammunition to extract, eject and load another round of ammunition. During the extraction and ejecting phase of operation, on “Browning” inspired designs, well known in the prior art, the barrel chamber drops below the level of the handgun&#39;s slide and the front of the barrel tilts up, above the axis of the slide. The addition of four or more ounces to the front of the barrel will typically prevent the proper operation of the handgun. 
         [0004]    In general, effective silencer designs weigh more than four ounces. Due to weight considerations, a means to allow the host firearm to cycle was necessary. Boosters, as they are commonly referred to, are incorporated into the rear of a silencer to assist in the cycling of the host handgun. Some boosters work by increasing the pressure forced back into the handgun&#39;s operating system and others work by isolating the mass of the attached silencer through various means. Examples of these designs are found in the Advanced Armament Corp. ASAP system, Gemtech Tundra or the SWR Trident-9. In general the designs may work so as to allow the proper operating of the handgun, but fail to provide an effective, robust means by which to orient and adjust the orientation of the attached silencer. 
         [0005]    Designs such as the Gemtech Tundra utilize a set screw which protrudes into the booster housing as a means to prevent the piston from freely rotating. Unfortunately these set screws can become threadedly unsecured inside of the housing allowing the silencer to rotate freely which will negatively affect the ability of the handgun to deliver accurate fire. Further, the set screw can break off inside of the housing with the same effect. The herein disclosed invention overcomes these weaknesses by providing a robust design which provides five solid indexing notches that positively engage the booster housing and prevents any unintended rotation of the associated silencer. 
         [0006]    In the past, other booster designs have relied on specialized tools for the disassembly of the booster housing assembly for maintenance. Further, there was no other tool which could be substituted in emergency conditions for the proper maintenance of the booster housing. My design has no need of specialized tools because the retention cap incorporates surface structures which facilitate the disassembly of the booster assembly. 
         [0007]    Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description as follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION-OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
       [0008]    Accordingly several objects and advantages of the present invention are
   1. To provide a means of affecting a silencer&#39;s orientation in relation to the muzzle of the host firearm.   2. To provide a means to utilize the silencer to adjust the point of impact of the host firearm.   3. To provide a device that allows the host firearm to properly cycle with a silencer in place.   4. To provide a device that has interchangeable threaded inserts so that one silencer may be used on a variety of firearms.   5. To provide a device that does not require tools for disassembly.   
 
         [0014]    Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0015]    One embodiment of the proposed novel invention provides for a housing, piston, spring and retaining cap which are incorporated into an existing silencer and utilized on a handgun. The piston is machined so that it may be threadedly secured to the barrel of a firearm. The housing is designed to contain the piston and is threadedly secured to the silencer body. A centrally located aperture is provided at the distal end of the housing to allow a discharged projectile from a firearm to exit. The piston has an opening through its body, which aligns with the aperture of the housing which facilitates the passing through of a discharged projectile. A series of indexing notches are provided at the bottom of the housing where the piston is nested. The piston utilizes five spokes which interface with five, of ten, notches in the housing in any given orientation. This allows the piston to be oriented in ten different positions. A spring is placed in the housing after the piston is in place and retained by a retaining cap. The retaining cap is designed so that no tool is necessary to threadedly retain it in the housing. The spring provides force to prevent the piston from backing out of the housing except during the discharge of the handgun or the orientation of the piston within the silencer. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The novel features believed to be characteristic of the invention, together with further advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a side view of my improved booster for a handgun silencer; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is an exploded side view from the proximal end thereof: 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is an exploded side view from the distal end thereof; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is an end view from the distal end thereof: 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the booster assembly; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a cutaway end view of the distal end of the improved booster for a handgun silencer and piston from the proximal direction; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a handgun and silencer utilizing the improved booster for a handgun silencer. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    Turning now to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is directed to  FIG. 1  which illustrates an embodiment of the herein proposed invention: an improved silencer booster  10  is shown fully assembled. The primary components of this device are the booster housing  20 , the piston  30 ; the coil spring  40  (shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  &amp;  5 ), and the retention cap  50 . 
         [0025]      FIGS. 2 &amp; 3  show exploded horizontal side views of the improved silencer booster  10 . Housing  20  has external threads  21  located about its periphery near the proximal end of the housing  20 . Internal threads  22  are provided near the proximal end of the housing  20 . Housing  20  is machined from steel. Piston  30  is machined from steel. A series of stopping spokes  31  are located about the periphery of the piston  30  near the distal end. Stopping spokes  31  are machined so that the piston  30  will fit within the housing  20 . Inside of the booster housing  20  approximate the distal end is located, shown in  FIG. 6 , a stopping shoulder  24  where ten evenly spaced indexing notches  23  are located about its external area. Near the proximal end of the piston  30  there is located an internal thread  33  which is utilized to removably secure the piston to a firearm barrel  61 . At the extreme distal end of the piston  30  are the indexing spokes  34 . Indexing spokes  34  are pentagonal in shape. A coil spring  40  is utilized within the housing  20 . Coil spring  40  has a void large enough to accommodate the piston shaft  32 . The retention cap  50  has an external thread  52  that threadedly secures to the internal thread  22  of the housing  20 . Also present is an opening  54  which is large enough for the piston shaft  32  to pass through. This allows the piston  30  to be translatable in one of a forward direction and a rearward direction. The internal walls  53  of retention cap  50  support the piston  30 . An internal cut  55  inside of the opening  54  on retention cap  50  houses an o-ring  56 . Located about the retention cap  50  are a series of gripping surfaces  51  which are semi-circular in shape. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  illustrates a view of the distal end of the booster housing  20 .  FIG. 6  illustrates the same features in a cutaway view taken from the proximal direction. Ten indexing notches  23  located about the interior of the stopping shoulder  24  are shown interfacing with five indexing spokes  34  located on the front of the piston  30 . Ten indexing notches  23  are present about the interior of the stopping shoulder  24 . Indexing spokes  34  located about the distal end of the piston  30  are prevented from rotational movement once the piston  30  is fully seated within the housing  20  and the indexing spokes  34  are seated within the indexing notches  23 . Indexing notches  23  are spaced about the stopping shoulder  24  so that the indexing spokes  34  are afforded ten positions of orientation. 
         [0027]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cutaway view of the booster housing  20  when fully assembled. Piston  30  has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end has a thread  33  which is utilized to threadedly secure the piston  30  to a firearm barrel  61 . The internal area of the piston  30  is hollow so that a bullet might pass through unhindered. The distal end of the piston  30  has five indexing spokes  34  (illustrated in  FIGS. 2 &amp; 3 ) and five stopping spokes  31 . Annular stopping shoulder  24  located near the distal end of the boost housing  20  protrudes from the booster housing wall  25  sufficiently to prevent the five stopping spokes  31  of piston  30  from traveling past. Coil spring  40  is placed about the piston  30  and contained within the booster housing  20  by retention cap  50 . Retention cap  50  has an external thread  52  which interacts with the internal threads  22  of the booster housing  20 . Further, retention cap  50  has gripping surfaces  51  which provides the means by which the user secures the retention cap  50  to the booster housing  20  thereby containing the piston  30  and coil spring  40  within the housing  20 . Also shown is retention cap  50  with internal cut  55  with o-ring  56  in place. 
         [0028]      FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of a firearm  62 , firearm barrel  61 , with a silencer  60 , utilizing the improved booster for handgun silencers  10 , threadedly secured about the firearm barrel  61 . 
         [0029]    Improved booster for handgun silencers  10  is secured to a silencer  60  body by external mounting threads  21  located near the proximal end of the booster housing  20 . Retention cap  50  secures piston  30  and coil spring  40  within booster housing  20 . Silencer  60  utilizing the improved booster for handgun silencers  10  is threadedly secured about a firearm barrel  61  by piston retention threads  33 . The user may adjust the orientation of silencer  60  as it relates to firearm barrel  61  by grasping silencer  60  and pulling it forward of the firearm. This motion compresses coil spring  40  and allows piston  30  to rotate freely. Once silencer  60  and booster housing  20  are rotated to the desired position, the user releases silencer  60  so that indexing spokes  34  and indexing notches  23  are allowed to once again interface and prevent rotational movement of the silencer  60  and piston  30  within the booster housing  20 . The pentagonal shape of the indexing spokes  34  and the decagonal shape of booster housing  20  indexing notches  23  are machined so that the piston  30  may be oriented in one of ten positions at any given time. 
         [0030]    Gripping surfaces  51  located about retention cap  50  allow the user to threadedly restrain retention cap  50  to booster housing  20  without the need for specialized tools. The o-ring  56  provided with retention cap  50  minimizes debris from escaping the booster housing  20  during normal use. 
         [0031]    The improved booster  10  is designed to be incorporated into the proximal end of the silencer  60 . Piston  30  utilizes threads  33  as a means to removably secure the improved booster  10 , and thereby the silencer  60 , to a firearm barrel  61 . When expanding gases exit the firearm barrel  61 , entering both the booster housing  20  and the silencer  60 , the gases push the silencer away from the firearm thereby relieving the firearm barrel  61  of the silencer&#39;s weight during cycling. Coil spring  40  resists the movement of the silencer  60  and is thereby compressed. Piston stopping spokes  31  keep the firearm barrel&#39;s exit aperture  62  aligned with the centrally located void  26  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) within the booster housing  20 . As expanding gases exit the distal end of the silencer  60  and pressure is reduced, the coil spring  40 , located about piston  30  contained by the retention cap  50 , expands back to its non compressed state. When the coil spring  40  has returned to its non compressed state, indexing spokes  34  reengage the indexing notches  23  located inside of booster housing  20 . 
         [0032]    As used herein, the word “front” or “forward” or “distal” corresponds to the direction which a discharged projectile would pass through the improved booster housing  20  (i.e., to the left as shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , &amp;  5 ); “rear” or “rearward or “back” or “proximal” corresponds to the direction opposite the direction of a discharged projectile passing through the improved booster housing  20  (i.e., to the right as shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , &amp;  5 ); “longitudinal” means the direction along or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the improved booster housing  20 ; and “transverse” means a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. 
       Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope 
       [0033]    Accordingly the reader will see that, according to the invention, I have provided a method for adjusting the orientation of a silencer while mounted on the barrel of a firearm. The orientation method requires no special tools and ten positions of adjustment are provided for. Further, the herein described invention requires no special tools for the disassembly of the booster housing during maintenance of the internal components. The improved booster for handgun silencers may be incorporated into any handgun silencer with very little modification to the original design and ensures the reliable auto loading function of the host firearm. 
         [0034]    While my above drawings and description contain many specificities, these should not be constructed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one embodiment thereof. 
         [0035]    Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5