Patent Description:
The disclosure relates to an adjustment mechanism for a female threaded component. In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to an mechanism for a diopter adjustment.

People's vision varies greatly from person to person. Even with a given individual, there can be a difference between the right eye's and left eye's vision. Diopter adjustments are provided on viewing optics, such as rifle scopes, cameras, etc., to allow the viewing optic to be focused for each user. In some instances when a viewing optic has two eye pieces, a diopter adjustment may be provided on one or both eyepieces to allow each individual eye piece to be adjusted to a user's specific eyes as well.

There are two primary types of diopter adjustments. In a first type, the diopter adjustment has a fine thread pitch that allows a user to lock the position tight with a jam nut, but, because of the fine thread, it takes along time for the user to get to the setting they need. Because it takes so long, the user's eye can compensate while changing the focus. When looking through the viewing optic later, the user's eye is no long compensating and the diopter adjustment must be changed again.

A second type of diopter adjustment is a fast focus diopter adjustment. A fast focus diopter adjustment uses a thread with a larger pitch. As a result, adjustments can be made quickly before a user's eye can compensate. Unfortunately, because of the large pitch, it is difficult to securely lock the diopter adjustment in place, and it will self-adjust when bumped or when the gun is fired.

For the reasons discussed above, having a "zero stop" turret is a big advantage. Thus, there is a large need for a zero stop turret that can address these concerns.

<CIT> relates to optical assemblies, each including a barrel defining a cavity having a center axis, a sleeve inserted in the cavity, one or more optical elements mounted within the sleeve and a retaining ring inserted into the cavity and securing the sleeve. The sleeve engages the barrel inner wall through a thread engagement allowing a longitudinal displacement of the sleeve within the cavity. The retaining ring is also threadably engaged within the barrel, and the profile of the corresponding threads, as well as the spatial profile of a peripheral transversal surface of the sleeve engaging the retaining ring, are selected to provide centering of the sleeve with respect to the center axis of the cavity throughout the longitudinal displacement of the sleeve.

<CIT> relates to an external helicoid thread comprising a helicoid thread composed of a first ridge whose both flanks are formed at a first flank angle, and a helicoid thread composed of second ridge whose both flanks are formed at a second flank angle, which is different from the first flank angle; and an internal helicoid thread is kept in screwed-state engagement with the external helicoid thread. In a lens barrel obtained using a connection based on such helicoid threads, the connection provided by these helicoid threads can thereby remain secured even if a sudden outside force is applied to the lens barrel.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a viewing optic as defined in claim <NUM>. Optional and/or preferable features are defined in the dependent claims.

Embodiments of the disclosure are disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings and are for illustrative purposes only. The disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction or the arrangement of the components illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in other various ways, so long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims. Like reference numerals are used to indicate like components. In the drawings:.

Before explaining embodiments of the disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The technology of this present disclosure is capable of other embodiments or being practiced or carried out in various ways.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the set of features and/or capabilities may be readily adapted within the context of a standalone weapons sight, front-mount or rear-mount clip-on weapons sight, and other permutations of filed deployed optical weapons sights. Further, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various combinations of features and capabilities may be incorporated into add-on modules for retrofitting existing fixed or variable weapons sights of any variety.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on", "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or layer. Alternatively, intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, or section from another element, component, region, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, or section without departing from the disclosure.

Spatially relative terms, such as "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated <NUM>° or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The numerical ranges in this disclosure are approximate, and thus may include values outside of the range unless otherwise indicated. Numerical ranges include all values from and including the lower and the upper values, in increments of one unit, provided that there is a separation of at least two units between any lower value and any higher value. As an example, if a compositional, physical or other property, such as, for example, molecular weight, melt index, temperature etc., is from <NUM> to <NUM>,<NUM>, it is intended that all individual values, such as <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc., and sub ranges, such as <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, etc., are expressly enumerated. For ranges containing values which are less than one or containing fractional numbers greater than one (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, etc.), one unit is considered to be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>, as appropriate. For ranges containing single digit numbers less than ten (e.g., <NUM> to <NUM>), one unit is typically considered to be <NUM>. These are only examples of what is specifically intended, and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated, are to be considered to be expressly stated in this disclosure. Numerical ranges are provided within this disclosure for, among other things, relative amounts of components in a mixture, and various temperature and other parameter ranges recited in the description.

As used herein, the term "viewing optic" refers to an apparatus used by a shooter or a spotter to select, identify or monitor a target. The "viewing optic" may rely on visual observation of the target, or, for example, on infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), radar, thermal, microwave, or magnetic imaging, radiation including X-ray, gamma ray, isotope and particle radiation, night vision, vibrational receptors including ultra-sound, sound pulse, sonar, seismic vibrations, magnetic resonance, gravitational receptors, broadcast frequencies including radio wave, television and cellular receptors, or other image of the target. The image of the target presented to the shooter by the "viewing optic" device may be unaltered, or it may be enhanced, for example, by magnification, amplification, subtraction, superimposition, filtration, stabilization, template matching, or other means. The target selected, identified or monitored by the "viewing optic" may be within the line of sight of the shooter, or tangential to the sight of the shooter, or the shooter's line of sight may be obstructed while the target acquisition device presents a focused image of the target to the shooter. The image of the target acquired by the "viewing optic" may be, for example, analog or digital, and shared, stored, archived, or transmitted within a network of one or more shooters and spotters by, for example, video, physical cable or wire, IR, radio wave, cellular connections, laser pulse, optical, <NUM>. 11b or other wireless transmission using, for example, protocols such as html, SML, SOAP, X. <NUM>, SNA, etc., Bluetooth™, Serial, USB or other suitable image distribution method. In one embodiment, the viewing optic is a riflescope. The term "viewing optic" is used interchangeably with "optic sight.

As used herein, "pitch" refers to the distance between screw threads.

As used herein, "land" refers to the portion between screw threads.

<FIG> is a partial side view of a diopter adjustment <NUM> for a viewing optic showing the eyepiece <NUM> and scope tube <NUM>. The eyepiece <NUM> and scope tube <NUM> are generally cylindrical with a central opening. The eyepiece <NUM> and scope tube <NUM> are coaxial. The eyepiece <NUM> has an internal surface having a first male thread <NUM>. The scope tube <NUM> has an outer surface with a first female thread <NUM> which corresponds to the first male thread <NUM>. The first male thread <NUM> engages the first female thread <NUM>, resulting in the eye piece <NUM> being rotatable around and movable along the scope tube <NUM>. The eyepiece <NUM> will move further onto the scope tube <NUM> further away from the rest of the viewing optic (not shown) depending on the direction of rotation.

As shown more clearly in <FIG> and <FIG>, the first female thread <NUM> has single trapezoidal valley <NUM> spiraling around the scope tube <NUM>. In an embodiment, the first female thread <NUM> has a pitch <NUM> from <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>. In a further embodiment, the first female thread <NUM> has a pitch <NUM> from <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the first female thread <NUM> is trapezoidal, meaning the cross-sectional view of the thread has a generally trapezoidal shape. In an embodiment, the thread angle A<NUM> is from <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>° to <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°. In a further embodiment, the thread angle A<NUM> is from <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>° to <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, a second female thread <NUM> is provided on the lands <NUM> of the first female thread <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the pitch <NUM> of the first female thread <NUM> is greater than the pitch <NUM> of the second female thread <NUM>. In an embodiment, the pitch <NUM> of the first female thread <NUM> is from 2x, or <NUM>. 5x, or 3x, or <NUM>. 5x to 4x, or <NUM>. 5x, or 5x the pitch <NUM> of the second female thread <NUM>. In a further embodiment, the pitch <NUM> of the first female thread <NUM> is from <NUM>. 5x, or <NUM>. 75x, or <NUM>. 0x, or <NUM>. 25x, or <NUM>. 5x, or <NUM>. 75x to <NUM>. 0x, or <NUM>. 25x, or <NUM>. 5x, or <NUM>. 75x, or <NUM>. 0x the pitch <NUM> of the second thread <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the pitch <NUM> of the second female thread <NUM> is from. <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>. In a further embodiment, the second female thread <NUM> has a pitch <NUM> from. <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>. mm, or <NUM>, or <NUM>, or <NUM>. mm, or <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the second female thread <NUM> is a standard V-thread profile consistent with ISO <NUM> and Unified Thread Standard. The thread angle A<NUM> is from <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>° to <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°. In a further embodiment the thread angle A<NUM> is from <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>° to <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°, or <NUM>°.

Referring again to <FIG>, a jam nut <NUM> is a generally ring-shaped component having an inner surface having a second male thread (not shown) corresponding to the second female thread <NUM>. The jam nut <NUM> is coaxial with the eyepiece <NUM> and the scope tube <NUM>. The second male thread engages the second female thread <NUM> of the scope tube <NUM>, resulting in the jam nut <NUM> being rotatable about and movable along the scope tube <NUM>.

To adjust the focus of the eyepiece <NUM>, the eyepiece <NUM> is first rotated (i.e., rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise depending on the desired adjustment) until the user determines the view is clear. The jam nut <NUM> is then rotated until it is snuggly secured against the eyepiece <NUM>. The jam nut <NUM> acts as a lock. The fine pitch <NUM> of the second female thread <NUM> relative to the large pitch <NUM> of the first female thread <NUM> impedes the jam nut's <NUM> inadvertent movement when a viewing optic is moved, jostled or in use. For example, in an embodiment, the viewing optic is a scope for use with a firearm. The locking ability of the jam nut <NUM> prevents the eyepiece <NUM> from moving when the firearm is fired.

It will be appreciated that the diopter adjustment mechanism may be used in association with any viewing optic, including but not limited to, a scope, a rifle scope, binoculars, camera, telescope, and similar viewing optics.

Claim 1:
A viewing optic comprising:
an eyepiece (<NUM>) having an inner surface having a first male thread (<NUM>);
a scope tube (<NUM>) having an outer surface with a first female thread (<NUM>) and a second female thread (<NUM>), the first female thread (<NUM>) having a first pitch (<NUM>) forming a spiral thread and lands between the spiral threads, and the second female thread (<NUM>) having a second pitch (<NUM>) and disposed on the lands of the first female thread (<NUM>); and
a jam nut (<NUM>) rotationally secured to the outer surface of the scope tube (<NUM>) and having a second male thread on an inner surface,
wherein the first pitch (<NUM>) is greater than the second pitch (<NUM>),
wherein the first male thread (<NUM>) corresponds to and engages with the first female thread (<NUM>), and
wherein the second male thread corresponds to and engages with the second female thread (<NUM>).