Patent ID: 7478724

Claim:
A housing for securing a firearm, comprising: a) a door assembly that moves about a pivot axis and between a closed position preventing the firearm from being withdrawn from the housing and an open position permitting the firearm to be withdrawn from the housing; b) a slide assembly that moves between a closed position and an open position, wherein the slide assembly includes at least one slide-locking member, wherein the door assembly is pivotally coupled to the slide assembly at the pivot axis; c) at least one set of first and second cooperating drive surfaces that engage to move the door assembly to the open position in response to the slide assembly moving to the open position, wherein the second drive surface is defined by the door assembly and the first drive surface is fixed and defined by another part of the housing, wherein as the slide assembly moves from the closed position toward the open position the second drive surface is moved into contact with the first drive surface at a location offset from the pivot axis, and wherein as the slide assembly moves farther toward the open position and the first drive surface remains fixed then the resulting lever force of the first drive surface on the second drive surface pivots the door assembly to the open position; and d) at least one retainer that moves between a locked position engaging the slide-locking member to lock the slide assembly in the closed position and an unlocked position disengaged from the slide-locking member to release the slide assembly from the closed position.