Patent ID: 7194833

Claim:
A firing mechanism for a semi-automatic pistol having a frame, a slide reciprocally mounted on the frame, a barrel, a firing pin and a trigger, said firing mechanism comprising: a housing mounted within the frame of the pistol; a pivot arm assembly located within said housing, said pivot arm assembly having a pivot arm frame with laterally spaced side walls, an upper portion, a lower portion and an inner cavity disposed between said pivot arm frame side walls, said lower portion of the pivot arm frame being pivotally attached to said housing such that said pivot arm frame may selectively pivot about a pivot point in a substantially arcuate path between a forward position and a rearward position relative to the front and rear of the pistol, the pivot arm assembly also having a sear pivotally attached to the upper portion of said pivot arm frame, said sear selectively pivoting about a pivot point in a substantially arcuate path between a first position and a second position, and a spring mechanism operatively connected to said sear exerting a biasing force on the sear urging the sear toward said first position; and wherein the pivoting movement of said sear and pivot arm frame about their substantially arcuate paths does not result in said sear being displaced upward or downward, relative to the top and bottom of said pistol, in a substantially linear path.