Patent ID: 8443539

Claim:
Weapon accessory rail contacts for providing a supply of electrical power for use by at least one power-consuming accessory operatively associated with a weapon, the weapon accessory rail contacts comprising: a power source; a power-consuming accessory; a powered rail, extending along at least a portion of a length of a barrel of a weapon and electrically connected to the power source, wherein the powered rail comprises: a plurality of mechanical features formed on the outer surface of the powered rail in a parallel, spaced-apart relationship for mechanically positioning the power-consuming accessory, an aperture formed in a plurality of sequential ones of the mechanical features, a circuit board, mounted in the aperture, and which has formed thereon a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact positioned between at least two of the mechanical features for providing a first and a second electrical connection to the power source, respectively, as well as a switch for interconnecting the first electrical contact to the power source, and wherein mechanical mounting of the power-consuming accessory between the two mechanical features activates the switch and electrically connects the power-consuming accessory to the first and the second electrical contacts; wherein the power-consuming accessory has first and second electrical contacts positioned to mate with the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact formed on the circuit board, respectively, for electrically connecting the power-consuming accessory to the powered rail.