APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR A PISTOL STABILIZER

Description

PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application, entitled “Apparatus And Methods For A Pistol Stabilizer,” filed on Apr. 3, 2024, and having application Ser. No. 63/574,119, the entirety of said application being incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to firearms. More specifically, embodiments of the disclosure relate to a pistol stabilizer and methods for improving aiming of a pistol and shooting accuracy.

BACKGROUND

Law enforcement officers routinely encounter unpredictable scenarios that may threaten the public, their colleagues, or themselves. In such situations, officers may be required to use firearms, such as handguns, wherein shooting accuracy is crucial. However, handguns are well-known to require extreme precision for accurate shooting. In general, handguns have short barrels and short sight radii, which causes any minor misalignment in the sights to result in a relatively large change in aiming angle. Unfortunately, in high-stress situations sympathetic nervous reactions due to adrenaline, anxiety, and/or fear can negatively impact fine motor skills required for accurately firing a handgun. What is needed, therefore, is a pistol stabilizer for improving shooting accuracy and aiming of a pistol.

SUMMARY

An apparatus and methods are provided for a pistol stabilizer. The pistol stabilizer includes a shoulder stock for contacting a shooter's shoulder, a horizontal stabilizer connected to the shoulder stock, and a quick-draw holster for precisely and removably retaining the pistol. The holster is coupled with the horizontal stabilizer by way of a notched shaft that enables adjusting the overall length of the pistol stabilizer to accommodate the arm lengths of different shooters. The holster mates with an illumination system attached to the pistol rather than attaching directly to the pistol. The holster includes a lock switch and a pistol release. The pistol release allows the pistol to be removed from the holster while the lock switch enables locking the pistol in the holster. The holster includes a safety mechanism that ensures that the pistol stabilizer can only be used with specific illumination systems.

In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for a pistol stabilizer comprises: a shoulder stock for contacting a shooter's shoulder; a horizontal stabilizer connected to the shoulder stock; and an interface for precisely and removably receiving the pistol.

In another exemplary embodiment, the interface is coupled with the horizontal stabilizer by way of a mount. In another exemplary embodiment, the mount is configured to receive a ballistic shield system comprising a ballistic shield that includes a bullet resistant viewing window. In another exemplary embodiment, the interface is attached to the mount by way of any suitable fastening assembly or a suitable adhesive. In another exemplary embodiment, the interface comprises a quick draw holster that precisely and removably receives the pistol.

In another exemplary embodiment, the interface is configured to mate with an illumination system attached to the pistol. In another exemplary embodiment, the interface includes a lock switch and a pistol release. In another exemplary embodiment, the pistol release is configured to allow the pistol to be removed from the interface. In another exemplary embodiment, the lock switch enables the shooter to switch between allowing removing the pistol from the interface by way of the pistol release and locking the pistol in the interface.

In another exemplary embodiment, the interface is coupled with a shaft comprising a generally elongate, cylindrical member having a rail disposed along a bottom of the shaft. In another exemplary embodiment, the shaft and the rail are configured to be inserted within a hollow portion of the horizontal stabilizer. In another exemplary embodiment, a multiplicity of notches distributed along the rail are configured to be fixedly engaged by a push button selector disposed on a recess housing portion on the bottom of the horizontal stabilizer. In another exemplary embodiment, the notches and the push button selector are configured to facilitate adjusting the overall length of the pistol stabilizer to accommodate the arm length of a wide variety of different shooters.

In another exemplary embodiment, a bend portion is disposed between the shoulder stock and the horizontal stabilizer. In another exemplary embodiment, the bend portion is configured to optimize the ergonomics of the pistol stabilizer by positioning the pistol to be advantageously grasped in the shooter's dominant hand while the shoulder stock contacts the shoulder of the shooter. In another exemplary embodiment, the bend portion may include a cheek weld riser adapted to contact a cheek of the shooter to further enhance stability during aiming and/or firing the pistol.

In another exemplary embodiment, the interface comprises a holster that is configured to mate with an illumination system attached to the pistol rather than attaching directly to the pistol. In another exemplary embodiment, the holster includes a safety mechanism that is configured to cooperate with a primary lock and a secondary lock of the holster. In another exemplary embodiment, the holster is configured to receive a flashlight comprising the illumination system while the primary lock and the secondary lock are configured to insert into notches comprising the illumination system so as to retain the pistol in the holster. In another exemplary embodiment, the safety mechanism is configured to ensure that the interface can only be used with specific illumination systems.

These and other features of the concepts provided herein may be better understood with reference to the drawings, description, and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a pistol stabilizer with a pistol precisely and removably coupled with a horizontal stabilizer and shoulder stock by way of an interface;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a pistol stabilizer with a pistol precisely and removably coupled with a horizontal stabilizer and shoulder stock by way of an interface;

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a pistol stabilizer with a pistol precisely and removably coupled with a horizontal stabilizer and shoulder stock by way of an interface;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary-use environment wherein a shooter uses the pistol stabilizer of FIG. 1 to accurately operate a pistol;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary-use environment wherein the shooter of FIG. 4 has removed the pistol from an interface comprising the pistol stabilizer;

FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an interface and shaft that may be incorporated into a pistol stabilizer according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a horizontal stabilizer and shoulder stock that may be incorporated into a pistol stabilizer according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates an interior view of an exemplary embodiment of a quick draw holster that may comprise the interface shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an illumination system coupled with the pistol shown in FIG. 1.

While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The present disclosure should be understood to not be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the pistol stabilizer and methods disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, specific numeric references such as “first stabilizer,” may be made. However, the specific numeric reference should not be interpreted as a literal sequential order but rather interpreted that the “first stabilizer” is different than a “second stabilizer.” Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. The specific details may be varied from and still be contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The term “coupled” is defined as meaning connected either directly to the component or indirectly to the component through another component. Further, as used herein, the terms “about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” for any numerical values or ranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein.

Law enforcement officers routinely encounter unpredictable scenarios that may threaten the public, their colleagues, or themselves. In such situations, officers may be required to use firearms, such as handguns, wherein shooting accuracy is crucial. However, handguns are well-known to require extreme precision for accurate shooting. In general, handguns have short barrels and short sight radii, which causes any minor misalignment in the sights to result in a relatively large change in aiming angle. Unfortunately, in high-stress situations sympathetic nervous reactions due to adrenaline, anxiety, and/or fear can negatively impact fine motor skills required for accurately firing a handgun. Embodiment disclosed herein provide a pistol stabilizer and methods for improving aiming of a pistol and shooting accuracy.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a pistol stabilizer 100 with a pistol 104 precisely and removably coupled with a horizontal stabilizer 108 and shoulder stock 112 by way of an interface 116. As shown in FIGS. 2-3, the interface 116 is coupled with the horizontal stabilizer 108 by way of a mount 120. The interface 116 may be attached to the mount 120 by way of any suitable fastening assembly, such as hardware fasteners or a suitable adhesive. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the interface 116 is permanently attached to the mount 120 by way of an adhesive. Further, the interface 116 positions the pistol 104 with respect to the horizontal stabilizer 108 such that the pistol 104 can be reloaded without the pistol 104 having to be first removed from the pistol stabilizer 100.

The interface 116 is configured to precisely and removably couple the pistol 104 with the stabilizer 100 similarly to a quick draw holster, such as, for example, a MasterFire® Pro Rapid Deploy Holster by Surefire. As such, the interface 116 is configured to mate with an illumination system 124 (see FIGS. 5 and 9) attached to the pistol 104 rather than attaching directly to the pistol 104. For example, the interface 116 can be configured to mate with any of Surefire's H-Series Weapon Lights, such as, by way of non-limiting example, Model Nos. XH30, XH50G, X400UH-A-GN, X400UH-A-RD, X400VH-B-IRC, X400TH-A-RD, X400TH-A-GN, and the like. Thus, it is contemplated that the interface 116 may be used with any pistol 104 that can be coupled with the illumination system 124, as described herein. Details regarding quick draw holsters can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 9,057,580 B2, entitled “Quick Draw Gun Holster With Interactive Accessory Device,” granted on Jun. 16, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this application.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary-use environment wherein a shooter 128 uses the pistol stabilizer 100 to accurately aim the pistol 104. As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, the pistol 104 generally is grasped by the shooter's 128 dominant hand and supported by the shooter's nondominant hand, while the shoulder stock 112 contacts a shoulder 132 of the shooter 128 during aiming and/or firing the pistol 104. Further, a check 136 of the shooter 128 may be placed in contact with the horizontal stabilizer 108 to provide additional support to the pistol 104. As such, the horizontal stabilizer 108 and the shoulder stock 112 effectively lock the shooter's wrist and thus eliminate a need for fine motor skills during aiming and firing the pistol 104, enhancing the shooter's 128 accuracy with the pistol 104. Further, in some embodiments, the horizontal stabilizer 108 may include a check weld riser (not shown) adapted to contact the check 136 of the shooter 128 to further enhance stability during aiming and/or firing the pistol 104. It is contemplated that the check weld riser can be a separate component that may be mounted onto the horizontal stabilizer 108, or the cheek weld riser and the horizontal stabilizer 108 may comprise a monolithic component, without limitation.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary-use environment wherein the shooter 128 of FIG. 4 has separated the pistol 104 from the interface 116 comprising the pistol stabilizer 100. It is contemplated that when the shooter 128 needs improved shooting accuracy, such as during stressful situations or emergencies, the shooter 128 can remove the pistol 104 from a belt holster and simply engage the pistol 104 with the interface 116, as described herein. With the pistol 104 engaged with the interface 116, as described with respect to FIG. 4, the shooter 128 can grasp the pistol 104 with a dominant hand while pressing the shoulder stock 112 against the shoulder 132. Upon the shooter 128 grasping the pistol 104 and supporting the pistol stabilizer 100 by way of the shoulder 132, the pistol stabilizer 100 obviates a need for fine motor control and thus enables the shooter 128 to operate the pistol 104 during emergency situations without the negative effects of anxiety. Further, once the pistol stabilizer 100 is no longer needed, the shooter 128 can simply release the pistol 104 from the interface 116, as shown in FIG. 5, and then return the pistol 104 to the belt holster, as desired. It is contemplated, therefore, that the pistol stabilizer 100 provides the accuracy of a rifle with the convenience of a pistol.

FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an interface 116 and shaft 140 that may be incorporated into a pistol stabilizer 100 according to the present disclosure. As described herein, the interface 116 is configured to precisely and removably couple a pistol 104 (see FIG. 1) with the stabilizer 100 similarly to a quick draw holster, such as, for example, a MasterFire® Pro Rapid Deploy Holster by Surefire. As such, the interface 116 is configured to mate with an illumination system 124 (see FIGS. 5 and 9) attached to the pistol 104 rather than attaching directly to the pistol 104. Further, the interface 116 includes a lock switch 144 and a pistol release 148. The pistol release 148 is configured to allow the pistol 104 to be removed from the interface 116 as shown in FIG. 5. The lock switch 144 enables the shooter 128 to switch between allowing removing the pistol 104 from the interface 116 by way of the pistol release 148 and locking the pistol 104 in the interface 116. As will be appreciated, moving the switch 144 to the locked position prevents the pistol release 148 from operating.

As shown in FIG. 6, the interface 116 may be coupled with the shaft 140 by way of the mount 120 shown in FIGS. 2-3. In the illustrated embodiment, the interface 116 is permanently attached to the mount 120 by way of an adhesive. In other embodiments, however, the interface 116 may be attached to the mount 120 by way of a suitable fastening assembly, such as hardware fasteners, without limitation. In some embodiments, the mount 120 may be configured to receive a ballistic shield system that enables the shooter 128 to very accurately fire the pistol 104 while remaining well protected behind a ballistic shield and looking through a bullet resistant viewing window coupled with the shield. Details regarding ballistic shield systems and methods for attaching ballistic shields to the mount 120 can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/420,035, entitled “Ballistic Shield System And Methods,” filed on Jan. 23, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this application.

The shaft 140 is a generally elongate, cylindrical member having a rail 152 disposed along a bottom of the shaft 140. The shaft 140 and rail 152 are configured to be inserted within a hollow portion 156 of the horizontal stabilizer 108, as shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 6, a multiplicity of notches 160 are distributed along the rail 152. The notches 160 are configured to be fixedly engaged by a push button selector 164 disposed on a recess housing portion 172 on the bottom of the horizontal stabilizer 108, as shown in FIG. 7. The recess housing portion 172 is configured to slidably receive the rail 152 into the hollow portion 156. The notches 160 and the push button selector 164 enable fixating the shaft 140 with respect to the hollow portion 156. As will be appreciated, the notches 160 and the push button selector 164 enable the shooter 128 (see FIG. 5) to adjust the distance between the shoulder stock 112 and the interface 116. Thus, the notches 160 and the push button selector 164 facilitate adjusting the overall length of the pistol stabilizer 100 to accommodate the arm length of a wide variety of different shooters 128.

As shown in FIG. 7, a bend portion 168 is disposed between the shoulder stock 112 and the horizontal stabilizer 108. The bend portion 168 is configured to optimize the ergonomics of the pistol stabilizer 100 by positioning the pistol 104 to be advantageously grasped in the shooter's 128 dominant hand while the shoulder stock 112 contacts the shoulder 132 of the shooter 128, as shown in FIG. 4. Further, a check 136 of the shooter 128 may be placed in contact with the bend portion 168 to provide additional support to the pistol 104. As such, the bend portion 168 and the shoulder stock 112 effectively lock the shooter's wrist and thus eliminate a need for fine motor skills during aiming and firing the pistol 104, enhancing the shooter's 128 accuracy with the pistol 104. In some embodiments, the bend portion 168 may include a cheek weld riser (not shown) adapted to contact the check 136 of the shooter 128 to further enhance stability during aiming and/or firing the pistol 104. It is contemplated that the check weld riser can be a separate component that may be mounted onto the bend portion 168, or the check weld riser and the horizontal stabilizer 108 may comprise a monolithic component, without limitation.

FIG. 8 illustrates an interior view of an exemplary embodiment of an interface 116 that may be implemented in the pistol stabilizer 100 shown in FIG. 1. As described herein, the interface 116 is configured to precisely and removably couple a pistol 104 (see FIG. 1) with the stabilizer 100 similarly to a quick draw holster, such as, for example, a MasterFire® Pro Rapid Deploy Holster by Surefire. As such, the interface 116 comprises a holster 176 that is configured to mate with an illumination system 124 (see FIG. 9) attached to the pistol 104 rather than attaching directly to the pistol 104.

As shown in FIG. 8, the holster 176 includes a primary lock 180, a secondary lock 184, and a safety mechanism 188. The holster 176 is configured to receive a flashlight 192 comprising the illumination system 124 shown in FIG. 9. The primary and secondary locks 180, 184 are configured to insert into notches 196 disposed at the bottom of the flashlight 192. The primary and secondary locks 180, 184 are configured to be retained by the notches 196 such that the pistol 104 remains seated in the holster 176 until the primary and secondary locks 180, 184 are operated to release the pistol 104. The primary lock 180 is operable by way of the pistol release 148 while the secondary lock 184 is operable by way of the lock switch 144, as shown in FIG. 6. The pistol release 148 allows the pistol 104 to be removed from the interface 116, as shown in FIG. 5, while the lock switch 144 enables the shooter 128 to lock the pistol 104 in the interface 116.

The safety mechanism 188 is configured to ensure that the interface 116 can only be used with specific illumination systems 124 rather than being attached directly to the pistol 104. As such, it is contemplated that the safety mechanism 188 can ensure that the interface 116 can be mated with any of Surefire's H-Series Weapon Lights, such as, by way of non-limiting example, Model Nos. XH30, XH50G, X400UH-A-GN, X400UH-A-RD, X400VH-B-IRC, X400TH-A-RD, X400TH-A-GN, and the like. Details regarding coupling the illumination system 124 with the interface can be found in above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 9,057,580 B2, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Moreover, the interface 116 includes a forward opening 200 and a slot 204 disposed along the bottom of the interface 116. The forward opening 200 is configured to allow light emitted by the flashlight 192 to be project forward of the interface 116. The slot 204 is configured to allow an unobstructed path for a targeting laser emitted from a laser sight 208 comprising the illumination system 124, as shown in FIG. 9.

While the pistol stabilizer and methods have been described in terms of particular variations and illustrative figures, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the pistol stabilizer is not limited to the variations or figures described. In addition, where methods and steps described above indicate certain events occurring in certain order, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the ordering of certain steps may be modified and that such modifications are in accordance with the variations of the pistol stabilizer. Additionally, certain of the steps may be performed concurrently in a parallel process, when possible, as well as performed sequentially as described above. To the extent there are variations of the pistol stabilizer, which are within the spirit of the disclosure or equivalent to the pistol stabilizer found in the claims, it is the intent that this patent will cover those variations as well. Therefore, the present disclosure is to be understood as not limited by the specific embodiments described herein, but only by scope of the appended claims.