FIREARM TRIGGER

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of firearm triggers, and more particularly to an improved trigger configuration that enhances the feel and consistency of the trigger pull by reducing the number of components and improving the manufacturing process.

BACKGROUND

Traditional firearm triggers consist of multiple components, typically including a trigger shoe and a trigger bow that are riveted or otherwise fastened together. This multi-part assembly can result in failure points where the components are joined and can contribute to an inconsistent trigger pull. Additionally, the complexity of the assembly increases the manufacturing cost and the likelihood of mechanical failure during use.

The present disclosure addresses these issues by providing a trigger design, reducing the number of components and enhancing the smoothness and consistency of the trigger pull. This new design also allows for improved durability and reliability in the field.

Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such a document is available as prior art to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

The above objectives are accomplished according to the present disclosure by providing a firearm trigger and methods of making same. The firearm trigger includes a main body configured as a curved rectangle with an open center. The main body includes a first short side, a second short side opposite the first short side, and two parallel long sides. The first short side and the two long sides are straight. The second short side is slanted, such that a width of a top plane of the main body is shorter than a width of a bottom plane of the main body, the bottom plane being opposite the top plane. The firearm trigger further includes a tab coupled to the first short side of the main body. The tab includes a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a straight side that couples the top surface and the bottom surface and extends perpendicularly from the main body, and a curved side opposite the straight side; wherein the curved side of the tab is integrally formed with and coupled to the main body.

These and other aspects, objects, features, and advantages of the example embodiments will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of example embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An understanding of the features and advantages of the present disclosure will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the disclosure may be utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 shows s a right perspective view of the trigger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the trigger shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the trigger shown in FIGS. 1-2; and

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the trigger shown in FIGS. 1-3.

The figures herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Before the present disclosure is described in greater detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular embodiments described, and as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

Unless specifically stated, terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. Likewise, a group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise.

Furthermore, although items, elements or components of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present disclosure, the preferred methods and materials are now described.

All publications and patents cited in this specification are cited to disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited. All such publications and patents are herein incorporated by references as if each individual publication or patent were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Such incorporation by reference is expressly limited to the methods and/or materials described in the cited publications and patents and does not extend to any lexicographical definitions from the cited publications and patents. Any lexicographical definition in the publications and patents cited that is not also expressly repeated in the instant application should not be treated as such and should not be read as defining any terms appearing in the accompanying claims. The citation of any publication is for its disclosure prior to the filing date and should not be construed as an admission that the present disclosure is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior disclosure. Further, the dates of publication provided could be different from the actual publication dates that may need to be independently confirmed.

As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features which may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Any recited method can be carried out in the order of events recited or in any other order that is logically possible.

Where a range is expressed, a further embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers and fractions subsumed within the respective ranges, as well as the recited endpoints. Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the disclosure, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure. For example, where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure, e.g., the phrase “x to y” includes the range from ‘x’ to ‘y’ as well as the range greater than ‘x’ and less than ‘y’. The range can also be expressed as an upper limit, e.g., ‘about x, y, z, or less’ and should be interpreted to include the specific ranges of ‘about x’, ‘about y’, and ‘about z’ as well as the ranges of ‘less than x’, less than y’, and ‘less than z’. Likewise, the phrase ‘about x, y, z, or greater’ should be interpreted to include the specific ranges of ‘about x’, ‘about y’, and ‘about z’ as well as the ranges of ‘greater than x', greater than y’, and ‘greater than z’. In addition, the phrase “about ‘x’ to ‘y’”, where ‘x’ and ‘y’ are numerical values, includes “about ‘x’ to about ‘y’”.

It should be noted that ratios, concentrations, amounts, and other numerical data can be expressed herein in a range format. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint. It is also understood that there are a number of values disclosed herein, and that each value is also herein disclosed as “about” that particular value in addition to the value itself. For example, if the value “10” is disclosed, then “about 10” is also disclosed. Ranges can be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms a further aspect. For example, if the value “about 10” is disclosed, then “10” is also disclosed.

It is to be understood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity, and thus, should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. To illustrate, a numerical range of “about 0.1% to 5%” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 0.1% to about 5%, but also include individual values (e.g., about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, and about 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., about 0.5% to about 1.1%; about 5% to about 2.4%; about 0.5% to about 3.2%, and about 0.5% to about 4.4%, and other possible sub-ranges) within the indicated range.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, “about,” “approximately,” “substantially,” and the like, when used in connection with a measurable variable such as a parameter, an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, are meant to encompass variations of and from the specified value including those within experimental error (which can be determined by e.g., given data set, art accepted standard, and/or with e.g., a given confidence interval (e.g., 90%, 95%, or more confidence interval from the mean), such as variations of +/−10% or less, +/−5% or less, +/−1% or less, and +/−0.1% or less of and from the specified value, insofar such variations are appropriate to perform in the disclosure. As used herein, the terms “about,” “approximate,” “at or about,” and “substantially” can mean that the amount or value in question can be the exact value or a value that provides equivalent results or effects as recited in the claims or taught herein. That is, it is understood that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art such that equivalent results or effects are obtained. In some circumstances, the value that provides equivalent results or effects cannot be reasonably determined. In general, an amount, size, formulation, parameter or other quantity or characteristic is “about,” “approximate,” or “at or about” whether or not expressly stated to be such. It is understood that where “about,” “approximate,” or “at or about” is used before a quantitative value, the parameter also includes the specific quantitative value itself, unless specifically stated otherwise.

The term “optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequent described event, circumstance or substituent may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

As used interchangeably herein, the terms “sufficient” and “effective,” can refer to an amount (e.g., mass, volume, dosage, concentration, and/or time period) needed to achieve one or more desired and/or stated result(s). For example, a therapeutically effective amount refers to an amount needed to achieve one or more therapeutic effects.

As used herein, “tangible medium of expression” refers to a medium that is physically tangible or accessible and is not a mere abstract thought or an unrecorded spoken word. “Tangible medium of expression” includes, but is not limited to, words on a cellulosic or plastic material, or data stored in a suitable computer readable memory form. The data can be stored on a unit device, such as a flash memory or CD-ROM or on a server that can be accessed by a user via, e.g., a web interface.

Various embodiments are described hereinafter. It should be noted that the specific embodiments are not intended as an exhaustive description or as a limitation to the broader aspects discussed herein. One aspect described in conjunction with a particular embodiment is not necessarily limited to that embodiment and can be practiced with any other embodiment(s). Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” or “an example embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments. Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the disclosure. For example, in the appended claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

All patents, patent applications, published applications, and publications, databases, websites and other published materials cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as though each individual publication, published patent document, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated as being incorporated by reference.

Any of the triggers described herein can be presented as a combination kit. As used herein, the terms “combination kit” or “kit of parts” refers to the compositions, parts, and any additional components that are used to package, sell, market, deliver, and/or provide the triggers disclosed herein. Such additional components include, but are not limited to, packaging, blister packages, and the like. When one or more of the triggers described herein or a combination thereof (e.g., a trigger and accoutrement parts and/or tools in the kit are provided simultaneously, the combination kit can contain the trigger alone or in separate or conjoined configurations. When the triggers described herein or a combination thereof and/or kit components are not provided simultaneously, the combination kit can contain each component in separate embodiments. The separate kit components can be contained in a single package or in separate packages within the kit.

In some embodiments, the combination kit also includes instructions printed on or otherwise contained in a tangible medium of expression. The instructions can provide information regarding the trigger, installation thereof, maintenance of the trigger, safety information regarding the trigger, directions for use, and/or recommended upkeep regimens. In some embodiments, the instructions can provide directions and protocols for installing the trigger on an existing firearm. In some embodiments, the instructions can provide one or more embodiments of the methods for forming a trigger of the present disclosure, such as any of the methods described in greater detail elsewhere herein.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, embodiments of the present disclosure include an improved firearm trigger 100 that enhances the feel and consistency of the trigger pull. In one embodiment, the trigger 100 may be CNC-machined from a single piece of billet aluminum, which may reduce the number of components compared to traditional triggers. In other embodiments, the trigger 100 may be formed from one or more other metals or alloys. Suitable materials for the trigger 100 may include, but are not limited to, titanium, stainless steel, carbon steel, brass, bronze, nickel alloys, magnesium, or any other metal and/or alloy known in the art.

The trigger 100 may then bead blasted and hard coat anodized to improve its surface finish and resistance to wear and corrosion. Following the anodizing process, the trigger 100 may be optionally honed to fit the specific grip, ensuring a smooth trigger pull. The honing process may be beneficial in cases where variations in the anodizing process create minor inconsistencies.

The trigger 100 may eliminate the need for a riveted or fastened joint between a trigger shoe and trigger bow, resulting in a more robust and reliable trigger with fewer failure points. The single-piece construction improves the overall durability and consistency of the trigger 100, providing a better experience for the user.

The trigger 100 may offer several advantages over existing trigger designs, including:

• • Reduced Component Count: By machining the trigger 100 from a single piece of billet aluminum, the design may eliminate the need for multiple components, reducing potential points of failure and simplifying the manufacturing process.
  • Improved Trigger Pull Consistency: The single-piece construction, combined with the honing process, may result in a smoother and more consistent trigger pull, enhancing the overall user experience.
  • Enhanced Durability: The use of billet aluminum, along with the hard coat anodizing process, may provide a durable and corrosion-resistant trigger that may withstand the rigors of regular use.
  • Cost-Effective Manufacturing: The reduction in components and assembly steps may result in a more cost-effective manufacturing process, making the trigger 100 a more attractive option for firearm manufacturers.

The trigger 100 may include two primary components: the main body 104 and a tab 108 coupled to the main body 104. These components are described in detail as follows:

The main body 104 of the trigger 100 may include four sides 106 configured as a curved rectangle with a hollow center, forming a perimeter structure. The overall shape and dimensions of the main body 104 are engineered to provide both a sturdy and lightweight form factor. The key features of the main body 104 include:

Straight edges: Three sides 106 of the rectangle, specifically one short side 106A and both long sides 106B, 106D, may be formed with straight edges. This design may ensure a clean, angular profile on three sides of the perimeter.

Slanted edge: The remaining short side 106C of the main body 104 may be slanted, creating an angled edge ranging from 0 to 90 degrees, including specific angles between these values such as 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, and 85 degrees, including ranges between and including these values as well as specific values contained therein, such as 62 degrees, 84 degrees, etc. This slanted edge may introduce a tapering effect to the main body 104, where a top plane of the main body 104 (i.e. the plane of the main body 104 closest to the user when the trigger 100 is installed) has a shorter width compared to a bottom plane of the main body 104. The taper may enhance ergonomic interaction by conforming to the natural motion of the user's finger.

Open center: The main body 104 may feature an open center 105, reducing material usage and weight while maintaining structural integrity. This configuration may also allow for easier integration with other firearm components and reduces potential friction points during trigger pull.

The tab 108 may be integrally coupled to the short side 106A of the main body 104. The tab 108 may serve as a critical interface between the trigger 100 and the firearm's internal mechanisms.

The tab 108 may feature a substantially rectangular or curved rectangular profile with a defined top surface 110A and a bottom surface 110C. The tab 108 may further include a straight side 110B. The straight side 110B may extend in a direction that is perpendicular to the main body 104. The tab 108 may further include a curved side 110D. The curved side 110D may be integrally formed with and coupled to the main body 104 of the trigger, ensuring seamless structural continuity and enhancing the overall durability of the trigger 100.

The tab may be positioned to extend perpendicularly from the main body 104, allowing the main body 104 to engage with the firearm's trigger mechanism effectively. The robust connection between the tab 108 and the main body 104 ensures that the trigger 100 can withstand the forces applied during repeated use.

In one embodiment, the trigger 100 may be made from billet aluminum, selected for its strength, lightweight properties, and resistance to corrosion. The CNC machining process may allow for precise control over the dimensions and tolerances of the trigger 100, ensuring a perfect fit with the firearm. In another embodiment, the trigger 100 may be made from one or more metals and alloys, including but not limited to, titanium, stainless steel, carbon steel, brass, bronze, nickel alloys, magnesium, or any other metal and/or alloy known in the art.

After machining, the trigger undergoes bead blasting to create a smooth surface finish, which is essential for the subsequent hard coat anodizing process. The anodizing provides a durable, wear-resistant surface that also enhances the aesthetic appeal of the trigger.

Following the anodizing process, the trigger may be honed to fit the specific grip of the firearm. The honing process is optional, as the CNC machining and anodizing typically provide a smooth and consistent trigger pull. However, due to slight variations in the anodizing process, honing may be necessary to achieve the desired level of smoothness. The honing process involves lightly sanding or polishing the surface to remove any minor inconsistencies, ensuring a perfectly smooth trigger pull.

The foregoing written specification is considered to be sufficient to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. The present disclosure is not to be limited in scope by examples provided, since the examples are intended as a single illustration of one aspect of the invention and other functionally equivalent embodiments are within the scope of the invention. Various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and fall within the scope of the appended claims. The advantages and objects of the invention are not necessarily encompassed by each embodiment of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein. Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

Various modifications and variations of the described methods, compositions, and kits of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Although the disclosure has been described in connection with specific embodiments, it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications and that the disclosure as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the disclosure that are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure come within known customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains and may be applied to the essential features herein before set forth.