Handgun safety device and method

Abstract

A handgun safety device comprising a safety element with a firing interrupting element configured for snug projection between a face of a duty cartridge and a fore end of a functional firing element, said safety element being articulated at a first end of a cord having a full length, with a second end configured for attaching to an article worn by a user.

Claims

1. A handgun safety device, comprising: a safety element with a body portion configured to be disposed outside and adjacent to a firearm, and a firing interrupting element projecting from said body portion, said firearm including a non-movable portion and a functional portion being movable with respect to the non-movable portion and biased towards the non-movable portion; wherein said firing interrupting element is configured for snug projection between said movable functional portion and said non-movable portion of the firearm and is configured to be held fixed there by a biasing force applied by said biasing of the movable portion, such that said firing interrupting element obstructs a firing mechanism of the handgun, so that a round cannot be fired even at the event that a trigger is pulled by the user; wherein said safety element is articulated at a first end of a cord having a full length with a second end configured for attaching to an article worn by a user, wherein said firing interrupting portion is dimensioned such that extraction thereof out of the firearm is enabled under said biasing forces, upon pulling of the cord through said second end.

2. The handgun safety device of claim 1, wherein all sidewalls of said firing interrupting elements projecting from said body portion project therefrom at an angle being not smaller than 90 degrees.

3. The handgun safety device of claim 1, wherein said safety element is configured to be disposed adjacent to and above said firearm such that said firing interrupting portion projects downwardly thereinto.

4. The handgun safety device of claim 2, wherein spontaneous extraction of said safety element is enabled at least when said first end is above said second end, and said firearm is held upright.

5. The handgun safety device of claim 1, wherein all sidewalls of said firing interrupting elements projecting from said body portion are smooth.

6. The handgun safety device of claim 5, wherein at least one of said sidewalls is curved in a direction lateral to a direction of the projection thereof from said body portion.

7. The handgun safety device of claim 1, wherein the firing interrupting element does not exceed an imaginary footprint of the intersection line of the body portion with the firing interrupting element.

8. The handgun safety device of claim 1, wherein said firing interrupting portion has a width being smaller than a width of said body portion at an area of projection.

9. A handgun safety device, comprising: a safety element with a firing interrupting element configured for snug projection in a firearm such that said firing interrupting element obstructs a firing mechanism of the handgun, so that a round cannot be fired even at the event that a trigger is pulled by the user; wherein said safety element is articulated at a first end of a cord having a full length, with a second end configured for attaching to an article worn by a user, the cord being articulated to the safety element at a location offset from a longitudinal axis thereof, resulting in a tilting moment applied to the safety element generated upon tensioning of the cord from said second end.

10. The handgun safety device of claim 9, wherein the cord is articulated to a rear end portion of the safety element.

11. The handgun safety device of claim 9, wherein the first end of the cord is secured to the safety element through a guiding arrangement formed in the body portion, said guiding arrangement forcing bending of the cord as the cord passes therethrough.

12. The handgun safety device according to claim 9, wherein said guiding arrangement includes one or more apertures being angled with respect to a longitudinal axis of the safety element.

13. A handgun safety device, comprising: a safety element with a firing interrupting element configured for snug projection in a firearm such that said firing interrupting element obstructs a firing mechanism of the handgun, so that a round cannot be fired even at the event that a trigger is pulled by the user; wherein said safety element being articulated at a first end of a cord having a full length, with a second end configured for attaching to an article worn by a user, the cord having elastic properties configured to enable spontaneous contraction/retraction thereof so as to apply pulling forces on said safety element even before said safety element reaches said full length.

14. The handgun safety device of claim 13, wherein said cord is articulated to the safety element at a location offset from a longitudinal axis thereof, resulting in a tilting moment applied to the safety element generated during tensioning of the cord.

15. The handgun safety device of claim 13, wherein the full length of the cord is about 24 cm, and the contracted length of the cord is about 10 cm.

16. The handgun safety device of claim 13, wherein the safety element further includes an attachment arrangement for attaching the safety element to the handgun, in a readily detachable manner, so as to induce a minimal resistance threshold for forces applied on the safety element, below which the safety element is unaffected.

17. The handgun safety device of claim 16, wherein said minimal resistance threshold corresponds to a force applied on the safety element by the cord when the cord is at 20% or more below its full length, more particularly 40% or more, yet more particularly 50% or more.

18. The handgun safety device of claim 16, wherein said attachment arrangement includes a magnet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a safety element according to an example of the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 1B is a different perspective view of the safety element of FIG. 1A;

(4) FIG. 2A is a bottom left perspective view of a firing interrupting element of the safety element of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 2B is a bottom right perspective view of the firing interrupting element of FIG. 2A;

(6) FIG. 3 is an example of a cord retractor member useful in conjunction with a safety element according to the disclosure;

(7) FIG. 4 is a side view of a striker type pistol, with a local cutout illustrating positioning of a handgun safety device according to the disclosure;

(8) FIG. 5 is a side view of a hammer firing pistol, with a local cutout illustrating positioning of a handgun safety device according to the disclosure;

(9) FIG. 6A illustrates a cocked pistol, with the slide arrested by the slide stop and the handgun safety device positioned in place;

(10) FIG. 6B illustrates releasing the slide into a standby position, with a live round of ammunition in the barrel chamber;

(11) FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate consecutive steps of introducing the pistol of FIG. 6 into a holster; and

(12) FIGS. 8A to 8I illustrate consecutive steps of fast drawing the pistol of FIGS. 6 and 7, illustrating detachment of the safety element and discharging a round of ammunition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(13) Attention is first directed to FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrating a handgun safety device according to the disclosure, generally designated 20, comprising a safety element 22 articulated to a first end 24 of a cord 28, with a second end 30 of the cord 28 articulated to an attaching member 32, configured for attaching to an article worn by a user as will be described herein after.

(14) The safety element 22, seen in greater detail in FIGS. 2A and 2B, comprises a body portion 40 with a firing interrupting element 44 projecting therefrom, whereby the safety element 22 assumes a generally L-like shape with the firing interrupting element 44 constituting a short arm and the body portion 40 constituting the long arm. The size and shape of the safety element 22 and likewise the parameters of the firing interrupting element 44 can be adapted so as to match different handguns, i.e. to conform with the shape and firing mechanism of the weapon concerned. In the illustrated example the safety element 22 is configured for use in conjunction with a striker-type firing pistol, and more specifically with a Glock™ 19 pistol (50 in FIG. 7). Thus, it can be seen that the body portion 40 is configured with a flat bottom face 46 suited for resting flush over the slide 52 of the handgun 50, as will be discussed hereinafter in greater detail. Likewise, the shape and size of the firing interrupting element 44 is such so as to partially fit within a cutout 54 formed at a rear side of an ejection port 56 of the slide of the handgun 50, such that when mounted, face 48 of the firing interrupting element 44 bares flush over a breach face 58 of the handgun (FIGS. 4 and 7B).

(15) The safety element 22 is further configured with an attachment arrangement, namely a magnet 60, for magnetically attracting/attaching the safety element 22 and securing it in position, however readily and easily detachable. It is appreciated that the attachment arrangement can be a hook and pile couple or other attachment means, however readily and easily detachable.

(16) In the present example, the cord 28 is a reinforced rubber coated cord (similar to a pistol safety lanyard with coiled bungee portion), with a coiled portion 64 imparting it elastic properties and spontaneous contraction/retraction so that it has a full length (e.g. FIG. 9E) and a retracted/contracted length. According to one particular example, the full length of the cord is about 24 cm. and the contracted length is about 10 cm.

(17) However, it should be appreciated that the cord 28 can be a regular cord, i.e. devoid of any contraction arrangement, or it can be fully coiled so as to increase the ration between the full length and the retracted/contracted length, or it can be associated with a retraction mechanism 61 as illustrated by way of example in FIG. 3. The retraction mechanism 61 is of generally known structure and comprises a housing 62 fitted with a belt mount 63 (i.e. attaching member, configured for attaching to an article worn by a user, so as to constitute said second end of the cord). And a spring loaded cord rewinding mechanism (not seen) within the housing 62 for retracting the cord 66 and retaining it at a retracted position, with a first end 67 of the cord attachable to the safety element (not shown in FIG. 3). It should also be appreciated that the attaching member can be a buckle, a clip, a band, a snap fastener, a hook and pile fitting, an elastic band, etc.

(18) In the illustrated example the attaching member 32 is a flexible belt loop with a hook and pile fastener 33 configured for attaching to a variety of articles worn by a user, such as a holster (waist, drop leg/thigh, etc.), a belt, a pants buckle, suspenders, a bag/pouch/purse, and the like. However, it is noted that the attaching member can be configured as a buckle, a clip, a band, a snap fastener, a hook and pile fitting, an elastic band, etc., facilitating easy attaching and removal thereof.

(19) Reverting now to the firing interrupting element 44, the arrangement is such that when the safety element 22 is applied to the handgun (different examples illustrated hereinafter), the firing interrupting element 44 is disposed at an interrupting position, namely between the rear face 69 of a duty cartridge 70 (FIG. 4) received in the chamber 72 and the functional firing element (i.e. firing/striker pin or breach face 58), it obstructs a firing mechanism of the handgun, so that a round cannot be fired even at the event that the trigger is pulled. In many particular cases, the firing interrupting element 44 constitutes an obstruction, thereby preventing complete locking of the handgun, whereby incomplete locking displacement of a slide of the handgun breaks contact between the trigger assembly and the striker assembly, i.e. preventing the breach from locking and preventing firing the handgun even at the event that the trigger is pulled.

(20) Whilst the example of FIG. 4 refers to a striker-type pistol 50, in FIG. 5 there is illustrated a hammer-type pistol generally designated 76 wherein the safety element 90 (cord partially illustrated in dashed lines for sake of clarity) is similar to the safety element 22 of the previous example, however with the firing interrupting element 92 extending longer, such that when applied over the pistol 76, it not only prevents complete locking of the firing mechanism, but rather it also extends in the line of operation of firing pin 93, behind the rear face 96 of the duty cartridge 98. Thus, even at the event of pulling the trigger, the pistol 76 will not fire, as long as the safety element 90 is at the obstructing position.

(21) Further attention is now being made to FIGS. 6 and 7. A method using the handgun safety device comprises the steps of: Obtaining a handgun safety device 20 according to present disclosure, as discussed herein; Attaching the second end 30 of cord 28 to a belt 27 (article worn by a user 29) by the attaching member 32 (noted that the article worn by a user can just as well be the holster 103 seen in FIG. 7); at least partially cocking the handgun 50 so as to give rise to a space between the face 69 of a duty cartridge 70 and a fore end of a functional firing element (breach face 58; FIG. 4); this step can take place also earlier; Placing the safety element 22 with the firing interrupting element 44 at an interrupting position (FIG. 6A); and Releasing the handgun 50 from the at least partially cocked position (FIG. 6B).

(22) For the purpose of at least partially cocking the handgun 50, a user can cock the slide until it becomes arrested by the slide stop, as known in the art.

(23) It is realized that a magazine can be introduced into the pistol before or after cocking the handgun.

(24) Then, the handgun 50 is safely introduced into the holster 103 as illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, seeing that the safety element 22 remains in place at its interfering position secured by the magnetic attracting force and slightly being clamped between the breech face and the rear face of the cartridge).

(25) The firearm 50 is now cocked, with a live round of ammunition in the barrel chamber, and all that it takes for discharging a round is drawing the handgun from the holster 103 as illustrated in FIGS. 8A to 8I, illustrated consecutive steps of drawing and firing a round. In FIG. 8A the handgun is gripped by the user and is then pulled out of the holster (FIG. 8B), whilst the cord 28 is not yet at its full length position, i.e. is still loos. As the user continues the draw (FIGS. 8C-8E) the handgun 50 reaches an angle α° of between about 10° to 55° (measured with respect to an imaginary vertical line), with the cord 28 reaching its predetermined full length (FIG. 8E), as a result of which the safety element 22 starts detaching from the handgun 50 (FIGS. 8F and 8G) until it completely detaches (FIGS. 8H and 8I) facilitating complete locking of the firing mechanism, whereby a round can be fired as the trigger is pulled.

(26) It is thus noted that even at the event of early pulling the trigger, before reaching the safe zone (i.e. before the handgun is at a safe angle as mentioned before), the handgun will not discharge a round. However, the act of fast draw and firing a round is not obstructed or slowed down by the provision of the handgun safety device according to the disclosure. Thus, the application of the handgun safety device according to the disclosure can eliminate, or substantially reduce the self-accidents (in particular those caused by users at a fast draw procedure, often occurring when the handgun is pointed below the safe zone, i.e. as in the position of FIGS. 8B, 8C).

(27) Also to be noted, the effective safe zone can be configured and altered depending on several parameters such as the length of the cord, elasticity and retraction force of the cord, strength of the attachment arrangement (e.g. magnetic attraction), location of the attaching member to the user (namely attached to a holster or to a belt at a location forward of the holster), etc. these parameters can be controlled and adjusted to comply with physiological parameters of the individual (the user) and safety requirements.

(28) Furthermore, the safety element 22 can be attached to the first end of the cord at different configurations. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2 the first end 24 of the cord 28 is secured to the housing (body portion 40) of the safety element 22 through an aperture 113 extending at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the body portion 40, whereby it has a specific Left/Right orientation, suited for use by lefthand or righthand users, as may be the case. For easy identification, the safety element 22 is configured with indicia (letter R engraved), indicating it is configured for used by a righthand user. However, the body is ready made for either Left/Right cord articulation.

(29) In addition, the body portion of the safety element can be colored at different colors, providing visible indicia e.g. at a training arena. For example, bright colors can indicate that the device is in use with a handgun loaded with live ammunition, etc. Furthermore, the body portion of the safety element can comprise a light emitting element, for providing different indications, e.g. the positioning of the device over the handgun, loaded handgun, etc.