Abstract
A trigger mechanism for a rifle having a trigger housing, a trigger, a cocking piece, a bolt lock, a pivotable safety key, a pivotable sear, a sear engagement, and a ball d?tente spring. The sear engagement is fixedly attached to the upper part of the trigger. The safety key has a bolt lock guide that is configured to move the bolt lock among three different positions, each of which corresponds to a position of the ball d?tente spring on the inside of the safety key. When the bolt lock is in the first position, neither the bolt nor the trigger can move. When the bolt lock is in the second position, the bolt is free to rotate, but the trigger cannot move. When the bolt lock is in the third position, the bolt is free to move, and the trigger can also move.
Claims
1. A trigger mechanism for a rifle comprising: (a) a trigger housing; (b) a trigger; (c) a cocking piece; (d) a bolt lock; (e) a safety key that is configured to pivot relative to the trigger housing; wherein the safety key comprises a bolt lock guide; wherein the bolt lock guide is configured to fit within a recess in the bolt lock; wherein the bolt lock guide is configured to move among a first position, a second position, and a third position as the safety key is rotated; and wherein when the bolt lock guide is in the first position, the bolt is prevented from rotating, and when the bolt lock guide is in the second position or the third position, the bolt is free to rotate; (f) a sear that is pivotally connected to the trigger housing at a sear pivot point; wherein the sear is configured to pivot between a first position and a second position; and wherein when the sear is in the first position, the sear is configured to prevent the cocking piece from moving forward, and when the sear is in the second position, the cocking piece is able to move forward; (g) a sear engagement that is fixedly attached to an upper part of the trigger and configured to rock forward when a bottom part of the trigger is pulled by a user; wherein when the bolt lock guide is in the first position or the second position, a rear end of the bolt lock guide abuts up against a front face of the sear engagement, thereby preventing the sear engagement from rocking forward; and wherein when the bolt lock guide in the third position, the sear engagement is free to rock forward; and (h) a ball detent spring; wherein the ball detent spring is configured to move among a first position, a second position, and a third position on an inside surface of the safety key.
2. The trigger mechanism of claim 1, wherein the safety key is fixedly connected to a safety lever; wherein the safety lever with a bottom end is fixedly connected to a safety knob; and wherein the bottom end of the safety lever is connected to the safety key at a safety key pivot point.
3. The trigger mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a trigger spring plunger that is configured to maintain the trigger in an upright position when the trigger spring plunger is uncompressed.
4. The trigger mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a sear spring that is configured to maintain the sear in the first position when the sear spring is uncompressed.
5. The trigger mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a sear stop that is attached to the trigger housing and configured to prevent the sear from over-rotating.
6. The trigger mechanism of claim 1, wherein the cocking piece comprises an annular collar and a base; wherein the cocking piece further comprises an arcuate extension that is configured to fit within a concave recess at a rear end of the bolt; and wherein the annular collar is configured to receive a proximal end of a firing pin.
7. The trigger mechanism of claim 1, wherein a sear spring is situated within a compartment inside of the trigger housing; wherein a bottom end of the sear spring is in contact with a bottom of the compartment; and wherein a top end of the sear spring is in contact with a lower surface of the sear forward of the sear pivot point.
8. The trigger mechanism of claim 1, wherein the sear comprises a top part, a nose, and a lower claw; and wherein when the sear is in the first position, a bottom part of the lower claw is in contact with a curved rear face of the sear engagement, and a top edge of the lower claw is situated on top of a flat top surface of the sear engagement.
9. The trigger mechanism of claim 8, wherein when the sear is in the second position, the lower claw is disengaged from the sear, the nose moves downward along a curved rear face of the sear, and the top part of the sear rotates downward, thereby disengaging the sear from the cocking piece.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention installed on a rifle.
(2) FIG. 2 is a detail perspective view of the present invention installed on a rifle.
(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention shown without the stock, barrel and magazine of the rifle.
(4) FIG. 4 is a first perspective view of the present invention shown with the action housing and bolt shroud removed and the safety key in a first position.
(5) FIG. 5 is a first side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4.
(6) FIG. 6 is a second perspective view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4.
(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 6 but with the bolt and trigger housing shown in dotted lines for transparency.
(8) FIG. 8 is a detail perspective view of the trigger mechanism of the present invention.
(9) FIG. 9 is a second side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4.
(10) FIG. 10 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 7.
(11) FIG. 11 is a front view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 10.
(12) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the present invention shown with the action housing and bolt shroud removed and the safety key in a second position.
(13) FIG. 13 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 12.
(14) FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the present invention shown with the bolt and trigger housing in dotted lines for transparency and the safety key in a second position.
(15) FIG. 15 is a detail view of the trigger mechanism shown in FIG. 14.
(16) FIG. 16 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 14.
(17) FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the present invention shown with the action housing and bolt shroud removed and the safety key in a third position prior to firing.
(18) FIG. 18 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 17.
(19) FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the present invention shown with the bolt and trigger housing in dotted lines for transparency and the safety key in a third position prior to firing.
(20) FIG. 20 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 19.
(21) FIG. 21 is a first side view of the present invention shown with the trigger mechanism in the third position and the trigger pulled (post-firing).
(22) FIG. 22 is a second side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 21 with the bolt and trigger housing dotted lines for transparency.
(23) FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the safety key of the present invention.
REFERENCE NUMBERS
(24) 1 Action (of a rifle) 2 Stock 3 Barrel 4 Magazine 5 Bolt lever 6 Action housing 7 Trigger 7a Upper arm (of trigger) 8 Trigger housing 8a Compartment (in trigger housing) 9 Safety knob 9a Safety lever 10 Safety key 11 Bolt shroud 12 Cocking piece 12a Annual collar (of cocking piece) 12b Base (of cocking piece) 12c Arcuate extension (of cocking piece) 13 Shoulder screw 14 Slot (in safety key) 15 Set screw 16 Bolt 16a Concave recess (on rear end of bolt) 16b Recess (for receiving bolt lock) 17 Bolt lock 17a Recess (in bolt lock) 18 Sear 18a Window (in sear) 18b Lower claw (of sear) 18c Nose (of sear) 18d Top part (of sear) 19 Ball d?tente spring 19a Ball (in ball d?tente spring) 20 Trigger spring plunger 21 Sear spring 22 Sear engagement 22a Lower leg (of sear engagement) 22b Curved rear face (of sear engagement) 22c Flat top surface (of sear engagement) 23 Receptacle (on safety key) 23a Channel 24 Sear stop 25 Bolt lock guide (on safety key) 26 [Intentionally omitted] 27 Compression spring (inside of bolt) 28 Collar 29 Bolt seat 30 Firing pin
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
(25) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention installed on a rifle. The purpose of this figure is simply to illustrate the environment of the present invention, which is designed to work with a TIKKA? bolt action rifle. The present invention may be used with other types of rifles as well.
(26) FIG. 2 is a detail perspective view of the present invention installed on a rifle. This figure shows what is referred to as the action part of the rifle. The three main parts of a rifle are the stock, the barrel, and the action. The stock supports and action and, in some cases, the barrel. The barrel is a metal tube through which the projectile passes. The action 1 is that part of the rifle that loads, fires and ejects ammunition. The action 1 includes the trigger mechanism, which is the subject of the present invention. This figure also shows the stock 2, the barrel 3, and the magazine 4. The magazine 4 is that part of a firearm that stores and feeds ammunition into the action 1.
(27) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention shown without the stock, barrel and magazine of the rifle. This figure shows the bolt lever 5, the action housing 6, the trigger 7, and the trigger housing 8. It also shows the safety knob 9 and the safety key 10, which are configured to place the trigger mechanism in a first, second or third position, as discussed more fully below. In addition, this figure shows the bolt shroud 11 and the cocking piece 12. Note that the action housing 6 is configured to prevent the safety knob 9 from moving too far to the left or right, as indicated by X and Y on FIG. 3. In other words, the action housing 6 acts as a stop in relation to the safety knob 9. In FIG. 3, the safety knob 9 is in a first position, with the knob fully rotated toward the stock. With the safety knob 9 in this position, the shoulder screw 13 that extends through a slot 14 on the distal end of the safety key 10 is positioned at the bottom end of the slot 14. As the safety knob 9 is rotated forward (toward the distal end of the barrel and away from the user), the safety key 10 rotates downward, and the position of the shoulder screw 13 within the slot 14 moves upward. A set screw 15 situated on the distal end of the safety key 10 is configured to apply adjustable pressure against the trigger housing 8. Note that the safety knob 9 is attached to a safety lever 9a, the bottom of which is connected to the safety key 10 at the safety key pivot point (marked as dotted line C in FIG. 11).
(28) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present invention shown with the action housing and bolt shroud removed and the safety key in a first position. This figure shows the cocking piece 12 more clearly. The cocking piece 12 is comprised of an annular collar 12a and a base 12b. The proximal end of the firing pin 30 is inserted through the center of and secured to the annular collar 12a via a press fit, as shown. This figure also shows the bolt 16 and bolt lock 17. When the bolt lock 17 is in an up (or engaged) position, the bolt 16 is locked and cannot rotate. The bolt lever 5 is configured to rotate the bolt 16 circumferentially when the bolt lock 17 is in a down (or released) position. In this figure, the bolt lock 17 is in an up position, which means that the bolt 16 cannot rotate. As explained more fully below, with the safety key 10 in the position shown in this figure, the firing pin 30 is in a safe mode and cannot move forward. Thus, when the safety key 10 is in the first position, the bolt 16 is locked, and the firing pin cannot move forward.
(29) FIG. 5 is a first side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4. This figure shows the sear 18, which prevents the cocking piece 12 from moving forward (to the right in this figure) when the sear 18 is in the position shown in FIG. 4. The sear 18 is that part of the trigger mechanism that holds the firing pin back until the correct amount of pressure has been applied to the trigger 7.
(30) FIG. 6 is a second perspective view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in this figure, the bolt lock 17 is in an up or engaged position (with the bolt lock inserted into the bolt itself), thereby preventing the bolt 16 from rotating, and the top part of the sear 18 is in contact with the front end of the cocking piece 12, preventing it from moving forward.
(31) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 6 but with the bolt and trigger housing shown in dotted lines for transparency. This figure shows the ball d?tente spring 19, which will be discussed more fully in connection with FIG. 8. It also shows the trigger spring plunger 20 and the sear spring 21, both of which are discussed below. In addition, this figure shows more clearly the sear 18, which is pivotally connected to the trigger housing 8 at the pivot point marked as Z in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 also shows the sear engagement 22, which is situated between a bottom surface of the sear 18 and a top surface of the trigger 7.
(32) FIG. 8 is a detail perspective view of the trigger mechanism of the present invention. The ball d?tente spring 19 is comprised of a steel alloy ball 19a that is situated on one end of the spring and configured to sit within one of three concave receptacles 23 on the interior of the safety key 10. When the safety knob 9 is pushed forward (at the same time, the manual force applied by the user overcomes the force of the ball d?tente spring 19), the safety key 10 rotates downward, and the ball 19a moves through a channel 23a between adjacent receptacles until the ball 19a is situated within the next-highest receptacle (see FIG. 14). The purpose of the ball d?tente spring 19 is to keep the ball 19a situated within one of the three receptacles 23a on the safety key 10 until and unless the user applies force to the safety knob 9.
(33) Note that the sear engagement 22 comprises a lower leg 22a, which is situated between and secured to two upper arms 7a on the trigger 7. One end of the trigger spring plunger 20 is in contact with the lower leg 22a of the sear engagement 22, and the other end abuts up against the trigger housing 8. In this manner, when the trigger 7 is rotated by the user (by pulling the lower end of the trigger toward the rear or stock end of the firearm), the trigger spring plunger 20 is compressed, the sear engagement 22 moves forward, and the sear 18 moves relative to the sear engagement 22 (as is discussed more fully below). The purpose of the trigger spring plunger 20 is to bias the sear engagement 22 in a rearward position, as shown in FIG. 8. When the trigger spring plunger 20 is in this position, the sear 18 prevents the cocking piece 12 from moving forward, which in turn prevents the firing pin from moving forward.
(34) The sear spring 21 is configured to bias the sear 18 into the position shown in FIG. 8, in which the sear 18 abuts up against the cocking piece 12. This particular spring is discussed more particularly below in connection with FIG. 10. A sear stop 24, which is in the form of a dowel pin and which is attached on both ends to the trigger housing 8, prevents the sear 22 form over-rotating. The sear stop 24 extends through a central aperture or window 18a in the sear 22, as shown; this window is sized and configured to provide the desired degree of rotation of the sear.
(35) Note that the safety key 10 comprises a bolt lock guide 25, which is positioned on the inside of the safety key 10 and configured to fit into a recess 17a in the bolt lock 17 (see also FIG. 23). When the safety key 10 is in the position shown in FIG. 8, the bolt lock 17 is inserted into the bolt 16 itself, thereby preventing the bolt 16 from rotating. When the safety key 10 is rotated downward, the bolt lock guide 25 pushes the bolt lock 17 downward as well (see FIGS. 14 and 19).
(36) FIG. 9 is a second side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in this figure, the front end of the cocking piece 12 comprises an arcuate extension 12a, which is configured to fit within a concave recess 16a at the rear end of the bolt 16.
(37) FIG. 10 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 7. As shown in this figure, the sear spring 21 is situated within a compartment 8a inside of the trigger housing 8. The bottom end of the sear spring 21 is in contact with the bottom of this compartment 8a, and the top end of this spring is in contact with a lower surface of the sear 18 forward of the sear pivot point Z (see also FIG. 7), In this manner, the sear spring 12 is configured to bias the sear 18 upward so that it is in the position shown in FIG. 10 (preventing the cocking piece from moving forward). When the bottom part of the trigger 7 is pulled backward, the top part of the trigger 7 rocks (or rotates) forward on pivot point A (see FIG. 14), carrying the sear engagement 22 with it. Note that the sear engagement 22 is secured to the trigger arms 7a at point B (see also FIG. 8). The sear 18 comprises a lower claw 18b, which is situated beneath the aperture 18a and forms the bottom part of the sear. In the position shown in FIG. 10 (which is still the first position or safe mode), the bottom part of the claw 18b is in contact with the curved rear face 22b of the sear engagement 22, and the top edge of the claw 18b is resting on top of the flat top surface of the sear engagement 22.
(38) FIG. 11 is a front view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 10. The purpose of this figure is to illustrate the positioning of the ball d?tente spring 19 in relation to the safety key 10. As shown here, one end of the ball d?tente spring 19 is anchored to the trigger housing 8, and the other end is attached to the ball 19a.
(39) FIG. 12 is a first perspective view of the trigger mechanism of the present invention shown with the action housing and bolt shroud removed and the safety key in a second position. In this figure, the safety knob 9 has been pushed forward, thereby rotating the safety key 10 about pivot point C (see FIG. 11) and causing the shoulder screw 13 to move into a second or middle position within the slot 14 in the safety key. At the same time, the ball 19a moves into a different receptacle 23 on the other side of the safety key 10 (see FIG. 14). When this happens, the bolt lock 17 is moved downward so that it is no longer engaged with the bolt 16. In this second position, the bolt can be rotated and pulled backward, thereby allowing a bullet to be placed into (typically from a magazine) or removed from the chamber. The sear 18, however, is still engaged with the cocking piece 12 (see FIG. 13), thereby preventing the cocking piece 12 from moving forward and the firearm from being discharged. In other words, the trigger 7 is still in a locked position. In addition, the trigger 4 cannot be pulled because the rear end of the bolt lock 25 is abutting up against the front face of the sear engagement 22. In other words, in the second position, the sear engagement 22 is prevented from rocking forward by the bolt lock guide 25 (see also FIG. 15).
(40) FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the present invention shown with the bolt and trigger housing in dotted lines for transparency and the safety key in a second position. As shown in this figure, when the safety key 10 is rotated forward, the ball 19a moves up into the middle receptacle 23, where the spring 19 keeps the ball in place until manual force is exerted on the safety key again. At the same time, the bolt lock guide 25 rotates with the safety key 10 and moves the bolt lock 17 downward into the position shown. In this position, the bolt lock 17 is no longer engaged with the bolt 16, which is now free to rotate with the bolt lever 5. Note that the trigger 7 has not been pulled.
(41) FIG. 15 is a detail view of the trigger mechanism shown in FIG. 14. In this figure, the trigger spring plunger 20 is maintaining the sear engagement 22 in an upright position. This second position-in which the bolt is unlocked but the trigger 7 is still in a safety position- and the manner in which this is accomplished is what renders the present invention unique as compared to all other inventions.
(42) FIG. 16 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 14. As shown in this figure, in this position, the bolt lock guide 25 on the safety key 10 is in a horizontal position, pushing the bolt lock 17 down and out of the recess 16b in the bolt 16. Note that the trigger 7 has not been pulled and is in a fully upright (vertical) position. The sear engagement 22 and sear 18 are still engaged, as described above, and the sear 18 is still preventing the cocking piece 12 from moving forward. As shown in this figure, a compression spring 27 is situated inside of the bolt 16 and anchored on one end by a collar 28 and on the other end by the bolt seat 29. The firing pin 30 is secured on the proximal end by the cocking piece 12 and extends through the bolt seat 29, compression spring 27, and collar 28 and all the way to the distal end of the bolt 16, as shown.
(43) FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the present invention shown with the action housing and bolt shroud removed and the safety key in a third position prior to firing. In this figure, the safety knob 9 has been pushed forward again by the user, which rotates the safety key 10 downward and moves the shoulder screw 13 into the top of the slot 14 in the safety key 10. FIG. 18 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 17. Note also that when the safety key 10 is in the third position, the bolt lock guide 25 is no longer in contact with the front face of the sear engagement 22; instead, the rear end of the bolt lock guide 25 moves into a concave recess at the bottom of the front of the sear engagement 22, thereby freeing the sear engagement 22 and allowing it to rock forward (when the trigger is pulled). In both FIGS. 10 and 16, the rear end of the bolt lock guide 25 is abutting up against the front face of the sear engagement 22, which prevents it from rocking forward.
(44) FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the present invention shown with the bolt and trigger housing in dotted lines for transparency and the safety key in a third position prior to firing. As shown in this figure, the ball 19a is now situated in the upper-most receptacle 23 in the safety key 10. The trigger 7 has not yet been pulled and is in the same position as shown in the previous figures.
(45) FIG. 20 is a side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 19. As shown in this figure, the bolt lock guide 25 has pressed the bolt lock 17 further downward (as compared to FIG. 16). Because the trigger 7 has not yet been pulled, the sear engagement 22, sear 18, and cocking piece 12 are all in the same position as shown in the previous figures. The collar 28 is fixedly attached to the firing pin 30 so that these two parts move together. The bolt seat 29 is part of the bolt 16 and does not move relative to the bolt 16; the firing pin, however, slides inside of the bolt seat 29. The bolt seat 29 is also referred to as the bolt handle guide because it is the part of the bolt 16 to which the bolt lever 5 is attached (see FIG. 4).
(46) FIG. 21 is a side view of the present invention shown with the trigger mechanism in the third position and the trigger pulled (post-firing). Although the movement of the trigger 7 is too slight to be noticeable in this figure, the user has pulled the trigger, resulting in disengagement of the sear 18 from the cocking piece 10, as is shown more clearly in FIG. 24.
(47) FIG. 22 is a second side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 21 with the bolt and trigger housing dotted lines for transparency. As shown in this figure, when the trigger 7 is pulled, the sear engagement 22 rocks forward, thereby dislodging the lower claw 18b of the sear 18 and causing the nose 18c of the sear (which in previous positions was resting on the top surface 22c of the sear 18) to move downward along the curved rear face 22b of the sear engagement 22. At the same time, the top part 18d of the sear 18 (above the window 18a) rotates downward, thereby disengaging the sear 18 from the cocking piece 12. When this happens, the compression spring 27 is released (that is, it extends), thereby pushing the cocking piece 12, collar 28 and firing pin 30 forward. The firing pin 30 ignites the cartridge (not shown), but the spring 27 must be compressed again so that the cocking piece 12 can move backward and the sear 18 can re-engage with the cocking piece. The spring 27 is compressed again during cocking when the bolt 16 is pushed back into the action housing, thereby loading the cartridge into the chamber. When the user lets go of the trigger 7, the trigger spring plunger 20 forces the trigger back into an upright position, and the sear spring 21 forces the sear 18 back up into its initial position.
(48) Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
