Rapid Aiming Device and Method for Use on Gun or Other Projectile Firing Device

Abstract

An aiming device and method that combines several distinct features, any single one or combination of these features may be used for aiming. These features include: 1) Front & rear sight form a recognizable shape when aligned, 2) The front sight is relatively large and visually protrudes above the rear sight when properly aligned. 3) The front sight may feature a substantially distinct point or vertex as its aiming reference point. 4) Both front and rear sights possess distinct visual reference points that can be visually aligned with precision. 5) Lower portion of front sight may be visually centered in the notch of rear sight to facilitate aiming.

Claims

1. An aiming device for a firearm, comprising: a front sight; and a rear sight, wherein: at least one point or surface of alignment on the front sight is visually aligned with a corresponding point or surface of alignment on rear sight; the rear sight is designed in such a way as to complete the partial shape of front sight, so that when viewed together in alignment, the front sight and the rear sight form a recognizable shape; and the front sight visually protrudes above the rear sight when sights are directly aligned with aimer's eye.

2. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 1, wherein the recognizable shape is substantially a triangle.

3. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 1, wherein the front sight has five clearly defined external visual boundaries.

4. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 1, wherein the rear sight has five or more clearly defined external visual boundaries.

5. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 1, further comprising a visual surface on the rear sight.

6. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 5, wherein the visual surface includes a brightly colored replaceable insert.

7. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 6, wherein the insert is glued into place.

8. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 5, wherein the visual surface is painted or otherwise colored.

9. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 1, wherein the front sight is octagonal and oriented so that one of the vertices is at the tip.

10. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 9, wherein the rear sight in such an arrangement is the lower part of the octagon.

11. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 9, wherein the void (notch) in the rear sight surrounds the octagon so that when aligned, it formed an entirely different shape with a distinct aiming point substantially at the center top of the front sight.

12. A method for using a sight in a firearm, comprising: looking at both a front sight and a rear sight; and assuring the combined visual image appears as substantially a recognizable shape, with a targeting reference point substantially corresponding to the aiming point on the target.

13. A method for using a sight in a firearm, comprising one or more of the following: visually verifying one or more alignment reference points located on a front sight is substantially visually contacting corresponding alignment reference point on a rear sight; visually verifying one or more alignment reference points on the left side of the sights, by visually contacting alignment reference point on the front sight with a point on the rear sight; and visually align a lower left reference point on front sight with corresponding lower left reference point on the rear sight.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising visually connecting one or more alignment reference points on the right side.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising verifying elevation by verifying the alignment of a bottom surface of the front sight with a bottom internal surface of the rear sight.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising verifying windage alignment by verifying the alignment of a bottom surface of the front sight with a bottom internal surface of the rear sight.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising visually center the lower portion of the front sight into a notch or void in the rear sight.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising wherein the user orients their line of sight over the tops of the sights rather than in line with them.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the recognizable shape is substantially a triangle and the tip of the triangle at the front sight would substantially correspond to the desired aiming point on the intended target.

20. The aiming device for a firearm of claim 1, wherein a kit is provided for assembling the aiming device, comprising: some or all unassembled components for an aiming device wherein the unassembled components are assembled into a aiming device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] FIG. 1 is an isometric perspective view of the front sight 1 and rear sight 2 in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

[0005] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of front sight 1 of FIG. 1;

[0006] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of rear sight 2 of FIG. 1;

[0007] FIG. 4 is a rear, shooter's eye view of the gun sight of FIG. 1 with front sight 1 and rear sight 2 in visual alignment;

[0008] FIG. 5 is a right-side view of the gun sight (including front sight 1 and rear sight 2) of FIG. 1;

[0009] FIG. 6 is a top view of the gun sight (including front sight 1 and rear sight 2) of FIG. 1;

[0010] FIG. 7 is a depiction of alternate potential embodiments, illustrating the front sight and the rear sight.

[0011] The broken lines in some of the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and form no part of the claimed invention. They represent the top surface of the firearm, with the sights attaching to the via dovetails in the illustration. These attachments points may vary from gun to gun (or other platform) and are not required features of the patent. They are not called out in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Referring now to the invention in more detail, in FIG. 1 there is shown a front sight 1 and a rear sight 2. These are separate components which may be attached to a rigid support structure, such as the top of a firearm and visually aligned with the aimer's eye. When properly aligned, the surfaces of front sight 1 and rear sight 2 that face the aimer will visually come together, with the front sight protruding above the rear sight, with a distinct aiming reference point. In the preferred embodiment, front and rear sights come together to form a shape that is substantially a triangle.

[0013] The following is a description of the preferred embodiment. When boundaries and surfaces are mentioned, these are the surfaces and boundaries of the front sight 1 and rear sight 2 from an aimer's perspective. These are boundaries that the aimer can generally use to align and aim the sights. Other surfaces are obviously necessarily present. However, their specific design is not critical as it relates to the sight picture and sight alignment and are therefore not referenced. All that is necessary for the other surfaces is that they be structured so as to not interfere with the sight picture (or possibly enhance it, such as by providing additional visual feedback, such as an extra deep front sight that can be judged to be off center by seeing one side more prominently with the other) and that the sights be shaped in such a way to fit the device where they will be installed.

[0014] In the preferred embodiment, front sight 1 has five clearly defined external visual boundaries. Upper left edge 10 and upper right edge 11 form the vertex which is targeting reference point 12. On the left side of front sight 1 (from an aimer's perspective), lower edge 14 and upper edge 10 terminate to form a vertex that is alignment reference point 16. On the right side of front sight 1, lower edge 13 and upper edge 11 terminate to form a vertex that is alignment reference point 15. The lowermost visual portion of front sight 1 is shown as flat horizontal surface 17. On the left side, bottom edge 17 and left edge 14 form a vertex that is alignment reference point 32. On the right side, bottom edge 17 and right edge 13 form a vertex that is alignment reference point 31. In the preferred embodiment, there is a visual surface area 20 that can optionally accommodate an insert that may be brightly colored and replaceable with other colors for case of visual acquisition and to suit the aimer's color preferences. It is bounded by visual boundaries 18 on the left and 19 on the right, which may optionally be a contrasting color to surface 20, aiding in visual acquisition. In the preferred embodiment, these visual boundaries may also serve as rigid lips to aid in holding, protecting and indexing an insert into proper location. If present, these inserts may be glued or otherwise attached into place. Alternatively, this optional area may be painted or colored by any other means or left in its natural state. In another embodiment, the entire visual aiming surface (comprised of 18, 19, and 20) can be a single color or colored in any other manner. It may also be a single piece or not a separate piece at all, but simply the surface of the sight itself, with or without any coloring.

[0015] Rear sight 2 is designed in such a way as to complete the partial shape of front sight 1, so that when viewed together in alignment, front sight 1 and rear sight 2 form a recognizable shape, which in the preferred embodiment is substantially a triangle. For example, similar to what is depicted in FIG. 4.

[0016] In the preferred embodiment, rear sight 2 has six clearly defined external visual boundaries. (A seventh optional side could be located at the bottom of rear sight 2 as boundary edge 35. This surface may be implied by the bottom of rear sight 2 and is less critical to the aiming process). Left external edge 21 and right internal edge 25 together form a vertex at the upper left side of the sight at alignment reference point 23. Right external edge 22 and right internal edge 26 for a vertex at the upper right side that is alignment reference point 24. Left internal edge 25, lower center edge 27, and right internal edge 26 together form a notch or void in rear sight 2. This notch visually corresponds to the lower center portion of the front sight 1. On the left side of rear sight 2, internal edge 25 and lower internal edge 27 form a vertex that is alignment reference point 34. On the right side, internal edge boundary 26 and lower internal edge boundary 27 form a vertex that is alignment reference point 33. As in the front sight 1, the preferred embodiment includes corresponding visual edge boundaries 28 on the left and 29 on the right, which may optionally be a contrasting color to surface 30, aiding in visual acquisition. In the preferred embodiment, these visual boundaries may also serve as rigid lips to aid in holding, protecting and indexing an insert into proper location. If present, these inserts may be glued or otherwise attached into place. Alternatively, this optional area may be painted or colored by any other means or left in its natural state.

[0017] In another embodiment, the entire visual surface (comprised of 28, 29, and 30) can be a single color or colored in any other manner. The rear sight also includes a visual surface 30 which may optionally accommodate a brightly colored replaceable insert. In the preferred embodiment, these visual boundaries may also serve as rigid lips to aid in holding and indexing an insert into proper location. On front sight 1, the lips are in the approximate location of left edge 10 and right edge 11. On rear sight 2, the lips are in the approximate location of left edge 21 and right edge 22. If present, these inserts may be glued or otherwise securely fastened into place. Alternatively, this optional area may be painted or colored by any other means. The visual surface areas of the sights may also be a single surface, with or without added lips, coloring, texturing, or inserts.

[0018] In more detail, still referring to the invention of FIG. 1, the front sight 1 can be visually aligned with rear sight 2 to form a shape that is substantially a triangle, as depicted in FIG. 4. The aimer may use any single aiming feature described below, or any combination of features to assure proper alignment relative to the target.

[0019] One method of aligning the sights is for the aimer to simply look at both front sight 1 and rear sight 2, and assure the combined visual image appears as substantially a recognizable shape, with the targeting reference point 12 substantially corresponding to the aiming point on the target. This aligned shape in the preferred embodiment depicted here is substantially a triangle, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0020] Another method would be to visually verify any or all alignment reference points. For example, the aimer could verify that alignment reference point 15 located on front sight 1, is substantially visually contacting corresponding alignment reference point 24 on rear sight 2. Or to do the same with the alignment reference points on the left side of the sights, by visually contacting alignment reference point 16 on the front sight 1 with point 23 on the rear sight 2. Or to visually align lower left reference point 32 on front sight 1 with corresponding lower left reference point 34 on rear sight 2. Or on the right side, to visually align lower right reference point 31 on front sight 1 with corresponding lower right reference point 33 on rear sight 2. Verification of proper alignment can be accomplished through visually connecting any or all of the aforementioned alignment reference points.

[0021] In addition to the reference points, it is possible to verify elevation and to a lesser extent windage alignment by verifying the alignment of bottom surface 17 of front sight 1 with bottom internal surface 27 of rear sight 2.

[0022] Another method of aligning the sights would be to visually center the lower portion of the front sight 1 (which would be comprised of external edge boundaries 13, 14, 17) into the notch or void in the rear sight 2 defined by the left internal edge boundary 25, the right internal edge boundary 26, and the lower internal edge boundary 27. When visually aligned and with each other and the aimer's eye, lower surface 17 of the front sight 1 would appear to be approximately resting on top of surface 27 of rear sight 2. See FIG. 1, and FIG. 4.

[0023] An additional method for aiming would be for the aimer to roughly align the front sight 1 and rear sight 2 in a technique traditionally known as out of the notch or over the sights. This is where the aimer may orient their line of sight over the tops of the sights, rather than in line with them. From this vantage point, it is still possibly to gauge the vertical and especially horizontal relative alignments of the front sight 1, rear sight 2, and desired target.

[0024] Once the front sight 1 and rear sight 2 are visually aligned using whichever method is preferred, the tip of the triangle at the front sight (aiming point 12) would substantially correspond to the desired aiming point on the intended target.

[0025] While the preferred embodiment is a triangle, any shape or method of aiming will work that: 1) Uses at least one point or surface of alignment on front sight to be visually aligned with corresponding point or surface of alignment on rear sight, and 2) the front sight visually protrudes above the rear sight when sights are directly aligned with aimer's eye.

[0026] Other criteria that can be used include: a) recognizable as a distinct shape that is visually formed when front and rear sights are viewed together, b) Front and rear sights feature distinct alignment reference points which can be aligned with one another for refined and precise aiming, c) the targeting reference point of the front sight visually extends above the top of the rear sight when sights are directly aligned with the aimer's eye. The preferred embodiment has the targeting reference point 12 located at substantially the center top of the front sight and is a distinct and easily recognized feature such as the vertex of two linear surfaces, the lower vertex of a V shape, or anything else that is easily recognized as to where the front sight is relative to the target, and where the aiming point is on front sight 1. For example, the present invention would allow the use of an octagonal front sight, oriented so that one of the vertices is at the tip. The rear sight in such an arrangement could be the lower part of the octagon, or the void (notch) in the rear sight could surround the octagon so that when aligned, it formed an entirely different shape, such as a triangle, circle, or square, with a distinct aiming point substantially at the center top of the front sight.

[0027] Some of the advantages of the present invention include the ability to align the sights faster, to be more confident in their alignment and to capitalize on a human's inborn ability to complete shapes, making the alignment more automatic, more intuitive and simpler, particularly under stress In the preferred embodiment, the front sight is also shaped and sized in such a manner as to be easily seen and grab more visual attention than the rear sight.