US3605312A - Lever actuated safety mechanism for a firearm - Google Patents

Abstract

A LEVER ACTUATED SAFETY MECHANISM FOR A FIREARM OF THE GENERAL TYPE HAVING A BOLT ASSEMBLY RECIPROCATABLY OPERABLE RESPONSIVE TO ARCUATE MOVEMNT OF A COCKING LEVER, AND FURTHER HAVING A TRIGGER MECHANISM TO RELEASE THE HAMMER FROM THE COCKED POSITION INCLUDING A RELEASABLE MEMBER NORMALLY ENGAGING THE TRIGGER MECHANISM TO PRECLUDE THE RELEASE BY THE TRIGGER MECHANISM THE HAMMER FROM THE COCKED POSITION UNTIL THE COCKING LEVER ENGAGES THE RELEASABLE MEMBER FOR A SMALL ARC OF LEVER ROTATION TO DISENGAGE THE RELEASABLE MEMBER FROM THE TRIGGER MECHANISM, THEREBY PERMITTING THE OPERATION OF THE TRIGGER MECHANISM TO RELEAST THE HAMMER FROM THE COCKED POSITION.

Description

Sept. 20, 1971 Filbd July 15. 1969 FIGJ R. E. DOMIAN LEVER AGTUATED SAFETY MECHANISM FOR A FIREARM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 1971 R. E. DOMIAN 3,605,312

LEVER ACTUATED SAFLTY MECHANISM FOR A FIREARM Filed July 15, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F|G 3 y J3 id -22 r y; l it 1 J! i W W 4% i '4 p 1971 R. E. DOMIAN 3,605,312

LEVER ACTUATED SAFE-TY MECHANISM FOR A FIREARM Filed July 15, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 EVBWMM United States Patent Oifice 3,605,312 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 U.S. Cl. 4270E 1] Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lever actuated safety mechanism for a firearm of the general type having a bolt assembly reciprocatably operable responsive to arcuate movement of a cocking lever, and further having a trigger mechanism to release the hammer from the cocked position including a releasable member normally engaging the trigger mechanism to preclude the release by the trigger mechanism the hammer from the cocked position until the cocking lever engages the releasable member for a small arc of lever rotation to disengage the releasable member from the trigger mechanism, thereby permitting the operation of the trigger mechanism to release the hammer from the cocked position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a new and improved lever action rifle based on the operating principle of a semi-automatic rifle.

In particular, the present invention incorporates a lever which must be operated in order to ready the rifle for the firing of the initial round. Ejection of the spent case and chambering of the fresh cartridge is accomplished automatically in a manner well-known to those familiar with the operation of semi-automatic rifle mechanisms.

While there are a wide variety of known lever action mechanisms used in modern sporting rifles, the utilization of a cocking lever in combination with a mechanism for automatically successively ejecting a spent case and chambering a fresh cartridge eliminates the need for a locking system for the bolt. The particular operating characteristics of the instant lever-automatic rifle provides a highly reliable mechanism without the bolt locking system required of prior art lever action rifles.

Additionally, the instant lever-automatic rifle mechanism provides operational safety features whereby the trigger release mechanism is rendered inoperative unless the cocking lever is forcefully disposed and maintained in the closed firing position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A firearm is constructed to include a receiver adapted to constrain a bolt mechanism for reciprocal motion relative to the receiver responsive to arcuate movement of a cocking lever. A trigger mechanism is mounted in the receiver and engages the cocking lever in its retracted firing position. Upon closing the lever in its retracted position, pressure is exerted on a disconnector link to pivot the disconnector link away from the trigger release mechanism, thus allowing the firearm to be discharged. When the firearm is discharged, the bolt is automatically retracted, the spent cartridge case is ejected, and the sear bar is disengaged from the sear. The bolt, urged forward by the action of the recoil spring, engages the next fresh cartridge and chambers this cartridge upon the return of the bolt to the battery position. The lever is urged upon the operation of the disconnector spring unless maintained in the fully retracted position by a superior counteracting force. Thus, the lever performs a function similar to that of the well-known grip safety of an automatic pistol.

One embodiment of the instant firing mechanism includes a trigger stop mounted in the cocking lever which engages a corresponding notch in the trigger when the cocking lever is in the fully retracted position such that once the trigger has been moved to its rearward position, the trigger stop engages the notch in the trigger thereby preventing the trigger from returning to its normal firing position until the lever has been pivoted downward an arcuate distance approximately 5 to thereby permit the trigger stop to disengage from the trigger, allowing the trigger to return to its normal firing position.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a lever actuated firing mechanism in which the trigger release mechanism is rendered inoperative unless the cocking lever is disposed and maintained in the retracted firing position.

An additional object of the present invention is the provision of a cocking lever which coacts with the trigger mechanism in such a manner as to propel the cocking lever away from the retracted firing position unless opposed by a superior counteracting force.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a lever actuated mechanism for a firearm wherein the lever must be pivoted through the full cocking stroke to load the first cartridge into the chamber, and upon firing the first cartridge the spent cartridge case is ejected and the next cartridge is chambered with the actuation of the cocking lever.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a lever actuated firing mechanism in which the trigger mechanism includes a recess that engages mating structure of the cocking lever in the retracted position such that upon initial rearward movement of the trigger, the trigger is retained in an inoperative position until the cocking lever has been displaced a finite arcuate distance from the retracted firing position.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a lever actuated firing mechanism without a bolt locking system in which the cocking lever coacts with the bolt to load the initial cartridge into the chamber, and upon firing the initial cartridge the bolt mechanism coacts with the trigger mechanism to automatically eject the spent cartridge case and chamber the next fresh cartridge.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, which form part of this application in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view showing the lever mechanism of the present invention incorporated in a firearm.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation view, partly in section, and broken away to show the relation of the trigger, lever and bolt mechanisms of the instant inventlon.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the structure of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the trigger mechanism showing the lever in the open position.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the trigger mechanism with the lever in the closed position.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of an alternate embodiment with the lever closed showing the relationship of the trigger and trigger stop after actuation of the trigger.

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, referring to FIG. 1 by character of reference, it may be seen that there is shown a firearm 2 adapted for lever actuated semi-automatic operation. For purposes of clarity and fuller understanding of the invention, the firearm 2 will be hereafter described as a lever automatic rifle. A rotatable lever 4 is supported on a trigger housing 6 for turning movement by a stationary pin 8. Trigger housing 6 is removably fixedly mounted to receiver 10. Lever 4 is rotatable in an are about pivot 8 from a full cocking position to a fully retracted firing position. At a position approximately of are from the full retracted position, as shown in FIG. 1, a wear pad 14 mounted on lever 4 engages one arm of L-shaped disconnector link 16.

To load the first cartridge, lever 4 is pivoted about pivot 8 to the fully cocked position. Lever extension arm 18 engages the contoured surface 20 of bolt 22 such that bolt 22 is moved rearward compressing recoil spring 24. Upon the pivotal movement of lever 4 toward the retracted firing position, bolt 22 is urged forward, picking up and chambering a cartridge. Upon discharge of the firearm, the force of expanding gases causes the bolt to move rearward responsive to the recoil force, thereby withdrawing the spent cartridge case with the bolt and ejecting the spent case through ejector port 26 responsive to the action of ejector 28, while simultaneously compressing recoil spring 24. Bolt 22 is urged forward by compressed recoil spring 24, picking up and chambering the next fresh cartridge, each successive reciprocal action of bolt 22 subsequent to the initial reciprocal loading movement is accomplished without the cocking operation of lever 4.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a hammer 30 is shown to be pivotably mounted to trigger housing 6 by a pivot pin 32. Hammer spring 34 urges hammer 30 in a clockwise direction about pivot pin 32. A sear 36 is pivotably mounted to trigger housing 6 by pivot pin 38. Sear 36 is biased upwardly in a counterclockwise direction by means of a sear spring (not shown). Trigger 4!] is pivotably mounted to trigger housing 6 by pivot pin 32. Sear bar 42 comprises a pair of substantially parallel arms integrally joined at their extremities by yokes 44 and 46, pivotably mounted to trigger by pivot pin 48. Sear bar 42 is biased upwardly in a clockwise direction about pivot pin 48 by sear bar springs 50 such that yoke 46 engages a rearwardly facing projection 52 of scar 36. As shown in FIG. 2, when bolt 22 is moved rearward in sliding engagement with the upper surface of trigger housing 6, the rearward facing surface of bolt 22 engages hammer 30 such that hammer 30 is pivotably rotated in a counterclockwise direction about pivot 32 such that sear 36 acting under the bias of the sear spring engages sear abutment 54 on the hammer 30 to thereby maintain the hammer in the cocked position. It can be seen from FIG. 2, upon the appliaction of a force to trigger 40, the trigger will rotate in a clockwise direction about pivot 32 while sear bar 42 pivotably connected to trigger 40 by pivot pin 48 will move forward and upward such that yoke 46 contacts projection 52 to rotate sear 36 about pivot 38 in a manner such that sear 36 disengages from sear abutment 54 of hammer 30, thereby causing hammer 30 to rotate in a clockwise direction responsive to the urging of hammer spring 34.

As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, disconnector link 16 is rotatably mounted to trigger housing 6 by pivot pin 56 and is urged in a counterclockwise direction into engagement with yoke 44 of sear bar 42 by the action of disconnector spring 58. It can be seen from FIG. 4 that when disconnector link 16 engages yoke 44 of sear bar 42, that clockwise movement of trigger 40 about pivot pin 32 will cause sear bar 42 to pivot about pivot pin 48 4 and the contact point of yoke 44 and disconnector link 16 in a manner such that yoke 46 will move downward and away from engagement with sear 36, thereby preventing the release of hammer 30 so long as disconnector link 16 is in frictional engagement with yoke 44 of sear bar 42.

Referring now to FIG. 5, it can be seen that when contact pad 14 of lever 4 is brought into engagement with disconnector link 16 and sufiicient force is applied to lever 4 to overcome the force of disconnector spring 58, disconnector link 16 will pivotably rotate in a clockwise direction about pivot pin 56 such that disconnector link 16 disengages from yoke 44. As shown in FIG. 4, contact pad 14 of lever 4 engages disconnector link 16 at a preselected position in the arcuate movement of lever 4 approximately 5 from the fully retracted firing position of lever 4.

Referring now to FIG. 5 wherein lever 4 is in the fully retracted firing position, it can be seen that disconnector link 16 is removed from engagement with yoke 44, and upon application of a force to trigger 40, the trigger will rotate about pivot pin 32 in a manner to release hammer 40 from the cocked position, as described in detail heretofore. It can be seen that once the force rotating lever 4 into engagement with disconnector link 16 is removed, the counteracting force of disconnector spring 58 is transmitted from disconnector link 16 to lever 4 via engagement pad 14 such that lever 4 will be rotated about pivot 8 in a counterclockwise direction to a position where disconnector link 16 engages yoke 44, and the operation of trigger mechanism 40 is disabled.

Referring now to FIG. 6 wherein an alternate embodiment of the instant invention is shown with a resilient trigger stop 60, which acts somewhat like a leaf-spring, mounted on lever 4 and a mating notch 62 is disposed in trigger 40. As can be seen from FIG. 6, when lever 4 is positioned in the fully retracted position, disconnector link 16 is removed from engagement with yoke 44. As described fully hereinabove, hammer 30 is released upon the application of a force to trigger 40 and trigger 40 pivots about pivot pin 32 in a clockwise manner to a rearward trigger position. In the FIG. 6 configuration, the firearm has been discharged and the hammer has been returned into engagement with sear 36 by the action of the bolt 22. In order to again fire the firearm, a user must release his grip on lever 4, thereby permitting the lever to rotate (under the urging of disconnector link 16) in a counterclockwise direction about pivot 8 through an arc of about 5. The rotation results in the tip or left extremity of stop 62 clearing the forwardmost vertical wall 62a of notch 62 which allows trigger 40 to return to its forward firing position. It should be noted that the tip of stop 62 need not necessarily contact the rearmost vertical wall 62b of the notch 62 when the trigger has returned to its forward firing position, but that the notch is stepped so that stop 62 will lie within the contour of the trigger. This prevents the stop 62 from presenting an unnecessary projection in the trigger cavity of lever 4. In order to again fire the firearm, it is, of course, necessary to grip the lever 4 to displace it to the fully retracted position. This action will cause a slight bending of stop 60, as the upper surface of the stop, adjacent the tip, cannot move upwardly into notch 62 because this surface is in contact with the horizontal wall 620 of the notch intermediate the forwardmost and rearwardmost vertical walls 62a and 62b. When the trigger is pulled rearwardly (to fire the firearm) a distance sufficient for the tip of stop 62 to clear the horizontal wall, the stop 62 will snap into the position shown in FIG. 6, thereby preventing the trigger from returning to its forward firing position until the user releases his grip on the lever 4.

Such a stop then provides a means to prevent the firearm from being again fired until the lever is released and subsequently gripped. Thus, the embodiment of FIG. 6 can be considered neither a semi-automatic firearm nor a 5 single action firearm since it possesses the characteristics of both.

I claim:

1. In a firearm, the combination comprising,

hammer means mounted for movement between a cocked and a firing position,

trigger means mounted to engage said hammer means to effect the release of said hammer means from the cocked position,

lever means for cocking said hammer means operable in an are from an extended cocking position to a retracted firing position,

means adapted to be engaged by said lever means to permit the release of said hammer means from the cocked position by said trigger means when in engagement with said lever means in the retracted firing position thereof and to prevent release of said hammer means from the cocked position by said trigger means when not in engagement with said lever means.

2. The structure, according to claim 1, wherein said last mentioned means includes a rotatable link urged into engagement with said trigger means, and wherein said lever means engages said rotatable link for a preselected arcuate portion of said lever movement to release said link from engagement with said trigger means,

3. The structure, according to claim 1, wherein said trigger means includes a rotatable trigger having a notch thereon, and said lever means includes a lever having a stop member positioned thereupon such that when said trigger is rotated to its rearmost position, said member is received in said trigger notch to maintain said trigger in its rearmost position so long as said lever remains in the retracted firing position.

4. The structure, according to claim 2, wherein the preselected portion of engagement between said rotatable link and said lever means comprises an arc of substantially 5.

5. The structure, according to claim 3, wherein the substantially retracted firing position of said lever comprises an arc of substantially 5.

6. In a firearm, the combination comprising,

firing means mounted for movement between cocked and firing positions,

lever means for cocking said firing means to move in an are between an extended cocking position and a retracted firing position,

trigger means to release said firing means from said cocked position thereof upon the application of a force thereto,

means to prevent release of said firing means by the application of a force to said trigger means in lever positions in at least an arc defined from said extended cocking position to an intermediate position spaced from said retracted firing position, and

means movable with said lever means to engage said release preventing means throughout the arc defined between said intermediate and retracted firing positions and to displace said release preventing means to permit release of said firing means by application of a force to said trigger means when said lever means is in said retracted firing position.

7. A lever actuated safety mechanism for a firearm comprising in combination,

a hammer mounted for movement between cocked and firing positions, a trigger mechanism operable to release said hammer from the cocked position,

a releasable member engaging Said tr gg mechafllsm to preclude release of said hammer by said trigger mechanism when the latter engages said releasable member,

a lever for cocking said hammer rotatably operable through an arc from an extended cocking position to a retracted firing position,

said lever engaging said releasable member in a portion of said arc adjacent said retracted position to disengage said releasable member from said trigger mechanism to thereby permit the release of said hammer from the cocked position in response to actuation of said trigger.

8. In a firearm including a receiver, the combination comprising,

hammer means mounted in said receiver for movement between a cocked and a firing position,

trigger means mounted in said receiver and engaging said hammer means to effect the release of said hammer means from the cocked position,

lever means movable in an are from an extended cocking position to a retracted firing position,

bolt means adapted for reciprocal motion relative to said receiver and responsive to arcuate movement of said lever means to position said hammer means in the cocked position,

means adapted to be engaged by said lever means preventing the release of said hammer means from the cocked position until engaged by said lever means in the retracted firing position thereof.

9. A lever actuated mechanism for a firearm comprisa trigger mounted for movement,

a lever rotatable through a finite are from an extended cocking position to a retracted firing position,

a hammer mounted for movement between a cocked and a firing position, said lever being adapted to move said hammer from the firing position to the cocked position,

a scar engaging said hammer to restrain said hammer in the cocked position,

a sear bar connected to said trigger for displacing said sear upon movement of said trigger to permit said hammer to move from its cocked position to its firing position,

a rotatable disconnector link urged into engagement with said sear bar to prevent said sear bar from dis placing said sear when force is applied to said trigger,

said lever adapted to be manually brought into engagement with said disconnector link for a portion of said finite arc of lever rotation to disengage said disconnector link from said sear bar such that said sear bar may contact and disengage said sear from said hammer upon movement of said trigger.

10. The mechanism, according to claim 9, wherein said disconnector link includes spring means generating a force that is impressed on said lever when said lever is in the retracted position such that when said lever is manually released said lever will rotate toward said cocking position a portion of said finite arc of lever rotation to permit said disconnector link to engage said sear bar.

11. The mechanism, according to claim 10, wherein the portion of said finite arc of lever rotation comprises an arc of substantially 5".

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,091,190 3/1914 Castle 42/70(. 5) 2,478,892 8/1949 Bistoff 42-70(.5) 3,471,961 10/1969 Lewis 4270(.5)

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner C. T. JORDAN, Assistant Examiner

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