Optical sighting devices

Abstract

Optical sights for long guns and handguns. The representative, disclosed optical sight has: a fiber optics assembly which includes an outer, hollow, tubular optical fiber and an optical fiber insert; an optical fiber assembly support comprising integral, spaced apart, assembly-associated support units; magnets for securing the fiber optics assembly support to a rib at the muzzle end of a shotgun barrel; interchangeable mounting/sight alignment brackets assembled to the fiber optics assembly support and configured to match the configuration of the rib of the shotgun barrel; and magnetically engaged plates for clamping the support and the mounting/sight alignment bracket to the rib.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to novel, improved sighting devices for such diverse firearms as hand guns and long guns including rifles, shotguns, paintball guns, and pellet guns. The principles of the present invention can be employed to advantage in both front and rear gun sights.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed in previously issued U. S. patents are gun sights which make use of optical components variously described as a light-gathering plastic rod, a luminous rod element, a light-gathering fiber, a scintillating fiber, a transparent, light-diffusing element, and a rod-shaped light guide.

Those patents disclosing sighting devices as described in the preceding paragraph and known to applicants are:

Pat. No.  Patentee(s)
3,098,303 Plisk
5,638,604 Lorocco
5,878,503 Howe, et al.
5,930,906 Howe, et al.
6,014,830 Brown, et al.
6,016,608 Lorocco
6,039,539 Hollenbach, et al.
6,216,351 Flubacher, et al.
6,233,836 Uhlmann, et al.
6,684,551 Howe
6,680,056 Howe

The patented sights have significant deficiencies, including the specifics of the optical element and the mechanism for attaching the sight to a firearm. These deficiencies are remedied in the novel optical gun sights disclosed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Sights embodying the principles of the present invention have a hollow, tubular, optical fiber component which can be used by an archer or gunner to acquire, frame, and aim at a target and has the advantage that it does not block the user's view of the target. Optionally, a second optical fiber of a different color or a set of such fibers can be installed in the tubular fiber to optimize the sight for use in different light conditions—for example, an inner fiber might be a luminescent green and used in poor light conditions while the outer, tubular fiber might be a contrasting color such as red and employed in conditions where the ambient light is better for quicker target acquisition.

The sight is mounted to a selected, magnetizable firearm component which may, as examples only, be the muzzle or breech end or another region of a gun barrel, the rib of a ribbed shotgun barrel, the slide of a pistol, or the breech of a rifle or shotgun.

Combinations of sights which embody the principles of the invention can be employed. For example, the rear sight of a long gun may be one with a hollow, tubular optical fiber component; and the front sight of the same gun one with a contrasting color, optical fiber insert in a tubular optical fiber.

Another feature of the present invention, as realized in sights for shotguns with ventilated or solid ribs and other firearms with a comparable feature is a novel magnetic mount for attaching the sight to the gun. The mount utilizes interchangeable supports which, as one example, make the sight compatible with shotguns having ribs of different widths and/or vertical dimensions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a generally pictorial, fragmentary view of a ventilated rib shotgun equipped with an optical sighting device embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the optical sighting device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the FIG. 1 optical sighting device;

FIG. 4 is a section through FIG. 1 taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the FIG. 1 optical sighting device; and

FIGS. 6-13 are end views of representative shapes which hollow fibers and fiber inserts employed in the sighting devices of the present invention may have.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 depicts the muzzle end 20 of a shotgun barrel 22 which has a top side rib 24. Mounted to rib 24 is an optical sight 26 which embodies and is constructed in accord with the principles of the present invention.

The major components of optical sight 26 include: a fiber optics assembly 28, a support 30 for the fiber optics assembly, and a pair of interchangeable mounting/sight alignment brackets. The mounting/sight alignment brackets are typically provided in pairs with the brackets of the pair configured and dimensioned to fit a particular rib. This means that optical sight 26 can be very inexpensively mounted to virtually any shotgun with a ribbed barrel simply by supplying an appropriate pair of brackets or a set of brackets which includes a pair of appropriate configuration and dimensions.

The brackets of one representative pair are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5 and are identified by reference characters 32 and 34.

As is best shown in FIG. 4, fiber optics assembly 28 has an outer, tubular, optical fiber 36 and an optical fiber insert 38 in, and surrounded by, optical fiber 36. Components 36 and 38 may be of the same, or different, colors. As discussed above, the contrasting color scheme may optimize fiber optics assembly 28 for differing light conditions.

Optical components 36 and 38 can be manufactured from any desired, appropriate material. A number of such materials suitable for applicant's purposes are identified in various ones of the patents cited above, perhaps the main criteria being that the end of the fiber optics assembly where light is collected be as light as, or lighter than, the exterior of tubular, outer fiber 36. Components 36 and 38 can be manufactured by any appropriate process. Examples are molding, extrusion, and drawing.

Representative colors of the fiber optical assembly components when the outer optical fiber 36 and the optical fiber insert 38 have the same color include red, green, and yellow. Representative color pairs of these components when the colors contrast are:

Outer optical fiber Optical fiber insert
green               red
red                 green
red                 yellow
yellow              red

Hollow and solid optical fibers are however available in a considerable number of other colors, and one or a pair of fibers with such other colors or combinations of such colors with those listed above can be employed instead, if desired.

Both the outer optical fiber 36 and the optical fiber insert 38 of fiber optics assembly 28 have round cross-sections. This is not necessary, however. Essentially the only limitations on the configurations of these two components are that they be round or a regular polygon and that they be symmetrical with respect to a common axis of elongation. Representative arrangements are the following:

FIG.	Outer optical fiber	Optical fiber insert
6	Square	Round
7	Hexagonal	Round
8	Round	Round
9	Triangular	Round
10	Square	Square
11	Hexagonal	Hexagonal
12	Round	Triangular
13	Triangular	Triangular

A representative common axis of elongation is identified in FIG. 6 by reference character L.

As is shown in FIGS. 2-5, the support 30 for fiber optics assembly 28 includes an elongated rail 40 and apertured, integral, spaced apart assembly-holding support units 42, 44, and 46 through which the fiber optics assembly 28 extends. These brackets are located at the muzzle and breech ends 48 and 50 of rail 40 and centrally between those ends of the bracket.

Rail 40 is fixed to the muzzle end 20 of gun barrel 22 with: brackets 32 and 34; magnets 54, 56, 58, and 60; and fore-and-aft clamp plates 62 and 64.

The two brackets 32 and 34 are alike; and only bracket 34 will be described in detail, it being understood that this description is equally applicable to bracket 32.

Referring then primarily to FIGS. 3 and 5, bracket 34 has a rib-engaging component 66 and a rail-engaging component 68. Rib-engaging component 66 has a top plate 70 with a flat upper surface 72 and integral, depending flanges 74 and 76 at opposite sides of plate 70. Rail-engaging component 68 is a vertically oriented cylinder extending upwardly from component 66 with the bracket oriented as shown in FIG. 5.

The distance D between the depending flanges 74 and 76 of bracket 32 is substantially equal to the width W of shotgun barrel rib 24. With optical sight 26 mounted to rib 24, the depending flanges 74 and 76 of bracket component 66 fit over and engage the sides 78 and 80 of rib 24; and top plate 70 is seated on the upper surface 82 of the rib. This arrangement keeps bracket 34 in an accurately fixed relationship to rib 24.

Referring now most specifically to FIGS. 2-5, rail 40 has muzzle and breech end, upwardly opening wells 84 and 86 bounded by vertically oriented side elements 88 and 90 of the rail. Fore-and-aft clamp plates 62 and 64 have configurations complementing those of wells 84 and 86. Clamp plate 62 is seated in recess 84, and clamp plate 64 is seated in recess 86.

Brackets 32 and 34 and the rails 40 supported on the top plates 70 of those brackets are clamped to the rib 24 of shotgun barrel 22 with magnets 54, 56, 58, and 60. Magnets 54 and 56 are located between the muzzle end and centrally located, fiber optics assembly-associated units 42 and 44 of rail 40; and magnets 58 and 60 are located between central element 44 and the breech end, assembly-associated element 46 of the rail.

Each of the four magnets 54 . . . 60 has integral, lower and upper, circular elements 100 and 102 with different diameters defining an annular shoulder 104. The lower element 100 of each magnet is magnetically engaged with the top surface 82 of shotgun barrel rib 24, and rail 40 is seated on the shoulder 104 of the magnet. The upper element 102 of each magnet extends upwardly through an aperture of complementary configuration 106, 108, 110, or 112 in the bottom 114 of rail 40 and into magnetic engagement with one of the two clamp plates 62 and 64 seated in wells 84 and 86 of the rail. This novel arrangement securely fixes fiber optics assembly support 30 to rib 24.

Fiber optics assembly support 30 cannot move in the z direction relative to shotgun barrel rib 24 as the rail 40 of the support is trapped between the annular shoulders 104 of magnets 54 . . . 60 and magnetizable clamp plates 62 and 64, and movement in x and y directions relative to the rib is blocked by: (a) the matching configurations of the upper magnet elements 102 and the rail apertures 106 . . . 112 through which those elements extend, and (b) the matching configurations of upstanding bracket elements 68 and the muzzle and breech end apertures 116 and 118 in the bottom 114 of rail 40 into which bracket elements 68 extend when optical sight 26 is mounted to gun barrel rib 24.

The principles of the present invention may be embodied in forms other than those specifically disclosed herein. As examples only, gun sights embodying the principles of the present invention may be mounted to a gun component such as one of those identified above with a glue-on, double-sided tape, snap-on, dovetail, or bolted-on arrangement. Therefore, the presented embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced herein.

Claims

1. An optical gun sight which comprises:

a fiber optics assembly;

the fiber optics assembly comprising a hollow, elongated, optical fiber.

2. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 1 which further comprises an optical fiber insert in, and surrounded by, the hollow optical fiber.

3. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 2 wherein the hollow optical fiber and the optical fiber insert are essentially the same color.

4. An optical fiber insert as defined in claim 3, wherein the color is red, green, or yellow.

5. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 2 wherein the hollow optical fiber and the optical fiber insert are different colors.

6. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 5 wherein the hollow optical fiber and the optical fiber insert have contrasting colors.

7. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 5 wherein the hollow optical fiber and the optical fiber insert have one of the following combinations of colors: Outer optical fiber Optical fiber insert green red red green red yellow yellow red

8. An optical gun sight which comprises:

a fiber optics assembly (FOA);

a support for the FOA; and

an interchangeable mounting/sight alignment bracket which is fixable to the FOA support with the bracket being configured for mounting to a particular complementary firearm component.

9. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 8 in which the FOA support comprises an elongated rail and integrated FOA support units located at intervals along the rail; and

the support units having through bores configured to match the external configuration of the FOA.

10. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 9 wherein:

there is an aperture in the rail;

the mounting/sight alignment bracket has a first component mountable to the complementary firearm component and a second component protruding from the first component; and

the FOA support rail is seated on the first bracket component and the second bracket component extends into the aperture in the rail.

11. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 10:

which has a FOA attachment component;

the elongated rail of the FOA support having a well bounded by upstanding flanges at the opposite sides of the rail; and

the FOA attachment component being seated in the well of the elongated rail.

12. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 11:

wherein there is a magnet-receiving aperture through the elongated FOA support rail, that aperture opening onto the well in which the FOA attachment component is seated;

the FOA attachment component being fabricated of a magnetizable material;

the optical gun sight further comprising a permanent magnet; and

the magnet being magnetically engageable with the firearm component and extending through the rail into magnetic engagement with the FOA attachment component.

13. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 12 wherein:

the magnets each have integral, concentric, first and second elements providing an exposed shoulder on the first element; and

the elongated rail of the FOA support being seated on the shoulder and one element of the magnet extending through the complementary aperture in the rail.

14. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 8:

wherein the FOA comprises:

a hollow, elongated, optical fiber and

an optical fiber insert in, and surrounded by, the outer optical fiber.

15. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 14 which further comprises an optical fiber insert in, and surrounded by, the hollow optical fiber.

16. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 14 wherein the hollow optical fiber and the optical fiber insert are essentially the same color that color being red, green, or yellow.

17. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 14 wherein the hollow optical fiber and the optical fiber insert are different colors.

18. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 14 wherein the outer optical fiber and the optical fiber insert have contrasting colors.

19. An optical gun sight as defined in claim 16 wherein the outer optical fiber and the optical fiber insert have one of the following combinations of colors: Outer optical fiber Optical fiber insert green red red green red yellow yellow red

20. The combination of a shotgun barrel and an optical gun sight:

the shotgun barrel having a rib;

the optical gun sight being mounted to the rib; and

the optical gun sight comprising: a FOA; a support for the FOA; and a mounting bracket for the FOA support; the mounting bracket having: a configuration matching the configuration of the rib and side and top elements which overlie complementary top and side surfaces of the rib.

21. A combination as defined in claim 20 in which the FOA support comprises an elongated rail and integrated FOA support units located at intervals along the rail;

the support elements having through bores configured to match the external configuration of the FOA.

22. A combination as defined in claim 20 wherein:

there is an aperture in the rail;

the mounting/sight alignment bracket has a first component mountable to a complementary firearm component and a second component protruding from the first component; and

the FOA support rail is seated on the first bracket component and the second bracket component extends into the aperture in the rail.

23. A combination as defined in claim 21:

which has a FOA attachment component;

the elongated rail of the FOA support having a well bounded by upstanding flanges at the opposite sides of the rail; and

the FOA attachment component being seated in the well of the elongated rail.

24. A combination as defined in claim 23:

wherein there is a sight-mounting aperture through the elongated FOA support rail, the aperture opening onto the well in which the FOA attachment component is seated;

the FOA attachment component being fabricated of a magnetizable material;

the optical gun sight further comprising a permanent magnet; and

the magnet being magnetically engageable with the firearm component and extending through the rail of the sight-mounting component into magnetic engagement with the the FOA attachment component.

25. A combination as defined in claim 24 wherein:

the magnet has integral, first and second concentric elements providing an exposed shoulder on the first element; and

the elongated rail of the FOA support is seated on the shoulder and the second element of the magnet extends through the complementary aperture in the rail.