US20020133999A1

US20020133999A1 - Gun lock

Info

Publication number: US20020133999A1
Application number: US09/814,998
Authority: US
Inventors: Kurt Polenz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-03-23
Filing date: 2001-03-23
Publication date: 2002-09-26

Abstract

A gun lock including a lock body from which a tubular shaft projects. On the front end of the tubular shaft slides a wedge that is attached to a rod that extends through the tubular shaft and into the lock body. The rod is secured to an actuator that slides within the slotted openings of a number of rotatable, tumbler disks and projects from the rear end of the lock body. The actuator has a number of protrusions for selective engagement with the tumbler disks. The rear end of the actuator is attached to a lever that can be pivoted against the exterior of the lock body to move the protrusions through the slotted openings. Once the protrusions are adjacent the rear sides of the tumbler disks remote from the wedge, the tumbler disks can be rotated to fix the positions of the actuator within the lock body and the wedge against front end of the tubular shaft.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to firearms and, more particularly, to locks therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

About 1,500 children in the United States are taken annually to emergency rooms with accidental gunshot injuries. Nearly 200 children died from these wounds in a recent year. Astoundingly, experts suggest that firearm owners not use conventional trigger locks on firearms that they keep loaded for protection since rapid use of the firearm in an emergency is impossible.

To provide a firearm owner with quicker access to a firearm, yet prevent others from gaining unauthorized access, specialized firearm locks and safes have been proposed. Generally speaking the available locks are cumbersome in their construction and difficult to use. The safes, which must be mounted upon immovable objects, are difficult, especially in the dark, to manipulate to gain access to their firearms. Commercial acceptance of the known locks and safes for firearms has been limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the problems associated with the known products for preventing accidental or unintended access to a firearm, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a gun lock that permits access to firing chamber and barrel of a firearm to an authorized user yet denies such access to all others. Thus, an individual who wrongfully comes into possession of a firearm protected with the invention will find the firing chamber and barrel to be blocked and the firearm inoperative.

It is another object of the invention to provide a gun lock of the type described that can be easily attached to existing firearms without any modification of the firearm being required. All types of firearms such as handguns, rifles, and shotguns may be accommodated by various embodiments of the inventive gun lock.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a gun lock for the purposes described which is lightweight in construction, dependable in use, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Briefly, the gun lock in accordance with this invention achieves the intended objects by featuring a tubular shaft projecting from a lock body. The shaft has an inclined surface at its front end and a wedge positioned adjacent the inclined surface. A rod extends through the shaft and is attached at one end to the wedge. The other end of the rod is attached to an actuator projecting partly from the lock body opposite the shaft. The actuator has at least one protrusion positioned within the lock body. At least one tumbler disk is rotatably carried in the lock body and has a slotted opening positioned about the actuator. The slotted opening has a secondary part dimensioned to clear the protrusion. The tumbler disk is oriented with the secondary part and the protrusion in registration in an unlocked condition and the tumbler disk is oriented with the protrusion abutting the tumbler disk in a locked condition. A lever is secured to the lock body for moving the actuator, the rod, and the wedge as a unit so that the gun lock can be locked.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be more readily described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0009]
FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a gun lock in accordance with the present invention shown unlocked and positioned in a firearm. [0010]
FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of the gun lock of FIG. 1 shown locked. [0011]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line [0012] 3-3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line [0013] 4-4 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the gun lock.[0014]
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the accompanying drawings. [0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the FIGS., a gun lock in accordance with the present invention is shown at [0016] 10. Lock 10 has a lock body 12 from which a tubular shaft 14 projects. Upon the front end of shaft 14 slides a wedge 16 attached to a rod 18 that extends through shaft 14 and into body 12. Rod 18 is secured to an actuator 20 that slides within the slotted openings 22 of a number of rotatable, tumbler disks 24 and projects from the rear end of body 12. Actuator 20 has a number of protrusions 26 for selective engagement with disks 24. The rear end of actuator 20 is attached to a lever 28 that can be pivoted against the exterior of body 12 to move protrusions 26 through openings 22. Once protrusions 26 are adjacent the rear sides of disks 24 remote from wedge 16, disks 24 can be rotated to fix the positions of actuator 20 within body 12 and wedge 16 against front end of shaft 14.
[0017] Body 12 is made of hard metal and has a cylindrical wall 30 to one end of which is joined an end wall 32. A number of laterally extending slots 34 penetrate the top of cylindrical wall 30 to provide access to a cavity 36 within body 12. Similarly, a pair of bores 38 and 40 penetrate the bottom of cylindrical wall 30 near its opposite ends and another bore 42 passes through end wall 32.
A disk-[0018] shaped plug 44 is positioned in cavity 36 and is secured to the end of cylindrical wall 30 opposite end wall 32 by adhesives or any other suitable means. Plug 44 has a horizontal bore 46 into which the rear end of shaft 14 is inserted. A countersunk bore 48 extends upwardly from the bottom of disk 44 and intersects horizontal bore 46. A set screw 50 is inserted into countersunk bore 48 by means of aligned bore 38 in cylindrical wall 30 and, being threadably engaged with plug 44, is rotated into tight engagement with shaft 14 to attach shaft 14 to body 12. Preferably, screw 50 is of the type that its head will shear off when a predetermined amount of torque is applied thereto so as to prevent detachment of shaft 14 from body 12 once screw 50 is positioned. Of course, the head of screw 50 may be provided with any tool engagement feature known in the fastener art to prevent such from being backed out of bores 38 and 48 once engaged therewith.
Shaft [0019] 14 has an outer diameter that is substantially equal to that of the barrel 52 of firearm 54 with which lock 10 is used. As shown, shaft 14 is of sufficient length to extend inwardly through barrel 52 and into an axially aligned chamber 56 of firearm cylinder 58. (Shaft 14 may, of course, be of any desired length suitable for use with a particular firearm.) Shaft 14 is provided at its front end with an inclined surface 60 sloping about 15° from horizontal upon which wedge 16 may slide.
Wedge [0020] 16 is a truncated cylinder having a diameter similar to that of shaft 14. As shown, wedge 16 includes an inclined surface 62 capable of sliding upon surface 60 in a manner that retains the peripheral surface of wedge 16 in substantial alignment with the peripheral surface of shaft 14. Wedge 16 is preferably formed from a durable plastic material such as polyethylene.
The front end of [0021] rod 18 extends from the front end of shaft 14, penetrates inclined surface 62, and is affixed to wedge 16 in a suitable manner. The rear end of rod 18, however, is provided with threads 64 and projects from the rear end of shaft 14. Threads 64 are screwed into a threaded aperture 66 in the front end of actuator 20 so that wedge 16, rod 18 and actuator 20 can move as a unit.
Actuator [0022] 20 is a metallic dowel whose front end is supported by rod 18 and whose rear end projects from bore 42 in end wall 32. A narrowed portion 68 of reduced diameter is provided in the rear end of actuator 20. Protrusions 26 extend downwardly from the bottom of actuator 20 and are spaced from one another so as to permit portions of disks 24 to be positioned therebetween.
[0023] Slotted openings 22 in tumbler disks 24 have a principal part 70 and a secondary part 72 as are best seen in FIG. 4. Principal part 70 is provided with a diameter sufficient for the longitudinal movement of actuator 20. Secondary part 72, on the other hand, is relatively smaller than the principal part 70 and is sized for the snug passage of a protrusion 26.
[0024] Tumbler disks 24 include upwardly extending tabs 74 that project from slots 34 in body 12. Tabs 74 permit manual rotation of disks 24 by a user. Adjacent slots 34, cylindrical wall 30 carries indicia 76 in the form of lines, letters, or numerals that are used to define the angular positions of tabs 74 and to facilitate the positioning of disks 24.
Away from [0025] tabs 74, the peripheries of tumbler disks 24 are corrugated, having a series of low ridges 78 separated by shallow valleys 80. Into valleys 80, may be positioned leaf springs 82 punched from a metallic plate 84 disposed within cavity 36 beneath disks 24. As should be apparent, leaf springs 82 bear against the peripheries of disks 24 at all times and, when selectively positioned within valleys 80, serve to retain disks 24 at an angular position determined by a user.
A [0026] guide block 86 is secured to the bottom of cavity 36 adjacent plug 44 and serves to force plate 84 at its top and bottom into snug engagement with cylindrical wall 30—an orientation where its outstretched leaf springs 82 will engage disks 24. Guide block 86 is also provided with a number of spaced apart slots 88 in its top that are positioned directly beneath slots 34 in cylindrical wall 30. As guide block 86 extends nearly to actuator 20 in terms of height, disks 24 are retained within both slots 34 and 88.
[0027] Lever 28 includes lateral and longitudinal arms 90 and 92 that are rigidly joined together and oriented at right angles to one another. Lateral arm 90 is positioned adjacent end wall 32 has a slot 94 in its top for snug positioning against the sides of narrowed portion 68 of actuator 20. Longitudinal arm 92, however, extends forwardly from the bottom of lateral arm 90 adjacent the bottom of cylindrical wall 30. Longitudinal arm 92 has an aperture 96 adjacent its rear end through which a retaining pin 98 may be extended into, and affixed within, bore 40. A spacer ring 100, having upwardly sloping sides, is positioned on pin 98 between cylindrical wall 30 and longitudinal arm 92 and serves as a fulcrum for lever 28.
Use of [0028] gun lock 10 is straightforward. First, set screw 50 is partially removed from bore 48 so that shaft 14 may be rotated within bore 46. Next, with lock 10 being unlocked as shown bet in FIGS. 1, shaft 14 is fully inserted into barrel 52 of firearm 54 so that wedge 16 is located within chamber 56 and plug 44 engages the sighting end 102 of barrel 52. Longitudinal arm 92 of lever 28 is then squeezed against cylindrical wall 30 of body 12 to pull protrusions 26 to the rear of corresponding disks 24 and pull wedge 16 into engagement with both inclined surface 60 of shaft 14 and barrel 52 of firearm 54. Tumbler disks 24 may now be rotated to take the secondary parts 72 of openings 22 out of alignment with protrusions thereby locking wedge 16 in place.
Because [0029] wedge 16 may not yet be so tightly positioned against the interior of barrel 52 that slippage is unlikely to occur under normal conditions of use, body 12 is rotated upon shaft 14 to turn actuator 20 relative to rod 18. Continued rotation will screw threaded end 64 of rod 18 into socket 66 of actuator 20 thus shortening the length of the wedge/rod/actuator assembly so that wedge 16 is driven tightly against the interior of barrel 52. Once done, set screw 50 is driven into shaft 14 to prevent further rotation of body 12 relative to shaft 14. The process of fitting gun lock 10 to firearm 54 requires only a few minutes and a screwdriver (not shown) to complete. The process need never be performed again.
To remove [0030] gun lock 10 from firearm 54, tumbler disks 24 are simply rotated to predetermined positions found by aligning tabs 74 with indicia 76 on body 12. These positions bring secondary parts 72 of openings 22 into alignment with protrusions 26 so that such may pass forwardly through openings 22 when a user pulls rearwardly on body 12. The pull disengages wedge 16 from the interior of barrel 52 permitting shaft 14 to be withdrawn from firearm 54. Gun lock 10 is set aside so that firearm 54 may used in an ordinary manner. When use of firearm 54 is no longer required, such may be locked again simply by reversing the steps outlined in the previous few sentences. Thus, gun lock 10 is convenient and simple to use.
While the invention has been described with a high degree of particularity, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. [0031]

Claims

I claim:

1. A gun lock, comprising:

a lock body;

a tubular shaft projecting from said lock body, said tubular shaft having a front end remote from said lock body, said front end having an inclined surface;.

a wedge being positioned adjacent said inclined surface;

a rod extending through said tubular shaft, said rod having opposed ends and being attached at one of said opposed ends to said wedge;

an actuator projecting from said lock body opposite said tubular shaft and being secured to the other of said opposed ends of said rod, said actuator having at least one protrusion positioned within said lock body;

at least one tumbler disk being rotatably carried in said lock body and having a slotted opening disposed about said actuator, said slotted opening including a secondary part dimensioned to clear said protrusion, said tumbler disk being oriented with said secondary part and said protrusion in registration in an unlocked condition and said tumbler disk being oriented with said protrusion abutting said tumbler disk in a locked condition; and,

a lever being pivotally secured to said lock body and to said actuator for moving said actuator, said rod, and said wedge as a unit so that said gun lock can be altered from an unlocked to a locked condition.

2. A gun lock, comprising:

a hollow, lock body;

a plug positioned within said lock body, said plug having a first bore providing access to the interior of said lock body and a second bore intersecting said first bore;

a tubular shaft projecting from said first bore of said plug, said tubular shaft having a front end remote from said plug, said front end having an inclined surface;

a set screw being positioned within said second bore for securing said tubular shaft to said plug;

a wedge being positioned adjacent said inclined surface;

an actuator projecting from said lock body opposite said tubular shaft and being secured to the other of said opposed ends of said rod, said actuator having at least one protrusion and an internally threaded socket positioned within said lock body;

a rod being slidably positioned in said tubular shaft, said rod having first and second opposed ends, said first opposed end being attached to said wedge and said second opposed being threaded and being screwed into said internally threaded socket of said actuator;

3. A gun lock, comprising:

a hollow, lock body;

a wedge being positioned adjacent said inclined surface;

at least one tumbler disk being rotatably carried in said lock body and having a slotted opening disposed about said actuator, said slotted opening including a secondary part dimensioned to clear said protrusion, said tumbler disk being oriented with said secondary part and said protrusion in registration in an unlocked condition and said tumbler disk being oriented with said protrusion abutting said tumbler disk in a locked condition;

a guide block secured within said lock body, said guide block having at least one slot for receiving and supporting said tumbler disk; and,

a lever having a longitudinal arm being pivotally secured to said lock body and a lateral arm secured to longitudinal arm and said actuator for moving said actuator, said rod, and said wedge as a unit so that said gun lock can be altered from an unlocked to a locked condition.