US3422560A - Adjustable gun trigger locks - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 21, 1969 FOOTE ET AL 3,422,560

v ADJUSTABLE GUN TRIGGER LOCKS Filed May 25. 1966 Sheet INVENTORS TIMOTHY C. FOOTE KENNETH H.BUCHMANN /flmlvllimw ATTORNEYS Jan.21,1969 T. c. FOOTE ETAL 3,422,560

ADJUSTABLE GUN TRIGGER LOCKS Filed May 25, 1966 i 1 i "III-Eh HUIIIIMI INVENTORS TIMOTHY C. FOOTE.

KENNETH H.BUCHMANN ATTORNEYS United States Patent U M 3,422,560 ADJUSTABLE GUN TRIGGER LOCKS Timothy C. Foote, Brookfield, and Kenneth H. Buchmann, Menomonee Falls, Wis., assignors to Master Lock Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed May 25, 1966, Ser. No. 552,759

US. Cl. 42-70 Int. Cl. F41c 17/02 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to improvements in adjustable gun trigger locks.

There have been many prior attempts, in the nature of safety devices, caps, and locking devices to block the loading of firearms. Additionally, safety locks and clamps positioned in or around the gun frames to prevent accidental discharge have been proposed, but all of these prior attempts have proven to be impractical, clumsy, and inconvenient in use. The problem has been magnified by the great variety and styles of guns and rifles produced by many different manufacturers resulting in non-uniform location of and variations in the shapes, contours and sizes of trigger guards. Cosequently, while a safety device, cap, or lock will fit one particular make and size of gun, it 'will not fit or cannot be used in connection with other makes or styles of guns.

The basic purpose of a gun trigger lock is to prevent the unauthorized use of the gun, to prevent the accidental discharge of a loaded gun by a child or adult stranger, and to prevent unauthorized use of stolen guns. A practical and acceptable trigger lock, therefore, should give adequate protection, be easily adaptable and adjustable, and fit practically all rifles and shotguns regardless of their trigger guard contours.

With the foregoing in mind it is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an adjustable gun trigger lock which meets all of the foregoing requirements, and which not only clamps to the gun trigger guard, but actually covers the entire trigger Opening, blocking the trigger itself from the rear, the entire device being locked to the trigger guard through a pin-tumbler cylinder mechanism.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a unique type of adjustable gun trigger lock adapted for use on single trigger rifles and shotguns, and which is, moreover, simple, secure and attractive in appearance.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an adjustable gun trigger lock having a plurality of guide holes, a registering pair of which are adapted to receive a selected trigger blocking pin which when the trigger lock is applied locates snugly behind the gun trigger and, as the trigger guard is enclosed by the lock, accidental movement of the trigger is prevented.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide a gun lock that is adjustable to variously located gun triggers and includes a blocking pm of a selected size accommodated snugly in the trigger guard space rear- 3,422,560 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 wardly of the trigger to thereby prevent any actuation of the gun trigger.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a gun trigger look a two-piece spring-loaded cylinder lock wherein the spring tension makes it possible to firmly hold the back plate of the lock, whereby the lock can be used on different sizes and kinds of single triggered guns, the spring tension also permitting the entire unit to be securely locked to gun trigger guards of different breadths.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved gun trigger lock that can be releasably locked to a rifle or shotgun trigger guard through a key operated mechanism, the entire lock enclosing the trigger and trigger guard of the gun to prevent accidental discharge while in no manner interfering with the storage, handling, or carrying of the gun, whether or not it is loaded.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide a gun trigger lock which incorporates a spring-loaded cylinder mechanism and latch that fits into a latching pocket under spring pressure, whereby the entire lock unit is securely locked to a gun trigger guard, with the spring pressure preventing it from moving, rattling, or scufling the finish of the trigger guard.

A further object is to provide an improved gun trigger lock that includes a pair of laterally separated sideplates, a latch, latch pocket, internal pin, and locking mechanism, all of which fit and clamp into the trigger guard of a gun in a manner so that the trigger lock cannot be cut off or removed when in its locked position on a gun trigger guard.

Still another object is to provide a key operated, spring loaded gun trigger lock which affords protection against access to the gun trigger by children or unauthorized persons, the gun trigger lock, nevertheless, being susceptible of easy removal from the gun when desired by the owner, or in case of emergency by using the proper key.

A further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable gun trigger lock which is easily applied to or removed from the trigger guard of a gun or rifle, which prevents unauhorized operation of the gun trigger, which is adjustable to fit trigger guards of various breadths and contours regardless of the trigger location within the trigger guard, which is strong and durable and effective in use, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved adjustable gun trigger lock, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a gun showing the improved key-actuated adjustable gun trigger lock applied to the gun trigger guard in blocking relation to the gun trigger;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary face view of the gun trigger guard and the adjacent portion of the gun with the trigger lock applied thereto, parts being broken away and in section to show structural details;

FIG. 3 is an inverted plan view of the trigger lock as applied to a gun trigger guard and trigger with portions broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 4 is a front end view of the trigger lock in its locked condition;

FIG. 5 is an inverted plan view of the trigger guard in its open or spread condition;

FIG. 6 is an inverted plan view, in section, of the trigger lock in its secured-together operative condition with the latch locked; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken approximately along the line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 thereof, it will appear that a preferred embodiment of the improved adjustable gun trigger lock is designated generally by the numeral 10. This trigger lock is especially adapted for use in connection with the triggers of various types of guns and rifles, but because of its characteristics it is not intended for use with pistols. A conventional gun is indicated by the numeral 11 and the same has a trigger guard 12 depending from a portion thereof, as shown. According to the present invention the gun trigger lock is, when applied to the gun trigger guard 12, adapted to enclose the same and cover the gun trigger '13, as is best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 rendering the gun trigger inaccessible for unauthorized operation.

The gun trigger lock 10 includes a front face plate 14 and a separate, but complementary, rear plate 15. Both of the plates 14 and 15, which are adapted to be laterally spaced apart to adjustably conform to the breadth of the gun trigger guard 12, are of similar ovate shape and the end portions of the respective plates are formed with series of registering apertures 16 arranged in arcuate formation. To ultimately connect the plates 14 and 15 together in enclosing relation to the trigger guard 12, a pin '17 is utilized, the outer shouldered threaded end of the pin 17 being threaded into one of the threaded openings 16 in the front wall plate 14 adjacent the lefthand end of the plate relative to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, while the other reduced end of the pin 17 is adapted to engage in one of the apertures 16 in the inner or rear plate 15 which is in coincidence with the aperture in the front wall plate 14 into which the threaded reduced end of the pin 17 was selectively inserted. At this point it should be stated that a pair of pins 17 of different diameters (as to their main body portions) may be provided with the assemblage, and to adapt the gun trigger lock to a particular gun trigger location within its trigger guard, a pin of a suitable diameter is utilized. The selection of a particular pair of re istering apertures '16 for the selected pin 17 is related to the spacing of the trigger 13 within the rear end portion of the trigger guard 12, it being essential in the assembled and mounted condition of the trigger lock that the transverse connecting pin 17 be located between the trigger 13 and the inner face of the rear end of the trigger guard 12 in a manner so as to most effectively occupy the space between said elements. The length of a pin 17 is such that the trigger lock assemblage 10, when applied to a trigger guard 12, will snugly accommodate the latter.

The inner face of the front plate 14 of the trigger lock assemblage is formed with an inwardly projecting cup or socket 18 of ovate form which, within its inner end, houses a coiled spring '19 resiliently engaging the inner end portion of a cylinder shell 20, also of ovate formation, and which reciprocatably projects into the socket 18. The cylinder shell 20, in turn, has secured therewithin a conventional lock plug 21, shown most clearly in FIGS. 6 and 7, and which is provided with a slot 22 to receive a special notched actuating key 23. The key, when turned within the cylinder shell, imparts turning movement to the lock plug to thereby turn a latch 24 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) carried fast by the inner end of the lock plug 21.

The rear plate 15 of the lock assemblage is formed with a forwardly projecting pocketed boss 25 having an entrance opening 26 therein of a length sufficient to receive the latch 24 when the latter is in the releasing position of the latch and shaped to correspond to the shape of the latter. However, when, by means of the key 23, the lock plug is turned through a 90 angle from its unlocked position, the opposite ends of the latch 24, when the device is assembled and applied, lodge under shoulders 27 on opposite sides of the mouth of the pocketed boss 25, which serve to prevent unauthorized separation of the lock plates 14 and 15 and consequent removal of the lock assemblage from the trigger guard, all as will hereinafter appear. The rear end of the pocket 25 is covered by a decorative cap 28.

To mount the improved adjustable gun trigger lock assemblage 10 onto the trigger guard 12 of a gun or rifle, the rear plate 15 of the trigger lock, separated from its components, is manually held against the remote side of the trigger guard 12, with the lower edge of the latter being accommodated within a groove 29 (see FIG. 4) formed by spaced protuberances on a face of the rear plate '15 below a marginal portion of the boss 25. Next, the proper key 23 for the lock is inserted into the slot 22 in the lock plug 21 and the key is turned a quarter of a revolution in a clockwise direction relative to FIG. 2, turning movement of the lock plug 21 by the key being limited by engagement of a flattened surface 30 on the plug 21 with a shouldered stop 31 formed in the base of the socket 18. With this manipulation the latch 24 will be alignable with the entrance opening 26 in the pocketed boss 25. The front plate 14 of the assemblage should next be brought against the front surface of the trigger guard 12 with the inner reduced end of the pin 17 entering one of the series of apertures 16 in the rear plate 15 which registers with the aperture in the front plate into which the pin is threaded. A lower edge portion of the trigger guard 12 will then seat in a groove 32 formed on the lower inner face portion of the front plate 14 below the cup or socket 18. Inasmuch as the grooves 29 and 32 are aligned, the cup or socket will be positioned within the gun trigger guard 12, slightly forwardly of the trigger 13. The preselected transverse blocking pin 17 assumes a position slightly rearwardly of the trigger 13. The cylinder shell 20, being reciprocatable against the spring 19, may be depressed by pushing inwardly on the key 23 and lock plug 21, and this moves the latch 24 deeply within the pocket 25 of the rear plate 15. Next, by turning the key 23 a quarter of a revolution in a reverse direction, the latch 24 will be crosswise to the entrance opening or slot 26 and will thereby be retained within the pocket 25 by engagement of the ends of the latch with the shoulders 27, as shown in FIG. 7. The key may then be removed and it will be evident that the entire assemblage is securely locked to the trigger guard. The spring 19, exerting a force against the cylinder shell 20, will prevent rattling or such movement of the parts as would scuff or mar the finish of the gun trigger guard. The yielding reciprocation of the shell 20 afforded by the spring '19 also adapts the trigger lock to gun trigger guards of varying breadths, within certain limits.

The front and rear plates 14 and 15 of the gun trigger lock assemblage correspond in shape to the general outline or contour of a gun trigger guard 12. When the gun trigger lock is applied to a gun trigger guard and the trigger 13 therewithin the same are completely confined within the space between the connected plates 14 and 15. It will also be observed that the cup or socket 18 occupies a substantial space within the trigger guard forwardly of the trigger, while the transverse pin 17, extending across the rear of the gun trigger lock, blocks access to the trigger. Consequently, when the gun trigger lock is in its applied position on a gun trigger guard, access to the gun trigger is effectively prevented so that the gun may not be shot unauthorizedly. Due to the spring mounting of the cylinder shell and the parts carried thereby the latch 24 may be readily projected into its pocketed boss 25 and, by turning movement effected by the key, the latch is caused to engage within the pocketed boss against the shoulders therein. This spring loading of the parts referred to also adapts the device to firm mounting on gun trigger guards of varying breadths. By providing a gun trigger lock having a key-controlled pin-tumbler cylinder mechanism, no one, except the possessor of the key, can gain access to the lock. The lock assemblage, when mounted, is so compact and snugly applied that it in no manner interferes with the storage or handling or carrying of the gun.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved gun trigger lock is readily adaptable to trigger guards of various types of guns and rifles and prevents unauthorized operation of the gun trigger. The lock assemblage is easy to apply or release, is adjustable, and is well adapted for the purposes described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. In combination with a gun trigger guard spacedly surrounding a gun trigger, a trigger locking device releasably and transversely adjustably enclosing said trigger guard and including a pair of laterally spaced apart plates, one of which carries an inwardly projecting transverse spring loaded lock assembly with a latch on its inner end, and the other of which is formed with an inwardly projecting latch socket boss into which the latch resiliently, releasably and adjustably extends, the rear portion of each plate being formed with a series of spaced apart guide holes with the holes of one plate registering with those of the other plate, and a transverse connection between the rear end portions of said plates selectively mounted in a pair of registering plate holes, the gun trigger being con- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,846,822 2/1932 Vogt 7036O 2,032,821 3/1936 Waits 7036O 2,893,152 7/1959 Peluso 427O 3,066,433 12/1962 Rogers 42-70 3,164,919 1/1965 Hall 42-7O MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

E. J. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 70-58

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