Patentamt JEuropaischesEuropean Patent Office Publication number: 0186 703 B1 Office europeen des brevets EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication of patent specification: 24.10.90 IntCI.5: F 41 A 17/04 ® Application number: 85903523.0 @ Date of filing: 24.06.85 (88) International application number: PCT/US85/01176 (87) International publication number: WO 86/00398 16.01.86 Gazette 86/02 PISTOL MECHANISM FOR BLOCKING FIRING PIN. (M) Priority: 25.06.84 US 624185 Proprietor: STURM, RUGER & COMPANY, INC. Lacey Place Southport Connecticut 06490 (US) Date of publication of application: 09.07.86 Bulletin 86/28 Inventor: RUGER, William, Batterman Croydon Turnpike Publication of the grant of the patent: Croydon, NH 03773 (US) 24.10.90 Bulletin 90/43 Inventor: MELCHER, Roy, Louis 204 Third Avenue Stratford, CT 06497 (US) Designated Contracting States: BE CH DE FR GB IT LI Representative: McCallum, William Potter et al Cruikshank & Fairweather 19 Royal Exchange References cited: Square EP-A-0 057 733 Glasgow G1 3AE Scotland (GB) WO-A-82/03910 GB-A- 660 046 US-A-3 724113 DQ US-A-3 830 002 US-A-4011678 CO US-A-4 369 593 o US-A-4454 673 (D 00 Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall 0. be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been Ill paid (Art. 99(1) European patent convention). Courier Press, Leamington Spa, England. EP 0 186 073 B1 Description portion which trigger bar opening receives a projecting lug portion of the firing pin blocking Background of the Invention piece which lug is substantially smaller than the A prior proposed firing pin blocking mechanism trigger bar opening thus resulting in engagement for semi-automatic pistols includes a pivotable s of the trigger bar with the blocking piece lug to element positioned below the firing pin which can unblock the firing pin just before firing and during be pivoted in one direction to block or in the firing and at no other times regardless of the opposite direction to unblock the firing pin. In that position of (a) the trigger, (b) its attached trigger system, the pivotable firing pin blocking element bar or (c) the reciprocating slide. is actuated by a convoluted spring associated w It is a feature of the invention that the rotatable with the hammer. firing pin blocking piece has a sear associated An example of such a firing pin blocking with it which is urged by a spring to its hammer mechanism is disclosed in EP-A-0 057733. This engaging position and is rotated in the opposite reference discloses a semi-automatic pistol which direction to release the hammer and fire the may be fired in a double-action or single-action is pistol. The sear is rotated by the firing pin block- mode. The pistol includes a safety mechanism for ing piece which initially rotates to unblock the simultaneously preventing the firing pin from firing pin and then continues to rotate as it moving forward and the hammer from impacting engages with the sear and causes the sear to the firing pin when the pistol is in its "at rest" rotate by rotation of the firing pin blocking piece position. The safety mechanism includes a slide- 20 against it. mounted firing pin lever which is driven to a It is also a feature that the hammer and trigger release position by a spring-loaded frame- bar are shaped and positioned so that during full mounted safety block. The block is in turn driven manual hammer cock the trigger bar does not to the release position by an actuator. Upon the cause unblocking of the firing pin. trigger being pulled, the actuator rotates causing 25 the safety block to move the safety lever to the Brief Description of the Drawings release position. FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a semi- Firing pin blocking has also been proposed in automatic pistol embodying the invention; semi-automatic pistols using spring loaded trans- FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view through the verse stud pieces which are mounted in the side 30 centerline of the barrel and perpendicular to the of the pistol and reciprocate in a path perpendicu- trigger and hammer pivots; lar to the axis of movement of the firing pin. (See FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the rotatable firing Ludwig U.S. Patent No. 3,724,113 issued in April pin blocking piece and the related parts of the 1973; Volkmar U.S. Patent No. 3,830,002 issued mechanism for controlling the blocking piece; August 1974; Brodbeck U.S. Patent No. 4,011,678 35 FIG. 4 is a plan view with the slide removed; issued March 1977; and U.K. Patent No. 660,046 FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 2 with published October 31, 1951). In these prior the hammer down; patents, the stud pieces are reciprocated in slot- FIG. 6 is a section along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; ways under spring action and can readily stick or FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 2 with jam if foreign matter enters the slotway. 40 the hammer fully rotated back by trigger pull; Blocking and unblocking of the firing pin in a FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 7; semi-automatic pistol during pre-firing, firing and FIG. 9 is a side elevational sectional view post-firing is not satisfactorily accomplished by showing the hammer down and trigger back; these prior proposals. FIG. 10 is a side elevational sectional view 45 showing the slide back with hammer cocked and Summary of the Invention trigger bar down; Broadly, the present invention is a mechanism FIG. 11 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 10; including a trigger, novel trigger bar pivotably FIG. 12 is a side elevational sectional view of the connected to the trigger, a configured slide, a sear hammer in cocked position held by the sear after and a pivotable frame mounted firing pin blocking so an initial firing and slide return; piece for accomplishing the blocking and FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged portion of FIG. 12; unblocking of the firing pin in single action, FIG. 14 is a side elevational sectional view in double action and semi-automatic modes during which the hammer or sear is in single action pre-firing (except for a fraction of a second prior mode; to and during firing) and for blocking the firing pin 55 FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view during post-firing operation and all non-firing including the trigger, trigger bar, sear, firing pin conditions including carrying and handling of the blocking piece and hammer; pistol. FIG. 16 is a side elevational sectional view The novel trigger bar has a configured upper showing the hammer being released and firing surface for engagement with the configured so pin blocking piece rotating as the trigger bar reciprocating slide and spring means to urge the moves forward; and trigger bar up against the slide thus causing the FIG. 17 is an enlarged side elevational sectional trigger bar to be positioned both by trigger view showing the hammer manually cocked movement and by slide reciprocation. The novel against the frame with the firing pin blocking trigger bar also has an opening in its rearward 65 piece in its blocking position. EP 0186 073 B1 Description of the Preferred Embodiment ing lip 76 and blocking piece engageable wing 77. In FIG. 1, semi-automatic pistol 10 includes Ejector 74 is pivotable about ejector pivot pin 78. barrel 11, frame 12, grip 13, trigger guard 14, Also shown in FIG. 3 is slide lock lever 27 which trigger 16, hammer 17, manual safety lever 18, includes slide lock axle 40, slide body portion 82; magazine 19, magazine release lever 22 and front 5 and catch 83. In addition sear return spring 87; and rear sights 23 and 24, respectively. Also blocking piece return spring 88; and manual shown is slide 26 and slide lock lever 27. safety sections 89 and 91 are shown. Trigger bar Turning to FIGS. 2 and 3, barrel 11 carries a side extension 92 for engaging hammer projec- cartridge 28 including primer 29, a slide 26 with a tion 67 in double action operation is also shown. firing pin housing cavity 32 and a firing pin 33 w Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the hammer 17 is positioned therein. Firing pin 33 is normally urged shown down in its rest position with both firing to the rear by firing pin spring 34 which rearward pin blocking piece 43 and sear 39 rotated fully movement of the firing pin 33 is limited by a firing counterclockwise under urging of their return pin side projection 35 of firing pin head portion springs 87 and 88 and limited by lower interior 37. Firing pin head portion 37 has formed thereon w surface of slide 26 (see FIG. 3). In this state, firing an angled stop surface 41 which engages projec- pin blocking piece 43 is in its blocking position tion finger 42 of pivotable firing pin blocking piece with firing pin 33 constrained from being driven 43 to block firing pin 33. Also shown are trigger forward any substantial distance as its surface 41 bar 38 and pivotable sear 39.