# US 11,028,635 B2 · Firearm safety device

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- Number: US 11,028,635 B2
- Document ID: US11028635B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/055,275
- Filed: 2018-08-06
- Published: 2018-12-13
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2013-02-06
- Assignees: Hornady Manufacturing Company
- Applicants: Hornady Manufacturing Company
- Inventors: Matthew Mack; Thomas Delattre
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11028635B2

## CPC

- E05G 1/005: {Portable strong boxes, e.g. which may be fixed to a wall or the like (E05G1/08, E05G1/14 take precedence; devices to prevent theft or loss of bags, trunks, baskets, or the like A45C13/18; coin boxes for coin freed apparatus G07F9/06)}
- E05G 1/04: Closure fasteners (locks E05B)
- F41A 17/066: {having means for recognizing biometric parameters, e.g. voice control, finger print or palm print control}
- F41A 17/54: Protecting-caps for trigger guards; Trigger locking pieces mounted on, or within, the trigger guard
- F41C 33/06: Containers for carrying smallarms, e.g. safety boxes, gun cases (F41C33/02 takes precedence)
- G07C 9/00912: {for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like}
- E05G: SAFES OR STRONG-ROOMS FOR VALUABLES; BANK PROTECTION DEVICES; SAFETY TRANSACTION PARTITIONS ({devices to prevent theft of bags, trunks or baskets A45C13/18;} alarm arrangements per se G08B)
- F41A: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
- F41C: SMALLARMS, e.g. PISTOLS, RIFLES (functional features or details common to both smallarms and ordnance, mountings therefor F41A; projecting missiles without use of explosive or combustible propellant charge F41B); ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE

## Abstract

A firearm storage safety device, such as a trigger lock, for use on a firearm to make the trigger inaccessible. The lock has both a mechanical means and an electronic means to effect unlocking of the device. The electronic means includes a motor start device to effect operation of the electronic means components. Both unlocking means operate a common latching assembly.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A firearm safety device adapted to secure at least a portion of a firearm when latched, said device including:
a base housing;
a cover removably connected to said base housing, said cover being selectively movable between an unlatched position and a latched position;
a locking system including a manual lock actuator, an electronic lock actuator and a latch mechanism in cooperative association with one another to effect selective locking of the cover in a latched position and, upon unlocking using either the manual lock actuator or electronic lock actuator, the locking system is operable to allow the cover to move to an unlatched position;
at least one catch mounted to one of the cover and the base housing;
said latch mechanism mounted to the other of the base housing and cover, said latch mechanism being operable to engage said catch and releasably retain said cover in the latched position, the latch mechanism including a pair of pawl members which are pivotally mounted to a suitable support structure and are each resiliently biased to a latch position with a respective spring to apply a resilient biasing force to each of the pawl members to engage the catch on opposite sides with respect to each other, the pawl members each including a drive end arm portion at one end and a through hole in an opposing latch end for receiving the catch therethrough, at least one of the pair of pawl members including a foot member positioned adjacent the drive end arm portion projecting sideways therefrom for rotating one of the pawl members to the unlatched position utilizing the locking system, the pawl members being mechanically connected to each other so that rotation of one pawl member causes a rotation of the other pawl member in an opposite direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The firearm safety device of claim 1 including a trigger guard receiving receptacle between the base housing and cover sized and shaped to receive a trigger guard therein between a first wall carried by the cover and a second wall carried by the base housing, a rib extending from at least one of the first wall and second wall and forming a trigger guard receiving groove sized and shaped for receiving a trigger guard therein and releasably retain a trigger guard therein when the cover is in a closed position, wherein the rib and respective said first or second wall being part of an insert removably mounted to a respective said base housing or said cover.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The firearm safety device of claim 2 wherein said insert including a third wall extending from a respective said first or second wall and spaced from a respective said rib partially defining a respective said groove.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The firearm safety device of claim 3 wherein the insert being mounted to said base housing.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The firearm safety device of claim 4 wherein there being a said insert mounted to both the cover and the base housing and said grooves and ribs overlying one another.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The firearm safety device of claim 2 wherein the locking system including an RFID interrogator mounted in the safety device and including at least one RFID tag operable to provide a signal to the RFID interrogator to effect operation of the electronic lock actuator to effect operation of the latching mechanism and permit the cover to move to an open position.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The firearm safety device of claim 1 wherein the locking system including an RFID interrogator mounted in the safety device and including at least one RFID tag operable to provide a signal to the RFID interrogator to effect operation of the electronic lock actuator to effect operation of the latching mechanism and permit the cover to move to an open position.

### Claim 8

A firearm safety device adapted to secure at least a portion of a firearm when closed and latched, said device including:
a base housing;
a cover hingedly connected to said base housing, said cover being selectively movable between an open position and a closed position;
a locking system including a manual lock actuator, an electronic lock actuator and a latch mechanism in cooperative association with one another to effect selective locking of the cover in a closed position and, upon unlocking using either the manual lock actuator or electronic lock actuator, the locking system is operable to allow the cover to move to an open position, the locking system further including an RFID interrogator mounted in the safety device and at least one RFID tag operable to provide a signal to the RFID interrogator to effect operation of the electronic lock actuator to effect operation of the latching mechanism and permit the cover to move to an open position;
at least one catch mounted to one of the cover and the base housing;
said latch mechanism mounted to the other of the base housing and cover, said latch mechanism being operable to engage said catch and releasably retain said cover is a closed position, said latch mechanism including a pair of pawl member which are pivotally mounted to a suitable support structure and are each resiliently biased to a latch position with a respective spring to apply a resilient biasing force to each of the pawl members to engage the catch from different sides with respect to each other, the pawl members each including a drive end arm portion at one end and a through hole in an opposing latch end for receiving the catch therethrough, at least one of the pair of pawl members including a foot member positioned adjacent the drive end arm portion projecting sideways therefrom for rotating one of the pawl members to the unlatched position utilizing the locking system, the pawl members being mechanically connected to each other so that rotation of one pawl member causes a rotation of the other pawl member in an opposite direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The firearm safety device of claim 8 wherein each drive end arm portion includes a notch, the notch sized and shaped to cooperate with a seesaw lever, the seesaw lever being pivotally mounted on a pin to allow rotation about the pin, the seesaw lever having opposite ends, each received within a respective notch in each pawl member, wherein movement of one pawl member will effect simultaneous opposite movement of the other pawl.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The firearm safety device of claim 8 wherein the catch includes a knob that is attached to a post, the knob having a tapered section that tapers outwardly from its free end to provide a tapered lead-in for the knob to pass through the through holes, a shoulder is located on the backside of the knob, and is adapted to engage a lower surface of a latch end when the cover is in its closed and latched position.