US 5,467,550 AGranted

Passive safety mechanism for firearms

OwnerDean W. Mumbleauinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A passive safety mechanism is shown installed in a semi-automatic pistol. The passive safety mechanism includes a cylindrical body rotatably mounted within the slide assembly which may be rotated between an engaged position and a disengaged position using a key inserted into a keyway in the exposed axial end of the cylindrical body. In the engaged position, a portion of the body blocks the hammer assembly from contacting the firing pin, and a circumferential surface depresses the ejector and magazine depressor lever and firing pin safety lever. Rotation of the cylindrical body within the slide assembly is prevented or resisted through friction and spring tension created by a spring-biased pin carried in a transverse bore in the cylindrical body and riding within a channel in the slide assembly. One or both of the axial ends of the cylindrical body may be recessed from the sides of the slide assembly, polished to further prevent or evidence tampering, and the axial end opposing the keyway may optionally be covered. The semi-automatic pistol thereby has no manual safety lever.

Claims14

Dependent claims

In a firearm to be used by a person having a thumb and a forefinger, said firearm having a frame, a firing pin, and a hammer, said hammer being mounted on said frame for movement between a cocked position and a firing position in contact with said firing pin, the improvement comprising:

a passive safety mechanism, said passive safety mechanism having a body mounted on the frame, said body being movable between an engaged position and a disengaged position, at least a portion of said body being disposed operatively between the hammer and the firing pin when the passive safety mechanism is in the engaged position such that the hammer is prevented from contacting the firing pin, said passive safety mechanism having at least one surface exposed to the person and including a keyway;
and
a key for actuating said passive safety mechanism, said key having an engaging portion configured so as to operatively mate with said keyway, said body being substantially free of and not operatively connected to a surface which may be gripped or engaged by the thumb or the forefinger or both of the person such that the person may not manually move said passive safety mechanism between said engaged position and said disengaged position except by use of said key,
whereby the person may engage the keyway of the passive safety mechanism with the key and move the passive safety mechanism between said engaged position and said disengaged position.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.