US 9,753,483 B1Granted

Click knob assembly

AssigneeKruger Optical, Inc.

InventorsMark A. Thomas, Neil Mai

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A click knob assembly that has a fixture having a circular inner surface defining uniformly spaced ridges separated by grooves and a knob, set in the fixture, and including a user accessible portion; a spring holder, attached to the user accessible portion; a spring assembly, engaged to the spring holder; and a first plunger and a second plunger engaged to the spring holder, each facing the circular inner surface, in opposed direction to each other, and each being pushed outwardly by the spring assembly, and thereby being pressed into the circular inner surface. The first plunger includes a click surface sized and positioned to engage the uniformly spaced grooves. When the knob is rotated, the click surface is pushed over a ridge, and then falls into a groove, making a click sound and both the plungers are maintained in contact to the circular inner surface by the spring assembly.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A click knob assembly, comprising:

a. a fixture having a circular inner surface defining uniformly spaced ridges separated by uniformly spaced grooves;
and
b. a knob, set in said fixture, and including:
i. a user accessible portion;
ii. a spring holder, attached to said user accessible portion;
iii. a spring assembly, engaged to said spring holder;
and
iv. a first plunger and a second plunger engaged to said spring holder, each facing said circular inner surface, in opposed direction to each other, and each being pushed outwardly by said spring assembly, and thereby being pressed into said circular inner surface, said first plunger including a first click surface and said second plunger including a second click surface, each click surface sized and positioned to engage said uniformly spaced grooves, said first plunger and said second plunger being offset so that when said click surface of said first plunger is in one of said uniformly spaced grooves, said click surface of said second plunger is on one of said uniformly spaced ridges;
c. whereby when said knob is rotated, in alternating sequence, said first click surface is pushed over one of said uniformly spaced ridges, and then falls into one of said uniformly spaced grooves, making a click sound and then said second plunger is pushed over one of said uniformly spaced ridges, and then falls into one of said uniformly spaced grooves, making a click sound, so that as said knob is rotated, two click sounds are produced for each ridge passed by said first click surface, and both said plungers are maintained in contact to said circular inner surface by said spring assembly.

6 more elements

A rifle scope, comprising:

a. a housing;
b. a click knob assembly;
c. an erector tube, mounted in said housing such that the orientation of said erector tube can be changed by rotation of said click knob assembly;
d. said click knob assembly including:
i. a fixture having a circular inner surface defining uniformly spaced ridges separated by uniformly spaced grooves;
and
ii. a knob, including:
a user accessible portion;
a spring holder, attached to said user accessible portion;
a spring assembly, engaged to said spring holder;
and a first plunger and a second plunger engaged to said spring holder, each facing said circular inner surface, in opposed direction to each other, and each being pushed outwardly by said spring assembly, and thereby being pressed into said circular inner surface, said first plunger including a click surface sized and positioned to engage said uniformly spaced grooves further, wherein said second plunger includes a riding surface, facing said circular inner surface and being in the shape of an arc;
and
iii. wherein said knob includes a push surface and is engaged to said fixture by helical threads;
and
e. whereby when said knob is rotated, said click surface is pushed over one of said uniformly spaced ridges, and then falls into one of said uniformly spaced grooves, making a click sound and both the first plunger and the second plunger are maintained in contact to said circular inner surface by said spring assembly and wherein said click knob assembly is translated by said helical threads and said push surface pushes against said erector tube, changing the orientation of said erector tube.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/744,488Filed 19 Jun 2015
Granted: 5 Sep 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

F41G 1/38
Sighting devices: telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance ; Supports or mountings therefor
G05G 5/06
Means for preventing, limiting or returning the movements of parts of a control mechanism, e.g. locking controlling member: for holding members in…
G05G 1/08
Controlling members, e.g. knobs or handles; Assemblies or arrangements thereof; Indicating position of controlling members: controlling members…
F41G
Weapon sights

Family

No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key