Apparatus for firing projectiles at targets and for illuminating such targets combine a projectile-firing weapon and a target illuminator. A track-and-slide combination includes a slide on the target illuminator and a track structure on the weapon for that slide, and a releasable slide-in-track stop in such rack-and-slide combination. In the case of a firearm that has a trigger actuated by a bent trigger finger of a shooter for the firing thereof, a push-button or transverse slide switch for the target illuminator may be mounted within reach of a pad of such trigger finger prior to actuation of the trigger. For example, the shooter may draw the firearm with his or her trigger finger then outstretched for actuation of the target illuminator switch, and may then bend such trigger finger for firing of the weapon by actuation of the trigger. Such and other appliances may have a battery compartment, and a contact plate interconnecting batteries in such compartment. A contact plate retainer may be coupled to that contact plate, and a contact plate retainer receptacle may be provided therefor in the battery compartment.
CROSS-REFERENCE
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/219,564, filed Dec. 24, 1998 by the subject inventors (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,058, issued Aug. 21, 2001) as a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/849,566, filed May 27, 1997 by John Wallace Matthews, Ph.D., one of the inventors herein (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,962, issued Sep. 5, 2000), as national phase of International Application PCT/US95/09471, filed Jul. 26, 1995, and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/985,556, filed Dec. 5, 1997 by the subject inventors (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,572 issued Apr. 4, 2000), assigned to the common assignee hereof, and herewith incorporated by reference herein.
An accessory mount, and a method for mounting accessories for a hand held firearm having a barrel and a mounting rail coupled beneath the barrel, the accessory mount including a frame, defining a substantially flattened bottom surface and a track for mounting along the mounting rail, the frame having a cavity for receiving a light, and a bipod mount coupled adjacent the track and behind the light cavity and arranged to hold a bipod having legs which can be folded substantially adjacent the barrel.
A flashlight mount, and a method for mounting a flashlight, for a rifle having a barrel and a mounting rail coupled to the barrel, the flashlight mount including a frame having a bore for receiving a flashlight, the frame defining a substantially flattened bottom surface, and a base for mounting along the mounting rail, the base being distanced from the frame, thereby creating a finger-receiving aperture therebetween.
A battery powered device comprising a housing having a battery compartment apparatus disposed therein, with the battery compartment apparatus being configured to accept at least one battery. The battery compartment apparatus comprises a battery carrier and a locking hold down mechanism. The carrier is slidably mounted in the housing. The locking hold down mechanism responds to insertion and withdrawal of the carrier into and out of the housing by locking the locking hold down mechanism against the battery, thereby preventing undesired displacement of the battery within the housing.
A laser sight is embedded in a mounting rail otherwise used for attaching accessories to small arms discharge devices such as pistols or rifles. The mounting rail has a transverse profile that extends along an axis of the mounting rail for engaging mating features of the accessories. The laser sight is located at least partly within the transverse profile of the mounting rail and has a sighting axis that extends substantially parallel to the axis of the mounting rail.
A mounting arrangement for a light or other object includes a clamping arrangement, or a keying arrangement, or both a clamping and a keying arrangement for mounting to different mounting rails having different keying features. The clamping arrangement includes a fixed clamp member and a movable clamp member that is movable towards and away from the fixed clamp member and is biased towards the fixed clamp member, so as to grip a mounting rail therebetween. The keying arrangement employs interchangeable keying members that may be disposed in a recess of the light or other object and that may have different keying features for use with mounting rails having corresponding keying features.
