Ambidextrously operated bolt catch assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494378-B2
Application number	US-92384110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2010
Priority date	Oct 8, 2010
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

An ambidextrously operated bolt catch assembly for a firearm facilitates ease of use by either right handed or left handed shooters. The ambidextrous bolt catch assembly includes two levers, one on each side of the firearm, that interact with each other. Each lever has a primary contact surface and a secondary contact surface. By depressing the primary contact surface of either lever, both levers rotate to move the bolt catch assembly from a displaced position to a static position. Conversely, by depressing the secondary contact surface of either lever, both levers rotate to move the bolt catch assembly from a static position to a displaced position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A firearm with an ambidextrously operated bolt catch assembly, comprising:
a receiver;
a bolt carrier group having a bolt; and
a bolt catch assembly including,
a bolt engagement leg configured for moving between a displaced position in which said bolt engagement leg engages the bolt of the firearm to hold the bolt in a locked-back position, and a static position in which said bolt engagement leg moves out of a path of said bolt to allow the bolt carrier group to go to a battery position;
a primary bolt catch operating lever located on one side of the receiver and operably connected to the bolt engagement leg;
a secondary bolt catch operating lever located on an opposing side of the receiver, said secondary bolt catch operating lever is connected to a lift arm by a rotating shaft which extends therebetween, wherein the rotating shaft is a separate component from the secondary bolt catch operating lever and wherein the rotating shaft is housed in a through hole in a wall of the receiver, wherein the through hole is generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of a barrel, thereby avoiding exposure of the rotating shaft to an inside of the receiver housing a trigger group, and wherein the combination of said rotating shaft and said lift arm place said secondary bolt catch into operational contact with the bolt engagement leg;
each of said operating levers has a primary contact surface and a secondary contact surface, said operating levers being configured so that when force is independently placed on the primary contact surface of either operating lever, the primary contact surfaces of both operating levers are rotated towards the receiver and the bolt engagement leg is moved into the static position, and wherein said secondary bolt catch operating lever is configured so that when force is independently placed on the primary contact surface of the secondary bolt catch operating lever the secondary bolt catch operating lever rotates around a longitudinal axis of the rotating shaft; and
each of said operating levers are configured so that when force is independently placed on the secondary contact surface of either operating lever, the secondary contact surfaces of both operating levers are rotated towards the receiver and the bolt engagement leg is moved into the displaced position.

2. The firearm with an ambidextrously operated bolt catch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the primary bolt catch operating lever and the bolt engagement leg are a single unitary element.

3. The firearm with an ambidextrously controlled bolt catch assembly of claim 2 , wherein the bolt engagement leg has an engagement surface abutting said lift arm which is operationally coupled to the rotating shaft.

4. The firearm with an ambidextrously controlled bolt catch assembly of claim 2 , wherein said single unitary element rotates on a pin having an axis that is generally parallel with a longitudinal axis of said bolt and of said rotating shaft.

5. The firearm with an ambidextrously controlled bolt catch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the receiver includes a plurality of holes to define primary and secondary bolt catch operating lever attachment positions, said attachment positions being offset from one another.

6. An ambidextrously operated bolt catch system comprising:
a bolt moveable along a longitudinal axis of a bolt carrier configured for receiving the bolt, said bolt being moveable between a battery position and a locked-back position;
a magazine with a follower;
a bolt catch assembly including a bolt engagement portion and a follower engagement portion having a contact element, a primary operating lever in direct contact with the bolt engagement portion and a secondary operating lever secured about a rotating shaft having a lift arm secured at one end which effectively places said secondary operating lever into operational contact with the primary operating lever, wherein said rotating shaft is a separate component from the secondary operating lever and wherein the rotating shaft is housed in a through hole in a wall of a lower receiver, wherein the through hole is generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of a barrel, thereby avoiding exposure of the rotating shaft to an inside of the lower receiver housing a trigger group, and wherein said bolt engagement portion being movable transversely to the longitudinal axis of the bolt carrier between a static position in which said bolt engagement portion does not interfere with movement of the bolt to the battery position, and a displaced position in which the bolt engagement portion locks the bolt in the locked-back position;
at least one of said contact element of said follower engagement portion and said operating levers being configured to urge the bolt catch assembly toward the displaced position from the static position in response to the contact element of the follower engagement portion engaging the magazine follower, or the operating levers being moved by a user;
said primary operating lever being placed on one side of the firearm and said secondary operating lever being placed on an opposite side of the firearm, said primary and secondary operating levers being offset from one another;
said operating levers defining both a primary contact surface and a secondary contact surface, said operating levers being configured so that when force is independently placed on the primary contact surface of either operating lever, the primary contact surfaces of both operating levers are rotated towards the firearm and the bolt engagement portion is moved into the static position, and wherein said secondary operating lever is configured so that when force is independently placed on the primary contact surface of the secondary operating lever the secondary operating lever rotates around a longitudinal axis of the rotating shaft; and
said operating levers are also configured so that when force is independently placed on the secondary contact surfaces of either operating lever, the secondary contact surfaces of both operating levers are rotated towards the firearm and the bolt engagement portion is moved into the displaced position.

7. The ambidextrously operated bolt catch system of claim 6 , wherein said contact element is a bolt stop pin.

8. The ambidextrously operated bolt catch system of claim 6 , wherein the primary operating lever and the bolt engagement portion are a single unitary element.

9. The ambidextrously operated bolt catch system of claim 8 , wherein the bolt engagement portion has an engagement surface abutting the lift arm and is pivotally movable with respect to said lift arm.

10. The ambidextrously operated bolt catch system of claim 8 , wherein said single unitary element rotates on a pin having an axis that is generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of said bolt and of said rotating shaft.

11. The ambidextrously operated bolt catch system of claim 8 , wherein said bolt engagement portion moves upwardly to said displaced position and downwardly to said static position.

12. The ambidextrously operated bolt catch system of claim 6 , wherein said bolt engagement portion is biased to the static position by a spring element.

13. The ambidextrously operated bolt catch system of claim 12 , wherein said spring element is positioned between said lower receiver and a back surface of the secondary contact surface on the primary operating lever.

Assignees

• Gomez Jesus S
• Lwrc Int Llc

Inventors

• Gomez Jesus S

Classifications

• F41A17/42

  Safeties for locking the breech-block or bolt in a safety position (F41A17/32, F41A17/36, F41A17/40 take precedence {; anti-rebound arrangements F41A3/70}) · CPC title

• F41A35/06 Primary

  Adaptation of guns to both right and left hand use · CPC title