Flex-fire technology
Patent No. US9816772 (titled "Flex-fire technology") on Feb 1, 2017. The application was issued on Nov 14, 2017.
What is this patent about?
’772 is related to the field of semi-automatic firearms, specifically focusing on the fire control group and trigger reset mechanisms. In traditional semi-automatic designs, the trigger is typically reset by a relatively weak spring after the user releases it, which can limit the speed and reliability of subsequent shots. The background context involves the need for a more robust and faster reset that utilizes the kinetic energy of the reciprocating action rather than relying solely on manual release and low-tension springs.
The underlying idea behind ’772 is to replace the traditional spring-driven reset with a high energy trigger reset system that uses direct mechanical interference. By utilizing the rearward motion of the gun bolt to physically force the trigger back into its forward, reset position, the invention ensures a positive reset that can overcome the user's finger pressure. This shift from user-supplied reset energy to bolt-driven energy allows for a much more aggressive and certain reset cycle, independent of trigger spring weight.
The claims of ’772 focus on a semi-automatic arm where the trigger is positively mechanically reset by the gun bolt as it moves rearward away from the chamber. A critical limitation defined in the claims is that the trigger is physically blocked from being depressed again for the vast majority of the operating cycle—specifically up to 99% of the cycle. This ensures that the firing mechanism is fully controlled by the bolt's position, preventing premature trigger pulls before the action has cycled.
In practice, the system works through rigid mechanical contact between the bottom surface of the gun bolt and the top surface of the trigger. As the bolt recoils after a shot, it immediately strikes the trigger, forcing it down and forward into a reset state during the earliest portion of the stroke. Because the bolt remains over the trigger for nearly the entire duration of its travel, the user is physically unable to pull the trigger until the bolt has almost completely returned to the forward, locked position.
This approach differs from prior art by eliminating the 'disconnector' lag found in medium-energy systems and the sluggishness of low-energy spring resets. By timing the interference contact so precisely, the invention allows for a higher rate of fire and better precision, as the reset event is both faster and more tactile for the user. Furthermore, the design integrates the striker charging into the forward stroke of the bolt, which helps reduce secondary rebound and improves the overall mechanical efficiency of the firearm's cycle.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the early 2010s when ’772 was filed, semi-automatic fire control systems were typically implemented using low-energy or medium-energy trigger reset mechanisms. At a time when systems commonly relied on mechanical spring tension to return a trigger to its reset position, the energy available for reset was inherently limited by the user’s required trigger pull weight. In these standard architectures, hardware constraints made it non-trivial to achieve a high-energy, certain reset without simultaneously increasing the force required to depress the trigger, as the two forces were often coupled through the same spring systems or limited by the energy stored during the manual trigger pull.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention represents a meaningful technical advancement through the integration of a high-energy trigger reset mechanism that utilizes direct mechanical reaction from the reciprocating gun bolt. By establishing rigid mechanical contact between the trigger and the gun bolt during the earliest phase of the operating cycle, the architecture shifts the energy source for trigger reset from spring tension to the kinetic energy of the bolt itself. This structural solution achieves a technical effect where trigger reset energy is maximized and decoupled from trigger spring weight, overcoming the constraint of unreliable resets in diverse conditions. Furthermore, the system enables a positive safety capability by using the same rigid mechanical contact to block trigger depression until the operating cycle is nearly complete.
Claims
The patent contains a total of 5 claims, with claim 1 being the sole independent claim. This independent claim focuses on the mechanical configuration of a handheld semi-automatic arm, specifically detailing a trigger mechanism that is blocked from depression during the majority of the operating cycle while the gun bolt resets. The dependent claims serve to further define the internal firing assembly by introducing specific components such as safety locks, strikers with integrated sear surfaces, biasing members, and disconnectors that regulate the movement and engagement of the firing mechanism during operation.
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US9816772
- Application Number
- US15421730A
- Filing Date
- Feb 1, 2017
- Publication Date
- Nov 14, 2017
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents