Quick access firearm safety apparatus

Abstract

A firearm safety apparatus is provided that includes two or more locking arms or coverings connected by a hinge and configured to engage a trigger guard of a firearm, in a closed position preventing access to the trigger. A locking mechanism retains the arms in a closed position until opened by an activation signal. A firearm safety apparatus is also provided that includes a housing connected to a firearm. A trigger guard cover is slideably or hingably connected to the housing. A locking mechanism is coupled to the trigger guard cover to surround a trigger of the firearm until an activation signal is received. The locking mechanism exposes the trigger through a hinged or slide motion. The housing is amenable to inclusion of various tactical accessories such as a light source or a camera.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A firearm safety apparatus comprising:
 two or more locking arms connected by a hinge and configured to completely surround a trigger guard of a firearm when said two or more locking arms are in a closed position;   a locking mechanism configured to prevent access to trigger by retaining said two or more locking arms in the closed position until opened by an electrical activation signal or a mechanical movement of a key, a protrusion within the locking arms and the trigger guard in the closed position and a spring to an open position allowing access to a trigger of the firearm, wherein the locking mechanism includes:   an electrical lock with a shape memory alloy wire housed within the two or more locking arms outside the firearm to control the movement of said first and second locking arms from the closed position to the open position, and   a mechanical lock to receive mechanical movement of the key and move the two or more locking arms to the open position; and   a controller in electrical communication with a power source, a memory, and one or more biometric sensors, said one or more sensors generating said activation signal via said controller, wherein said activation signal activates the shape memory alloy wire to open said first and second locking arms from the firearm.   
     
     
         2 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said locking mechanism further comprises a combination lock and a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor configured to interact with a key fob or other matching pair device to generate said activation signal. 
     
     
         3 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said one or more biometric sensors is a fingerprint sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a touchscreen apparatus for entry of an input of at least one of a password, a numeric code, or an alphanumeric code as said activation signal. 
     
     
         5 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said locking mechanism comprises a voice activation module to generate said activation signal, and wherein said locking mechanism is configured with a cellular communications capability to receive voice or code unlock commands to generate said activation signal. 
     
     
         6 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an electromechanical component for actuating said locking mechanism. 
     
     
         7 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a key override to unlock said locking mechanism. 
     
     
         8 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a global positioning signal (GPS) as said activation signal that unlocks said firearm only in a specified area. 
     
     
         9 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an energy saving algorithm configured to activate said power source upon activation of the biometric fingerprint sensor. 
     
     
         10 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said energy saving algorithm activates said power source in response to sensed motion or depression of a button. 
     
     
         11 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a first biometric sensors of the one or more biometric sensors is positioned on a side of the first locking arm and below the trigger guard to receive a trigger finger when the two locking arms are in the closed position and free from hand of the user with the housing in the open position. 
     
     
         12 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first locking arm includes a first lip; and
 wherein the second locking arm includes a second lip and an internal wall adjacent the second lip, and, in the closed position, the first lip and the second lip overlap and the internal blocking wall covers at least part of the overlapped first and second lips to create a serpentine to access an interior defined by the first and second locking arms in the closed position.   
     
     
         13 . A firearm safety apparatus comprising:
 a housing including a first locking arm and a second locking arm connected by a hinge and configured to lock a trigger in a trigger guard of a firearm when said first locking arm and said second locking arm are in a closed position;   a locking mechanism configured to prevent access to the trigger by retaining said first and second locking arms in the closed position until opened by an electrical activation signal or a mechanical movement of a mechanical lock, a protrusion within the first and second locking arms and the trigger guard in the closed position and a spring to bias the first and second locking arms in an open position that allows access to the trigger, wherein the locking mechanism includes:   an electrical lock with a shape memory alloy wire housed within the two or more locking arms outside the firearm to control the movement of said first and second locking arms from the closed position to the open position, and   wherein the mechanical lock is to receive mechanical movement of the key and move the two or more locking arms to the open position; and   a controller in electrical communication with a power source, a memory, and one or more biometric sensors, said one or more sensors generating said activation signal via said controller, wherein said activation signal activates the shape memory alloy wire to open said first and second locking arms from the firearm.   
     
     
         14 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the open position is with the second locking arm sliding toward the first locking arm. 
     
     
         15 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the second locking arm slides in the direction of firearm recoil. 
     
     
         16 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the open position is with the second locking arm pivoted away from the first locking arm at an angle of at least ten degrees. 
     
     
         17 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the first locking arm includes a connection to mount the first locking arm to another object. 
     
     
         18 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the first locking arm includes a locking slot to secure the object. 
     
     
         19 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the locking slot receives a tether that is secured to the another object, and wherein the another object can be a wall mount. 
     
     
         20 . The firearm safety apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the another object is a desk.