Trigger Assembly

Abstract

Trigger assembly for use in a weapon. Components of the trigger assembly include a spring, a hammer, a disconnector, a trigger and other components related to a trigger assembly.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A trigger assembly for use in a weapon, the trigger assembly comprising:
 a trigger shoe including a sear; and   a hammer including a firing notch and a safety notch, wherein:   (1) the sear is configured to engage with the firing notch in a ready-to-fire position;   (2) the trigger shoe is configured to disengage the sear from the firing notch in response to the trigger shoe in the ready-to-fire position being pulled by a user, thereby releasing the hammer to rotate and fire the weapon; and   (3) the safety notch is configured to catch on the sear and prevent the hammer from firing the weapon in response to accidental disengagement of the sear from the firing notch.   
     
     
         15 . The trigger assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the hammer is configured to rotate on an axis, and a radial distance from a center point of the axis to a tip of the safety notch is further than a radial distance from the center point of the axis to a tip of the firing notch. 
     
     
         16 . The trigger assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the hammer is spring-loaded. 
     
     
         17 . A method of using a trigger assembly in a weapon including 1) a trigger shoe with a sear and 2) a hammer, the method comprising:
 (1) engaging the sear with a firing notch of the hammer to put the weapon in a ready-to-fire position; and   (2) dropping the weapon, thereby causing the safety notch to catch on the sear, which prevents the hammer from firing the weapon.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the hammer rotates on an axis, and a radial distance from a center point of the axis to a tip of the safety notch is further than a radial distance from the center point of the axis to a tip of the firing notch. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the hammer is spring-loaded. 
     
     
         20 . A trigger assembly for use in a weapon, the trigger assembly comprising:
 a hammer including a firing notch;   a trigger shoe including a sear, wherein (1) the sear is configured to engage with the firing notch in a ready-to-fire position and (2) the trigger shoe is configured to disengage the sear from the firing notch, thereby releasing the hammer to rotate and fire a round of the weapon, in response to the trigger shoe in the ready-to-fire position being pulled by a user;   a disconnector including (1) a catch edge and (2) a projection that interconnects the disconnector to the trigger shoe, the projection comprising (i) a neck and (ii) a head that fits into a slot of the trigger shoe, wherein the slot includes a gap to allow movement of the neck;   wherein the disconnector is configured to (1) with the trigger shoe in a pulled position, catch the hammer of the weapon with the catch edge by moving at the neck in response to a force exerted by the hammer that results from the round of the weapon being fired and (2) release the catch edge from the hammer in response to the trigger shoe being released from the pulled position, thereby causing the sear to engage with the firing notch in the ready-to-fire position.   
     
     
         21 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , further comprising a safety notch on the hammer configured to catch on the sear and prevent the hammer from firing the weapon in response to accidental disengagement of the sear from the firing notch. 
     
     
         22 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein a thickness of the catch edge and a thickness of the hammer are equal. 
     
     
         23 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein a spring is in contact with the disconnector and the shoe. 
     
     
         24 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein a thickness of the disconnector and a thickness of the shoe are equal. 
     
     
         25 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein a thickness of the disconnector and a thickness of the hammer are equal. 
     
     
         26 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the head is cylindrical. 
     
     
         27 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the weapon is an AR-15 rifle. 
     
     
         28 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the weapon is an AR-10 rifle. 
     
     
         29 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the disconnector includes a bore for receiving the spring. 
     
     
         30 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the trigger assembly is a drop-in trigger assembly with orifices and openings for mounting the assembly to the weapon. 
     
     
         31 . The trigger assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the disconnector, the head, and the neck are machined out of a single piece.