US 10514223

Patent Analysis: U.S. Patent No. 10,514,223

Date of Analysis: May 1, 2026

Patent Number: 10,514,223

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Summary

Title	Firearm trigger mechanism
Assignee	ABC IP LLC (as of May 2, 2025)
Inventor	Jeffrey Cooper Rounds
Filing Date	September 27, 2018
Issue Date	December 24, 2019
Abstract	A trigger mechanism for use in a firearm having a receiver with a fire control mechanism pocket, transversely aligned pairs of hammer and trigger pin openings in the side walls of the pocket, and a bolt carrier that reciprocates and pivotally displaces a hammer when cycled. The trigger mechanism includes a hammer, a trigger member, and a locking bar. The hammer has a sear notch and is mounted in the fire control mechanism pocket to pivot on a transverse hammer pin between set and released positions. The trigger member has a sear and is mounted in the fire control mechanism pocket to pivot on a transverse trigger pin between set and released positions, the trigger member having a surface positioned to be contacted by hammer when the hammer is displaced by cycling of the bolt carrier, the contact causing the trigger member to be forced to the set position. The locking bar is pivotally mounted in a frame and spring biased toward a first position in which it mechanically blocks the trigger member from moving to the release position, and is movable against the spring bias to a second position when contacted by the bolt carrier reaching a substantially in-battery position, allowing the trigger member to be moved by an external force to the released position.

Plain-Language Explanation of Independent Claims

This patent protects a specific type of semi-automatic firearm trigger mechanism, often referred to as a "forced-reset" trigger. The core innovation is a system that uses the firearm's own action (the movement of the bolt carrier) to mechanically reset the trigger, and a locking bar that ensures the firearm can only be fired when the bolt is fully closed and in a safe position.

Claim 1: This claim outlines the fundamental trigger mechanism. It consists of three key interacting parts:

1. A hammer that strikes the firing pin.
2. A trigger member that the user pulls.
3. A locking bar that acts as a safety interlock.

The process works as follows: After a shot is fired, the rearward movement of the bolt carrier forces the hammer back into its cocked position. As the hammer pivots back, it makes physical contact with a surface on the trigger member, pushing it forward and forcibly resetting it. Simultaneously, the locking bar, which is under spring tension, pivots into a position that blocks the trigger from being pulled again. Only when the bolt carrier returns to its forward, "in-battery" position does it push the locking bar out of the way, unblocking the trigger and allowing the user to fire the next shot. This prevents the hammer from falling before the action is fully closed ("hammer follow") and enables a rapid rate of semi-automatic fire.

Claim 4: This claim covers the same core mechanism described in Claim 1 but specifies that it is built into a self-contained "drop-in" housing or module. This means the hammer, trigger, locking bar, and associated springs are all pre-assembled into a single unit. This module can then be easily installed into the firearm's lower receiver using standard hammer and trigger assembly pins, making it a convenient "drop-in" upgrade for existing firearms like the AR-15 platform.

Litigation Status

A search of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) dockets for 2026 reveals a case listed as 26-1527. This indicates that US Patent 10,514,223 is currently involved in or has recently been the subject of an appeal at the federal level. Additionally, the patent has an extensive litigation history in various U.S. District Courts, including cases filed in 2021, 2022, 2023, and several new cases in 2025 and 2026, as listed in public patent databases. These numerous legal challenges suggest significant commercial and legal interest in the technology covered by this patent.