Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 12578159, I will examine the patent citations listed within the document itself, as these are typically deemed relevant by the patent examiner during prosecution. The current date is April 26, 2026.

Here are some of the cited prior art patents and their potential relevance to US12578159:

1. US 7,398,723 B1

• Full Citation: US 7,398,723 B1 to Blakley, Brian A., titled "Trigger forward displacement system and method."
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed: April 25, 2003; Patented: July 15, 2008.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a semi-automatic firearm trigger system that uses a pivoting cam, contacted by a rearwardly traveling bolt carrier, to press down on a trigger-extension, forcing the rear of the trigger down and the front of the trigger forward. This mechanism aims to increase the cyclic firing rate without classifying the firearm as a machine gun.
• Potential Anticipation: US 7,398,723 B1 is particularly relevant as it is invented by the same person, Brian A. Blakley, and also focuses on increasing the rate of semi-automatic fire through a trigger forward displacement system utilizing a pivoting cam actuated by the bolt carrier. This directly relates to the core mechanism of "forced reset" in US12578159. Therefore, it potentially anticipates aspects of all independent claims (Claims 1, 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) of US12578159, especially regarding the cam's interaction with the bolt carrier and trigger to achieve a reset. The description of US12578159 explicitly states that "Further improvement in forced reset triggers is desired" following the description of US 7,398,723 B1, indicating that the '723 patent forms a foundational basis for the improvements claimed in the '159 patent.

2. US 9,568,264 B2

• Full Citation: US 9,568,264 B2 to Graves, Thomas Allen, titled "Flex-fire technology."
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed: September 10, 2015; Patented: February 14, 2017. Claims priority to a provisional application filed September 11, 2014.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a semi-automatic arm with a reciprocating gun bolt that positively mechanically resets the trigger. The trigger can be blocked from depression until up to 99% of the operating cycle, preventing accidental firing. It focuses on reciprocating gun bolt driven trigger and integrated safety mechanisms.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent, along with others by Graves (US 9,816,772 and US 9,939,221), describes forcefully resetting the trigger with rigid mechanical contact between the trigger member and the bolt as the action cycles. This directly relates to the concept of a forced reset in US12578159. While US12578159 aims to be a "drop-in" solution for AR-pattern firearms without requiring a modified bolt carrier, and Graves' patents might require such modifications, the core concept of a bolt-driven forced reset could potentially anticipate aspects of all independent claims (Claims 1, 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) of US12578159.

3. US 9,816,772 B2

• Full Citation: US 9,816,772 B2 to Graves, Thomas Allen, titled "Flex-fire technology."
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed: September 10, 2015; Patented: November 14, 2017. This is a divisional of US 9,568,264.
• Brief Description: Similar to US 9,568,264, this patent describes a high energy trigger reset method and apparatus for semi-automatic arms, focusing on reciprocating gun bolt-driven trigger mechanisms. It includes features to block trigger depression until the gun bolt is nearly in battery.
• Potential Anticipation: As a related patent by Graves, it shares the core concept of a bolt-driven forced reset trigger. It could potentially anticipate aspects of all independent claims (Claims 1, 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) of US12578159 for similar reasons as US 9,568,264 B2.

4. US 9,939,221 B2

• Full Citation: US 9,939,221 B2 to Graves, Thomas Allen, titled "Flex-fire G2 technology."
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed: September 10, 2015; Patented: April 10, 2018.
• Brief Description: This patent further develops the "Flex-fire" technology, describing trigger-activated semi-automatic arms with high energy trigger reset and integrated safety mechanisms. It emphasizes preventing trigger depression except when the firearm is in battery or within a small percentage of forward gun bolt stroke.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent also focuses on forced reset through mechanical contact between the trigger and the bolt. It could potentially anticipate aspects of all independent claims (Claims 1, 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) of US12578159 due to the shared underlying principle of a bolt-actuated forced trigger reset.

5. US 10,514,223 B1

• Full Citation: US 10,514,223 B1 to Rounds, Jeffrey Cooper, titled "Firearm trigger mechanism."
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed: September 27, 2018; Patented: December 24, 2019.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a firearm trigger mechanism where the hammer, when displaced by the cycling of the bolt carrier, contacts a surface on the trigger member, forcing the trigger member to the set position. It also includes a locking bar that prevents early hammer release.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent is assigned to the same assignee, ABC IP, LLC, as US12578159. It introduces a mechanism where the hammer itself forces the trigger to the set position, and a locking bar prevents early hammer release. While the '159 patent specifically mentions a cam for forced reset, the overall goal of forced reset and preventing early hammer release is present in '223. This suggests that it could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1, 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, particularly regarding the forced reset of the trigger member and the prevention of early hammer release.

6. US 11,346,627 B1

• Full Citation: US 11,346,627 B1 to DeMonico, Lawrence, titled "Forced reset semiautomatic trigger with sliding blocking bar."
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed: February 8, 2022; Patented: May 31, 2022.
• Brief Description: This patent, also assigned to ABC IP, LLC, describes a trigger mechanism with a sliding locking bar that is actuated by the bolt carrier to move between a locked position (preventing trigger movement) and an unlocked position (allowing trigger movement). The hammer forces the trigger to its reset position.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent, like US 10,514,223 B1, is from the same assignee and details another forced reset trigger mechanism where the hammer forces the trigger to the set position, and a locking bar (here, a sliding one) prevents early hammer release. This also potentially anticipates aspects of all independent claims (Claims 1, 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) of US12578159 due to the shared objective of a bolt-actuated forced reset, even if the specific mechanical implementation (sliding blocking bar vs. pivoting cam and safety selector interaction) differs.

7. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/048,572

• Full Citation: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/048,572 filed Oct. 21, 2022.
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed: October 21, 2022.
• Brief Description: This application is cited in the background of US12578159 and is noted to also be from the assignee, ABC IP LLC. It relates to devices where "the hammer forces the trigger to the set position, and a locking bar prevents early hammer release."
• Potential Anticipation: As an earlier application from the same assignee describing a similar forced reset mechanism involving the hammer and a locking bar, it likely has overlapping subject matter with US12578159 and could potentially anticipate claims related to the general concept of forced reset and preventing early hammer release (Claims 1, 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18).

8. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/374,941

• Full Citation: U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/374,941.
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed: September 8, 2022.
• Brief Description: US12578159 claims priority to this provisional application. The provisional application itself is described as employing a pivoting cam arrangement with a three-position safety selector to provide safe, standard semi-automatic, and forced reset semi-automatic modes.
• Potential Anticipation: Since US12578159 claims priority to this provisional application, the provisional application would generally disclose the subject matter of the '159 patent. Therefore, it is highly likely that this provisional application anticipates all claims of US12578159, as the core features of the invention are already present in the provisional application.

It's important to note that the strength of anticipation would depend on the specific details and scope of each prior art reference in comparison to the explicit claim language of US12578159. The examiner likely considered these during prosecution, and the differences in the claims of US12578159 would have been argued as distinguishing features.