Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent US11346627, a search was conducted on the USPTO database. US11346627 describes a forced reset semiautomatic trigger with a sliding locking bar. The patent specifically references and builds upon prior art, particularly U.S. Pat. No. 10,514,223.

Here's an analysis of the cited prior art:

1. US10514223B1 - Firearm trigger mechanism

• Full Citation: US10514223B1, issued December 24, 2019, to Wolf Tactical LLC.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date September 29, 2017.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a firearm trigger mechanism, specifically a semiautomatic trigger that is mechanically reset by movement of the hammer when it is reset by the bolt carrier. It includes a hammer, a trigger member with a surface contacted by the hammer to force it to the set position, and a pivoting locking bar. The locking bar is spring-biased to block trigger movement until the bolt carrier returns to a substantially in-battery position.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is explicitly identified in US11346627 as prior art and the foundation for its forced reset mechanism. US11346627 differentiates itself by changing the motion of the locking bar from pivotal to linear, sliding movement, and by allowing for adjustable configurations to compensate for tolerance stacking.
  • Claims 1 and 6: The core elements of a hammer, trigger member with a forced reset surface, and a locking bar that blocks trigger movement until the bolt carrier is in-battery are present in US10514223B1. Claims 1 and 6 of US11346627, which describe these elements, are broadly anticipated by US10514223B1, except for the specific limitation of the "slidingly mounted" locking bar. The pivotal nature of the locking bar in US10514223B1 is a key distinction.
  • Claims 2 and 7: These claims in US11346627 relate to a trigger member reset spring. US10514223B1 mentions that "use of a trigger return spring may contribute to resetting of the trigger member, albeit in a minor way, compared to the force applied by the hammer, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention." This indicates that a trigger return spring, as claimed in US11346627, is present in or at least contemplated by US10514223B1.
  • Claims 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10: These claims relate to the mounting of the hammer and trigger on transverse pins within a fire control mechanism pocket or housing. US10514223B1 describes similar mounting arrangements for the hammer and trigger in an AR-pattern firearm.

2. US7398723B1 - Trigger forward displacement system and method

• Full Citation: US7398723B1, issued July 15, 2008, to Brian A. Blakley.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date April 25, 2003.
• Brief Description: This patent focuses on increasing the cyclic rate of a semi-automatic firearm by using a trigger forward displacement system. It describes a mechanism where a rotating cam, contacted by the cycling bolt carrier, forces the trigger member to reset between shots.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US11346627 refers to this patent as another device for increasing the rate of semiautomatic fire employing a pivoting cam arrangement that forces the trigger to reset.
  • Claims 1 and 6: The concept of a hammer being displaced by a cycling bolt carrier to force a trigger member to a set position, as broadly described in claims 1 and 6 of US11346627, is present in US7398723B1. However, the specific "sliding locking bar" of US11346627 is not described.

3. US20160102933A1 (also related to US9568264B2, US9816772B2, US9939221B2) - Flex-fire technology

• Full Citation: US20160102933A1, published April 14, 2016, to Thomas Allen Graves.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date September 11, 2014.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a handheld finger-activated semi-automatic arm with a trigger reset mechanism involving rigid mechanical contact between the trigger and the gun bolt during the operating cycle. It aims to positively mechanically reset the trigger concurrent with the gun bolt moving rearward, and the trigger is blocked from depression until up to 99% of the operating cycle.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US11346627 mentions patents by Thomas Allen Graves as devices that forcefully reset the trigger with rigid mechanical contact between the bolt and the trigger member as the action cycles.
  • Claims 1 and 6: The broad concept of a trigger member being forced to a set position by contact from the hammer (which is displaced by the bolt carrier) and a mechanism that blocks trigger movement until the bolt carrier is in-battery is present. The "rigid mechanical contact" for forced reset is a common element. However, the specific "sliding locking bar" of US11346627 is a distinguishing feature.

4. US11293715B1 - Firearm trigger mechanism

• Full Citation: US11293715B1, issued April 5, 2022, to Heckler & Koch Inc.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date December 11, 2019.
• Brief Description: This patent relates to a firearm trigger mechanism, specifically a semiautomatic trigger that can be selectively mechanically reset by the cycling of the action. It describes a locking member that is spring biased and moved against this bias by contact from an ejector during the bolt carrier's forward movement, allowing the trigger to be pulled.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • Claims 1 and 6: This patent describes a locking member that is moved by the bolt carrier to allow the trigger to be pulled when the bolt carrier reaches an in-battery position. This general function of a locking mechanism is similar to US11346627. The key difference lies in the mechanism of the locking member. In US11293715B1, the locking member is moved by an ejector which is contacted by the bolt carrier. While it is a locking member that is actuated by the bolt carrier, it does not explicitly describe a sliding locking bar as claimed in US11346627.

5. US11287205B2 - Trigger assembly

• Full Citation: US11287205B2, issued March 29, 2022, to CMC Triggers Corp.
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority date January 20, 2020.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a trigger assembly. Specific details regarding its operation and how it might directly anticipate US11346627 are not explicitly detailed in the provided search results beyond its listing as a citation.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Without more detailed information on the mechanism of this patent, a definitive assessment of anticipation is not possible. However, given its citation in US11346627, it likely addresses some aspect of firearm trigger mechanisms or locking mechanisms that were considered relevant to the examiner.

Summary of Relevance:

US10514223B1 is the most directly relevant prior art as it describes the fundamental "forced reset" concept and the pivotal locking bar which US11346627 seeks to improve upon by introducing a sliding locking bar. The other cited patents, US7398723B1 and US20160102933A1 (and related Graves patents), demonstrate other forms of forced reset mechanisms or mechanisms to increase the rate of fire, indicating that the general concept of forcing the trigger to reset and controlling its subsequent movement is known in the art. US11293715B1 presents a locking member operated by the bolt carrier, though the specific mechanism differs from the sliding bar of US11346627.

The novelty of US11346627 primarily resides in the sliding nature of the locking bar and its potential for adjustability, as opposed to the pivoting locking bar in US10514223B1. The general elements of a hammer, trigger, and a mechanism for forced reset and locking are well-established in the cited prior art.