Machine gun accessory adapter: US Pat. No. 7,669,359

U.S. Patent No. 7,669,359, issued on March 2, 2010 to Surefire LLC of Fountain Valley, CA, discloses an adapter for mounting an accessory to a machine gun.

The U.S. armed forces use the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun, which has a shroud for supporting an accessory, such as a light beam generator.  However, according to the patent, these accessories can weigh several kilograms and the rough treatment received by the machine gun can knock the accessories out of alignment or off the gun entirely.  The patent discloses an invention intended to solve such problems by stably attaching such bulky, massive accessories to the shroud. 

Surefire develops and markets rugged and compact illumination tools for tactical applications, including mounting onto firearms.  The company website has a “True Stories” page with stories from their customers which are “intense, thought-provoking, and all true.”  Some of the titles that caught my eye were “Eye-Stabbing Beam Takes Down Stab-Happy Felon” and “Gangster Stopped by Blast of Light.”  

According to the USPTO database, Surefire was issued 13 U.S. patents in 2007, 20 U.S. patents in 2008, and 15 U.S. patents in 2009.   The ’359 patent is the first one for Surefire in 2010, but based on past performance, I would guess that there will be more on the way.