Firearm with integrated red dot sight mount

Abstract

A firearm has an upper body that receives, in a lateral direction, a mounting plate with dovetail slots. The mounting plate having a red dot sight, or other sight mounted thereto, or may be a blank mounting plate such that integrated open iron sights on the firearm may be utilized. The upper body has an integrated latch member movable in a forward rearward direction between a capture position and a release position. In embodiments, the latch member, as it captures the mounting plate, providing a repeatable left-right centering of the mounting plate with sight thereon. Two dovetail projections on the upper body providing repeatable up-down or elevation positioning as the mounting plate with sight thereon is slid onto the upper body. The latch member is U-shaped, with two catch portions. The mounting plate may have a conventional industry standardized top side interface for receiving the red dot sight.

1 . A firearm with an upper body, the upper body adapted to receive a sight mounting plate, the upper body having a top side with an upwardly facing surface, a pair of side surfaces, a forward barrel end and a rearward end, a sight mounting plate receiving region defined in the upper body at the top side positioned towards the rearward end of the upper body, the upper body having a pair of male dovetail connectors extending in a side to side direction at the upwardly facing surface, a forward rearward slot defined in the upper body at the sight mounting plate receiving region, the slot extending through each of the pair of male dovetail connectors, the slide further comprising a latch member conformingly sized to and slidably positioned in the slot, the latch member having a forward end, a rearward end, and an upwardly facing surface flush with the upwardly facing surface at the sight mounting plate receiving region and further having a pair of upward projections, the latch member movable between a first retention position where the two upward projections are not in alignment with the pair of male dovetail connectors and a second release position where the upward projections are in alignment with the pair of mail dovetail connectors, the latch member the sight mounting plate having a pair of female dovetail connectors sized to cooperate with the pair of male dovetail connectors, the sight mounting plate slidingly receivable on the upper body at the sight mounting plate receiving region when the latch member is in the second release position, whereby when the sight mounting plate is received and the latch member is moved to the first retention position the sight mounting plate is locked onto the slide body. 
     
     
         2 . The firearm of  claim 1 , wherein the latch member is biased toward the first retention position and wherein the latch member may be moved from the first retention position to the second release position by pushing an exposed member at the rear end of the upper body. 
     
     
         3 . The firearm of  claim 2 , wherein the upper body further comprises a threaded member extending into the rearward end of the latch member, the threaded member having a head exposed at the rearward end of the upper body, the upper body having a forward rearward extending bore for receiving the threaded member. 
     
     
         4 . The firearm of  claim 3 , wherein the upper body defines a shoulder in the forward rearward bore and wherein the bias is provided by a spring captured between the shoulder and the head of the threaded member. 
     
     
         5 . The firearm of  claim 1 , wherein the latching member is movable from the first retention position to the second release position by manipulation of the latching member or a member exposed at the rearward end of the upper body. 
     
     
         6 . The firearm of  claim 5 , wherein the latching member is movable from the first retention position to the second release position by pushing an exposed surface at the rearward end of the slide body. 
     
     
         7 . The firearm of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the upwardly extending projections of the latching member has a rearwardly directed positioning shape that cooperates with a cooperating recess in the sight mounting plate. 
     
     
         8 . The firearm of  claim 1 , further comprising a red dot sight mounted to the sight mounting plate. 
     
     
         9 . The firearm of  claim 8 , wherein the firearm is a semiautomatic handgun with a slide, and wherein the upper body is the upper body of the slide. 
     
     
         10 . The firearm of  claim 8 , wherein the firearm is a long gun with a receiver, and the upper body is the upper body of the receiver. 
     
     
         11 . The firearm of  claim 1 , wherein the latching member and the sight mounting plate form a kinematic coupling that repeatedly positions the sight mounting plate in the same location. 
     
     
         12 . The firearm of  claim 1 , in combination with a plurality of plates receivable by the upper body at the mounting plate receiving region, the plates including a red dot sight mounting plate and a blank plate not configured to receive a red dot sight, a red dot sight, and packaging enclosing the combination, thereby providing a retail assemblage. 
     
     
         13 . A firearm comprising an upper body configured for receiving a red dot sight assembly, the upper body having a forward barrel end, a rearward end, a top side, a left side and a right side, the upper body having a rearwardly positioned crosswise dovetail connection portion at a sight mounting region of the upper body for receiving a red dot sight assembly having a cooperating dovetail connection portion, the firearm further comprising a latching member slidingly positioned in the upper body with a retention position where the red dot sight assembly cannot be removed when the red dot sight assembly is attached to the upper body, and a release position where the red dot sight assembly can be removed from the upper body. 
     
     
         14 . The firearm of  claim 13 , wherein the latching member has a latching projection with a centering profile that seats in a cooperating recess in the red dot sight assembly thereby providing a repeatable left to right positioning of the red dot sight assembly on the firearm. 
     
     
         15 . The firearm of  claim 14 , wherein the dovetail connection portion is a male dovetail, and wherein the latching projection, when the latching member is in the release position, is positioned within the profile of the male dovetail when viewed from the left or right side of the slide. 
     
     
         16 . The firearm of  claim 13 , wherein the red dot sight assembly comprises a sight mounting plate having the one or the pair of dovetail connection portions integral with the sight mounting plate, and the red dot sight assembly further comprises a red dot sight unit attached with threaded connectors to the sight mounting plate. 
     
     
         17 . A firearm with a upper body having a slot with a forward and rearwardly slidable latch member therein, the slot at a top side of the upper body, the upper body having a pair of side to side extending dovetail rails, the latch member having a pair of latch catches that are unitary with the latch member, the latch member movable between a release position whereby the pair of latch catches are in alignment with the pair of side by side dovetail rails allowing a sight unit with a pair of dovetail slots conforming to the pair of side to side dovetail rails to be slid laterally on or off of the dovetail rails. 
     
     
         18 . The firearm of  claim 17 , wherein sight unit is a red dot sight unit attached with threaded connectors to a sight mounting plate having a pair of dovetail slots that cooperate with the pair of side to side dovetail rails. 
     
     
         19 . The firearm of  claim 18 , wherein the firearm is a handgun with a slide, the slide comprising the upper body. 
     
     
         20 . The firearm of  claim 18 , wherein the firearm is a long gun rifle with a receiver, the upper body being an upper body of the receiver.