Safing means for high rate of fire multi-barrel automatic weapon

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED MULTI-BARREL, HIGH RATE OF FIRE AUTOMATIC WEAPON COMPRISING: A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOUSING HAVING CAM MEANS ON AN INTERNAL PERIPHERAL SURFACE THEREOF; AN EXTERNALLY-POWERED ROTOR ASSEMBLY COAXIALLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR RELATIVE ROTATION WITH RESPECT THERETO, SAID ROTOR ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A BODY PORTION HAVING A PLURALITY OF GUIDE WAYS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY AND A PLURALITY OF BARREL RECEIVING PORTS AT ONE END THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF CARTRIDGE-CARRYING BOLTS EACH SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN ONE OF SAID ROTOR WAYS, EACH OF SAID BOLTS HAVING FOLLOWER MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID HOUSING CAM MEANS FOR LONGITUDINAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT OF SAID BOLTS WITH RESPECT TO THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY AND A FIRING PIN ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A HAMMER RADIALLY PROJECTING OUTWARDLY OF THE BOLT; MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID FIRING PIN ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A MAINSPRING AND A PLURALITY OF LEVER MEMBERS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND OPERABLY CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID MAINSPRING AND SAID HAMMER, WHEREIN RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID LEVER MEMBERS ARE SEQUENTIALLY ENGAGED AND DISENGAGED BY SAID HAMMER, RESPONSIVE TO SAID LONGITUDINAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT, TO PIVOT SAID LEVER MEMBERS FOR SUCCESSIVELY COMPRESSING AND RELEASING SAID MAINSPRING; A COVER MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON AND FORMING A SECTOR OF THE GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOUSING WHEN CLOSED, SAID MEMBER INCLUDING, (1) CAM MEANS ON AN INTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF, (2) A FIRST MOUNTING PAD EXTENDING ALONG A LATERAL EDGE OF THE COVER AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY OF THE EXTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF AND HAVING A CENTRAL BORE THERETHROUGH, SAID BORE INCLUDING AN AXIALLY ALIGNED RECESS OF REDUCED DIAMETER AT ONE END THEREOF, SAID MAINSPRING BEING RECEIVED IN THE LARGER PORTION OF SAID BORE, (3) A FIRST SLOT EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FIRST PAD APPROXIMATELY TANGENTIALLY TO THE CROSSSECTIONAL ARC OF SAID HOUSING SECTOR, SAID FIRST SLOT UNDERLYING THE RECESSED PORTION OF SAID BORE, (4) A SECOND SLOT IN A PLANE EXTENDING GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO AND INTERSECTING SAID FIRST SLOT AND SAID RECESS, (5) A SECOND PAD ADJACENT SAID FIRST PAD AND SAID SECOND SLOT; A PLUNGER MEMBER FOR SAID MAINSPRING HAVING ONE END SLIDINGLY RECEIVED IN SAID BORE RECESS, THE OTHER END THEREOF HAVING A SHOULDER RESTRAINING SAID MAINSPRING IN THE LARGER PORTION OF SAID BORE, SAID SHOULDER NORMALLY CONTACTING ONE OF SAID LEVER MEMBERS; A PIN EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID PLUNGER ADJACENT SAID ONE END THEREOF AND RECEIVED IN SAID SECOND SLOT FOR MOVEMENT INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY THEREOF; A LATCHING ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND PAD, SAID LATCHING ARM HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF SLIDINGLY RECEIVED IN SAID FIRST SLOT INWARDLY OF SAID PIN, WHEREIN SAID LATCHING ARM IS MOVABLE OUTWARDLY OF SAID FIRST SLOT TO ENGAGE SAID PIN, THEREBY MOVING SAID PLUNGER OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID LEVER MEMBER TO MAKE SAID MAINSPRING INOPERABLE TO FIRE SAID WEAPON.