ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 14 -- United States Patent no. 12,680,782, issued on July 14, was assigned to Springfield Inc. (Geneseo, Ill.).
"Free floating handguard anchoring system" was invented by Charles David Williams (Geneseo, Ill.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Handguard anchoring systems suitable for attaching a handguard to a firearm are disclosed, including systems having a fastener that extends into a barrel nut and compresses at least a portion of the handguard between the fastener and the barrel nut. Many embodiments include openings in the handguard and/or a plate that are oversized for the fastener such that the handguard may be rotated relative to the barrel nut when a portion of the...