U.S. patent application number 10/855825 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-01 for telescoping rifle support.
Invention is credited to Lahti, Arne.
Application Number | 20050262753 10/855825 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35423624 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050262753 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lahti, Arne |
December 1, 2005 |
Telescoping rifle support
Abstract
A telescoping rifle support for providing stable triangular
support for aiming a rifle. The telescoping rifle support includes
a plurality of telescoping tubular segments and an arm support. A
bottom tubular segment has a flange extending from a first end of
the bottom segment to a second end of the segment. The flange
creates a loop for receiving a belt which attaches the rifle
support to the shooter. The bottom segment further includes a means
for cooperating with an upper tubular segment for locking the rifle
support into either a contracted or extended position. When the
rifle support is locked in an extended position, the shooter grasps
the arm support in one hand to form a triangular support
configuration. The triangular support configuration consists of the
shooter's extended arm, the shooter's torso, and the telescoping
rifle support.
Inventors: |
Lahti, Arne; (Iron River,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NIKOLAI & MERSEREAU, P.A.
900 SECOND AVENUE SOUTH
SUITE 820
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Family ID: |
35423624 |
Appl. No.: |
10/855825 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
42/94 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A 23/06 20130101;
F41C 23/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
042/094 |
International
Class: |
F41A 009/62 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A telescoping rifle support for hunters comprising: (1) a bottom
tubular segment having a first and second end and a lumen extending
therebetween, wherein a generally rigid strap is affixed to the
bottom tubular segment proximate the first end and second end to
form a loop adapted to receive a hunter's belt therethrough, said
bottom tubular segment further including a first notch proximate
the first end and a second notch proximate the second end, and
further including an elongate guide slit which runs parallel to a
straight line extending between the first and second notches; (2) a
top tubular segment having a first and second end, wherein a) a
detent projects from a peripheral edge of the first end of the top
tubular segment, such that when the top tubular segment is inserted
into the lumen of the bottom tubular segment and the detent
projects through the first notch, the rifle support is locked in a
contracted position, and when the detent projects through the
second notch of the bottom tubular segment the rifle support is
locked in an extended position; b) a guiding tab disposed on the
peripheral edge of the first end of the top tubular segment
adjacent to the detent, wherein the guiding tab intersects with the
guiding slit of the bottom tubular segment said guiding tab
cooperating with elongate guiding slit for guiding the detent
between the first and second notches; and c) a handgrip is disposed
at the second end of the top tubular segment.
2. The telescoping rifle support as in claim 1 and further
including a first and second intermediate telescoping tubular
segment disposed between said bottom tubular segment and said top
tubular segment wherein the first and second intermediate tubular
segments comprise: a first end having a peripheral edge where a
detent and guide tab are disposed; (1) a guiding slit extending a
predetermined distance from the first end to the second end of said
intermediate telescoping tubular segments; (2) a notch proximate
the second ends of the intermediate telescoping tubular segments
for receiving a detent of a mating telescoping tubular segment
therein.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates generally to a new and improved
telescoping rifle support. In particular, the invention relates to
a support for the barrel of a rifle when shooting at a target.
[0003] 2. Description of the Art
[0004] Stability at the time of firing a rifle is critical to the
bullet hitting its target. When holding a rifle up and taking care
to aim, the shooter's arm may waiver under the weight of the rifle.
Even a slight amount of movement or flexure can materially affect
shooting accuracy. As a result, a perfectly aligned shot may be
lost due to fatigue in the shooter's arm. In the prior art, it is
well known that fitting a bipod with a support part and legs can be
used to steady a rifle. Support bipods have relatively short legs,
which require the shooter to lie on his or her stomach when setting
up and firing off his or her shot. Such bipods have been provided
for both military weapons and for hunting and sport weapons. U.S.
Pat. No. 6,267,335 to James Barrett entitled "Hunting Armrest"
addresses the need for providing stability to the rifle while the
shooter is firing from a standing position.
[0005] The '335 Patent describes a hunter's armrest having a means
for attaching the armrest to the hunter; a base member which
telescopically receives an upper member and an armrest member on a
distal end of the upper member. A set screw communicates with the
hollow interior of the base rod such that the set screw bears
against the first upper rod when the first upper rod is received
therein to lock a first upper lock in an appropriate position
relative to the base rod. The locking mechanism described in '335
Patent is not practical in the field. In order to manipulate the
locking mechanism the shooter would have to hold the armrest with
one hand and manipulate the setscrew with the other. This precludes
the shooter from holding his or her rifle while adjusting the
length of the arm support.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention relates to a support member for a
rifle to be used when the shooter is in a standing or upright
position. The support member formed from plural telescoping tubular
segments gives additional support to the fore end of the stock of
the rifle when the shooter is aiming the rifle, and thus, ensures a
more steady, targeted shot. More importantly, the support member
can be easily extended and contracted by simply twisting the
interlocking tubular segments. The rifle support member comprises a
plurality of rigid telescoping tubular segments extending outward
to a distal end. The proximal tubular segment has a belt loop for
securing it to the shooter's pants belt and the distal most segment
includes a hand grip member on its distal end. When collapsed, the
rifle support member points upward from the belt approximately 5 to
6 inches but is extendable to a length of about 28". The shooter
simultaneously grips the rifle stock at its fore end and the hand
grip on the distal end of the support member such that the
telescoping shaft provides additional support while the shooter
lines up his or her shot. When the shooter wishes to contract the
armrest, he or she, using only one hand, can unlock the plural
segments from one another and collapse it by twisting the tubular
segment to release the locking mechanism.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The foregoing features, object and advantages of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiment,
especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings in which like numerals in the several views refer to the
corresponding parts.
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a
telescoping rifle support according to the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hunter's rifle support
device illustrated as in FIG. 1 in operation; and
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of
the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0011] A telescoping rifle support 10, according to the present
invention is illustrated by the figures. A first embodiment is
shown in FIG. 1. The telescoping rifle support 10 of the present
invention includes a bottom tubular segment 12 and a top tubular
segment 14. The rifle support 10 may be made out of steel or other
appropriate material giving appropriate strength to the rifle
support 10. The bottom tubular segment 12 has a first end 16 and a
second end 18. A rigid strap 20 is attached to the bottom tubular
segment and extends from the first end 16 to the second end 18 of
the bottom tubular segment 12 to create a belt loop 22. The belt
loop 22 is a means for attaching the rifle support 10 to the belt
of the shooter. Alternatively, a strap made of suitable material
can be laced through the loop and tied to the waist of the shooter
so as to attach the rifle support 10 to the shooter.
[0012] The bottom tubular segment 12 has a first notch 24 disposed
approximate to the first end 16. A second notch 26 is disposed near
the second end 18 of the bottom tubular segment 12. Parallel to the
first notch 24 and second notch 26 is a guide slit 28, which runs a
predetermined distance along the longitudinal axis of the bottom
tubular segment 12.
[0013] The top tubular segment 14 has a first end 30 and a second
end 32. A detent 34 is disposed on a peripheral edge 36 of the
first end 30. Because the tubular segments 12 and 14 are
telescoping when the detent 34 passes through the first notch 24 of
the bottom tubular segment 12, the rifle support is locked in a
contracted position and the proximal end of the segment 14 does not
extend out from the end 16 of the segment 12. The shooter can then
simply let the rifle support 10 extend from his or her waist by the
loop 22. When the shooter is ready to deploy the rifle support 10
he or she twists the top tubular segment 14 so that the detent 34
is removed from the first notch 24. The shooter then pulls the top
tubular segment 14 upward until the detent 34 of the top tubular
segment passes through the second notch 26 of the bottom tubular
segment 12. When the detent 34 passes through the second notch 26
the rifle support 10 is locked in an extended position.
[0014] The guiding tab 38 is disposed on the peripheral edge 36 of
the first end 30 of the top tubular segment 14 adjacent to the
detent 34. The guiding tab 38 is received by guide slit 28. The
guide slit acts as a limiter to the horizontal movement of the
guiding tab 38. Because guiding tab 38 is attached to the top
tubular segment 14 the top tubular segment can only twist so far.
The guiding tab cooperates with the guiding slit 28 to control the
alignment of the detent 34 with the first notch 24 and the second
notch 26 of the bottom tubular segment 12 such that when the top
tubular segment 14 is pulled on the detent 34 will pass through the
second notch 26. Disposed on the second end 32 of the top tubular
segment 14 is a hand grip 40. Hand grip 40 is preferably
diamond-shaped, having a flat top surface 41 of an area greater
than that of the end of the tube 14 and with four planar, tapered
and sloping sides as at 43.
[0015] In operation, the telescoping rifle support 10, illustrated
in FIG. 1, is attached to the shooter by a strap or belt extending
around the shooter's waist as shown in FIG. 2abd passing through
the belt loop 20. The top tubular segment 14 is telescopingly
received in the bottom tubular segment 12 and is secured in the
locked position when detent 34 passes through second notch 26. The
hand grip 40 provides a grippable member for the shooter. As shown
in FIG. 2, the shooter, using a rifle, can extend his arm and grip
the armrest member 40. This forms a triangular support
configuration consisting of the user's extended arm, the user's
torso and the telescoping rifle support 10 as shown in FIG. 2. The
shooter's weapon is steadied on the upper portion of the user's
hand and prevented from lateral movement relative to the rifle
support 10 by the thumb and forefinger of the user that wrap about
the stock at the fore end thereof while the remaining three fingers
grasp the hand grip 40. With a strap encircling the user's waist
and passing through loop 22 the bottom tubular segment 12 is
attached to the user so that the user can extend his arm into a
comfortable shooting position. In the collapsed condition, the
rifle support is located such that the hunter's belt is located
proximate the end 18 of the segment 12, but when extended, the
rifle support is pulled and that the belt is now thought close to
end 16.
[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the rifle support
10. In this embodiment there are a plurality of identical
intermediate tubular segments 42 which are inserted between the
bottom tubular segment 12 and the top tubular segment 14. Each
intermediate tubular segment 42 has a first end 44 and a second end
46. A detent 48 is disposed on the peripheral edge 50 of the first
end 44 of the intermediate tubular segment 42. Likewise, a guide
tab 52 is disposed adjacent to the detent 50 of the intermediate
tubular segment 42. The intermediate tubular segment 42 has its own
guide slit 54 and notch 56. The notch 56 is disposed at the second
end 46 of the intermediate tubular segment 42 parallel to the guide
slit 54. The intermediate tubular segment 42 is placed in a
contracted or extended position as described above. By providing
multiple telescoping segments, the overall length of the rifle
support when collapsed is sufficiently short so as not to interfere
with the hunter's activities, yet extendable to the degree
necessary to function as a gun support.
[0017] This invention has been described herein in considerable
detail and in order to comply with the patent statutes and to
provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to
apply the novel principles and to construct and use such
specialized components as are required. However, it is understood
that the invention can be carried out by specifically different
equipment and devices, in that various modifications, both as to
equipment details and operating procedures, can be accomplished
without departing from the scope of the invention itself.
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