U.S. patent application number 11/596018 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-28 for height-adjustable and foldable gun rest.
Invention is credited to Mats Lindstrom.
Application Number | 20080047188 11/596018 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32390905 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080047188 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lindstrom; Mats |
February 28, 2008 |
Height-Adjustable and Foldable Gun Rest
Abstract
The invention is a height adjustable gun rest that can be
attached, and carried folded, on a rifle's fore-end. Known gun
rests are in particular unsuitable on snow, and therefore
unsuitable for grouse top-hunting for instance. Loud or awkward
folding, or unsuitable exterior form (for carrying the rifle on the
back), are other problems relevant to this kind of hunting. The
invention includes a supporting leg 1, a bearing plate 2, and a
pivot catch 3. The fore-end 101 can be imagined as the upper
horizontal bar of a "Z" where the supporting leg, pivoted to the
fore-end, is the inclined line and the bearing plate, pivoted to
the supporting leg, is the lower horizontal bar. This arrangement
facilitates compact and simple folding. The bearing plate provides
large contact surface. The pivot catch fix the leg's inclination
angle; that is, one of the angles of the "Z" is constant while the
other is variable. The pivot catch may in particular be a crossbar,
between the leg and the fore-end, whose attachment along the
fore-end is adjustable.
Inventors: |
Lindstrom; Mats; (Lycksele,
SE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NIXON & VANDERHYE, PC
901 NORTH GLEBE ROAD, 11TH FLOOR
ARLINGTON
VA
22203
US
|
Family ID: |
32390905 |
Appl. No.: |
11/596018 |
Filed: |
May 4, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
May 4, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/SE05/00650 |
371 Date: |
January 22, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
42/94 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A 23/16 20130101;
F41A 23/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
042/094 |
International
Class: |
F41C 23/22 20060101
F41C023/22 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 10, 2004 |
SE |
0401200-1 |
Claims
1. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest including a, at its
first end, to the gun's fore-end 101 by a first pivot attached
supporting leg 1 that has a closed position and extended positions,
characterized in that, the supporting leg at its second end is, by
means of a second pivot, attached to a bearing plate 2; and that
one of the pivots has a pivot catch 3 that, in said extended
positions, adjustably fixates the supporting leg's inclination to
the fore-end or to the bearing plate.
2. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 1,
characterized in that, the pivot catch consists of a crossbar that
joins two of three, in a triangular pattern arranged, pivots of
which one constitute the supporting leg's first pivot and the two
that are joined by the crossbar are attached one to the supporting
leg and one to the fore-end.
3. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 2,
characterized in that, the crossbar and the fore-end's shared pivot
is movable to several positions along the fore-end, thereby
obtaining said adjustable fixation of the supporting leg's
inclination.
4. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 2,
characterized in that, the supporting leg's first pivot is movable
to several positions along the fore-end, thereby obtaining said
adjustable fixation of the supporting leg's inclination.
5. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 3,
characterized in that, said positions along the fore-end comprises
a row of recesses 51.
6. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 2,
characterized in that, the supporting leg is composed of two
parallel rails 1a, 1b movable, and adjustable in several positions,
along each other; the first rail 1a attached to the fore-end and
the second rail 1b attached to the bearing plate; and that said
crossbar joins the second rail and the fore-end.
7. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 1,
characterized in that, the supporting leg's first pivot includes a
first coupling element 45 detachable from a second coupling element
45*.
8. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 1,
characterized in that, the bearing plate can be turned, around the
supporting leg's second pivot, to a position whereat it can be
fastened to the supporting leg by means of a locking device 7,
thereby elongating the supporting leg.
9. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 8,
characterized in that, the locking device also fastens the
supporting leg to the fore-end, in the closed position.
10. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 1,
characterized in that, a fastener 8 anchors the bearing plate to
the supporting leg's second pivot; and that the bearing plate,
being in a first position, can be loosened from the fastener,
turned or moved, and anchored by the fastener in a second
position.
11. Height adjustable and foldable gun rest according to claim 1,
characterized in that, the bearing plate in its one end has a
recess 22 and that the supporting leg's first pivot has a for the
recess suitable form, to stably hold the bearing plate to the
fore-end in the closed position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The invention is a gun rest (also referred to as an aiming
rest). A typical example of use is "top hunting" for wood grouse or
black grouse T, which is a hunting form characterized by the hunter
J using a rifle G and being postured lying on snow, illustrated in
FIG. 1a. The invention classifies as a foldable, portable, and
adjustable gun rest. Basically it is also a kind of single leg
stand (also called monopod). The invention belongs to the category
of gun rests intended to be carried attached to the rifle's
fore-end 101, also known as forearm stock, illustrated in FIG.
1b.
[0003] 2. Technical Problem Solved by the Invention
[0004] The invention solves in particular the problem of gun rests'
unsuitability on snow-covered ground. "Top hunting" is carried out
during wintertime when the snow is deep and wood grouse and black
grouse graze up in pine trees and birches. The distance to the
bird, when top hunting, is comparably large: occasionally around
200 meters. It is customary to place a brought rucksack on top of
the snow and form it as a support for the rifle. The rucksack is
comparably large and its color tends to contrast against the snow;
the bird may therefore discover the rucksack's movement when the
hunter arranges it for support. Ordinary gun rests, whether they
are monopods or bipods, are usually not used for this kind of
hunting because they are unsuitable for use on snow. Disturbing
sounds when the gun rest is folded out, awkward height adjustment,
and uncomfortably protruding parts, are other common problems with
gun rests for this kind of hunting.
[0005] 3. Prior Art
[0006] A gun rest is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,426,967. This gun
rest includes a supporting leg--a long narrow bar named "leg
26"--having a closed position and an extended position. In the
closed position the leg is situated under, and closely along, the
rifle's fore-end. In the extended position the leg projects, about
right-angled, out from the fore-end. In this position another thin
bar (called "bar 30") may be pulled out from the short side of the
supporting leg and thus, in several steps, elongating the leg.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 64,765 describes another gun rest. It includes
a supporting leg, a bar named "rod G", consisting of two parts
(marked "a" and "b") joined by means of a hinge (at the point
marked "x"). The gun rest has a closed position in which the bar is
placed under and closely along the rifle's fore-end. In the
extended positions the parts "a" and "b" may, on one hand, be
collapsed together (giving a short support) or may, on the other
hand, be folded out (giving a tall support); there are no positions
in-between.
[0008] There are also other kinds of foldable gun rests--ranging
from one to three supporting legs with two legs being the most
common--intended for attachment on a rifle's fore-end. The bipods
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,892 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,622 may be
mentioned because they, when collapsed, lack protruding parts.
Other gun rests differs, as far as we know, to a greater extent
from the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Advantages Provided by the Invention
[0009] Lying down in the snow the hunter may, by means of the
invention, obtain a good support for the rifle. Neither U.S. Pat.
No. 1,426,967 nor U.S. Pat. No. 64,765--despite them both having a
component that have some similarity with the bearing plate that is
a characteristic of the invention--are suitable for use on snow.
The gun rests having double legs described in U.S. Pat. No.
5,852,892 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,622 are not either suitable on
snowy ground.
[0010] Good height adjustability for lying-down shooting postures
is obtained. The gun rest in U.S. Pat. No. 1,426,967, and also to a
certain extent the gun rest in U.S. Pat. No. 64,765, have--in
common with the invention--the advantages of having a smooth
exterior, being compact in collapsed position, and being easy to
fold out with a single-hand movement. However they are, in contrast
to the invention, not very adjustable: the supporting leg can in
particular only be positioned right-angled to the fore-end. It is
true that there are other gun rests that in fact, similar to the
invention, are easy to set at several height levels, but as
mentioned, no one is suitable as a rifle support on ground covered
by snow.
[0011] The rifle's existing attachment places can be used; in
particular the places for attaching the front action-screw 102 and
the sling swivel stud 103, indicated in FIG. 1b. The gun rest in
U.S. Pat. No. 1,426,967 includes a cassette, housing the pivot of
the leg and a spring, inlayed into the rifle's fore-end 101. For
the other here mentioned patents: U.S. Pat. No. 64,765, U.S. Pat.
No. 5,852,892, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,622, the gun rest is an
integral part of a modified fore-end (that is, the rest is not a
separate part attached to an existing fore-end). There are other
gun rests that are attached to the rifle using existing fittings
such as the sling swivel stud (Harris Bipod and others not listed
here); but the ones we know are difficult to fold out, not suitable
for snow-covered ground, and have protruding parts that renders the
rifle, attached with the folded-up gun rest, uncomfortable to carry
on the back.
[0012] The gun rest can be extended and set to height rapidly and
quietly with a single-handed manipulation. The gun rests with
double legs such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,892 and U.S. Pat. No.
6,289,622, on the contrary, requires the legs to be extended one by
one.
[0013] The rifle, with mounted gun rest, can be carried comfortably
on the back. While the other four gun rests here mentioned also
have this feature, they are as mentioned either difficult to extend
or are not settable at varying-height prone shooting postures.
EMBODIMENTS
[0014] A first embodiment of the gun rest is shown in FIG. 2. Its
function is explained with the help of FIG. 3.
[0015] First embodiment. The gun rest in its entirety is show in
FIG. 2b and a few parts are shown in FIG. 2a. The gun rest has two
parallel strips 1, a lower plate 2, a crossbar 3, and a number of
cuts 51 in the bottom of an upper plate 4. The two parallel strips
1 thought of as a single part is named "supporting leg", the lower
plate 2 is called "bearing plate", and the upper plate 4 is
referred to as "attachment plate" or occasionally as "attachment
element". The oblong hole 42 and the round hole 44 are intended for
the rifle's front action-screw 102 respectively sling swivel stud
103. A torsion spring 6 pushes the crossbar's tip 61 against the
attachment plate; the crossbar 3 thereby becomes fixed in place
because the tip locks at one of the recesses 51. When the hunter,
with his one hand, removes the tip out of the recess, the
supporting leg can be turned, around the front axle 14, up against
the attachment plate. There it can be anchored by means of a clasp
71 that hooks onto a slot 71* of the attachment plate. This closed
position is illustrated in FIG. 3a. At any of the folded-out
positions the bearing plate may be turned, around the lower axle
12, till the clasp 71 can hook onto a slot 71'* of the bearing
plate. This position is illustrated in FIG. 3c.
[0016] The gun rest's function is as follows (see FIG. 3). In
closed position the supporting leg 1, the bearing plate 2, and the
crossbar 3 are lying flat against the rifle's fore-end--like an
oblong box--according to FIG. 3a. The gun rest is adjustable to a
number of extended positions. In these positions, the bearing plate
is situated flat against the ground (for example snow), thereby
increasing the contact surface of the supporting leg against the
ground. In such a position, the rifle's shooting angle can be
changed by turning the leg-attached rifle around the lower axle 12.
An example of an extended position is shown in FIG. 3b; the number
of stops 51 determines the number of folded-out positions. The
bearing plate can be turned around to act as an elongation of the
supporting leg, as is shown in FIG. 3c. In this position, the
shooting angle may be changed by tilting the leg-attached rifle
around the toe part of the bearing plate.
[0017] Second embodiment. Another concretisation of the invention
is shown in FIG. 4. Contrary to the first embodiment, the front
axle 14 is movable along the attachment plate 4 while the rear axle
34 is fixed. A rail 5 is placed at bottom of the attachment plate.
By pushing the lever 62, the tooth 61 is pushed into the block 41
on which the supporting leg is hinged. While the tooth is in
pushed-in condition, the block may be freely moved along the rail.
When the lever is released, the tooth automatically reappears
(pushed out by a spring inside the block) and can therefore lock
into one of the recesses 51.
[0018] Third embodiment. A third embodiment of the invention is
illustrated in FIG. 5. The supporting leg consists of two parts 1a,
1b movable along each other in a rail 5. The upper leg part 1a and
the crossbar 3 are both hinged to the attachment plate 4; they are
hinged by the front axle 14 respective the rear axle 34. The middle
axle 13, hinging the lower leg part 1b to the crossbar, can be
moved along the rail. The gun rest is adjusted as follows. An
adjustment device 6 has some kind of tooth (not visible in the
drawing) that normally locks into one of the recesses 51. The tooth
is unlocked from a recess by pushing the lever 62 towards the
supporting leg 1a, 1b. The lever is then moved, in pushed-in
condition, along the supporting leg, resulting in a change of the
height of the gun rest.
[0019] In all of the previously described embodiments, the
attachment element 4 could be exchanged for two joinable parts. The
joinable parts may for example have the form of profiles 45, 45*
insertable into each other as shown in FIG. 6a. The upper coupling
element 45* typically has two holes 42, 44 for screw fastening it
into the screw holes for the front action-screw respective the
sling swivel stud. This arrangement certifies that the gun rest can
be removed from the weapon without touching any of the action
screws; indeed the barrel or action screws should not be
unnecessarily turned because changes in the screw torque may alter
the weapon's sight setting. In addition it is faster and easier to
attach the gun rest if a profile 45 simply can be inserted onto a
rifle-attached profile 45*, instead of the gun rest having to be
attached by screws. Another embodiment of the bearing plate and of
the attachment plate is shown in FIG. 6b. The toe end of the
bearing plate has a rabbet 22. In closed position the block 41 fits
into the rabbet; and the bearing plate is therefore stably held in
place by the block. In addition, the two tips framing the rabbet,
yields a good grip against soil or frozen ground when the gun rest
is in a fully extended position (refer to FIG. 3c). This embodiment
also features a peg 46 on the attachment plate that fits into a
hole of the bearing plate block 21, for the purpose of stably
securing the bearing plate when the gun rest is in the closed
position.
[0020] Yet another concrete form of the bearing plate is
illustrated by FIG. 7. The bearing plate 2 is here attached to the
bearing plate block 21 by means of a screw 8. The bearing plate has
a first position as shown in FIG. 7b. In this position a peg 24 on
the block, fits into a hole 24* of the bearing plate. When the
screw is tightened, the bearing plate block is clamped to the
bearing plate. When the screw is loosened, the peg may be lifted
out of the hole, and the bearing plate can then be turned to a new
position as shown in FIG. 7a. In this position the peg works as the
one leg of a tripod, where the other two legs 23 are placed at
opposite ends of the bearing plate.
[0021] Recesses, for instance the kind of recesses 51 shown in FIG.
2, may also be placed directly into the rifle's fore-end; the
fore-end may in particular be designed with recesses formed already
at the fabrication stage. In such a case, the first embodiment of
FIG. 2 could be modified such that the attachment element 4 only
includes the front block 41. That is, the front block is attached
to the fore-end and the crossbar tip will then be able to attach at
any of the recesses in the fore-end. In this context, observe that
the arrangement consisting of the notched rail 5 and the adjustment
device 6, illustrated in FIG. 4, may be exchanged for the in FIG. 2
shown row of recesses 5 and adjustment device 6, or vice versa.
Thus it is feasible also for embodiments where the front axle 14 is
movable, as in FIG. 4, to have a fore-end with recesses at which
the front axle bearing--that is the block 41--can attach. This
implies that the attachment element only has to include the rear
axle bearing--that is the pair of rear blocks 43 that is attached
directly into the fore-end.
General Description
[0022] Several concrete--but dissimilar--embodiments of the
invention were described above. This part summarizes these, and
other possible embodiments of the invention, in a definition. We
will mainly refer to FIG. 8. The black dots in this drawing
symbolize pivots.
[0023] The invention--a gun rest for rifles--includes a supporting
leg 1, a bearing plate 2, and a pivot catch 3. The supporting leg
is at its first end attached, by a first pivot, to the rifle's
fore-end 101. The supporting leg can be turned, on the pivot, from
a collapsed position, at which the two ends of the leg is situated
close to the fore-end, to folded-out positions at which the leg's
second end is parted from the fore-end. The invention is
particularly characterized by the fact that the supporting leg at
its second end is attached, by a second pivot, to the bearing
plate. The invention is further characterized by the pivot catch,
that it belongs to one of the pivots, and that it makes the
supporting leg settable at fixed inclined angles to either the
fore-end or to the bearing plate, as indicated in FIG. 8a
respectively FIG. 8b.
[0024] Particular embodiments of the in FIG. 8a shown pivot catch
are illustrated in FIGS. 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f. In these four drawings, a
crossbar 3 holds the supporting leg 1 at a fixed inclined angle to
the fore-end 101. The corresponding embodiments for the in FIG. 8b
shown pivot catch comprising a crossbar, is however not shown in
any drawing. The supporting leg is, in the general case, set to a
folded-out position by, with the pivot catch released, inclining
the leg to a position where the pivot catch once again can lock the
leg. More specifically, this may be accomplished by the crossbar's
upper end being settable along the fore-end according to FIG. 8c; a
more detailed and concrete example is illustrated in FIG. 2. Or it
may be accomplished by moving the supporting leg's first end along
the fore-end according to FIG. 8d or, more concretely, according to
FIG. 4. A third type of embodiment is shown schematically in FIG.
8e, and a concrete example is given in FIG. 5. A forth embodiment
is shown in FIG. 8f. Observe that the dotted line on one of the
triangle's sides symbolizes that this side has a variable length.
The arrow--which is not part of the invention but help for
understanding the drawings--symbolises that the pivot close by the
arrow can be moved in the direction of the arrow. The attachment
element 4 may be regarded as being part of the pivots that attach
to the fore-end. The stand 5 corresponds to the dotted segment.
Drawings and Parts
[0025] FIG. 1 Example of use [0026] FIG. 2 First embodiment [0027]
FIG. 3 Function [0028] FIG. 4 Second embodiment [0029] FIG. 5 Third
embodiment [0030] FIG. 6 Other embodiments [0031] FIG. 7 Another
form of bearing plate [0032] FIG. 8 Parts schematically drawn
[0033] T Shooting target (grouse for instance) [0034] G Rifle
[0035] J Hunter [0036] 101 Fore-end (a.k.a. forearm stock) [0037]
102 Front action-screw (a.k.a. front guard-screw) [0038] 103 Sling
swivel [0039] 104 Magazine [0040] 1 Supporting leg [0041] 2 Bearing
plate [0042] 3 Pivot catch (crossbar for example) [0043] 4
Attachment element (plate with holes, for example) [0044] 5 Stand
with positions (rail with recesses, for example) [0045] 6
Adjustment device (can be locked to the stand) [0046] 7 Clasping
device [0047] 8 Fastener (screw for instance) [0048] 1a Supporting
leg, first part [0049] 1b Supporting leg, second part [0050] 12
Axle [0051] 13 Axle [0052] 14 Axle [0053] 21 Block (or other
bearing for an axle) [0054] 22 Rabbet [0055] 23 Peg (or other
protrusion) [0056] 24 Peg (or other protrusion) [0057] 24* Hole (or
other recess) [0058] 34 Axle [0059] 41 Block (or other bearing for
an axle) [0060] 42 Hole for a screw [0061] 43 Block (or other
bearing for an axle) [0062] 44 Hole for screw [0063] 45 Coupling
element [0064] 45* Coupling element [0065] 46 Peg [0066] 51 Recess
(or other position in the stand) [0067] 61 Tooth (or other thing
able to lock at the stand's positions) [0068] 62 Lever [0069] 71
Clasp [0070] 71* Slot for clasp [0071] 71 '*Slot for clasp [0072]
72 Compression spring
* * * * *