Portable gun rack
United States Patent n91 Gomes et al.  
 [ PORTABLE GUN RACK [76] Inventors: Manuel A. Games, 167 N. Mercey Springs Rd.; Norman S. Miranda, 25 W. I St, Apt. 7, both of Los Banos, Calif 93635 [22] Filed: Aug. 2], 1973 [2|] Appl. No.: 390,306  
 [52] US. Cl 211/64; 248/226 Av [5|] Int. Cl. A47l&#39; 7/00; B6ll 5/00 [58] Field of Search 248/226 A, 340; 2| l/64; 182/150; 224/4242 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Southwick 248/226 A 972.480 lO/l9l0 Apr. 8, 1975 2,750,088 6/l956 Agostini et al 2| l/64 3.l58,223 11/1964 Brown 182/50 X 3,477,586 ll/l969 Halvska 2| 1/64 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Assistant ExaminerAndrew M. Calvert Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Huebner &amp; Worrell [57] ABSTRACT A portable gun rack characterized by a lightweight, foldable body of a variable length having a socket at one end for receiving the butt end portion of a gun stock and a cradle adjacent to the opposite end portion of the body for receiving therein the forward end portion of the gun stock, and hook and a cantilevered leg assembly projected from the body for supporting the body in inclined suspension. I  
 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PORTABLE GUN RACK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to gun racks generally, and more particularly to a portable gun rack particularly suited for supporting a rifle. shotgun and the like, hereinafter referred to as a gun, at a ready position in duck blinds, deer stands and the like.  
  Those familiar with activities characterized by a use of guns readily appreciate the existence of a need to proliferate precautionary measures. Moreover, because guns often are employed in duck blinds, deer stands, rifle ranges and similar environments, wherein the guns are subjected to the effects of dust, grit, mud and the like, consideration must be given to their protection during periods of usev Of course, where guns are employed in activities wherein they must be maintained at ready&#34; for accommodating rapid aiming and firing sequences, difficulty is encountered in safely stowing them in a protected condition. Unfortunately. in duck blinds, deer stands and the like, guns often are rested or leaned against upright members, such as a wall of the blind or stand, in a position which facilitates a rapid recovery of the gun preparatory to carrying out an aiming and firing sequence.  
  For reasons which are believed to be readily apparent, stowing fire arms in a leaning position against upright members in duck blinds, deer stands, rifle ranges and the like, is a highly undesirable practice which often leads to contamination as well as an accidental discharge of fire arms resulting in the contamination of the guns as well as serious injury to those in the immediate vicinity of the fire arms.  
  Of course, gun racks are notoriously old and have often been employed in the home, in vehicles, and in similar environments under conditions wherein a gun need not be supported at ready. However, such racks normally are not portable and are not readily employable in duck blinds, deer stands, rifle ranges and the like.  
  It is therefore the purpose of the instant invention to provide a portable gun rack which can be folded into a compact configuration, readily transported to duck blinds, deer stands, firing ranges and the like, mounted on upright members, such as walls commonly found in these environments, and employed for safely supporting a gun, in a protected condition, at a ready position.  
 OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the instant invention to provide a portable gun rack which can be readily transported to a point of use.  
  It is another object to provide a portable, lightweight gun rack for temporarily supporting guns within duck blinds, deer stands and the like.  
  It is another object to provide a portable gun rack of lightweight structure adapted to be folded to a compact configuration, transported to a selected use environment, suspended from a substantially upright member and employed for safely supporting a gun at a ready position protected from dust, mud, grit and the like.  
  These and other objects and advantages are.achieved through the use of an elongated body including a hinge near the midpoint thereof for accommodating a folding of the body, a socket disposed at one end portion of the body for receiving the butt of a gun stock, a cradle disposed adjacent to the opposite end portion of the body, for supporting the forward portion of the gun stock, a hook disposed at one end of the body, adjacent the eradle for supporting the body in suspension, and a cantilevered leg projected from the midportion of the body for engaging a substantially upright surface of the member from which the body is suspended, whereby the body is supported in an inclined disposition, as will be come more readily apparent by reference to the following description and claims in light of the accompanying drawings.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partially sectioned side elevation of a gun rack embodying the principles of the instant invention, depicting the utility thereof.  
  FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the gun rack shown in FIG. 1.  
  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 33 of FIG. 1.  
  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.  
  FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the gun rack, taken generally along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.  
  FIG. 6 is a side elevation illustrating the gun rack in a folded disposition.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a portable gun rack, generally designated 10, which embodies the principles of the instant invention. While the gun rack I0, as shown in the drawings, preferably is formed of stainless steel and similar materials, it is to be understood that various materials, such as synthetic resins or plastics, may be employed in lieu of metallic materials, where found desirable.  
  The rack 10 includes an elongated body 12 having a hinge 14 near its midsection which serves to unite a base portion 16 of the body 12 with a distal portion 18 thereof. The hinge 14 includes a pin, not designated, which accommodates pivotal motion of the portions 16 and 18 about an axis transversely related to the body 12 whereby the body 12 may be selectively folded into a compact configuration wherein the distal portion 18 and the base portion 16 of the body are arranged in a substantially superimposed relationship, FIG. 6.  
  It will be appreciated that the hinge I4 is mounted on the base portion in spaced relation with the end thereof. Hence, the distal portion 18 is caused to seat in an overlapping relation with the base portion 16. The relationship thus established between the portions 16 and 18 permits the base portion 16 of the body 12 to limit rotation of the portion I8 about the hinge 14. This, of course, imparts stability to the body.  
  The distal portion 18 of the body 12 includes a base 19 to which there is adjustably attached a socket support 20. The support 20, in turn, terminates in a socket 22 configured to receive the butt of a gun stock. As a practical matter, the socket support 20 is coupled with the base 19 through a pair of screws 24 seated in a pair of openings 26 provided in the socket supportv It is to be understood that the body H can be lengthened or shortened simply by removing the screws 24 from those openings 26 within which they are seated, and thereafter reseating the screws 24 in other selected openings, following a linear adjustment of the socket support relative to the base 19.  
  The socket 22 includes a base plate 28 formed by bending the distal end portion of the socket support 20 at a right angle relative to the plane of the support. Additionally, it is preferred that the base plate 28 terminates in a lip 30 angularly related to the plane of the base plate 28 and disposed in substantial parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the body 12. A strap 32 appropriately configured to circumscribe a gun butt seated on the base plate is welded to the lip 30 and to paralleling portions of the socket support 20, as illustrated in FIG 1. Of course, where desired, the socket 22 is lined with suitable resilient padding, not shown, such as felt, sponge, and the like.  
  The base portion 16 of the body 12 terminates in a lip 34 located at the end of the body remote from the socket 22 configured to be received by the upper edge of an upstanding wall or similar structure, designated 36, often encountered in duck blinds, deer stands, and the like,  
  The lip 34 includes a cantilevered base 38, angularly related to the plane of the body 12, terminating in an angularly related distal lip portion 40 paralleling the longitudinal axis of the body 12. Thus, the lip 34, when received by the upper edge surfaces of the wall 36, serves to support the body 12 in suspension Where desired, a clamp screw 42 is provided for clamping the lip 34 to the wall 36.  
  Of course, in order to support a gun securely at a ready position, the body 12 preferably is suspended at a suitable angle of inclination for causing the fire arms to lean&#34; toward the wall 36. To achieve this, the base portion 16, of the body 12, is provided with a leg 44 angularly projected therefrom. The leg 44 includes a base segment 46 and an extensible distal portion 48 connected thereto. The base 46 is formed by bending the base portion 16, near its end. opposite the lip 34, into an angular relationship with the plane of the base portion. The distal portion 48 of the leg 44 is adjustably coupled with the base segment 46 through a plurality of screws 50 extended through suitable openings 52 formed in the distal portion of the leg. By repositioning the screws 50 in the various openings 52, the overall length of the leg 44 is varied.  
  The leg 44 also terminates in a foot 54 configured to engage the adjacent surface of the upstanding wall 36. The foot 54 imparts stability to the gun rack 10 by precluding rotation of the body 12 about its longitudinal axis. This, of course. is of particular significance in instances where the gun rack 10 is likely to be subjected to jostling by a member of a hunting party confined within a duck blind, deer stand, or the like.  
  In order to insure that guns are releasibly supported by the rack 10, the cradle 56 is affixed to the body 12 for receiving therein the forward portion of a gun stock. The cradle 56 opens outwardly so that the received portion of the stock is provided with support at its sides as well as at its bottom surface. It is to be understood that, while not shown, the cradle 56 also is appropriately padded in order to protect the finish of the gun stock.  
 OPERATION It is believed that in view of the foregoing description, the operation of the device will readily be understood and it will be briefly reviewed at this point.  
  With the gun rack 10 assembled in the manner hereinbefore described, it may be folded to a compact configuration about its hinge l4 and ultimately transported to a point of use. In most instances, a convenient upstanding member such as a wall is provided at the point of use. The rack 10 is then suspended from the upper surface of the wall by mating the lip 34 with the uppermost edge surface thereof. The length of the leg 44 is then adjusted to an appropriate length for engaging the wall whereby a desired inclination is imparted to the body 12 as the body is suspended by the lip 34. The distal portion 18 is now rotated about the hinge 14 for thereby preparing the rack to receive a fire arm.  
  In the event it is found desirable to adjust the socket support 20, the screws 24 are removed from their openings and reseated in adjacent openings, whereby the body 10 is lengthened, or shortened, as preferred. Once properly adjusted, the butt of a gun stock for a gun is inserted into the socket 22 while the forward end portion or hand grip of the gun stock is received within the cradle 56. Due to the inclination imparted to the body 12, by the leg 44, the gun is permitted to rest within the gun rack in a ready position. Thus, the gun is safely supported by the gun rack out of contact with dirt, mud, grit and the like, while a rapid extraction thereof is facilitated.  
  It will be appreciated that the gun rack can be rapidly removed from the wall 36, refolded and readily transported away from the point of use.  
  In view of the foregoing, it is believed to be abundantly clear that the gun rack 10 of the instant invention provides a practical solution to the perplexing problem of providing a suitable gun rack for use in duck blinds, deer stands, rifle ranges and the like.  
  Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the illustrative details disclosed.  
  Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by letters patent is:  
 1. A portable gun rack comprising:  
 A. an elongated body of an adjustable length formed from a strip of metallic material having means for receiving a butt portion ofa gun stock near one end thereof;  
 B, means including a cradle adjacent to the opposite end portion of said body for receiving a forward portion of the gun stock;  
 C. means for supporting said body in suspension including a lip extended from the opposite end portion of said body adapted to engage a supporting ledge of an upstanding member;  
 D. means including a clamp screw mounted in said lip for clamping the lip in place relative to said supporting ledge;  
 E. means for imparting an angle of inclination to said body including a leg of an adjustable length extended from the body near the midportion thereof;  
 F. means defining a foot pad at the distal end of said leg for engaging an upstanding surface of said upstanding member;  
 G. means defining a hinge having an axis of rotation transversely related to said body near the midportion thereof for pivotally coupling the adjacent ends of opposite end portions of said body, whereby said body is adapted to be folded in a first direction into a compact configuration; and  
 H. means for limiting relative angular displacement of said end portions about said axis in a direction opposite to said first direction. a  
 2. A portable gun rack particularly suited for use in duck blinds, deer stands and similar environments and adapted to be collapsed into a compact configuration comprising:  
 A. a segmented body of an adjustable length including a first segment having means defining near one end of said body a first receptacle for receiving the butt portion of a selected gun, and a second segment having means defining near the other end of said body a second receptacle aligned with said first receptacle for receiving a portion of said gun spaced from said butt portion;  
 B. hinge means interposed between said first and second receptacles having an axis of rotation transversely related to said body for pivotally coupling together said first and second segments of said body, whereby the first segment is adapted to be folded into a superimposed relationship with said second segment; and  
 C. means for supporting said body in inclined suspension from a selected upstanding member including a lip angularly projected from said second segment of said body and configured to receive a portion of said upstanding member, and means including an elongated leg affixed to the body, near the midportion thereof, and extended therefrom in substantial coplanar relation with said lip.