Firearms – Implements – Sight devices
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-30
2003-08-12
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3641)
Firearms
Implements
Sight devices
C042S137000, C042S111000, C042S144000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06604315
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to sighting aids for shotguns, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus that aids a shooter in maintaining the aiming eye at a proper elevation relative the rib and bead of a shotgun.
RELATED ART
Shotgun sights differ significantly from the sights used on rifles and other firearms. Since a shotgun fires a pattern of pellets rather than a single slug, speed of aiming and pointing are generally more important than precise accuracy. For example, bird hunting, and trap shooting both demand aiming at comparatively close, fast-moving targets, as opposed to rifle shooting, where the target is usually at a longer range and the angular rate of movement is much slower.
Because of these different requirements, the sights used on other types of long arms are generally unsuitable for shotguns. For example, conventional iron sights for rifles generally have an open or“peep” rear sight on the receiver and a bead at the muzzle end of the barrel, the goal being to achieve very precise alignment in both elevation and azimuth. However, this arrangement requires comparatively slow and deliberate aiming, and moreover the sight picture is comparatively small, so that these types of sights are generally ill suited for use on shotguns. Telescopic rifle sights can achieve even greater accuracy, but for similar reasons they too are unsuitable for use on shotguns (except for deer hunting and other specialized applications where the gun fires a single slug as opposed to a pattern of pellets).
Shotgun sights, by contrast, ordinarily lack a rear sight aperture. Instead, there is usually a rib along the top of the barrel (or between the barrels in the case of a side-by-side), with a small bead being mounted at the forward end of the rib. Although this arrangement permits extremely fast and effective aiming when firing at close, fast moving targets, it does present certain challenges that can be very difficult to master.
One particular difficulty is that of maintaining the aiming eye at the proper level relative to the barrel. Since there is no rear sight opening to look through, proper elevation of the barrel depends on the user keeping his aiming eye closely level with the rib, usually with the cheek held against the stock and the eye looking just over the top of the receiver. However, this is easier said than done; similar to the situation with a golf swing, there is a recurring tendency for the shooter to lift his head and raise his eye above the proper level. As the shooter raises his head, there is a tendency to raise the front bead as well, with the result that the barrel is elevated too high and the shot misses the target.
To illustrate this situation,
FIG. 1
shows a shotgun
01
having conventional sights, consisting up of a rib
02
that extends along the top of the barrel
03
and a front bead
04
that is mounted proximate the forward end of the barrel. As noted above, proper aiming requires that the sighting eye be held essentially level with the rib
02
, looking forward over the top of the receiver
05
. However, as can be seen in
FIG. 2
, inadvertent lifting of the head causes the aiming eye
06
to be raised above the proper level, so that when the front bead
04
its positioned on the line of sight
07
from the eye to the target
08
the barrel is in fact angled too high and the shot passes over the target, as indicated by arrow
09
.
This is an extremely common problem, and is perhaps most pronounced when firing multiple shots in quick succession, since the first shot tends to break the shooter's concentration and the recoil also causes the gun to move rearwardly and downwardly relative to the aiming eye. As a result, shooters constantly have to remind themselves to keep their heads down, but in the absence of an effective visual reference it is in fact very difficult to keep the aiming eye at the proper level under such circumstances.
A great many types of sights have, of course, been used or proposed over the long history of firearms. However, the vast majority have been variations on the typical arrangement of front and rear sights used on rifles, usually with the goal of achieving precision accuracy. Most are therefore unsuitable for shotgun use. Consequently, the problem of keeping the aiming eye at the proper level relative to the rib of a shotgun has remained unresolved.
Another, somewhat related difficulty is that of cross dominance, wherein the non-sighting eye becomes dominant and the barrel becomes misaligned in the direction of azimuth. This is due to the fact that the non-aiming eye is not in direct vertical alignment above the aiming eye when the head is held in a normal aiming position. Thus, if the non-aiming eye becomes dominant there is a tendency for the shooter to inadvertently aim to one side or the other of the target; for example, if the shooter is aiming with the right eye and the left eye becomes dominant, there will be a tendency to shoot to the left of the target, due to the different angular positions of the two eyes.
Yet another limitation of conventional shotgun sights stems from the comparatively rapid angular movement of the target. As has been described above, conventional rib-and-bead sights allow for rapid acquisition of a fast-moving target. However, the rapid movement of the target also means that the shooter must “lead” the target by aiming along its projected path, and conventional sights provide little or nothing in the way of a visual reference by which the shooter can accurately judge the line of flight and thereby determine a proper lead angle.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method and apparatus for assisting a shooter in maintaining his aiming eye at the proper elevation relative to the rib and front bead when using a shotgun. Furthermore, there exists a need for such a method and apparatus that does not interfere with the ability of the shooter to rapidly acquire the target and point the shotgun when using rib-and-bead sights. Still further, there exists a need for such a method and apparatus that provides the shooter with a distinctive and virtually instantaneous indication when his eye has been raised above the proper level, so that the shooter is able to reposition his head in a quick and reflexive manner. Still further, there exists a need for such a method and apparatus that encourages proper side-to-side alignment of the sighting eye and also inhibits cross-dominance by the non-sighting eye. Still further, there exists a need for a method and apparatus that assists the shooter in determining the flight angle of targets so as to determine the proper angle of the lead. Still further, there exists a need for such a method and apparatus that is lightweight and simple in construction, and which does not encumber the shotgun or impair its handling. Still further, there exists a need for such a method and apparatus that is sufficiently reliable to be used in a field environment, and that is sufficiently inexpensive to manufacture that it can be made widely available to shooters and hunters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has solved the problems cited above, and is a method for assisting a shooter with holding an aiming eye at a predetermined proper orientation relative to the barrel of the shotgun.
The method may comprise the steps of forming a visual display, and presenting the display to the aiming eye along a path that extends at a predetermined rearward angle over the barrel such that at a predetermined longitudinal position of the aiming eye the path is at the proper level for the aiming eye to be held relative to the barrel, so that in response to being lifted above the path, the aiming eye sees a change in image that provides the shooter with a visual indication that the aiming eye has been raised above the proper level relative to the barrel.
In a preferred embodiment, the step of presenting the display may comprise projecting light from a forward portion of the barrel towards the predetermined position of the aiming eye. The ste
Jackson Jadin C.
Smith Cleveland C.
Carone Michael J.
Hathaway Todd N.
Thomson M.
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