Supports – Stand – Of wire
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-14
2001-11-27
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Stand
Of wire
C042S094000, C248S166000, C248S538000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322026
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an improved gun and/or fishing rod support stand. In particular, the present invention is directed to a support stand that can be easily configured to be supported on the ground or an upright wall, such as the side of a boat. The support is light weight, adjustable, collapsible, and can be easily stowed and/or transported.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Gun supports date from the 16th Century. The earliest gun supports consisted of a single long pole with U-shaped support which held a long musket shot in the standing position. Recent prior art can be characterized into two types of gun supports: those primarily used to sight-in a firearm and those used while hunting to support the rifle while shooting at game. The supports that are used to sight-in the firearm are typically large, cumbersome, and difficult to maneuver, but are suitable for their function since mobility is not an issue when the shooter is sighting-in a firearm. These types of rifle supports are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,930,933, 5,414,949, 5,666,757, and 5,628,135.
A hunter, however, requires a firearm support device that is portable, lightweight, and easy to maneuver and/or adjust. Of recent, the prior art has attempted to provide hunters with such supports, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,017,997 (“'997”) and 4,967,497 (“'497”). U.S. Pat. No. '997 utilizes a bi-pod support structure where the end of the rifle barrel is clamped to the supporting block and the two legs of the bi-pod are telescopically adjustable in height. U.S. Pat. No. '497 utilizes a tri-pod support structure which can be adjusted for height, and where the third leg of the tri-pod can accommodate a seat. The '497 support collapses for carrying in a backpack strapped to the hunter, and the '997 support can be carried in the pocket of a garment.
While the prior art has attempted to provide hunters with portable supports, their discrete maneuverability is still a significant drawback to their use. A hunter typically does not know from which direction their prospective game will enter their view, thus, the hunter must have the ability to quickly and discretely change positions and locations within a relatively small zone. Accordingly, as the hunter changes his position and/or location, he must also stealthily alter the position of the stand, i.e., the stand should not be an impediment to the hunter's mobility. The prior art has not solved this problem. U.S. Pat. No. '497, for example, is quite large and is difficult to discretely move once pre-set at a specific height and position. U.S. Pat. No. '997 is more maneuverable than '497, but once the barrel is clamped in the support, the support becomes, in effect, part of the rifle, and when the hunter changes position, he has no choice but to readjust the telescopic bi-pods to the new terrain, or, if he chooses a position not suitable for the bi-pods, he must unscrew the clamping bolts to remove the stand from the rifle, all while his keen prey listen astutely.
Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a light weight, portable rifle support that is collapsible and can be carried in the pocket of a garment. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a support that is unobtrusive should the hunter be required to change positions and/or locations after spotting his prey.
It is a further object of the present invention that the portable rifle support be easily reconfigured to be attachable to the side of boat for supporting a fishing rod.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aforementioned is accomplished in accordance with principles of the present invention by providing a portable, light weight, tri-pod, collapsible stand, where the stand comprises an elongated central member having a two-pronged fork on each end thereof, the central member forming the first leg of the tri-pod stand and having a plurality of protruding portions defining fixed positions along said central member. A V-shaped support structure is pivotally attached at its apex to an intermediate position along the central member, thus forming the second and third leg of the stand, which, together with the first leg, defines a stand that is self supporting in a generally upright orientation. A supporting strut spans the V-shaped support structure at an intermediate position thereof to provide rigidity thereto. Also, a set of connecting struts are each pivotally attached at one end, with pivoting mobility about all axes, to a leg of the V-shaped support structure and releasably connectable at its other end to the central member, so that when the connecting struts are releasably connected to the central member the support structure is maintained at the selected orientation with respect to the central member to define a stand in a first configuration, which is suitable for supporting the barrel of a gun or other extended object.
The stand also embodies a second configuration, where an end of the central member and V-shaped support structure are configured to straddle an upright wall. In this configuration, the first set of connecting struts are disengaged from the central member. A second set of connecting struts, attached similarly as the first set of connecting struts to the V-shaped support structure, but positioned near its apex, are releasably connected to the central member at a protruding portion that is in close proximity to the pivoting location of the V-shaped support structure. Disengaging the first set of connecting struts provides an open space for accommodating an upright wall.
By disengaging both the first and second set of connecting struts from the central member, the portable stand can collapse into a structure that can be easily stowed and/or transported.
Further collapsibility may be accomplished by providing the V-shaped support structure, at its apex, with a pivotal connector such that the two legs thereof are collapsible toward each other. In this embodiment, the supporting strut, which spans the legs of the V-shaped support structure, is releasably connectable to one leg of the support structure.
Other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation of the invention and the function and interrelation of the elements of structure, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this disclosure, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 3636649 (1972-01-01), Paiva
patent: 4017997 (1977-04-01), Peterson et al.
patent: 4043070 (1977-08-01), Lamothe
patent: 4086716 (1978-05-01), Donahue
patent: 4159816 (1979-07-01), Miyamae
patent: 4177595 (1979-12-01), Chon
patent: 4562945 (1986-01-01), Erlandson
patent: 4967497 (1990-11-01), Yakscoe
patent: 5149900 (1992-09-01), Buck
patent: 5414949 (1995-05-01), Peebles
patent: 5481817 (1996-01-01), Parker
patent: 5571227 (1996-11-01), Pisarek
patent: 5628135 (1997-05-01), Cady
patent: 5666757 (1997-09-01), Helmstadter
patent: 5930933 (1999-08-01), Schleicher
patent: 5933999 (1999-08-01), McClure et al.
patent: 6128848 (2000-10-01), Wong
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Ramirez Ramon O.
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