1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an adjustable, portable and pivotal seat and stand assembly for one shooting firearms. More particularly, the invention is a pivotable and height adjustable seat and table rest for supporting a shooter whether seated or standing, during the process of shooting moving or still targets at great distances, wherein the legs of the seat and stand assembly are easily adjustable by the user when the seat and stand assembly is used on uneven terrain.
2. Background of the Invention
Seat and table rests and supports to stabilize a shooter when using a firearm, particularly a rifle, are known in the art. The shooter desires to be still and stable when sighting on a target, and at times the shooter may be located on an uneven terrain, which inhibits the desired stabilization.
One example of a prior seat and table rest assembly is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,641 to Vecqueray, which discloses a pivotally and vertically adjustable support surface and seat for supporting a shooter on the seat and a support surface configured to rotate in tandem with the seat about a vertical axis. While the Vecqueray device, in one embodiment, permits manual adjustment of its supporting legs, the adjustment mechanism disclosed in this reference, due to the inadequate distance between the pivot point of the legs and the leg adjusting screw, makes it very difficult to adjust the legs of the reference device to a desired position, particularly when the shooter is seated on the seat. Further, the assembly of the legs in the reference device does not allow the legs to be pivoted upward and together to allow greater portability of the support structure.
Another example of a portable shooting bench assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,984 to Dyer et al. This shooter's bench assembly has a plurality of telescoping tubes attached to flat support legs for adjustable ground support. The telescoping tubes are locked by cotter pins. However, the Dyer et al. device does not provide a leveling adjustment mechanism that is readily accessible to a shooter sitting on the bench, nor is easily and variably adjusted to any position depending on the variances in ground level.
In bench shooting, a user is seated or standing adjacent a table rest to fire successive rounds at either fixed or moving targets. These table rests are normally large metal frames or concrete benches to stabilize the shooter and the firearm.
When shooting at multiple moving targets, bench rests for stationary target shooting do not allow the shooter to reset or reaim the firearm in a different direction. Bench rests have been designed for use with multiple moving targets, some with fixed legs or supports that do not allow adjustment when the bench and stand assembly is placed on uneven ground. This results in the axis of rotation of the table and bench veering off the vertical, such that gravity forces compel the components to lean toward the lowest point of rotation, which causes the shooter to undesirably rotate away from the intended target.
Some rotatable shooter's bench and stand assemblies are available that provide adjustment of the position of the legs supporting the assembly. However, the mechanisms for achieving such adjustment on available devices require a substantial exertion of energy by the user to make the desired leg adjustment, and such mechanisms are usually inaccessible to a user seated on the bench and stand assembly.
The present invention in the illustrated embodiment includes: a base structure; a removable shaft extending upward from the base structure; a plurality of outwardly extending angularly adjustable legs pivotally attached to the base structure; a seat assembly pivotally and vertically moveable between fixed positions along the axis of the shaft; and a support table or surface mounted to the upper end of the shaft. The support table and seat are initially rotatable around the shaft, but are normally fixed to rotate together with the shaft when the assembly is being used by a shooter while aiming at a target.
The seat and table of the present invention are initially vertically adjustable relative to each other to accommodate a multitude of shooters. The supporting legs of the present invention are easily adjustable and readily accessible to the user to change the angle of any or all of the legs when the assembly is placed on uneven terrain. This adjustment allows the axis of rotation of the shaft to be maintained in a vertical direction on uneven terrain.
In one embodiment, the present invention is made primarily of aluminum parts to provide portability and light weight to the assembly. The legs of the present invention are also permitted to pivot and be positioned adjacent and parallel to each other, and parallel to the shaft, when it is desired to carry the assembly, or store the assembly in the trunk of an automobile, for instance.
These and other advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent by reference to the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description of the invention.
Referring to
A base or hub assembly 20 is adjustably mounted to the lower end of shaft 14. A hollow cylindrical mounting bracket 22 attached to base assembly 20 receives the lower end of shaft 14. Mounting bracket 22 is bottomless, such that shaft 14 can extend through base assembly 20 for storage and carrying purposes, as seen in
As seen in
Arm 32 is rigidly supported on hollow cylindrical bracket 38 that is vertically adjustable along the axis of shaft 14. A support plate 40 is also rigidly attached to cylindrical bracket 38, and extends beneath and is attached to the under-surface of arm 32 to provide additional support for arm 32 when a user is seated on seat 30.
Located beneath cylindrical bracket 38 is a collar 42 that is freely vertically movable along shaft 14. Collar 42 includes a pair of opposed apertures 44 that are adapted to be in alignment with one of several opposed apertures 46 in shaft 14. A removable pin 48 extends through apertures 44 and 46 to secure collar 42 in a fixed position on the vertical axis of shaft 14. Cylindrical bracket 38 abuts the top of collar 42 by the force of gravity, such that the vertical position of collar 42 establishes the vertical position of arm 32 and seat 30 according to the user's preferences.
Cylindrical bracket 38 is rotatable about shaft 14 and rotatable on the upper surface of collar 42. A threaded knob 50 having a threaded shaft (not shown) is rotated once the user on the seat has established the desired rotative position of seat 30. This rotation causes the inner end of the threaded shaft attached to knob 50 to frictionally engage the shaft 14, thus preventing further rotation of the arm 32 and seat 30. If the user desires to rotate on seat 30 while shooting at moving targets, knob 50 is rotated to its unlocked position. Additionally seat 30 can be rotated out of the way and locked in position if the user desires to shoot from a standing position.
Table 12, in the illustrated embodiment of
Table 12 is supported by a triangular-shaped support bracket 56 (
Table 12 is configured to support the user's upper body, arms and the firearm when the user shoots from a standing position. The vertical position of table 12 can be adjusted by removing pin 26 from one of the apertures 24, resetting the position of shaft 14 relative to mounting bracket 22, aligning another set of apertures 46 in shaft 14 with the apertures 24 in mounting bracket 22, and then reinserting pin 26 in newly aligned apertures 24 and 46.
In the illustrated embodiment of
Legs 62 are adjustable to multiple angles about pins 64 in the present invention to allow the user to maintain a vertical orientation of shaft 14 when shooting seat and table stand assembly 10 is situated on uneven terrain. To this end, each bracket 66 extending from base assembly 20 includes a threaded aperture 68. A threaded shaft 70 fixed to a knob 72 rotates in each aperture 68, imparting vertical movement to the lower end of threaded shaft 70. The lower end of threaded shaft 70 abuts the top surface of each corresponding leg 62, which results in pivotal movement of each leg 62 about respective one of pins 64. This pivotal movement of each individual leg allows the outer end of each leg to be vertically adjusted to accommodate the vertical orientation of shaft 14 when shooting seat and table stand assembly 10 is placed on uneven terrain.
In previous shooting seat and table stand assemblies, it is very difficult to adjust the position of the legs while the user is seated on the seat. This problem occurs because the leg adjustment shaft is very close to or even on top of each pivotal connection between the inner extent of the legs and the leg brackets formed with the base. In such structures, the minimal or no distance between the pivotal connection and the threaded adjusting shaft does not provide sufficient leverage to enable a user seated on the seat to easily adjust the angle of one or more legs relative to the base support.
To solve this problem, the present invention locates each threaded aperture 68 in corresponding bracket 66 at a predetermined lateral distance from the axis of a corresponding pivot pin 64. In the illustrated embodiment the predetermined lateral distance between each pin 64 and a corresponding threaded aperture 68 is in the range of two inches. However, this distance may vary between approximately one and a half and four inches, or possibly more where the user is a heavy person. Due to the distance between each pivot pin 64 and each threaded aperture 68, as one or more knobs 72 are rotated and the lower end of threaded shaft 70 contacts and applies pressure to an upper surface of leg 62, the lateral distance between shaft 70 and pin 64 provides sufficient leverage to allow the legs 62 to be easily moved into a desired angular position. The threaded surfaces of aperture 68 and shaft 70 hold the weight of the user on seat 30, and maintain the desired angular position of each leg 62 after the proper adjustment has been made.
Referring to
As seen in
Legs 62 are then each rotated around pins 64 until they reach the position shown in
To prevent the loss or misplacement of pins 76, each pin 76 is attached to a bracket 66 by a small wire 80 that is attached to a pin 76 at one end and to bracket 66 at the other end.
The foregoing description of an illustrated embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and practical application of these principles to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below.
This application claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/020,523, filed Jul. 3, 2014, to the extent allowed by law.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3711984 | Dyer et al. | Jan 1973 | A |
5414949 | Peebles | May 1995 | A |
6058641 | Vecqueray | May 2000 | A |
7168199 | Krien | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7731278 | Brownlee | Jun 2010 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2028792 | Jun 1970 | DE |
Entry |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160003571 A1 | Jan 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62020523 | Jul 2014 | US |