Patent Application
20060075674
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mounting apparatus for firearms and, more particularly, to a firearm accessory mount including a number of auxiliary mounting features for mounting additional accessories to a firearm.
2. Description of the Related Art
A telescopic sight is one type of aiming device that has long been used in conjunction with firearms, such as rifles and handguns, to assist a shooter in aiming the firearm. More recently, other aiming devices such as laser markers, range finders, and infrared imaging devices have been developed for use with firearms. These aiming devices are typically mounted to the firearm above a barrel or receiver of the firearm using a mounting rack or mounting rings. In addition to aiming devices, other accessories may be mounted to a firearm, such as a flashlight, to aid in the use of the firearm.
Conventional mounting apparatus, while satisfactory in facilitating the removal of a firearm accessory from a firearm for replacement with another firearm accessory, are adapted to mount only one accessory to a firearm at a time. Additionally, the location of a firearm accessory on a firearm may be dependent on the environment in which the firearm will be used. For example, firearm mounting apparatus positioned near the middle or rear of a firearm are more suitable for middle or long distance shooting where the firearm user has sufficient time to aim and shoot. In contrast, close-combat environments, such as an urban environment, typically afford the user very little time to aim and shoot. In this type of environment, it may be more practical to mount a firearm accessory near the front of a firearm barrel, since shooters intuitively point the end of their firearm barrel at a target.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved firearm mounting apparatus that is configured to secure more than one firearm accessory to a firearm and is adapted to be mounted near the front of a firearm barrel for use in close-combat environments or other quick-aiming situations.
A mounting apparatus for use with a firearm is provided that include a body member including at least one mounting rail configured to support a firearm accessory and a barrel adapter positioned between the body member and a firearm barrel. The barrel adapter includes a movement limiting member configured to limit movement of the body member relative to the firearm barrel.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, the preferred illustrative embodiments of the present invention are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated to better illustrate and explain the present invention. Further, the embodiments set forth herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the invention to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.
Referring to
Referring to
In an embodiment, body member 20 is a generally U-shaped structure having a pair of deflectable longitudinally extending side members 24 and 26 that define a variable capacity channel 28 sized to receive a barrel adapter 30. As shown in
Referring to
To inhibit movement of barrel adapter 30 relative to barrel 12, movement limiting member 34 may include a gripping surface 40 (
Body member 20 also includes at least one threaded fastener 42, such as a screw, which is secured to each of the longitudinally extending side members 24, 26 and is rotatable relative to side members 24, 26 to move the longitudinally extending side members toward and away from each other to reduce and enlarge the capacity of channel 28, respectively. Enlarging the capacity of channel 28 allows barrel adapter 30 to be easily inserted into channel 28 between barrel 12 and body member 20 during assembly of the components onto firearm 10. Reducing the capacity of channel 28 secures body member 20 to firearm 10 by pressing the barrel adapter 30 between barrel 12 and body member 20. The variable capacity channel 28 allows the use of different diameter barrel adapters 30 to accommodate various barrel diameters.
Each mounting rail 22 may also include at least one aperture 44 sized to receive a secondary accessory 46, such as, for example, a swivel or swivel stud. When so configured, aperture 44 may include an inner groove 48 having a diameter greater than the diameter of the aperture 44 itself. As shown in
The present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the foregoing embodiments, which are merely illustrative of the best modes for carrying out the invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that the method and apparatus within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby. This description of the invention should be understood to include all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these elements. Moreover, the foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application.
