Generally, the present invention is directed to portable firearm targets. Specifically, the present invention is directed to portable firearm target stands which are easily assembled and disassembled.
For individuals who use firearms in their profession or as a hobby, it is advantageous to train in outdoor settings. Such settings provide additional environmental factors that are typically not present in indoor settings, such as weather, miscellaneous noises, and different terrains. To this end, it is known to use portable targets that can be assembled in the outdoor setting.
Most targets are constructed of paper or other biodegradable material and maintained on controlled firing line ranges. However, some firearm training and practice is undertaken in remote areas. In such instances, steel targets may be employed. Skilled artisans will appreciate that steel or other hardened material targets are needed to absorb repeated bullet impacts and can provide an audible confirmation when the target is hit. However, such steel targets are cumbersome to carry to a remote site, are heavy, and often times difficult to set up.
In view of these difficulties, an individual is less likely to practice and train in an outdoor setting. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a target which is portable, durable, and versatile. In other words, there is a need for a portable target stand system which is easy to transport, easy to set up, can be modified for different types of targets, and is easy to disassemble and transport to an appropriate storage facility.
In light of the foregoing, it is a first aspect of the present invention to provide a portable target stand system.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a portable target stand system comprising a pair of legs, each leg having a body with a front edge, each front edge having a receiver slot, wherein the receiver slots are positionally alignable with each other, and a member having a plate, the plate having a pair of leg slots, each leg slot slidably receiving one of the leg bodies, and each receiver slot slidably receiving the member.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings wherein:
As seen in the drawings and as will be understood from the following discussion, a portable target stand system is presented which provides for a pair of legs and various target and/or adapter members that are easily assembled and disassembled for transport to and from outdoor settings. The legs and members are constructed of plate-like components which can be carried by hand or in an all-terrain vehicle. Aligned hand holds in the legs and members facilitate carrying the components from one place to another. The assembly of the components is simple, yet robust, wherein mechanical fasteners and tools are not required.
Referring now to
The portable target stand 20A may provide a pair of legs 24 wherein leg 24A is the left leg and leg 24B is the right leg of the target stand as the trainee faces the target. Both legs, together, support or carry a torso target member 26 in the present embodiment. The other embodiments to be described will be provided with corresponding alphabetic suffixes 20B, 20C, and 20D; however, the legs, which are the same for all of the embodiments, are consistently identified as 24A or 24B.
Each leg 24, as seen in
Extending from the front body edge 32 is a front taper edge 52, wherein a back taper edge 54 substantially extends from the back body edge 34. The taper edges 52 and 54 are angularly directed toward one another so as to meet at an apex 56, wherein skilled artisans will appreciate that the apex 56 may be rounded or truncated as appropriate.
In the present embodiment, the portable target stand 20A provides for both legs 24A and 24B to be positioned so that the front body edges 32 and front taper edges 52 of both legs are positioned to face the trainee. The front taper edge 52 may be provided with a target receiver slot 60 which is formed by substantially parallel slot sides 62 which are connected to one another by a slot end 64. Both target receiver slots 60 provided in the respective legs 24A and 24B, and in particular in the respective bodies 30, may be angularly oriented with respect to a line which is substantially parallel with a line tangent to the front foot 40 and the back foot 44 to form an angle α that may be between thirty degrees to eighty degrees, and in the present embodiment is shown to be about eighty degrees as shown in
The respective front taper edges 52 may also provide for an adapter receiver slot 66 which may be positioned in the embodiments between the target receiver slot 60 and the front body edge 32. However, skilled artisans will appreciate that the adapter receiver slot 66 may be positioned anywhere along the front taper edge 52 or anywhere along the back taper edge 54. In any event, each adapter receiver slot 66 provides for slot sides 68 which are substantially parallel with one another and which are connected at a slot end 70. In the embodiments shown, the angular orientation of the adapter receiver slot 60 is about ninety degrees with respect to the bottom edge which is formed by a line substantially parallel with a line tangent to the front foot 40 and the back foot 44. The receiver slots 66 are also positionally alignable with one another in the same manner as the receiver slots 60. And it will further be appreciated that the legs 24A and 24B may be provided with both the target receiver slots 60 and the adapter receiver slots 66 as shown, or in some embodiments the legs may only be provided with either the target receiver slots 60 or the adapter receiver slots 66.
In some embodiments the body 30 may be provided with any number of body openings 72 so as to reduce the overall weight of the legs. As such, the legs are still structurally sound but have a reduced weight so as to facilitate their transport to a target site.
The body 30 may also provide for a handle opening 74 which is positioned near the bottom edge 36 and somewhat centered between the feet 40 and 44. The handle opening 74 may provide for a curved carrying edge 76 which may be somewhat parallel with a linear portion of the arc 50. It will further be appreciated that the handle opening 74 is positioned so as to provide a substantially balanced carrying point for the legs to facilitate their transport.
Referring now to
As best seen in
Skilled artisans will also appreciate that the handle opening 90 provided by the torso plate 80 and the corresponding handle openings 74 provided by the legs are substantially alignable with one another, as best seen in
It will further be appreciated that the torso plate 80 when assembled to the legs is provided with a forward leaning stance such that impacting bullets are directed downwardly and not off in an undesired direction. It will further be appreciated that the leg slots provided by the hips 82 are angularly configured so as to provide a sturdy base for the portable target stand. Indeed, the mating of the non-perpendicular angle of the target receiver slots 60 and the non-perpendicular angle of the leg slots in this and the other embodiments provide a significant mechanical advantage and robustness to assembled target stands when assembled in the field. An advantage may also be obtained when mating the non-perpendicular angle of the leg slots and the substantially perpendicular adapter receiver slots 66.
Referring now to
The swinger target member 100 includes a swinger plate 102 which provides for a pair of downwardly extending hips 104. Each hip includes an angularly oriented leg slot 106 which is formed by a pair of substantially parallel slot sides 108 that are connected to one another by a slot end 110. In most embodiments the left leg slot 106 is provided at an angle of between thirty degrees to ninety degrees with respect to the swinger plate 102 and the right leg slot is substantially a mirror image of the left leg slot.
Extending through the swinger plate 102 is a bottom handle opening 112 which may be positioned substantially centered between the pair of hips 104. The handle opening 112 may provide for a curved carrying edge 114 near a bottom edge of the swinger plate 102. The swinger plate 102 may also provide for a top handle opening 116 at a top edge opposite the bottom edge of the swinger plate 102. The handle opening 116 may provide for a rounded carrying edge 118 which is somewhat parallel with a top edge of the swinger plate 102. As a result, the swinger plate 102 may be carried from a top orientation or from a bottom orientation.
Associated with the swinger plate 102 is at least one swinger target assembly designated generally by the numeral 120. Although two swinger target assemblies are shown, it will be appreciated that one or more than one target assembly may be associated with the swinger plate 102. Each swinger target assembly 120 provides for a target opening 122 that extends through the swinger plate 102. A swinger 124 may be coupled to the swinger plate 102. Each swinger 124 includes a target disc 126 which is sized to substantially cover the target opening 122. A swing arm 128 is connected to one side of the target disc 126 at one end and at an opposite end the swinger arm 128 provides for a hinge end 130. A hinge mechanism 134 connects the hinge end 130 to a surface of the swinger plate 102.
As best seen in
In the embodiment shown in
As in the previous target stand 20A, a cross lap joint 140, which is substantially the same as the cross lap joint shown in
As best seen in
Referring now to
The adapter plate 162 may provide for body openings 174 so as to reduce the weight of the paper adapter member 160 while still providing the needed strength and durability for the member. Extending through the adapter plate 162 may be a handle opening 176 which provides for a curved carrying edge 178. As in the previous embodiments, this handle opening 176 is sized to be alignable with the other handle openings provided by the legs 24A and 24B.
The adapter plate may include end beams 182 at each opposed end of the adapter plate 162. Each beam 182 may provide for a post hole 186 which may receive a paper target 190 which comprises a pair of opposed posts 192 connected to one another by a board 193. Accordingly, when the adapter plate 162 is assembled to the legs 24A, 24B, the paper target 190 and the posts 192 may be received in the corresponding post holes 186.
As in the previous embodiments, a cross lap joint 194 similar to the other cross lap joints disclosed herein may be formed between the intersection of the legs with the corresponding hips 164. In this particular embodiment, the leg slots 168 are received in the adapter receiver slots 66 such that the slot ends 70 and 172 are positioned adjacent or in contact with one another. In this particular embodiment, it will be appreciated that the paper adapter member 160 is positioned in the adapter receiver slots which are oriented at substantially a ninety degree angle. As such, the paper adapter member 160 is oriented substantially vertically with respect to the ground and the supporting legs. In other words, the paper adapter member is not provided with a downwardly extending angle and, as such, any bullets that impact the paper adapter member 160 will not be directed downwardly to the ground upon impact.
Referring to
Referring now to
The adapter plate 182 may provide for a plurality of body openings 194 therethrough so as to reduce the overall weight of the adapter plate. The adapter plate 182 may also provide for a handle opening 196 which provides for a curved carrying edge 198 that is substantially parallel with a bottom edge of the adapter plate between the hips 184. At an end opposite the hips 184 may be at least one spike 200 which extends from a top edge of the adapter plate 182. The spikes are configured so as to receive a ballistic gel torso 204 which may be used as the target for a trainee.
When the adapter plate 182 is assembled to the legs 24A and 24B, corresponding cross lap joints 208, similar to the other cross lap joints disclosed herein, are formed so as to provide a connection between the two. In particular, the adapter plate 182 is received in the adapter receiver slots 60 so that the ballistic gel torso and the adapter plate 182 are held in a substantially upright position in a manner similar to the plate 80 and the plate 102. Accordingly, the leg slots 186 are associated with the corresponding receiver slots 60 so as to form the portable target stand 20D. As in the previous embodiments, the dummy adapter member is easily assembled and not susceptible to twisting upon impact by bullets into the adapter plate 182 and/or the ballistic gel torso 204. Additionally, the dummy adapter member 180 is easily assembled and disassembled with the legs 24A and 24B.
Based upon the foregoing, the advantages of the present invention are readily apparent. First, the legs and associated members are easily assembled and disassembled to one another for use in a outdoor environment. By utilizing steel or other metal materials, the targets are of a substantial character and are not easily disassembled by bullet impacts or wind, or the like. Additionally, the legs and members 26, 100, 160, and 180 provide for corresponding handle openings which are alignable with one another such that the various plates are easily carried by a single person. As such, skilled artisans will appreciate that the target stands shown and disclosed herein are a significant improvement in the art.
Thus, it can be seen that the objects of the invention have been satisfied by the structure and its method for use presented above. While in accordance with the Patent Statutes, only the best mode and preferred embodiment has been presented and described in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby. Accordingly, for an appreciation of the true scope and breadth of the invention, reference should be made to the following claims.
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20200191533 A1 | Jun 2020 | US |