Abstract:
The invention relates to a recoil-reducer that reduces the recoil felt by users of rifles and shotguns. In some embodiments, the recoil-reducer is comprised of a resilient plate that increases the area over which the recoil force is distributed, thereby reducing the force per unit area, and a compressible element that cushions the user from the force of recoil. Further recoil reduction is achieved through the inclusion of a third recoil reducing component: an inertia member that provides substantial inertia that must be overcome by the recoil force before such force can be transmitted to the user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to copending U.S. provisional application entitled, “Recoil Shield,” having Ser. No. 60/583,546, filed Jun. 29, 2004, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0003]     This invention relates generally to recoil-reducing devices, and specifically to an improved recoil-reducer for users of shoulder mounted firearms.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0004]     A basic law of physics can be paraphrased as “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. In the case where force is applied to accelerate an object in one direction, an equal force occurs in the opposite direction. One manifestation of this phenomenon is the recoil felt by users of rifles and shotguns, hereinafter referred to as felt recoil. Recoil felt by rifle and shotgun users, or shooters, as it increases, progresses from uncomfortable to painful, and frequently leads to an undesirable and uncontrollable habit of “flinching”. Felt recoil becomes increasingly detrimental to shooters as the weight and velocity of the projectile increases, particularly when high-powered loads are used in relatively lightweight rifles and shotguns, hereinafter referred to as longarms.  
         [0005]     For many years, shooters have used various means to reduce felt recoil. These have mostly involved attaching compressible pads to the ends of longarm butt stocks. Early recoil pads typically consisted of solid rubber that provided a cushion against the force of recoil. Disadvantages of solid rubber recoil pads include: 1) the limited amount of reduction of felt recoil, 2) the reduction of felt recoil declines over time due to gradual degradation of the rubber over time, and 3) secondary recoil caused by the pads expanding after being compressed by the initial recoil.  
         [0006]     The development of vented rubber recoil pads represented a limited, but significant, improvement over the solid rubber pads, in terms of felt recoil. The open, thin-walled structure of these pads allowed for greater compressibility, and hence, greater cushioning against the force of recoil. However, the tendency toward loss of elasticity and secondary recoil remained.  
         [0007]     Similarly, recoil reduction has also been achieved through various methods placing compressible pads between the butt stock and the shooter&#39;s shoulder. This technique provides the benefit of compound felt recoil reduction when used with pads fixed to the butt stock. However, it possesses the same limitations as devices attached to the butt stock.  
         [0008]     With the development of new materials, other components, such as foams and gels have been utilized to cushion the shooter from the recoil force. Improvements due to improved cushioning have been incremental. Prior solutions have not filled the need for an improved recoil-reducing device for longarm users with a high level of need, such as those who use high-powered calibers or carry out highly repetitive shooting sports. 
     
    
     DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     Brief Description of Drawings  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a front view of a recoil-reducer.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  shows a front view of a pouch enclosing the recoil-reducer.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  shows an exploded perspective view of components of the recoil-reducer.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of a recoil-reducer system members.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  shows a resilient plate having grooves formed therein.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a recoil-reducer system 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a front view of an embodiment of a recoil-reducer  100 . In one embodiment, a user  102 , hereinafter referred to as a shooter, disposes the recoil-reducer  100  over a portion  104  of the user&#39;s front side  106  proximal to one of the user&#39;s shoulders  108 . In operable position, the recoil-reducer  100  interposes a longarm (not shown) having a butt stock (not shown) and the portion  104 . The dashed line  110  represents the approximate surface area of the butt stock of the longarm projected onto the recoil-reducer  100 . It is should be noticed that the surface area of the recoil-reducer  100  is larger than the butt stock surface area as represented by the dashed line  110 .  
         [0017]     In some embodiments, the recoil-reducer  100  can be removable attached on the butt stock (not shown) of the longarm (not shown). In operation, the shooter  102  brings the butt stock upward to brace against the portion  104  of the shooter&#39;s front side  106 . Thus, in operable position, the recoil-reducer  100  is disposed over portion  104  by the shooter  102  placing the longarm (not shown) in shooting position.  
         [0018]     In other embodiments, the recoil-reducer  100 , which is designed to fit on the front of the shooter&#39;s shoulder  108 , can be worn (via suspension system), or held in place by the shooter, between the butt stock of the longarm and the portion  104  of the shooter  102 .  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , in one embodiment, the recoil-reducer  100  is carried in a pouch  112 . In one embodiment, the pouch  112  is adapted to couple to clothing of the shooter  102 . For example, the pouch  112  might include fasteners such as, but not limited to, Velcro™, snaps, etc, for coupling the pouch to clothing. In other embodiments, the pouch  112  is coupled to a strap, harness, or other article that the shooter  102  can wear, and when the shooter  102  wears the strap, harness, or other article, the pouch  112  is disposed over the portion  104  of the shooter  102 . The pouch  112  contains, supports, and maintains the recoil-reducer  100 . The pouch  112  may have open, or fastenable compartments, or permanently fastened compartments for holding the recoil-reducer  100 . Adjustable straps, harness or other suspending devices serve to support the pouch  112  in the desired position on the shooter  102 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of the recoil-reducer  100  in exploded view. The recoil-reducer  100  includes a resilient plate  114 , an inertia member  116 , and a compressible member  118 . Typically, the resilient plate  114  is coupled to the inertia member  116  by an adhesive (not shown) such as glue, or by mechanical fasteners such as screws or rivets (not shown), and the compressible member  118  is adhered to the inertia member  116  such that the inertia member  116  is sandwiched between the resilient plate  114  and the compressible member  118 . In another embodiment, the resilient plate  114  is sandwiched between the inertia member  116  and the compressible member  118 . However, the present invention is intended to cover other permutations of the arrangement of the resilient plate  114 , inertia member  116 , and compressible member  118 .  
         [0021]     However, in some embodiments, one or more of the elements, which include, but are not limited to, the resilient plate  114 , the inertia member  116 , and the compressible member  118 , of the recoil-reducer  100  might not be adhered to another element of the recoil-reducer. For example the resilient plate  114  might not be adhered to other elements of the recoil-reducer  100 , and in that case, the pouch  112  serves as an aligner by holding the elements in functionally appropriate alignment.  
         [0022]     Furthermore, it should be noted that in some embodiments, the inertia member  116  is optional and that the recoil-reducer  100  is comprised by the resilient plate  114  abutting the compressible member  118 .  
         [0023]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a recoil-reducer system  1100  includes an inertial member  1016  coupled to a resilient plate  1014  by mechanical fasteners, including but not limited to, screws or rivets  1020 . The resilient plate  1014  is coupled to a compressible member  1018  that is coupled to a second resilient plate  1015  that is coupled to a second compressible member  1019 . In an alternative embodiment of the recoil-reducer system  1100 , the inertial member  1016  is optional. An additional embodiment would include up to three resilient plates alternating with three compressible elements.  
         [0024]     The resilient plate  114  is a plate of rigid or semi-rigid material capable of withstanding, with virtually no plastic deformation or compression, the impulse caused by the discharging of a longarm against the resilient plate  114 . The resilient plate  114  mag be constructed of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and polyethtlene thermoplastics. As a non-limiting example, the resilient plate  114  is made from Lexan by General Electric Plastics such as Lexan 9030 or Lexan 9034, which both have a Flexural Modulus of 345,000 pounds per square inch (psi) as measured by the American National Standards Institute ASTM D790 test (D790). Additional suitable materials for the resilient plate  114  include, but are not limited to; hard rubber, hard neoprene, aluminum, and steel. Typically, the resilient plate is made from a material having a D790 flexural modulus of 15,000 psi to 700,000 psi.  
         [0025]     The material specifications can be varied, while using the same basic principles to meet a broad array of applications. For instance, in the case of skeet shooting competition the firearms may recoil with as little as 5 ft/lb of recoil energy. However, the skeet shooter must move while shooting and is often required to fire a hundreds of shots in the course of a day&#39;s competition, thus, a thinner more flexible resilient plate  114  would be desirable to facilitate ease of movement while still retaining perceivable recoil dampening characteristics. Conversely, shooters who fire heavy recoiling firearms (sometimes in excess of 200 ft/lb of recoil energy per shot in the case of 4 bore rifles) will require increased rigidity in the resilient plate  114 . The flexing and recoil distributing characteristics of the resilient plate  114  can be controlled by using specific materials listed above in thicknesses ranging approximately from 0.03 inch to 1.0 inch. The thickness can also be varied across the resilient plate  114  to achieve desired flexing and recoil dispersing characteristics for given applications. Another means of controlling the axis of flexing and recoil distributing characteristics of the resilient plate  114  is demonstrated in  FIG. 5 . The resilient plate  1114  includes grooves or cuts  1116  that allow flexing in predetermined portions are within the scope of this invention. These include, but are not limited to: grooves that reduce the thickness of the resilient plate  1114  to increase flexing in predetermined areas, straight cuts, curved cuts, and serpentine style cuts that allow flexing in two axes.  
         [0026]     The inertia member  116  is selected from materials having a density in the range of approximately 1.0 to 19.6 grams per cubic centimeter. Non-limiting examples of materials that can be used in the inertia member  116  include lead, bismuth, tungsten, and mercury, or a combination of materials. The inertia member  116  is sized such that when a longarm is discharged against the recoil-reducer  100 , the mass of the inertia member  116  resists a change in its momentum due to the impulse caused by the discharging of the longarm.  
         [0027]     Compressible member  118  cushions the shooter  102  against the backward thrust of a recoiling object. The compressible member  118  can be made from a variety of materials that elastically deform under pressure, including, but not limited to, Poron (manufactured by Rogers Corporation), other Urethane foams, Vinyle Acetate foam, Nitrile Vinyl foams, Ethylene, and other closed or open celled foams, cellular neoprene, or soft rubber. The compressible element  118  mag be of uniform or varying thickness and may be constructed of one or multiple pieces with differing thicknesses, densities, and compression and rebound characteristics. In some embodiments, the compressible member  118  has a face that generally conforms to the contour of the front side of the shooter&#39;s shoulder  104 . The thickness of the compressible member  118  can also be varied to suit specific applications. The total thickness of the compressible member  118  will range from 0.100″ to 1.50″.  
         [0028]     As illustrated by  FIG. 1 , the surface area of a butt stock of a longarm is smaller than the surface area of the resilient plate  114 . In some embodiments, the surface area of the compressible member  118  is approximately the same as the surface area of the resilient plate. Consequently, the resilient plate  114  in conjunction with the compressible member distribute the recoil force over a surface area greater than the impinging portion of the recoiling longarm. (See  FIG. 1  where the dashed line  110  represents the surface area of the butt stock, which is the portion of the longarm that provides the impulse to the shooter  102 , when the longarm is discharged.) The recoil-reducer  100  distributes the impulse from discharging the longarm over a surface area greater than the surface area of the butt stock of the longarm, and consequently, the shooter  102  feels a smaller force applied per unit area by using the recoil-reducer  100 . The end of a butt stock is typically an elongated oval shape, with an area of 4 to 6 square inches for longarms normally used by youths and an area of 6 to 12 square inches for longarms normally used by adults. The recoil-reducer  100  typically ranges from an area of approximately 9 square inches to approximately 15 square inches for a child&#39;s model, and for a model used by a large adult, the surface area of the recoil-reducer  100  typically ranges from approximately 175 square inches to approximately 75 square inches. Typically, the minimum ratio between the surface area of an adult sized recoil-reducer  100  and the surface area of an adult sized butt stock of a longarm is approximately 15, and the minimum ratio between youth sized recoil-reducers and youth sized longarms is also approximately 15.  
         [0029]     Because the recoil reducer  100  is interposed between the butt stock and the shooter, the firearm must be extended by the thickness of the recoil reducer  100  from the shooter. Thus, the thinner the total thickness of the recoil reducer  100  the more convenient it is to use. Typically, the thickness of the recoil reducer  100 , including the pouch  112 , would range from an approximate minimum of 0.125 inch to an approximate maximum of 3.00 inches. In this way, by using the same fundamental principles the device can be fashioned in a thin-flexible configuration to suit the needs of high volume-low recoil user up to a virtually rigid-maximum thickness configuration for users of heavy recoiling firearms.  
         [0030]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a recoil-reducer system  200  includes a front pouch  202  and a rear pouch  204 , which are connected by a strap  206 . In operable position, the front pouch  202  is disposed over a portion a shooter&#39;s front side and the rear pouch  204  is disposed over a portion of the shooter&#39;s back side. The front pouch  202  carries a recoil-reducer  100 . The rear pouch  204  carries a counter weight  208 . The counter weight  208  has a weight that is approximately the same as the weight of the recoil-reducer  100 .  
         [0031]     Various combinations and permutations of the above-mentioned components of the recoil-reducer  100  will be appropriate for different applications and are intended to be within the scope of this invention. These combinations include, but are not limited to, all configurations that combine the resilient plate  114  with one or both of the inertia member  116  and compressible element  118 ; all configurations that combine the desired energy dispersing properties of the resilient plate  114  and mass of the inertial element  116  into one element.  
         [0032]     All configurations wherein one or more of the components of the recoil-reducer  100  are of uniform thickness are intended to be within the scope of this invention. All configurations wherein one or more of the components of the recoil-reducer  100  are of varying thickness are also intended to be within the scope of this invention  
         [0033]     All configurations wherein one or more of the components of the recoil-reducer  100  are flat are intended to be within the scope of this invention. All configurations wherein one or more of the components of the recoil-reducer  100  are shaped to conform to the contours of the recoil-receiving area of the user&#39;s body are also intended to be within the scope of this invention. All configurations wherein one or more of the components of the recoil-reducer  100  are shaped to conform to the contours of the recoil imparting device (e.g., butt stock) are intended to be within the scope of this invention.  
         [0034]     All configurations wherein the components of the recoil-reducer  100  are fixedly attached to each other are within the scope of this invention. All configurations wherein the components of the recoil-reducer  100  are not fixedly attached to each other are also within the scope of this invention.  
         [0035]     All configurations wherein the compartment of the pouch  112  is permanently closed are within the scope of this invention. All configurations wherein the compartment of the pouch  112  is temporarily closed are within the scope of this invention. All configurations wherein the compartment of the pouch  112  is open are within the scope of this invention.  
         [0036]     All configurations wherein the resilient plate  114  is of sufficient mass to perform the function of the inertia member  116 , are within the scope of this invention.  
         [0037]     All configurations wherein the inertia member  116  is a solid mass are within the scope of this invention. All configurations wherein the inertia member  116  is comprised of one or more pieces, from two to mane (including granular or spherical particles) contained in one or more compartments, or are fixedly or removeably attached to the resilient plate  114  are within the scope of this invention.  
         [0038]     In another alternative embodiment the recoil-reducer is removably attached to or suspended from the butt of a gun.  
         [0039]     It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present invention, particularly, any “preferred” or “exemplary” embodiments, are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the invention. It should also be appreciated that any particular embodiment may include only some of the various aspects of the present invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention and protected by the following claims.