Abstract:
The present invention will provide a flexible secondary weapon mount that can quickly and easily attach and detach to an OGPK surface and retain/eject a secondary weapon quickly and easily. Furthermore, the present invention is designed to operate with common weapon mount pintles for compatibility. This is accomplished by utilizing a base, support levers, and a ball lock retention pin for retaining he secondary mount to a surface and retaining/ejecting the secondary weapon quickly and easily.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/693,989, filed on Aug. 28, 2012, and incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a secondary weapon mount, and more particularly, to a device capable of attaching to a surface and quickly mounting and un-mounting a weapon. 
     DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
     A weapon mount is generally described as a component used to secure large calibre armaments such as heavy machine guns, cannons, and/or missile launchers. Typical weapon mounts include turrets, swing mounts, coaxial mounts, and ground mounts. Generally, weapon mounts are static, although they may be used on vehicles for portability. 
     Some weapon mounts include protection for the weapon and user, while others do not. Generally, the protection comprises a barrier between the user and the target, such as a metal shield permitting the weapon to project outward from the shield. While this system may provide adequate support for known targets, it is often necessary to protect against or attack targets which are unknown or positioned outside the optimal range of the weapon mount. 
     A coaxial mount is a static mount having a secondary weapon and positioned perpendicular near the main mount. The secondary weapon will generally serve to reduce the collateral damage that would occur if the main weapon was used. Furthermore, the secondary weapon may be used for additional protection against unknown targets. Primarily, this weapon mount is intended to support a secondary weapon as backup if the primary weapon should fail. If the primary weapon does fail, the gunner would then have an immediate second weapon available. Alternatively, a small machine gun may be mounted to a coaxial mount and used against targets where the main gun&#39;s power would be excessive or inefficient. 
     While coaxial mounts provide additional flexibility, their positions remain static, and as such, their position and flexibility are limited. Furthermore, more advanced weaponry can serve both the purpose of both the main weapon and the secondary weapon, as firepower is becoming increasingly more powerful, efficient, and contained. Therefore, a need exists for a flexible secondary weapon mount that can quickly and easily attach and detach to an OGPK surface for additional utility and firepower. The present invention satisfies these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will provide a flexible secondary weapon mount that can quickly and easily attach and detach to an OGPK surface and retain/eject a secondary weapon quickly and easily. Furthermore, the present invention is designed to operate with common weapon mount pintles for compatibility. This is accomplished by utilizing a base, support levers, and a ball lock retention pin for retaining he secondary mount to a surface and retaining/ejecting the secondary weapon quickly and easily. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the secondary weapon mount is positioned strategically to the right or left top lip of the OGPK surface approximant to the gunner&#39;s shoulders. The primary purpose of the secondary weapon mount is to provide a second source of firepower in the unfortunate case when the primary forward weapon should fail. Furthermore, it will also cover a range or anticipated target that the main weapon mount may not be optimally suited for. As an example, a main weapon mount may be positioned to focus at an important strategic location, while the secondary weapon mount may be positioned to focus behind the user. 
     The secondary weapon mount comprises a base, a pair of support levers, a pintle adapter, and a release pin. The base is placed on the upper lip of the OGPK and is secured by the support levers. The weapon is attached to the pintle adapter, which is inserted into the base and secured by the ball lock release pin. When mounted, the weapon will be rotationally attached to the secondary weapon mount and can be released by removing the ball lock release pin. 
     These and other objectives of the present invention will become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a front tear away view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a top cross-sectional view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a side cross-sectional view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of the pintle adapter; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the pintle adapter; 
         FIG. 10  is a front close-up view of the pintle adapter base. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. The following explanation provides specific details for a thorough understanding of and enabling description for these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand that the structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments. 
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list. 
     The present invention discloses a secondary weapon mount  10  comprising a base  10 , a pair of support levers  40 , a pintle adapter  50 , and a release pin  60 . These components work in conjunction to provide a flexible secondary weapon mount  10  in the unfortunate event that the primary weapon would fail. Furthermore, the present invention can be repositioned simply by releasing the support levers  40  and reattaching the base  20  to an alternate location. 
     The base  20  comprises a first wall  21 , a second wall  22 , and a peripheral edge  23  defining a retention space  24 . The present invention is intended to be positioned upon an OGPK turret, where the retention wall will displace the retention space  24  created by the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and peripheral edge  23 , thereby supporting the invention on the OGPK turret. In an alternative embodiment, a thin rubber shim (not shown) is adhered to the second wall  23  providing for a secure attachment and vibration dampening. In the preferred embodiment, steel or steel alloys are used for the base  20 , although any suitable material can be used. 
     The base  20  further comprises a main support body  30  having a top surface  31  positioned adjacent to the peripheral edge  23 . A conical frustum  32  is positioned within the main support body  30  about a vertical axis  33 , wherein the conical frustum  32  is adapted to accept a pintle adapter  50 . A release pin aperture  34 , or ball lock release pin, is positioned near the base  35  of the conical frustum  32  and perpendicular to the vertical axis  33  such that a release pin  60  would obstruct the path of a pintle adapter  50  when inserted into the conical frustum  32 . A through hole  36  is also positioned concentric with the main support body  30  and conical frustum  32  about the vertical axis  33 . 
     A pair of support levers  40  are positioned on opposing side walls  41  of the main support body  30  about a horizontal rotational axis  42  parallel to the first  21  and second walls  22  and traveling through the main support body  30  below the conical frustum  32 . Each support lever  40  further comprises a handle  43  at its proximal end  44 , wherein the handles  43  are generally circular, and a support lever cam  45  at its distal end  46  concentric with the horizontal rotational axis  42 . The support levers  40  are adapted to rotate within a range of up to 270 degrees. 
     A pair of rubber dampeners  47  are positioned adjacent to the first wall  21  and support lever cams  45  such that rotating the support levers  40  will rotate the support lever cams  45 , which will drive the rubber dampeners  47  towards the second wall  22 . As such, the support levers  40  and rubber dampeners  47  operate to secure the present invention to a retention wall and further dampen the vibration of the present invention when rotated into a closed position. In an alternative embodiment, the rubber dampeners  47  are pivotally attached to the first wall  21 . In a further alternative embodiment, the rubber dampeners  47  are rotationally attached to the base  20 . In yet a further alternative embodiment, the rubber dampeners  47  further comprise a coil spring  48  for applying forward tension to the rubber dampeners  47 , thereby maintaining them in an open position until driven by the support lever cams  45 . 
     The pintle adapter  50  is generally shaped as a conical frustum  32  having an annular groove  51  at its base  52  and adapted to accept a weapon at its top  53 . The release pin aperture  34  is adapted to align with the annular groove  51  such that, when the pintle adapter  50  is placed within the conical frustum  32 , a release pin  60  inserted into the release pin aperture  34  will lock the pintle adapter  50  in place by displacing the space  61  within both the release pin aperture  34  and annular groove  51 . In an alternative embodiment, the release pin  60  comprises a push lock  62  or ball lock, wherein the release pin  60  cannot be removed unless the push lock  62  is depressed. 
     The above detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above or to the particular field of usage mentioned in this disclosure. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. 
     Changes can be made to the invention in light of the above “Detailed Description.” While the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Therefore, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. 
     While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventor contemplates the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. 
     Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention.