Abstract:
A hand gun case body that is fully enclosed except for a door opening including a hinged door that latches to the case to close the opening. A slide inside the case body slides into and out of a door opening and carries a hand gun that is accordingly transferred between positions of containment within the case body and accessibility outside the case body. A biasing member urges the slide to the accessibility position when the door is opened. The biasing member is remote from the hand gun and avoids interference with said accessibility. The latch is actuated by a personal feature recognition device, e.g., a fingerprint recognition device and upon presentation of said personal feature to said device, said door is unlatched and the hand gun is presented to an authorized user.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to the gun locking and security field and more particularly to a safe and secure case for a loaded hand gun that allows an authorized user rapid, unobstructed and effortless access to the hand gun.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Crime and violence is not confined to the urban environment, but also persists throughout suburban and rural communities. As a result, there exist a large and expanding segment of the population who choose to own hand guns for self-protection, protection of others and protection of property. For this population, immediate and unrestricted access to the hand gun is crucial, since the need typically arises only in an emergency situation, such as when an intruder enters ones dwelling. Thus, anything less than free, open, unobstructed and immediate access to the hand gun defeats the primary purpose of owning the hand gun, i.e., protection.  
           [0003]    Wide spread gun ownership has increased the number of accidents or incidents involving the use of the hand gun by an unauthorized person. Just as the population of gun owners is growing, a strong movement to protect innocent third parties, such as children, from the dangers of an accessible loaded hand gun is gaining momentum. Children in particular are intrigued by guns and have fallen victim to accidental shootings because the gun owner has taken less than adequate measures to secure the hand gun. Just as tragic is the unfortunate trend involving school shootings, which may have been prevented had the gun owner taken measures to prevent access to the hand gun by unauthorized persons. Thus, the safety-conscious segment of the population demand virtually infallible security and safety measures to prevent the unfortunate consequences that can arise from unauthorized access to a hand gun.  
           [0004]    Until now, no one has been able to solve the problem of effectively marrying the two competing interests of accessibility and safety demanded by the seemingly opposing population segments discussed above. The present invention solves this problem by offering a hand gun case that is safe and secure from unauthorized access without sacrificing rapid and unobstructed accessibility when the need arises.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention solves the aforementioned problems and meets the aforementioned needs by providing a secure rapidly accessible two-part impregnable gun case that uses feature recognition to allow an authorized user immediate and unobstructed access to a hand gun.  
           [0006]    In the preferred embodiment, a gun case is made out of a lightweight material, such as plastic, reinforced with embedded belts that cannot be readily cut. One end of the case has an access cover that is hingably attached to the case. The case attaches to a fixed energized base through the use of a locking mechanism that prevents the case from being moved without unlocking it from the base. The two-part case allows the user to remove the case from the base, transport and attach the case to a fixed base in a different location, such as in a motor home or vacation property. This feature facilitates portability of the case without sacrificing safety and security.  
           [0007]    Enclosed in the case is a slide mechanism that supports the hand gun and projects it out of the case when the access door opens. The access cover opens when the lock is activated by a feature recognition system&#39;s identification of an authorized user&#39;s feature. It is the preferred embodiment of this invention to use fingerprint recognition, but other forms of feature recognition can be used such as voice activation.  
           [0008]    The invention involves security measures used to meet the needs of the safety-conscious population. The case locks to a base that is securely attached to a surface in a location chosen by the authorized user. This prevents removal without unlocking the case.  
           [0009]    This is an improvement over the prior art, which generally cover secure cases that are not fixed to a surface. If an unauthorized person attempts to cut through the case or forcibly remove the case from the base, an audible alarm will sound. A further safety measure includes strategic placement within the case of a material, such as LEXAN, to absorb a bullet if the gun accidentally fires.  
           [0010]    The invention also involves features that meet the gun owner population&#39;s demands of immediate and unobstructed access to the hand gun by using a fully enclosed spring loaded adjustable slide mechanism, which projects the gun out of the case when the access door is opened. This allows the authorized user clean, immediate and properly oriented access to the hand gun in an emergency. The gun attaches to the slide by the use of an interchangeable dowel sized to fit a particular caliber of gun. The position of the slide is adjustable depending on the size of the gun. It is desirable that the butt of the gun be located just behind the access cover so the gun projects out to maximum reach. The springs in the slide are enclosed within the slide unit and there is no support to the butt of the gun, thus once projected, the user may cleanly grab the gun.  
           [0011]    The present invention also caters to both the gun owner and safety conscious population by providing immediate, unobstructed, yet secure access to the hand gun through the use of feature recognition to activate the lock securing the case access cover. In the preferred embodiment, when an emergency arises, the authorized user can touch a reader board mounted on the case. If the person&#39;s print is recognized as an authorized print, it will activate a solenoid and unlock the access cover. This is an improvement over the prior art that teaches using a key or combination lock to prevent access by an unauthorized user. In a panic situation, fumbling with a key, possibly in the dark, or trying to remember a combination, code or sequence of button depressions is cumbersome, time consuming, and potentially life threatening. This invention also is an improvement over the prior art that teaches using a fingerprint recognition system because the prior art, requires the user to, once he or she has properly deactivated the locking mechanism, affirmatively reach into the container to retrieve the hand gun. This too, is cumbersome and time consuming depending on the orientation of the hand gun, and may also be life threatening. The feature recognition system is energized by a constant power source provided to the base, or in the event of an interruption of this source, i.e. power failure, the case contains a rechargeable battery source. A key activated manual override is provided in case there may be total failure of the energy source.  
           [0012]    The present invention is an improvement over known prior art with particular reference to U.S. Pat. No. 1,557,339 issued to Sander. Sander describes a spring-loaded plate that attaches to both the butt and barrel of the gun, and projects the hand gun when the access door is opened. In Sander, the projecting springs are exposed and encumber access to the gun. Also, the gun butt is cradled by a two-piece mounting bracket that, due to the upturned ends, obstructs clean access to the gun and sacrifices speed.  
           [0013]    Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved gun case that meets the competing societal demands of providing a secure, tamper resistant, safe gun case without sacrificing unobstructed access to the hand gun.  
           [0014]    It is a further object of the preferred embodiment to accommodate portability of the case without sacrificing security or safety.  
           [0015]    The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the following drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a rapid access secure gun case and mounting mechanism in accordance with the invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of the rapid access secure gun case of FIG. 1 in an open position showing a hand gun and the manner of mounting the hand gun to the case and the case to a base;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective illustration of the fingerprint scanner and the solenoid lock mechanism contained in the gun case of FIG. 1;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3A is a cross section view of the operating components of the lock mechanism of FIG. 3;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of the slide mechanism to which a hand gun is mounted within the gun case of FIG. 1;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4A is a top view perspective illustration of the operating components of the slide mechanism of FIG. 4;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4B is a bottom view perspective illustration of the operating components of the slide mechanism of FIG. 4; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 5 is a perspective illustration of a hand gun mounted to the slide mechanism at its full extension from the gun case. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 illustrates a secure hand gun case of the present invention. The case  10  is made of a lightweight impregnable material that, in this embodiment, is reinforced with virtually unseverable webbing or belting. The belting may be applied to the case in various patterns and the dash lines  11  merely illustrate a possible pattern of such belting. By itself, the case  10  is freely transportable. The case  10  can be securely attached to the base  12  (see FIG. 2) through the use of a base locking mechanism  14 . The base  12  is itself secured to a night stand, end table or the like by fasteners  15 . The hand gun owner may unlock the locking mechanism  14  using a key, remove the case  10  from the base  12 , transport the case securely containing the hand gun  18 , and lock the case  10  to a different fixed base  12  at another location.  
         [0025]    The case  10  has an access cover  16  that, when in the closed position, prevents access to the Hand gun  18 . The access cover  16  is locked in the closed position by a locking mechanism  24  to be described in more detail later. The locking mechanism  24  is activated by a feature recognition device  26 , such as a fingerprint scanner as depicted in the preferred embodiment.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2 is an exploded view that depicts the rapid access secure gun case with the access cover  16  in the open position and the hand gun  18  projected out of the case  10  in exploded view but see also FIG. 5. In the preferred embodiment, the access cover  16  is hingably attached by hinges  20  at the bottom rear portion of the case  10  and opens downward and rearward. The access cover  16  has a latch  28  that allows the access cover  16  to be retained in a closed and secure position when the hand gun is not required. As noted from FIG. 5, the hand gun  18  is mounted on a spring loaded slide mechanism  22  that is preloaded when the access cover  16  is in its closed and locked position. When an authorized user unlatches the locking mechanism  24 , the stored energy in the preloaded slide mechanism projects rearward thus forcing the access cover  16  to flip open and the hand gun  18  to be projected out of the case  10  making the hand gun  18  accessible to the authorized user. The hingable attachment  20  may also be spring loaded so that when the locking mechanism  24  is unlatched, the stored energy in the spring of attachment  20  will assist the access cover  16  to open.  
         [0027]    It is equally understood by those skilled in the art that the access cover  16  could be located and hingably attached to the top of the case  10  and would flip to the side or forward to allow the hand gun  18  to project upward out of the case giving the authorized user immediate and unobstructed access to the hand gun  18 .  
         [0028]    [0028]FIGS. 3, 3A,  4 ,  4 A and  4 B are detailed illustrations of the internal mechanism of the case. The locking mechanism  24  keeps the access cover  16  in a closed and secure position until the feature recognition device recognizes a pre-identified feature of an authorized user. In the preferred embodiment described herein, a fingerprint reading device  30  is used as the feature recognition device to confirm whether or not a user is an authorized user with rights to access to the hand gun. To those skilled in the art, however, modifications and variations are within the contemplation and scope of the invention, such as by using a voice activated recognition system.  
         [0029]    As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 3A, the fingerprint reader device  30  is mounted to the case  10  though the use of a reader board lock mount  32 . Lock mount  32  is fixed to case  10  with bolts  33  protruded through flange  37  and into a wall of case  10 . The reader board  30  is assembled to the lock mount  32  as necessary to project the recognition screen  39  through the window  41  formed in the case  10 .  
         [0030]    Also mounted to the case  10  is a solenoid having a fixed housing  34  and a slidable plunger  43 . Upon receiving an electrical impulse, the plunger is retracted (moves inwardly) into solenoid housing  34 . The plunger  43  is provided with a pin connection to lock arm  36  via pin  45  passing through hole  47  of the plunger  43  aligned between holes  49  of fork  51  provided on one end of the lock arm  36 . Thus an electrical impulse applied to the solenoid produces retraction of lock arm  36 . The opposite end  53  of lock arm  36  is configured to have a slot  55  through which pin  40  is projected and secured to lock mount  32 . The slot permits limited axial movement of the arm  36  relative to pin  40  and lock mount  32 .  
         [0031]    A bracket portion  57  of lock mount  32  receives a bearing pin  59  which pivotally supports pivotal latch member  61  having lug  35  and latch hook  63 . Spring  64  biases latch member  61  in the clockwise direction, i.e., in a direction where latch hook  63  disengages from cover latch  28 . Lock arm  36  is biased toward member  61  by a spring S inside solenoid housing  34  and nose portion  67  of arm  36  is seated in notch  69  to prevent clockwise rotation of member  61  and thereby retains the locked position. Energizing solenoid  34  produces retraction of plunger  43  to allow the spring  64  to disconnect latch hook  63  from cover latch  28  and thus opening of cover  16 . By manually closing the cover, the cover latch  28  engages lug  35  to force counter clockwise rotation of member  61  until the spring biased lock arm  36  again nests in notch  69  whereat latch hook  63  again secures the cover  16  in the locked position.  
         [0032]    In operation, a would-be authorized user places a finger or thumb on the exposed portion of the reader board  30 , which scans the print and compares it to authorized fingerprint maps digitally stored in the memory of the reader board  30 . If the user&#39;s print matches a stored authorized print, he or she is recognized as an authorized user and an impulse signal is sent to a normally de-energized solenoid  34 . Once energized, the cover is unlocked as explained above to decouple hook  63  from the cover latch  28 . De-energizing the solenoid returns control of the lock arm positioning to the inner spring S of the solenoid housing  35  which projects into engagement with member  61 . Upon closure of the cover  16 , the lock member  61  is rotated against the urging of spring  64  to align notch  67  with the nose end of lock arm  36  which enters the notch  67  and provides relocking of cover  16 .  
         [0033]    There are several available power sources for the finger print reader board  30 . In the preferred embodiment described herein, the power source is a rechargeable battery pack  42  housed in the slide mechanism  22 . (See FIG. 4A) The base  12  may be directly energized and keep the rechargeable battery pack constantly charged. Solar cells can also be mounted on the outside of the case to supply energy to the rechargeable battery pack. In case of a total power failure, the access cover  16  may still be unlocked, e.g., by using the case from base  12  and with the bottom of the case exposed having provided thereat access to the lock arm  36  to force the lock arm  36  against the urging of the inner spring in the solenoid case to thereby allow opening of cover  16 .  
         [0034]    [0034]FIGS. 3, 4,  4 A and  4 B illustrate the spring slide mechanism  22  and related components that projects the hand gun  18  out of the case  10 . As more fully depicted in the exploded views of FIGS. 4A and 4B, a slotted hand gun slide  44  slides within the slide base  46 . Housed within the slide base  46  and connected to the underside of the hand gun slide  44  are two opposing springs  48  and  50 . The compression spring  48  is responsible for projecting the hand gun slide  44  rearward out of the slide base  46 , and thus rearward out of the case  10 . The extension spring  50  opposes the compression spring  48  to slow the projection of the hand gun slide  44  as it reaches maximum extension out of the slide base  46  so as to avoid jarring stops that might dislodge the gun from the slide. Both springs  48  and  50  are fully enclosed within the slide base  46  and the bottom spring cover  52 . (See FIG. 4B) Energy is stored in the compression spring  48  as the slide  44  is manually slid into the slide base  46  against the biasing of spring  48  and retained in such a position by the closure of the access cover  16 . When the access cover  16  is unlocked by an authorized user, the force of the compression spring  48  causes the access cover  16  to open and the hand gun slide  44  to project the hand gun  18  out of the case  10 . As the slide  44  reaches its fully extended position, the increased resistance of spring  50  counteracts the rearward movement of the slide to provide both rapid but not jarring full retraction of the slide. The compression spring is stronger than the extension spring even at full opening of the cover  16  whereby the cover  16  is maintained in the opened position until manually closed.  
         [0035]    With reference to FIGS. 2, 4A and  4 B, an angular hand gun mount bracket  54  is adjustably mounted to the hand gun slide  44  by the mount bolt  53 . The slot  58  running much of the length of the hand gun slide  44  allows the hand gun mount bracket  54  to be positioned on the hand gun slide  44  such that when the hand gun slide  44  is fully extended, the hand gun  18  is projected out of case  10  to the fullest extent allowing maximum accessibility. FIG. 5 depicts the hand gun  18  mounted to the hand gun slide  46  at its maximum extension.  
         [0036]    The hand gun mount bracket  54  has a bore dowel  60  affixed to the front upward angled portion of the mount bracket  54 . The bore dowel  60  supports the hand gun  18 , yet it allows the authorized user to effortlessly remove the hand gun  18  from the bore dowel  60  once projected out of the case  10 . The bore dowel  60  is removably attached to the mount bracket  54 , and fully interchangeable to accommodate any caliber of hand gun.  
         [0037]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention. Some of these potential variations from the preferred embodiment have been identified above. The invention, therefore, is not to be limited to the embodiments described and illustrated, but is to be determined from the appended claims.