Abstract:
A shell catcher for use with hand-held firearms adjustably detachably mounts on a side of the firearm for receiving and retaining spent shells expelled by the firearm. The shell catcher has a base, which mounts on a side of the firearm and a collapsible flexible housing, which is detachably pivotally mounted on the mounting base. The housing is stretched on a rigid frame that moves between a closed position when the shells are received in the housing and an open position allowing unobstructed view of the gun chamber. The spent shells are removed from the housing by means of opening the bottom of the housing or by removing the housing from the base.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to firearms, and more particularly, to shell catchers attachable to hunting rifles, handguns, and other similar devices for collecting of empty shells expelled by the firearm.  
         [0002]     During practice or competition, gun aficionados use a large amount of ammunition, resulting in a pile of empty shells, which fall from the gun to the ground and have to be collected and then disposed in a prescribed manner. A hunter may prefer to retrieve the shells so as to remove the scent of the foreign smell in a hunting area and not alert the prey to the hunter&#39;s presence in the area. During hunting, the shells may fall into tall grass where the shell collecting is tiresome and time-consuming.  
         [0003]     The present invention contemplates provision of a shell catcher device that can be detachably mounted on a firearm, be it a handheld gun, hunting rifle, or other such weapon.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a shell catcher device, which can be detachably mounted on a hand-held firearm for catching spent shells.  
         [0005]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a shell catcher device that safely retains the shells in a compact bag attachable to the side of the firearm to make collection of the shells easy.  
         [0006]     These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of shell catcher device that is detachably mountable on a side of a firearm adjacent an area, where the empty shells are expelled. The shell catcher device comprises a mounting base adjustably detachably securable on the hand-held firearm, and a housing for receiving the spent shells detachably pivotally mountable on the firearm. The housing comprises a soft, flexible, collapsible bag stretched on a frame and a securing plate, which detachably engages the mounting base.  
         [0007]     A release pin carried by the frame allows to pivotally move the housing into an open position away from the firearm and into a closed position in contact with the firearm. The pin is spring loaded to normally retain the housing in the closed position. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals and wherein  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the gun shell catcher device in accordance with the present invention mounted on a handheld firearm.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the gun shell catcher device of the present invention as mounted on the handheld firearm.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the frame of the shell catcher device of the present invention, with the collapsible housing removed for clarity.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the shell catcher device of the present invention, with the collapsible housing removed for clarity, showing the front view of the frame and the mounting base, with the frame in a closed position.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a front view of the frame of the shell catcher device, with the frame in an open position.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the shell catcher device of the present invention, with the frame detached and the mounting base secured on the side of the gun.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]     Turning now to the drawings in more detail, numeral  10  designates the gun shell catcher device in accordance with the present invention. The shell catcher device comprises a base means  12  for mounting the device on a firearm and a shell receiving collapsible housing means  14 . The housing  14  is stretched over a frame assembly  16 , which is detachably secured on the base mounting means  12 .  
         [0016]     The frame assembly  16  comprises a lower inner supporting rod  18 , an outer supporting rod  20 , a first transverse supporting rod  22  and a second transverse supporting rod  24 . The rods  18 ,  20 ,  22 , and  24  follow a generally rectangular supporting frame. Extending outwardly from the rods  22  and  24  is an upright support member  26  and  28 , respectively. Each upright member  26  and  28  has a lower bent part  30  and  32 , respectively. The part  30  ( FIG. 4 ) extends inwardly toward the outer rod  20  and engages the proximate end  34  of the first transverse rod  22 . The curved lower part  32  of the upright member  28  engages a plate  36  securely attached to a proximate end of the second transverse rod  24 . One end of the lower inner supporting rod  18  is fixedly engaged with the plate  36 . A second end of the road  18  is secured to the proximate end  34  of the first transverse rod  22 .  
         [0017]     An upper inner supporting rod  40  extends between the upright rods  26  and  28  in a generally parallel relationship to the lower inner supporting rod  18  and the outer supporting rod  20 . The rod  40  extends approximately from a point of intersection of the curved portions  30  and  32  with their respective upright rods  26 ,  28  in order to provide further stability to the collapsible housing member  14 .  
         [0018]     The frame assembly  16  further comprises a securing plate  42 , which carries at least one sleeve  44  on the outer surface thereof. The sleeve  44  is sized and configured to receive a portion of the inner supporting rod  18  therethrough. A pair of spaced apart engagement sleeves  46  and  48  ( FIG. 6 ) is secured a distance from the sleeve  44 . A release pin  50  is slidably engaged within the sleeve  46  and  48 . The release pin  50  comprises a generally J-shaped member having a first portion  52  and a curved portion  54 . The curved portion  54  is engaged within the sleeves  46  and  48 , while a compression spring  56  is mounted about the portion  52 . The compression spring  56  urges against a head  58  of the release pin  50  on one end, and against the sleeve  46 —at its opposite end.  
         [0019]     The release pin  50  allows the frame assembly  16  to move into a locked, close position in close proximity to a firearm  80  as shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3 , and  6  and to pivot into an open position as shown in  FIG. 5 . When the user pushes on the head  58 , the free end of the release pin  50  is released from the sleeve  48 , allowing a pivotal movement of the frame assembly  16  about an axis formed by the rod  18 . To bring the frame assembly  16  into a closed position, the user again pushes on the head  58 , against the force of the compression spring  56  and then moves the free end of the release pin  50  into a sliding engagement with the sleeve  48 .  
         [0020]     The engagement plate  42  is adapted for a detachable engagement with a mounting base  60 . The mounting base  60  is comprised of adjustably movable members mounted in a sliding relationship to each other. The first mounting base member has at least a portion having an L-shaped configuration in cross section. Of course, other cross-sectional configurations may be employed depending on the style and shape of the gun. The first mounting base member has an upright portion  62  and a horizontal portion  64 . The upright portion  62  is provided with a leaf spring  66  ( FIG. 6 ) which is securely attached to the exterior surface of the upright portion  62 . The engagement plate  42  is adapted for sliding between the leaf spring  66  and the exterior surface of the portion  62 , thus detachably engaging the frame  16  on the firearm  80 .  
         [0021]     The second mounting base member  70  has a portion having a generally L-shaped cross section, with a horizontal part  72  and a vertical upright part  74 . As mentioned above, other cross-sectional configurations may be employed depending on the style and shape of the gun, on which the shell catching device of the present invention is to be positioned. A horizontal part  72  of the member  70  slidably engages the horizontal portion  64 . The horizontal plate  72  slides for a pre-determined adjustable distance along the top of the horizontal portion  64  of the first mounting base member. An engagement pin  76  extends through the vertical part  62  of the first member and engages with the plate  72  of the second mounting base member  70 . The engagement pin  76  may be a threaded bolt, which is rotated to allow the vertical part  74  move toward and away from the vertical part  62 .  
         [0022]     When positioned on a firearm  80 , the upright part  74  engages one side of the firearm body, while the second upright portion  62  engages the opposite side of the firearm body. Due to the sliding engagement between the two portions of the mounting base  60 , the shell catching device of the present invention can accommodate different width firearms, assuring that the shell catching device  10  is securely positioned and tightly engages the firearm  80 . As a result, the shell catching device  10  retains its firm engagement with the firearm  80  whether the shell catching device is in a closed or open position, or the housing is removed from the base completely.  
         [0023]     The frame assembly  16  further comprises an upper inner rod  90 , which is secured to upper ends of the upright members  26  and  28 . Connecting rod members  92  and  94  extend between the rod  90  and the outer supporting rod member  20 , thereby forming a cage for stretching of the collapsible housing  14  thereon. A first panel  96  of the collapsible member  14  is stretched between the upper rod member  90  and the lower outer rod member  20 . A second panel  98  is stretched between the rod members  26 ,  94 , and  22 , while the third panel member is stretched between the rod members  28 ,  92 , and  24 . The third panel member is a mirror image of the panel member  98 .  
         [0024]     A bag-shaped enclosure  100  is suspended from the rods  20 ,  22 ,  18 , and  24 . The enclosure  100  is fixedly attached to the panels  96 ,  98  and a third panel (not shown). The enclosure  100  serves as a housing for receiving spent shells expelled by the firearm  80 . The side of the housing  14  opposite the panel  96  is open, allowing the spent shells to be received by the housing  14  and delivered by gravity into the enclosure  100 . The collapsible housing body  14  can be formed from a strong flexible, collapsible material such as canvas or other fabric and is designed to withstand the weight of the shells housed within the closure  100 .  
         [0025]     In operation, the user positions the mounting base  60  on the firearm  80  and tightens the screw or bolt  76  such that the sides  74  and  62  tightly engage opposite sides of the firearm  80 . The user then engages the engagement plate  42  between the leaf spring  66  and the mounting base  60 , thereby suspending the housing  14  stretched on the frame assembly  16  on the firearm  80 . The protective cover of the panel  96  extends above and over the opening from which the shells are expelled. After the shooting competition or the hunt is over, the user can easily detach the housing  14  by pulling the frame  16  upward and releasing the plate  42  from its engagement on the mounting base  60 . The mounting base  60  can then be disengaged from the firearm  80  and stored separately from the housing  14 , if desired. The shells are then removed from the housing  14  and disposed of in the desired manner.  
         [0026]     Many changes and modifications can be made in the apparatus of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. We therefore pray that our rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.