Abstract:
A gun sling for carrying a rifle or shotgun is adjustable to serve either as a bungee sling or a fixed-length, non-stretch sling. In a preferred embodiment this is realized with a flexible sheath forming a portion of the sling, with a bungee cord or stretchable strap inside the sheath. With the bungee relaxed the sheath forms a non-stretchable but flexible portion of the sling. When the bungee cord is stretched and tensioned, the sheath gathers and shortens so that the bungee provides for a desired length of stretch.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention concerns equipment for military or police, such as police tactical personnel (SWAT), and in particular encompasses a gun sling which is adjustable from use as a bungee sling to use as a fixed-length sling. 
     Gun slings for military and police rifles have been of several different types, depending on the needs and desires of the user. There are single point slings and dual point slings, the single point slings comprising a loop of strapping, with provision to connect with the rifle at one point, while the dual point slings comprise a non-loop length of strapping with connection points at both ends. Also, some users prefer a bungee sling, which provides for elastic stretching and thus a somewhat springy suspension of the rifle, while others desire a non-stretch, fixed-length sling, depending in part on the situation. 
     It is an objective of the current invention to provide gun slings that allow a user the option of bungee sling or a fixed-length sling, with either a single or double-point gun connection. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Pursuant to the current invention, a gun sling for carrying a rifle or shotgun is adjustable to serve as a bungee sling or a fixed-length, non-stretch sling. In a preferred embodiment this is realized with a flexible sheath forming a portion of the sling, with a bungee cord or stretchable strap inside the sheath. With the bungee relaxed the sheath forms a non-stretchable but flexible portion of the sling. When the bungee cord is stretched and tensioned, the sheath gathers and shortens so that the bungee provides for a desired length of stretch. 
     The gun sling preferably includes a length adjustment, in a non-adjustable portion of the strap. This can be a tri-glide type adjustment buckle, and a quick-adjustment, with a spring-loaded cam lock, can also or alternatively be included. 
     Elastic slide loops can be included on the non-adjustable portions of the strap to cover strap tails and buckles involved in the change from bungee to fixed-length and vice versa. These loops may be located at each point where a buckle or a strap tail occurs, and are used to cover the buckle and to neatly store the extended strap tail as needed. 
     In a preferred embodiment two web extensions are provided, one at each end of the elastic cord, so that the cord is stretched from both ends when the bungee function is desired. 
     More broadly the invention encompasses an adjustable gun sling, for either single-point or dual-point connection, which comprises a flexible strap that includes in its length an adjustable portion that can be selectively of fixed length or elastically stretchable, with provision for convenient user selection. 
     It is among the objects of the invention to provide military and police personnel with a single gun sling that allows the function of either a bungee sling or a fixed-length sling, with easy selection of either mode. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, considered along with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view indicating a person using a dual-point gun sling to suspend a rifle over the shoulder. 
         FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  are views showing the back side, elevation and front side of a single-point adjustable gun sling of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a view showing an internal elastic cord which forms a part of the adjustable gun sling, with web extensions at each end. 
         FIG. 6  is a detail view showing the internal elastic cord as it is assembled into the gun sling. 
         FIGS. 7 ,  8 ,  9  and  10  are a series of views showing a procedure for changing from one mode of operation to another, for an adjustable gun sling according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows a gun sling  10  as worn by a user  12  who may be military or police personnel. The gun sling  10  supports any of various forms of rifle  14 , and in this case, a single-point connection, at the area shown at  16 , supports the rifle on the gun sling.  FIG. 1A , a similar drawing, shows a gun  14  supported on a dual-point sling  10   a , with upper and lower connection points at  18  and  20 . 
     As illustrated, the gun sling of the inventions rests on one shoulder  21  ( FIG. 1 ), and extends around the body and below the opposite arm  22 . The gun sling  10  comprises generally a strap formed in a loop configuration for the single-point sling of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 1  shows a strap extension or web extension  24  being gripped and pulled by the user&#39;s left hand  26 . This function will be explained below. 
       FIGS. 2 through 4  show a single-point connection gun sling  10  of the invention, generally as shown in  FIG. 1 . These views show the back side of the looped gun sling, the loop in plan view, showing the entire circumference, and the front side of the sling, respectively. These figures show that the gun sling  10  comprises essentially a flexible strap that extends substantially through the entire length of the gun sling. Within this strap  10  is an adjustable portion  30  as in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The remaining strap portions  32  and  34  are non-stretching and not adjustable in the same sense as the portion  30 . The remaining strap portions  32  and  34  preferably are formed of conventional webbing material as used on gun slings, which normally is a weave of artificial fibers, wide enough for comfort (preferably about one inch wide or wider). Length adjustments preferably are provided in these remaining strap sections. Thus,  FIGS. 2 and 3  show a tri-glide  36  that may be included at the back of the gun sling, a conventional adjustment buckle-type device that is adjusted by feeding strap into the bubble and sliding, this being used commonly to adjust for the user&#39;s body size. 
     In addition, the drawings show a quick adjustment  38  with a spring-loaded pivoted cam  40 . This quick adjustment device  38  is shown with a release pull  42  secured to the cam  40 , such that upward (outward) pulling on the cam will release the cam&#39;s grip on the strap portion  34  so that length can be adjusted by pulling on a strap tail  44  or pulling in the opposite direction via the strap portion  34 . The quick adjustment cam buckle device  38  can be configured so that the strap can be shortened (by pulling on the end or tail  44 ) even without manually releasing the cam, but release is necessary to let strap out and lengthen the strap.  FIGS. 2 and 3  also show slidable looped elastic covers  46 ,  48  and  50  which extend around the strap  10  and are slidable into position to cover the buckle  40  and extending tail or end  44 , folded and tucked (elastic loop cover  50 ), as well as adjustment devices at the front side of the sling as described below. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  reveal that the front side of the sling or strap  10  has the adjustable section  30  that extends between two adjustment buckles  52 . These adjustment buckles can be simple ladder-lock buckles of the well known type that allow pulling on a web extension  54  to pull a web strap through the ladder-lock buckle, where the strap will then be held with friction against tension in the section  30  which would tend to pull the web extension back through the ladder-locks in the opposite direction. Release can be made by tilting the ladder-lock buckles in the usual way ladder-locks are used. 
       FIG. 4  shows the front or forward side of the sling  10 .  FIG. 4  should be considered along with  FIG. 3 , as well as  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The adjustable portion  30  of the looped sling or strap  10  has a connection  56  for a rifle, and this may be the type of connection known as a snap shackle, such as used in the marine industry. A pull handle  58  allows quick release of the snap shackle to remove the rifle from the sling. The pull handle  58  is shown in a straight configuration in these drawings, as is the pull handle  42  in  FIG. 2 , but it is preferably a cord, such as a flexible cord of woven or twisted plastic fibers, that preferably is encased in a plastic tubing or other outer covering. Military and tactical police gear should be devoid of any components or extensions that can snag on other equipment, on trees or brush or other environmental obstacles. Each of these handles may terminate in a rubbery or plastic knob  60 . 
     In this embodiment the adjustable section or portion  30  of the sling is formed of a sheath  62  which generally mimics the flat, wide shape of the remaining portions of the strap  32 ,  34 . The connection point or snap shackle  56  of this single-point sling is secured by connected patches  64  of fabric, leather or other material, stitched or otherwise secured to the sheath  62 . The web extensions or tails  54  are seen emerging from the sheath  62  at the positions shown at the ends of the adjustable section  30 , passing through the retention buckles  52 . These extensions  54 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , are connected at their inner ends to a stretchable cord or bungee cord  66  that remains inside the sheath regardless of the mode of operation selected. The stretchable elastic cord  66  is relaxed in all of  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 , as well as  FIG. 5 . In this relaxed condition of the elastic cord, the web extensions or tails  54  extend minimally out of the sheath, just enough to be grasped by the user. The web extensions  54  can have a Z-shaped or a zig zag reversible portion  68  wherein the web is tripled in thickness and stitched in that configuration for a short distance, each Z about one inch. This thicker patch in the web prevents the tail end or web extension  54  from slipping back into the sheath  62 , through the buckles  52 . 
       FIG. 6  is an assembly detail showing the bungee cord  66  extending out of the sheath  62 , before being fully assembled into the sheath. The web extension  54 , after the cord  66  has fully entered the sheath, will be threaded through the ladder-lock or other type buckle  52 . 
       FIGS. 7 through 10  demonstrate changing the mode of operation of the gun sling  10  from non-stretch, fixed-length configuration (which was shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 ) to a bungee sling mode of operation. In  FIG. 7  the elastic looped sheaths or covers  48  are shown covering the buckles  52  and the web extensions  54  of the sling, at either end of the adjustable portion  30 . Compare  FIG. 7  to  FIG. 4 . The sheath  62  of the adjustable portion is fully extended and serves as a non-extendable strap portion, in the same manner as the remaining strap portions  32  and  34 . The connection point or snap shackle  56  is shown in the center. 
     In  FIG. 8  the elastic loop covers or sleeves  48  have been pulled back, outwardly from the adjustable portion  30 . This exposes the web extensions  54 , which are then pulled out from the sheath, toward one another, to the configuration shown in  FIG. 9 . The effect of the pulling out of these web extensions or tails  54  is to draw attention on the internal stretchable cord or bungee cord, that tension being effective to shorten the length of the adjustable section  30 , gathering the sheath as shown at  70 . The sheath may include some form of coil of wire or plastic material to encourage an orderly gathering of the sheath material. The internal bungee cord, while tensioned somewhat during the operation of pulling out the web extensions  54  and shortening the section  30 , is essentially relaxed once this is accomplished and the sling is in the configuration shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . Once the sling is worn on a person, carrying all or part of the weight of a rifle, or if the web extensions are pulled out while the sling is worn, the bungee will be stretched and will remain in tension. 
       FIG. 10  shows this portion  30  of the single-point sling after the web extensions have been folded and stowed alongside the buckles  52  and the cover sleeves  48  have been positioned over these features. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the web extensions  54  may be drawn out about 4 inches each, causing approximately 8 inches in reduction in the length of the adjustable section  30 . This gives about 8 inches maximum stretch to the bungee sling in use. Less stretch can be provided if desired. 
     In a modification of the above, only one web extension and the buckle  52  can be provided, with the stretchable elastic cord  66  simply fixed inside the sheath at one end. Thus, for example, the left end of the bungee cord  66  seen in  FIG. 5  can be without any web extension  54  but simply anchored to the remaining strap portion  52 , along with the anchoring of that sheath  62  to that strap portion  42 . In this way the single strap is simpler and one-handed in operation, and the single extension  54  can be somewhat longer than one of the extensions seen in the drawings or simply less stretch distance can be provided in the bungee sling mode of operation. Note that the “spring constant”, i.e. to force required to stretch the bungee and the change in force as stretching increases, can be selected as desired and may be different for a single-extension sling. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show the user pulling a web extension, shown at  24  in those drawings, equivalent to one of the web extensions  54 . This action converts a non-stretch sling to a bungee sling. Stowing of the pulled strap or tail can then be accomplished using two hands, if necessary, with an elastic slidable sleeve then placed over the stowed strapping buckle, as described above. 
     Note that the user may or may not want to adjust the length of the overall sling, whether a single-point sling or a dual-point sling, after changing to the bungee sling mode. If adjustment is needed to restore some of the length, this is done using the tri-glide  36  or the quick adjustment  38  ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ). 
     It should also be understood that the invention can encompass other arrangements for switching from a fixed-length gun sling to a bungee sling. For example, an elastic cord or bungee cord could be permanently and non-adjustably positioned within a sheath such as the sheath  62  shown in the drawings. The bungee can be fixed at both ends to the remaining portions of the strap  32  and  34 . A non-stretchable web or cord could be loosely contained within the sheath  62  alongside the bungee cord, with tail ends extending out, appearing similar to what is shown in  FIG. 8 , at least from the exterior (again, a single web extension or tail could be provided at one end if desired). In this case, pulling of the web extension or extensions, through a buckle or buckles, is effective not to shorten the adjustable section but to draw the non-stretchable cord taut alongside the relaxed bungee cord. With the buckle or buckles affixing the ends of the non-stretch cord to the other strap sections  32 ,  34 , this pulling out of the internal strap or cord tail will effectively convert a bungee sling to a regular or non-stretch gun sling. Again, the web extension or extensions that are pulled out can be stowed under a slidable elastic loop or sheath. 
     The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit its scope. Other embodiments and variations to these preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.