Abstract:
A sling system for use with a firearm, including a first strap system having a loop configuration and positionable around the neck of the user so as to be locatable generally adjacent a frontal region of the torso of the user; a second strap system having first and second ends and connectable to the firearm; and a connector interfacing between the first and second strap systems and configured to enable the rifle to be fixedly and releasably positioned in a plurality of orientations relative to the user.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to slings for firearms. More particularly, this invention relates to slings for firearms which permit the firearm to be adjustably positioned in a variety of orientations.  
         BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Slings are useful for facilitating the carrying of firearms, particularly when walking long distances. In such circumstances, a user will often carry a backpack or the like that interferes with the use of a conventional shoulder sling. The invention relates to an improved firearm sling and, in particular, to a sling system that facilitates carrying a firearm when the user is also carrying a backpack.  
           [0003]    In a preferred embodiment, the sling system includes a first strap system having a loop configuration and positionable around a neck portion of the user so as to be locatable generally adjacent a frontal region of a torso of the user. A second strap system having first and second ends is connectable to the firearm. A connector is provided to interface between the first and second strap systems and is configured to enable the rifle to be fixedly and releasably positioned in a plurality of orientations relative to the user.  
           [0004]    In another aspect, the system includes a first strap system having a loop configuration and positionable around the neck of the user so as to be locatable generally adjacent a frontal region of the torso of the user; a second strap system having first and second ends connectable to the firearm; and a connector interfacing between the first and second straps and configured to enable the firearm to be fixedly and releasably positioned in a plurality of orientations relative to the user.  
           [0005]    The connector preferably includes a buckle, a strap engaging member yieldably positionable relative to the buckle, and a release member associated with the strap engaging member. The buckle is slidably positioned on the first strap system and the second strap system is slidably positioned between the buckle and the strap engaging member such that a biasing member associated with the strap engaging member urges the strap engaging member into fixed engagement with the second strap system so as to restrain the connector from movement relative to the second strap system at a desired location thereon. The release member is operable, as by the user pulling on it, squeezing, or otherwise manipulating the release member, to release the biasing force to enable the second strap system to be moved relative to the strap engaging member.  
           [0006]    In yet another aspect, the sling system includes a first strap system positionable generally adjacent a frontal region of a torso of the user; a second strap system having first and second ends and connectable to the firearm; and a connector interfacing between the first and second strap systems and configured to enable the rifle to be fixedly and releasably positioned in a plurality of orientations relative to the user.  
           [0007]    In a preferred embodiment, the first strap system includes connectors for connecting the first strap system to a backpack having a pair of shoulder straps.  
           [0008]    The sling system advantageously enables the firearm to be fixedly and releasably positioned in a range of orientations between a first orientation wherein a barrel end of the firearm is pointed generally downwardly and a second orientation wherein the barrel end of the firearm is pointed generally upwardly. Thus, the user may desirably select an orientation suitable to a particular circumstance.  
           [0009]    The invention also advantageously provides a sling system that enables a user to comfortably carry a firearm even when wearing a backpack. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    Further features of preferred embodiments of the invention will become apparent by reference to the detailed description of preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale, wherein like reference numbers, indicate like elements through the several views, and wherein,  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a firearm sling system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention and installed on a firearm.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective frontal view of a user wearing a sling system of FIG. 1.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a user wearing a sling showing the system of FIG. 1.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 4-6 are closeup perspective views of a connector portion of the system of FIG. 1.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a connector portion for a sling system according to the invention of FIGS. 4-6.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 shows a firearm retained in a barrel down orientation by the system of FIG. 1.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 shows a firearm retained in a barrel up orientation by the system of FIG. 1.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 10 shows a firearm in a firing position.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 11 shows a backpack supported by the system of FIG. 1.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 12 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention which attaches to straps of a conventional backpack. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0021]    With initial reference to FIG. 1, the invention relates to a sling system  10  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. The system  10  is shown attached to a firearm such as rifle  12  having a stock  14  and a barrel  16 . As will be noted, the rifle  12  also has attached to it a conventional shoulder sling  18 . The sling  18  may remain on the rifle  12  when the system  10  is being used or the sling  18  may be removed.  
         [0022]    The system  10  includes as major components a user strap  20 , a firearm strap  22 , and a connector  24 . As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the user strap  20  is worn generally around a neck and torso of a user. The firearm strap  22  attaches to the rifle  12 . The connector  24  interfaces between the user strap  20  and the firearm strap  22  to enable desired positioning of the rifle  12 .  
         [0023]    The user strap  20  maybe of one-piece construction or may have multiple strap components. The strap  20  may also be of fixed or adjustable dimension. In general, the user strap is preferably configured to provide a loop that is placed over a head of the user and hangs generally adjacent a stomach area of the user. In a preferred construction, the user strap  20  includes a pair of padded strap portions  26  and  28  and a connecting strap portion  30 .  
         [0024]    The strap portion  26  has opposite ends  32  and  34  and is preferably of adjustable length. The strap portion  28  is of preferably of identical construction to the strap portion  26  and has opposite ends  36  and  38 . The ends  34  and  38  of the strap portions  26  and  28  may be joined together or otherwise secured relative to one another. Preferably, as seen in FIG. 3, a strip of fabric material  40  is used to connect to ends  34  and  38  as by sewing each end  34  and  38  to the material  40 .  
         [0025]    The connecting strap portion  30  has opposite ends  42  and  44 . The end  42  is preferably connected to strap portion  26  adjacent ent end  32  thereof as by buckle  46 . Likewise, end  44  is preferably connected to strap portion  28  adjacent the end  36  thereof as by buckle  48 . The buckles  46  and  48  enable adjustment of the effective length of the connecting strap portion  30 , that is, the length that hangs below the strap portions  26  and  28 .  
         [0026]    Returning to FIG. 3, the user strap  20  also preferably includes an anchor strap portion  52  configured for anchoring the user strap  20  to portions of the user&#39;s clothing, preferably adjacent a lower area of the user&#39;s spine. The anchor strap portion  52  preferably connects to and extends away from the material  40  and includes an end  54  connected to the material  40  as by loop  56  and buckle  58  to permit adjustment of the effective length of the anchor strap portion  52 . An opposite end  60  of the strap portion  52  is preferably configured for attaching to clothing of the user. For example, end  60  is preferably configured to be Y-shaped and have fasteners such as buttons or clips  62  which may be attached as by clipping to the belt or pants of a user in the manner of suspenders or braces. In the alternative, the end  60  may include belt loops for sliding a belt therethrough.  
         [0027]    The firearm strap  22  is preferably a single length of strap material having opposite ends  64  and  66 . The end  66  is preferably secured adjacent the stock  14  and the end  64  secured adjacent the barrel  16 . The end  66  preferably includes a plastic or metal hoop  67  (FIG. 2) secured thereto as by sewing. The end  64  of the firearm strap  22  may be passed through the hoop  67  and the resulting hoop  69  of the firearm strap  22  encircled about the stock  14 .  
         [0028]    The end  64  preferably includes a length of hook material secured thereto as by sewing for matingly engaging the loop material of the firearm strap  22  and/or a corresponding loop material secured to the firearm strap  22  and positioned to mate with the loop material to provide a hook/loop fastener. Thus, the end  64  may be secured to the barrel  16  as by encircling the end  64  about itself around the barrel  16 . As will be appreciated, the firearm strap  22  may be also be attached or connected to the rifle in many ways and using standard fasteners and the like.  
         [0029]    The firearm strap  22  is preferably oriented so as to extend over the upper edge of the rifle  12  to avoid upside down orientation of the rifle  12 . In this regard, the ends of the firearm strap  22  are preferably sufficiently loose relative to the stock and the barrel of the firearm so as to permit the strap  22  to naturally fall down and to the side of the firearm when the firearm is raised to a firing position so as to minimize interference with sighting of the firearm on a target. It will be understood, however, that the firearm strap  22  may be otherwise connected to the rifle. Also, the sling  18  could be used in place of the firearm strap  22 , but such would result in an inverted orientation of the rifle which is not preferred.  
         [0030]    The length of the firearm strap  22  is preferably adjustable. In this regard, each end  64  and  66  preferably includes a length of hook material secured thereto as by sewing and the firearm strap  22  made of a material having a loop-type surface suitable for matingly engaging the hook material. Thus, the firearm strap  22  may be attached to the rifle by encircling the ends  64  and  66  about the rifle and securing the hook material of the ends to the firearm strap  22 . This also facilitates adjustment of the length of the firearm strap  22 .  
         [0031]    It will be understood that the user strap  20  and firearm strap  22  are preferably made of materials having strength characteristics corresponding to the weight of the firearm. For example, relatively heavier strap materials are preferably used for use with heavy military firearms such M-60 machine guns as compared to a lighter material for small caliber and lightweight firearms such as .22 cal. rifles. Likewise, the heat resistance of the strap materials preferably corresponds to the use requirements. For example, strap materials having higher heat resistance is preferable for military weapons such as M-60 machine guns which generate considerable barrel heat when used to fire a plurality of rounds in rapid succession, whereas a strap material having a lower heat resistance would preferably be used for a .22 cal. rifle.  
         [0032]    With reference to FIGS. 4-7, the connector  24  interfaces between the user strap  20  and the firearm strap  22  to enable the rifle  12  to be repositionable in a variety of orientations, and preferably fixedly positioned within a preferred range. For example, FIG. 2 shows the rifle  12  in a generally intermediate orientation with the barrel  12  generally lateral. FIGS. 8 and 9 show the preferred upward and downward limits range or positioning, wherein in FIG. 8 the rifle  12  is seen oriented with the barrel  16  end pointed generally downwardly, and in FIG. 9 the rifle  12  is seen oriented with the barrel  16  pointed generally upwardly. The connector  24  preferably functions to substantially but releasably lock the rifle  12  in a selected orientation with the range between and including the upward and downward range limits.  
         [0033]    As will be appreciated, this desirably enables the user to orient the firearm  12  in an unlimited number of positions within this range to fit the comfort or use needs of the user, while rendering the firearm in a position that enables the user to quickly raise the firearm  12  to a firing position, such as seen in FIG. 10. Furthermore, since the firearm  12  and the portions of the sling system  10  that are maneuvered during use are generally oriented at the front of the user, the user may also carry a backpack without interfering with a backpack or the like having straps which loop around the user&#39;s shoulders. As will be appreciated, a conventional shoulder sling, such as the sling  18 , does not readily permit a user to carry a backpack.  
         [0034]    If desired, a backpack or the like may be attached to the user strap  20  as by use of conventional fasteners. As seen in FIG. 11, a backpack  68  may be supported by the user strap  20 . For example, the backpack  68  may be snapped or sewn or otherwise fixedly or releasably attached or connected to the fabric material  40  or the strap portions  26  and  28 . In one embodiment, connectors  69  are located on the user strap  20  for connecting to the backpack  68 . The connectors  69  may preferably be hooks that engage corresponding loops provided on the backpack for supporting the backpack  68  from the user strap  20 .  
         [0035]    Returning to FIGS. 4-7, the connector  24  is preferably made of a metal or plastic material and is provided by a buckle  70  having a body  72  defining a pair of slots  74  and  76  for slidably, preferably freely slidably, receiving the connecting strap portion  30  of the user strap  20  adjacent an upper surface  78  thereof. A pair of spaced apart ears  80  extend away from an opposite surface  82  (FIG. 7) and receive the ends of a spring-loaded strap engaging member  84 . The firearm strap  22  passes between the strap engaging member  84  and the surface  82 .  
         [0036]    The member  84  includes an elongate section  86  defining a rugous or textured surface  87  configured to frictionally engage the firearm strap  22  and having a longitudinal bore  88  extending therethrough for receiving pin  90  and spring  92  wrapped around the pin  90 . One end of the spring  92  is positioned around one of the ears  80  when installed. The opposite ends of the pin  90  are received by apertures  94  provided through the ears  80 . A lever tab  96  extends from the elongate section  86  and includes an aperture  98  for receiving a release strap  100 . The spring  92  or other biasing mechanism may be adjustable if desired, is by configuring the pin  90  to be turned.  
         [0037]    The member  84  is biased to rotate the rugous surface  87  of the member  84  toward the surface  82  to bear against the firearm strap  22 , as seen in FIG. 5. The spring  92  or other biasing mechanism is preferably of sufficient strength such that the firearm strap  22  is effectively captured by the member  84  so as to lock the firearm strap  22  in place and thereby prevent relative movement of the firearm strap  22  in either direction. The surface  87  of the member  84  may be released from locking engagement with the firearm strap  22  as by pulling or otherwise interacting or manipulating the release strap  100  to counter the spring force and urge the surface  87  away from engagement with the strap, as seen in FIG. 6. It will be understand that release members may be used that are otherwise manipulated to release them from engagement with the firearm strap  22 , such as by squeezing or other manipulation by the user.  
         [0038]    While the foregoing described buckle  70  is a preferred mechanism for the connector  24 , it will be understood that a variety of buckles, slides, and the like having various configurations may be utilized for the connector  24 . In this regard, it is noted that the connector  24  preferably includes as its basic elements structure configured to slidably, preferably freely slidably, receive a portion of the user strap  20 , and structure configured to receive and releasably lock the firearm strap  22  in a plurality of desired orientations thereby preventing relative movement of the firearm strap  22  in either direction. This serves to position the firearm  12  in a desired orientation, such as shown in FIGS. 2, 8, and  9 , while still enabling the firearm  12  to be easily moved a firing position, such as shown in FIG. 10.  
         [0039]    With reference now to FIG. 12, there is seen an alternate embodiment of a sling system  110  that is configured to attach to shoulder straps  112  and  114  of a backpack  116 . The system  110  includes a user strap  120 , firearm strap  122 , and a connector  124 . The firearm strap  122  preferably substantially corresponds to the firearm strap  22 , and the connector  124  preferably substantially corresponds to the connector  24 .  
         [0040]    The user strap  120  may be made of one or more lengths of a strap material, such as the strap portions  26 ,  28 , and  30  described previously, and includes opposite free ends  126  and  128 . The free ends  126  and  128  include connectors  310  and  132  secured thereto as by stitches or the like for connecting the free ends  126  and  128  to the straps  112  and  114  of the backpack  116 . The connectors  120  and  132  preferably enable releasable and adjustable connection of the strap  120  to the straps  112  and  114  and may preferably be buckles, snaps, or other fastening devices. Alternatively, the free ends  126  and  128  may be attached directly to the straps  112  and  114  as by stitches or the like.  
         [0041]    The foregoing description of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been provided for purposes of illustration only, and it is understood that numerous modifications or alterations may be made in and to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.