Abstract:
A gun holder for a shotgun or rifle is provided which permits accommodation of shotguns or rifles of various lengths and including single barrel, side-by-side and over-and-under shotguns and permits the positioning of the shotgun at various heights along the vertical shaft of the support member to accommodate various water depths of ponds or lakes.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   In the course of hunting for game, and in particular waterfowl, the hunter will remain in a particular location for long periods of time. During these periods of waiting for the game or birds to appear, it is unnecessary to actually hold the gun and have it at the ready. Rather, the gun may be conveniently placed nearby the hunter while waiting for game to appear or while the hunter is engaged in other activities such as manipulating bird calls, placing decoys. While a hunter on dry land may take advantage of several options and devices for safely holding a shotgun or rifle during intervals of non-use, the waterfowl hunter often will not have the luxury of being adjacent to dry land on which the gun may be positioned. Typically, hunting for ducks and other waterfowl will occur in damp, swampy land, or the hunter may actually wear waders and be in knee or waist deep water at the edge of a pond or lake. In such an instance, the shotgun cannot be set aside as the water, or at least swampy, damp ground would damage the shotgun. In the case of a hunter who has waded into the edge of a pond or lake, the depth of water in which the hunter is positioned will vary in depth. Due to this variance in depth, the hunter cannot count upon using a holder of a fixed or limited height as the depth of water will vary and the height of the gun support relative to the holder bottom must be varied accordingly with the water depth. In addition it will be appreciated that as the water depth varies, so must the length of gun holder that is to be extending below the gun be varied to account for the variations in water depth encountered by the hunter. 
   A number of prior art devices have been developed to assist with this problem. U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,971 to Balibrea teaches a gun caddy or gun holder which may be inserted into the ground by use of a stake 18, 20 and which provides an immobile base member 16 which is attached to shaft member 12 having a grip member 14 for support of the barrel. The Balibrea device would not be useful in marshy areas or in water flooded areas as the securing of the Balibrea device within the ground by stakes 18 and 20 would place the gun stock within the water or dangerously close to the water in the marshy ground, therefore, the Balibrea device lacks the necessary adjustability. 
   The device of Oliver, U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,939 presents a ground engageable gun support having parallel vertical shafts which are slidably connected by use of stabilizer brackets 11 having wing nuts 12 therein to secure vertical shafts in relative position to one another. While Oliver provides a means of adjusting the height of the gun above the surface into which the spiked end is to be inserted, the device is bulky and requires that two hands be available to create the height adjustment between the vertical shafts. 
   The need for two hands to effect adjustment leaves no hands available to hold the gun out of the water—a substantial limitation. 
   Another gun support device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,462 to Dockery. The Dockery gun holder does not allow for adjustment of the height of the gun support above the ground. The height of the gun support is determined by the point of contact of arm 38 with protrusion 34 of the Dockery device. Therefore, the location of protrusion 34 during the manufacturing process will dictate the height of the gun above the ground in the Dockery device. Thus, the Dockery device is not suitable for use in situations where variable depths of water will be encountered. 
   Another gun rest is encountered in U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,572 to Goode, Jr. The device of Goode, Jr. presents a gun support 28 which is fixed to shaft 22 by welding or other fastening means. Therefore, no adjustment is made for the height of gun support 28 above the ground or marshy water. Further, it will be appreciated that cross bar 34 of the Goode device is fixed at a certain height leaving a specific amount of shaft 33 which can be introduced into the ground until it is stopped from further movement by cross bar 34. This would limit the utility of the Goode device in marshy areas or water at variable depth. As stated in the description of FIG. 4, it is the object of the Goode device to allow the ground engaging member 33a to be limited in the amount of entry it will make into the ground thus making it easy to withdraw as the user walks and repositions member 33a to engage the bottom surface. Therefore, the device of Goode is the antithesis of a stable support for holding a gun. 
   Therefore, it would be a benefit to bird and waterfowl hunters if a gun holder were available that is collapsible and easily portable and yet easily adjustable in the length of the upright and adjustable in the positioning of the base of the gun holder so variations in water depth or the depth of the marshy ground before solid ground is reached may be accounted for in the use of the gun holder or gun support device. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention generally comprises a gun holder having an extendable or telescoping upright and having an upper end of the upright piece adapted for capture of a gun barrel therein while also having a gun stock support for the stock of the gun the location of which is adjustable along the length of the upright. The location of the gun stock support to provide a sufficient length of the upright below the gunstock support to securely mount the upright within the varying depth of a pond or lake or marshy ground while enabling the gunstock support portion to be positioned above the water or marsh and while providing the adjustment of the distance between the gunstock support and the barrel holder portion so the barrel holder portion will capture the barrel and not be obstructed by the shotgun magazine tube or of the shotgun. 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a variable height support for a shotgun for use in swampy or marshy or watery environments. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide a support of adjustable length for a shotgun, the length of adjustment being the distance between the gun stock support and the gun barrel support. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a gun support for watery or marshy areas that allows the gun stock support to be adjusted to place the gun stock support above the height of water at various depths. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a gun holder which may be inserted into marshy ground at various depths or into a lake or pond bed to various depths while adjusting the height of the support of the gun to a distance of convenience for the hunter or to a distance above the depth of the water of a lake or pond. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of gun holder  10  in use during hunting in a pond, marsh or swamp environment; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing an embodiment of gun holder  10  of the present invention in the collapsed position and with the gun stock support closed; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing an embodiment of gun holder  10  of the present invention in the extended position and with the gun stock support open; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the gun stock support of the present invention in the open position; and having a portion of the support cut away to reveal the curvature of the gun stock support; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross section view taken along line  5 — 5  of  FIG. 4  and showing the compression of the curved sides of the gun stock support against the upright said compressive face serving to lock said gun stock support in position and said upright  20 ; 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the embodiment of the gun holder  10  shown in  FIGS. 1–3 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the gun holder of the present invention hanging from a fence rail, water blind or, alternatively, from a 2×4 board with the gun stock support in the extended position and a shot gun supported therein; 
       FIG. 8  shows an alternate embodiment of gun barrel holder  44 ; and 
       FIG. 9  shows another alternate embodiment of gun barrel holder  44 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the gun holder  10  of the present invention is shown positioned with a shotgun  12  supported thereon. The holder  10  and shotgun  12  are adjacent a hunter  14  who is hunting within the shallow water of a pond or a lake  16 . It will be appreciated from  FIG. 1  that shotgun  12  is held above the surface of pond or lake  16  by gun holder  10 , and that shotgun  12  is ready for immediate use by hunter  14 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 2–4 , the means of operating shotgun holder  10  will be described. First referring to  FIG. 2 , gun holder  10  is shown with gun stock support  18  in a first or upward position which places gun stock support  18  in a generally co-axial position with upright member  20  of gun holder  10 . When gun stock support  18  is in the co-axial position with upright member  20 , gun stock support  18  may be moved along the length of upright member  20  in the directions shown by arrow T. This movement allows the position of gun stock support  18  to be varied along the length of upright member  20  to the extent that obstructions are not introduced to the movement of gun stock support  18 . Variations on the construction of shotgun holder  10  will be discussed hereinafter which describe means of avoiding obstructing the movement of gun stock support  18 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , gun stock support  18  is shown in a second position in which gun stock support  18  is generally orthogonal to upright member  20 . To achieve the position of gun stock support  18  shown in  FIG. 3 , gun stock support  18  is pivotally moved in the direction shown by arrow A to move gun stock support  18  out of a first position which is generally co-axial with upright member  20  ( FIG. 2 ) and into a second position which is generally orthogonal to upright member  20  ( FIG. 3 ). Gun stock support  18  is moved into the open or downward or second position shown in  FIG. 3  when the hunter has determined the proper position for gun stock support  18  along the height of upright member  20 -and wishes to lock gun stock support  18  into position. Alternatively, those skilled in the art will appreciate that upon the initial insertion of shotgun holder  10  into a pond or a marshy area, gun stock support  18  will be in the closed position as shown in  FIG. 2  so that it may be moved as far upwardly along upright member  20  as is possible to allow hunter  14  ( FIG. 1 ) to insert end piece  26  of upright member  20  into a marsh or a pond bed while avoiding the need to be concerned that gun stock support  18  will initially be positioned under water and will need to be retrieved from such a position. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the means of locking gun stock support  18  into position along the height of upright member  20  will be described. In  FIG. 4 , gun stock support  18  is shown in the open or lowered or orthogonal position with respect to upright member  20 . Gun stock support  18  is most conveniently formed from a length of PVC pipe or other plastic tubing having a diameter similar to or slightly smaller than upright member  20 . This similarity of diameter permits gun stock support  18  to be positioned co-axially with respect to upright member  20  when support  18  is placed in the upright position of  FIG. 2 . When support  18  is placed in the lowered or orthogonal position with respect to upright member  20 , arms  22   a  of stock support  18  compress against upright member  20  and prevent of gun stock support  18  and collar  24  from up and down movement along upright member  20  in the direction of T. In addition gun stock support  18  is pressed against upright member  20  and further presents a frictional resistance to movement of gun stock support  18  and collar  24  upwardly or downwardly with respect to upright member  20 . In this manner, the configuration of stock support  18  operates to lock stock support  18  in place with respect to upright member  20  when stock support  18  is placed in the lowered or orthogonal position with respect to upright member  20 . The compressive action provided by stock support  18  results from the rigidity of the materials used to produce stock support  18 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, PVC tubing or other tubular plastic is shaped to create gun stock support  18  by cutting away from one-half to three-quarters of the PVC pipe along the longitudinal axis of the pipe section to provide the cup holder section  32  in which shotgun  12  ( FIG. 1 ) can rest. The shaping also provides arms  22   a, b  which have sufficient distance therebetween to permit movement of stock support  18  between the upright and lowered position and while providing sufficient compressive force when in the downward or orthogonal position to lock gun stock support  18  into place with respect to upright member  20 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the selection of the material used to form gun stock support  18  provides the user of gun holder  10  a degree of flexibility in adjusting the amount of compression provided by stock support  18 . Also, the user of holder  10  can trim back the length of arms  22   a, b  to slightly reduce the amount of compression provided by arms  22   a, b  against upright member  20  where a light weight gun is used, or where the holder is intended to be used for fishing equipment rather than guns, and where the weight of the fishing equipment would be substantially less than that of a shotgun. Also the reduction in length of arms  22   a, b  will reduce the amount of force needed to press gun stock support  18  downwardly into the lowered position from the upward position shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the configuration of gun stock support  18  in cross sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of  FIG. 4  is shown. In this cross-section view, the general C-shape of gun stock support  18  is shown, and the compressive contact of arms  22   a, b  against upright member  20  is shown. 
   Referring again to  FIG. 2 , pointed end piece  26  is shown attached to upright member  20 . End piece  26  is provided to allow ease of insertion of holder  10  into dirt, or sand or mud. In use, the user simply grasps upright member  20  of holder  10  and positions pointed end piece  26  at the location in which holder  10  is to be inserted into the ground. The user then presses downwardly on upright member  20  in the direction shown by the arrow T to force holder  10  into the ground to a sufficient depth to provide stability to upright member  20  and to support the gun  12  that is to be placed thereon. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 6 , end cap  28  is shown which is inserted into bottom or lower end  30  of upright member  20 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that as upright member  20  is a telescoping unit that it is hollow and, therefore, without the lower end  30  of upright member  20  being obstructed in some fashion that the insertion of pointed end  26  into the ground or mud or dirt would force mud or earth into upright member  20 . End cap  28  inserted into lower end  30  of upright member  20  prevents such collection of mud or dirt in upright member  20 . 
   Still referring to  FIG. 6 , the assembly of the components in an exploded view of  FIG. 6  will now be described. Gun holder  10  is comprised of a central shaft  20  having a telescoping shaft member  34  fitted therein. The extension of telescoping shaft member  34  with respect to upright member  20  can be fixed through use of wing nut  36  which is screwed in through screw void  40  in wing nut collar  38  to thereby provide a compressive locking force against telescoping shaft member  34  to thereby fix the amount of extension of telescoping shaft member  34  extending from upright member  20 . During the course of extending telescoping shaft member  34  from upright member  20 , the user will be warned of the nearing of the end of telescoping shaft member  34  by the appearance of warning area  42  which is simply a portion of telescoping shaft member  34  which has been marked in some differentiating fashion such as a different color or striping, etc., to quickly warn the user that telescoping shaft member  34  is nearing complete removal from upright member  20 . 
   At the upper end of telescoping shaft member  34  is gun barrel holder  44  which is equipped with opposed flanges  46   a, b  which serve to capture the barrel of the shotgun  12  within barrel holder  44 . A void  48  is presented within telescoping shaft member  34  just below barrel holder  44  to allow the barrel of shotgun  12  to become fitted deeply within opposed flanges  46   a  b. At the opposite end of gun holder  10  from barrel holder  44  is pointed end piece  26  which is fitted onto upright member  20 . As previously described, the open end of upright member  20  is closed by the insertion of end cap  28  into bottom lower end  30  of upright member  20 . 
   Gun stock support  18  is attached to upright member  20  by collar  24 . The connection between gun stock support  18  and collar  24  is provided by screws or fasteners  50  which pass through bushings  52  inserted into voids  54  within collar  24 . 
   When gun stock support  18  is in the upward or coaxially position with respect to upright member  20 , arms  22   a, b  provide no compression against upright member  20  and gun stock support  18  may be slidably moved along the length of upright member  20  as it rides on collar  24  which is positioned around upright member  20 . Once collar  24  has been placed along the length of upright member  20  where it is desired to fix gun stock support  18  into position, the user lowers gun stock support  18  into its lowered or orthogonal position to effect compression of arms  22   a, b  against upright member  20  thereby securing gun stock support  18  into a fixed position along the length of upright member  20 . 
     FIGS. 8 and 9  show alternative embodiments of gun barrel holder  44  which may be instead of the gun barrel holder B that is shown in  FIGS. 1–3 ,  6  and  7 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that gun barrel holder  44  can take many forms which can be used successfully with the present invention. 
   It will be appreciated that to better blend the gun holder with the surrounding landscape and foliage, the exterior of the device may be painted or provided with a paint and finish pattern such as a camouflage pattern and coloring. 
   Certain changes may be made in embodying the above invention and in the construction thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not meant in a limiting sense. 
   Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of the invention, the manner in which the inventive gun holder apparatus is constructed and used, the characteristics of the construction, and advantageous, new and useful results obtained; the new and useful structures, devices, elements, arrangements, parts and combinations, are set forth in the appended claims. 
   It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.