Abstract:
A retainer for supporting gun parts in an ultrasonic bath is provided with a plurality of supports that retain such gun parts in positions whereby cleaning of such parts by ultrasonic means is optimized. The retainer supports are specifically configured to maximize the removal of dirt and debris from gun parts, and certain supports are adjustable to accommodate a variety of gun makes and models. The retainer is also constructed to prevent direct contact between gun parts, which might otherwise result in unnecessary wearing at such contact locations.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to ultrasonic cleaning racks in general, and more specifically, to a rack specifically adapted to support gun parts immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning bath. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Most firearms malfunction or misfire as a result of jammed parts that are dirty or otherwise imbedded with debris. A malfunctioning handgun can be life-threatening to a member of law enforcement, for example, if an officer must take down a criminal a split-second before being taken down himself or herself. To avoid such life-threatening mishaps, a firearm must be cleaned constantly and thoroughly so that it can be relied upon in emergency situations. 
     It is known to clean handguns using ultrasonic cleaning methods. Ultrasonic cleaning relies on rapid vibrations or waves transmitted through a solution that dislodge debris and dirt particles stuck to a gun surface. To have the greatest cleaning effectiveness, such waves should directly impinge upon the surface to be cleaned. Any barrier between the radiating or vibrating waves and the item to be cleaned will impede and diminish cleaning effectiveness. 
     In traditional ultrasonic cleaning baths, gun parts are thrown into a basket in which the gun parts contact both each other and the floor of the basket. Such contact is undesirable because ultrasonic cleaning involves very rapid vibrations, these vibrations in turn make both the objects to be cleaned and the basket vibrate, and any direct contact between vibrating bodies, such as a cleaning basket and the object to be cleaned causes unnecessary wear at the contact points. Also, anything between the radiating floor of the ultrasonic cleaning bath and the object to be cleaned acts as a barrier and reduces cleaning effectiveness. When ultrasonic waves impinge upon a barrier typically three things happen. Some of the energy they carry is absorbed by the material of that barrier, some of the energy is reflected from the barrier back towards the floor of the ultrasonic cleaner in the form of ultrasonic waves and some of the energy is transmitted through the barrier in the form of ultrasonic waves. In any case, a barrier does not allow the full amount of energy radiant from the floor of the ultrasonic cleaner to reach the object to be cleaned. 
     Additionally it is important that any dirt or debris that is dislodged from the object being cleaned fall away from the object so that it does not redeposit onto the object. 
     When the object to be cleaned is a firearm it is important that all the parts from one firearm are kept in an organized fashion before during and after the cleaning such that they are not mixed up with parts from any other firearms being cleaned at the same time. This is important since parts from different firearms may not fit well together and may cause the firearm to malfunction. 
     When cleaning firearms, it is critical, as noted above, that all parts are cleaned thoroughly and effectively. It is also critical, particularly with ultrasonic cleaning methods, that there are no unnecessary wear points created as a result of the contact between gun parts and a vibrating retaining surface. Thus, there is a need for a support structure for retaining gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus that does not impede the cleaning effectiveness of the ultrasonic vibrations and that does not cause excessive wear between gun parts that contact each other. Such need is met by the gun rack of the present invention. 
     The gun rack of the present invention is specifically adapted for retaining gun parts in a manner that maximizes cleaning of such parts in an ultrasonic bath. When the gun rack of the invention is placed in an ultrasonic bath, unimpeded ultrasonic vibrations cause debris to separate from the gun parts and fall away from the gun to the bottom of the bath. Gun parts are placed on the rack of the invention in order to maximize their exposure to ultrasonic vibrations and to minimize their contact with other parts. The rack of the invention is also preferably coated in a material softer than the gun (i.e. plastic) such that the softer material will wear instead of the gun. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a rack for supporting gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaning bath. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack for maximizing the removal of dirt and debris from gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaning bath. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack which will prevent or minimize the re-deposition of dirt and debris onto the gun. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack that prevents unnecessary wear between gun parts supported on such rack. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack for supporting gun parts wherein at least some of said gun parts are adjustably supported on said rack. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gun rack for ultrasonic cleaning that is easy to use, compact in design and results in the efficient positioning of gun parts that are cleaned in a relatively confined environment. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gun rack for ultrasonic cleaning that organizes the parts from a single gun onto that that rack so as to minimize the possibility of mixing the parts from more than one gun together. 
     Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear upon review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A rack for supporting gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaning environment comprises a plurality of supports that are specially configured and adapted to retain gun parts in positions that maximize the cleaning of such parts in a compact, ultrasonic cleaning environment. The rack supports are specifically adapted to maximize the removal of debris from gun parts, wherein certain supports are adjustable to accommodate a variety of gun makes and models. The rack is also constructed to prevent direct contact between gun parts, which might otherwise result in unnecessary wearing at such contact locations. To prevent the dampening of ultrasonic waves and a reduction in cleaning effectiveness, the rack is specifically adapted to be suspended off the radiating surface in an ultrasonic cleaning bath, and the gun parts are separately supported at various locations along the rack to receive the maximum cleaning impact from the ultrasonic cleaning waves. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of the gun rack of the present invention with a display of gun parts to be held by said rack. 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the gun rack of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a rear view of the gun rack of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a right side view of the gun rack of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a left side view of the gun rack of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of the gun rack of the present invention with gun parts supported on said rack. 
     FIG. 7 is a rear view of the gun rack of the present invention with gun parts supported on said rack. 
     FIGS. 8A and 8B are close-up views of the adjustable receiver support of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9A is a side view of a parts basket adapted for placement on the gun rack of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9B is a top view of the parts basket adapted for placement on the gun rack of the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 is a top view of the parts basket of FIGS. 9A and 9B holding gun parts and attached to the gun rack of the present invention. 
     FIG. 11 is a front view of the gun rack of the present invention with gun parts supported on said rack and said gun rack immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning bath. 
     FIG. 12 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the gun rack of present invention with a gun barrel supported in a vertical orientation on said rack. 
     FIG. 13 is a front view of the gun rack of the present invention supporting a smaller gun. 
     FIG. 14 is a front view of a portion of the gun rack of the invention illustrating a gun part supported by clips. 
     FIG. 15 is a front view of a portion of the gun rack of the invention illustrating a gun part supported by pins. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description is of the best mode or modes of the invention presently contemplated. Such description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but to be an example of the invention presented solely for illustration thereof, and by reference to which in connection with the following description and the accompanying drawings one skilled in the art may be advised of the advantages and construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates the gun rack  20  of the present invention shown with a gun lower receiver  105 , gun recoil spring  110 , recoil spring guide  115 , gun barrel  120  and gun slide  125 , collectively designated as gun parts  100 , to be supported thereon as will be described below. The gun rack  20  is particularly shown in FIGS. 2-5 and comprises a plurality of legs  22 ,  26 ,  30  and  34  having angled upper ends  24 ,  28 ,  32  and  36 . Each pair of legs  22 , 26  and  30 , 34  is connected by a plurality of horizontal members  23 , 27  and  31 , 33 , and each pair of horizontal members  23 , 27  and  31 , 33  is further connected by extension members  25 , 35  respectively spanning across the rack  20 . A handle  40  for carrying the rack  20  is formed from extension member  25 , and a small parts basket  50  is attachable to the gun rack  20  by an attaching means  52  as will be described below. 
     With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 6, the front of the gun rack  20  is further provided with supports  60 , 64  adapted to support the gun slide  125  in a horizontal or angled orientation, supports  68 , 72  adapted to support recoil spring  110  and supports  76 , 80  adapted to support recoil spring guide  115  in a horizontal or angled orientation. The recoil spring supports  68 , 72  and recoil spring guide supports  76 , 80  merely hold such respective parts  110  and  115  in the horizontal orientation, and such parts  110 ,  115  may be interchangeably supported on supports  68 , 72  and  76 , 80  as desired. The small parts basket  50  may be placed anywhere on the rack  20 , although in FIG. 6 it is shown on the front side of the rack  20  attached to horizontal member  31 . Basket  50 , which is particularly shown in FIGS. 9A,  9 B and  10  and attached to the rack  20  via attachment means  52 , further comprises a floor  54  having orifices  56  dimensioned to retain the smallest of the miscellaneous small parts  101  stripped from a gun. Small parts basket  50  is preferably used to retain small parts  101  produced when a firearm is “fully” or “detail” stripped, although such basket is not necessarily utilized when a firearm is “field” stripped, in which case only larger gun parts  100  (FIG. 1) would be disassembled and cleaned. 
     Supports  60 , 64  are preferably arranged in a sloping fashion, i.e. support  60  is higher than support  64 , so as to orient support slide  125  with its “dirty side”  126  facing down toward the bottom of the rack  20 . That is, the “dirty side”  126  is the side that contacts the barrel  120  and lower receiver  105  when the gun is assembled, which side  126  is the most contaminated with debris as a result of the firing of an assembled gun. The enlarged discharge end  127  is placed on the opposite side of support  60  from support  64  and prevents the slide  125  from sliding off the sloped supports  60 , 64 . 
     With particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 7, the back side of the gun rack  20  is further provided with supports  84 , 88 , 90  adapted to support the barrel  120 , and supports  92 , 94  adapted to support the lower receiver  105 . Supports  84 , 88  are preferably arranged in a sloping fashion, i.e. support  84  is preferably higher than support  88 , so as to orient the larger part  122  of the barrel  120  downward toward the bottom of the rack  20 . The larger part  122  initially receives and transmits a bullet upon firing (not shown), which part thus collects the most debris. There is usually less debris present at the other end  123  through which the bullet exits. Thus, the sloped supports  84 , 88  accommodate the gun barrel  120  “dirty end” down, or with the larger end  122  oriented downward, and such larger end  122  is prevented from sliding off the supports  84 , 88  by a stop member  90 . 
     FIG. 7 illustrates the positioning of the gun barrel  120  on the rack  20  in a downward sloping orientation. However, while such positioning is preferable, alternative methods of supporting the barrel  120  are possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the gun barrel  120  may be vertically supported such that its larger end  122  is oriented below its exit end  123 . In this case, the barrel  120  may be supported by a clip  130  or the like, which is fastened or otherwise connected to one of the legs  30 . 
     Gun parts may be positioned in a variety of orientations on the gun rack  20  of the invention. However, it is most preferable if such parts are positioned to maximize the ultrasonic cleaning effectiveness. In most cases, this means that such parts  100  should be positioned with debris-laden surfaces or ends facing the bottom of the rack  20  and the bottom surface  210  (FIG. 11) of an ultrasonic cleaning bath  200  from where the ultrasonic waves typically emanate. 
     The lower receiver  105  is supported on the gun rack  20  of the invention (FIG. 7) upside down, or with its “dirty side”  106  down. That is, the “dirty side”  106  is the side with which the barrel  120  makes contact when the gun is assembled, which side  106  is the most contaminated with debris and sediment as a result of the firing of an assembled gun. Also, effective cleaning of the “dirty side”  106  of the lower receiver  105  is critical to the proper operation of the gun, for any debris that hinders the contact between the lower receiver  105  and barrel  120  or slide  125  can cause the gun to jam or otherwise become inoperative. Positioning the lower receiver  105  with the “dirty side”  106  down causes the dislodged debris and sediment to merely fall from the receiver  105  to the floor  210  (FIG. 11) of the ultrasonic cleaning bath  200  (FIG. 11 described below). 
     Supports  92  and  94  maintain the lower receiver  105  in an upside down orientation. Support  92  contacts the underside  107  of the lower receiver while support  94  further comprises dual supports  95 , 96  for contacting the trigger section  108 . Support  92  actually prevents the lower receiver  105  from rotating around support  94  and thus maintains lower receiver  105  in a substantially horizontal orientation. Support  94 , shown in detail in FIGS. 8A and 8B, is preferably height-adjustable with respect to extension member  34  to which it is connected. A threaded rod onto which a thumb nut  97  is placed is slidable within a slot  98  present on the support  94 . Support plate  94  may be raised from a position shown in FIG. 8A to a position shown in FIG. 8B by loosening (counter-clockwise rotation) the thumb nut  97  (FIG.  8 A), sliding the adjustable support  94  along slot  98  to a desired height with respect to the support  92 , and tightening the thumb nut  97  with a clockwise rotation (FIG.  8 B). The adjustable support  94  is provided to accommodate most handgun sizes used by law enforcement, whether such handguns are on the longer side as shown in FIG. 7, or the shorter side as shown in FIG.  13 . 
     Most of the supports, such as supports  60 ,  64 ,  68 ,  72 ,  84  and  88  for example, provided on the gun rack  20  preferably have a “U” shaped profile. Such profile prevents the gun parts  100 , and in particular the lower receiver  105  and slide  125  from tilting on its side while being supported. With the slide  125 , for example, it is important that the “dirty side”  126  is always facing downward, so that debris and sediment can fall from such side  126  in an unobstructed fashion. If the slide  125  were tilted on its side, it is possible that some debris and sediment would remain on the surface  126 , thereby necessitating secondary wiping or cleaning. Thus, it is important that any sediment, once dislodged from the firearm, can fall freely to the bottom of the tank  200  (FIG.  11 ). 
     While the gun rack of the present invention is illustrated mainly with the use of “U” shaped wire supports, other supporting means are contemplated. For example, FIG. 14 illustrates the use of clips  130  or the like for suspending a gun part  110  from above, while FIG. 15 illustrates the use of pins  135  for suspending a gun part  110  from the sides. In certain situations, it might be preferable to retain certain gun parts on the rack of the invention using alternative supporting or suspending means when it is desired, for example, to fully expose a “dirty” surface to ultrasonic waves without obstructing any part of such surface by a wire support. In most cases, however, the obstructions caused by the hook supports will have a negligible effect on cleaning effectiveness. In addition, while only support  94  is illustrated as being adjustable, other supports may be vertically or horizontally adjustable as desired. 
     FIG. 11 illustrates an ultrasonic cleaning tank  200  into which a gun rack  20  of the invention is submerged. Tank  200  has a cover  205 , a floor  210 , an ultrasonic cleaning solution  215  and straight or angled walls  220  adapted to receive the upper ends  24 , 28 , 32 , 36  (FIG. 1) of the legs  22 , 26 , 30 , 34  of the gun rack  20  of the invention. The upper ends  24 , 28 , 32 , 36  of the gun rack legs rest on the angled walls  220  so that the gun rack  20  is suspended in the cleaning solution  215  and the bottom of the rack is elevated off the tank floor  210 . Such a suspended arrangement is highly desirable since there is no “barrier” between the surface which is to be cleaned, i.e., the gun parts, and the surface which is radiating the ultrasonic (cleaning) energy. As noted above with prior art ultrasonic cleaning baskets that have basket floors and the like, any barrier between the radiating (vibrating) surface, i.e. the tank bottom  210 , and the items to be cleaned, i.e. the gun parts, will diminish the cleaning effectiveness. Since the gun rack  20  of the present invention does not include a barrier between the gun parts and the floor  210  of the tank  200 , cleaning effectiveness is maximized. 
     The legs, horizontal members, extension members and associated gun part supports are preferably formed from metal, which efficiently conduct ultrasonic vibrations better than plastic. Forming such parts from plastic may undesirably dampen the ultrasonic cleaning effectiveness when a loaded rack is submerged in an ultrasonic cleaning bath (FIG.  11 ). However, because it is highly desirable to reduce metal-to-metal wear between the parts being supported and the supports that hold such parts, it is preferable if the gun part supports are coated with a cushioning material such as plastic or the like. While the entire gun rack  20  may be plastic-coated, it may only be necessary to coat the supports that actually contact the gun parts to be cleaned. It is preferable if the gun part supports are plastic coated since metal-to-metal contact between the gun part and its support can wear the gun part down. This can have life threatening implications if the critical components are worn such as the rails (not specifically shown) for the slide. Worn critical components may cause a firearm to malfunction. A malfunctioning firearm in an emergency situation has obvious implications. Thus, plastic, being softer than the metal gun part, will wear before the metal gun part itself. 
     Use of the gun rack  20  of the present invention is fairly straightforward. A firearm is either “field” or “detail” stripped and its associated parts are positioned on the gun rack. Most handgun parts will be positioned on the gun rack as shown in FIGS. 6-7, with or without the need to adjust the receiver support  94  as shown in FIGS. 8A-8B. If the firearm is “detail” stripped, small parts  101  will be placed in the basket  50  and the basket will be attached to the rack. Otherwise, the basket can remain detached from the rack. After the rack is loaded with gun parts, the rack is submerged in an ultrasonic cleaning bath (FIG. 11) and exposed to ultrasonic cleaning energy. Such ultrasonic cleaning causes debris and sediment to dislodge from the gun parts and fall to floor of the bath. Since most gun parts will be positioned with their “dirtiest ” sides or ends facing the bottom of the ultrasonic cleaning bath, the debris and sediment will fall to the floor of the bath in an efficient, unobstructed fashion without become redeposited on one or more of the gun parts. After a predetermined time, the rack is removed from the cleaning bath and dried. Since most of the debris and sediment that has been dislodged from the firearm is now located on the floor of the ultrasonic cleaning bath, it is not necessary to wipe or otherwise clean the gun parts again once such parts have been removed from the bath. 
     The gun rack of the present invention is highly effective by virtue of the strategic positioning of gun parts on the rack and the suspended positioning of the rack in an ultrasonic cleaning bath. The gun rack illustrated in the figures describes one potential support structure and one potential arrangement of supports. For example, a gun rack may only have one side or surface for supporting gun parts, or such rack may have a plurality of surfaces arranged in interesting geometric configurations. The gun rack of the present invention efficiently uses space on both sides of the rack so that the rack can be accommodated in a compact ultrasonic cleaning bath. Clearly, other rack configurations are contemplated, either to conform to a particular arrangement of gun parts or a particular ultrasonic cleaning bath. 
     While the present invention has been described at some length and with some particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention.