Patent Publication Number: US-7584861-B2

Title: Expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position

Description:
1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a rack for a pistol, and more particularly, the present invention relates to an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position. 
   B. Description of the Prior Art 
   Sportsmen who collect or use fire arms, as a general rule, take particularly good care of the weapons they own including the cleaning and storage aspects of responsible ownership. With regard to handguns, most owners keep their small guns locked in a secure location, and often owners will have a commercial safe in their home for the sole purpose of securing their handguns. 
   Many individuals and organizations maintain and store firearms usually in some form of locking device to provide a certain amount of security for the weapon or weapons. The security requirements are to prevent unauthorized use or theft of the weapon or weapons. In particular, the home is vulnerable to robbery and subsequent theft of any weapons, or the weapon could be used on the homeowner by the robber. Usually, the owner will store firearms in a locking rack that is generally made of wood and offers very little security for the contained weapon. Most gun racks are loosely attached to a wall or similar object, which means that the entire gun rack may be taken for later removal of the contained firearms. 
   One of the inconveniences of storing handguns is that it is convention to store a handgun by laying it on its side. In some situations, the gun is in the original case it was in when purchased, in other situations the gun is simply laid on a towel or blanket. Unfortunately, space in an affordable safe is generally limited and therefore storing handguns quickly uses the available space, leaving the active owner in a state of consternation. 
   Numerous innovations for pistol storing devices have been provided in the prior art that will be described below. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they each differ in structure and/or operation and/or purpose from the present invention in that they do not teach an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position. 
   (1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,466 to Cislo. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,466 issued to Cislo on Jan. 2, 1990 teaches an apparatus to lock a handgun within a compartment while the compartment is readily lockable to a stationary object using a detachable bracket. The compartment is only accessible by authorized persons selecting a particular code that unlocks a latch to open the compartment. The bracket can only be detached when the apparatus is in an open position. The latch can be lighted to allow the selecting of the proper code in darkness. The apparatus also serves to carry the handgun and can be subsequently used to so secure the handgun at another location. 
   (2) U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,276 to Pierce. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,276 issued to Pierce on Apr. 2, 1996 teaches a stand for storing multiple handguns, including a base and a vertical panel perpendicular to the base. The vertical panel contains a number of slots with a follower behind the panel and studs extending through the panel to engage a threaded cavity in the follower. The stud and follower slide in the slot and are locked in place by a stop ring on the stud. The barrel of a handgun slides over the stud and the heel of the grip may rest on the base. 
   (3) U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,291 to Graham. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,291 issued to Graham on May 28, 1996 teaches a manner of locking firearms within a theft proof gun rack. The apparatus comes in two embodiments for use with long guns or pistols and utilizes a locking bar locking the firearm within a given partition within the gun rack. The long gun embodiment of the apparatus accepts various sized guns, either in or out of soft gun cases, by using an optional spacer to accept smaller guns within the rack. The apparatus is designed to be mounted to a wall or similar object, and once a firearm is in place and locked, the mounting bolts are unreachable. Protection of the finish of the firearm is afforded by a resilient covering on all parts of the rack that come in contact with the firearm. 
   (4) U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,865 to Bissey. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,865 issued to Bissey on Dec. 7, 1999 teaches a container for securing a hand gun and ammunition in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. The container is foam lined and has preformed contour receptacles for accommodating a particular style of hand gun and ammunition associated therewith. The container has a securable lid and a hinged flap along a lower edge for insertion between the passenger seat and the passenger seat back rest. The hinged flap has a securing apparatus for attachment once so inserted. The container further has hook and loop fasteners secured to the underside for alternatively securing the container to the front passenger floor of the passenger compartment. 
   (5) U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,070 to Kolpin. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,070 issued to Kolpin on Apr. 15, 2003 teaches a handgun case for protecting and transporting a pistol or revolver, including a closable outer shell, an inner liner within the outer shell, a variety of accessories removably attachable to the inner liner at any point on the inner liner, for example by hook-and-loop fasteners, a closed-cell foam pad between the outer shell and the inner liner, and a number of resilient protective ribs on the outer shell. 
   It is apparent that numerous innovations for pistol storing devices have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described, namely, an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position. 
   2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art. 
   Briefly stated, another object of the present invention is to provide an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position. The expandable modular rack includes at least one first member, at least one second member, and at least one third member. The at least one first member, the at least one second member, and the at least one third member are interchangeably attached to each other, side-by-side, so as to form at least one bay. Each bay is defined by a vertical portion and a horizontal portion. The vertical portion of each bay supports the barrel of an associated pistol or an associated similarly configured item, the horizontal portion of each bay supports the heel of the grip of the associated pistol or the associated similarly configured item, and each bay is of varying width, thereby allowing each bay to store the associated pistol or the associated similarly configured item of any width in its normal upright position. 
   The novel features which are considered characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawing. 

   
     3. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The figures of the drawing are briefly described as follows: 
       FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic perspective view of the expandable modular rack of the present invention storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position; 
       FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic perspective view of the expandable modular rack of the present invention identified by ARROW  2  in  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded diagrammatic perspective view of the area generally enclosed by the dotted curve identified by ARROW  3  in  FIG. 2  of a typical bay of the expandable modular rack of the present invention. 
   

   4. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWING 
   A. General 
   
       
         10  expandable modular rack of present invention for storing at least one pistol  12  of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position 
         12  at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item 
         14  barrel of each pistol of at least one pistol  12  of any width and/or each similarly configured item of at least one similarly configured item 
         16  grip of each pistol of at least one pistol  12  of any width and/or each similarly configured item of at least one similarly configured item 
         18  heel of grip  16  of each pistol of at least one pistol  12  of any width and/or each similarly configured item of at least one similarly configured item 
     
  
   B. Overall Configuration 
   
       
         20  at least one pair of first members 
         22  at least one pair of second members 
         24  at least one third member 
         26  at least one bay 
         28  plurality of rods 
         30  plurality of clips 
         32  vertical portion of each bay of at least one bay  26  for supporting barrel  14  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item 
         34  horizontal portion of each bay of at least one bay  26  for supporting heel  18  of grip  16  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item 
     
  
   C. Specific Configuration 
   
       
         36  pair of partitions of each pair of first members of at least one pair of first members  20   
         38  vertical portion of each partition of pair of partitions  36  of each first member of at least one pair of first members  20   
         40  horizontal portion of each partition of pair of partitions  36  of each first member of at least one pair of first members  20  for separating associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item from each other 
         42  vertical portion of each second member of at least one pair of second members  22  for straddling barrel  14  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item 
         44  horizontal portion of each second member of at least one pair of second members  22  for supporting heel  18  of grip  16  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item 
         46  stop of horizontal portion of each second member of at least one pair of second members  22  for preventing heel  18  of grip  16  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item from moving back off horizontal portion  44  of associated pair of second members of at least one pair of second members  22   
         48  vertical portion of each third member of at least one third member  24  for supporting barrel  14  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item 
         50  horizontal portion of each third member of at least one third member  24  for supporting heel  18  of grip  16  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item 
         52  stop of horizontal portion  50  of each third member of at least one third member  24  for preventing heel  18  of grip  16  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item from moving back off horizontal portion  50  of associated third member of at least one third member  24   
         54  relief in vertical portion  32  of each bay of at least one  26  for receiving barrel  14  of associated pistol  12  or associated similarly configured item 
     
  
   5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A. General 
   Referring now to the figures, in which like numerals indicate like parts, and particularly to  FIG. 1 , which is a diagrammatic perspective view of the expandable modular rack of the present invention storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position, the expandable modular rack of the present invention is shown generally at  10  for storing at least one pistol  12  of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position. Each of the at least one pistol  12  and the at least one similarly configured item has a finish, a barrel  14 , and a grip  16  with a heel  18 . 
   B. Overall Configuration 
   The overall configuration of the expandable modular rack  10  can best be seen in  FIG. 2 , which is a diagrammatic perspective view of the expandable modular rack of the present invention identified by ARROW  2  in  FIG. 1 , and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto. 
   The expandable modular rack  10  comprises at least one pair of first members  20 , at least one pair of second members  22 , and at least one third member  24 . The at least one pair of first members  20 , the at least one pair of second members  22 , and the at least one third member  24  are interchangeably attached to each other, side-by-side, so as to form at least one bay  26 . 
   The expandable modular rack  10  further comprises a plurality of rods  28  and a plurality of clips  30 . The plurality of rods  28  extend through the at least one bay  26  and originate and terminate in the plurality of clips  30 , respectively, so as hold the at least one pair of first members  20 , the at least one pair of second members  22 , and the at least one third member  24  interchangeably attached to each other, side-by-side. 
   It is to be understood that each rod  28  can be threadably telescopic to be length adjustable to adjust for any number of the at least one pair of first members  20 , the at least one pair of second members  22 , the at least one third member  24 , and the at least one bay  26 , or can be one piece thereby requiring interchanging thereof to adjust for any number of the at least one pair of first members  20 , the at least one pair of second members  22 , the at least one third member  24 , and the at least one bay  26 . 
   Each bay  26  is defined by a vertical portion  32  and a horizontal portion  34 . The vertical portion  32  of each bay  26  is for supporting the barrel  14  of an associated pistol  12  or an associated similarly configured item, the horizontal portion  34  of each bay  26  is for supporting the heel  18  of the grip  16  of the associated pistol  12  or the associated similarly configured item, and each bay  26  is of varying width, thereby allowing each bay  26  to store the associated pistol  12  of any width or the associated similarly configured item in its normal upright position. 
   Each of the at least one pair of first members  20 , the at least one pair of second members  22 , and the at least one third member  24  are made of a closed cell polymer, such as ethyl vinyl acetate, for preventing easy absorption of oil or grease from the pistol  12  and for preventing harming of the finish of the pistol  12 . 
   C. Specific Configuration 
   The specific configuration of the expandable modular rack  10  can best be seen in  FIG. 3 , which is an exploded diagrammatic perspective view of the area generally enclosed by the dotted curve identified by ARROW  3  in  FIG. 2  of a typical bay of the expandable modular rack of the present invention, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto. 
   Each pair of first members  20  form a pair of partitions  36 . Each pair of partitions  36  define an associated bay  26 , with one partition  36  being common for each adjacent pair of bays  26 . 
   Each partition  36  has a vertical portion  38  and a horizontal portion  40 . The vertical portion  38  of each partition  36  forms a part of the vertical portion  32  of an associated bay  26 . The horizontal portion  40  of each partition  36  partitions adjacent bays  26  from each other for separating adjacent pistols  12  and/or adjacent similarly configured items from each other. 
   Each of the pair of second members  22  is generally L-shaped and has a vertical portion  42  and a horizontal portion  44 . The vertical portion  42  of each of the pair of second members  22  form a part of the vertical portion  32  of an associated bay  26  and are for straddling the barrel  14  of an associated pistol  12  or an associated similarly configured item. The horizontal portion  44  of each of the pair of second members  22  form a part of the horizontal portion  34  of the associated bay  26 , terminate in stops  46 , and are for supporting the heel  18  of the grip  16  of the associated pistol  12  or the associated similarly configured item. 
   The stops  46  of the horizontal portion  44  of each of the pair of second members  22  are for preventing the heel  18  of the grip  16  of an associated pistol  12  or an associated similarly configured item from moving back off the horizontal portion  44  of an associated pair of second members  22 . 
   The at least one third member  24  is generally L-shaped, is intimately straddled by the pair of second members  22 , and has a vertical portion  48  and a horizontal portion  50 . The vertical portion  40  of the at least one third member  24  forms a part of the vertical portion  32  of an associated bay  26 , is intimately straddled by the vertical portions  42  of an adjacent pair of second members  22 , and is for supporting the barrel  14  of an associated pistol  12  or an associated similarly configured item. The horizontal portion  50  of the at least one third member  24  forms a part of the horizontal portion  34  of the associated bay  26 , terminates in a stop  52 , is intimately straddled by the horizontal portions  44  of an adjacent pair of second members  22 , and is for supporting the heel  18  of the grip  16  of the associated pistol  12  or the associated similarly configured item. 
   The stop  52  of the horizontal portion  50  of the at least one third member  24  is for preventing the heel  18  of the grip  16  of an associated pistol  12  or an associated similarly configured item from moving back off the horizontal portion  50  of an associated third member  24 . 
   The vertical portion  48  of the at least one third member  24  is lower than the vertical portions  42  of a straddling pair of second members  22  so as to form a relief  54  therebetween. The relief  54  in the vertical portion  32  of each bay  26  is for receiving the barrel  14  of an associated pistol  12  or an associated similarly configured item. 
   The at least one third member  24  can be more than one for a bay  26  having a pistol  12  with a wider than normal barrel  14 . 
   D. Conclusions 
   It will be understood that each of the elements described above or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above. 
   While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an expandable modular rack for storing at least one pistol of any width and/or at least one similarly configured item in its/their normal upright position, however, it is not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions, and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
   Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that from the standpoint of prior art fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of the invention.