Patent Publication Number: US-2009229162-A1

Title: Shooting support

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/027,948, filed Feb. 12, 2008 and entitled Shooting Support, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to shooting supports. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable armrest fastened to the user for steadying the user&#39;s arm when supporting a rifle, a camera or the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Accuracy in shooting most hand held firearms is improved with the steadying of the weapon and/or the shooter&#39;s arm. Accuracy is reduced as the barrel of the firearm is lengthened as small movements of the shooter&#39;s body are amplified by the length of the barrel. A wide variety of supports have been developed to assist the steadying of the weapon and/or the shooter&#39;s arm. Many of these supports are comprised of mono- or multi-legged structures which attach directly to the weapon, e.g. monopods or tripods. These support structures are often very cumbersome and can limit or hinter the mobility of the shooter. Hunters, for example, would find it difficult to use such support structures when perched in a tree stand, for example. 
     Other shooting supports have been developed which attach to a belt worn by the shooter. These shooting supports generally provide an armrest for supporting the shooter&#39;s forearm or elbow while aiming a weapon. Some examples of armrests that support a shooter&#39;s arm are described below; however, one problem faced by a shooter is that when a shooter breathes, the shooter&#39;s elbow moves back and forth on the armrest. This leads to reduced accuracy. Although the armrests noted below generally support the user&#39;s arm, there remains a need for an shooting support with improved support characteristics, capable of creating a rigid triangle formed by the user&#39;s torso, the user&#39;s arm and the armrest. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,241,771 (Caustic) and 5,060,409 (Caustic) both disclose a body mountable armrest which is designed to support a shooter&#39;s arm while slideably moving the aiming point in a smooth, continuously supported manner. The armrests described by Caustic have an elliptical armrest bar attached to body support bracket, which is fastened around the waist of the shooter. The elliptical bar extends at greater distances from the shooter&#39;s body as it approaches the center point of the armrest. The device is designed to automatically compensate for changes in the distance of the shooter&#39;s support from his body as he changes from a side shooting stance to a frontal shooting stance, or vice-versa. However, neither of the patents for Caustic discloses any means for preventing the user&#39;s elbow from moving relative to the armrest. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,461 of Killian discloses an arm support, which includes a base attachable to the user&#39;s body and an elbow support or armrest connected to the base. The elbow is clamped in the support to prevent movement of the elbow in the armrest and to keep the user&#39;s elbow bent at a fixed angle. The support is kept at a fixed spacing from the base by a rigid support pole. The support pole and elbow support combination limits movement of the user&#39;s arm in a vertical direction, but allows free movement of the user&#39;s elbow in horizontal directions, especially towards and away from the body. This arrangement does not aid in stabilizing a shooter&#39;s arm, since movement of the shooter&#39;s elbow towards and away from the body directly results in a movement of the rifle muzzle in an up and down direction, especially when the shooter&#39;s elbow is locked at a fixed angle, as disclosed in Killian. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 46,365 (Kinman) discloses a body-mounted shooting support which includes an adjustable arm support element hingedly and pivotally connected to a body support element. The body support element is secured to the shooter&#39;s waist with a belt. The arm support element is secured to the arm with a band. The arm is supported when the shooter engages the arm support element with the notches in the body support element located at the intersection of the body support and arm support elements. Kinman does not show any support for the user&#39;s elbow itself, and the shooting support is secured to the arm when the shooting support is being worn. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,713 (Xiao) discloses an arm brace positioned in the underarm between the user&#39;s upper arm and torso. The arm brace by Xiao assists in carrying heavy objects at shoulder level, but, like the device described by Kinman, does not disclose any support of the user&#39;s elbow itself and is secured to the arm as long as the shooting support is being worn. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,335 (Barrett) describes an armrest useable with a variety of weapons. The armrest described by Barrett includes a rod having a first end with a strap attached to the shooter&#39;s waist, and an opposite end with an armrest member that supports the hunter&#39;s arm. The rod described by Barrett comes in two pieces, a base rod telescopically receiving an upper rod. Replacing the upper rod allows the user to change the support means. Barrett discloses a spherical ball for gripping while shooting a rifle, and a concave portion for receiving the shooter&#39;s upper arm or wrists when the user is shooting a bow or pistol. Barrett does not, however, describe the armrest as being stabilized against the user&#39;s body or slideably supporting the user&#39;s elbow. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,844,390 (Duke), 5,111,983 (Simmons), and Des. 395,070 (McGowan) all describe body mounted armrests that attach to a belt and provide support via a bar terminating in an armrest. Supports like those described by Duke, Simmons and McGowan prevent the user&#39;s arm from dropping towards the user&#39;s body. However, these same supports do not provide an armrest on which the user&#39;s elbow can be slideably supported. Neither do they describe any means for preventing the user&#39;s elbow from moving relative to the armrest. 
     It is, therefore, desirable to provide an shooting support that overcomes the aforementioned problems of the prior art and provides a shooter with an shooting support having improved support characteristics to increase the accuracy of the shooter&#39;s shots. It is also desirable to provide an shooting support that is easy to use and economical to manufacture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to describe a shooting support able to be fastened to a user&#39;s body and used to support an arm of the user holding a rifle or camera, for creating a rigid triangle formed by the user&#39;s torso, the user&#39;s arm and the armrest. In a preferred embodiment, the shooting support provides support to an elbow of a user&#39;s weapon arm. The shooting support preferably includes a base or body mount for stabilizing the shooting support against the user&#39;s body and a support or armrest for slidably supporting the user&#39;s elbow. The base preferably includes a fastener for releasably holding the base on the user&#39;s body and the support. The support has a stop for limiting movement of the user&#39;s elbow away from the base. It is a core principle of the shooting support of the present invention that the stop on the elbow support limits the movement of the elbow away from the user&#39;s body so that a fixed triangle is created between the shoulder of the shooter, the elbow of the shooter and the base. This is achieved with the shooting support structure as claimed and not achievable with the structure disclosed in Killian. In the shooting support of the invention, once the base is attached to the body and the elbow support projects from the base to which it is connected in a way to permit sliding movement of the elbow on the elbow support to and away from the base, which means to and away from the user&#39;s body, the end stop as claimed limits movement of the elbow on the elbow support away from the base. This means the end also limits the movement of the elbow away from the user&#39;s body. This functionality clearly is not achievable with the arm support of Killian, since it neither allows sliding movement of the elbow towards and away from the base nor does it provide an end stop which limits the movement of the elbow on the elbow support away from the base and away from the body. 
     The stop can have a substantially arcuate, or straight, stop shoulder or raised lip adapted to reliably stop movement of the user&#39;s elbow. The stop shoulder can be a wall that is substantially perpendicular to the support. The wall is preferably of sufficient height to prevent the elbow moving past the stop when the user pushes against the stop with their elbow. The height of the wall is preferably between about 0.7 and about 3.0 cm in height, more preferably between about 1.3 and about 2.0 cm. 
     The fastener is preferably a strap, belt, band, strip of material, clip, clasp, hook, or any combination thereof. The support and the base can be hingedly connected, and preferably include a locking means for locking the support relative to the base in an operative position. 
     Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a shooting support in accordance with the present application; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is an opposite side view of the embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a second embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the second embodiment showing the base and support locked together at an acute angle; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates the shooting support of  FIG. 1  in use; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a further alternate embodiment; and 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of still another alternate embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Generally, the present invention provides an shooting support for steadying a shooter&#39;s aim by stabilizing the shooting arm supporting the weapon, camera, or the like. Although the following description describes hunters, shooters and rifles, it should be understood that the shooting support is not limited to this use. The shooting support of the present application can also be used to steady a shooting arm holding such other equipment as photographic or video equipment. 
     One embodiment of the shooting support of the present application is shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3  and comprises an elbow support  10  attached to a base  12 . The base  12  is releasably mountable to the shooter (see  FIG. 6 ). In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the base  12  is fastened to the shooter by a strap  14  attached to the base  12  and tightened around the shooter&#39;s waist. In the context of the present application, the strap  14  can also be a belt, a band, a strip of material, or any other means known to a person of skill in the art that can be used to reliably mount the base  12  on the shooter to prevent movement of the base on the shooter&#39;s body during use of the shooting support. In another embodiment, not shown, the base  12  can be fastened to the shooter by more than one fastener or strap. In such an embodiment, a first strap can extend through the base  12  and around the shooter&#39;s waist or chest, and a second strap can extend through the base  12  and around the shooter&#39;s leg or waist. Alternatively, the base  12  can be fastened to the shooter using a clip, clasp, or hook that can attach to a strap or belt worn by the shooter. In various embodiments, the base  12  presses against the shooter&#39;s body when force is applied in a downward direction on the support  10 . The pressure of the base  12  against the shooter&#39;s body can provide increased stability to the support  10 . 
     Although, in various embodiments, the elbow support  10  and base  12  can preferably be in a fixed orientation relative to one another, the support  10  is hingedly connected to the base  12 . A hinged connection  16  is shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3  between the support  10  and base  12 . When not in use, the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3  can be collapsed so that the support  10  rests against the base  12  in a collapsed position. When the shooter wishes to use the shooting support, the support  10  can be locked in an operative position so as to prevent displacement of the support  10  relative to the base  12 . The support  10  is then available to the shooter to support the shooter&#39;s elbow. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the elbow support  10  is locked using a detachable locking arm  18  that attaches to both the support  10  and the base  12 , creating a rigid triangle. The locking arm  18  at one end is preferably permanently attached to one of the support  10  and the base  12  to prevent loss of the locking arm  18 . The other end of the locking arm  18  is preferably releasably attachable to the other of the support  10  and the base  12 , for example by way of a screw or bolt received in a keyhole slot as depicted in  FIG. 2 . Other structures for locking the support  10  in relation to the base  12  include locking arms  18  which are bolted or screwed onto the base  12  and support  10 , or locking arms or braces the ends of which are respectively positioned into a recess (not shown) in the support  10  and base  12  respectively for maintaining the support  10  and base  12  at a fixed angular orientation relative to one another. The use of a triangular brace (not shown) rigidly or hingedly mounted to one of the base  12  and support  10  to maintain the angular orientation is also possible. At times, it may be desirable to lock the elbow support  10  in a perpendicular orientation relative to the base  12 , as depicted in  FIGS. 1 to 3 . In other situations, it may be desirable to lock the support  10  in a non-perpendicular orientation relative to the base  12 . In such situations, the locking arm  18  can lock the base  12  and support  10  at an acute angle, as depicted in  FIG. 4 . 
     The elbow support  10  comprises an elbow stop  20  adapted for reliably limiting movement of the user&#39;s elbow along to the support. The stop  20  is shown in  FIGS. 1 to 5 . In various embodiments, the stop  20  can have a stop shoulder  21  that is arcuate, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and curving away from the shooter&#39;s body to form a receptacle or well for receiving the elbow and limiting movement of the elbow both along the support and lateral thereto. In other embodiments, the wall of the stop shoulder  21  can be substantially straight, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The elbow stop  20  is positioned on the elbow support  10  such that when the shooter places their elbow on the support  10 , the stop  20  is located beyond where the elbow is placed and therefore can limit movement of the shooter&#39;s elbow on the support away from the base  12 , as depicted in  FIG. 6 . The elbow stop  20  can be made of a block mounted on the support  10  as shown in  FIGS. 1 to 5 . Alternatively, the stop  20  can also be integrated into the overall structure and shape of the support  10 , for example by molding the support  10  in the desired shape. The support  10  and stop  20  can be made of various materials. For longevity and ruggedness, the support  10  and stop  20  are preferably made of hardwood or injection molded plastic. For maximum stability and comfort, the height or length of the base  12  vertically along the shooters body when the shooting support is worn by the shooter is preferably greater than the distance of the stop  20  from the base  12 . This avoids the bottom end of the base  12  digging into the shooter&#39;s body when the shooter applies full weight onto the support  10 . Most preferably, both the base  12  and the support  10  are elongated and hingedly connected at one of their longitudinal ends, whereby the length of the base  12  is greater than the length of the support  10 . 
     In various embodiments, the stop shoulder  21  of the stop  10  can be a wall substantially perpendicular to the support  10 . One embodiment of the stop shoulder is shown in  FIGS. 2 to 5 . The stop shoulder  21  is of a sufficient height so that a shooter can readily push against the stop  20  with their elbow, without the elbow rolling over the stop shoulder  21  and past the stop  20 . The stop shoulder  21  is preferably at least 0.7 cm high. The stop shoulder  21  can be between about 0.7 cm and about 4 cm high. In other embodiments, the stop  20  can be between about 1.3 cm and 2 cm high. 
     In use, as depicted in  FIG. 6 , the stop  20  can be used as an elbow stop. The shooter can fasten the base  12  to their body, typically around the waist, stabilizing the shooting support. In some embodiments, the base  12  can be fastened around the shooter&#39;s lower rib cage. The shooter can place one elbow on the support  10 , the elbow resting in front of the stop  20 . The shooter can support a weapon, typically a rifle, with the arm being supported by the support  10 , and can place the weapon up to their opposite shoulder, sighting down the barrel or through a shooting scope. The shooter can push their elbow against the stop  20  of the support  10  while sighting down the barrel. Pushing the elbow against the stop  20  will lock the shooter&#39;s elbow in place, which creates a rigid triangle, the legs of the triangle being the shooter&#39;s torso, the shooter&#39;s upper arm, and the support  10 . The formation of this rigid triangle provides increased stability and support for the shooting arm and can increase the accuracy of the shooter&#39;s aim. 
     Alternatively, the user can use a camera instead of a weapon. The user can go through the same procedure, except that they can look into the view finder of the camera instead of sighting down the barrel, and they can support the camera lens instead of the weapon. 
     In an alternative embodiment as shown in  FIG. 7  the support  10  has a substantially concave surface which forms a guide groove  30  for the user&#39;s elbow. Together with the stop  20 , this structure provides a more reliable positioning of the elbow in a direction along the support and lateral thereto. Although the stop  20  is depicted in  FIGS. 1 to 7  as a block mounted on top of the support  10  to provide the stop shoulder  21 , the stop  20  and the stop shoulder  21  can be constructed in any other manner which provides a reliable limiting of the movement of the user &#39;s elbow along the support. For example, the stop can be in the form of a recess  22  in the support  10  as shown in  FIG. 8 . In another embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the stop shoulder  21  is formed by an end wall of the guide groove  30 . 
     The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations can be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.