Patent Publication Number: US-2005133473-A1

Title: J-style gun rack for a safe

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/516,332, filed on Oct. 31, 2003. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      Not applicable.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a rack for holding guns located within an enclosure, safe or storage cabinet. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a gun barrel support having a J-shaped retaining recess that holds a firearm in position within the enclosure. Further, the present invention is directed to a gun barrel support having a J-shaped retaining recess that is used in conjunction with a lower support to hold the firearm in a generally upright position within the enclosure.  
      Many types of gun racks for rifles, shotguns and other long firearms are well known in the art. In fact, some gun racks are configured to hold one or more guns within an enclosure or safe. Typically, these gun racks are mounted on the side wall of the safe and have a U-shaped groove adapted to hold the barrel of the gun. In, particular, the gun barrel is placed within the U-shaped groove, and the remaining portion of the gun is positioned at an angle so that the gun stock rests near the center of the floor of the safe.  
      While prior gun racks adapted for use inside a safe are capable of retaining a plurality of guns, these gun racks have a number of drawbacks and deficiencies. For instance, the placement of the gun stocks near the center of the floor occupies valuable storage space within the safe. Angling the gun barrel toward the side wall with the stock near the center of the floor makes the gun stock susceptible to sliding thereby causing the gun barrel to be unintentionally removed from the gun rack. If the gun stock were to be slid toward the sidewall of the safe, the gun barrel has a tendency to tip over, or otherwise be removed from the U-shaped groove.  
      Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a gun rack that adequately holds a gun in an upright position within an enclosure. There is a further need in the art for a gun rack that adequately holds a plurality of guns while maximizing space within an enclosure. The present invention fills these needs as well as other needs.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In order to overcome the above stated problems and limitations there is provided a gun rack for retaining at least one gun in a generally upright position within an enclosure, wherein the gun has a barrel and a stock portion. The gun rack includes a gun barrel support and a lower support.  
      The gun barrel support includes a front wall portion, a back wall portion and at least two side wall portions, wherein a J-shaped retaining recess is defined in the gun barrel support for selectively retaining the gun barrel. The retaining recess includes an access portion, an intermediate portion and a receiving portion. The access portion extends from the front wall portion toward the back wall portion. The intermediate portion extends from the access portion toward one of the side wall portions. Further, the receiving portion extends from the intermediate portion toward the front wall portion, wherein the receiving portion includes a rest area for the gun barrel. The lower support has a support base and at least one recess formed therein to selectively receive the gun stock portion of the gun.  
      The gun rack of the present invention may also include a stand that is pivotally coupled with the support base. The stand includes a support foot and an adjustment mechanism that is adapted to adjust the position of the support foot relative to the support base. The stand provides additional support to the lower support when the gun rack is mounted to the door of the enclosure.  
      The use of the J-shaped gun barrel support and lower support allow the guns to be positioned in an upright position within the enclosure thereby maximizing the amount of available storage space within the enclosure. Further, the use of the J-shaped gun barrel support and lower support securely position the guns within the enclosure, which reduces the chance that the guns will slide and be inadvertently removed from the gun rack.  
      Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will in part become apparent to those in the practice of the invention, when considered with the attached figures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become apparent and be better understood by reference to the following description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a gun rack in accordance with the present invention mounted to a door of a safe;  
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the gun rack shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the gun rack shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the gun rack shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the gun rack shown in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of a stand shown in  FIG. 1 ; and  
       FIG. 8  is a view similar to  FIG. 7  showing the stand in a horizontal position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly  FIGS. 1-3 , reference numeral  8  generally designates a gun rack for holding one or more guns  9  in a generally upright position in accordance with the present invention. Gun rack  8  may include a gun barrel support  10  and a lower support  12 . Gun barrel support  10  and lower support  12  may be mounted to the surface of an interior wall  14  or the inside surface of a door  16  of an enclosure  18 , such as a gun safe, to store a plurality of guns while maximizing space within the enclosure. In general, gun barrel support  10  has at least one J-shaped retaining recess defined therein to hold a gun barrel portion  20  of gun  9 , and lower support  12  that is adapted to hold a stock portion  22  of gun  9 .  
      With particular reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , gun barrel support  10  includes a front wall portion  24 , a back wall portion  26 , a pair of side wall portions  28 ,  30 , a top surface  32 , and a bottom surface  33 . Back wall portion  26  may be fixedly or removably coupled with door  16 , as best seen in  FIG. 1 , or interior wall  14  of enclosure  18 . Retaining recess  34  is formed or defined in gun barrel support  10  for holding gun barrel  20  in an upright position.  
      Specifically, retaining recess  34  includes an access portion  36 , an intermediate portion  38 , a receiving portion  39 , and a rest area  40  adapted to receive gun barrel  20 . It will be understood that retaining recess  34  has a width that allows a gun barrel to be slid and retained therein. Access portion  36  generally extends from front wall portion  24  toward back wall portion  26  to a point in between front and back wall portions  24 ,  26 . Intermediate portion  38  generally curves from the end of access portion  36 , or otherwise extends in a straight manner, toward one of side wall portions  28 ,  30 . Receiving portion  39  generally extends from intermediate portion  38  toward front wall portion  24 , but preferably ends before extending all the way to front wall portion  24 . As such, retaining recess  34  may be J-shaped as defined in top surface  32  of gun barrel support  10 .  
      Further, rest area  40  is a surface located in retaining recess  34  that the gun barrel  20  rests on to prevent the gun barrel  20  from tipping over toward the central portion of the enclosure  18 . Resting gun barrel  20  on rest area  40  allows for stock portion  22  of the gun to be positioned closer to the enclosure door  16  or wall  14 , thereby occupying less of the available storage space within the enclosure.  
      The configuration of access portion  36 , intermediate portion  38  and receiving portion  39  results in the formation of an extension member  41 , a connecting member  43 , and a retention lip  45  formed in gun barrel support  10  that prevents gun barrel  20  from being removed from retaining recess  34 . In particular, extension member  41  extends outwardly from a base  47  of the gun barrel support  10 , preferably at a generally perpendicular angle from base  47 . Connecting member  43  extends from extension member  41  in a direction that is generally perpendicular to extension member  41 , wherein an interior surface of connecting member defines at least a portion of rest area  40 . Connecting member  43  may also extend generally parallel to base  47 . Further, retention lip  45  extends from connection member  43  toward base  47 , preferably, but not necessarily, in a direction that is generally perpendicular to connection member  43 , and generally parallel with extension member  41 . However, retention lip  45  does not extend to base  47  so that gun barrel  20  may be selectively retained within retaining recess  34 .  
      It will be understood and appreciated that retaining recess  34  may shaped in other configurations so long as the relative positions of access portion  36 , intermediate portion  38 , receiving portion  39 , and rest area  40  are formed in accordance with the description provided above. Further, it is within the scope of the present invention to form access portion  36   a  in one of side wall portions as best illustrated by the retaining recess located closest to side wall portion  28  in  FIG. 3 .  
      As best seen in  FIGS. 1-3 , lower support  12  may be coupled with the door  16  of enclosure  18 , or with wall  14  of enclosure  18  (not shown). In particular, lower support  12  includes a support base  48  having one or more recesses  50  defined therein that are adapted to receive gun stock  22 . Recesses  50  may extend at an angle relative door  16  or wall  14  as best seen in  FIG. 1 . Furthermore, recesses  50  are of a depth that will retain stock portion  22  within the confines of lower support  12 . The retention of the stock portion  22  within recess  50  prevents stock portion  22  from slipping out of recess  50  and moving into a center portion of enclosure  18 . The retention of the stock portion  22  in conjunction with the retention of the gun barrel portion  20  in the gun barrel support  10 , as described above, allows the gun to be stored in an upright position and reduces the amount of space necessary to store the gun within an enclosure.  
      As best seen in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  7 , lower support  12  mounted to door  16  may include a stand  52  to provide support to lower support  12 . Stand  52  includes a housing  54 , an adjustment mechanism  56  and a support foot  58 . Housing  54  is either fixedly or pivotally coupled with support base  48  and may be configured to be positioned horizontally so that door  16  may be closed, as best seen in  FIG. 8 . Housing  54  is a tube-like member or sleeve that may have threads located within its bore. Support foot  58  is adjustably coupled to housing  54  so that it may be extended and retracted with respect to housing  54  using adjustment mechanism  56 . The adjustable nature of support foot allows stand  52  to be positioned in contact with an external support surface  60  to stabilize lower support  12 . Adjustment mechanism  56  may include a threaded rod  62  threadably received within the bore of housing  54  and a fly nut  64  positioned on the end of threaded rod  62  to allow for the extension and retraction of support foot  58  by rotation of the threaded rod  62  with respect to housing  54 .  
      As best seen in  FIGS. 4-6 , an alternative gun rack  8 ′ including an alternative gun barrel support  42  and lower support  66  is also within the scope of the present invention. Gun barrel support  42  includes a configuration where two retaining recesses  34   a ,  34   b  are combined with one another to share a common access portion  36 . However, retaining recess  34   a ,  34   b  provide separate intermediate portions  38   a ,  38   b  that extend from common access portion  36  toward opposite side wall portions  28 ,  30 . In addition, receiving portions  39   a ,  39   b  extend from intermediate portions  38   a ,  38   b  toward front wall portion  24  to form rest areas  40   a ,  40   b  as described above. The configuration of retaining recesses  34   a ,  34   b  in gun barrel support  42  results in two J-shaped recess positioned adjacent to one other. Further, a pair of an extension members, connecting members and retaining lips are formed in accordance with the discussion set forth above so that they are mirror images of each other to form a portion of gun barrel support  42  that may hold two or more gun barrels  20 .  
      It will be understood and appreciated that one or more single retaining recesses  34  may be used alone or in conjunction with one or more combined retaining recesses  34   a ,  34   b  on the same gun barrel rack  10  as best seen in  FIG. 5 . In addition, as best seen in  FIG. 4 , lower support  66  may include one or more legs  46  that allow lower support  66  to be placed on the floor  44  of enclosure  18  rather than be mounted to wall  14  or door  16 . Further, as best seen in  FIG. 6 , one or more recesses  68  may extend at a perpendicular angle relative to door  16  or wall  14  of enclosure  18 .  
      In use, the door  16  is opened to allow access to the interior compartment of enclosure  18 . If a user desires to place one or more guns  9  in gun rack  8 ,  8 ′ that is mounted on door  16 , as seen in  FIG. 2 , then stand  52  may be pivoted to a vertical position relative to support base  48  as best seen in  FIG. 7 . Adjustment mechanism  56  may then be manipulated until support foot  58  is in contact with external surface  60 . This will provide support for lower support  12 ,  66  while door  16  is in the open position.  
      Once stand  52  is in place, gun stock  22  may be positioned in recess  50 ,  68  formed in lower support  12 ,  66 . The gun barrel  20  is then inserted into retaining recess  34 ,  34   a ,  34   b . Specifically, gun barrel  20  is inserted through access portion  36  and moved toward back wall portion  26 . Gun barrel  20  is then moved through intermediate portion  38 ,  38   a ,  38   b  toward one of the side wall portions  28 ,  30  depending on which direction the retaining recess is formed, and then is moved toward front wall portion  24  through receiving portion  39 ,  39   a ,  39   b  until gun barrel  20  is placed in contact with rest area  40 ,  40   a ,  40   b . At this point, gun  9  is securely positioned within gun rack  8 ,  8 ′ in a generally upright position. It will be understood that more guns may be placed in gun rack  8 ,  8 ′ using similar methodology. Further, the gun may be removed from retaining recess  34 ,  34   a ,  34   b  by reversing the procedure set forth above.  
      Once the one or more guns are positioned in gun rack  8 ,  8 ′, door  16  may be closed. Before closing door  16 , adjustment mechanism  56  may be rotated until support foot  58  is no longer in contact with external support surface  60 . In particular, as best seen in  FIG. 8 , stand  52  is rotated to a generally horizontal position relative to support surface  60  so that door  16  may be closed.  
      The present invention overcomes and ameliorates the drawbacks and deficiencies in the prior art. Specifically, the use of the J-shaped gun barrel support and lower support allow the guns to be positioned in an upright position within the enclosure thereby maximizing the amount of available storage space within the enclosure. Further, the use of the J-shaped gun barrel support and lower support securely position the guns within the enclosure, which reduces the chance that the guns will slide and be inadvertently removed from the gun rack.  
      Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.  
      All features disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, and all the steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.