Abstract:
A stabilizing mechanism for use with weapons comprising a strut assembly apparatus and a means to removably connect one end of the strut assembly apparatus to the barrel of the weapon and the other end to a fixed location.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to a device for the mounting and stabilizing of weapons, specifically machine guns. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    The United States currently finds itself embroiled in several armed conflicts including conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In most cases, these conflicts involve either urban or desert styled warfare and require the use of rapidly deployable, small groups of highly trained military personnel. Fast moving vehicles such as “Humvees”, equipped with one or more automatic weapons each weighing as much as 80 pounds, are a mainstay of this modern type of armed conflict. 
         [0005]    For purposes of this patent application, the rear of an automatic weapon will be that area of the weapon where the trigger is located. The forward area of the weapon will be the end of the barrel where the bullet being fired emerges. For most automatic weapons, the center of gravity is towards the rear of the gun simply because that is where most of the weight is concentrated. When mounted on a vehicle such as a “Humvee” using current technology, an automatic weapon in a resting position will rotate upon its center of gravity until the forward end, the barrel points skyward or is in a vertical position. To fire the weapon, it must be rotated around its center of gravity until the barrel achieves a horizontal position. The rotation of an 80 pound weapon around its center of gravity requires a great deal of physical strength and time, neither of which is desirable in combat. Traditionally, rail weapon mounts have been employed such as that disclosed in US D513,056, to Ding; US Publication No. 2005/001104, to Oz; US Publication No. 2005/0229465, to Dextraze; and US Publication No. 2006/0283070, to Murello. These mounts fail to disclose however, any way to stabilize the weapon when mounted. U.S. Pat. No. 2993,416, to Uhl for “Balancing Device for Firearms Horizontally Pivoted outside their Center of Gravity” does disclose a stabilizing device, however, it is not universal and is completely, unlike the present invention, dependent upon the type of mount utilized. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a mount for an automatic weapon that in effect, counterbalances the weight of the rear of the weapon, moving the center of gravity forward towards the end of the barrel. It is a further object to provide that the mount of the present invention is easily and removably attached to the automatic weapon at a fixed location on either a stationary or moving platform. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of the present invention showing the barrel of the weapon. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  depicts the barrel of the weapon connected to the stabilizing mechanism. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a plan perspective of the present invention depicting the full assembly of the stabilizing mechanism. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the tie down cable of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a detailed depiction of the components of the strut assembly of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a detailed view of the base plate of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  depicts the attachment of the strut assembly to the side of the vehicle. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    The detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It should be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, the details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as the basis for the claims and as a basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to make and/or use the invention. 
         [0015]    Shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is the mount of the present invention attached to the side of a vehicle [ 1 ].  FIG. 1  depicts the barrel of the automatic weapon [ 2 ], the side of the vehicle [ 1 ], and a strut assembly [ 3 ] connecting the barrel [ 2 ] to the vehicle[ 1 ]. The strut assembly [ 3 ] is shown in more detail in  FIG. 3 . The strut assembly [ 3 ] is pivotally attached to the size of the vehicle [ 1 ] using any conventional means. As shown in  FIG. 7 , in the present invention the connection between the strut assembly and the vehicle is accomplished using a vehicle attachment means that comprises a vehicle attachment plate [ 16 ], a spacer rod [ 17 ] and a strut assembly plate [ 18 ] attached to the bottom spacer plate [ 15 ]. The vehicle attachment plate [ 16 ] is attached to one end of the spacer rod [ 17 ] using a bolt [ 19 ], although any typically available commercial means could be used. The other end of the spacer rod [ 17 ] is similarly attached using a bolt [ 20 ] to the strut assembly plate [ 18 ]. The bolts [ 19  and  20 ] are tightened only enough to secure attachment while still allowing the spacer rod [ 17 ] to pivot. 
         [0016]    The strut assembly [ 3 ] can be attached to the barrel of the weapon [ 2 ] using cables or the like. As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the present invention, the strut assembly is attached to the barrel of the weapon [ 2 ] using a metal chain [ 7 ] connected to a tie down strap [ 4 ].  FIG. 3  shows these components in more detail. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the tie down cable [ 4 ] comprises a cable of sufficient length to fit through the barrel of the weapon,[ 2 ], at both ends of which are wire loops [ 5 ]. The tie down cable [ 4 ] is threaded through the barrel of the weapon [ 2 ]. To secure the tire down cable [ 4 ] to the barrel of the weapon [ 2 ] the wire loops are connected to each other using a circular attachment means [ 6 ]. The metal chain [ 7 ] is then connected to the tie down cable [ 4 ] using any conventional means such as the spring clip [ 8 ] shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0017]    The purpose behind the strut assembly is to permit the barrel of the weapon [ 2 ] to pivot up and down but to cause such barrel to rest in a semi horizontal position. This will reduce the physical exertion and time necessary to put the barrel of a weapon [ 2 ] in a horizontal position as would be the case for a weapon that does not employ use of the mount of the present invention. Any conventional means such as typical pneumatic shock absorbers or strut assemblies for vehicles can be used to provide the function of the strut assembly [ 3 ] of the present invention. As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , the strut assembly of the present invention comprises two guide rods [ 9 ], an adjusting rod [ 10 ], a base plate [ 11 ], a mechanical spring [ 13 ] and a top spacer plate [ 14 ] and a bottom spacer plate [ 15 ]. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the guide and adjusting rods [ 9  and  10 ] can be made of any material of sufficient strength and resilience to withstand the rigors of combat. In the present invention, the guide and adjusting rods [ 9 ] and [ 10 ] are made of steel. The adjusting rod [ 10 ] is connected at one end to a base plate [ 11 ] and extends through the top spacer plate [ 14 ]. While the adjusting rod [ 10 ] can be made adjustable by any typical means, in the present invention, adjustment is achieved by tightening a bolt [ 12 ] located on the end of the adjusting rod [ 10 ] that is attached to the base plate [ 11 ]. The two guide rods [ 9 ] are placed parallel and adjacent to the adjusting rod [ 10 ] and are permanently attached to the top and bottom spacer plates [ 14  and  15 ] using any conventional means such as arc welding. As the bolt [ 12 ] is tightened, the adjusting rod [ 10 ] is made shorter and vice a versa. The distance between top spacer [ 14 ] and bottom spacer plate [ 15 ] defines the length of the guide rods [ 9 ] as well as the size spring [ 13 ] that is to be used. The spring [ 13 ] can be any type or size spring sufficient to offset or counterbalance the weight of the automatic weapon. 
         [0018]    While the preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention by such disclosure, but rather, is intended to cover all modifications and alternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.