Abstract:
A fore grip with a concealable and collapsible bipod has a tubular recess consisting of two cylindrical cutouts the housing for the legs when concealed and as the housing for a sliding piston that deploys the legs. A release has a compression spring positioned between piston assembly and the bottom of the first cutout and this spring; The legs are connected to the bottom of the piston via a hinge and spring that when released causes the legs to expand outward until fully deployed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to gun bipods and more particularly to a new fore grip or gun handle that provides a combination pistol grip and a bipod that is concealable and collapsible inside the pistol grip. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   There has been considerable prior art for bipods, and the prior art dates back to pre-20 th  century times, with bipods having a familiar appearance, structure and configuration. 
   The known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 271,251; 1,295,688; 1,355,660; 1,382,409; 1,580,406; 2,386,802; 2,420,267; 2,436,349, and 3,235,997. 
   These patents disclose the respective art in relation to bipods, but do not disclose a fore grip or gun handle with a concealable and collapsible bipod. The invention includes a replaceable mounting assembly that allows for mounting of the gun handle by various means to a gun. A fore grip or gun handle, designed with ergonomic reasons in mind, provides a stable means of holding the gun. A plurality of legs that are concealed within the fore grip are coupled via a hinge to a spring piston assembly. A spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism holds the piston assembly in a compressed and locked position. When the piston assembly is released upon activation of the spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism, the legs are driven downwards by the piston and upon being released from the confinement of the fore grip are deployed outwards to a locked position by a hinge or pivot mechanism. The legs have feet that are designed so that, when the legs are concealed within the handle, the feet seal off the deployment and spreader mechanisms from entrance of any debris, material etc that may interfere with the deployment of the bipod. 
   A recent U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,807 describes a tripod gun handle that provides a combination pistol grip and pivotal tripod. Close examination of this patent reveals a number of problems with this device, and the most obvious problem is that the tripod legs are positioned on the exterior of the handle when not deployed. If the gun with this device attached was being used in wet or muddy environments, either in a deployed or storage position, the ingress of mud and dirt into and around the handle could result in the deployment and storage of the tripod legs being severely restricted due to the mud or foreign matter. Another problem is that deployment requires the rotation of a disengagement cam to force the legs into their deployed position and then a leg locking assembly is rotated to lock the legs into a locked position. Two separate actions are required to deploy and lock the tripod legs into a locked position. 
   The fore grip with concealable and collapsible bipod, according to the invention is considerably different from the concepts and designs of the prior art, and provides an entirely new device that provides a combination of a fore grip or gun handle with a concealable and collapsible bipod that opens into an exposed bipod that locks open upon release from the concealment position within the fore grip or gun handle. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The disclosed invention, which shall be subsequently described in greater detail, provides a new fore grip or gun handle with a concealable and collapsible bipod that has many advantages of the bipods mentioned previously and has many new and novel features, which result in a new fore grip or gun handle with a concealable and collapsible bipod that has not been suggested, anticipated or even rendered obvious by any of the prior art bipods or the aforementioned tripod gun handle. 
   The present invention comprises a mounting assembly that may be self-contained or may feature adaptable mounting heads to interface with Weaver or Picatinny Rail mounts or a simple bolt attachment to a firearm. A fore grip is coupled to the mounting assembly, or may be integrated with the mounting assembly, and the fore grip is to be gripped by the hand of a user when the mounting assembly is attached or coupled to a firearm. The fore grip is used for stabilizing the firearm during firing when the user grips the fore grip. A tubular recess consisting of two cylindrical cutouts is positioned within the fore grip or gun handle, and these cutouts serve as the housing for the bipod legs when concealed and as the housing for a sliding piston assembly that deploys the bipod legs. A plurality of legs is concealed within the fore grip or gun handle and is coupled to a sliding piston assembly that is also concealed within the handle. A catch system that protrudes from the sliding piston assembly is attached to the sliding piston assembly and interfaces with a spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism positioned at the top of the handle. A cutout within the top of the handle provides a housing for the release mechanism. A compression spring is positioned between the sliding piston assembly and the bottom of the first cylindrical cutout and this spring, when under expansion, drives the sliding piston assembly downward toward the bottom of the fore grip. At the bottom of the fore grip, a recessed locking ring or plug is secured by threads into the fore grip, and is positioned to prevent the sliding piston assembly from over-travel and thus exiting the fore grip. The legs are connected to the bottom of the piston via a hinge or pivot point, and when the legs are released from confinement within the fore grip, the legs expand outwards until fully deployed. 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new fore grip or gun handle with a concealable and collapsible bipod that provides a combination fore grip or gun handle and bipod. 
   It is also an object of the present invention to provide a new fore grip or gun handle with a concealable and collapsible bipod that includes a mounting system for attaching to or coupling to a firearm. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new fore grip or gun handle with a concealable and collapsible bipod that provides a removable gun handle that helps to stabilize the gun when firing occurs. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Referring particularly to the drawings for the purposes of illustration only, and not limitation: 
       FIG. 1  is an elevational view of an embodiment of the invention showing the fore grip with the legs in the stored position. 
       FIG. 2  is an elevational view of an embodiment of the invention showing the fore grip with the legs in the deployed position. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the invention showing the fore grip with the legs in a stored position. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the invention showing the fore grip with the legs in a deployed position. 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1  through to  5 , the fore grip  1  with concealable and collapsible bipod consists of four distinct and separate assemblies, and these are the fore grip, the piston assembly, the legs, and the release mechanism. 
   The fore grip consists of a fore grip with a mounting section or end  3  that is designed for attachment to a gun. The fore grip may consist of a machining or a casting that utilizes aluminum or a molding that utilizes high impact resistant polymer or a composite material. The fore grip section  2  has a mounting end  3  that allows for coupling or attachment to a firearm. The fore grip is a grip designed for gripping by the hand of a user when the fore grip  1  is attached to a firearm. Although  FIGS. 1 through 5  show the mounting end  3  being an integral part of the handle for illustration purposes only, it should be understood that the mounting end  3  may be a separate component that is then attached by known means, such as threads or a lock screw or locking bolt to the handle  1 . For illustrative purposes, the mounting end  3  is shown with a cut out profile  4  that enables mounting of the handle  1  to a firearm via the use of a Picatinny mounting rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail), a mounting system widely used by military for attachment of various devices to military rifles. However, it should be understood that other means of attachment to a firearm could be used. 
   The fore grip  2  has a plurality of annular grooves  5  around the circumference of the fore grip section  2  and these grooves  5  are designed to aid in improving the gripping of the fore grip section  2 . These grooves  5  are positioned on approximately two-thirds of the fore grip section  2  and if fore grip  1  is fabricated from aluminum, these grooves  5  may assist in reducing the weight of the gun handle. Although seven annular grooves are shown in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , this is for illustrative purposes only, and the number of grooves may vary. 
   The base or bottom  6  of the fore grip section  2  has a recessed locking ring  7  or stop ring that is shown secured to the fore grip section  2  by threads though it should be understood that other means of securing, such as a press fit or a chemical locking compound, may be used in place of threads. The recessed locking ring  7  fits into a recess or cutout  8  at the base of the handle section  2  and a further recess or cutout  9  is provided for the feet  13  of the bipod legs  12  when in the stored position. The recessed locking ring  7  has a cylindrical hole  10  that has two functions. Hole  10  allows for the passage of the bipod legs into the body of the handle section  2  when the bipod legs are stored in the handle section  2  and also allows for the passage of the piston  17  when the bipod legs are deployed. The recessed locking ring  7  also has a tapered or counter-sunk recess  11  that enables the feet  13  of the bipod to fit inside the handle  2  when the bipod legs  12  are in the stored position. An o-ring (not shown) is used in conjunction with the recessed locking ring  7  to dampen the sound of the piston when it comes into contact with the recessed locking ring. A series of cut outs (not shown) are machined into the end of the recessed locking ring  7  to enable a wrench being used to tighten up the locking ring upon assembly of the piston and legs into the fore grip. 
   The fore grip has a internal tubular recess  14  consisting of two cylindrical recesses  15  and  16  that are positioned within the fore grip or gun handle, and these recesses serve as the housing for the bipod legs when concealed and as the housing for a sliding piston assembly that deploys the bipod legs, and for the catch or male part  36  of the spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism  35 . Cylindrical recess  15  is used for the housing for the sliding piston assembly and the bipod legs while cylindrical hole  16  is used for the passageway of the catch or male part  36  of the spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism  35 . Cylindrical recess  15  also has two recesses or longitudinal grooves  28  and  29  (only  28  is shown in  FIG. 4 ) that are positioned 180 degrees apart from each other and extend upwards from the base or bottom  6  of the fore grip. The recesses  28  and  29  extend for the entire length of the cylindrical recess  15 . It should be understood that for descriptive and illustrative purposes two recesses or longitudinal grooves are detailed and disclosed, but at least one recess or longitudinal groove may be used. 
   The piston assembly  17  consists of three sections, these being the piston head  18 , the piston shaft  19 , and the spring  20 . The piston head  18  has two lugs  21  and  22  that protrude outwards from the piston head and these lugs are 180 degrees apart from each other. The hinge coupling lugs  23  and  24  protrude downwards from the piston head  18  and are positioned 180 degrees apart from each other. Both hinge coupling lugs  23  and  24  have a cylindrical hole  25  for a locking pin  26  that secures the bipod legs to the hinge coupling lugs  23  and  24 , thus forming a hinge point  27 . 
   The two lugs  20  and  21  protruding outwards from the piston head  18  interface with the two recesses or longitudinal grooves  28  and  29  that are part of the tubular recess  14 . The lugs  20  and  21  fit within the two recesses  28  and  29  and ensure that the piston  17  does not rotate around the center axis of the tubular recess  14  when the bipod is deployed by the piston being driven downwards upon expansion of the spring  20  and when the piston  17  is in the closed position and the bipod is not deployed. It should be understood that for descriptive and illustrative purposes two protruding lugs are detailed and shown for interfacing with two longitudinal recesses or grooves, but at least one protruding lug may be used to interface with at least one recess or longitudinal groove. It should also be understood that other means of prevention of rotation of the piston around the center axis of the tubular recess may also be used as is known, and this may include tubular recess  15  being provided with at least one longitudinal protrusion that interfaces with at least one corresponding recess on the piston head  18  thereby preventing rotation of the piston upon deployment of the legs and when the piston and legs are in the stored position. 
   The bipod legs  12  consist of two legs  12   a  and  12   b  with two feet  13  that are shown attached to the legs by known means, such as screws but it should be understood that the feet may also be integral with the legs. For illustration purposes, the legs are shown with a half-moon or half-round shape, with the flats facing each other, and it should be understood that other profiles or lengths, such as triangular, may be used. At the bottom of each leg  12   a  and  12   b , a hole  12   c  and  12   d  is positioned for securement or attachment of the feet  13 , though said holes may be eliminated if other means of securement or attachment are used. 
   The two feet  13   a  and  13   b  are of a half-moon or half round shape at the base of the feet, and have an external tapered section that interfaces with the recess  11  of the recessed locking ring  7 . The two feet also have a recess  13   c  and  13   d  to allow the legs  12  to fit into, and a transverse hole  13   e  and  13   f  for, in this instance, a locking screw. Other means of securement or attachment to attach the feet to the legs may be used, such as welding or dovetail cuts or pins. The thickness of the feet may be varied to compensate for the difference in the height of the fore grip when attached to different guns. If the feet are integral with the legs, known means such spacer elements may be attached to vary the length of the legs to compensate for the difference in height of the fore grip when attached to different guns. 
   The hinge point  27  consists of a left and right hinge pivot (not shown) that is machined into the top of the legs  12   a  and  12   b , and each pivot is 180 degrees apart. A coil spring  44  is positioned between each of the legs  12   a  and  12   b , and is secured by the locking pin  26 . On the inside of the legs  12   a  and  12   b , a small recess  45  is machined to seat the spring  44  in each of the two legs. 
   At the top of the fore grip or mounting end  3 , a spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism  35  is positioned within a transverse recess  37 . Transverse recess  37  is positioned so that it crosses cylindrical hole  16 . The spring-loaded fulcrum mechanism  35  consists of a fulcrum latch plate  38 , a spring  39 , a tension plate  40 , and two screws  41  and  42  that secure and retain the tension plate to the fore grip. On one side of the fore grip at the mounting end, a rectangular recess with rounded ends  43  is machined into the fore grip to match the shape of the tension plate. The fulcrum latch plate  38  consists of a rectangular plate with a beveled cut out that serves as the catch surface for the catch or male part  36  of the spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism. The male part  36  of the spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism is shown for illustration purposes to be a round-headed bolt, though other known forms may be used. The male part  36  is secured or fixed into the top of the piston shaft  19  and it should be understood that for illustration purposes, male part  36  is shown being retained in the piston shaft  19  by threads but various other means of securement such as a press fit or welding may be used. 
   To use the fore grip, a user simply attaches the fore grip to the gun, regardless of whether or not the bipod legs are deployed. If the legs are deployed, then the user has the option of using the gun with the legs deployed or compressing or squeezing the legs together, and pushing them upwards into the fore grip until the male part of the spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism catches and locks the bipod legs and the piston assembly into the closed position. One does not need to rotate any locking rings to either lock the legs in the closed position or release the legs from the closed position. It is simply a matter of depressing the tension plate to release the piston assembly and allow the bipod legs to move downwards and deploy upon the piston reaching the end-of-travel position. The spring mechanism within the hinge point ensures that the legs are expanded outwards and are thus deployed. 
   While the invention has been shown and described with reference to a specific preferred embodiment, modifications and changes may now be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and various changes in form and detail may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is understood that the invention will be limited only by the appended claims.