Abstract:
A long gun case for use in boats and having connectors for securement to the gunwale of a boat and open ended, suspended, gun receiving pouches, arranged with access openings at the ends of each pouch that are not obstructed by another suspended pouch and the gun receiving pouches constructed to allow water to drain therefrom and a facing that will protect guns inserted therein from view; and a weight receiving pouch at the bottom edge of the case to insure suspension of the gun case.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Not Applicable.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not Applicable.  
       REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
       [0003]     Not Applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0005]     This invention relates to bags for holding and protecting shotguns and other long guns during the transportation of the guns in boats.  
         [0006]     Water fowl hunters and hunters of other game often will transport and use guns while in watercraft. Such transporting presents problems relating to safe transport of the guns, and protection of guns in a situation where the guns are subjected to water and where they can rust or otherwise be damaged by water collecting thereon.  
         [0007]     It is also necessary that the long guns being transported by watercraft during hunting activities, must be easily, quickly and safely retrieved for use when a target is spotted.  
         [0008]     Various kinds of hard and soft gun cases have been used by hunters to protect their guns when the guns are transported in watercrafts. Generally, the hard cases used are elongate and have hinges allowing a top to be pivotally opened to display a gun resting on a bottom portion of the case. Soft cases commonly used also frequently include top and bottom fabric portions hinged on one side and with a zipper to close and open an opposite side of the case as the gun is placed in the case for protection, or is removed for use. These well known cases are generally set on the floor, or possibly a seat, of the watercraft used. Since the cases must be unlocked or unzipped before a gun therein can be removed, retrieval of a stored gun cannot be performed quickly. Furthermore, as a long gun is removed from a case on the floor or seat of a boat, it is very easy to swing the gun and to point the barrel of the gun at persons in the boat.  
         [0009]     There remains a need for a protective case for long guns that permits quick, easy retrieval of a gun stored therein with a reduced possibility that the gun barrel will be directed at a person in the boat.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     Objects of the Invention  
         [0011]     Principal objects of the invention are to provide a long gun case that is readily mounted in a boat and that will protect guns inserted into the case while accommodating quick, easy placement of the guns in the case and quick, easy removal of the guns for use.  
         [0012]     Other objects are to provide a long gun case that is easily positioned for use in a boat and that is easily and compactly stored when not in use.  
         [0013]     Still another object is to provide a long gun case that, when properly positioned in a boat, allows long guns to be placed in the case and removed from the case in a manner that minimizes the possibility of misfiring such that persons in the boat are injured.  
         [0014]     Features of the Invention  
         [0015]     Principal features of the long gun case of the invention include an elongate foldable fabric case with open ended suspended pouches to receive long guns.  
         [0016]     The case includes connectors to be used in securing the case to be suspended from the gunwale of a boat. The pouches of the gun case include enlarged openings through which a long gun is inserted muzzle end first. The enlarged openings are spaced apart such that one pouch does not obstruct entry into another pouch.  
         [0017]     The pouches hold long guns inserted therein alongside the boat gunwale and during insertion and removal of guns into and out of the pouches, the guns are always pointed parallel and close to the gunwale. Consequently, there is a greatly reduced chance that a user will point the gun towards another person in the boat during insertion and removal of the long gun into and out of the case.  
         [0018]     The pouches of the gun case are each constructed to include a mesh portion to permit water drainage and to prevent damage to an inserted long gun, and a fabric facing sheet that will hide the long gun so that prospective thieves will not be able to observe a gun therein.  
         [0019]     An open ended weight pocket is formed along a bottom of the suspended gun case. This pocket allows one or more weights to be inserted therein to hold the bag in a suspended condition, even when a long gun is not inserted into a pouch.  
         [0020]     Pockets may be formed in the gun case to receive ammunition, maps, or other articles the user decides to place therein.  
         [0021]     Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the following detailed description and claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]     In the Drawings  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of the gun case of the invention mounted to a starboard side gunwale of a boat, the boat being shown fragmentarily;  
         [0024]      FIG. 2 , a front elevation view of the gun case of the invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 3 , a back plan view of the gun case of the invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 4 , a fragmented front perspective view taken from one end of the gun case and showing the gun pouches raised;  
         [0027]      FIG. 5 , a vertical section taken on the line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 ; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 6 , a similar view taken on the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0029]     Referring now the Drawings  
         [0030]     In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention, the gun case is shown generally at  10 .  
         [0031]     Gun case  10  includes a top edge  12  and a bottom edge  14  interconnected by spaced apart left and right ends  16  and  18 , respectively, as viewed in  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  
         [0032]     The top and bottom edges  12  and  14  and left and right ends  16  and  18 , are interconnected by front and back fabric sheets  20  and  22 . An edging strip  24  is folded over and extends around the fabric sheets and is sewn thereto to form a periphery of the bag. A soft flexible backing sheet  23  of plastic, or the like, is positioned between back fabric sheet  22  and another flexible sheet  25  between the sheet  22  and front fabric sheet  20 .  
         [0033]     A reinforcement strip  26  is also sewn between the edging  24  and the fabric sheets  20  and  22 . Strip  26  is fully sewn in place, i.e., to the sheets  20  and  22  and over top edge  28  of a top pouch  30  that is suspended from beneath the reinforcement strap when the gun case  10  is in use, as will be further described.  
         [0034]     Top pouch  30  comprises a mesh backing sheet  34  and a flexible fabric facing sheet  36 . The mesh backing sheet  34  and fabric facing sheet  36  are both sewn beneath the reinforcement strip  26 . The mesh backing sheet  34  extends downwardly (as viewed in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) from the reinforcement strip  26  and is turned back at  40  to be sewn to a bottom edge  42  of fabric facing sheet  36 . An open long gun receiving space  44  is formed between the mesh backing sheet  34  and fabric facing sheet  36 .  
         [0035]     Mesh backing sheet  34  and fabric sheet  36  are turned inwardly back at each of the opposite ends  48  and  50  of top pouch  30  to form a sleeve  52 . A flexible solid strip  54  of plastic, or the like, is positioned in the sleeve  52  with a center of the strip curved back at the bottom edge of the top pouch  30 . The ends  54   a  and  54   b  of the strip  54  come together at the top edge of the top pouch  39 , adjacent to reinforcement strip  26 . The curved back central portion  54   c  of the plastic strip  54  holds the bottom portion of pouch  30  open to provide an access  58  to the interior of the pouch.  
         [0036]     Grommeted holes  60  are spaced along the reinforcement strip  26  and are used in suspension of the gun case  10 , as will be further explained.  
         [0037]     A bottom pouch  70 , preferably constructed to be the same as top pouch  30 , has its top edge  72  sewn to the fabric facing sheet  22 .  
         [0038]     Like pouch  30 , pouch  70  includes a mesh backing sheet  74  and a flexible fabric sheet  76  that are sewn together and to fabric facing sheet  22  to form the top edge  72  of pouch  70 . The mesh backing sheet  74  extends downwardly (as viewed in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) from the top edge  72  and is turned back at  80  to be sewn to a bottom edge  82  of facing sheet  76 .  
         [0039]     Mesh backing sheet  74  and fabric facing sheet  76  are turned inwardly back at each of the opposite ends  88  and  90  of bottom pouch  70  to form a sleeve  92 .  
         [0040]     A flexible, solid strip  94  of plastic, or the like, is positioned in the sleeve  92  with a center  94   a  of the strip curved back at the bottom edge of the bottom pouch. The ends  94   a  and  94   b  of the strip  94  terminate at the top edge of the bottom pouch  70 . The curved back portion  94   c  of plastic strip  94  holds the bottom portion of bottom pouch  70  open to provide an access  98  to the interior space  100  of the bottom pouch  70 .  
         [0041]     The bottom pouch  70  is positioned to be suspended from top edge  72  so that the access  98  of the bottom pouch  70  is positioned below the accesses  58  of top pouch  30 . With the accesses  98  suspended lower than the accesses  58 , the access openings of both pouches  30  and  70  are always open, unblocked, and available to receive the muzzle of a long gun as the gun is inserted into either pouch. With accesses at each end of each pouch, the guns are easily inserted muzzle first into a selected pouch.  
         [0042]     A substantially flat pouch  110  is formed and sewn to back fabric sheet  22  at a back surface  112  of the gun case  10 . Pouch  110  extends the length of case  10  and is open at one or both ends  112  and  114 . An elongate weight  116  is inserted into pouch  110  to insure proper hanging of the gun case, as will be further explained. More than one weight  116  may be inserted in pouch  110  and the weights may be of different lengths. With guns removed and weights removed, the gun case  10  may be readily folded or rolled up for storage.  
         [0043]     Another substantially flat pouch  120  may be formed and sewn to the back fabric sheet  22  of the pouch. The ends  122  and  124  of pouch  120  are open to allow insertion of such items as may be placed therein.  
         [0044]     Pockets  130  may also be formed between portions of the fabric sheets  20  and  22 , and zippers  132  may be provided to allow access to the pockets through openings in the fabric backing sheet  20 . The pockets  130  accommodate ammunition, maps and other chosen items.  
         [0045]     Conventional quick couplers are preferably used to suspend the case  10  from the gunwale  140  of a boat, shown fragmentarily at  142 . The quick couplers include female members  144  on the ends of short strips  146  that are spaced along and attached by screws  148 , or the like to the gunwale of the boat. Corresponding male coupling members  150  on short straps  152  are secured to the garment holes  60  of the gun case by rivets  54 , or the like.  
         [0046]     Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been herein described, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is by way of example and that variations are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, which subject matter I regard as my invention.