Rifle Mount

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 63/735,033, filed on Dec. 17, 2024. The entire content of the above application is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to the field of rifle accessories. More specifically, the present invention relates to mounts used to attach a rifle to another accessory or piece of clothing.

BACKGROUND

Unlike pistols, which can be readily stowed and secured in a variety of holsters, rifles—by virtue of their size and configuration—are typically carried either by hand or via a carrier strap. Each approach, however, presents notable limitations. Carrier straps are generally suitable only for walking; during rapid movement or sudden maneuvers, such as those encountered in tactical environments, the rifle may swing or jostle, creating instability and potential safety hazards. Conversely, hand-carrying a rifle occupies the user's hands, limiting the ability to perform other necessary tasks.

Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a rifle-mounting system that can be securely attached to a user's body to maintain the rifle in a stable, fixed position, while also permitting rapid and intuitive release of the rifle for immediate use in tactical situations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to address the needs of the art by providing a rifle mount that can firmly secure a rifle. It is a further object of the invention to provide a mount that allows for the quick release of the rifle from the mount using only the trigger hand to release the rifle.

One embodiment includes a rifle mount comprising a side wall with a front portion and a back portion extending therefrom to define an interior compartment that is configured to receive a pistol grip and a magazine cartridge holder of a rifle. The back portion is configured to flex during insertion of the rifle and rebounds to its original position to secure the rifle in place within the rifle mount. As an option, the back portion may include a curved portion with an ergonomic thumb surface that provides a quick release mechanism operable to flex the back portion when a force is applied on the ergonomic thumb surface towards the side wall.

Another embodiment includes a safety mechanism comprising a notch operable to prevent a safety switch of the AR platform rifle from being actuated while inserted within the rifle mount.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts the rifle mount in accordance with embodiments of the invention showing the right side of the rifle detached from the rifle mount.

FIG. 2 depicts the rifle mount in accordance with embodiments of the invention showing the right side of the rifle engaged in the rifle mount.

FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the rifle mount in accordance with embodiments of the invention showing the interior of the side wall.

FIG. 4 depicts an opposing side view of the rifle mount in accordance with embodiments of the invention showing the exterior of the side wall.

FIG. 5 depicts a top perspective view of the rifle mount in accordance with embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a RTI wheel within a backpack disengaged from the RTI Hanger and rifle mount.

FIG. 7 depicts the left side of the rifle disengaged from the rifle mount and showing the safety switch of the rifle in the “fire” position.

FIG. 8 depicts the left side of the rifle secured within the rifle mount and showing the safety switch of the rifle in the “no fire” position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning to FIGS. 1-2, a preferred embodiment of the rifle mount 10 is shown being used with an AR-15 Assault Rifle 20. The preferred embodiment is compatible with the AR platform for military and sporting rifles. FIG. 1 shows the rifle mount 10 detached from the rifle 20. FIG. 2 shows the rifle mount 10 engaged with the rifle 20. As shown in the figures, the rifle mount 10 is operable to be coupled to any accessory using fastening means and intermediary attachment mechanisms known in the art, including clips, snap fasteners, MOLLE adaptors, or other fasteners that are coupled to the rifle mount 10 and configured to attach to an accessory (e.g. a vest, belt, or pack). For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the rifle mount 10 can be secured to a pack 21 via a removable hook and loop fastening material 22 (e.g. VELCRO) equipped with a RTI (Rapid Transition Interface) wheel 23 and RTI Hanger 24 (shown in FIG. 4) as manufactured by Edge-Works Manufacturing Company and disclosed on its website (https://www.tacticalholsters.com/category/rti-attachments/), the contents and specifications of those products are incorporated herein.

Turning to FIGS. 3-5, a preferred embodiment of the rifle mount 10 is shown without a rifle 20. The rifle mount 10 includes a housing 30 that is configured to receive the lower receiver 25 of the rifle, including the pistol grip 31 and magazine cartridge holder 32 of the rifle 20 (as shown in FIG. 2). The housing 30 includes a side wall 40 with a front portion 50, back portion, 60, and trigger guard support 70 extending away from the side wall 40. Collectively, these components form an interior compartment 71 (seen in FIG. 5) that is operable to hold the rifle 20 in a fixed position (as shown in FIG. 1). The trigger guard support 70 is positioned beneath the trigger guard when the rifle 20 is secured within the rifle mount 10 and provides support for the load of the rifle 20, while the front portion 50 and back portion 60 are sized and dimensioned to create a secure fitting around the pistol grip 31 and magazine cartridge holder 32 such that the rifle 20 snaps into place within the housing 30 and prevents the rifle 20 from being displaced.

The housing 30 can be a single unitary piece of a semi-rigid material. The preferred embodiment is made from a thermoplastic and the housing 30 can also be manufactured by injection molding or other similar processes. While the preferred embodiment is shown to be compatible with AR platform rifles, the components of the housing 30, including the side wall 40, front portion 50, back portion, 60, and trigger guard support 70, could be reconfigured to accommodate other rifle models and configurations so long as the front portion 50 and back portion 60 are configured to create a resilient fitting around the lower receiver 25 of the rifle 20, namely the rifle pistol grip 31 and magazine cartridge holder 32 such that the rifle 20 is held in a fixed position within the rifle mount 10.

The rifle mount 10 may include a quick release mechanism 80 operable to allow the rifle 20 to be easily inserted and retrieved from the rifle mount 10. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the quick release mechanism 80 includes a curved portion 81 of material that terminates at an ergonomic thumb pad 90. The quick release mechanism 80 could be a separate component attached to the back portion 60 or formed as a single, unitary component. The thumb pad 90 includes an ergonomic surface 91 that is positioned to receive a user's thumb when the user grips the rifle 10 by the pistol grip 31 to either place the rifle 20 in the rifle mount 10 or remove it. By applying an inward force in the direction A-A with the user's thumb, as shown in FIG. 5, the structural configuration of the quick release mechanism 80 causes the back portion 60 to flex in the direction B-B, as shown in FIG. 5, allowing the pistol grip 31 of the rifle 20 to be removed from the rifle mount 10. Likewise, when the user is placing the rifle 20 back into the rifle mount 10, the resilient back portion 60 flexes outward in the direction B-B to allow the pistol grip 31 and magazine cartridge holder 32 to be received by the rifle mount 10. After the rifle 20 is placed within the rifle mount 10, the back portion 60 rebounds back into its original position to retain the pistol grip 31 and magazine cartridge holder 32 in a fixed position within the rifle mount 10.

Another embodiment of the rifle mount 10 includes an additional safety mechanism for preventing the misfire of the rifle 20 while it is stored within the rifle mount 10. Many AR platform rifles, like the examples shown in FIGS. 1-2, are ambidextrous and include safety switches 100 on both sides of the rifle. The safety switch 100 includes a protruding portion 111 and a lever portion 112, wherein the lever portion 112 rotates about the protruding portion 111 from a first position to a second position.

One embodiment of the safety mechanism may include a notch 110 that is preformed and molded into the rifle mount. The notch 110 may be a small recess that is operable to receive the protruding portion 111 of the safety switch 100 and prevent the switch 100 from moving while the rifle 20 is secured within the rifle mount 10. FIG. 7 depicts the safety switch 100 in a “fire” or “live” position, meaning the rifle is live and able to fire upon the user pulling the trigger. FIG. 8 depicts the safety switch in a “no fire” or “safe” position. The safety switch 100 rotates counterclockwise from a “fire” position to a “no fire” position. As shown in FIG. 8, the notch 110 allows the pistol grip 31 to fit flush against the interior surface 41 of the side wall 40, and the top side 120 of the side wall 40 now provides a rebutting surface that prevents the safety switch 100 from rotating downward to a “fire” or “live” position. To ensure a flush fitting and allow the rifle to be secured within the rifle mount 10, the safety switch must be in the “no fire” or “safe” position prior to being placed in the rifle mount 10. This configuration adds a further level of safety by preventing the rifle from being stowed away in the rifle mount 10 with the safety switch 100 in the “fire” or “live” position.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference has been made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language has been used to describe these embodiments. However, this specific language intends no limitation of the scope of the invention, and the invention should be construed to encompass all embodiments that would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. The particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative examples of the invention and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the invention in any way. For the sake of brevity, conventional aspects of the system (and components of the individual operating components of the system) may not be described in detail. Furthermore, the connecting lines, or connectors shown in the various figures presented are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships, physical connections or logical connections may be present in a practical device. Moreover, no item or component is essential to the practice of the invention unless the element is specifically described as “essential” or “critical.” Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.