Bipod with a Quick Connect Feature for Standard Rails
AssigneeRavin Crossbows, LLC
InventorsCraig Thomas Yehle, Fred Hunt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bipod with a quick connect feature that engages with a standard rail. The bipod includes a pair legs pivotally attached at a pivot axis. A biasing mechanism is coupled to the legs that has a dead center position when the legs are in an intermediate configuration between a deployed configuration and a collapsed configuration. By shifting the biasing mechanism to one side or the other, the legs are automatically deployed to either the deployed configuration or the collapsed configuration. The biasing mechanism maintains the interface with the rail when in the deployed configuration and retains the lower portions of the legs adjacent each other in the collapsed configuration.
Claims20
A bipod with a quick connect feature that engages with a standard rail having a generally flattened hexagonal cross-sectional shape with alternating transverse grooves and ridges located along an exposed major surface, the bipod comprising:
- a pair legs pivotally attached at a pivot axis, each of the legs having upper portions and lower portions located on opposite side of the pivot axis, the legs moveable between a deployed configuration with the lower portions separated and the upper portions proximate each other, and a collapsed configuration with the lower portions proximate each other and the upper portions separated;
- U-shaped portions located at the upper portions of the legs that form an interface with the standard rail when the legs are in a deployed configuration;
- and
- a biasing mechanism coupled to the legs having a dead center position when the legs are in an intermediate configuration between the deployed configuration and the collapsed configuration, such that the biasing mechanism does not bias the legs toward either the deployed configuration or the collapsed configuration when in the dead center position, wherein shifting the biasing mechanism to one side of the dead center position automatically biases the legs toward the deployed configuration, and shifting the biasing mechanism to an opposite side of the dead center position automatically biases the legs toward the collapsed configuration;
- wherein the biasing mechanism maintains the interface with the rail when in the deployed configuration and retains the lower portions of the legs adjacent each other in the collapsed configuration.
A bipod with a quick connect feature that engages with a standard rail having a generally flattened hexagonal cross-sectional shape with alternating transverse grooves and ridges located along an exposed major surface, the bipod comprising:
- a pair legs pivotally attached at a pivot axis, each of the legs having upper portions and lower portions located on opposite side of the pivot axis, the legs moveable between a deployed configuration with the lower portions separated and the upper portions proximate each other, and a collapsed configuration with the lower portions proximate each other and the upper portions separated;
- U-shaped portions located at the upper portions of the legs that form an interface with the standard rail when the legs are in a deployed configuration, and
- a spring pivotally attached to the upper portions of each of the legs at attachment points that shift between opposite sides of the pivot axis when in the deployed configuration or the collapsed configuration, the spring providing;
- a first tension force located between the interface and the pivot axis when in the deployed configuration;
- and
- a second tension force located on the opposite side of the pivot axis from the interface when in the collapsed configuration;
- wherein the first tension force biasing the U-shaped portions toward each other and into engagement with the rail when in the deployed configuration, and the second tension force biasing the U-shaped portions away from each other and retaining the lower portions of the, legs adjacent each other in the collapsed configuration.
A bipod with a quick connect feature that engages with a standard, rail having a generally flattened hexagonal cross-sectional, shape with alternating transverse grooves and ridges located along an exposed major surface, the bipod comprising:
- a pair legs pivotally attached at a pivot axis, each of the legs having upper portions and lower portions located on opposite, side of the pivot axis, the legs moveable between a deployed configuration with the lower portions separated and the upper portions proximate each other, and a collapsed configuration with the lower portions proximate each other and the upper portions separated;
- U-shaped portions located at the upper portions of the legs that form an interface with the standard rail when the legs are in a deployed configuration;
- and
- a spring located pivotally attached to the upper portions of each of the legs that provides first and second tension forces along axes that shifts to opposite sides of the pivot axis when in the deployed configuration or the collapsed configuration, respectively, the spring providing a first tension force along an axis located between the interface and the pivot axis when in the deployed configuration, and a second tension force along an axis located on the opposite side of the pivot axis from the interface when in the collapsed configuration, the first tension force biasing the U-shaped portions toward each other and into engagement with the rail when in the deployed configuration, and the second tension force biasing the U-shaped portions away from each other and retaining the lower portions of the legs adjacent each other in the collapsed configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.