GB2558546A

GB2558546A - Sporting seat

Info

Publication number: GB2558546A
Application number: GB1621261.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Beddoes David
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-12-14
Filing date: 2016-12-14
Publication date: 2018-07-18
Also published as: GB201621261D0

Abstract

A removable vehicle bumper seat 2 comprises an aperture 6 to support a shotgun in the broken condition. Rubber or plastic matting 5 may be attached to the top surface of the seat, or the seat may be padded. An insert (12, figure 6) may be fitted into the aperture to hold the shotgun barrels 10. The bumper seat may comprise side members 3, which may have plastic covers (9, figure 3) to protect the vehicle bumper 7 from damage. The underside of the bumper seat may have a plastic coating to protect the bumper from damage. There may be a plurality of shotgun supporting apertures in the bumper seat. The bumper seat may have a single point hook attachment 1 to hook over the vehicle bumper. In use the shotgun is broken down and its barrels pass through the aperture, leaving the stock 11 resting on matting 5 such that the ends of the barrels are kept clear of the ground.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

David William Beddoes 2 Mickley Cottages Mickley, Tern Hill, MARKET DRAYTON, Shropshire, TF9 3QP, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):

David William Beddoes (56) Documents Cited:

GB 2354160 A US 5720522 A US 4825975 A US 20140333055 A1

US 6081941 A US 4947961 A US 3865431 A US 20030192113 A1 (58) Field of Search:

INT CL A01M, A47C, B60N, B60R, F41A, F41C Other: EPODOC, WPI (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

David William Beddoes 2 Mickley Cottages Mickley, Tern Hill, MARKET DRAYTON, Shropshire, TF9 3QP, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: Sporting seat

Abstract Title: Vehicle bumper seat having an aperture to support a shotgun (57) A removable vehicle bumper seat 2 comprises an aperture 6 to support a shotgun in the broken condition. Rubber or plastic matting 5 may be attached to the top surface of the seat, or the seat may be padded. An insert (12, figure 6) may be fitted into the aperture to hold the shotgun barrels 10. The bumper seat may comprise side members 3, which may have plastic covers (9, figure 3) to protect the vehicle bumper 7 from damage. The underside of the bumper seat may have a plastic coating to protect the bumper from damage. There may be a plurality of shotgun supporting apertures in the bumper seat. The bumper seat may have a single point hook attachment 1 to hook over the vehicle bumper. In use the shotgun is broken down and its barrels pass through the aperture, leaving the stock 11 resting on matting 5 such that the ends of the barrels are kept clear of the ground.

I

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

FIGURED

FIGURE G

Sporting Seat

Background

This invention relates to a removably mounted sport utility seat and shotgun support for an off road vehicle.

There are many types of portable seat that can be removably mounted to cars. In consideration of prior art, US Pat. No. 2,781,081 February 1957 F.B.W. Hynes shows an automobile with a removably mounted seat fitted to the rear bumper. US Pat. No. 2,601,888 July 1952 W.H. Schopper shows a removably mounted bumper seat. Similarly, US Pat. No 2,612,207 September 1952 J.D. Branson shows a front bumper mounted seat. US Pat. No. 3,865,431 February 1975 V. Zakhi shows a removably attached bumper seat with adjustable attachments, seating frame, adjustable back rest heights and adjustment of a padded seat height. US Pat. No. 5,462,334 October 1995 Sedorcek et. al. reveals a removable seat that sits on a bumper and is retained by clamps which fit inside the open boot area of the car. All the above bumper seats are complex devices that use adjustable tapered hook elements to attach the seats. The prior art uses at least two hook elements in order to attach to car bumpers. Hinged elements are used to couple the seat bases, backrests and support mechanisms together. Deployment of the above seats would be complicated, time consuming and unsuitable for off road vehicles particularly when used in off road sporting events such as shooting in difficult moorland terrain and muddy conditions.

Gun handling and gun safety are major concerns at remote moorland shooting events or ‘game shooting’ events where access is usually provided by off road vehicles. Some of the most frequent factors responsible for firearm accidents at remote shooting events are improper handling of a firearm and inadequate storage of a firearm which together are responsible for 50% of accidents (Reference: http//librarv.med. utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/GUNS/GUNSTAT.html).

A shotgun is carried in a case known as a slip case. The shotgun is carried by the shooter inside the case in a fully assembled state but it is never kept in a loaded condition. Shotguns have a pivoted breaking action and once broken down the shotgun is in a safe condition, the barrel and the stock of the shotgun remain joined to each other at an angle but not dismantled.

At a shooting event the shotgun left assembled and not broken down and leaning against a vehicle or lying on the ground is a safety hazard as shooters cannot know if an unbroken gun is loaded and left ready to fire or left empty of cartridges. Unintentional discharge is the incident of a firearm discharging at a time not intended and there have been many injuries to shooters caused by unintentional discharge as a direct result of loaded guns that have been left leaning against vehicles or trees at shooting events. US Pat Publication No 2010/0123056 Al May 2010 J. Cardenas shows a deployable shotgun rest that pushes into the ground and holds a shotgun in an upright unbroken condition, as a matter of personal opinion this may not be the best way to hold a shotgun. Considering prior art, the Gun Case GB 2376286(A) May 2001 B. Brandow shows a holster to carry a broken down shotgun as this is a safe condition. Similarly, International Patent WO 2007/045849 Al April 2007 K. Weiler reveals a shotgun holster designed to hold a shotgun in the safe broken down condition. Therefore, it is evident that at a shooting event and ‘out in the field’ a shotgun should never be left unbroken as it is a safety hazard in that condition. A shotgun should be broken down so that the ends of the empty barrels are clearly on view. However, shotguns are heavy weapons and shooters suffer fatigue when holding them for long periods of time. As previously established it is not acceptable to close the shotgun and lean it against something in case an unintentional discharge occurs and also lying the shotgun on the ground is unacceptable as ‘out in the field’ it can lead to damage to the shotgun. Whilst the shotgun is on the ground an inadvertent slip or trip can damage the gun or worse still introduce soil into the barrels which is the primary reason for barrels subsequently rupturing when the shotgun is fired by the shooter. The seriousness of this problem is shown by prior art GB 2282960(A) April 1995 Bernard Thomas Bamell with Gun and Support, this reveals a shotgun support mounted on legs that sits on the ground to hold a shotgun in a safe broken down condition and clear of the ground when at a game shooting event ‘out in the field’.

In contrast to clay or target shooting where the shooter stays in one fixed location with facilities and the opportunity to store ammunition and shotguns/rifles at hand the ‘out in the field’ shooting event or ‘game-shooting’ requires off road vehicles for access and has more demanding requirements to ensure comfort and more importantly safety of shooters. For ‘out in the field’ shoots there is a need for a robust, instantly deployable seat that is outside of the vehicle. There is also a need to safely and quickly secure a shotgun in the broken down condition to prevent unintentional discharge.

Statement of Invention

To overcome this the present invention proposes a rugged sport utility seat that using a single hook is instantly deployable to a typical off road vehicle, providing a support for a shotgun or rifle in the safe broken down condition.

Advantages

The seat can be instantly fitted to and instantly removed from the bumper of a typical off road vehicle using its single hook universal attachment.

The rubber lined aperture in the top surface of the step provides the means of a safe storage support for a shotgun in the safe broken down condition. When stored in this way a shooter can clearly see opened barrels and determine whether the gun is loaded.

All types of shotguns such as single bore, twin bore side by side and twin bore over and under will all fit into the rubber lined aperture for safe storage in the broken down condition. The shotgun is in a safe condition and cannot fall over to cause an unintentional discharge.

The single central rigid hook attachment means that the seat can be positioned at any point along the length of a typical off road vehicles bumper. This means that the seat can be instantly deployed as a multi positioned vehicle tow hook if required when ‘out in the field’.

Only three points of contact with the bumper means that the seat is stable even on damaged or bent bumpers.

The seat can be used as an observation platform when ‘out in the field’.

The seat can be used by a mechanic to stand on in order to access the engine of the off road vehicle.

Introduction to Drawings

An example of the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows a line drawing of the seat and shotgun holder.

Figure 2 shows a line drawing of the seat with a rubber mat fitted

Figure 3 is a cross sectional drawing of the seat attached to a typical off road bumper.

Figure 4 shows an over and under shotgun safely stored in a broken down condition.

Figure 5 shows a twin barrel side by side shotgun safely stored.

Figure 6 shows the seat with a bespoke rubber insert inserted into the apperture to accept the twin barrels of a shotgun.

Detailed Description

The method will now be explained and examples of the invention described by referring to the accompanying drawings:

A metal platform or plate has a hook at the back to attach over the rear edge of a typical off road vehicle bumper, the hook forming one point of attachment. The sides of the plate are bent down so that their rear edges contact the front face of the bumper, providing the other two points of contact with the bumper. The top of the plate is covered with rubber or plastic matting. An aperture in the top surface of the plate serves as a receptacle for the barrels of a shotgun when the gun is presented in broken down condition. The barrels pass through the aperture pointing downwards but they remain clear of the ground below, held by the shotgun stock which rests on the matting. The perimeter of the aperture is lined by the matting to prevent damage to the shotgun barrels as they are inserted. The shotgun stock will rest on the matting with barrels through the aperture in a safe condition having opened vacant barrels on view to shooters.

Figure 1 is a line drawing to show the seat with the single point hook attachment (1) that will hook over the top rear edge of a typical off road vehicle bumper. The top surface of the seat (2) has an aperture (4) through which the barrels of a broken down shotgun can be inserted for safe support and storage. The two side members (3) of the seat are bent down so that they contact the front face of the vehicle bumper in order to provide support for the seat.

Figure 2 is a line drawing to show the seat with a rubber or plastic matting (5) fixed to the top surface of the seat with the rubber or plastic forming a lining around the aperture so that the shotgun barrels are held in position and are not scratched as they are inserted through the aperture. The terms rubber and plastic jmatting are generic terms to cover any suitable material that could be fixed to the surface of the seat for comfort and to prevent damage to the shotgun barrels on insertion.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional drawing of the seat in position when attached to a typical off road vehicle bumper. The off road vehicle bumper (7) is shown as a typical channel shape but the seat will fit any section of bumper due to its one hook attachment (1). The rear of the seat is hooked over the rear top edge of the bumper and the two side members (3) push against the front face of the bumper to hold the seat top surface (2) securely in place. Three point attachment means that the seat is stable even with damaged or bent off road vehicle bumpers. The rubber or plastic edge pieces (9) prevent damage to the front face of the bumper. The plastic lining (8) prevents damage to the top surface of the bumper when the seat is hooked over.

Figure 4 is a line drawing to show a twin barrel over and under shotgun inserted into the aperture of the top surface for safe storage. The shotgun is in a broken down condition and the barrels (10) pass through the aperture leaving the stock of the shotgun (11) to lie on the matting (5) that is fixed to the top surface of the seat. The matting (5) protects the shotgun stock (11) and cushions it as it lies on the seat. Also, the matting (5) provides protection around the perimeter of the aperture so that the shotgun barrels are not damaged as they are inserted. The shot gun is held in a broken down safe condition whereby the ends of the barrels can be seen by shooters to confirm that the gun is unloaded. The seat is instantly deployed and attached to the bumper (7) of an off road vehicle and so provides both a seat and/or safe storage for a broken down shotgun when ‘out in the field’. Due to the angle between the barrels (10) and stock (11) of a broken down shotgun the ends of the barrels are kept well clear of the surrounding ground when the stock (11) lies on the surface of the matting (5).

Figure 5 is a line drawing to show safe storage of a side by side twin barrelled shotgun. The view is from the rear of the off road vehicle bumper to show the seat hook (1) in situ and hooked over the top rear edge of the bumper (7). The twin barrelled shotgun is in broken down condition with barrels (10) inserted through the aperture in the top surface of the seat. Damage to the shotgun barrels (10) on their insertion is prevented by the rubber or plastic matting (5) as it protects around the perimeter of the aperture (6). The matting (5) protects and cushions the shotgun stock (11) as it lies in contact with the top surface of the seat (2). The two side members (3) retain the seat as they lie against the front face of the bumper (7). The ends of the shotgun barrels are kept clear of the surrounding ground.

Figure 6 is a line drawing to show the seat with a bespoke rubber or plastic insert (12) fitted to the aperture in order to more securely retain and prevent and damage to the barrels of a shotgun.

There are many patents that cover portable seats but few show bumper seats. The bumper seats in prior art all feature at least two hooks for attachment and multiple adjustments when deploying. None of the prior art shows the stability provided by a single hook, three point attachment and none show the provision for holding any type of item, more specifically the provision of an aperture for safely holding a broken down shotgun in a safe position.

There are many patents that reveal holsters for holding broken down shotguns, some are attached to the shooter via belts or straps and some stand on the ground supported by legs.

None of the prior art shows a vehicle bumper attachment with a lined aperture to hold broken down shotguns in a safe condition so that shooters can clearly check open barrels to see that the shotgun is unloaded. Also this invention holds the shotgun barrels clear of surrounding ground and soil.

This invention features an item that securely attaches to the bumper of a typical off road vehicle and it can be deployed in moments when ‘out in the field’ at a shooting event to provide the shooter with not only a secure seat but also a safe and secure support for a broken down shotgun removing the necessity for the shooter to continually manually hold the shotgun. Prior art shows no shotgun or rifle holder that is part of a seat and no shotgun holder that that fits to an item that hooks onto a vehicle bumper. There are no bumper seats currently available for automobiles. The most recent prior art was US Pat. No. 3,865,431 (A) February 1975 because that was when bumpers were still remote from bodywork as opposed to vehicle designs since 1975 when bumpers have been integrated into bodies and so nothing can be hooked behind them. This invention addresses only typical off road vehicles with free standing channel type bumpers. The two features of this invention do not have effects of the same kind which add up to an increased effect. One feature is the robust, removable and rapidly deployable seat. The second new feature is the provision of safe stowage for a shotgun and the invention combines both providing a solution far better than the two in isolation.

Claims

1. A removable vehicle bumper seat with aperture to support a shotgun in the broken condition.

2. A removable seat according to claim 1 with rubber or plastic matting attached to the top surface.

3. A removable seat according to claim 1 with padded seating attached to the top surface.

4. A removable seat as in previous claims with an insert fitted into the aperture to hold the barrels securely and prevent any damage to barrels on insertion.

5. A removable seat as in previous claims with a plurality of holes for carrying or holding.

6. A removable seat as in previous claims with a plastic coating to the underside to prevent damage to the vehicle bumper.

7. A removable seat as in previous claims with plastic covers to the side members to prevent damage to the front of the vehicle bumper.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB1621261.5