BOOT SLING SYSTEM

Abstract

A sling system comprises a boot to receive a stock at a first end portion of an equipment to be carried by the sling system and a strap having a first end attached to the boot and a second end to extend about a second end portion of the equipment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application claiming priority under 35 USC Section 120 from co-pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61583182 filed on Jan. 5, 2012 by Michael M. Arajakis and entitled BOOT SLING SYSTEM AND SIGHT COVER, full disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

In various activities, such as hunting, equipment such as guns, rifles, shotguns are crossbows may need to be carried across large distances. During such activities, carrying such equipment may become tedious and tiresome. Existing systems for carrying such equipment may add large amounts of weight to the overall load that must be carried, may be complex and may render the equipment difficult to quickly access for use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example sporting equipment transport system with an example sling system for carrying an example equipment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another example implementation of the sling system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another example sporting equipment transport system with the example sling system of FIG. 1 carrying another example equipment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sporting equipment transport system of FIG. 3 being worn by a person.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another example implementation of the sling system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the sling system of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a sporting equipment transport system 20 comprising a sling system 22 for carrying sporting equipment 24. As will be described hereafter, sling system 22 allow sporting equipment 24 to be transporting carried over a person's shoulder without adding large amount of weight to the overall load being carried. Moreover, sling system 22 is intuitive to use and provides quick access to sporting equipment 24 for use.

Sporting equipment 24 comprises any sporting equipment having a first end with a stock and a second discharge end. In the example illustrated, sporting equipment 24 comprises a firearm comprising a gun, rifle or shotgun having a stock 26, a trigger 28 and a barrel 30.

Sling system 22 facilitates transport of sporting equipment 24 over a person's shoulder. Sling system 22 comprises boot 40, strap 42 and strap mount 44. Boot 40 comprises a bag, cap or other receptacle configured to receive stock 26. Boot 40 comprises a mouth 46 having a height extending up from a floor 48 to a top 50 of the mouth 46 and a width extending between opposite sides of the mountain, the height being greater than the width. In one implementation, boot 40 is formed from a resiliently stretchable or elastic material or fabric such that boot 40 receives and grips stock 26. In another implementation, boot 40 may be formed from a flexible but inelastic material, such as a fabric, leather or polymer, wherein mouth 46 is encircled by a resiliently stretchable or elastic band of material or fabric to grip about stock 26. In yet other implementations, the entirety boot 40 may be formed from a soft elastic, but flexible fabric, leather or polymeric material.

Strap 42 extends from boot 40 and stock 26 of equipment 24 to an opposite end portion of equipment 24. Strap 42 has a first end 54 attached to boot 40 adjacent a top 50 of mouth 46 and a second end 56 coupled to strap mount 44. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” shall mean the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate member being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may be removable or releasable in nature. Strap 42 has a length such that the second end 56 extends adjacent to the barrel 30 on a side of the trigger 28 opposite the stock 26 while the boot 40 receives the stock 26.

Strap mount 44 is coupled to end 56 a strap 42 and is configured to secure strap 42 to the end of equipment 24 opposite to stock 26. In the example illustrated, strap mount 44 comprises an open loop formed from strap 42 itself. In one example, strap mount 44 comprises a first loop 60 through which the remaining portion of strap 42 passes to form a second constructible loop 62 which constricts about barrel 30 of equipment 24. In because strap mount 44 is formed from loop 42 and is constructible, strap mount 44 is less complex and less inexpensive while securely securing strap 42 to barrel 30. In other implementations, strap mount 44 may have other configurations. For example, strap mount 42 may comprise a portion of strap 42, wherein such portions are wrapped about barrel 30 and retained relative to one another in a wrapped state with a clip mechanism, button, snap, hook and loop fastener or other mechanism.

FIG. 2 illustrates sling system to 22, another implementation of sling system 22. As shown by 2, sling system 222 is identical to sling system 22 except that sling system 222 additionally includes shoulder pad 264. Shoulder pad 264 comprises a band wider than strap 42 having a resiliently compressible material, such as foam, to provide a soft padding. Pad 264 includes an internal passage through which strap 42 extends, allowing pad 264 to be slid to an appropriate location along strap 42. Pad 264 is located so as to extend across a person's shoulder when sling system 22 is being utilized to transport equipment 24.

FIG. 3 illustrates sporting equipment transport system 320, another implementation of sporting equipment transport system 20. Transport system 320 is identical to transport system 20 except that transport system 320 is releasably or removably secured to equipment 324 rather than being releasably or removably secured to equipment 24. Equipment 324 comprises a crossbow having stock 26, trigger 28 and a foot stirrup 330 having a neck 331. As shown by FIG. 3, when sling system 22 is secured to equipment 324, boot 40 receives stock 26 while strap 44 wraps about or encircles the neck 331 of stirrup 330. Strap 42 has a length such that the second and strap encircles the neck 331 of the foot stirrup 330 while the boot 40 receives the stock 26.

FIG. 4 illustrates sling system 422, another implementation of sling system 22 and sling system 222. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of sling system 422. As shown by FIGS. 4 and 5, sling system 422 is similar to sling system 222 except that sling system 422 comprises strap 442 in lieu of strap 42. Those components of sling system 422 that correspond to components of sling system 22 are numbered simile.

Strap 442 extends from boot 40 to strap mount 44. Strap 442 comprises end portion 470, padded yoke 472, diverging strap portion 474 and end portion 476. End portion 470 extends from boot 40 at one end and is joined to padded yoke 472 at an opposite end. In the example illustrated, end portion 470 wraps about a ring 478 secured to yoke 472 and extends through an adjustment slider 480 such that end portion 470 has an adjustable length.

Padded yoke 472 comprises a Y-shaped or U-shaped padded member to be positioned against the shoulders back or shoulders when carrying equipment 24, 324. In one implementation, padded yoke number 472 includes a layer of resiliently compressible material, such as foam or neoprene. Padded yoke 472 comprises a single yoke end 482 and a pair of spaced divergent ends 484. Single yoke end 482 is coupled to strap end portion 470 while divergent ends 484 are coupled to opposite ends of diverging strap portion 474. In the example illustrated, end 482 includes an extension webbing 486 secured about ring 478. Similarly, one of ends 484 includes an extension webbing secured about a ring 490. Padded yoke 472 Spreads the weight or load across a person's back or shoulders.

Diverging strap portion 474 is coupled to the opposite ends 484 of yoke 472. In the example illustrated, one end of diverging strap portion 474 passes through ring 490 and further passes through adjustment slider number 492 to facilitate length adjustment of diverging strap portion 474.

Strap end portion 442 extends from diverting strap portion 474 to strap mount 44. In the example illustrated, strap end portion 442 itself forms strap mount 44 (described above). In the example illustrated, strap end portion 442 extends through ring 494, which also receives diverting strap portion 474, and further extends through adjustment slider 496 (a buckle) to provide strap and portion 442 with an adjustable length. Although each of strap and portions 470, 476 and diverging end portion 474 are described as having an adjustable length using rings 478, 490 and 494 in conjunction with adjustment sliders 480, 492 and 496, respectively, in other implementations, one or more of such adjustment mechanisms may be omitted.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to example embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. For example, although different example embodiments may have been described as including one or more features providing one or more benefits, it is contemplated that the described features may be interchanged with one another or alternatively be combined with one another in the described example embodiments or in other alternative embodiments. Because the technology of the present disclosure is relatively complex, not all changes in the technology are foreseeable. The present disclosure described with reference to the example embodiments and set forth in the following claims is manifestly intended to be as broad as possible. For example, unless specifically otherwise noted, the claims reciting a single particular element also encompass a plurality of such particular elements.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a sling system comprising:

a boot to receive a stock at a first end portion of an equipment to be carried by the sling system;

a strap having a first end attached to the boot and a second end to extend about a second end portion of the equipment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the strap has an adjustable length.

3. The apparatus of claim, wherein the strap comprises a padded yoke.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the padded yoke extends from a single yoke first end portion to a pair of spaced yoke end portions.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the strap comprises:

a first strap portion extending between the boot and the single yoke first end portion;

a second diverging strap portion extending between each of the pair of spaced yoke end portions; and

a third strap portion extending from the second diverging strap portion to the second end of the strap.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the boot comprises a stretch fabric.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the boot has a mouth having a height extending up from a floor to a top of the mouth and a width extending between opposite sides of the mountain, the height being greater than the width, wherein the strap is attached to the boot adjacent the top of the mouth.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second end of the strap comprises a constrictable open loop.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the equipment comprises a firearm having the stock, a trigger and a barrel, wherein the strap has a length such that the second end of the strap encircles the barrel on a side of the trigger opposite the stock while the boot receives the stock.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the equipment comprises a crossbow having the stock, a trigger and a foot stirrup having a neck, wherein the strap has a length such that the second and strap encircles the neck of the foot stirrup while the boot receives the stock.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising the equipment, wherein the equipment comprises a firearm having the stock, a trigger and a barrel.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising the equipment, wherein the equipment comprises a crossbow having the stock and a trigger.

13. A sling system comprising:

a boot to receive a stock at a first end portion of an equipment to be carried by the sling system;

a strap having a first end attached to the boot and a second end having constrictable open loop to extend about a second end portion of the equipment, wherein the boot has a mouth having a height extending up from a floor to a top of the mouth and a width extending between opposite sides of the mountain, the height being greater than the width, wherein the strap is attached to the boot adjacent the top of the mouth.

14. The sling system of claim 13, wherein the boot comprises a stretch fabric.

15. A method comprising:

inserting a stock of an equipment within a boot; and

extending a strap attached to the boot to an end of the equipment opposite the stock; and

securing an and of the strap to the end of the equipment.