INSULATED FIREARM COVER

Abstract

An insulated cover for at least partially covering a firearm comprising. The insulated cover includes an insulated main body that forms a barrel cavity that is configured to fully encircle a portion of a firearm barrel when the firearm barrel is positioned in the barrel cavity. The insulated cover includes a closed rear end, a closed bottom side, an open front end, and an openable top side. The openable top side is configured to be repeatably openable and closeable along 25-100% of a longitudinal length of the barrel cavity. The main body including at least one layer of a thermal insulative material.

Description

The present disclosure claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/111,211 filed Nov. 9, 2020, which is fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a cover for use with a barrel of a firearm, particularly to an insulated cover for use with a barrel of a firearm, and more particularly to an insulated cover for use with a barrel of a firearm that includes a side region that can be easily opened and closed repeated times to facilitate in the insertion of the barrel of the firearm in the insulated cover and/or the removal of the barrel of the firearm from the insulated cover.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Firearms are commonly transported in gun cases. These gun cases commonly have a foam interior to protect the firearm from being scratched or otherwise damaged while in the gun case. Other types of gun holders can be formed of a fabric material such as polyester, nylon or canvas materials.

After use, the barrel of the firearm is generally heated to an elevated temperature from the use the firearm. If the firearm is immediately placed in a foam interior gun case or in a fabric gun holder, the temperature of the firearm barrel can be at a temperature that can cause the melting and/or ignition of the foam in the gun case or the melting or otherwise damaging of the fabric material of the gun holder. As such, the firearm user generally must wait a period of time to allow the firearm barrel to cool before placing the firearm into the gun case or gun holder. Some users wrap an old towel about the barrel to prevent damage to the gun case or gun holder. However, these cloth towels are susceptible to scorching and can possibly catch on fire, and/or the wrapping of a towel about the firearm barrel can interfere with the proper placement of the firearm in the gun case or gun holder, and/or the towel can fall off the firearm barrel when the firearm is being placed in the gun case or gun holder, thereby resulting in potential damage to the gun case or gun holder.

In view of the current state of the art, there is a need for a simple and effective cover for a firearm barrel that can be easily inserted on and removed from a firearm barrel and which can protect a gun case or gun holder from damage from a heated firearm barrel.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is directed to an insulated cover for use with a firearm barrel, and particularly to an insulated cover for use with a firearm barrel that includes a side region that can be easily opened and closed repeated times to facilitate in the insertion of the firearm barrel in the insulated cover and/or the removal of the firearm barrel from the insulated cover. The insulated cover overcomes the past problems associated with the storage and transport of recently used firearms.

In one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover is formed of a sleeve that includes a reopenable and reclosable side that enables the firearm barrel to be conveniently inserted into and removed from the insulated cover. Such an arrangement enables the repeated opening and closing of the side of the insulated cover. The side of the insulated cover includes a closing arrangement that facilitates in the opening and closing of the side of the insulated cover. The closing arrangement can include, but is not limited to, an arrangement such as a hook and loop fastener, snaps, buttons, zipper, magnet, mushroom head fastener, tongue and groove fastener, etc. In one non-limiting configuration, a hook and loop fastener is used as the closing arrangement to enable the repeated opening and closing of the side of the insulated cover. In another non-limiting configuration, one or more magnets are used as the closing arrangement to enable the repeated opening and closing of the side of the insulated cover. In another non-limiting configuration, a zipper is used as the closing arrangement to enable the repeated opening and closing of the side of the insulated cover.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover includes a reopenable and reclosable side that extends from the front end of the insulated cover to 10-100% (and all values and ranges therebetween) the longitudinal length of the insulated cover, typically 25-100% the longitudinal length of the insulated cover, more typically 50.01-100% the longitudinal length of the insulated cover, and still more typically 75-99.5% the longitudinal length of the insulated cover.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover can be formed of one or more pieces of material, wherein one or more of the pieces or layers are an insulated material. In one non-limiting configuration, the insulated cover includes a closed back end, a closed bottom side, an open front end, and a top side, and wherein at least a portion (5-100% and all values and ranges therebetween) is configured to be repeatedly opened and closed. In one non-limiting arrangement, 20-100% of the top side of the insulated cover is configured to be repeatedly opened and closed, typically 40-100% of the top side of the insulated cover is configured to be repeatedly opened and closed, more typically 50.01-100% of the top side of the insulated cover is configured to be repeatedly opened and closed, and still more typically 75-99.9% of the top side of the insulated cover is configured to be repeatedly opened and closed. In another non-limiting configuration, 50-100% of the connection arrangement (and all values and ranges therebetween) is located on or closely adjacent to (e.g., 0.0001-1.5 inches and all values and ranges therebetween; 0.0001-0.5 inches; 0.0001-0.25 inches) the top side of the insulated cover. In one non-limiting arrangement, 75-100% of the connection arrangement is located on or closely adjacent to the top side of the insulated cover.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover is at least partially or fully formed of an insulative material having an R value of at least 1, and typically has an R value of 1-100 (and all values and ranges therebetween). In one non-limiting embodiment, 50.01-100% of the insulated cover is at least partially or fully formed of an insulative material having an R value of at least 1, typically 50.01-100% of the insulated cover is at least partially or fully formed of an insulative material having an R value of at least 2, and more typically 50.01-100% of the insulated cover is at least partially or fully formed of an insulative material having an R value of at least 3. Generally, the insulative material is a formed of a flexible material. In one non-limiting embodiment, the insulative material is or includes fiberglass, wool, fabric thermal batting (e.g., hollow, polyester fibers that have been needle-punched through a non-woven substrate [e.g., metalized substrate, etc.] such as Insul-Bright from The Warm Company); polyester batting that optionally has a reflective material cover [e.g., metalized fabric cover, etc.] such as Insul-Shine; polyester-metallic fabric such as Solarize by Fairfield or Iron Quick; polyester and cotton fabric such as Therma Flec; synthetic microfiber fabric [e.g., polyester, etc.] such as Thinsulate by 3M; synthetic fabric needle punched fleece material [e.g., polyester, etc.] such as Thermolam; and/or fabric batting [e.g., cotton, etc.] such as Wrap-N-Zap. The thickness of the insulative material or layer of insulative material is generally 0.05-2 inches (and all values and ranges there between), and typically 0.1-1 inches.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, a portion (e.g., 10-99.9% and all values and ranges therebetween) or all the interior surface of the insulative material is optionally quilted to form a quilted surface pattern. The quilted pattern can be used to increase the insulative value of the insulative materials. The type of quilting pattern, when used, is not limited.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover has a length of at least 5 inches, and generally 5-36 inches (and all values and ranges therebetween). In one non-limiting embodiment, the cavity of the insulated cover is configured to receive a barrel of a firearm that is up to 28 inches in length. In one non-limiting configuration, the longitudinal length of the cavity of the insulated cover is 16-28 inches (and all values and ranges therebetween).

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover has a width of at least 2.5 inches; and generally 3-12 inches (and all values and ranges therebetween). In another non-limiting configuration, the width of the cavity of the insulated cover is less than the longitudinal length of the cavity. In still another non-limiting configuration, the width of the cavity is 2-10 inches (and all values and ranges therebetween); and typically 3-6 inches.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the average thickness of the insulated cover is at least 0.1 inches; generally 0.1-3 inches (and all values and ranges therebetween); and typically 0.5-2 inches. In one non-limiting configuration, the insulated cover has a length of 16-20 inches, a width of 4-6.5 inches, and a thickness 0.1-0.5 inches.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover is formed of an insulative material optionally includes a treatment such as for anti-static, easier-cleaning, flame resistant, water-repellency, oil-repellency, soil resistance, stain resistance, antimicrobial resistance, odor control, and/or antistatic properties.

inner surface layer of the insulated cover inner surface layer of the insulated cover insulated cover is partially or fully encapsulated by a cover material that is different form the insulative material (e.g., nylon, polyester, Kevlar®, poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide, cotton, leather, plastic, linen, wool, carbon fiber materials, graphene material, Dyneema®, polyethylene fiber material, etc.). Such cover material is used to partially or fully encapsulate the insulative material is generally a flexible material. In one non-limiting arrangement, the cover material covers 50-100% of the insulative material (and all values and ranges therebetween); and typically the cover material covers 75-100% of the insulative material. In one non-limiting embodiment, the thickness of the layer of cover material that is used to partially or fully encapsulate the insulative material has a thickness that is less than the thickness of the insulative material (e.g., the thickness ratio of the insulative material to the cover material is 1.5:1 to 100:1 and all values and ranges therebetween; 1.5:1 to 20:1; 1.5:1 to 10:1).

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the inner surface layer of the insulated cover (i.e., the surface that contacts the gun barrel when the gun barrel is inserted into the insulated cover) can be formed of a metal layer that will not burn or scorch at a temperature of less than 400° C. and/or has a melting point greater than 400° C. (e.g., aluminum, etc.), a metal fiber layer having a melting point greater than 400° C. (e.g., metal fiber layer that includes aluminum, etc.), a polymer material having a melting point greater than 400° C. (e.g., Kevlar®, aramid fibers, etc.) and/or a carbon fiber material having a melting point greater than 400° C. Generally, the melting point of the material surface that forms the inner surface layer of the insulated cover of at least 500° C. In one non-limiting configuration, the material surface that forms the inner surface layer of the insulated cover is formed of less than 20% leather, cotton, polyester and/or nylon, and typically the material surface that forms the inner surface layer of the insulated cover is formed of 0-5% leather, cotton, polyester and/or nylon.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover can optionally include a hanging arrangement connected to at least one end region (e.g., front end region, back-end region) of the insulated cover. Such hanging arrangement can include a loop, hook, magnetic loop, etc.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover can be formed of a material that is insulative in nature, and optionally having a surface finish that resists the penetration of liquids and soils such as, but not limited to, foam, closed-cell foam, micro-cell foams, and the like that are commercially available, and optionally available with a thin coating of a water- and oil-resistant material.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover can be formed of a material that includes natural and synthetic fibers in the form of thread, woven and non-woven fabrics and textiles, and constructs of said textiles, combined to form the panels, sleeves, pockets, and compartments of the glove as disclosed herein. Other materials of construction suitable for use herein include those selected for their insulative value (R), being the resistance to the transmission of heat or cold through their cross-section. Natural fibers and materials include, but are not limited to, cotton, hemp, silk, rayon, wool, and other similar plant-and vegetable-derived materials suitable for forming fibers and threads, and of being subsequently formed into stitched, woven, knitted, knotted, yarned, or otherwise entangled planar sheets of textile or cloth panels. In other embodiments, insulative materials for use herein may be selected from, but not limited to, cellulose, glass wool, rock wool, vermiculite, perlite, wood fiber, plant fibers such as cannabis, flax, cotton, cork, etc., recycled cotton denim, plant straw, animal fibers such as sheep's wool, lamb's wool, etc., and combinations thereof. Synthetic fibers and materials include, but are not limited to, polymers and copolymers produced by chemical means and mechanically or heat treated to form fibers and threads, and subsequently formed into stitched, woven, knitted, knotted, yarned, or otherwise entangled planar sheets of textile or cloth panels. Synthetic fibers and materials may be formed into entangled planar sheets by non-woven means including air laid, water laid, electrostatic or dynamic fiber entanglement means when the source fiber is process directly in a partially softened, flowable, or melted state in the form of said source fiber, by means of any suitable process common in the art. Non-limiting examples of suitable synthetic materials include nylon, polyester, polyacrylamide, and the like, as well as other synthetic polymers known in the art such as fluorocarbon- and silicone-based materials such as Teflon™ (a registered trademark of the DuPont Company), perfluoropolyethylene, polysiloxane, silicones, and the like.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover can optionally be treated with a chemical material or compound, reactive species, coating, treatment process (such as exposure to heat, plasma or ionizing radiation) in order to provide a secondary benefit to said materials. Such treatment can provide benefits such as, but not limited to, antimicrobial resistance, disinfecting properties, anti-soiling properties, odor-resistant properties, oil- and water-repellant properties, etc.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover can optionally include one or more layers having sufficient insulating properties. Materials having suitable insulating properties in sheet form include, but are not limited to, batting, down, foam, feathers, fluff, fleece, fuzz, lint, eiderdown, feathers, floss, sponge, and combinations thereof, including both naturally derived and synthetically manufactured versions thereof. The insulating material is selected to have a high heat and cold insulation factor ® wherein higher values of R correspond to greater insulative properties. In another non-limiting embodiment, materials used for their insulative properties include foams, micro-foams and closed-cell foams made from polymeric materials that may be selected from, but are not limited to, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, the copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate; low-density polyethylene (LDPE) foam, polyethylene (PE), nitrile rubber (NBR) foam, the copolymers of acrylonitrile (ACN) and butadiene, polychloroprene foam, neoprene, polyimide foam, polypropylene (PP) foam, including expanded polypropylene (EPP) and polypropylene paper (PPP), polystyrene (PS) foam, including expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) and polystyrene paper (PSP), styrofoam, including extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyurethane (PU) foam, low-resilience polyurethane (LRPu), memory foam, sorbothane, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam, closed-cell PVC foamboard, silicone foam, microcellular foam and other polymer and copolymer materials that can be blown into an open or closed-cell cellular foam structure with some degree of flexibility suitable for the manipulation of objects when constructed as a glove panel according to the inventive disclosure herein. The layer of insulating material can optionally be combined with one or more additional layers of a panel material, such as a sheet of textile or cloth, attached to at least one side or on both sides of said insulating material layer, to protect said insulating material from direct contact or exposure to objects in contact with the glove.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover can optionally include a stain- or soil-resistant finish to reduce or prevent staining. Conventional stain-and soil-resistant and stain-proofing treatments include, but are not limited to, hydrocarbons, fluorochemicals, silicones, polysiloxanes, siloxanes, polymers, copolymers, waxes, etc.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover can optionally include a flame-resistant or flame-retardant material on one or more surfaces of the cover.

In another non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure, the insulated cover is optionally only configured to cover 50-100% (and all values and ranges therebetween) of the barrel of a gun.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the discussion of the distinction between the disclosure and the prior art and when considering the preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference may now be made to the drawings, which illustrate various embodiments that the disclosure may take in physical form and in certain parts and arrangements of parts wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the Firearm Barrel Cover;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the Firearm Barrel Cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the Firearm Barrel Cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a right elevation view of the Firearm Barrel Cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a left elevation view of the Firearm Barrel Cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the Firearm Barrel Cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the Firearm Barrel Cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the Firearm Barrel Cover of FIG. 1 in the open position; and,

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the Firearm Barrel Cover of FIG. 1 with an optional barrel of a firearm inserted therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A NON-LIMITING EMBODIMENT

A more complete understanding of the articles/devices, processes, and components disclosed herein can be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings. These figures are merely schematic representations based on convenience and the ease of demonstrating the present disclosure, and are, therefore, not intended to indicate relative size and dimensions of the devices or components thereof and/or to define or limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of the embodiments selected for illustration in the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the disclosure. In the drawings and the following description below, it is to be understood that like numeric designations refer to components of like function.

The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used in the specification and in the claims, the term “comprising” may include the embodiments “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.” The terms “comprise(s),” “include(s),” “having,” “has,” “can,” “contain(s),” and variants thereof, as used herein, are intended to be open-ended transitional phrases, terms, or words that require the presence of the named ingredients/steps and permit the presence of other ingredients/steps. However, such description should be construed as also describing compositions or processes as “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” the enumerated ingredients/steps, which allows the presence of only the named ingredients/steps, along with any unavoidable impurities that might result therefrom, and excludes other ingredients/steps.

Numerical values in the specification and claims of this application should be understood to include numerical values which are the same when reduced to the same number of significant figures and numerical values which differ from the stated value by less than the experimental error of conventional measurement technique of the type described in the present application to determine the value.

All ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the recited endpoint and independently combinable (for example, the range of “from 2 grams to 10 grams” is inclusive of the endpoints, 2 grams and 10 grams, and all the intermediate values).

The terms “about” and “approximately” can be used to include any numerical value that can vary without changing the basic function of that value. When used with a range, “about” and “approximately” also disclose the range defined by the absolute values of the two endpoints, e.g. “about 2 to about 4” also discloses the range “from 2 to 4.” Generally, the terms “about” and “approximately” may refer to plus or minus 10% of the indicated number.

References to specific techniques include alternative and more general techniques, especially when discussing aspects of the invention, or how the invention might be made or used.

The invention is in no way limited to the specifics of any particular embodiments and examples disclosed herein. Many other variations are possible which remain within the content, scope and spirit of the invention, and these variations would become clear to those skilled in the art after perusal of this application.

Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-9, there is illustrated an insulated cover 10 for a firearm barrel of firearm F. The insulated cover 10 has an open front end 20, a closed rear end 30, a closed bottom side 40 and an openable and closable top side 50.

FIG. 8 illustrates the insulated cover when the top side is open and FIG. 9 illustrates the insulated cover 10 when the insulated cover is closed and a firearm barrel is partially or fully inserted in the insulated cover.

The rear end 30 can be permanently closed by an end closure arrangement 32 (e.g., sewn or stitched closed, closed by a melted seam, closed by staples, closed by rivets, closed by non-openable snaps, closed by un-openable zipper, closed by adhesive, etc.) or can be closed by a non-permanent closure arrangement (e.g., hook and loop fastener, snaps, releasable adhesive connection, openable tongue and groove connection, magnet connection, button connection, zipper connection, etc.). As illustrated in FIG. 1, the rear end is permanently closed by one or more rows of stitching. Generally, the rear end of the insulated cover is not designed for insertion of the gun barrel into the insulated cover. Generally, 75-100% (and all values and ranges therebetween) of the rear end is fully and permanently closed, and typically 90-100% of the rear end is fully and permanently closed.

When the body 12 of the insulated cover is formed by a single piece of material, the closed bottom side 40 of the insulated cover can be partially or fully formed by a fold FL in the single piece of material. The fold is generally a center fold that is located within±5% of the center or middle of the width of the fully unfolded insulated cover, and is typically located in the center or middle of the width of the fully unfolded insulated cover. When the body of the insulated cover is formed of multiple pieces of material, the closed bottom side of the insulated cover can be partially or fully formed by 1) a fold in one or more pieces of material, and/or 2) a permanent closure arrangement (e.g., sewn or stitched closed, closed by a melted seam, closed by staples, closed by rivets, closed by non-openable snaps, closed by un-openable zipper, closed by adhesive, etc.) or non-permanent closure arrangement (e.g., hook and loop fastener, snaps, releasable adhesive connection, openable tongue and groove connection, magnet connection, button connection, zipper connection, etc.). As illustrated in FIG. 1, the closed bottom side 40 is formed by a fold in the single piece of material. Generally, the closed bottom side of the insulated cover is not designed for insertion of the gun barrel into the insulated cover.

The openable and closable top side 50 is formed by a non-permanent closure arrangement 60 (e.g., hook and loop fastener, snaps, releasable adhesive connection, openable tongue and groove connection, mushroom top connection, magnet connection, button connection, zipper connection, etc.). In one non-limiting arrangement, the openable and closable top side is formed by a hook and loop fastener. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the connection arrangement can be optionally located on the inner top edge 56, 58 of the two portions 52, 54 that are connectable together. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the openable and closable top side is openable and closable along at least 80% of the longitudinal length of the openable and closable top side, and typically 85-99.5% of the longitudinal length of the openable and closable top side. The non-permanent closure arrangement can be connected to the two portions 52, 54 by a any number of arrangements (e.g., adhesive, stitching, melted connection, etc.). Generally, the permanent closure arrangement is permanently connected to the two portions 52, 54.

The open front end 20 of the insulated cover 10 is configured to receive and/or encircle a portion of the firearm when the openable and closable top side 50 is closed as illustrated in FIG. 9. As such, the portion of the firearm that is to be covered by the insulated cover 10 can be 1) inserted through the open front end when the openable and closable top side is partially or fully closed, or 2) be positioned in the interior of the insulated cover when the openable and closable top side is partially or fully open, and thereafter, the openable and closable top side is substantially closed (e.g. 80+%) or fully closed, thereby covering the portion of the firearm F in the insulated cover and causing the open front end of the insulated cover to substantially (e.g., 80+%) encircle or fully encircle a portion of the firearm (e.g. the barrel of the firearm). As illustrated in FIG. 9, the insulated cover is typically configured to only cover a portion of the firearm when the firearm is fully inserted into the insulated cover (e.g., only cover the barrel, etc.). As such, trigger T and components located rearwardly of the trigger of the firearm generally are not covered by the insulated cover when the firearm is fully inserted into the insulated cover.

Generally 0-50% (and all values and ranges therebetween) of the open front end 20 includes a non-permanent closure arrangement, and 0-20% of the open front end 20 includes a non-permanent closure arrangement.

As illustrated in the FIGS. 1-3 and 9, the length of the closed bottom side and the openable and closable top side are generally the same length, and the width of the open front end and the closed rear end are also the same width.

As illustrated in the FIGS. 1-9, a reinforcement material 70 can optionally be secured (e.g., stitching, adhesive, melted seam, etc.) to the peripheral edges of the body of the insulated cover to 1) provide strength to the insulated cover, 2) protect the peripheral edges of the body of the insulated cover from damage (e.g., tears, unweaving, denigrating, etc.), and/or 3) seal the peripheral edges of the body of the insulated cover from liquids and/or particles, etc. The reinforcement material is generally a different material from the material used to form the body of the insulated cover. The width of the reinforcement material 70 is generally no more than 25% of the width of the insulated cover, and is typically 1-20% of the width of the insulated cover. Generally, the reinforcement material 70 is placed over 50-100% (and all values and ranges therebetween) of the end edges of insulation material that is used to form the insulate cover.

The body of the insulated cover can be formed of one or more layers of material. In one non-limiting embodiment, the body includes an interior fabric layer, an outer fabric layer, and an insulation layer encapsulated between the interior and outer fabric layer. The interior and outer fabric layers can be the same or different material. The insulation layer is formed of a material that is different from the interior and/or outer fabric layer. The insulation layer can be a fabric layer or a non-woven filler material. The R value of the insulation layer is generally greater than the R value of the interior and/or outer fabric layer. The thickness of the insulation layer is generally greater than the thickness of the interior and/or outer fabric layer. The interior fabric layer can be formed to optionally have a quilted pattern Q or texture. The quilted pattern can be used to form air channels in the vicinity of the depressed portions thereof, which trap air and effectively increase the insulative value (R) of the insulated cover. The one or more layers used to form the body of the insulated cover can be connected together by stitching, thermal bonding, adhesive bounding, compressive bonding, etc.

The interior and/or outer fabric layer can optionally include an exterior coating for stain proofing, waterproofing, stain- and soil-resistance and/or repellency, inhibition of antimicrobial or biostatic activity, odor control, etc.

As illustrated in the FIGS. 1-3 and 6-9, the insulated cover can optionally include a hang tab loop 80 that enables the user to hang the insulated cover from a hook or other support, for convenience in storage and access when needed. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tap loop is located at or near (e.g., within 0.1-1.5 inches) of the closed bottom side 40. The tab loop can be connected by any number of arrangements (e.g., stitching, adhesive, melted connection, hook and loop fastener, snap, etc.).

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, and since certain changes may be made in the constructions set forth without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The disclosure has been described with reference to preferred and alternate embodiments. Modifications and alterations will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the detailed discussion of the disclosure provided herein. This disclosure is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the disclosure herein described and all statements of the scope of the disclosure, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between. The disclosure has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. These and other modifications of the preferred embodiments as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be obvious from the disclosure herein, whereby the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An insulated cover for at least partially covering a firearm comprising:

an insulated main body, said insulated main body forming a barrel cavity, said barrel cavity configured to fully encircle a portion of a firearm barrel when positioned in said barrel cavity, said insulated cover including a closed rear end, a closed bottom side, an open front end, and an openable top side, said openable top side configured to be repeatably openable and closeable along 25-100% of a longitudinal length of said barrel cavity, said main body including at least one layer of a thermal insulative material.

2. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein said openable top side includes a connection arrangement enabling said openable top side to be repeatably openable and closeable, said connection arrangement including a hook and loop fastener, zipper, slider zippers, press-to-close zipper, tongue and groove closure, mechanical snap, button, magnetic closure, magnetic snap, and/or mushroom top connector.

3. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein said thermal insulative material has an R value of 1 to 100.

4. The insulated cover as defined in claim 2, wherein said thermal insulative material has an R value of 1 to 100.

5. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein an inner surface of said insulated main body is quilted to form a quilted surface pattern.

6. The insulated cover as defined in claim 4, wherein an inner surface of said insulated main body is quilted to form a quilted surface pattern.

7. The insulated cover as defined in claim 5, wherein an inner surface and/or outer surface of said insulated main body is modified to exhibit an added property, said added property selected from anti-static, easier-cleaning, flame-resistant, water-repellency, oil-repellency, soil-resistance, stain-resistance, antimicrobial-resistance, germicidal activity, odor control, and/or antistatic properties.

8. The insulated cover as defined in claim 6, wherein said inner surface and/or outer surface of said insulated main body is modified to exhibit an added property, said added property selected from anti-static, easier-cleaning, flame-resistant, water-repellency, oil-repellency, soil-resistance, stain-resistance, antimicrobial-resistance, germicidal activity, odor control, and/or antistatic properties.

9. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein said insulated main body includes a hanging means, said hanging means selected from a loop, hook, magnetic loop, and/or magnet.

10. The insulated cover as defined in claim 8, wherein said insulated main body includes a hanging means, said hanging means selected from a loop, hook, magnetic loop, and/or magnet.

11. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein an openable portion of said openable top side extends 50.01-100% a longitudinal length of said openable top side.

12. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein said thermal insulative material includes one or more material selected form the group consisting of fiberglass, wool, fabric thermal batting, polyester-metallic fabric, polyester and cotton fabric, synthetic microfiber fabric, synthetic fabric needle punched fleece material.

13. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein said thermal insulative material has a thickness of 0.05-2 inches.

14. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein said insulated cover has a length of 5-36 inches, a width of 3-12 inches, and an average thickness of 0.1-3 inches.

15. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein an inner surface of said barrel cavity that is configured to contact the barrel when the barrel is inserted in said barre cavity is formed of a material that will not burn or scorch at a temperature of less than 400° C. and/or has a melting point greater than 400° C.

16. The insulated cover as defined in claim 1, wherein said barrel cavity is configured to cover 50-100% of the barrel of the firearm, and wherein a trigger of the firearm cannot be inserted in said barrel cavity after the barrel of the firearm is inserted into said barrel cavity.

17. A method for covering a barrel of a firearm after the firearm has been used and a temperature of the barrel is above 100° C. comprising:

providing an insulated cover for at least partially covering the firearm, said insulated cover including an insulated main body, said insulated main body forming a barrel cavity, said barrel cavity configured to fully encircle a portion of a firearm barrel when positioned in said barrel cavity, said insulated cover including a closed rear end, a closed bottom side, an open front end, and an openable top side, said openable top side configured to be repeatably openable and closeable along 25-100% of a longitudinal length of said barrel cavity, said main body including at least one layer of a thermal insulative material;

at least partially opening said openable top side of said insulated cover such that 10-100% of said openable top side is open;

positioning at least a portion of the barrel in said barrel cavity while said openable top side is at least partially open; and,

at least partially closing said openable top side after at least a portion of the barrel is positioned in said barrel cavity such that 50-100% of said openable top side is closed.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein said barrel cavity is configured to cover 50-100% of the barrel of the firearm, and wherein a trigger of the firearm cannot be inserted in said barrel cavity after the barrel of the firearm is inserted into said barrel cavity.

19. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein an inner surface of said barrel cavity that is configured to contact the barrel when the barrel is inserted in said barre cavity is formed of a material that will not burn or scorch at a temperature of less than 400° C. and/or has a melting point greater than 400° C.