Firearm bipod

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10739100-B2
Application number	US-201816192956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Aug 11, 2020
Grant date	Aug 11, 2020

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for a bipod having pivot and cant functionality built into a unified cant/pivot assembly, housing, and pivot block. Rotation of a locking knob under the housing can gradually increase or decrease friction of the cant and pivoting degrees of freedom. The legs can be stowed approximately 90° rotation from a deployed position, and locking and releasing of this rotation is made possible via depression of a button that also acts as a locking detent that directly interacts with and locks or releases the legs for rotation. In the stowed position, the button can be backdriven and thus the legs can be deployed without depressing the button. A pivot block can also be raised and rotated 180° to lock in a given pivot setting.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A firearm bipod assembly, the bipod assembly comprising:
two legs having a stowed and a deployed position, and each of the two legs having a first portion and a second portion;
a bipod housing having a first leg interface rotatably coupled to a first of the two legs and a second leg interface rotatably coupled to a second of the two legs; and
a first and second bipod leg deployment lock each coupled to the bipod housing,
the first bipod leg deployment lock configured to contact the first bipod leg at the first portion on the first bipod leg in the stowed position, but not at the second portion, and at the second portion on the first bipod leg in the deployed position, but not at the first portion,
the second bipod leg deployment lock configured to contact the first portion on the second bipod leg in the stowed position, but not at the second portion, and at the second portion on the second bipod leg in the deployed position, but not at the first portion;
wherein, when the two legs are in the deployed position, each of the bipod leg deployment locks is shaped to prevent rotation of the two legs toward the stowed position via leg-lock contact at the second portion;
wherein, when the two legs are in the stowed position, each of the bipod leg deployment locks is shaped to prevent rotation of a corresponding one of the two legs toward the deployed position when less than an unlocking threshold torque is applied to that leg via leg-lock contact at the first portion, and to allow rotation of the two legs toward the deployed position when the unlocking threshold torque is met or surpassed via leg-lock contact at the first portion.

2. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 1 , wherein the leg deployment lock moves roughly perpendicular to a plane of movement of a corresponding one of the two legs.

3. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 2 , wherein the leg deployment lock moves in a channel of the bipod housing.

4. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 2 , wherein the leg deployment lock comprises a button that is backdriven when the unlocking threshold torque is applied to a corresponding of the two legs and the corresponding of the two legs is in the stowed position.

5. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 4 , wherein the button cannot be backdriven when the corresponding of the two legs is in the deployed position.

6. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the bipod legs includes a first cutout on a side of each leg shaped to interface with a tubular and an angular portion of a corresponding one of the first and second bipod leg deployment locks in the deployed position.

7. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 6 , wherein each of the bipod legs includes a second cutout on an opposing side of each leg.

8. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 6 , wherein each of the bipod legs includes a second cutout shaped to interface with an angular portion of a corresponding one of the first and second bipod leg deployment locks.

9. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 6 , wherein the first cutout has a crescent shape.

10. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 6 , wherein the first cutout has a conical shape.

11. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the two legs includes a curved top end having a constant radius, and wherein the radius interferes with a corresponding one of the first and second bipod leg deployment locks when the lock is extended away from the bipod housing, and wherein the radius clears the corresponding one of the first and second bipod leg deployment locks when the lock is depressed toward the bipod housing.

12. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bipod leg deployment locks each comprise:
an elongated and cylindrical cross section split into at least two lengths, the lengths extending along a longitudinal axis of the bipod leg deployment lock;
a first of the lengths being a conical frustum with sides angled from the longitudinal axis, and at least a first diameter at a narrowest end of the conical frustum; and
a second of the lengths having a second diameter, smaller than the first diameter.

13. The firearm bipod assembly of claim 12 , wherein the sides of the conical frustrum are angled from the longitudinal axis at an angle selected from the range including and extending between 0° and 30°.

14. A method of deploying a bipod leg, the method comprising:
providing a bipod having two legs, the two legs having a stowed and a deployed position, and each of the two legs having a first portion and a second portion;
providing a housing rotatably and independently coupled to each of the legs; and
providing a movable bipod deployment mechanism for each of the two legs, the bipod deployment mechanism for each of the two legs being movably coupled to the housing and each being selectively in contact with a corresponding one of the two legs;
applying a first torque to one of the two legs while the one of the two legs is in the stowed position, the first torque being less than an unlocking threshold such that the movable bipod deployment mechanism corresponding to the one of the two legs prevents the one of the two legs from rotating toward the deployed position; and
applying a second torque to the one of the two legs while the one of the two legs is in the stowed position, the second torque being greater than or equal to the unlocking threshold, wherein the corresponding moveable bipod deployment mechanism is pressed out of a locked position by the one of the two legs thereby allowing the one of the two legs to rotate toward the deployed position.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the corresponding movable bipod deployment mechanisms directly contacts the one of the two legs when extended away from the housing and does not contact the one of the two legs when depressed toward the housing.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein a first portion of each leg directly contacts a corresponding one of the two movable bipod deployment mechanisms when the corresponding leg is in the deployed position, and wherein a second portion of each leg directly contacts the corresponding one of the two movable bipod deployment mechanisms when the corresponding leg is in the stowed position.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
wherein each of the movable bipod deployment mechanisms has a first and a second length, the first length having a first diameter, and the second length having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, and the second length being further from a pivot axis of a corresponding one of the two legs than the first length,
wherein each of the two legs includes a curved top edge,
such that when either of the movable bipod deployment mechanisms is depressed and a corresponding one of the two legs rotates, the curved top edge clears the second length.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
wherein each of the movable bipod deployment mechanisms has a third length being a conical frustum and being arranged between and forming an angled connection between the first and second lengths;
applying a torque to either of the two legs in a direction from the stowed position toward the deployed position;
backdriving a corresponding one of the two movable bipod deployment mechanisms via the third length interacting with a conical or crescent cutout on a side of a corresponding one of the two legs; and
rotating the corresponding one of the two legs from the stowed position toward the deployed position.

19. A firearm bipod assembly comprising:
two legs ha

Assignees

• Magpul Ind Corp

Inventors

• Roberts Timothy Eric
• Mayberry Michael T

Classifications

• F41A23/18

  Rests for supporting smallarms in non-shooting position (racks for storage A47B81/00; racks in vehicles {B60R7/14}) · CPC title

• F41A23/10 Primary

  adjustable · CPC title

• F16M11/12

  in more than one direction · CPC title