Title of the invention

ADJUSTABLE ANTI-THEFT STORAGE APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR A

MACHINE GUN ON A VEHICLE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an adjustable anti-theft storage apparatus for a machine gun on a vehicle.

Background Art

A storage apparatus for a machine gun on a vehicle comprising a base made from a C-shaped metal strip already exists. The base has a core that is provided with means for fixing the base to an inner part of a vehicle, and symmetrically opposite wings. Fastened on one of the wings is a locking member with a lock for retaining the muzzle of the machine gun, and on the opposite wing an abutment member is fixed to secure the butt of the machine gun. The abutment member is substantially configured with a recess adapted to receive an end portion of the butt of the machine gun.

US 2013/0269509 Al discloses an adjustable gun mount adapted to be used on a motor vehicle. Thanks to the mount, a weapon can be released only by authorized people. The adjustable gun mount comprises at least one lock device for securing a weapon, and a rack for supporting the at least one lock device that is blocked on the rack at the desired height for releasably securing the weapon therein. The adjustable gun mount blocks the weapon between the muzzle and the butt thereof and permits to house weapons of different length, one by one, by locking the muzzle on the rack at the desired height. The adjustable gun mount disclosed by US 2013/0269509 Al is useful for weapons having generally the same butt but different length of the barrel.

Currently, it happens that very similar types of weapons are used by the police at the same time or at different times on the same vehicles. Because of this, there is a drawback that a gun mount which is good for a first weapon does not go well for a second. This drawback involves replacing the gun mount for the first weapon with a different one, suitable for the second weapon, or adding to the vehicle another gun mount suitable for the second weapon.

Summary of the Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide only one adjustable gun mount adapted for weapons having generally the same length but a differently configured butt.

Brief Description of Drawings

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become most apparent from the indicative, and therefore non-limiting, description of a preferred but nonexclusive embodiment of an adjustable anti-theft storage apparatus for a machine gun on a vehicle, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the storage apparatus according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the storage apparatus in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a cut perspective view showing the supporting element for the butt end plate in the storage apparatus in Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a three quarter view of the storage apparatus in Figure 1 with the supporting element for the butt plate in a first position;

Figure 5 is an enlarged section obtained with a A-A trace plane in Figure 4 in an exploded configuration;

Figure 6 is a front view of the sole supporting element for the butt end in Figure 5 in a mounted configuration;

Figure 7 is a three quarter view of the storage apparatus in Figure 1 with a supporting element of the butt end in a second position;

Figure 8 is a cross-section obtained with a B-B trace plane in Figure 7 in an exploded configuration; and

Figure 9 is a front view of the sole supporting element for the butt end in Figure 8 in a mounted configuration.

Description of an embodiment of the invention

First, reference is made to Figures 1 and 2 which are a top plan view and a side view of the storage apparatus, and to Figure 3 which is a cut perspective view showing the supporting element for the butt end in the storage apparatus in Figure 1.

The adjustable anti-theft storage apparatus for a machine gun on a vehicle according to the present invention comprises a C-shaped base 1 having a core 10 to be fixed inside a vehicle (not shown) and symmetrically opposed wings 2, 3. On the wing 2 there is a locking member 4 with a lock, of the known type and therefore not further described, to retain the muzzle of a machine gun (not shown). On the second wing 3 there is an abutment member 5 for securing the butt end of the machine gun.

The abutment member 5 comprises a box-shaped housing 6 open towards the locking member 4 facing it.

Reference is made now to FIG. 4 which is a three-quarter view of the storage apparatus in Figure 1. In this figure it is shown that within the box-shaped housing 6 there is a supporting element 7 for the butt end. The supporting element 7 is removably located in the box-shaped housing 6.

In particular, reference is made to Figure 5 which is a cross-section obtained with a AA trace plane in Figure 4 in an exploded configuration, and to Figure 6, which is a front view of the sole supporting element 7. The supporting element 7 has a prismatic shape with a first face 8, in which a first recess 9 of circular shape is obtained, such as the imprint of the butt end of a first machine gun such as the Beretta PM12.

In Figure 5, the box-shaped housing 6 and, apart from it, the supporting element 7 described above, are shown, and in Figure 6 there is shown the supporting element 7 inside the box-shaped housing 6 where it is held by means of a screw knob 11 which is rotatable by hand or with the aid of a tool for allowing the extraction of the supporting element 7 from the box-shaped housing 6 and its positioning in an opposed manner. If the box-shaped housing 6 and the supporting element 7 were provided with suitable shapes and dimensions, the supporting element 7 could be made easily rotatable inside the box-shaped housing 6, around a vertical axis passing through the screw knob 11. This would make possible to invert the face of the supporting element 7 facing the butt end without having to remove it from the box- shaped housing 6. However, this embodiment is not shown in the drawings, nor further described, because it is easy to understand. Figure 7 shows a three quarter view of the storage apparatus in Figure 1 with the supporting element 7 for the butt end in a second position, rotated through 180 degrees about the vertical axis passing through the screw knob 11 with respect to the position previously described. A second face 12 is thus shown, opposite to the first face 9. In the second face 12 a second recess 13 is made being formed like the butt end of a second machine gun (also not shown), for example the Beretta PMX or Beretta PMX D7, or differently denominated machine gun, since it is not precisely known. The second recess 13 is better shown in Figures 8 and 9 which are a cross- section obtained with a BB trace plane in Figure 7 in an exploded configuration and, respectively, a front view of the sole supporting element 7 for the butt end in Figure 8 in a mounted configuration. The second recess 13 is U-shaped with a wing 14 that is greater than the other wing 15. The U- shape of the second recess 13 reproduces, as stated above, the imprint of the butt end of the Beretta PMX or Beretta PMX D7 machine gun. The C-shaped base 1, the locking member 4 and the abutment member 5 can be made of any suitable metallic or plastic material.

The locking member 4, which is fixed on the wing 2 of the C-shaped base 1, is not described in detail because it is known. It substantially comprises a grooved cylindrical element 16 which slides in a seat on which a pin is installed which blocks its sliding by inserting itself into the groove of the cylindrical element 16. The sliding of the cylindrical element is counteracted by a helical spring. The position of the muzzle of the weapon which is inserted into the grooved cylindrical element 16 is locked by a lock 17.

The box-shaped housing 6 of the abutment member 5 can be in one piece with the second wing 3 of the C-shaped base 1, or it can be fixed thereto. This fixing can be made with a friction bolt to allow the 360 degrees rotation, around the axis of the friction bolt, of the box-shaped housing 6 with respect to the second wing 3 of the C-shaped base 1. This fixing is useful for arranging the box-shaped housing 6 in each desired position and, consequently, place the weapon in respectively opposing positions. The core 10 of the C-shaped base 1 has a plurality of through-holes 18 for fixing by means of brackets of the C-shaped base 1 to a support inside the vehicle. This fixing is not described in detail.

It should be understood that the C-shaped base 1 can be installed on any type of land, air or sea vehicle.

In use, the muzzle, almost identical in the two weapons mentioned above, is inserted into the seat of the grooved cylindrical element 16 by sliding the latter and compressing the spring. Once the muzzle has been inserted, it is possible to insert the butt end into the supporting element in the other end. In this way, the weapon is housed in the storage apparatus without the possibility of coming out of it naturally since it is located with the muzzle inserted in the seat of the grooved cylindrical element 16 and the butt end inserted in the chosen imprint of the supporting element 7. The spring in compression in the locking member 4 causes the inserted weapon not to slide and exit the constraints described above.

To guarantee an antitheft locking, the pin which blocks the sliding of the cylinder inside the seat by inserting into the groove is operated by a key lock which inhibits the sliding of the pin once inserted into the groove of the cylinder.

In order to maximize the possibility of installing the support in any position, also the unit of cylindrical element 16 and locking member 4 with the lock is constrained to the C-shaped base 1 by means of a frictioned bolted connection. In this way, it will be possible to rotate the lock at will, avoiding accidental knocks with the key if the key was inserted.