US-12624925-B1 - Hinged scope ring

US12624925B1US 12624925 B1US12624925 B1US 12624925B1US-12624925-B1

Abstract

A scope ring for attaching a rifle scope to a mounting rail of an armament includes a lower component that is attached onto the mounting rail and an upper component that is fastened to the lower component to define and extend along an outer perimeter of a scope ring through-hole that receives and holds the scope. The upper component member extends at least one hundred eighty (180) degrees along the perimeter but is constructed to enable a scope to be received into the scope ring or be removed from the scope ring if the scope ring extends more than one hundred eighty (180) degrees to present a slimmer profile. The upper component can be attached to different compatible lower components that enable the scope ring to define different scope ring heights.

Inventors

Jarrod Burk Major

Assignees

BERRY MTN., INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230929

Claims (13)

1 . A scope ring for attaching a scope to a mounting rail of an armament, the scope ring comprising: a scope ring through-hole being configured to receive a portion of the scope; an upper component and a lower component, the lower component having a first end portion on a first end of the lower component and an axially opposite second end portion, the first end portion being capable of being attached onto the mounting rail whereby the second end portion is spaced away from the mounting rail when the lower component is mounted on the rail; the upper component being fastenable to the second end portion of the lower component to rigidly attach the upper component to the lower component wherein the upper component and the second end portion of the lower component cooperate to surround and define the scope ring through-hole when the upper component is fastened to the lower component; the upper component comprising a first end and a second end, the first and second ends of the upper component being spaced apart from one another and each of the first and second ends being fixedly fastened to the lower component when the upper component is attached to the lower component; the upper component comprising at least two members that extend end-to-end along and define a portion of an outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole from the first end of the upper component to the second end of the upper component when the upper component is fastened to the lower component, the at least two members comprising at least one adjacent pair of members extending along the outer perimeter; each adjacent pair of members of the at least one adjacent pair of members comprising respective adjacent ends that cooperatively define a hinge that pivotally couples the adjacent pairs of members, the hinge receiving a hinge pin that defines the pivot axis of the hinge, the hinge enabling pivotal movement of the adjacent pair of members about the hinge axis when one or both ends of the upper component is unfastened from the lower component; the at least two members of the upper component extending more than one hundred and eighty (180) degrees in angular extent along the outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole from the first end of the upper component to the second end of the upper component when the upper component is fastened to the lower component; and wherein the upper component and the lower component when attached together with the lower component attached onto the mounting rail define a first scope ring height, the scope ring comprising at least one additional lower component attachable to the upper component to define the scope ring through-hole, each at least one additional lower component defining a respective scope ring height in cooperation with the upper component that is different from the first scope ring height and different from the scope ring height defined by any other of the at least one additional lower component in cooperation with the upper component.
2 . The scope ring of claim 1 wherein the at least two members of the upper component consists of two members.
3 . The scope ring of claim 2 wherein each of the two members of the upper component extends less than one hundred and eighty (180) degrees in angular extent along the outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole when the upper component is fastened to the lower component.
4 . The scope ring of claim 3 wherein the first and second ends of the upper component are releasably fastenable to the lower component whereby the upper component is unfastenable from the lower component and can then be spaced apart from the lower component when inserting a scope into the scope ring or when removing a scope from the scope ring.
5 . The scope ring of claim 2 wherein, when the upper component is fastened to the lower component, the two members of the upper component extend the same angular extent along the outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole whereby the hinge connecting the two members is substantially centered along the outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole between the first and second ends of the upper component.
6 . The scope ring of claim 2 wherein one of the two members extends an angular extent of at least one hundred eighty (180) degrees from the first end of the upper component along the outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole when the upper component is fastened to the lower component whereby the hinge connecting the two members is closer along the perimeter of the scope ring through-hole to the second end of the upper component than to the other end of the upper component.
7 . The scope ring of claim 6 wherein at least the first end of the first and second ends of the upper component is releasably fastenable to the lower component whereby when the upper member is attached to the lower member at both the first and second ends of the upper member, the one member of the upper component disposed at the first end of the upper member can be unfastened from the lower component and is then able to pivotally displace relative to the other member fastened to the lower member to enable inserting a scope into the scope ring or when removing a scope from the scope ring.
8 . The scope ring of claim 2 wherein the upper component and the lower component when attached together with the lower component being attached onto the mounting rail define a first scope ring height, the scope ring comprising at least one additional lower component being attachable to the upper component to define the scope ring through-hole, each at least one additional lower component defining a respective scope ring height in cooperation with the upper component different from the first scope ring height and also different from the scope ring height defined by any other of the at least one additional lower component in cooperation with the upper component.
9 . The scope ring of claim 1 wherein the at least two members of the upper component consists of three members, one pair of adjacent members being disposed at the first end of the upper component extending together an angular extent of at least one hundred eighty (180) degrees along the outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole when the upper component is attached to the lower component.
10 . The scope ring of claim 9 wherein at least the first end of the first and second ends of the upper component is releasably fastenable to the lower component whereby when the upper component is attached to the lower component at both the first and second ends of the upper component, the member at the first end of the upper component can be unfastened from the lower component and the pair of adjacent members disposed at the first end of the upper component can be displaced relative to the lower component to enable inserting a scope into the scope ring or removing a scope from the scope ring.
11 . The scope ring of claim 9 wherein the upper component and the lower component when attached together with the lower component attached onto the mounting rail define a first scope ring height, the scope ring comprising at least one additional lower component attachable to the upper component to define the scope ring through-hole, each at least one additional lower component defining a respective scope ring height in cooperation with the upper component that is different from the first scope ring height and different from the scope ring height defined by any other of the at least one additional lower component in cooperation with the upper component.
12 . A scope ring for attaching a scope to a mounting rail of an armament, the scope ring comprising: a scope ring through-hole being configured to receive a portion of the scope; an upper component and a lower component, the lower component having a first end portion on a first end of the lower component and an axially opposite second end portion, the first end portion being capable of being attached onto the mounting rail whereby the second end portion is spaced away from the mounting rail when the lower component is mounted on the rail; the upper component being fastenable to the second end portion of the lower component to rigidly attach the upper component to the lower component wherein the upper component and the second end portion of the lower component cooperate to surround and define the scope ring through-hole when the upper component is fastened to the lower component; the upper component comprising a first end and a second end, the first and second ends of the upper component being spaced apart from one another and each of the first and second ends being fixedly fastened to the lower component when the upper component is attached to the lower component; the upper component comprising at least two members that extend end-to-end along and define a portion of an outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole from the first end of the upper component to the second end of the upper component when the upper component is fastened to the lower component, the at least two members comprising at least one adjacent pair of members extending along the outer perimeter, each at least one adjacent pair of members being pivotally connected to one another by a hinge that defines a hinge axis, the hinge enabling pivotal movement about the hinge axis when one or both ends of the upper component is unfastened from the lower member; the at least two members of the upper component extending more than one hundred and eighty (180) degrees in angular extent along the outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole from the first end of the upper component to the second end of the upper component when the upper component is fastened to the lower component; and the upper component and the lower component when attached together with the lower component attached onto the mounting rail defining a first scope ring height, the scope ring comprising at least one additional lower component attachable to the upper component to define the scope ring through-hole, each at least one additional lower component defining a respective scope ring height in cooperation with the upper component that is different from the first scope ring height and different from the scope ring height defined by any other of the at least one additional lower component in cooperation with the upper component.
13 . A scope ring for attaching a scope to a mounting rail of an armament, the scope ring comprising: a scope ring through-hole being configured to receive a portion of the scope; an upper component and a lower component, the lower component having a first end portion on a first end of the lower component and an axially opposite second end portion, the first end portion being capable of being attached onto the mounting rail whereby the second end portion is spaced away from the mounting rail when the lower component is mounted on the rail; the upper component being fastenable to the second end portion of the lower component to rigidly attach the upper component to the lower component wherein the upper component and the second end portion of the lower component cooperate to surround and define the scope ring through-hole when the upper component is fastened to the lower component; the upper component comprising a first end and a second end, the first and second ends of the upper component being spaced apart from one another and each of the first and second ends being fixedly fastened to the lower component when the upper component is attached to the lower component; the upper component consisting of two members that extend end-to-end along and define a portion of an outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole from the first end of the upper component to the second end of the upper component when the upper component is fastened to the lower component, the two members being pivotally connected to one another by a hinge that defines a hinge axis, the hinge enabling pivotal movement of the two members about the hinge axis when one or both ends of the upper component is unfastened from the lower member; the two members of the upper component extending more than one hundred and eighty (180) degrees in angular extent along the outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole from the first end of the upper component to the second end of the upper component when the upper component is fastened to the lower component; and the upper component and the lower component when attached together with the lower component attached onto the mounting rail defining a first scope ring height, the scope ring comprising at least one additional lower component attachable to the upper component to define the scope ring through-hole, each at least one additional lower component defining a respective scope ring height in cooperation with the upper component different from the first scope ring height and also different from the scope ring height defined by any other of the at least one additional lower component in cooperation with the upper component.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/577,072 filed Jan. 17, 2022 and titled “Universal Scope Rings”, which priority non-provisional patent application in turn claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63/138,184 filed Jan. 15, 2021 and titled “Universal Scope Rings”, each of the said priority applications incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure relates generally to accessories for long guns, and in particular, to scope rings. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Long guns such as rifles often include a mounting rail that mounts accessories onto the gun. The two most common and well-known mounting rails are the Picatinny rail (standardized by the US military as MIL-STD-1913) and the Weaver rail. A Picatinny rail has an elongate body defining an elongate hexagonal rail and a spacer that spaces the rail above the gun. The rail has a number of spaced-apart cross slots and flats that allow accessories to be attached to the rail. A Weaver rail is similar to a Picatinny rail but the slot shape and spacing is somewhat different. Generally speaking, an accessory that can be attached to a Weaver rail can be attached to a Picatinny rail, but the reverse is not always true. A common accessory for a long gun is a rifle scope, a telescope used to provide a more accurate aim. A rifle scope can be mounted to the rail using a pair of scope rings that are attached to the rail and are spaced apart along the rail. FIG. 22 illustrates a scope ring 1010, a VORTEX® scope ring manufactured by Sheltered Wings, Inc. dba Vortex Optics, Barneveld, Wisconsin. The scope ring includes a body 1012 and a base 1014. The body defines an interior circular scope through-hole 1016 configured to securely receive and hold a cylindrical body tube of the rifle scope (not shown). The base mounts the body to the rail. The base includes a pair of opposed arms 1018 extending away from a lower flat portion 1020 of the body. The arms receive the rail between them with the body flat against the top of the rail. The scope ring 1010 is formed as a multi-component member to enable the scope ring to receive the rifle scope body and to secure the scope ring to the rail. The body 1010 includes an upper body portion 1022 removably secured to a lower body portion 1024 by pairs of screws disposed on opposite lateral sides of the scope ring. One of the arms 1018 is removably attached to the lower body portion by screws. The upper body portion 1022 and the lower body portion 1024 must have sufficient width to receive the pairs of screws. As a result, the scope ring 1010 when mounted on the rail has a relatively wide profile having a maximum width transverse to the rail extending a relatively large distance beyond both sides of the rail. Rifle scope bodies conventionally have an outer diameter of either one inch or thirty millimeters. Scope rings come with either a one-inch scope through-hole sized to closely receive the one-inch scope body or a thirty-millimeter scope through-hole sized to closely receive the thirty millimeter scope body. The scope rings must mount the rifle scope a sufficient height above the rail for clearance of the bell (the portion of the rifle scope holding the objective lens). Scope rings that directly attach onto the rail of the mounting rail come in standard scope ring heights as measured vertically from the body flat to the center of the scope through-hole. Standardized scope ring heights may vary by manufacturer; an example of a standard set of scope ring heights (low, medium, high, and extra-high) that will be referred to in illustrative embodiments of the disclosed scope ring and scope ring system is: low: 1 inchmedium: 1.1 incheshigh: 1.3 inchesextra-high: 1.4 inches A scope ring defining a scope mounting height or scope height as referred to herein refers to the vertical distance from the center of the scope through-hole (essentially co-axial with the scope optical axis) to the top of the mounting rail. An auxiliary rail may also be interposed between the scope ring and the mounting rail to further increase scope mounting height. Thus there is a need for a slimmer profile scope ring that can also mount a scope at selectively different scope heights without the need to replace the entire scope ring. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed is a scope ring that has a slimmer profile but that can also mount a scope at selectively different scope ring heights without the need to replace the entire scope ring. Embodiments of the disclosed scope ring include a lower component that attaches the scope ring to a mounting rail of an armament and an upper component fastenable to the lower component. The upper and lower components define a scope ring through-hole and extend along an outer perimeter of the scope ring through-hole to holds and secures a scope held in the scope r