Climbing tree stand

Details Climbing tree stand Climbing tree stand

2003-03-13

2004-03-02

Chin-Shue, Alvin (Department: 3634)

Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold

Pole or strand grasping-type climber

Alternate grasping

Reexamination Certificate

active

06698549

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a tree stand of the type used by hunters to ascend a tree and provide an elevated seat thereon, and in particular to a tree stand that can be adjusted as the hunter ascends or descends the tree to provide a level and secure platform.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Tree stands used to provide an elevated seat for hunters are well known in the prior art. One type of stand, known as a climbing tree stand, is constructed of a seating section and a standing section. The sections are attached to a tree with the seating section being above the standing section. The hunter then raises the sections in an alternating fashion to elevate the stand to the desired height on the tree.
Stand sections are releasibly secured to the tree by flexible attaching members that extend around the tree from one side of the stand section to the other side. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,182,792; 5,234,076 and 5,097,925 are all examples of climbing tree stands using flexible cables as attaching members. While cable has various advantages over other attaching means, these prior art disclosures require insertion of one or both ends of a support cable into relatively narrow support arm tubes, and then inserting a pin through a hole in the side of the tube and a hole in the end of the cable in order to secure the cable in place. Threading a cable inside a narrow tube while at the same time attempting to locate a cable attachment point is cumbersome in daylight, and nearly impossible at night.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,642, issued Feb. 25, 2003, incorporated herein by reference, describes a climbing tree stand constructed to enable the hunter to quickly attach a cable to the tree stand section without having to thread the cable into a tube. Generally, each frame section of the tree stand described in that application includes cable attachment members on each side of the frame, and a cable that is extendable around the tree trunk from one attachment member to the other and releasibly attachable to one of the attachment members by a unique attachment means.
At least one of the attachment members, preferably both attachment members, includes an exterior side with a plurality of first mating elements adapted to mate with a corresponding second mating element adjacent one end of the lashing member. The mating element on the attachment member on the cable is in the form of a projection, while the other mating element is a recess or hole, with the projection element being removably insertable into the recess. The projection element is moveable within the recess from an insertion position to a locked position when said cable is tensioned. In the locked position, the projection is prevented from being removed from the attachment member. Preferably, the attachment members described in that application have outer and inner walls, the recesses are holes, and the projection includes a flange, cap or other component that abuts the inner wall of the attachment member when the projection is in the locked position.
While the attachment mechanism described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,642 is a significant improvement over prior art stands requiring insertion of a cable end into a tube, alignment of the cable with the attachment members can sometimes be difficult. Furthermore, the cable may not be held outwardly from the tree trunk as needed for optimum stability. Thus, there is still a need for further improvements to facilitate attachment of adjustable cables to tree stand sections.
Additionally, there is still a need to increase the stability of climbing tree stands, and in particular the movement of the seat section of tree stands once the tree stand has been secured to the tree and is being used by the hunter. Also, there is a need for a means for reliably securing tree stand sections to a tree without significant damage to the tree.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a hunting tree stand that is constructed to address these needs. Generally, the tree stand of the present invention, like the tree stand described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,642 and prior art tree stands, is comprised of a standing section and a seating section. The standing section includes a frame with an inner end and an outer end connected by side members, and a platform supported on the frame. A tree gripper or gripping section extending inwardly from the inner end of the frame. The seating section is similarly constructed with a frame having inner and outer ends connected by side members, and a tree gripping section extending inwardly from the inner end of the frame. Instead of a standing platform, the seating section includes a seat, which may be fixed or moveable, supported by the frame.
Like the tree stand in Ser. No. 09/947,254, each frame section of the present tree stand includes support or attachment members on each side of the frame, and a cable or other lashing member that is extendable around the tree trunk from one attachment member to the other, and releasibly attachable to one of the attachment members by a unique attachment means. At least one of the attachment members, preferably both attachment members, includes an exterior side, e.g., the top side or outer side, with a plurality of first mating elements adapted to mate with a corresponding second mating element adjacent one end of the lashing member.
As used herein, the term “lashing member” is intended to include elongated flexible, straps or bands that are of a sufficient length to extend around an average tree from one side of attachment member to the other. Exemplary lashing members include cables, cords, ropes, woven straps, etc. Preferably, the lashing member is a twisted wire cable with a smooth sleeve, such as a wear-resistant plastic sleeve.
One of the mating elements is in the form of a projection, while the other mating element is a recess, the term including a hole, with the projection element being removably insertable into the recess. The projection element is moveable within the recess from an insertion position to a locked position when said cable is tensioned. In the locked position, the projection is prevented from being removed from the attachment member. Preferably, the attachment member has outer and inner walls, the recesses are holes, and the projection includes a flange, cap or other component that abuts the inner wall of the attachment member when the projection is in the locked position.
Normally, the attachment members will be attached on either side of each frame. The attachment member may be inclined towards the inner end of the standing section frame. The attachment member may be a rectangular tube with four sides, each side having an exterior and an interior surface. Preferably, the attachment member is a solid bar with upper and lower surfaces. The attachment member preferably includes a plurality of equidistant mating elements extending axially along the upper surface of the attachment member.
In a preferred embodiment, each attachment member is an inclined solid bar with upper and lower surfaces, and a plurality of axially aligned holes extending between the bar upper and lower surfaces. The lashing member is a cable with an attachment handle at each end. Each attachment handle includes at least one projection that is insertable into a hole in the attachment member, with the projection being moveable within the hole between an insertion position and a locked position when the cable is tensioned.
The projection may include a distal end with flange or cap adapted to engage the inner surface of the attachment member when the projection is in the locked position. Preferably, each of the holes has an insertion end of a first given width and a locking end of a second given width, and the projection includes an end cap with a third given width, with the third given width being less than said first given width and greater than said second given width, whereby the end cap prevents removal of the projection from the hole when the projection is in the

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