Fire escape – ladder – or scaffold – Scaffold external of shaft
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-12
2001-06-26
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)
Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold
Scaffold external of shaft
C182S134000, C182S188000, C108S108000, C108S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250427
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a deer stand which is sturdy and durable due to the use of elongated members, preferably made of lengths of metal tubes, joined by welding to form a unitary contruct including foot and seat platforms held together by stanchions. The deer stand can be fastened to a tree with a chain, an eye bolt, a J bolt and spikes attached to the deer stand.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of deer stands are used for deer hunting. Deer stands can generally be classified as climbing types, ladder types, and seat- and seat-and-foot platform types fastenable to a tree. A climbing-type deer stand allows a hunter to attach the deer stand to a tree, and has movable parts which allow the hunter to climb to relatively great heights in the tree. The climbing-type deer stands have certain hunting advantages by enabling the hunter at a relatively great height in the tree to spot deer over comparatively greater distances, by keeping the hunter's human scent at a relatively high altitude at which deer are less likely to detect the scent, and, because deer instinctively do not expect danger from above the ground, by evading sight-detection of the hunter by deer. However, climbing deer stands are relatively dangerous. In fact, the most common and serious accidents to deer hunters involve incidents in which a hunter falls from a deer stand or the deer stand slips on the tree from a relatively great height. Thus, climbing deer stands pose a significant risk to the hunter, particularly when used high in a tree.
The ladder-type deer stands essentially include a ladder with a seat attached near or at the top of the ladder, on which a hunter sits. The hunter assembles and leans the ladder-type deer stand against a tree, and climbs the ladder to the seat. While most ladder stands are relatively stable and do not extend to relatively great heights in the tree so that the hunter is less subject to injury from falling from the deer stand, the ladder-type deer stand is generally produced in several parts which are relatively heavy, and thus very difficult to carry to a desired tree for assembly.
The seat- or seat-and-foot-platform-types of deer stands tend to be relatively portable and so are comparatively easy to carry to a desired hunting location to be fastened to a tree. However, currently-used seat- or seat-and-foot-platform-types of deer stands are generally made of flimsy construction which can expose a deer hunter to the danger of falling to the ground even when these types of deer stands are used at relatively low heights in a tree. Moreover, the construction of these types of deer stands tends to wear quickly and can easily be damaged, so that a hunter can be injured by falling from a tree due to the failure of a part of the deer stand which has been damaged or which has worn-out with use over time. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a deer stand of the seat-and-foot-platform type which is relatively portable, and yet which is sturdy and durable and relatively safe for the hunter to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention overcomes the disadvantages noted above. This invention includes a deer stand which is a unitary construct generally formed by welding together members preferably made from lengths of metal tubes. The deer stand generally includes a seat platform and a foot platform joined together with stanchions.
The foot platform includes a foot platform frame which has two parallel, opposing first and second side elongated members extending in a first direction, with respective first ends joined by welding to respective ends of a first end elongated member extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Extending at angles with respect to the first and second directions, opposing angled elongated members extend from and have first ends that are welded to respective second ends of the first and second side members. The respective second ends of the angled members are joined by welding to respective ends of a second end elongated member extending in the second direction, and thus, which is disposed in a parallel relationship with the first end member. The second end member has a length that is relatively short compared to the length of the first end member, so that the angled members extend in respective directions which converge from their first to their second ends.
The foot support platform also includes a series of parallel foot support elongated members extending in the second direction, which have respective ends joined by welding to respective inner sides of the first and second side members. Preferably, four parallel foot support members are welded to the first and second side elongated members. A stability elongated member extends along the first direction, and has a first end welded to the middle of the second end member on its inner side, and a second end welded to the middle of the nearest foot support member on a side thereof. The first and second side members, the first and second end members, the first and second angled members, the foot support members and the stability member are coplanar and comprise the foot platform.
The seat platform has a seat frame which is preferably square in shape. Of course, the seat frame can be made with other shapes such as, for example, a rectangular shape. The seat frame includes parallel, opposing first and second side elongated members extending along the first direction, and has parallel, opposing first and second end elongated members extending along the second direction. Respective ends of the first and second side members are welded to respective ends of the first and second end members to form the rectangular seat frame. The edge of a square piece of wire mesh is welded to top sides of the first and second side members and first and second end members to form the seat platform.
The seat platform is joined to the foot support platform with three stanchions. A first stanchion extends in a vertical, third direction normal to the first and second directions, and has a first end welded to a top side of the second end member of the foot platform at a middle portion thereof, and a second end welded to a middle portion of the second end member of the seat platform on the bottom side thereof. The seat platform also includes a second stanchion with a first end welded to the joint between welded ends of the first side member and the first end member of the seat platform, and with a second end welded to the joint between the welded ends of the first side member and the first angled member of the foot platform. From its first end to its second end, the second stanchion extends from the seat platform to the foot platform in a direction outwardly from respective geometric centers of the seat and foot platforms, and also in a direction toward the first end member of the foot platform. The seat platform also includes a third stanchion with a first end welded to the joint between welded ends of the second side member and the first end member of the seat platform, and with a second end welded to the joint between the welded ends of the second side member and the second angled member of the foot platform. From its first end to its second end, the third stanchion extends from the seat platform to the foot platform in a direction outwardly from respective geometric centers of the seat and foot platforms, and also in a direction toward the first end member of the foot platform. Accordingly, the second and third stanchions are angled so that they prevent the seat platform from rocking from side-to-side, or forward or backward, so that the seat platform is relatively stable.
To fasten the deer stand of this invention to a tree, the first side member of the seat platform has hole drilled therethrough in proximity to the second end member of the seat platform. The hole in the second side member of the seat platform receives the stem of an eye bolt. The eye bolt has a stem extending through the hole in the first side member of the seat pla
Williams, Jr. Jerry Woodrow
Williams, Sr. Jerry Woodrow
Lev Bruce A.
Stodola Daniel P.
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC
LandOfFree
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