Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Decoys – Duck
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-26
2003-01-21
Ark, Darren W. (Department: 3643)
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Decoys
Duck
Reexamination Certificate
active
06508028
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a water fowl decoy system, using a decoy body emulating, for example, a mallard duck, in which the decoy's wings, which are flat and both longitudinally and laterally extended with contrasting color on its flat sides, are rotated at a relatively high speed (e.g. at least about 600 rpm) producing a “strobe” like effect for enhanced visibility of the decoy to flying water fowl (e.g. ducks). Additionally, the decoy has a direct, in-line, laterally disposed, electric motor drive, with laterally directed, dual shaft connectors for rotating the wings, and the wings may be connected to the motor shaft at varying angles producing a variable, wing “flapping” like effect.
BACKGROUND ART
The number of ducks and the interest in duck hunting are at an all time high. The acknowledged “weak link” in duck hunting is the decoys. Traditional decoys are simple plastic, duck shaped bodies used to attract live ducks. The problem with these floating, but otherwise static, decoys is that they show no evidence of individual movement, and live ducks soon become “decoy wise”.
To attempt to solve this problem, hunters have been attempting to add various types of motion to their decoys over a long period of time. Currently, there are quite a few decoys being manufactured which provide a variety of motion including (1) vibrations which cause ripples on the water; (2) some movement in the water caused by small water pumps, motors, etc., causing some propulsion of the decoy over the water; (3) flapping or rotating wings; or (4) some combination of the foregoing.
Pat. No.
Inventor(s)
Issue Date
2,443,040
Jones
June 8, 1948
2,480,390
Thompson
Aug. 30, 1949
2,704,416
Laird
Mar. 22, 1955
2,747,314
McGregor
May 29, 1956
2,799,960
Riley
July 23, 1957
2,814,146
Propp
Nov. 26, 1957
2,835,064
Webb
May 20, 1958
2,849,823
Miller
Sep. 2, 1958
3,000,128
McAda
Sep. 19, 1961
3,800,457
Barrett
Apr. 2, 1974
4,896,448
Jackson
Jan. 30, 1990
5,231,780
Gazalski
Aug. 3, 1993
5,289,654
Denny et al
Mar. 1, 1994
5,459,958
Reinke
Oct. 24, 1995
5,516,637
Johnson
May 14, 1996
5,613,317
Ninegar
Mar. 25, 1997
5,636,466
Davis
June 10, 1997
5,809,683
Solomon
Sep. 22, 1998
5,884,427
Lenz
Mar. 23, 1999
5,926,990
Okimoto
July 27, 1999
5,930,936
Parr et al
Aug. 3, 1999
As shown from the foregoing patents, the broad concept of electrically powered decoys goes back a long way, although most of such decoys drove a propeller or other part of the decoy other than rotating or oscillating the wings of the decoy; note, for example, the '040 (filed in 1944, over a half century ago), '390 (wing flapper), '416, '314 (wind-up wing flapper), '960, '146, '065, '823 (wing flapper), '128, '448 (wing flapper), '780 (user powered, wing flapper), '654 (radio actuated neck mover), '958 (moveable land based turkey), '631 (breeze animated, land based fowl), '317 (wind actuated, springy neck movement), '466 (radio actuated, wing flapper), '427 (deer tail flicking movement), '990 (body pivoted), and '936 (paddle splasher) patents.
Publications known to the inventor which may be of interest are:
Mack'Prairie Wings
catalog (Stuttgart, AR), p. 11 on inter alia the “FATAL DE DUCKTION” decoy;
Timothy
's catalog (Little Rock, Ark.), p. 5 on inter alia the “FATAL DE DUCKTION” decoy;
Herter
's catalog (99-#643, Greenville, N.C.), p. 62;
Hawks
2000 catalog (Blytheville, Ark.), p. 39 on inter alia the “FATAL DE DUCKTION” decoy; and
Steve Bowman's “Arkansas Sportsman” article from the Dec. 23, 1999 issue of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette newspaper on inter alia the “FATAL DE DUCKTION” decoy.
Note also, for general decoy product background information:
Herter
's catalog (Burnsville, N.C.), p. 33;
Cabela
'(Sidney, NK.), p. 377; and
S.W. Earley Waterfowl Supply Co
. catalog (Kinston, N.C.), p. 26.
Perhaps the most pertinent prior art is the “FATAL DE DUCKTION” decoy which is described in inter alia the
Mack'Prairie Wings
catalog (p.11), the
Timoth
's catalog (p.5) and the
Hawks
2000 catalog (p. 39) as having an over-all wing span of thirty-six (36″) inches, with the wings being painted white on one side and brown (or drab olive) on the other, or, more generally, light on one side and dark on the other, that is, in contrasting colors. This decoy, like all of the other pertinent prior art patents, uses a relatively complex, mechanical drive including pulleys and small belts driven by a relatively small (1⅛″×1.5″), lower power, six (6 v) volt DC motor, to, in this case, rotate the decoy wings about a laterally extended axis (operational only under ideal type conditions). The “FATAL DE DUCKTION” decoy apparently has a wing rotational speed of about four hundred (400 rpm) revolutions per minute (note description in
Hawks
2000 catalog, p. 39), producing, it is said, a “flashing motion mesmerizing any passing duck” or in another advertisement the rotating “wings offer the lifelike appearance of a duck landing into the decoys with wings fluttering,” using four, relatively low power, “D” size, flashlight-type batteries [also note descriptions in
Timothy
's catalog, p. 5; and
Herter
's catalog (99-#643), p. 62], which provides only about an insufficient, six (6) hours of operation (requiring changing with often forgotten spare batteries after only a half day hunt), along with smaller area wings with “leading” flat edges, in contrast to the much higher rotational speed used in the invention (i.e., about 600 rpm or greater) with larger wings (about 50% larger), having laterally extending, curved lobes on at least their trailing edges, if not both leading and trailing edges, and a curved opposite edge, producing a disc like shape of preferably , of a size of at least about nine (9″) inches in “diameter.” These differences are not merely ones of degree but of kind, resulting in the present invention's “strobe” like effect, substantially adding to the attractive powers and high visibility of the decoy to flying ducks in comparison to the prior art.
Additionally, the “FATAL DE DUCKTION” decoy has much trouble with operating in less than ideal conditions, namely, in wind, rain, cold, etc., in contrast to the preferred embodiments of the present invention which operate well in any reasonable condition, including, wind, rain, cold, etc.
A patent which disclosed the oscillation (not rotation) of a decoy's wings is the Solomon patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,683), which uses a relatively low powered, DC battery powered motor running off a single “D” type flashlight battery to drive a wing/foot combination at a flapping rate of 100-250 times per minute (column 1, lines 39-65), using a very complicated, motor drive interfacing mechanical mechanism (note FIGS.
4
-
6
). It likewise has most of the deficiencies as that of the “FATAL DE DUCKTION” as well as some additional ones.
The system of the present invention solves all of the above noted problems of the prior art, some being long-standing, “great-need” problems.
GENERAL SUMMARY DISCUSSION OF INVENTION
As noted above, the present invention relates to a water fowl (e.g. duck) decoy system in which the decoy's wings are preferably flat and both longitudinally and laterally extended by, for example, having one or more leading and/or trailing edge, curved lobes, producing a laterally elongated circular area, similar to the shape of a disc, preferably of a size of at least about nine (9″) inches in “diameter,” with contrasting colors (e.g., drab olive or dark green & white) on its opposite, flat sides. The wings are rotated at a relatively high speed, e.g., at least about six hundred (~600 rpm+) revolutions per minute or more, producing in conjunction with the size, configuration and contrasting colors of the wings, a “strobe” like effect for enhanced visibility of the decoy to flying water fowl (e.g. ducks).
Additionally, the decoy has a laterally disposed, direct, in-line
Ark Darren W.
Coenen, III William R.
Kean, Miller, Hawthorne, D'Armond, McCowan & Jarmon, L.L.P.
Primeaux Russel O.
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