Fire escape – ladder – or scaffold – Ladder with land vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-21
2003-08-12
Chin-Shue, Alvin (Department: 3634)
Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold
Ladder with land vehicle
C182S115000, C182S063100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06604606
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to movable stands, towers, and the like for supporting a hunter, photographer, etc. in the field. More specifically, the present invention relates to a stand which may be carried upon a small off road vehicle (golf cart, all terrain vehicle, etc.) or alternatively in the bed of a pickup truck or the like, for transport and erection at any practicable location desired.
2. Description of the Related Art
The advantages provided by a relatively high viewing platform, have been well known for generations. Hunters have particularly found that a high vantage point provides many advantages, e.g., a larger and wider field of view than that obtained at ground level, and perhaps more importantly, the elevation of the hunter above the normal horizontal line of sight of most game animals. It is a well established fact that most land animals (including humans) are adapted to devote most of their visual attention within a relatively few degrees of visual field above and below the horizon. However, the advantages of an elevated viewing position are evident in many other fields as well, e.g., photography at races and other events, security guard operations and crowd monitoring, safety applications (lifeguards), etc.
Many such stands of the prior art are permanently installed facilities, particularly where used for security and safety purposes. However, the need for portability has long been recognized, particularly for use in hunting, photography, and observation of temporary events. The tree stand concept is well known in hunting and wildlife photography, but requires a tree, pole, or other tall, narrow object which can be scaled and to which the stand may be temporarily affixed. Such stands may be portable, but the object to which they attach is not, and such stands are not self-supporting. While other portable stands have been developed for carriage upon a motor vehicle of some sort, they have generally been relatively heavy and bulky, requiring a relatively large vehicle (e.g., pickup truck, etc.) for support.
Where smaller and lighter stands have been developed for carriage by lighter vehicles, they generally limit the utility of the vehicle to only carriage of the stand, and perhaps a single operator; it is generally not possible to carry any significant load (e.g., a large game animal, etc.) on an all terrain vehicle which has been fitted with a stand according to the prior art. Where the stand has been constructed so as to provide additional carrying space or area on the vehicle, the stand is generally not particularly high when erected, and does not provide significant additional elevation to the hunter or other user. Moreover, where such prior art stands do not utilize an existing fixed structure (tree, etc.) for stability, they generally rely upon the vehicle alone for stability, and do not provide the stability desired.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a portable utility stand which may be installed upon a small, light weight off road vehicle (golf cart, all terrain vehicle, etc.) as well as within the bed of a pickup truck or the like. The present stand provides sufficient room when folded, to allow the vehicle to be used for the carriage of other articles as well. Yet, the present stand provides a significant height advantage when erected, raising the eye of a person seated therein to a point approximately sixteen feet above the surface.
The present stand also provides the necessary stability for such relatively high erected configurations, and includes laterally braces as well as fore and aft attachment to the underlying vehicle. The person seated in the seat of the present stand when erected, is positioned essentially directly over the center of gravity of the vehicle when the vehicle is parked on level ground, thus providing a safe and secure stand for the user. The present stand is relatively light in weight and may be erected and stowed manually in only a few minutes by a single individual Alternatively, powered means (hydraulic, electric, etc.) may be provided for the erection of the present stand, if so desired, thus enabling a person having limited physical strength or dexterity to take advantage of the benefits provided by the present stand.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,375 issued on Nov. 1, 1966 to Kenneth V. Ray, titled “Mobile Stand For Hunters Convertible To A Hand Cart,” describes a wheeled device having a folding ladder extending therefrom. The ladder may be extended, the wheels braced upon the underlying surface, and the upper end of the ladder secured to a permanent structure (tree, etc.), with a platform at the upper end of the ladder serving as a hunting stand or the like. The Ray stand requires that another fixed object, such as a tree, be used to support and brace his stand, whereas the present stand, in combination with the vehicle upon which it is carried, is free standing and needs no other support. The present stand provides additional advantages as well, such as a swiveling seat providing 360 degrees of freedom for the observer, which is not possible for a device which is braced against an existing fixed structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,784 issued on Oct. 22, 1968 to Glendale Jones et al., titled “Portable Hunting Stand,” describes two embodiments in which a folding stand is secured to the back of a vehicle. The vehicles to which the Jones et al. stand attaches are relatively large, comprising a pickup truck type vehicle and a Jeep style vehicle with no top. In the case of the Jeep type vehicle, the stand telescopes vertically upon four columns, rather than folding about a pair of pivots, as in the case of the present stand. Neither embodiment provides any lateral bracing means or swiveling seating, both of which are features of the present portable utility stand invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,252 issued on Sep. 30, 1986 to David E. Tarner, titled “Portable Observation Structure,” describes two embodiments of a portable stand mounted on the back or to the luggage rack of a vehicle. In both embodiments, a lower tower is provided, with a ladder-like structure pivotally extending from the top of the tower. While a pair of rearward braces is provided, no lateral braces are provided for lateral stability. In the embodiment mounted upon a small all terrain vehicle, the folding upper portion of the device must be braced against an existing object (tree, etc.), unlike the present self-supporting stand. The second embodiment comprises a tower structure having four corner arms, with the fore and aft arms on each side meeting at the top. This structure is similar to the non-folding lower structure of the first embodiment, and cannot fold; it remains upright at all times.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,831 issued on Dec. 2, 1986 to Harvey B. Rodgers, Jr., titled “Deer Stand,” describes a folding ladder arrangement with a tree braced seat at its upper end. The Rodgers, Jr. stand with its triple sections and double pivots can fold quite compactly, but its small size does not provide a particularly high platform when erected. Moreover, it must rely upon a fixed object (tree, etc.) to support the upper end when erected, unlike the present portable stand invention. The Rodgers, Jr. stand essentially fills the storage area of the vehicle when it is folded for transport and Rodgers, Jr. does not provide any form of lateral bracing, unlike the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,374 issued on Sep. 29, 1987 to John E. Hale, titled “ATV Hunting Stand,” describes a stand structure mounted upon the rear portion of an all terrain vehicle or the like. The basic structure remains erected at all times, with a seat attached to the top of the structure folding downwardly to reduce the overall height of the structure. However, only the seat folds to reduce the height of the Hale stand; the remainder of the structure remains upright. Hale also provides b
Ellis Ed
McDougal Art
Chin-Shue Alvin
Litman Richard C.
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