Apparel – Body garments
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-30
2002-02-19
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Body garments
C224S155000, C297S004000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06347406
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus that provides a wearable seat system for sportsmen. More specifically, the present invention provides a seat system with a body garment that includes an easily deployed, elevated portable seat integral to the garment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, nature watching, wildlife photography, and the like have long enjoyed great allure for the sportsman. By definition, all such sporting activities are conducted within the natural elements, and many are often conducted over rugged terrain. Moreover, many such sporting activities involve periods of movement from one location to another, punctuated by periods of stationary activity at a given location—the hunter must quietly await his quarry, the fisherman must cautiously wait for his cast bait to be sensed, the nature watcher must unobtrusively observe the target of her efforts, the wildlife photographer must stealthily record her subjects. Depending upon the particular activity in which the person is engaged, any number of movements during the day are possible, and indeed a great number of such movements may be required. Between each such movement, the outdoorsperson often is advantaged, for both rest and observation, by stationary interludes. Furthermore, the demands of such movement over such terrain often necessitate intermittent periods of rest to promote the relaxation and sense of nature that brings many to the outdoors in the first place.
For many such activities in the wild that involve periods of being stationary, the necessities of stealth encourage the sportsperson to be seated so as to present less observable profile to cautious, fearful wildlife. Indeed, much of the outdoorsman's time spent in pursuit of his hobby is in a seated position, because such a position offers so many advantages to the objective of the sport. After all, so seated, the sportsman is less visible and obtrusive and thereby enhances his probabilities of intercepting game animals, and even in the absence of such wildlife the sportsman may more fully enjoy the relaxing experience of the great outdoors.
The great outdoors is not furnished with chairs. Without more than is naturally provided, the sportsman must sit on the earth, on fallen leaves, on a fallen tree of whatever orientation, on a tree stump of whatever height and width, or the like. Furthermore, the problem is not only one of mere discomfort. A hunter is benefited by positioning himself near naturally occurring camouflage such as bushes, thickets, or low-lying trees; nature provides no guarantee of a seat at such locations. An angler is benefited by positioning himself nearer to the fish; nature provides no guarantee of a seat at such locations. The nature watcher often attempts to blend in with the environment so as to better observe her quarry in an undisturbed state; nature provides no guarantee of a seat at an ideal location. And the wildlife photographer often wants to record game when it is unaware of the photographer's presence; nature provides no guarantee of a seat at a location to best achieve that goal.
Ground conditions at a given location certainly cannot be predicted in advance. They may be noisy with dried tree leaves that would alert native wildlife; they may be wet with rain, moisture, or absorption from nearby water that would quickly soak the sportsman's clothing; they may be irritating with gravel, rocks, twigs, or ground dwelling insects that would encourage fidgeting; or they may otherwise be of a character that would distract from the goal that brought the sportsman into the wild. Sitting on the ground, then, is less than ideal in many circumstances.
Sitting at ground level also disadvantageously decreases the sportsman's field of view. Virtually every sport in the wild depends upon vision as the primary sense, and an increased field of vision heightens the experience for which the sport is pursued. Furthermore, even sitting on a mat or other type of pad at ground level has distinct disadvantages—every movement rustles the underlying dry leaves that make noise that alert native wildlife, ground moisture may still manage to seep into the sportsman's clothing and thereby cause discomfort, and underlying gravel, rocks, twigs, or ground dwelling insects are still within reach. Finally, sitting at ground level decreases the sportsman's mobility. To turn side-to-side to aim a firearm, cast a fishing lure, sight binoculars, or point a camera, the sportsman must swivel not only his hips, but also his legs, as the entirety of his lower body is upon the plane of the ground. Clearly, such movement risks conveying alarming noise to nearby game animals. Put simply, aiming a gun or casting a fishing pole, other than to a location directly in front of the sportsman, is difficult to accomplish with any aplomb, and sighting binoculars or pointing a camera is not much easier.
Of course, to address the concerns described hereinabove, the sportsman or sportswomen might bring a seat with him or her into the field. Such a seat must be easily transportable, given the many movements that might be expected in a day's activities. Such an implement must provide a decreased profile of the sportsman while he is seated, lest game be alerted. Such an implement must be capable of being situated at a variety of locations, inasmuch as conditions in the wild often cannot be predicted, yet advantageous positioning is desired. And such a system should provide elevation to the sportsman, to avoid the noise of movement upon dried leaves, the discomfort of absorbed water, the irritation of grating ground conditions, and so forth, and to provide an enhanced field of view, and to provide increased bodily mobility while upon it.
A seat brought into the field by a sportsman should also be configured to be easily deployed with minimal activity by the sportsman. Any such seating that required more than minimal manipulation to be deployed would increase the noise generated by the sportsman and would thereby tend to alert nearby wildlife. Additionally, outdoorsmen tend to carry with them other devices for their sport, such as firearms, fishing poles, cameras, and the like—they tend to have their hands full of other equipment. A seating system that allowed easy deployment without the necessity of the sportsman having to drop his other gear would provide clear advantages.
Finally, a seat brought into the field by a sportsman should also be unobtrusive to activities being conducted while the implement is being carried. As noted, such sportsmen tend to have other equipment with them, being carried through the field. A seat that only minimally, if at all, interfered with such travel would be advantageous.
Portable seating systems have been made available. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,227 describes a vest garment with pivotable seat member. The device includes a seating pad that, while being carried, is borne within the interior of the garment and, therefore, may chafe against the wearer. When deployed, the seat pad is connected by straps or the like to a back rest; by use of such straps, the back rest is held in place in relation to the seating member, so as to provide a support against which the user's back may lean while so seated. Unfortunately, the device of the '227 patent requires great manipulation of the entire garment to deploy the seating member, in that its entire length is stowed against the interior of the garment. Additionally, the device described by the '227 patent is not disposed for easy deployment of the seating member while the user might be carrying other sporting gear in his hands or upon his shoulders. Finally, the device of the '227 patent provides no supporting base between the seating member and the ground, so that the user is disposed to sit almost directly upon the ground and thereby have no elevated position upon which to manipulate his other sporting devices, such as guns, fishing poles, binoculars, and the like.
Another de
Jones Brent
Littlefield Keith
Calvert John J.
Innovative Sports, Inc.
Jones Brent
Littlefield Keith
Patel Tejush
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