Fire escape – ladder – or scaffold – Pole or strand grasping-type climber – Alternate grasping
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-31
2003-07-22
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)
Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold
Pole or strand grasping-type climber
Alternate grasping
C182S186200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06595325
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the sport of hunting, and more particularly to equipment used in the hunting of large game animals. The present invention comprises a tree stand which includes means for ascending the tree without need for additional equipment, and means for leveling the two major components of the stand once they have been established in the tree as desired. The present tree stand may also be used for other sports and activities, e. g., bird and animal watching and photography, etc. as desired, and is operable upon any practicable tall and relatively narrow structure (poles, etc.).
2. Description of the Related Art
The hunting of large game, particularly deer, has become an increasingly popular activity for many people who enjoy the outdoors. Most wild animals for which hunting is legal are relatively shy and cautious, particularly of human presence. This is particularly true of animals which are commonly prey for other predators, with such prey animals generally developing keen senses of hearing, scent, and perhaps vision as well in order to sense potential predators with sufficient warning.
The above is particularly true of deer living in areas where hunting is legal. Even though the deer population is increasing in the U. S., it can be quite difficult to approach a deer sufficiently closely to get a killing shot when considering the difficulty of approach and the terrain, trees, brush, and other growth and factors, even with a rifle. The task is made even more challenging for archery hunters.
Accordingly, hunters have developed camouflage and various other aids in their cause. One factor which has been widely recognized for some time is that nearly all land animals tend to restrict their vision to a relatively narrow field close to the horizontal, and spend very little of their attention looking above the horizontal. This is particularly true of deer and similar herbivores, who have very few predators which strike from above. This has led to the development of the tree stand for hunters, which has provided several benefits for the hunter. Tree stands tend to elevate the hunter, removing him or her from the generally horizontal visual plane of most game animals. Such stands also provide additional camouflage for the hunter, by placing him/her closer to tree branches spreading horizontally from the tree at some distance above the ground. Tree stands also have the advantage of removing human scent from the surface, thereby removing a potential warning for the game animal. Accordingly, tree stands for hunting and other purposes (observation and photography of wild animals, etc.) have been known and used for quite some time.
However, stands used in the past have often been relatively crude affairs, failing to provide the refinement which can make the difference between a successful hunt and coming home empty handed. For example, many stands are sturdily built for durability and to provide a stable platform, but such construction results in their being difficult and/or cumbersome to carry into the woods and erect in a tree for the hunt. While some stand manufacturers have attempted to build relatively light weight stands, such stands are often not particularly durable, and are subject to failure and accident, particularly with larger and heavier hunters. One characteristic which is nearly universal for all stands of the prior art, is that it can be very difficult, or impossible, to arrange the stand so that its major components are level once set up in the tree. This can make a major difference in the comfort of the hunter or occupant of the stand, which in turn can lead to the success or failure of the hunt.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a tree stand for hunters and others, which stand is constructed of lightweight yet sturdy materials for both durability and for the convenience of the user. The present stand essentially comprises a base or foot platform portion and a seating portion, with each including adjustable leveling means once set up in the tree. Padded seating, foot rest and gun rest extensions, and backpacking capability are also provided. A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present tree stand invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,320 issued on Dec. 23, 1969 to T. V. Jones, titled “Portable Deer Stand,” describes a conventional stand having a solid lower platform or foot rest and an upper frame which may include a seat extended laterally thereacross. Jones uses a series of threaded rods and other threaded components for securing the various components of his stand together. However, Jones fails to provide any form of adjusting these components to level the stand, once the stand has been secured to the tree. For example, the bight portion of each component, passing around the back of the tree from the major portion of the stand components, provides adjustment by means of threaded rods. However, these threaded rods are secured to the forwardmost edges of their respective components by pairs of clamping nuts at their extreme ends, which clamp about respective lugs on the stand frame members. No room for adjustment is provided, any loosening of the outermost nut would disassemble the structure. Wing nuts are used at the opposite ends of these members, to secure the internally threaded tubes in which the threaded rods are inserted, to the bight members of the components. However, no adjustment is provided at these ends; the wing nuts are only used for rapid assembly and disassembly in the field. Other threaded components are used between the forward and bight arms of each major component, but again, no adjustment is provided once the stand has been erected in the field. In contrast, the present tree stand provides easy adjustment of its major platform components after the stand has been secured to the tree and the hunter has ascended with the stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,216 issued on May 25, 1982 to Joseph A. Amacker, titled “Tree Climbing Stand,” describes a conventional stand having a configuration similar to that of the Jones stand discussed immediately above. However, the Amacker stand is even simpler, in that only a limited number of adjustment holes are provided for connecting one end of the rearward gripping blade of each stand portion. Such adjustment cannot be performed once the Amacker stand is in place on the tree. Moreover, the Amacker stand uses relatively sharp tree engaging components which damage the tree, whereas the present tree stand engages the tree only with relatively blunt and/or resilient components which do not cut or damage the tree in any way.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,773 issued on May 26, 1987 to Tonnie Davis, titled “Portable Tree Stand,” describes a single stand platform having a chain which wraps around the back of the tree, and a pair of compression brace arms which extend from each lower front corner of the stand to engage the tree at a single point beneath the stand. Davis does not provide any means for climbing the tree with his stand; it must be erected using other means. While Davis discloses a chain wrapped around the tree as the tension member supporting his stand, such a relatively coarse chain may only be adjusted to the nearest link, which may result in an inch or perhaps more of error from absolute level, depending upon the gauge of the chain. The present adjustable tree stand, with its infinitesimally adjustable threaded mechanism and climbing capability, provides considerable improvement over the Davis stand.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,942,942 and 5,016,733 issued respectively on Jul. 24, 1990 and May 21, 1991 to Ralph E. Bradley, each titled “Wedging Tree Stand,” describe devices having a platform with a front compression brace extending therefrom to bear against the tree, and a relatively thin, flat bar extending around the back of the tree where its thin edge engages the back of the tree. Bradley provides leveling adjustment, but it is essentially opposite that o
Litman Richard C.
Stodola Daniel P.
Thompson Hugh B.
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