BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to recreational equipment and particularly to hand-operated flags which resemble waterfowl in flight for use during outdoor recreational activities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Waterfowlers have developed numerous strategies for concealing themselves in natural environments such as by using camouflaged blinds and other camouflaged field gear. Other techniques have evolved over time to attract waterfowl such a lifelike decoys and mechanisms which imitate the actions of waterfowl. One simple apparatus is a waterfowl flag which when waved imitates the flying motions of waterfowl, especially while landing. Waterfowl flags are sometimes employed by extending them from a camouflaged laydown blind and waving the flag.
One example of a prior art waterfowl flag is the goose flag 100 shown in FIG. 1. As shown the goose flag comprises a shaft 102 and two arms 104 which extend roughly perpendicularly from the top end of the shaft 102. The arms 104 are attached to the shaft 102 by inserting the near end 106 of each arm 104 in holes 108 in a receiving head 110 at the top end of the shaft 102 where they are held in place by a combination of friction and tension across the wing span of the flexible panel material 112 supported by the arms 104. While workable, it can be difficult to insert the arms 104 in the holes while simultaneously stretching the fabric panel into a wing formation, especially in frigid early morning field conditions. In addition, the near ends 106 of the arms 104 can occasionally break where inserted into head 110, making the flag unusable.
A second example of a prior art waterfowl flag is the goose flag 120 shown in FIG. 2. In this device, a pivot base 122 is attached to the top of the shaft 124 and each arm 126 is inserted in a sleeve 128 that is pivotally attached to the pivot base as shown. This arrangement allows the arms to be swiveled from an open position, as shown in FIG. 2, to a collapsed position in which the arms are moved downward into parallel alignment with shaft 124. A detent mechanism 130 may be provided to hold each arm 126 in the open position. While the pivot base beneficially allows the arms 126 to be maneuvered between open and collapsed configurations, doing so is awkward because each arm must be separately manipulated. Moreover, the detent mechanism is of limited effectiveness for holding the arms in the open configuration.
There is therefore a need for a waterfowl flag that can be quickly and easily modified from a collapsed to an open position for improved portability and ease of use in the field.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of a prior art goose flag;
FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of a second type of prior art goose flag;
FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of a collapsible goose flag according to the invention;
FIG. 4A is a plan view of the collapsible goose flag of FIG. 3 shown in a collapsed configuration;
FIG. 4B is a plan view of the collapsible goose flag of FIG. 3 shown in a configuration midway between collapsed and open configurations;
FIG. 4C is a plan view of the collapsible goose flag of FIG. 3 shown in an open configuration;
FIG. 5 is a close up plan view of a portion of the collapsible goose flag of FIG. 4A showing the shaft, runner, support arms and panel collapsed around the shaft;
FIG. 6 is a dose up plan view of a portion of the collapsible goose flag of FIG. 4C showing the top end of the shaft, arms, support bars, and panel in the open configuration;
FIG. 7 is an upper perspective view of a collapsible goose flag being waved up and down while extended from a generic laydown hunting blind.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
The invention is now described in detail with respect to the accompanying drawing figures. A collapsible goose flag is referred to generally at numeral 10 in FIG. 3. The illustrated embodiment shows a waterfowl flag that is intended to imitate a flying goose, and the invention will hereafter be referred to as a goose flag. The invention, however, is not limited to goose flags and is intended to embrace flags that imitate other types of waterfowl.
A collapsible goose flag according to the invention comprises a framework 12 and a flexible panel 14 attached to and supported by the framework as discussed below. The framework 12 can easily and quickly be arranged in an open configuration, such as shown in FIG. 3, or in a collapsed configuration, as shown in FIG. 4A.
With reference to FIG. 3, the framework 12 includes a shaft 16 provided with a handle 18 at its bottom end 20. A runner 22 is slidably disposed on the shaft 16 and is movable between a first position 24, shown in FIG. 4A, and a second position 26 is closer to the top end 28 of the shaft 16, as shown in FIG. 4C.
With additional reference to FIG. 6, the proximal end 30 of each of a pair of arms 32 is pivotally attached to the top end 28 of the shaft 16. The first ends 34 of a pair of support bars 36 are pivotally attached to the runner 22 and the second ends 38 of the support bars 36 are pivotally attached to the arms 32 between the proximal ends 30 and the distal ends 40 thereof.
The flexible panel 14 includes a body portion 42 and two wing portions 44 that extend wing-like from opposite sides of the body portion 42. The arms 32 of the framework 12 are received in pockets 46 provided in lead edges 48 of the wing portions 44. In the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 6, an elastic loop 54 is provided for placement around the top end 28 of the shaft 16 for securing the body portion 42 of the panel 14 to the shaft 16. The tail end 50 of the body portion 42 is attached to the shaft 16 so that the body portion 42 is extended along the shaft 16. In one embodiment, an elastic strip 52 extends from the tail end 50 to the shaft 16 thereby placing the body portion 42 under tension.
In the collapsed configuration shown in FIG. 4A the framework of the goose flag is collapsed such that the arms 32 and support bars 36 are positioned adjacent to and parallel with the shaft. With reference also to FIG. 5, the arms 32 are folded downward about their proximal ends 30 into parallel alignment with shaft 16, runner 22 is in the first position 24 along shaft 16, and the support bars 36 are also folded into parallel alignment with shaft 16 as shown. In the collapsed position, the flexible panel 14 collects around shaft 16 forming a compact arrangement convenient for storage and portability. From the collapsed configuration, upward movement of runner 22, as indicated in FIG. 4A by arrow A, will unfold the framework 12 upwardly as indicated by arrows B.
In FIG. 4B it is seen that the runner 22 has been moved upwardly along shaft 16, as indicated by arrow C, and arms 32 have been folded upwardly away from shaft 16 part way to a fully open configuration, as indicated by arrows D.
As shown in FIG. 4C the runner 22 has been moved to second position 26 and the arms 32 and support bars 36 have been moved into an open configuration in which arms 32 are extended generally perpendicularly from the top end 28 of shaft 16, support bars are also extended generally perpendicularly to shaft 16 in support of arms 32, the body portion 42 of panel 14 is stretched along shaft 16, and the wing portions 44 are extended perpendicularly from the body portion 42 such that the panel 14 resembles a waterfowl in flight.
FIG. 5 shows that in the collapsed configuration depicted in FIG. 4A support bars 36 are pivotally attached to runner 22 such that drawing downwardly on runner 22, toward the bottom end 20 of shaft 16 as indicated by arrow E, pulls arms 32 downwardly and inwardly toward shaft 16 as indicated by arrows F. In one aspect of the invention, a lock secures runner 22 in place.
In FIG. 6 runner 22 is shown in the second position 26 closer to the top end 28 of shaft 16. Here as well a lock secures runner 22 in place. Spring locks such as are commonly provided in the umbrella arts, are suitable locks for securing runner 22 in first and second positions 24, 26, but other locking mechanisms may be used as well.
FIG. 7 shows a goose flag being extended from a typical laydown blind 56 and waved up and down as indicated by double arrow G to imitate a low-flying goose.
A collapsible goose flag according to the invention can be quickly and easily arranged in collapsed or open configurations as described above. The collapsible goose flag is compact and highly portable in the collapsed configuration and may be quickly deployed into the open configuration for field use.
There have thus been described and illustrated certain embodiments of a collapsible goose flag according to the invention. Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it should be clearly understood that the disclosure is illustrative only and is not to be taken as limiting, the spirit and scope of the invention being determined only by the terms of the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Patent Application
20150052797
