Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to an apparatus for securing real or artificial brush to a tree or other fixed object to create a blind. The use of brush and other cover for obscuring a person from game while hunting is generally known. However, in some environments, the hunter may wish to hunt from a location that does not have sufficient brush or cover to camouflage the hunter from the game. Accordingly, there is a need for a device that can be easily secured to an available tree, hunting stand, or other object that can be used by the hunter to secure brush to the object to aid in camouflaging the hunter. Because hunters are often unable to carry significant quantities of equipment, this need extends to a device that can be installed without the use of additional tools and which can utilize brush, branches, or other cover that the hunter finds in the field, or which can be used with artificial cover the hunter may carry with him or her. The ability to easily transport the camouflage apparatus to the field is also desirable.
In one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is directed to an apparatus for securing brush to a tree or other fixed wooden object to create a hunting blind. The apparatus includes a screw having a head and a tip at opposing ends of the screw. The head has a head diameter and a flange secured to the screw proximate the head. The flange is substantially circular and has a top surface, a base, a flange diameter at least twice the head diameter, a plurality of protrusions situated about an outer edge of the flange and a plurality of recesses. Each of the plurality of recesses is disposed about the outer edge of the flange between two of the plurality of protrusions and each of the plurality of recesses is configured to receive a user's palm, thumb, and/or fingers to rotate the flange and screw. The flange also includes one or more holes or indentations positioned on or adjacent to at least one of the plurality of protrusions.
In another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of securing brush to a tree or other fixed wooden object to create a hunting blind. The method includes the steps of gripping a flange of a self-tapping brush securing apparatus, pressing a tip of a screw of the self-tapping brush holder against a fixed wooden object, turning the flange in a clockwise fashion such that the brush holder is screwed into the object, and inserting one or more pieces of brush into one or more hole or recesses disposed on the flange so that the one or more pieces of brush extend away from the object.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a”, “an” and “the” are not limited to one element but instead should be read as meaning “at least one”. The words “right,” “left,” “lower,” and “upper” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” or “distally” and “outwardly” or “proximally” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center or orientation of the device and instruments and related parts thereof. The terminology includes the above-listed words, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.
It should also be understood that the terms “about,” “approximately,” “generally,” “substantially” and like terms, used herein when referring to a dimension or characteristic of a component of the invention, indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not a strict boundary or parameter and does not exclude minor variations therefrom that are functionally the same or similar, as would be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art. At a minimum, such references that include a numerical parameter would include variations that, using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.
Referring to
In the exemplary embodiments shown in
The screw 10, 1120 of the apparatus 1, 101 preferably extends away from the base 24, 124 of the flange 20, 120, the extension defining a screw length Ls when measured from the base 24, 124 of the flange 20, 120 to the tip 14, 114 of the screw 10, 110. Preferably, the length L is at least one (1) inch, but is not so limited and may be longer or shorter depending on designer preferences, system requirements and the size of the apparatus. The head 12, 112 preferably has a head diameter DH of approximately one half (½) inch, but is not so limited. The head 12, 112 also preferably has a head depth DHD of approximately one eighth (⅛) inch, but is not so limited. The head 12, 112 is preferably hexagonal in shape, but is not so limited and may be of any shape suitable to engage a wrench or other tool to assist in screwing the screw 10, 110 into a fixed wooden object 50. The screw 10, 110 is preferably constructed of steel, but is not so limited and may be constructed of any suitable material, preferably a metal that is able to take on the general size and shape of the screw 10, 110, withstand the normal operating conditions of the screw 10, 110, and perform the preferred functions of the screw 10, 110, as is described herein. The screw 10, 110 may be integrally formed with or secured to the flange 20, 120, but is not so limited and may be separate from the flange 20, 120 and assembled with the flange during use to facilitate transport of the system to the field by the user.
Each of the plurality of recesses 28, 128 is preferably disposed between two of the plurality of protrusions 26, 126. Each of the plurality of recesses 28, 128 is also preferably configured to receive a user's palm, thumb, and/or fingers so that in operation the user may adequately grip the flange 20, 120 and rotate the flange 20, 120 and screw 10, 110. Preferably, each of the recesses 28, 128 comprises an arcuate shape, but the invention is not so limited and the recesses 28, 128 may take on any shape suitable for delineating spaces between the protrusions 26, 126. The recesses 28, 128 may be disposed solely along the outer edge 25, 125, as shown most clearly in
As shown most clearly in
Referring again to all of
In use, a user may utilize the brush securing apparatus 1, 101 to create a hunting blind by gripping the flange 20, 120 of the brush securing apparatus 1, 101 with his or her hand, fingers, palm, or any suitable tool. The user may then press the tip 14, 114 of the screw 10, 110 of the brush securing apparatus 1, 101 against the fixed wooden object 50, such as a tree, utility pole, tree stand, or the like. The user may then turn the flange 20, 120 in a clockwise fashion to enable the screw 10, 110 to screw into the fixed wooden object 50 until the brush securing apparatus 1, 101 is secured to the fixed wooden object 50. Then, a user may obtain one or more real or artificial tree branches 40 and insert the one or more tree branches 40 into the one or more holes or indentations 30, 130 on the flange 20, 120 such that the one or more branches 40 extend from the brush securing apparatus 1, 101 and the fixed wooden object 50 and provide cover for the user to camouflage himself or herself behind.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that boundaries between the above-described operations are merely illustrative. The multiple operations may be combined into a single operation, a single operation may be distributed in additional operations and operations may be executed at least partially overlapping in time. Further, alternative embodiments may include multiple instances of a particular operation, and the order of operations may be altered in various other embodiments.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the present disclosure.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/122,543, titled “Portable Apparatus and Method for Creating a Hunting Blind”, filed on Dec. 8, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220174939 A1 | Jun 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63122543 | Dec 2020 | US |