Patent Application
20220341207
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of portable structures of existing art and more specifically relates to a portable hunting structure.
Hunters engaged in hunting of various animals often stand or sit outdoors in a relatively remote location. Hunters frequently use hunting blinds or shelters to cover themselves to reduce the chance of detection by prey and/or to seek shelter. Some blinds, such as natural ground blinds, may be simply created from grass, bushes, etc., and others may be more substantial or permanent structures. However, there are problems with these current blinds and shelters. For example, natural blinds generally do not substantially cover the hunter, and therefore the hunter is exposed to the elements; permanent blinds may not be permitted, and substantial but mobile blinds are often cumbersome and a burden to move, particularly as hunters are already burdened by carrying a gun, ammunition and other supplies for the day. Thus, a suitable solution is desired.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known portable structure art, the present disclosure provides a novel portable hunting structure. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide an easily transportable awning/blind/shelter that is lightweight and able to be folded into a smaller configuration for transportation and unfolded into a larger configuration for use.
A portable awning assembly is disclosed herein. The portable awning assembly includes an awning frame including a pair of legs and a roof. The pair of legs may be configured for supporting the awning frame vertically on a ground-surface. The pair of legs may include a first leg and a second leg. The first leg may include a first top-end, a first bottom-end opposite the first top-end and relative to the ground-surface in use, and a first length therebetween. The second leg may include a second top-end, a second bottom-end opposite the second top-end and relative to the ground-surface in said use, and a second length therebetween. The first length and the second length may be selectively moveable between a retracted position and at least two extended positions.
The roof may be pivotally attached to the pair of legs atop the first top-end and the second top-end. The roof may be pivotable about a horizontal axis relative to the pair of legs such that the roof is selectively movable between a collapsed position and at least two erect-positions. The roof may be defined by a first roof half and a second roof half. The first roof half and the second roof half may be hingedly attached together such that the roof is further movable between a folded position and an unfolded position.
According to another embodiment, a method of use for a portable awning assembly is also disclosed herein. The method of use includes providing the portable awning as above; placing the pair of legs on the ground-surface; moving the roof from the folded position to the unfolded position; extending the first length and the second length to a desired extended position; moving the roof relative to the pair of legs to a desired erect position; and attaching at least one of a roof mat to the roof and a rear mat to the rear of the awning frame.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a portable hunting structure, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a portable structure and more particularly to a portable hunting structure used to provide an easily transportable awning, shelter, blind, etc. particularly for use by hunters. Generally disclosed is a collapsible awning that may be carried into fields, marsh, woods, etc. The collapsible awning may be collapsed in half and may include a multi-positional roof, adjustable legs and hangers for hunting gear. In use, a roof of the collapsible awning may be unfolded, and a brace for the roof may be attached. The roof may be placed at a desired angle using the brace. Legs may be extended from the collapsible awning by removing pins from the legs and extending the legs to a desired height. Once the desired height is established, the pins may be placed back into the legs to hold them at the desired height. Grass or brush may be added to the roof and to a rear of the collapsible awning to provide cover. In some embodiments, the grass or brush may be provided on attachable mats.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Further, the at least one removable support arm 150 may include a bar 151 having a first arm-end 152 opposite a second arm-end 153. One of the first arm-end 152 and the second arm-end 153 may be configured for attachment to one of the first leg 210 and the second leg 310, and another one of the first arm-end 152 and the second arm-end 153 may be configured for attachment to the roof 120. For example, the first arm-end 152 may be configured for attachment to either the first leg 210 or the second leg 310 (or in some embodiments there may be two support arms each including the first arm-end 152 and one of the first arm-ends may attach to the first leg 210 and another one of the first arm-ends may attach to the second leg 310); and the second arm-end 153 (or second arm-ends) may be configured for attachment the roof 120. In
The roof 120 may include three attachment points configured to mate with another one of the first arm-end 152 and the second arm-end 153. The three attachment points may include a first attachment point 125, a second attachment point 126 and a third attachment point 127. As shown, attachment of another one of the first arm-end 152 and the second arm-end 153 to the first attachment point 125 may support the roof 120 at the first angle relative to the pair of legs 110. Attachment of another one of the first arm-end 152 and the second arm-end 153 to the second attachment point 126 may support the roof 120 at the second angle relative to the pair of legs 110. Attachment of another one of the first arm-end 152 and the second arm-end 153 may support the roof 120 at the third angle relative to the pair of legs 110. This may enable the user to angle the roof 120 based on use of the portable awning assembly 110, environment, etc. In some examples, the attachment points (125, 126, 127) may be roof-protrusions, and the second arm-end 153 may include a second arm-aperture for mating with the roof-protrusions. Further, at least one of the first leg 210 or the second leg 310 may include a leg-protrusion and the first arm-end 152 may include a first arm-aperture for mating with the leg-protrusion.
Further, shown in
The second roof half 420 may include the right side 224, a second front half 421 of the front side 221 and a second rear half 422 of the rear side 222. In this embodiment, the first front half 321 and the second front half 421 may be hingedly connected and the first rear half 322 and the second rear half 322 may be hingedly connected. This may allow the user to fold the roof 120 in half. For example, in the unfolded position 129, the roof 120 may be 4-foot×4-foot. In the folded position 128, the roof 120 may be 4-foot×2-foot. In some embodiments, the first front half 321 and the second front half 421, and the first rear half 322 and the second rear half 422, may be connected via a third hinge 323 and a fourth hinge 423. The third hinge 323 and the fourth hinge 423 may be barrel hinges, as shown in
Preferably, a height of the awning frame 105 may be adjustable. As such, as shown in
In some embodiments, the at least two extended-positions may include at least three extended-positions. The at least three extended-positions may include a first extended-position 112, a second extended-position 113, and a third extended-position 114 (and in some embodiments, a fourth extended-position, a fifth extended-position etc.). The first extended-position 112 may include the pair of legs 110 extended at a first height, the second extended-position 113 may include the pair of legs 110 extended at a second height, and the third extended-position 114 may include the pair of legs 110 extended at a third height.
Preferably, to facilitate the extension, the first length 213 and the second length 313 of the pair of legs 110 may be telescopic. As such, in this embodiment, the first length 213 may include a first main shaft 214 and a first telescoping shaft 215, and the second length 313 may include a second main shaft 314 and a second telescoping shaft 315. In
Further, the portable awning assembly 100 may include a pair of pins including a first pin 160 and a second pin 170. The first main shaft 214 and the second main shaft 314 may each include a main aperture 115 and the first telescoping shaft 215 and the second telescoping shaft 315 may each include at least four telescoping apertures, as illustrated in
The portable awning assembly 100 may include the above described foldable, collapsible and adjustable features to aid in portability thereof. To add to this portability, the portable awning assembly 100 may further comprise a strap (not illustrated) attached to the awning frame 105. Further, in some embodiments, the portable awning assembly 100 may include hanging means such as hooks (not illustrated) attached to the awning frame. The hanging means may be configured for holding hunting gear and accessories.
Referring now to
Further steps may include, particularly, steps of collapsing the portable awning assembly 100. As illustrated, these steps may include step seven 807, removing said at least one of the roof mat from the roof and the rear mat from the rear of the awning frame; step eight 808, moving the roof relative to the pair of legs to the collapsed position; step nine 809, retracting the first length and the second length to a retracted position; step ten 810, moving the roof from the unfolded position to the folded position; and step eleven 811, transporting the portable awning assembly.
It should be noted that step seven 807, eight 808, nine, 809, ten, 810 and eleven 811 are optional steps and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use 800 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
