Patent Application
20230111569
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to hiking and hunting accessories. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a walking or hiking pole, also known as a trekking pole. Trekking poles are used in a variety of outdoor activities that require ambulatory movement, such as hiking or hunting. More specifically, aspects of the present disclosure relate to a trekking pole that can be vertically mounted into the earth and used to hang hunting accessories, such as a cooler, bag, or rifle, keeping them clean and dry.
Hunting and hiking are popular outdoor activities in much of the world. Trekking poles have become popular recently as a replacement for simple hiking sticks or poles. Trekking poles are used to support a hiker or walker across uneven terrain or assist with maintaining balance and shifting weight to the users' arms, thereby alleviating strain on the back and legs. The use of a pole in maintaining balance is also useful when fording shallow water or transiting across rocky terrain. Such a tool is especially useful in the field of sport hunting, wherein the hunter is often laden with heavy gear, including, for example, a rifle, food, and water. Once a sport hunter reaches an appropriate site to rest or lie in wait for game, there is often nothing that can be used to allow the hunter to sit comfortably or keep their gear off the ground, which may be muddy or wet. Due to the fact that hunters often walk or hike long distances toting heavy gear, they typically attempt to minimize weight to the extent possible.
It is an object, feature, and/or advantage of the present disclosure to provide an improved trekking pole that may be driven into the ground and used to hang equipment and/or gear, including specialized elements for holding a rifle. A trekking pole may have an upper end and a lower end. A user may grip the pole near its upper extent and drive the lower end of the pole against the ground in order to provide additional stability while walking or to support the user's weight. In accordance with one exemplary aspect, a trekking pole is provided having a magnet disposed at a position near the upper end of the pole and a protrusion extending laterally from the pole some distance down the pole from the magnet. The end of the pole opposite from the end wherein the magnet is situated may be cut at an acute angle or otherwise sharpened so that the pole may be easily driven into the ground. Once the trekking pole has been stably placed into the ground, the heel of the stock of a rifle may be set on the protrusion and the metallic barrel of the rifle may be set against the magnet near the upper end of the pole. If a rifle is so situated, the magnet and the protrusion will hold the rifle in place. “Rifle” as used herein refers to a gun that may be fired from the shoulder level irrespective of whether the gun has spiral grooves cut into the interior of its barrel or bore.
In a nonlimiting exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the trekking pole may be composed of multiple telescoping lengths of pole to allow it to be adjusted for height or for the length of the rifle. Height adjustments may be accomplished in telescoping fashion by placing a cylindrical inner pole of a certain diameter into a hollow cylindrical outer pole wherein the inner diameter of the hollow space inside the outer pole is equal to the diameter of the outer sides of the cylindrical outer pole.
In a nonlimiting exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the trekking pole may be adapted to receive attachments, such as a hook suitable for hanging hunting equipment or a bag, handles adapted to protect the user's hand from brush or other vegetation, or rings adapted to receive hooks or carabiners.
In a nonlimiting exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the hollow ends of the trekking pole may be covered by a pole cap made of plastic or another flexible material in order to prevent the intrusion of moisture and debris, and to cover hard or sharp edges. A pole cap may also be placed at the end of the gun rest protrusion.
The trekking pole may optionally be made of a plurality of materials, including but not limited to metals such as aluminum or steel, plastic, or other lightweight and rigid materials such as carbon fiber.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in, and which constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary constructions and procedures in accordance with the present disclosure and, together with the general description of the disclosure given above and the detailed description set forth below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure wherein:
While constructions consistent with the present disclosure have been illustrated and generally described above and will hereinafter be described in connection with certain potentially preferred embodiments and practices, it is to be understood that in no event is the disclosure limited to such illustrated and described embodiments and practices. On the contrary, it is intended that the present disclosure shall extend to all alternatives and modifications as may embrace the general principles of this disclosure within the full and true spirit and scope thereof. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for purposes of description only and should not be regarded as limiting. The use herein of terms such as “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof.
A trekking pole may be used to traverse rough or uneven terrain by allowing the user to stabilize himself or herself against the pole, and to transfer his or her weight to an additional point on the ground. Sport hunters must often traverse rough or uneven terrain or carry heavy loads. A trekking pole may assist a hunter walking across uneven ground, fording shallow bodies of water, any offer additional support to carry heavy equipment, food, and drink.
The trekking pole may include two opposed ends along its longitudinal axis, including an upper end and a lower end. The lower end may be placed into or against the ground while the user grips the pole nearer the upper end.
The trekking pole may have a sharpened lower end to allow the user to push the lower end into the ground either while walking, to provide additional stability, or while stationary, so that the pole may be held in place in a position perpendicular to the ground when the lower end is pushed into the earth. So placed, the trekking pole may support the weight of other objects and keep them off the ground, thereby keeping them clean and dry.
The trekking pole may be configured to receive a rifle and hold it in place. A magnet may be disposed inside or on the outer surface of the trekking pole near the upper end. A protrusion extending laterally from the trekking pole may be configured to receive the heel of the stock of a rifle by placing said heel onto said protrusion, while the magnet near the upper end of the trekking pole may hold the rifle in place when the metal barrel of a rifle is placed against or near the magnet as a result of the magnet's magnetic attraction to the metal from which the rifle barrel is composed.
The trekking pole may be composed of a plurality telescoping lengths of pole to allow it to be adjusted for the user's height. An upper length of pole may also terminate above a protrusion, which extends from a lower length of pole that is inserted into the upper length; this configuration allows the length of the pole to be adjusted to for the length of the rifle. Height adjustments may be accomplished in telescoping fashion by placing a cylindrical inner pole of a certain diameter into a hollow cylindrical outer pole wherein the inner diameter of the hollow space inside the outer pole is equal to the diameter of the outer sides of the cylindrical outer pole. Holes may be drilled at various integrals on the inner pole and at one position on the outer pole. If a pin or other structure is placed such that it passes through the holes placed in both the inner and outer poles, the trekking pole may be maintained at a particular length.
A handle or handles may be affixed at or near the upper end of the trekking pole and disposed transversely across the lateral sides of the trekking pole. These handles may serve to protect the users hand from brush, vegetation, or other outdoor hazards while the trekking pole is used while walking. When the user places the trekking pole into the ground, the user may grip transversely-disposed handles with both hands so that the user may be able to apply greater force to the trekking pole as it is pushed into the ground. Gear or equipment may also be clipped to or hung from one or more handles.
A ring may be affixed to the trekking pole so that the user may tie equipment to or hang equipment from the trekking pole once it has been stably placed in the ground. Other attachments, such as a hook, may also be affixed to the trekking pole so that the trekking pole may be used to support other objects once it has been placed into the ground.
Hollow ends of the trekking pole may be covered by a pole cap made of plastic or another flexible material in order to prevent the intrusion of moisture and debris. A pole cap may also cover hard or sharp edges, thereby preventing injury. A pole cap may also be placed at the end of the gun rest protrusion if said protrusion is configured to be hollow.
A trekking pole may optionally be made of a plurality of materials, including but not limited to metals such as aluminum or steel, plastic, or other lightweight and rigid materials such as carbon fiber. Separate elements of the trekking pole may be composed of different materials.
Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like parts in the various views,
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosure (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure.
Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
This non-provisional application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/938,100, filed Oct. 5, 2022, which claimed the benefit of, and priority from, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/254,393, filed Oct. 11, 2021, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63254393 | Oct 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17938100 | Oct 2022 | US |
| Child | 17983008 | US |
