Patent ID: 6779537
Filing Date: 2004-08-24
Classification: A01M,E04H,Y10S

Abstract:
A portable hunting blind comprising:a) a housing unit which includes (1) a cylindrical wall having a fist end, a second end, a longitudinal axis extending between the first end of the wall and the second end of the wall, an outer surface, an inner surface, and an elongate opening defined through the wall and extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the wall, (2) a first retaining cap mounted on said cylindrical wall near the first end of the wall, the first retaining cap including an inner surface located adjacent to the inner surface of the wall and an outer surface, the first retaining cap further including a shaft-accommodating hole defined therethrough and a cylindrical shaft-accommodating collar mounted thereon on the outer surface of the first retaining cap, the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap including (A) a first end mounted on the outer surface of the first retaining cap, (B) a second end spaced apart from the first end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the wall of said housing unit, (C) a longitudinal axis extending between the first end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap and the second end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap, the longitudinal axis of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap being co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the wall of said housing unit, (D) a rim on the first end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap, and (E) a notch defined in the rim of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap, the notch extending from the rim on the first end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap toward the second end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap, (3) a second retaining cap mounted on said cylindrical wall near the second end of the wall, the second retaining cap including an inner surface located adjacent to the inner surface of the wall and an outer surface, the second retaining cap further including a shaft-accommodating hole defined therethrough and a cylindrical shaft-accommodating collar mounted thereon on the outer surface of the second retaining cap, the shaft-accommodating collar on the second retaining cap including (A) a first end mounted on the outer surface of the second retaining cap, (B) a second end spaced apart from the first end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the second retaining cap in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the wall of said housing unit, (C) a longitudinal axis extending between the first end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the second retaining cap and the second end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the second retaining cap, the longitudinal axis of the shaft-accommodating collar on the second retaining cap being co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the wall of said housing unit, and (D) a rim on the first end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the second retaining cap; c) a shaft extending through the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap and along the longitudinal axis of said housing unit and through the shaft-accommodating collar on the second retaining cap, said shaft having a first end located adjacent to the rim on the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap, a second end located adjacent to the second end of the shaft-accommodating collar on the second retaining cap, and a longitudinal axis which extends between the first end of said shaft and the second end of said shaft, the longitudinal axis of said shaft being co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical wall of said housing unit, said shaft being rotatably mounted on said housing unit by the first and second shaft-accommodating collars to rotate about the longitudinal axis of said shaft, said shaft further being movably mounted on said housing unit to move in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said shaft between a locked position and an unlocked position; d) a locking pin on said shaft, said locking pin being located on said shaft near the notch defined in the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap, said locking pin being located in the notch when said shaft is in the locked position and said locking pin being located spaced apart from the notch when said shaft is in the unlocked position; e) a retaining pin on said shaft, said retaining pin being located inside said housing unit near the first retaining cap; f) a spring abutment flange mounted on said shaft and abutting said retaining pin; g) a compression spring surrounding said shaft, said compression spring having one end abutting said spring abutment flange and a second end abutting the inner surface of the first retaining cap, said compression spring biasing said shaft away from the first end of the cylindrical wall of said housing unit toward the second end of the cylindrical wall of said housing unit to bias said shaft toward the locked position of said shaft and away from the unlocked position of said shaft; h) a handle fixedly mounted on the second end of said shaft; i) a shaft unlocking unit mounted on said housing unit, said shaft unlocking unit including (1) two pivot pins fixed to the cylindrical wall adjacent to the second end of the cylindrical wall, (2) a U-shaped handle having one leg pivotally connected to one pivot pin of the two pivot pins at a proximal end of the one leg and a second leg pivotally connected to a second pivot pin of the two pivot pins at a proximal end of the second leg, and a bight section having one end connected to a distal end of the first leg and a second end connected to a distal end of the second leg, the handle being movable between a shaft-locking position in which the bight section of the handle is spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of said housing unit with the bight section of the handle being spaced apart from the second end of said shaft and a shaft-unlocking position in which the bight section of the handle intersects the longitudinal axis of said housing unit and the longitudinal axis of said shaft with the second end of said shaft being in abutting contact with the bight section of the handle when the handle is in the shaft-unlocking position, said shaft being held in the unlocked position against the bias of said compression spring with said locking pin being spaced apart from the notch in the rim of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap by the abutting contact between the second end of the shaft and the bight section of the handle when the handle is in the shaft unlocking position, said shaft moving into the locked position with the locking pin in the notch in the rim of the shaft-accommodating collar on the first retaining cap under the influence of the bias of said compression spring when the bight section of the handle is moved away from abutting contact with the second end of said shaft when the handle is moved from the shaft unlocking position into the shaft locking position; j) a flexible camouflage blind element having a first end fixed to said shaft and a second end, said blind element being adapted to be wound around said shaft when said shaft is rotated in one direction and to be unwound from said shaft when said shaft is rotated in a second direction, said blind element having surface indicia thereon, said blind element extending from inside said housing unit to outside said housing unit through the elongate slot defined through said cylindrical wall of said housing unit; k) a plurality of first mounting straps fixed to the second end of said blind element, each first mounting strap including (1) a body, (2) a first strap end fixed to the second end of said blind element, (3) a second strap end spaced apart from the first strap end, and (4) a snap fastener releasably coupling the second strap end to the body of the first mounting strap; l) a plurality of D-rings mounted on the outer surface of the cylindrical wall of said housing unit; m) a plurality of second mounting straps, each second mounting strap being fixed to a corresponding one of said D-rings, each second mounting strap including (1) a body, (2) a first strap end, (3) a second strap end, and (4) a snap fastener.