Abstract:
A scent dispersing apparatus and method includes a source of animal scent within a flexible bladder. In one embodiment, the bladder is inserted within a pouch, which pouch may be coupled to a person&#39;s leg or to an object. The source of animal scent, which may be urine, is released from the bladder, preferably in a controlled manner utilizing a valve, for purposes of leaving an animal scent along a trail or creating a scent bomb.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to the attraction of animals and storage of scent for hunting or other purposes and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for the dispersion and storage of animal scents to attract animals.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Animal scents are frequently utilized in order to attract animals, whether for purposes of hunting or for other purposes. In the field of hunting, for example, the urine of a an animal of the type that is being hunted, for example deer urine, may be dispersed within the hunting area, in a direction leading to the hunter&#39;s “blind” or the like, to lure prey in the direction of the hunter. The idea behind such use, of course, is that animals will tend to go where they believe that other members of their species may be found.  
         [0003]     Where the scent source is urine, it may be desired to disperse it on the ground over an extended area, so that a passing animal might sniff the scent and then follow it to the desired point. In addition to urine, a liquid food attractant may also be used. Typically, this is accomplished through the use of a “drag,” which is usually a piece of urine-saturated, absorbent material attached to the end of a string, which is dragged by a hunter on the way to his or her stand. It can be seen that the dispersal of urine through such a method is imprecise, and the drag may become tangled and may otherwise be inconvenient to use.  
         [0004]     It may also be desired to create a scent “bomb,” i.e., a source of scent that transmits odor through the air, and that will attract animals to come in the direction of the source of the scent.  
         [0005]     A typical source of scent for such use is animal urine packaged in a bottle. To utilize such urine, it is necessary to open the bottle and to then disperse the urine in a desired manner. However, the act of opening the bottle causes air to enter its interior, beginning a spoilage process. In addition, the use of a bottle can be messy, and some hunters prefer to use rubber gloves or the like to prevent spillage on a hunter&#39;s hands or equipment. Finally, the manipulation of a bottle, gloves and other scent-dispersing paraphernalia can be noisy, which is undesirable in a hunting setting.  
         [0006]     A need therefore exists for a scent dispersing and storage apparatus and method that provides for improved dispersion of urine, including dispersion that is cleaner, quieter, and that limits or prevents urine spoilage by allowing for scent storage between hunts. Such an apparatus and method should permit dispersion onto the ground or in the form of a scent bomb.  
         [0007]     The present invention satisfies these needs and provides other, related, advantages.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a scent dispersing apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises, in combination: a flexible bladder adapted to hold a source of animal scent; a nozzle coupled to the bladder; wherein the animal scent passes through the exit nozzle; and an attachment member adapted to couple the flexible bladder to an object.  
         [0009]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a scent dispersing apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises, in combination: a flexible bladder adapted to hold a source of animal scent; a nozzle coupled to the bladder; a bladder-holding pouch; an attachment member adapted to couple the bladder-holding pouch to an object; wherein the object is one of a person&#39;s leg and a tree; and a valve regulating flow of the source of animal scent from an interior of the bladder.  
         [0010]     In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, a method for dispersing an animal scent is provided. The method comprises: inserting a source of animal scent into a flexible bladder through a nozzle coupled to the bladder; attaching the flexible bladder to an object; and permitting the animal scent to exit the flexible bladder through the nozzle. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a front, exploded view of a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a front view illustrating a step in a process of filling a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a step in a process of filling a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating a step in a process of filling a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective, exploded view illustrating a component portion of a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective, partially exploded view of the component shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  is an exploded, front view illustrating components of a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  is a front view of the scent dispersing apparatus of  FIG. 8 , in an assembled condition.  
         [0020]      FIG. 10  is a perspective, phantom view of the scent dispersing apparatus of  FIG. 9 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 11  is a side view, illustrating a use of a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 12  is a front view, illustrating a use of a scent dispersing apparatus consistent with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]     Referring first to  FIGS. 1-2 , an embodiment of a scent dispensing apparatus  10  is shown. The components of the dispensing apparatus  10 , in this embodiment, include a flexible bladder  12 , a nozzle  14 , a tube  16 , and a valve  18  located on the tube  16 .  
         [0024]     The bladder  12  is preferably impermeable to the passage of fluid. It is adapted to retain therein a suitable scent producing liquid. In one embodiment, the liquid is urine. Because of the impermeability of the bladder  12 , the liquid may only enter or exit the bladder  12  by way of the nozzle  14 . Additionally, the impermeability of the bladder  12  should substantially prevent the entry of air therein, so as to resist spoilage of the liquid.  
         [0025]     The volume of the bladder  12  may be varied as desired, depending on the use to which the apparatus  10  may be put. A volume of about four ounces may be preferred for certain hunting uses, particularly where the apparatus  10  is to be worn on a leg  40  of a user, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0026]     Referring now to  FIGS. 3-4 , the source of liquid for the bladder  12  may be, for example, a bottle  20  or an animal bladder  22 . Preferably, a syringe  24  is utilized to extract the liquid from its receptacle. The syringe  24  should resist leaking, and preferably utilizes a plunger  26  that may be locked into position for ease of storage. As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , the syringe  24  may then be used to insert the liquid from the bottle  20 , animal bladder  22  (or other container) into the bladder  12 .  
         [0027]     Referring now to  FIGS. 8-10 , in one embodiment, the bladder  12  may be inserted into a pouch  28 . The pouch  28  may, as shown in  FIGS. 8-9 , have a camouflage type of appearance. In this embodiment, the pouch  28  has an opening  30  through an upper portion thereof, dimensioned to permit insertion of the bladder  12  therethrough, and into the interior of the pouch  28 . In this embodiment, the opening  30  therethrough is closeable with zipper  32 . (It should be noted that closing means, other than a zipper  32 , may be utilized as desired.)  
         [0028]     The pouch  28  may further incorporate an attachment member, to facilitate the coupling thereof to an object. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 8-10 , the attachment member comprises two sets of straps  34 , having mating female buckling members  36  and male buckling members  38  thereon. It may be desired, for reasons explained in more detail below, a heating element  60 , insertable into pouch  28  together with the bladder  12 . The heating element  60  may be rechargeable, or may be disposable, and based on an exothermic chemical reaction.  
         [0029]     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , it can be seen that the pouch  28  may be coupled to a leg  40  of a person, utilizing the straps  34  and the buckling members. In this embodiment, a first pouch  28  is coupled to a first leg  40 , and a second pouch  28  is coupled to a second leg  40 . (It can be seen that it may be desired to couple the pouch  28  around a boot  42 , or higher along the leg  40 .) Turning now to  FIG. 12 , one or more pouches  28  may be coupled to a tree  44 —again utilizing the straps  34  and associated buckling members.  
         [0030]     It should be noted that it may be desired to provide straps  34  of adjustable length. It may also be desired to provide other attachment means, including for example, a sleeve. The buckling members may be substituted for hook and loop fasteners or the like, though generally it will be desired to utilize means that will not unduly cause noise that might scare away an animal being sought.  
         [0031]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-2  and  6 - 9 , it may be desired to couple to the bladder  12 —preferably though not necessarily by way of valve  18 —a scent bomb element  50 . The scent bomb element  50  may comprise a nipple connection  52 , to facilitate coupling to the nozzle  14  extending from the bladder  12  or to a nozzle  19  extending from the valve  18 . The scent bomb element  50  may further comprise an absorbent disk  54 , which is preferably retained within disk frame  56 . The disk  54  is preferably replaceable and biodegradable. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , a tube  53  facilitates the flow of scent/liquid from the nipple connection  52  to the disk  54 .  
       Statement of Operation  
       [0032]     Initially, it will be appropriate to fill the bladder  12  with a source of animal scent, which will typically, though not necessarily, be urine. The source of scent may be extracted from a bottle ( FIG. 3 ), animal bladder ( FIG. 4 ) or other location, and inserted into the bladder  12  ( FIG. 5 ). A syringe  24  may be utilized for this purpose, though other means could be provided.  
         [0033]     In one embodiment, the bladder  12  is inserted into the pouch  28  and coupled to the leg  40  of a user, as shown in  FIG. 11 . In this embodiment, the valve  18  may be set to permit a dripping of the scent source from the bladder  12  and out through nozzle  19 . The valve  18  permits regulation of the drip rate, so that the source of scent is dispersed at a desired rate. The valve  18 , it should be noted, should be corrosion resistant.  
         [0034]     As shown in  FIG. 11 , it may be desired to provide two pouches  28 —one coupled to a first leg  40  and a second coupled to a second leg  40 . It may further be desired to provide a male animal scent in the first bladder  12  within the first pouch  28 , and a female scent in the second bladder  12  within the second pouch  28 . The use of male and female scents and their dispersal in a side by side fashion as illustrated in  FIG. 11  can more precisely simulate a natural game trail, when a male and a female of a particular species could be expected to be traveling together.  
         [0035]     The use of the heating element  60  acts to keep the source of scent warm. This is more natural, since urine is typically warm, and causes it to be more effectively dispersed in colder temperatures.  
         [0036]     As shown in  FIG. 12 , it may be desired to use the apparatus of the present invention as a scent bomb. In this embodiment, the scent bomb element  50  is coupled to the nozzle  19 . The valve  18  may be set as desired (or the scent bomb element  50  may be directly coupled to the nozzle  14 ), so that the source of animal scent is permitted to pass through tube  53  and into disk  54 , where it is absorbed. As shown in  FIG. 12 , it may be desired to camouflage disk  54  with a covering  62 , which covering  62  should be permeable to the passage of scent. It should be understood that the covering  62  may be a dye added to the disk  54  in order to camouflage the appearance of the disk  54 .  
         [0037]     As the source of scent is dissipated, the bladder  12  should collapse—keeping air out and the scent fresh. When a particular use is completed, it may be possible to preserve remaining liquid within the bladder  12  for future use. In addition, new scents may be stored in the bladder  12  to preserve freshness and provide for easy access of the scent. It should be further noted that while, in the preferred embodiment, a liquid is inserted into the bladder  12 , substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the bladder  12  is provided pre-filled with a scent. In this way, the bladder  12  may also serve as a storage device for various liquids.  
         [0038]     It should be noted that the use of scent to attract animals may have uses other than for hunting. Such use may be desired for purposes of observing animal behavior, counting animals, trapping animals for removal, and so forth. Any such use would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.