Abstract:
A head harness for use by hunters who are already secured by a torso-type safety harness when sitting in a tree stand. The head harness comprises a headband or headband-incorporating cap worn by the hunter, a connector at the rear of the headband, and a receiver secured to the tree at a height corresponding to the hunter&#39;s head when sitting in the tree stand. The receiver and connector are configured to mate, with a connection that resists the nodding motion of the hunter&#39;s head if the hunter begins falling asleep, thereby helping to prevent falls from the tree stand that would be initiated in the direction of the nodding head.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS/PRIORITY BENEFIT CLAIM 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/919,753, filed Dec. 21, 2013 by the same inventor (Bartolomucci), the entirety of which provisional application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The subject matter of the present application is in the field of safety harnesses for hunters (and others) who sit for long periods in tree-stands. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Hunters, bird watchers, wildlife watchers, spectators, and others (hereafter collectively “hunters” for simplicity) who use tree-stands for hunting, wildlife observation, and other activities are familiar with the danger of falling asleep during long hours on stand. Safety harnesses for tree-stand hunters are known, generally comprising body harnesses secured to the torso and connected to the tree or to the stand to prevent falling out of the tree. 
         [0004]    Safety harnesses will prevent a long drop to the ground if properly worn and installed, but they are not generally designed to prevent a short drop from the stand, often caused by nodding off to sleep. Instead, they are purposely designed to arrest the hunter after a short fall. Even when a safety harness fulfills its purpose by catching a hunter after he topples off the stand, there might remain some risk of injury, such as head or neck trauma from the force of being jerked to a stop or swinging into the tree; asphyxiation if tangled in equipment; heart attack; and “suspension trauma”, which apparently can occur if a hunter remains hanging legs down and relatively motionless from the harness for a long period of time. 
         [0005]    It would be better if the hunter never fell off the stand in the first place. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0006]    I have invented a type of harness intended to be used in conjunction with the usual torso safety harness on a tree-stand, but which can help prevent the initial harness-arrested fall that is often caused by falling asleep. My harness is a head harness that secures the hunter&#39;s head to the tree in an upright position, preventing the hunter&#39;s head from nodding. If the head nods forward in sleep, or lolls to the side, it is believed that the hunter&#39;s body tends to follow, resulting in the unpleasantness of a fall off the stand. With the hunter&#39;s head unable to nod, even if the hunter falls asleep sitting upright, it is believed that many potential falls can be averted. 
         [0007]    The inventive head harness comprises a headband adapted to be secured frictionally around the hunter&#39;s upper head/forehead, and a receiver adapted to be secured to the tree behind the hunter&#39;s head at a desired sitting height. The headband and receiver are releasably connected with connector structure secured to the headband and strong enough to keep the headband connected to the tree via the receiver against the relatively low force of a hunter&#39;s head nodding due to sleep. 
         [0008]    In a currently preferred form, the headband is provided with a rear-facing pin or arm having an enlarged end, such as a ball or cylinder, and the receiver is provided with a female slot adapted to receive the enlarged end when the pin is tilted at a downward angle, i.e. corresponding to the angle of a hunter&#39;s head tilted backward (acutely to the rear from vertical) while wearing the headband. The ball-end on the connector allows some side-to-side head motion when secured in the receiver, which can be increased further by using a moderately flexible connector arm. In an alternate form, the receiver includes a slotted hook portion to secure the ball-end of the headband connector. 
         [0009]    In a further form, the receiver includes a base fixed to the tree and an adjustable-position bracket movable on the base, the adjustable bracket adapted to receive and secure the connector from the headband. In a still further form, the receiver includes an arcuate tree-engaging face for accommodating an irregular tree surface. 
         [0010]    The base may be secured to the tree with a strap or other known means. 
         [0011]    The headband is only secured radially on the hunter&#39;s head, preventing forward or sideways nodding, but not vertically, so that if the hunter were to slump straight down, or slip feet first off the stand, his head would slide out of the headband with the headband remaining connected to the receiver on the tree. The connection between the headband and the receiver may further be structured to break or separate if subjected to force beyond a certain threshold, i.e. a force greater than the hunter&#39;s head nodding off to sleep. The headband may be a stand-alone headband or a headband portion of a hat or cap. 
         [0012]    These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description below, in light of the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hunter wearing a conventional body harness, sitting in a tree stand in solid lines, and shown in phantom lines after a harness-arrested drop. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of a body-harnessed hunter sitting in a tree stand and using a nod-preventing head harness according to the invention, comprising a headband with connector and a receiver on the tree. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2A  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but illustrates the connector and receiver structure more schematically. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but shows the hunter with his head tilted back to connect the headband connector to a lower end of the receiver. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is similar to  FIG. 3 , but shows a reverse assembly in which the hunter lowers the headband connector into an upper end of the receiver. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but shows an optional adjustment mechanism on the receiver portion of the head harness. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but shows a hook type receiver portion on the tree. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of a hunter using a head harness according to  FIG. 2 , showing limited side-to-side motion allowed by the connector structure. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a perspective detail view of a currently preferred form of receiver and headband connector secured to a tree, with the headband portion exploded away from the receiver. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is similar to  FIG. 8 , but shows a modified receiver with curved vertical tree-engaging edges and a curved face. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a top plan view of  FIG. 9 , with the headband and receiver joined. 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a side elevation view similar to  FIG. 2 , but using the modified receiver of  FIG. 10  to accommodate surface irregularities in the tree. 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is similar to  FIG. 9 , but shows a modified receiver with straight tree-engaging edges. 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a side elevation view similar to  FIG. 2 , showing the headband portion of the harness system integrated into a cap or hat. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a hunter  10  is shown sitting (solid lines) in an example tree stand  12  secured to tree  14  in known manner. Hunter  10  is wearing an example safety harness  16  of a known type, configured to be worn on the hunter&#39;s torso  18  and attached to the tree with a strap or tether  19 . Safety harness  16  is a schematic representation of many different types of such harness, and is generally designed to arrest the hunter (phantom lines) within a few feet of the tree stand platform if he should fall off. 
         [0028]    Since there appear to be risks associated with even a properly arrested fall using a good safety harness, I believe that it is preferable to prevent the hunter from falling off the tree stand in the first place. I have accordingly invented a fall-preventing, rather than fall-arresting, head harness  30 , shown in  FIG. 2 . Head harness  30  secures the head of a sitting hunter in an upright position adjacent the tree  14  (or tree-like object like a telephone or structural pole). It might be more apt to label my device a nod-preventing harness, since I believe that preventing a sleepy hunter&#39;s head from nodding forward or to the side is likely to prevent many falls from tree stands. 
         [0029]    My harness  30  comprises a headband  32  configured to adjustably and comfortably fit around the head  20  of a hunter  10 , a headband connector  34  secured to the back of the headband to face the tree when the headband is worn by the hunter, and a receiver  36  intended to be secured to the tree  14  at the height of a hunter&#39;s head  20  when the hunter is sitting in a tree stand  12 . Receiver  36  may be secured to the tree in any manner, including but not limited to an adjustable-circumference strap  37  as shown, or other securing means such as nails or magnets or cable. Headband connector  34  may take different forms, and in the currently preferred and illustrated example of  FIG. 2  includes a connector pin or arm  34   a  terminating in a rounded enlarged tip  34   b,  for example a ball. Headband connector  34  is configured to be connected to receiver  36  on the tree with sufficient strength to resist the forward and sideways motion of a hunter&#39;s head nodding off to sleep. The headband  32  is made from a material sufficiently stiff or inelastic, e.g. plastic or not overly-elastic fabric or cloth, to provide resistance to the hunter&#39;s head nodding forward when connected to receiver  36  on a tree. 
         [0030]    The connection between headband  32  and receiver  36  via connector  34  is not intended to vertically support any amount of weight other than perhaps the weight of the empty headband. In some of the illustrated examples herein, connector  34  is actually designed to fall out of the receiver  36  if the hunter&#39;s head is not supporting the headband  32  by wearing it. The connection also allows a hunter to quietly disengage his head from the receiver on the tree in order to make a shot, either by removing the headband or by disengaging the headband from the receiver. 
         [0031]    In the example of  FIG. 2 , the connection between the ball end  34   b  of connector  34  and the receiver  36  is via a vertical slot or channel  38  in the receiver, the channel having a vertical opening  38   b  in either the bottom ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ) or the top ( FIG. 4 ) of the receiver. The vertically-opening channel  38  requires the headband connector to be connected in a linear vertical direction, which type of movement typically does not occur with head-nodding due to sleepiness. Accordingly, the hunter is unlikely to accidentally disengage connector  34  (and the attached headband  32 ) from receiver  36  on the tree. 
         [0032]    Likewise, the headband  32  is only secured radially, rather than vertically, around the hunter&#39;s head, due to an adjustable fit via elastic or a buckle- or Velcro-adjustable length or tightness. If the hunter  10  were to somehow move his head  20  vertically straight down when headband  32  is secured to the receiver  36  on tree  14 , his head would simply slip out of the headband with little or no restraining force. Since head-nodding is typically an arcuate or forward-tilting motion acting radially against the tree-secured headband, rather than a vertical motion, illustrated schematically by arrow N in  FIG. 2 , the hunter&#39;s head  20  is unlikely to slip out of the headband  32  unintentionally. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  shows a method for connecting connector  34  to receiver  36  if the connector  34  uses the ball-and-pin structure. While wearing headband  32 , and with receiver  36  installed on tree  14  at a height chosen by the hunter, the hunter tilts his head backward and down until ball end  34   b  on connector  34  is located below the open lower end  38   b  of channel  38 . This can be accomplished by feel. Once ball end  34   b  is aligned with channel end  38   b,  tilting the head back upright causes ball end  34   b  to ride up into the main channel  38   c  of channel  38 , with connector arm  34   a  projecting forwardly from the channel through the slot face  38   a.    
         [0034]    The main channel  38   c  of channel  38  has a diameter or width sized to allow ball end  34   b  to slide freely up and down in the receiver. Slot open face  38   a  has a width narrower than ball end  34   b  to trap the ball end in the channel in the receiver, while still being wide enough to allow connector arm  34   a  to slide freely up and down along the face of the receiver. 
         [0035]    It will be understood that mechanical or magnetic connector equivalents to the illustrated ball-and-slot connector and receiver structure  34 ,  36  could be used, and that such are within the scope of the present invention, provided they establish a connection with the receiver that can made relatively sight-free by the hunter, and have sufficient strength to secure the headband to the tree to prevent nodding. For example, it might be possible to use flexible, tether-like connector structure for  34  between headband  32  and receiver  36 , using short elastic connectors, hook-and-loop, cable or cord. A direct connection between the back of the headband  32  and the face of receiver  36  is also possible, as schematically illustrated in  FIG. 2A  using, for example, the aforementioned hook-and-loop structure or a direct mechanical or magnet connection  34  between headband  32  and receiver  36 , without an arm or tether spacing them, although it would tend to limit the hunter&#39;s ability to move his head from side-to-side more than the illustrated example. If a connector structure  34  lacks flexibility or side-to-side movement capability, it should be possible to adjust the tightness of headband  32  to allow the hunter to rotate his head in a horizontal plane within the headband to permit some side-to-side vision while the headband is connected to receiver  36  on tree—in this case, a somewhat rigid headband material might be used, with a fairly smooth, low-friction inner surface to allow the head to rotate within the headband when the headband is connected to the receiver. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  illustrates a receiver  36 ′ similar to receiver  36  above, except that the channel opening  38   b  is reversed to receive the ball end  34   b  of headband connector  34  from the top of the receiver. The motion for connecting connector  34  to the receiver  36  would here require that the hunter stand up a bit and lean back to position ball end  38   b  over channel opening  38   b,  and then sit straight down vertically to engage the receiver. Since a hunter is unlikely to stand up while sleeping, accidental disengagement of the connector  34  from receiver  36  is unlikely. 
         [0037]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternate receiver with an angle adjustment feature, comprising a ratchet engagement  35  between a forward portion  36   a  of the receiver and a rear portion  36   b  of the receiver. Receiver halves  36   a  and  36   b  are slidingly coupled along mating arcuate faces with ratchet teeth  35  to establish discrete increments of adjustment. Once adjusted to a comfortable position for the hunter  10 , receiver halves  36   a  and  36   b  can be locked in the adjusted position with a latch, detent pin, friction between the mating arcuate faces and/or ratchet teeth, or some other mechanism (not shown). It will be understood that other forms of angle adjustment are possible, and that the illustrated example is not intended to be limiting. For example, magnetic and hook-and-loop connections could be used between the mating faces of the receiver halves. 
         [0038]      FIG. 6  shows another possible connection between headband connector  34  and receiver  36 , in the form of a split hook receiver  136  in which the channel and slot structure is formed by a rear-facing hook  137  with a rear-facing channel opening  138   b  shaped to receive ball end  34   b  of the headband connector in a rotating ball-and-socket type fit. A front face of the hook  137  is split or slotted open at  138   a  to provide a sliding path or channel for connector arm  34   a,  with less vertical travel and more arcuate range of motion for the connector than the straighter channels shown in previous Figures. The motion for connecting the headband connector  34  to hook  137  is similar to that in  FIG. 3  for slotted-channel receiver  36 . 
         [0039]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the receiver  36  according to the example in  FIGS. 2 and 3  above in more detail.  FIG. 7  shows also shows a preferred tree-clamping set of teeth  36   t  formed in flexible, tree-conforming flanges  36   f  extending to each side of the slotted receiver body. The receiver illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8  lends itself well to being formed by molding, and is made from a polymer, for example a nylon or polypropylene type material. 
         [0040]      FIG. 7  also shows some side-to-side head motion permitted by using a flexible material for connector arm  34 , and/or by sizing the width of slot  38   a  in the face of the receiver  36  to permit some lateral movement of the connector arm  34   a  therein. Connector  34  is preferably made from a semi-rigid polymer material, secured either permanently or in break-away fashion to the rear of headband  32 , for example by securing an enlarged disc end  34   d  in a fabric pocket  32   d  by sewing, Velcro, adhesive, buttonhole, etc. Alternately, ball end  34   b  of the connector  34  could be formed to break away from arm  32  if subjected to tensile force greater than that typically caused by the nodding of the hunter&#39;s head  20 . Alternately, the strength of the receiver body or slot, or the strength of the connection between the receiver and the tree-securing means  37 , or the strength of the tree-securing means  37  itself could be set to break the receiver  36  free from the tree if subjected to a tensile force greater than typically caused by the nodding of the hunter&#39;s head. 
         [0041]      FIG. 8  shows at  39  a ball pocket located at the top of channel  38 , illustrated as a conical protrusion with a central opening  39   a  in communication with channel  38  for the connector arm  34   a.  The ball pocket  39  is sized for the ball end  34   b  of the connector arm to fall into at the top of the slot, offset from the channel so that the hunter can feel the ball in a “home” locked position at the end of the slot, providing a locating function. The hunter will have to move his head slightly backward to remove ball end  34   b  from the ball pocket  39  and slide down to first disengage the ball end from the pocket and then disengage the connector from the receiver. 
         [0042]      FIGS. 9 through 11  show a modified receiver  36 ′ in which tree-engaging teeth  36   t ′ are arranged vertically at the rear edges of spaced vertical flanges  36   f ′. The vertical flanges  36   f ′ are joined by intermediate receiver body  36   d ′ including a slotted channel and locating pocket structure similar to that in the previous example of  FIGS. 7 and 8 . Vertical tree-engaging teeth  36   t ′ have a convex curvature relative to the tree surface, i.e. in the rearwardly-facing direction. Receiver body  36   d ′ has a face  36   e ′ with a concave curvature relative to the headband, i.e. relative to the back of the head of a hunter wearing headband  32 . 
         [0043]    As best shown in  FIG. 10 , the concave front face  36   e ′ of receiver  36  may provide some comfort or a rest for the rear of a hunter&#39;s head if the hunter moves his head rearwardly against the receiver  36 . The concave front face  36   e ′ may also provide a sight-free locating and registering function when the hunter is trying to engage connector  34  on the headband  32  with the receiver  36 . The concave front face  36   e ′ may also allow easier side-to-side motion of the hunter&#39;s head when connected to the receiver. 
         [0044]    As best shown in  FIG. 11 , the curved vertical flanges  36   f ′ and their convexly curved tree-engaging edges with teeth  36   t ′ are configured to make small mounting angle adjustments to accommodate irregularities in the tree&#39;s surface, while the connector  34  and headband  32  remain essentially horizontal and the face of the receiver  36  facing the hunter remains essentially vertical. To ensure a secure fit to the tree, strap slots  36   s ′ in flanges  36   f ′ are similarly curved, and may be longer than the width of the strap, allowing the receiver  36  an arcuate range of motion and different positioning relative to strap  37  (or vice-versa) when fitting and securing receiver  36  to the tree. 
         [0045]      FIG. 12  shows a further modified receiver  36 ″, identical to receiver  36 ′ except for straight tree-engaging edges  36   t ″. These straight edges may provide a more secure fit to a tree&#39;s surface if the tree is relatively smooth and free of irregularities. 
         [0046]      FIG. 13  shows a modified headband arrangement in which headband  32  (and connector  34 ) are integrated into a cap or hat  33 . Cap or hat  33  may be any tip of cap or hat having or benefitting from an integrated headband structure, for example a baseball-type cap. The stand-alone headband  32  of previous Figures may be worn under or over a separate hat or cap, also. 
       Description of Operation 
       [0047]    In operation, the hunter  10  secures receiver  36  to tree  14  at a comfortable height to engage connector  34  when the hunter is seated in the tree stand  12 . The hunter then dons the headband  32  with connector  34  facing rearwardly, tilts his head back or otherwise positions his head so that ball end of connector  34  is aligned with the slot opening in receiver  36 , engages the ball end of the connector with the slot, and sits with his head substantially upright to hunt. When the hunter is ready to stop hunting, or to stand up to take a shot, he can simply slip the headband off (or undo the headband strap if the strap is secured by a buckle, Velcro™ hook-and-loop tabs, or the like), or tilt his head back again to disengage the connector  34  from the receiver. 
         [0048]    If the hunter happens to fall asleep while sitting on the stand with the headband  32  connected to the receive  36 , his head will be prevented from nodding forward or to either side in the typical nodding or tilting motion. In this manner the risk of literally “nodding off” the tree stand is believed to be significantly reduced. 
         [0049]    It will finally be understood that the disclosed embodiments represent presently preferred examples of how to make and use the invention, but are intended to enable rather than limit the invention. Variations and modifications of the illustrated examples in the foregoing written specification and drawings may be possible without departing from the scope of the invention. It should further be understood that to the extent the term “invention” is used in the written specification, it is not to be construed as a limiting term as to number of claimed or disclosed inventions or discoveries or the scope of any such invention or discovery, but as a term which has long been conveniently and widely used to describe new and useful improvements in science and the useful arts. The scope of the invention supported by the above disclosure should accordingly be construed within the scope of what it teaches and suggests to those skilled in the art, and within the scope of any claims that the above disclosure supports in this application or in any other application claiming priority to this application.