Abstract:
An animal gambrel apparatus having a three piece telescoping spreader bar. The center section of the spreader bar has a telescoping section engaged in each end of the center section, and each end of the center section has an internally mounted retention member that cooperates with an externally mounted stop member on the proximal end of each telescoping section to prevent the telescoping sections from being dislodged from the center section. A locking mechanism is attached to the proximal end of one of the telescoping sections to bias and selectively lock and maintain the sections of the spreader bar in an extended condition. The extended condition is released by turning the spreader bar upside down to disengage the locking mechanism.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     I. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to devices commonly known as gambrels, and more particularly to gambrels which are simple in construction for suspending the carcasses of slaughtered animals especially in a field dressing environment. 
     II. Description of the Related Art 
     Typically, devices to which this invention pertains are widely used in the hunting environment and in slaughter houses, but more particularly are used by hunters for hanging a slaughtered game animal in order to support the carcass when field dressing the carcass. In addition, gambrels, such as disclosed herein, are further utilized for supporting an animal in a hanging position to retain and preserve the animal at later stages of the processing. 
     There are many gambrel devices known in the prior art, however, most of them are complex, have many parts which are easily lost, are heavy to transport by one person through the woods for an extended period of time, and are not simple in use. 
     The practical gambrel device should be one which is easily folded into a compact assembly with relative ease of assembly and disassembly, for convenience of storage and transportation and is easy to use. In addition, such a gambrel device should also be of simple design without having multiple parts which are easily lost or misplaced in the hunting environment. 
     A typical device of the prior art is the patent to Roskopf (U.S. Pat. No. 1,030,683) which discloses a telescoping type device having a hanger hook connected to a center portion into which one fixed portion is placed at one end thereof, and at the other end of the center portion there is a telescoping member which is capable of telescoping into the unit for compact storage. However, in this particular device, the system of fixing the gambrel at the extended position, or at the closed position, requires relatively small parts to be utilized which again are easily lost in the field. 
     In the Knudson patent (U.S. Pat. No. 1,085,439) a telescoping gambrel is shown which is capable of being folded due to the heavy gauge wire construction, but, again, the device does not have a convenient method of opening and closing and utilizes, again, small parts which are easily lost in the field. 
     The patent to Shank (U.S. Pat. No. 1,311,779) discloses a type of gambrel which is adjustable and apparently can be reduced in size for easier transportation, but the method of maintaining the arms of the gambrel in an extended condition leaves much to be desired from a standpoint of strength. 
     The gambrel shown in the patent to McGrath (U.S. Pat. No. 1,148,393) is a tubular telescoping type device, but is of complex construction and is of such a heavy weight that it would be impractical for field use. 
     Another tubular type of collapsible telescoping gambrel is shown in the patent to Blasi (U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,555) and, again, such device as shown herein is of considerable weight and has many parts therein for maintaining the tube in an extended position which makes it impractical for field use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention and the contemplated problems which have and continue to exist in this field, the objectives of this invention are to provide a gambrel which is strong, rugged, easily transportable and is of simple construction which can be telescoped for compact storage, yet can be telescopingly extended in length to fit a variety of animals. There are no accessory parts to adjust or to lose with the present invention and the invention is totally self-contained. One feature of the invention is that the telescoping arms of the gambrel, once extended, are positively locked in an extended position without the user having to adjust any other part. Once the device is to be secured and stored, the user merely has to turn the gambrel to an upside down position from the use position and the locking mechanism automatically disengages allowing the user to quickly collapse and store the gambrel. 
     Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the gambrel; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevation view showing the gambrel fully collapsed; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevation view showing the gambrel in an extended condition; 
     FIG. 5 is a longitudinal, vertical section view showing the locking mechanism in an unlocked collapsed condition; and 
     FIG. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section view showing the locking mechanism locking the gambrel in an extended condition, and further showing the procedure of rotating the gambrel a half turn to unlock the locking mechanism, thereby allowing the gambrel to be moved to a collapsed condition. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     For a fuller understanding of the nature and desired objects of this invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, reference is made first to FIGS. 1 and 2. The field dressing gambrel of the present invention is generally indicated by the numeral  11 , wherein the gambrel comprises a center section  12 , a first telescoping section  13  and a second telescoping section  14 . The center section  12  generally has a configuration of an elongated rectangular shaped member, however, it is contemplated in this invention that the rectangular shape of the center section  12  could easily be tubular or any other convenient shape which would offer the strength and stability that is necessary for the activities to which the invention will be put. Centrally mounted on the center section  12  is a hanger  15  for the purpose of hanging the gambrel  11  to a support for holding the gambrel and the carcass of the slaughtered animal at desired times. Typically, the hanger  15  would be of suitable heavy gauge steel tubing and would be welded centrally on the center section  12 . The center section  12  has a first distal end  16  and a second distal end  17 , which ends define a respective telescoping accesses  16   a  and  17   a . The center section  12  and the telescoping sections  13  and  14  are generally referred to as the spreader bar. 
     The center section  12  has an upper surface  18  which is the surface to which hanger  15  is mounted. Underneath the upper surface  18 , and within the respective telescoping accesses  16   a  and  17   a , mounted to the undersurface of the upper surface  18  are retention members  19   a  and  19   b . The need for these retention members will become apparent in the description below. However, it should be noted that the retention members  19   a  and  19   b  are mounted within the center section  12  only upon the final fabrication of the gambrel  11 . 
     As noted, the telescoping sections  13  and  14  are placed in the respective distal ends  16  and  17  of the center section by merely telescoping the box sections into the center section. Each of the telescoping sections are essentially mirror images of one another with the exception of a locking mechanism which will be later described. Each telescoping section will be of a mating configuration to the center section  12  so that each center section will slide into the respective telescoping access openings  16   a  and  17   a . Mounted upon the upper surface  21  of the first telescoping section  13  at the proximal end thereof, and upon the upper surface  22  of the proximal end of second telescoping section  14 , there are respective stop members  23  and  24 . At the distal end  25  of the first telescoping section and at the distal end  26  of the second telescoping section, are substantially identical hooks  27  which are typically welded to the respective distal ends of each telescoping section. As noted in the drawings, the hooks  27  are substantially of a V shape. However, it is contemplated that the hooks could be of any suitable other configuration such as in the shape of a letter J. When the telescoping sections  13  and  14  are telescopingly engaged with the respective telescoping accesses  16   a  and  17   a , the fabrication of the gambrel must be completed by affixing, most suitably by welding, the respective retention members  19   a  and  19   b  to the underside of the upper surface  18  of the center section  12 . In this way, the telescoping sections  13  and  14  will then be prevented from being withdrawn from the center section by the interaction of respective retention member  19   a  with stop member  23 , and the retention member  19   b  with stop member  24 . It is obvious from the drawings that the telescoping sections will be prevented from sliding out of the center section when the stop members  23  and  24  bear against the respective retention members  19   a  and  19   b.    
     Turning now especially to FIGS. 1,  5  and  6 , the locking mechanism  28  maintains the telescoping sections in an extended position at desired times. The locking mechanism  28  comprises the locking rod  29  which has a limit stop  31  affixed to the proximal end of the locking rod. The locking rod  29  is affixed to the proximal end  32  of the first telescoping section  13  by means of a through pivot pin  33  which projects through the side walls of the first telescoping section, and through a mating hole within the proximal end of the locking rod  29 . The locking rod  29  is freely pivotable around the pivot pin  33 , but its movement is confined within a range from being parallel to the inside bottom surface  34  of the first telescoping section upwardly to a point where the limit stop  31  prevents further upward movement when the limit stop positions itself against the proximal end  32  of the first telescoping section. The locking rod  29  is an elongated, preferably steel, bar which has a rod tip  35  and a release slant  36  built into the end of the tip  35 . In a normal closed collapsed position as shown in FIG. 5, the locking rod will rest upon the bottom inside surface  36  of the second telescoping section  14 . 
     When it is desired by the user to extend the telescoping sections to the full extent thereof for use in field dressing of an animal, the user will reciprocate both telescoping sections fully outwardly until the respective stop members  23  and  24  bear against the respective retention members  19   a  and  19   b . At this point, the gambrel has been extended to a condition shown in FIG.  6  and is in the fully extended and locked condition. In this position, the locking rod  29  rests on the lower surface  37  of center section  12  and the locking rod tip  35  bears against the lower portion of proximal end  38  of the second telescoping section. In this way, as long as the gambrel is maintained in its normal operating position, that is when the hanger  15  is in the upward position being held by a securing device of suitable design, the locking rod  29  will remain in the locking position as shown in FIG.  6 . 
     When the user has completed the field dressing procedure and it is desired to collapse and store the gambrel, or at such time after the gambrel has been fully cleaned and ready for storage, in order to collapse the telescoping sections  13  and  14  into the center section  12 , it will be necessary to reciprocate each of them to the closed position. 
     Therefore, to effect closure of the gambrel from the extended position to a collapsed condition, it is only necessary to dislodge locking rod tip  35  from its position at the proximal end  38  of telescoping section  14 . In order to do this, the user, as shown in FIG. 6, merely has to rotate the gambrel  11  around its longitudinal axis 180° to move the upper surface  18  from a vertical position to a downwardly facing position. When this is accomplished, the locking rod  29  will fall out of engagement with the proximal end  38  and fall to a position as shown by the dotted line  39  of FIG.  6 . It should be noted that FIG. 6 shows the gambrel in its operative configuration with the upper surface  18  in the upward operative direction. However, the reader hereof will understand that when the gambrel is rotated around its longitudinal axis 180° the entire unit will be upside down with respect to the view of FIG. 6, and the weight of the locking rod  29  will cause it to fall to a position touching the underside  40  of the upper surface  18 . When this is accomplished, then the proximal end  58  of telescoping section  14  will pass under slant  36  and will be free to telescope into center section  12  and pass locking rod tip  35 , and continue reciprocating along with first telescoping section  13  to a fully closed collapsed position. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, various modifications may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and which are set forth in the appended claims.