Abstract:
A game call striker utilizes a hollow axially opening counter weight to its striker shaft as a chamber within which a weight supported on an axially extending resilient member is mounted in axial alignment with the striker shaft and in non-contacting relation to the walls of said chamber.

Description:
The present invention claims priority from provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/058,054 filed Sep. 30, 2014. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a game call and more particularly to a turkey call and in even greater particularity to an improved striker for a friction type call. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Hunters use a variety of mechanical devices to mimic the sounds that game animals make. This mimicry is intended to entice an animal into range for the hunter to see the animal and decide whether to attempt to take the animal. Consequently, hunters and game call makers are constantly trying to make the mimicry more appealing to the game animal. Among the game animals enticed by the widest number of different types of calls made by hunters is the wild turkey. Turkey calls come as friction calls including box calls and pot calls, mouth calls, pre-recorded calls, reed calls and probably a few more, each trying to get the right pitch, tone, and repetitiveness to entice a gobbler within range. Each of the forgoing have limitations and advantages when compared to each other. Most of the limitation is concerned with the vibratory quality of the materials used to mimic the sound. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general object of the invention is to improve the vibratory quality of the sound created by the use of a striker and a pot or slate call. 
     In one embodiment, the improvement utilizes a secondary vibrating member within the striker to create an additional vibratory wave source which enhances the sound made when the striker is drawn across the plate of the call. More specifically, as the striker and plate vibrate in response to relative movement between themselves and the amount of pressure applied during this movement by the hunter, the striker transmits the vibration to the secondary wave source which vibrates as well, thereby enhancing the overall vibratory effect. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring to the drawings which are appended hereto and which form a portion of this disclosure, it may be seen that: 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of the striker, 
         FIG. 2  is sectional view of a striker including the secondary vibratory wave source, 
         FIG. 3  is a top sectional view of a striker including the secondary vibratory wave source, 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a second embodiment, 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the second embodiment, and, 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the second embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One or more of the above objects can be achieved by providing a secondary vibratory wave source that is consistent with the sound created by the striker and plate of a friction call and which requires no additional effort by the hunter to make the sound or tune the sound. Referring to  FIG. 1 , it will be noted that the striker  10  includes a striker head  11  or handle that also serves as a counter weight for a wood striker dowel  12  or shaft connected to the head  11 . These components are customary in strikers however, the head  11  has an interior well  13  opening in opposition to the tip  14  of the striker  10  as may be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Alternatively the well may be closed by a cover as shown in the second embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 4 to 6 . The interior well  13  is sufficiently large and deep to accommodate the secondary vibration device which enhances the performance of this striker. As may be seen in  FIGS. 2-4 and 6 , a length of a somewhat rigid but flexible wire, such as a spring steel wire  15  is imbedded in the head  11  substantially in alignment with the axis of the shaft  12  and extends in opposition to the shaft  12  into the well  13 . Wire  15  can be imbedded in the shaft  12  if the shaft extends through a bore  17  in head  11 . Distal the connection between the wire  15  and the head  11  or shaft  12 , a weight  16  is secured to the wire  15 . The weight  16  may be brass or lead or some other relatively dense material that can be welded, soldered or otherwise secured to the wire  15 . Weight  16  is referred to as an inertial mass because the inertia of the mass is such that it affects the movement of the wire  15  and the tip of the shaft. 
     Weight  16  is preferably generally uniform in shape and is sized to fit within well  13  with ample clearance from the sides of the well such that it does not contact the sides of the well at any time. Spring steel wire  15  is sufficiently rigid to prevent the weight  16  from displacing toward and impinging on the walls of well  13 . However, spring steel wire  15  also transmits the vibration from shaft  12  to weight  16 . Wire  15  thus undergoes multiple vibration states as it transmits energy to the initially stationary weight  16  and then absorbs energy from the weight  16  as the weight&#39;s inertial vibration is dampened as the energy flow from the striker movement is diminished. The vibration of the striker tip  14  is transmitted to the weight  16  via the spring steel wire  15 . Once the weight  16  starts vibrating, the vibratory force of the weight&#39;s vibration is radially perpendicular to the axis of the striker shaft  12 , which in turn causes the tip  14  of the striker to stutter across the slate surface. Thus, the inertia of the weight  16  as it changes direction causes the tip  14  to tremble on the surface. The physics term is constructive interference, were the initial vibration of the striker tip is amplified by the vibration of the weight. The result is the addition of a slight tremble or tremor vibration to the rasping vibration obtained with the striker and plate alone yielding what is considered to be a more life-like reproduction of turkey yelps and purrs. Thus, thus the constructive interference also has a desirable effect on the tonal frequency of the call and striker. 
     It should be understood that the striker shaft  12  is preferably made from wood, however, other materials such as graphite and composites have been used for shafts and could be utilized with the present invention. Likewise head  11  is preferably a cast resin composition, but the head may be made from any conventional material such as wood or plastic. The spring steel wire  15  serves to hold the weight  16  in the proper position and to transmit vibration to and from the weight, however, other resilient materials besides spring steel may be suitable for use without departing from the scope of the present invention. Likewise, weight  16  may be of any suitably dense material that will sustain the vibration transmitted to it by the striker. While such materials are generally may also be suitable. 
     It will be understood that variations in the stiffness, diameter and length of the wire  15  will create different vibratory properties as will a variation in the weight and density of the weight  16 . Likewise, although weight  16  has been shown in a barrel shape, the weight may be disk-shaped, rod-shaped, cross shaped or fork like depending on the material chosen and the tonal qualities desired. 
     While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain embodiments thereof, and many details have been put forth for the purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.