Ultimate portable blind

The present invention is a complete self-contained portable blind used to conceal a hunter, nature photographer, or nature watcher. The blind is configured such that it fits within an easily carried storage container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a completely self-contained portable 
concealment facility used in outdoor activity and more particularly, to a 
blind used in rifle or bow hunting, nature photography, or nature 
watching. 
In hunting, nature photograph, and nature watching, concealment has always 
been a major concern. Although blinds have been employed in the past as a 
method for concealment, conventional blinds presently in use are often 
cumbersome to carry and difficult to assemble. Conventional blinds often 
have a support frame constructed of aluminum rods which are both 
inflexible and unadjustable. Such poles are extremely unwieldy when 
carried through the woods and often do not provide a completely rigid 
support when assembled. In addition, the conventional blinds presently 
used require elaborate assembly procedures which are time consuming and 
take away from the desired activity such as hunting, nature photography, 
or nature watching. 
Accordingly, the present invention has been designed to be completely 
self-contained, portable, and easily and quickly assembled and 
disassembled. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The portable blind of the present invention is constructed such that it 
fits entirely into a storage bucket for compact portability. Additionally, 
when the blind is assembled, the storage bucket also acts as a base for a 
swivel chair which provides 360 degrees of movement for increased 
visibility in the blind. The swivel chair is further provided with a 
removable padded T-bar gun rest which is adjustable for accuracy and 
personal comfort. The swivel chair design is described in U.S. Pat. No. 
D299,387. 
The portable blind of the present invention is provided with an outer 
housing formed of two separate sections which may be connected together. 
The outer housing is attached to and supported by a support frame. The 
support frame has at least four telescoping support posts which may be 
adjusted to any height. Those support posts are interconnected via a 
support ring to provide support for the body section of the outer housing. 
Additionally, two roof supports are inserted into slots contained in the 
support ring to form a dome-shaped support which upholds the roof section 
of the outer housing. The entire blind structure is secured to the ground 
using stakes which are connected to the flip loop via a cord of some type. 
The body section of the outer housing is fitted with a doorway which may be 
closed and at least four windows through which a hunter could fire either 
a rifle or bow. 
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable blind 
which is completely self-contained, portable, light weight and easily 
assembled and disassembled. 
It is another feature of the present invention to provide the support frame 
with telescopic support poles which may be used to adjust the height and 
further to compress to a small enough size to fit in a small storage 
container. 
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide the 
portable blind of the present invention with a storage container which 
serves as a swivel support for a chair. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide the swivel 
chair with an adjustable, removable, padded T-bar gun rest. 
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a portable 
blind with a flexible support loop that may be folded so that it fits in 
the storage container. 
Still other features and advantages of the present invention will become 
evident to those skilled in the art in light of the following detailed 
description of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of the portable blind of the 
present invention will be disclosed. Portable blind 10 is comprised of a 
flexible outer covering 11 which is supported by support frame. 12. 
Support frame 12 is comprised of telescoping support posts 13-d, top 
support ring 14a and roof supports 15a and b. Outer covering 11 is 
comprised of a separate roof sect and body section 17 made of a suitable 
water repellant fabric. The roof section and body section may be connected 
using any conventional fastening means such as a zipper (used in the 
preferred embodiment), snaps, or velcro. The outer body section 17 is 
fastened at its top and bottom to the rings 14a and 14b, respectively. It 
may be connected by any suitable means such as stitching or with 
fasteners. To assemble, the rings 14a and 14b are unfolded to their full 
diameter. The telescoping support posts 13a-d are extended to the desired 
height and their bottom ends inserted into ring holders 18a-d attached to 
the bottom support ring 14 b. Next, the upper ends of telescoping support 
posts 13A-D are connected to top support ring 14 via holders 
19a-d.Additionally, roof supports 15A and B are connected to support ring 
14a via holders 19a-d. Next, roof section 16 is draped over roof supports 
15a and b and connected to body section 17. Finally, portable blind 10 is 
anchored to the ground using support ropes 28a-d and support pegs 29A-D. 
Support ropes 28a-c are connected to support ring 14 by any conventional 
means such as a hook and loop. 
Referring to FIGS. 2A and B, holders 19a-d will be disclosed. The holder 
comprises a body 20 fastened to support ring 14 by any conventional means 
such as a nut and bolt or pop rivet. The holder is fastened such that slot 
22 is formed between body 20 and support ring 14. The ends of roof 
supports 15a and b are inserted into the produced slots to form the domed 
shaped roof section of portable blind 10. The holder is further provided 
with opening 21 which extends through body 20 and contain lock 23. The 
telescoping support posts are attached to support ring 14 and held in 
place by lock 23. Lock 23 is comprised of fastener 25, pin 24, and spring 
26. Pin 24 is rigidly connected to fastener 25 through an opening (not 
shown) in body 20. Spring 26 is interposed between the head of pin 24 and 
body 20 to provide lateral movement of fastener 25. To operate, pin 24 is 
pressed in which compresses spring 26 and lines up opening 27 of fastener 
25 with opening 21 of the holder. Next, the upper end of the telescoping 
support post is inserted into openings 21 and 27. Finally, pin 24 is 
released which causes an edge of opening 27 to be secured against the 
support post thereby fastening the support post to support ring 14. 
The bottom ring holders 18a-d are identical in design and operation to top 
holders 19a-d and the bottom of the telescoping support posts 13a-d are 
connected to the holders 18a-18d in the same manner as the top of the 
posts and connected to holders 19a-19b. 
Body section 17 is further provided with a doorway to provide ingress and 
egress to portable blind 10. The doorway is sealed using any conventional 
means such as a zipper, snap, or velcro. Additionally, body section 17 is 
provided with windows 30A-D so that a person in the blind may look out. 
Windows 30A-D can be opened and even removed so that a hunter may fire a 
weapon from the blind. In the preferred embodiment the windows are half 
moon shaped to facilitate use of a rifle; however, body section 17 may be 
provided with rectangular windows suitable for use with a conventional 
compound bow. 
All the components which comprise portable blind 10 are configured such 
that they ca fit into an easily portable storage container (a six gallon 
bucket in the preferred embodiment). To provide compactness and 
portability, support ring 14 is constructed of a flexible material which 
allows it to be folded into a series of loops (see FIGS. 3A-D). The loops 
may be constructed from a suitable metal or plastic such as steel or 
fiberglass. It requires sufficient rigidity to maintain its expanded shape 
and support the body section 17 but must be flexible enough to be folded 
into the multiple loop configuration shown in FIGS. 3A-D. 
The technique of folding the rings 14a and 14b consists of five steps. For 
clarity, the technique is shown in FIGS. 3A-3D using only one ring 14 and 
with the outer cover section 17 removed. The first step (not shown) 
consists of holding both ring 14a and 14b together with the hands about 
three fee apart as shown in FIG. 3A. The rings are then held in a vertical 
position with a foot on the bottom of the rings (FIG. 3A). The rings are 
then turned by hand toward the center (FIG. 3B). Continue turning, 
bringing hands together and allowing the top of the rings to fold back 
towards the ground. When hands meet, fold, left over right and bring down 
towards the ground (FIG. 3C), remove the foot and allow the rings to fold 
(FIG. 3D). 
Additionally, storage container 35 of portable blind 10 may be used as the 
base for a swivel chair 36 (see FIGS. 4A-4B). Swivel chair 36 has a seat 
37 and T-bar gun rest 38 which may be attached to storage container 35. To 
assemble, T-bar gun rest 38 is threadably connected to storage container 
35 with seat 36 interposed therebetween. Thus, swivel chair 36 is provided 
with 360 degrees of motion. 
With the portable blind stored inside container 35 of swivel chair 36, the 
entire package may be easily transported with the seat 37 and the gun rest 
38 fitting snugly over the shoulder of the user as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, 
the compact design of the portable blind in combination with the unique 
swivel chair design provides a compact, easily transportable 
configuration. 
From the foregoing description and illustration of this invention, it is 
apparent that various modifications can be made by reconfigurations or 
combinations to produce similar results. It is therefore, the desire of 
the Applicant not to be bound by the description of this invention as 
contained in this specification, but to be bound only by the claims as 
appended hereto.