Slingshot line dispenser

A slingshot line dispenser and method for deploying radio antennas, the slingshot line dispenser having a Y-shaped body, forearm rest portion, a forwardly extended combination reel and mounting element from the Y-shaped body, and an energy absorbing element for casting a weighted object attached to the reel. The mounting element is a substantially cylindrical wire having a uniform area, but varies in slope. The reel is mounted to the wire mounting element at a location where the slope of the wire mount is a maximum. An energy storage element is attached to the free ends of the Y-shaped sling shot body in a conventional way for propelling the weighted line. The slingshot line dispenser Y-shaped body and forearm rest portion is manufactured as a single unitary structure, The forearm rest or alternatively brace portion has a V-shape and includes an arcuate C-shaped member attached thereto. The body or frame of the line dispenser is constructed of a sturdy and lightweight material. A method of using the device for deploying an antenna above tall objects is also disclosed. Another configuration of the device includes the reel attached rearward of the Y-shaped body element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates generally to a sling shot line dispenser More
 specifically, the invention is a sling shot line dispensing apparatus and
 method for deploying radio antennas over tall objects for amateur radio
 operations.
 2. Description of Related Art
 Numerous slingshot devices have been devised for a variety of different
 applications. The primary area of application of such devices has been in
 the fishing industry for propelling weighted bait within a body of water.
 The slingshot mechanism in most instances is adapted to a fishing rod for
 use thereon. The advantage that this type of arrangement provides for the
 fisherman is the ease in deployment of a baited line, and the reduction in
 the exerted effort by a user for manually casting a weighted line without
 the use of such a device. While the basic structural features of the
 slingshot have not changed, multiple features of the device have been
 salient points of the various designs now available. The unique difference
 of the device as herein described compared to conventional slingshot
 devices is that it is an improved slingshot device and method for
 deploying radio antennas for amateur radio operations. A slingshot device
 and method which utilize a cantilevered construction and which minimize
 material requirements are lacking in conventional devices as described
 below.
 For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,078 issued to Miotke discloses a catapult
 casting device which propels a fish lure or the like to a desired spot on
 a body of water. The device is also adaptable for shooting arrows and
 darts. The main body is cylindrical in shape having a depending hand grip
 portion attached thereto. The hand grip portion is provided with finger
 grooves to aid in grasping the device. The main body portion is provided
 with a large central aperture. Above the back portion of the handle are a
 pair of diametrically opposed slotted ears for retaining an elastic medium
 on each side. A projectile seating member or patch joins the elastic
 medium to form a single stretchable entity. The elastic medium is arranged
 substantially collinear with the central axis of the aperture.
 U.S. Pat. No. 3,108,583 issued to Andis discloses a multiple embodiment
 projectile launcher which has the appearance of a conventional fishing
 rod. The launcher comprises a stock having a barrel extending therefrom.
 The barrel has a track with a projectile cup mounted thereto and traverses
 the barrel in a longitudinal direction. An elastic medium is attached to
 the cup for propelling the cup up to a certain point. A stopping mechanism
 is disposed along the track for stopping and subsequently dislodging a
 projectile. The projectile cup has a plurality of grooves for connecting a
 plurality of elastic members thereto. A reel is attached at the base of
 the rod with a line attachment support disposed on the front end of the
 rod. The device is also adaptable for mounting a bow and arrow assembly.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,126 issued to Samuels et al discloses a slingshot
 casting attachment for a fishing rod. The attachment is clamped to a
 fishing rod and extends forwardly with pivoting spring arms. When the arms
 are swung back to a vertical position, they become fixed, and an elastic
 sling extends rearwardly, therefrom. The sling frame is made of companion
 sections of sturdy strip metal. Each arm is also swingable downwardly to
 lock as props for supporting the fishing rod on the ground or on the deck
 of a boat.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,513 issued to Ellenburg et al. discloses a foldable
 wrist braced slingshot having a yoke and a hand grip which stores and
 dispenses ammunition, Ammunition dispenses from the base of the hand grip
 via a swivel stopper or closure disposed thereto A wrist brace is
 frictionally, detachably and pivotably mounted to the hand grip near its
 base. The yoke comprises a forked portion and a double over stem portion
 wherein the inside base of the stem portion contains a slot for receiving
 a respective stem portion of the yoke. An elastic projectile material is
 attached to the yoke stems in a conventional manner.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,943 issued to Ross discloses a fishing slingshot
 fixture adapted for receiving a fishing reel and a slingshot coupled
 thereto. The fixture comprises a base plate having a forward extending
 guide arm with a vertically adjusting fishing line guide eye mounted
 thereon. A clamping mechanism is provided with the base for quickly and
 easily mounting a fishing reel to the top of the base plate and for
 clamping a sling shot behind the base plate. A pair of rods extending from
 the base of a the hand-grip of the sling shot are inserted within tapered
 apertures disposed within the base.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,584 issued to Lo discloses a slingshot attachment for
 fishing poles. The slingshot comprises a Y-shaped body having two arms,
 each of which is provided with a safety pin and an upper tip to which an
 end of an elastic band in combination with a leather patch is respectively
 fastened. The Y-shaped body further includes an mechanical attachment
 having a cylindrical attachment mounted thereto for attachment with a
 variety of fishing poles or rods. A set screw is disposed within a central
 side portion of the mechanical element for securing a rod thereto. U.S.
 Pat. No. 5,501,207 issued to Black discloses an arm braced slingshot
 device formed by a U-shaped member having elongated legs adapted to extend
 along opposite sides of a forearm with the bight portion disposed
 forwardly of a user's hand when gripping a handle transversely extending
 between the legs. Inverted L-shaped posts are mounted thereon with an
 elastic sling attached to respective post for deploying a projectile. A
 counterweight is centrally and detachably disposed forwardly from the
 posts along a transverse cross bar. A strap having hook and loop fasteners
 is attached to the forearm portion of the sling for securing the sling to
 the arm of a user.
 U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 398,696 issued to Gunn illustrates design
 features of a slingshot line dispenser wherein a reel is disposed at the
 base of a substantially U-shaped slingshot. The reel further including the
 attachment of a extension rod for retaining a weighted fishing line within
 an aperture disposed at the very tip of the extension rod. The reel is
 shown mounted on left and right sides of the U-shaped frame portion of the
 slingshot device.
 Foreign Patents issued to Larsen (NO 80964), Drennan (GB 2035106),
 Middleton (GB 2067082) and Townsend (U.S. Pat. No. 2,262,019) disclose
 slingshot devices of conventional construction, and are of general
 relevance to the slingshot line dispenser and method according to the
 invention herein described. The patent of Larsen, in particular, discloses
 a Y-shaped slingshot device having an extension on one the arms of the
 slingshot with a reel mounted thereon for retrieving a deployed line.
 None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in
 combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The slingshot line dispenser and method for deploying radio antennas
 according to the invention includes a slingshot having a Y-shaped body,
 forearm rest or brace portion, a forwardly and alternatively rearwardly
 mounted combination reel and mounting element disposed with respect to the
 Y-shaped body, and an. energy absorbing element for casting an object
 attached to the reel. The attached object consists of a weighted line
 disposed therein. The mounting element is a substantially cylindrical wire
 having a uniform area, but varies in slope. The reel is mounted to a
 sturdy wire mounting element at a location where the slope of the wire
 mount is a maximum. An energy storage element is attached to the free ends
 of the Y-shaped slingshot body in a conventional way for propelling the
 weighted line. The slingshot line dispenser Yshaped body and forearm rest
 portion is manufactured as a single unitary structure. The forearm rest
 portion has a V-shape and includes an arcuate C-shaped member attached
 thereto. The body or frame of the line dispenser is constructed of a
 sturdy and lightweight material. A method of using the device for
 deploying an antenna above tall objects is also disclosed.
 Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a
 slingshot line dispenser and method for deploying an antenna system above
 tall objects for amateur radio operations.
 It is another object of the invention to provide a slingshot line dispenser
 device which reduces physical exertion by a user for deploying
 projectiles.
 It is a further object of the invention to provide a slingshot line
 dispenser which is lightweight and simple to use.
 Another object of the invention is to provide improved elements and
 arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is
 inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended
 purposes.
 Still another object of the invention is to provide a slingshot line
 dispenser and method which maximize propagation conditions by deploying an
 antenna at a height for best signal transmission and reception.
 These and other objects of the present invention will become readily
 apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 The present invention is directed to a slingshot line dispenser and method
 for deploying radio antennas above tall objects T such as trees,
 buildings, etc. for amateur radio operations. The preferred embodiments of
 the present invention are depicted in FIGS. 1-3, and are generally
 referenced by numerals 4, 5, and 6, respectively.
 As best seen in FIG. 1, the slingshot line dispenser 4 according to the
 preferred embodiment is shown in environmental perspective and in the
 hands of a user U within the vicinity of a fully deployed antenna system
 5. The deployment of system 5 according to the method described below is
 supported by and secured to the trunk of trees T for meeting optimum
 height requirements for best signal transmission and reception The coupled
 connection 9 located at the trunk is a nonconductive support cable 10
 connection up to the connection point of an insulator 12. The insulator 12
 is coupled to an antenna cable 14 and feed line 16. The feed line 16 is
 preferably coaxial cable having any number of insulator connections such
 as coax wrapped around insulators 18 or the like to provide adequate
 transmission and reception signals as desired by the amateur radio user U.
 The insulators provide the conventional characteristic of reducing signal
 leakage and stress or strain at connection points and beyond the coupled
 antenna cable 5a and non-conductive cable connection 10 via cable
 insulators 12, respectively. An outdoor shelter S is shown having radio
 transmission and receiving equipment E disposed therein for subsequent
 antenna system 5 connection via the feed line 16. The dotted line L,
 depicts the parabolic path of the projectile propelled from the slingshot
 line dispenser 4. Conventional techniques have utilized arrows having
 lightweight rope or cable lines attached for this function, however
 practice has proven the use of arrows to be time consuming, in that they
 become lodged within certain structures which presents a challenge in
 subsequent retrieval Error free deployment is critical especially when
 quick radio deployment is mandatory. The line retrieval technique
 according to the present invention includes the use of a blunt object or
 weight 17 which does not suffer the problems associated with the use of
 arrows. The weight includes an aperture 17a for attaching a dispensing
 line 20 thereto.
 As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1B, a user U is shown retrieving an
 attached support cable 10 over a support object T for partial antenna
 deployment. As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 2, the slingshot line
 dispenser 6 according to the second embodiment comprises a slingshot
 device having a Y-shaped body 30, forearm rest or brace portion 30a, a
 reel 32 mounted rearwardly aft the body 30 and having a weighted
 dispensing line 34 disposed therein. According to the preferred
 embodiment, FIG. 3 diagrammatically illustrates the slingshot dispensing
 reel 32 mounted forwardly with respect to the body 30 to a substantially
 cylindrical and sturdy wire extension 36. The wire structure 36 provides
 cantilevered support to the reel 32 for greater leverage and reeling
 support not particularly provided by the second embodiment. This
 structural feature is beneficial when retrieving the deployed line 34. The
 second embodiment 4 of the invention which depicts the reel mounted
 rearwardly and aft the body 30 has the advantage of providing a sturdy
 support without the tendency of failure due to bending torque.
 Notwithstanding, the reel 32 in both embodiments is secured to the
 slingshot 4, 6 via welding or projection molding techniques depending on
 the material used by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art (i.e.
 whether metallic or composite plastic material, respectively). Both
 material methods can be used to make the device according to the
 invention, so long as the device is dimensioned and configured to provide
 the necessary structural rigidity to prevent failure as a result of
 cyclical stresses and/or material fatigue.
 The cantilevered structural support 36 has a wire structure with one end
 attached to the lower portion of the Y-shaped body 30 and extends outward
 therefrom. Wire support 36 then slopes upward and terminates in an
 opposite end in order to reduce stress along the support 36, and to
 maximize leverage from an exerted load or attached support cable 10 in
 line retrieval 34. Accordingly, the reel 32 is mounted to the wire mount
 structure 36 adjacent the opposing terminal end of support 36. An energy
 storage means 38 for propelling the weighted line is preferably made of a
 stretchable rubber or similar material having a predetermined stiffness
 constant for propelling objects 17 a predetermined distance. The material
 is preferably a continuous tubular material having a projectile receiving
 surface 38a and free ends 38b and 38c for attachment with the upper
 Y-shaped portions, respectively The stiffness factor of the material 38
 can vary depending on the structural material strength properties of the
 slingshot line dispenser.
 The Y-shaped body 30 and forearm rest or brace portion 30a of both
 embodiments is formed as a single continuous unit. The forearm portion 30a
 is V-shaped 30b and include a C-shaped cup 30c attached thereto. As
 diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 4, the sling shot line dispenser 11
 is shown according to a third embodiment comprising similar features such
 as a blunt object or weight 17', a Y-shaped body 30, forearm brace portion
 30a', a fishing reel 32' having a reeling arm 32a' with dual handle knobs
 32b' and 32c', a mono-filament dispensing line 34, a gripping member 35,
 an arm brace support cushion 37, energy storage means 38 having a
 projectile (17') receiving surface patch 38a attached thereto. A number of
 materials can be used for each embodiment as herein disclosed such as
 stainless steel, aluminum, composite plastics, etc. The material should be
 selected for reducing material degradation related to rust, corrosion
 and/or plastic deformation. Accordingly, the method of deploying the
 antenna system 5 for amateur radio operations utilizing the slingshot line
 dispensers according to the invention includes the following general steps
 of:
 (a) projecting the weighted line over a first tall object,
 (1) retrieving the weighted end of the line for connecting the line to a
 first preselected cable,
 (2) mounting the unattached end of the preselected cable to the first
 object as a nonconductive connection,
 (3) reeling the connected cable over a tall object for connection with a
 antenna cable,
 (4) removing the weighted line from the first preselected cable, and
 (5) coupling the first preselected cable to an antenna line
 (b) projecting the weighted line over a second tall object comparable in
 height of the first object,
 (1) retrieving the weighted end of the line for connecting the line to a
 second preselected cable,
 (2) mounting the unattached end of the preselected cable to the second
 object as a nonconductive connection, and for subsequent adjustments,
 (3) reeling the connected cable over the tall object for connection with a
 antenna cable in combination with the first cable,
 (4) removing the weighted line from the second preselected cable,
 (5) coupling the second preselected cable to the antenna line in
 combination with the first preselected cable, and
 (6) adjusting the nonconductive second connection to provide maximum
 antenna height between the first and second objects, and
 (7) connecting the antenna line for radio operation.
 The advantages of the apparatus and method as herein described allows the
 amateur radio enthusiasts to achieve radio frequencies on several bands or
 over a large continuous portion of the high frequency (hf) spectrum as an
 economical all band system. The antenna is deployed to reach frequencies
 up to and near those produced by "Multi-element Directive arrays". In this
 regard, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited
 to the sole embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all
 embodiments within the scope of the following claims.