Abstract:
A portable tree stand comprising a seat having a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a first sidewall and a second sidewall at least partially defining a cavity, a mount extending from the cavity for engagement with a tree, and wherein the mount is contained completely within the cavity when not in use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The invention relates generally to hunting tree stands. More particularly, the invention relates to portable tree stands that a hunter can easily carry into the woods and quickly setup. Specifically, the invention relates to an ultra-light portable tree stand with a retractable support mechanism which is storable hidden from view within the tree stand body when not in use. 
     2. Background Information 
     Hunters have been using tree stands for several decades with a great deal of success. The use of a tree stand allows the hunter to avoid detection since s/he is above the sight and scent line of the animal and will not be stepping on debris such as leaves that may startle the animal. Further, the tree stand allows the hunter greater visibility due to the increased height and the ability to shoot over limbs and brush. In particular, bow hunters prefer tree stands because they generally need to be much closer to the animal than a hunter with a firearm and the features previously mentioned tend to allow the hunter a much closer shot. 
     Tree stands generally come in four varieties; tower stands, climbing stands, ladder stands, and hang on stands. The tower stand is not technically a tree stand because it is not attached to tree. However, in areas where there are no trees or trees which are not suitable to mount a tree stand, the tower stand is a promising alternative. The tower stand includes a plurality of legs which meet at the top to support a seat. This gives the hunter the ariel view advantages without having to climb a tree. Nevertheless, the extreme weight and size of the stand prevents any chance of portability. 
     Climbing stands generally include a pair of platforms that allow the hunter to maneuver up a tree to the desired height. The upper platform is moved up while standing on the lower platform. The hunter then puts weight on the upper platform, brings the lower platform upward, and then steps back down on the lower platform. This procedure continues until the hunter reaches the desired height. While the climbing stand is light and allows the hunter to hunt from a variety of trees, the intense physical requirements for climbing and potential for falling are severe. 
     The ladder stand is basically a ladder with a seat at the top. The entire assembly is then secured to the tree such that the hunter can climb the ladder to get into and out of the tree stand. While it is much easier to climb the ladder than the tree, the ladder stand is very heavy and not portable. 
     Hang on stands include a seat and a footrest that is attached to the tree. This type of tree stand is relatively lightweight and allows reasonable portability. However, the hunter is required to the climb the tree by installing climbing steps, using a climbing stick, or climbing up limbs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention broadly comprises a portable tree stand including a seat having a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a first sidewall and a second sidewall at least partially defining a cavity, a mount extending from the cavity for engagement with a tree, and wherein the mount is contained completely within the cavity when not in use. The tree stand may also include a sound absorption material. 
     The tree stand mount may further include a first leg, a second leg, and a support, the support having a first end and a second end wherein the first end is pivotally mounted proximate the second sidewall and the second end engages with the mount. The support second end may further include a plurality of slots for receiving the mount. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which Applicants have contemplated applying the principles of the invention, are set forth in the following description and are shown in the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment tree stand attached to a tree; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment tree stand attached to a tree; 
         FIG. 3  is a lower perspective view of a preferred embodiment tree stand attached to a tree; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment tree stand; 
         FIG. 5  is a lower perspective view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the mount assembly fully extended; 
         FIG. 6  is a lower perspective view of a perspective view tree stand with the mount assembly within the body in the stored position; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of the support slots and the mount teeth; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of the support slots engaged with the mount; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the seat and strap shown in dashed lines; 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the mount assembly fully extended; 
         FIG. 11  is a is a side view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with arrows indicating the pivot directions of the mount assembly; 
         FIG. 12  is a side view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the support being disconnected from the mount second leg; 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the support disconnected from the mount first and second legs and the mount legs being pivoted away from the support; 
         FIG. 14  is a side view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the support pivoted into the body; 
         FIG. 15  is a side view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the mount second leg being folded within the mount first leg; 
         FIG. 16  is a side view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the mount legs being pivoted into the body; and, 
         FIG. 17  is a side view of a preferred embodiment tree stand with the mount legs and support located within the body. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements of the invention. While the present invention is described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention as claimed is not limited to the disclosed aspects. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the preferred methods, devices, and materials are now described. 
     The tree stand of the present invention is indicated generally at  14 , as is particularly shown in  FIGS. 1 through 12 . As particularly shown in  FIG. 1 , a preferred embodiment tree stand  14  is shown secured to a tree  16  with a strap  18  and a mount assembly  20 . 
     Averting to  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , tree stand  14  includes a seat  22  which is generally rectangular in shape and sized to comfortably allow a hunter to sit fully within the boundaries of the seat. Seat  22  includes an upper member  24 , a lower member  26 , and side walls  28 A- 28 D. Extending generally from sides  28 B and  28 D is strap  18 . Strap  18  includes a pair of buckles  30  which each have a pair of slots and bars to allow strap  18  to pass-through. Advantageously, strap  18  can be adjusted by pulling the free end after it has been zigzagged through the pair of slots and bars. Further, buckles  30  each include a mounting hole  32  arranged to be secured to sides  28 B and  28 D with a screw  34 . 
     In accordance with one of the main features of the present invention, mount assembly  20  preferably comprises three main components, first leg  36  with outer cover  37 , second leg  38 , and support  40 . First leg  36  is pivotally connected to a front side of a cavity  42  with nuts and bolts  43  and brackets  45 . In particular, a first end  44  of the first leg is pivotally connected to the front side, while a second end  46 , distal the first end, is pivotally connected to a first end  48  of second leg  38  with nuts and bolts  43 . Further, a second end  50  of the second leg is releaseably secured to a second end  52  of support  40 . A first end  54  is pivotally secured to a back side of cavity  42  with nuts and bolts  43  and brackets  45 . As seen in  FIG. 3 , second end  52  of support  40  partially passes through a cavity  56  in second leg  38  and is releaseably connected at tab  58 . Cavity  42  is formed by side walls in the lower member as described below in detail. Each of the pivotal connections described above is preferably a nut and bolt connection such that the components are axially secured but can still freely pivot with respect to each other. Nevertheless, the pivot connections may be rivets, screws, or any other suitable connector known in the art. 
     First leg  36  and second leg  38  are preferably arranged to gradually and continuously decrease in width from the first end  44  of first leg  36  to second end  50  of second leg  38 . Advantageously, the decrease in width allows the mount assembly to maintain a great deal of strength and rigidity while terminating at a second end  50  which can be easily located against a tree. 
     Focusing on  FIG. 4 , which is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. Lower member  26  includes outer walls  60 A- 60 D arranged to be adjacent and internal to side walls  28 A- 28 D of the upper member. A cavity  42  is defined by inner walls  64 A- 64 D. Similar to first leg  36  and second leg  38 , cavity  42  is generally tapered from inner wall  64 A to inner wall  64 D to match the shape of first leg  36 . The lower member also includes a recessed portion  65  on the top that is sized and shaped to tightly secure a seat pan  68 . Upper member  24 , lower member  26 , and cover  37  are preferably composed of foam or other resilient material which is comfortable to sit on, lightweight, absorbs vibration and noise, and reduces metal-to-metal contact. 
     As noted above, support  40  is releaseably secured within cavity  62  of second leg  38 . Support  40  also includes a plurality of slots  66  arranged perpendicular to the length of the support. Advantageously, slots  66  allow the user to control the tilt angle of the seat by selecting which of the slots to engage with tab  58  of the second leg. 
     Intermediate upper member  24  and lower member  26  is seat pan  68 . The seat pan is generally square or rectangular in shape with a slightly concave upper surface  70 . The upper surface is slightly concave so that the hunter is centered on the seat pan as well as more comfortable. Further, the seat pan is of a size and shape to fit completely within upper member  24  and lower member  26  when fully assembled. The seat pan is preferably composed of injection molded plastic for stability and support. 
     Averting to  FIG. 5 , where mount assembly  20  is shown fully extended, and  FIG. 6 , where mount assembly  20  is shown fully retracted. First leg  36  and cover  37  include a handle  76  which allows the hunter to easily lower the first leg from within the cavity in order to fully extend the mount assembly. 
     In accordance with another main feature of the present invention, second end  50  of second leg  38  includes a plurality of teeth  78 . Teeth  78  are arranged with sharp leading edges to engage and dig into a tree to provide support and stability to the tree stand. The teeth are preferably disposed at an angle with respect to the second leg  38 . Specifically, since first leg  36  and second leg  38  extend at an angle from inner wall  64 A, teeth  78  are disposed at a slight angle from the angle that the first and second leg extend from the inner wall. In other words, the teeth are disposed at an angle from parallel to lower member  26  to provide vertical support for the tree stand. 
       FIG. 6  specifically shows the tree stand in the carrying position with mount assembly  20  fully enclosed within cavity  42 . In this arrangement, strap  18  can be located on the hunter&#39;s shoulder to allow easy movement. Further, handle  76  of mount assembly  20  is easily accessible through an opening  80  in lower member  26 . Thus, when the tree stand is in the carrying position, the tree stand is very quite since only foam of upper member  24 , lower member  26 , and cover  37  are exposed. 
     In accordance with yet another main feature of the present invention,  FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the connection between second leg  38  and support  40 . Second leg  38  includes a central step  82  that runs the length of the leg and terminates in teeth  78 . Central step  82  extends from the second leg body with walls  84 . Central step  82  has a width of approximately the same size as cavity  56 , both of which are slightly larger than the width of support  40 . Second leg  38  also includes a pair of supports  86  extending from side walls  84  and adjacent teeth  78 . Supports  86  help to provide stability and reduce rotational movement at teeth  78  due to their larger size and placement at the outside edges of second end  50 . 
     Support  40  is shown with three slots  66 . Each of the slots is arranged parallel to one another and generally straight across the width of the support. Further, each slot extends at least partially through support side walls  88 . More specifically, slots  66  extend into the side walls in a slightly angled side slot  90 . The angled side slot is preferably angled similar to tab  58 . Accordingly, the angled slots allow the tab  58  to travel further within the slot for better engagement between second leg  38  and support  40 . 
     Releaseable engagement between the mount legs and the support is achieved by locating tab  58  within one of slots  66 . Since support  40  is sized to fit within cavity  56  and tab  58  is sized to slide within slots  66 , the hunter connects the second leg and the support by locating second end  52  of the support within the cavity and pivots the support in the direction associated with arrow  92 , such that one of slots  66  fully encompasses tab  58 . As previously noted, a plurality of slots are located on the support and provide the ability to selectively adjust the seat tilt since the front portion of the seat will travel a further distance for engagement with a lower slot and will travel a shorter distance for engagement with a higher slot. Thus, selecting a slot closer towards second end  52  will result in front seat wall  28 A being lowered. To remove the support from tab  58 , the hunter simply pivots the support in a direction opposite arrow  92 . 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of tree stand  14  with the foam pieces, upper member  24 , lower member  26 , and cover  37 , shown in dashed lines to illustrate the arrangement of seat pan  68  and mount assembly  20 . Further, buckles  30  and strap  18  are also shown in dashed lines. Accordingly, the tree stand forms a generally triangular shape consisting of first leg  36 , second leg  38 , support  40 , and seat pan  68 . In addition, when the tree stand is attached to a tree, tree  16  also forms a portion of the generally triangular shape. 
     Having described the structure of the preferred embodiment, a preferred method of operation will be described in detail and should be read in light of  FIGS. 1  though  17  and particularly  FIGS. 10 through 17 . 
       FIG. 10  is a side view of tree stand  14 , shown with mount assembly  20  fully extended and support  40  secured to second leg  38 . As initially seen in  FIGS. 11-16 , mount assembly  20  is folded and pivoted at multiple locations. First, second leg  38  is rotated in the direction associated with arrow  94  to release slot  66  and tab  58  (not shown) while first leg  36  is rotated in the direction associated with arrow  96 . Next, support  40  is rotated in the direction associated with arrow  98  until slot  66  and tab  58  are completely disconnected and support  40  is located within cavity  56 . Second leg  38  is then lowered in the direction associated with arrow  100  so that support  40  is no longer disposed in cavity  56 , as seen in  FIG. 13 . 
     Once support  40  and second leg  38  are disconnected and pivoted so that they do not interfere with each other, support  40  is rotated in the direction associated with arrow  102  ( FIG. 14 ) until the support is fully contained within lower member  26 . Second leg  38  is rotated in the direction associated with arrow  104 , while first leg  36  is rotated in the direction of arrow  106 . In particular, first leg  36  is rotated in the direction of arrow  106  to provide additional clearance, which may be done before support  40  is rotated into lower member  26 . However, support  40  must be fully seated within the lower member before the first and second legs can be located within the lower member. 
     Next, first leg  36  is rotated in the direction associated with arrow  108 , while second leg  38  is rotated in the direction associated with arrow  110 , as seen in  FIG. 15 . Advantageously, second leg  38  is being rotated back towards first leg  36  so that the second leg is parallel and adjacent the first leg to reduce the space the mount assembly requires in the carrying position. 
     Averting to  FIG. 16 , second leg  38  is seen rotated adjacent and parallel first leg  36 . Finally, first leg  36  is rotated in the direction associated with arrow  112  until the first and second legs are seated within the lower member. Thus, the first leg, second leg, and support are all positioned within the lower member as seen in  FIG. 17 . The mount assembly may be contained within the lower portion by frictional resistance throughout the pivot joints. Although the first leg, second leg, and support will easily pivot upon rotation by the hunter, a slight amount of frictional resistance is desired so that the mount assembly remains within the lower member during transit. 
     Extending the mount assembly for connection to a tree requires the same procedure detailed above, but performed in reverse. Thus, the tree stand can be easily moved from one place to another since the mount assembly is hidden and the hunter is left with a generally rectangular seat cushion. 
     Accordingly, the portable tree stand is an effective, safe, inexpensive, and efficient device that achieves all the enumerated objectives of the invention, provides for eliminating difficulties encountered with prior art devices, systems, and methods, and solves problems and obtains new results in the art. 
     In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. 
     Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described. 
     Having now described the features, discoveries, and principles of the invention, the manner in which the portable tree stand is constructed and used, the characteristics of the construction, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained; the new and useful structures, devices, elements, arrangement, parts, and combinations are set forth in the appended claims.