Abstract:
A waterfowl decoy for positioning at the surface of a body water, the waterfowl decoy comprising: a waterfowl decoy body, with a head and neck region, a front breast perimeter and a bottom surface; a drivetrain arranged generally orthogonally to the bottom surface of the waterfowl decoy body, the drivetrain comprising: an electric motor located generally in the head and neck region of the waterfowl decoy body; an output shaft in operable communication with the electrical motor; a disc shaped paddle in communication with the output shaft, the disc shaped paddle arranged generally parallel to the bottom surface of the waterfowl decoy bottom; a keel attached to the bottom of the waterfowl decoy body; a battery located within the keel, and in communication with the electric motor; and a central processing unit located with in the keel, and in operable communication with the battery and signal communication with the electric motor.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to waterfowl decoy devices generally, and specifically relates to waterfowl decoy devices that generate both movement and water agitation that mimic the actions of live waterfowl. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Waterfowl decoy devices have been in use since prehistoric times for the purpose of luring live waterfowl within range of the hunter for capture. There was very little development in decoys over the centuries other than improved morphological detail which was enhanced by the introduction of plastic molding during the 1940&#39;s. Historically it has been known that motion, which is a strong lure, can be imparted to decoys by the crude method whereby a hunter jerks a line attacked to decoys. This method is still practiced today because it is effective in an environment where there is no water current, little floating vegetation, and a stationary hunting blind. If these conditions do not exist, the decoy may quickly become fouled in vegetation and thus requires constant tending. This problem similarly impacts many mechanical decoys. 
   Because there is normally no motion or water disturbance in prior art decoy spreads, live waterfowl learn to avoid these artificial decoy spreads unless the hunter can employ some method to create motion, particularly late in the hunting season. This has created an impetus to develop realistic motion producing decoys to replace or supplement the string jerk method. Early innovations were crude devices, but with the advent of miniaturization and solid-state technology, the field of mechanical decoys has quickly expanded. Patents have been granted for waterfowl decoys that are propelled by water pumps, sculling paddles, and propellers. Patents have also been granted for waterfowl decoy motion produced by moving heads, splashing paddles, splashing wings, tilting bodies and eccentric weight movement. Also there is a variety of waterfowl decoys available with spinning wings that are mounted on floating platform, or stakes. 
   All the above decoy devices can be effective waterfowl lures because they produce motion, but each has deficiencies. The self-propelled devices often become entangled in floating vegetation and cease to function. The spinning wing variety are very effective on naive waterfowl, but are avoided as the hunting season progresses because the motion these devices produce is recognizably artificial by the birds. Many of these designs are delicate, and may require as much as 10 minutes for assembly and deployment. Finally, none are completely waterproof. Thus there is a need for a mechanical waterfowl decoy, that is durable, waterproof, easy to deploy, and produces a realistic motion and water ripples in floating vegetation. 
   SUMMARY 
   The disclosed invention relates to a waterfowl decoy for positioning at the surface of a body water, the waterfowl decoy comprising: a waterfowl decoy body, with a head and neck region, a front breast perimeter and a bottom surface; a drivetrain arranged generally orthogonally to the bottom surface of the waterfowl decoy body, the drivetrain comprising: an electric motor located generally in the head and neck region of the waterfowl decoy body; an output shaft in operable communication with the electrical motor; a disc shaped paddle in communication with the output shaft, the disc shaped paddle arranged generally parallel to the bottom surface of the waterfowl decoy bottom; a keel attached to the bottom of the waterfowl decoy body; a battery located within the keel, and in communication with the electric motor; and a central processing unit located with in the keel, and in operable communication with the battery and signal communication with the electric motor. 
   The disclosed invention also relates to a waterfowl decoy for positioning at the surface of a body water, the waterfowl decoy comprising: blow molded polyethylene waterfowl decoy body, with a head and neck region, a front breast perimeter, a bottom surface, and a slot in the bottom surface; a drivetrain arranged generally orthogonally to the bottom surface of the waterfowl decoy body, the drivetrain comprising: a drivetrain housing, with lower end; a housing flange attached to the drivetrain housing; an adaptor plate attached to the housing flange; a motor compartment attached to the housing flange; a reversible motor attached to the housing flange and located in the motor compartment; a motor output shaft in communication with the motor, the motor output shaft having a ground flat; two cone shaped seals located on the motor output shaft; a seal holder located between the two cone shaped seals; a leadscrew attached to the motor output shaft at the ground flat; threads with an aggressive pitch are located on the leadscrew; a leadscrew nut in translational communication with the leadscrew; the leadscrew nut having a top and bottom; a first shock O-ring mounted on the top of the leadscrew; a first shock O-ring mounted on the bottom of the leadscrew; a first spring in communication with the first shock O-ring and the seal holder; a second spring in communication with the second shock O-ring and an interior flange of the drivetrain housing; a threaded reducer attached to the tube; a disc shaped paddle attached to the threaded reducer; a keel with an extended member attached to the bottom surface via the slot, the keel having a front end and a rear end; a wire conduit located at the front end of the keel; a central processing unit located in the keel, the central processing unit in signal communication with the reversible motor; and a battery located adjacent to the central processing unit, the batter in operable communication with the central processing unit and the reversible motor. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in the pertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where like elements are numbered alike in the several figures, in which: 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the disclosed decoy; 
       FIG. 2  shows a top view of the disclosed decoy; 
       FIG. 3  shows a cross-sectional view of the decoy; 
       FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the decoy assembly not including the internal drivetrain parts; 
       FIG. 5  shows a detailed exploded view of the drivetrain external parts; 
       FIG. 6  shows a detailed exploded view of the drivetrain internal parts; 
       FIG. 7  shows a detailed exploded view of the keel assembly; and 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the foot assembly. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The present invention is designed to be highly visible as a lure for passing waterfowl. 
     FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the decoy  100 . In one embodiment, the decoy  100  may use a “Magnum” type blow molded polyethylene decoy body  5 . The decoy  100  will have a decoy head  116 , a front breast perimeter  108 , a drivetrain  112  between the decoy body  5  and a disc shaped paddle  21 . An optional foot assembly comprising parts  48 ,  49 ,  50  and  51  will be discussed further below.  FIG. 2  is a top view of the decoy.  FIG. 3  is a side cross-sectional view of the decoy  100 . Of course, the invention may be modified so that other waterfowl decoys may be used, such as swans, pelicans, various ducks and geese. The front breast perimeter  108  is additionally enlarged to give added buoyancy as compensation for the weight of the drivetrain  112 . The front breast perimeter  108  is enlarged by about ¼ inch to about ¾ inch along a 1½ inch wide band. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a polyethylene keel  31  is attached to the bottom  104  of the body  5 . A slot  132  in the bottom  104  of the body  5  mates with the extended member  136  of the keel  31 . The front  140  of the keel  31  is supplied with a wire conduit  144  that is attached to the keel  31  to achieve a waterproof joint. The attachment means may be by welding, gluing, or any other means of making the joint between the wire conduit  144  and the keel  31  waterproof. The wire conduit  144  is the pathway for a plurality of wires that energize the motor  36  (see  FIG. 7 ) and the antenna wire (not visible in this view) located inside the decoy head  116 . The wires (not shown) are in signal communication with blade shaped contacts  42  that are attached to a standoff bracket  38  that is secured in place below the wire conduit  144  by a screw  29  and O-ring  43 . A central processing unit  148  is in signal communication with the blade shaped contacts  42 . The central processing unit  148  is fully encapsulated. The interior of the keel  31  is fully encapsulated and waterproof. The central processing unit  148  may be designed with a duty cycle that alternately reverses the voltage to the motor  36  with an “ON” time of 0.25 seconds and an “OFF” time of 3.0 seconds as a means of conserving battery life (which may be about 15 hours, dependent on the battery selected). One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other duty cycles may be programmed into the central processing unit  148 . An optional central processing unit, which would also include a radio receiver is available for remote ON/OFF operation. The posterior end  152  of the central processing unit  148  is provided with 2 spring loaded contacts on a slightly inclined ramp that mate with the contacts on a battery  45 . The battery  45  may be rechargeable. One suitable battery would be a 9.6VDC Nimh battery. The battery  45  is also encapsulated in a waterproof plastic sleeve and provided with a nylon ribbon as a lanyard for ease of extraction from the keel  31 . The battery orientation in the keel  31  can be reversed for storage in the “OFF” position. Because of the unreliability of exposed switches, the device  100  is energized by inserting the battery in the proper “ON” orientation prior to deployment. This procedure takes about 5 seconds. If so provided, the device  100  can also be activated by an optional transmitter that has a range of about 75 meters. Battery  45  insertion is followed by insertion of a watertight plug assembly that comprises a threaded plug  22 , a rubber donut  17 , washer  15 , and wingnut  14 . Tightening the wingnut  14  expands the rubber doughnut  17  in rear round section of keel  31 . A short safety line may be attached to the hole  156  in the washer  15 . The battery  45  may be brightly colored to aid in loss prevention. 
   The drivetrain assembly, see  FIG. 5 , attaches to the decoy body  5  by means of a waterproof flange  19  and gasket  30  through a hole directly under the head  116 , and is secured with a plurality of O-ring  47  sealed screws  46  that thread into an aluminum backing plate  164  within the body  5 . The drivetrain housing  20  threads onto the flange  19  with an O-ring seal  168 , and the drivetrain housing  20  threads  212  also provide attachment for an anchor line cleat  33  and retaining nut  34  directly below the flange  19 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 6 , the drivetrain  112  is driven by a reversible motor  36 .  2 . The reversible motor may be a 9.6 VDC motor, or any other suitable motor. The motor  36  is mounted with motor screws  216  on an adapter plate  35 . The adapter plate  35  may be made out of a light weight material, such as but not limited to aluminum. Additional screws  172  are used to mount the adapter plate  35  to the flange  220  near the top of the drivetrain housing  20 . Holes fitted with O-ring seals (not visible in this view) are located in the housing flange  220  and adapter plate  35  to provide a waterproof seal around the wires that provide power to the motor  36 . The motor compartment  18  and motor compartment O-ring  176  mate with the housing flange  220  to provide a watertight motor compartment  18  interior. The motor output shaft  180  is made of a non-rust material, such as but not limited to stainless steel, and passes through  2  cone shaped neoprene seals  39 ,  40  separated by a spacer  41 . These parts are contained within a seal holder  23  that is held in place at the top of the housing  20  by a seal holder O-ring  184  and the adapter plate  35 . The seal holder  23  may be made out of plastic or any other suitable material. The end of the output shaft  180  has a ground flat for attachment of a leadscrew  44  with an allen head set screw  188 . Of course the invention may be configured to use other types of set screws, not just allen head. The leadscrew  44  may be made out of any suitable rustproof material, including but not limited to stainless steel. The leadscrew  44  is machined with 5 starts (threads) having an aggressive pitch on the leads that advance the leadscrew nut  24  about 9 mm of linear travel per revolution of the screw. Full travel of the nut  24  (about 7 revolutions of the screw) is accomplished in about 0.25 seconds before reversing about 3 seconds later, a function governed by the central processing unit  148 . The axial shock of the nut  24  bottoming out at the end of each stroke is reduced by shock O-rings  192 ,  196  mounted on the top ( 192 ) and bottom ( 196 ) of the nut  24  and rustproof springs  200 ,  204  mounted top ( 200 ) and bottom ( 204 ). The springs  200 ,  204  may be made out of any suitable rustproof material such as stainless steel, plastic, etc. The springs  200 ,  204  and O-rings  192 ,  196  also reduce mechanical noise, with the residual noise resembling the quiet guttural quacks of feeding waterfowl. This noise may enhance the devices luring properties, but in no way alarms waterfowl that land in close proximity. 
   The drivetrain housing  20  may be molded plastic. the shape of the drivetrain housing  20  is generally cylindrical. The drivetrain housing  20  is constructed with a flange  220  near the top of the housing  20  with screw and wire holes (not visible) that provides both a mounting surface for the adapter plate  20 , an internal pocket (not shown) for the seal holder  23 , and an O-ring seal for the motor compartment  18 . The interior of the elongated section  224  of the drivetrain housing  20  also has at least one track that serves as a guide to prevent the leadscrew nut from turning while being driven up and down by the leadscrew  44 , a recessed spring seat for spring  204 , and a spring seat below the seal housing  23  for spring  200 . The bottom  128  of the housing  20  includes a splined shaped internal orifice as an exit for tube  27 , and an external threaded shaft for attachment of the waterproof flange  19 , anchor cleat  33  and retaining nut  34 . 
   The tube  27  is threaded to the bottom of the leadscrew nut  24  to provide space for the leadscrew  44  when the nut  24  is driven up. The tube  27  exits the housing  20  through the bottom spline orifice of the housing  20  located at the bottom  128  of the housing. Slotted ports  208  are machined in both the top and bottom of the tube. The tube ports  208  and lower housing splined orifice provide water passages and reduce hydrostatic pressure against the motor seals. All the internal drivetrain parts below the seal holder  23  may be exposed to surrounding water. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a threaded reducer  28  is attached to the bottom of the tube  27  and is configured to attach to a disc shaped paddle  21  by means of a paddle screw  16  and a bushing  21 . The threaded reducer  28 , and paddle screw  16  may be made out of any suitably flexible material, including nylon, plastic, metal. The reducer  28  also provides a mounting point for an optional device with moving feet, shown in  FIGS. 1 and 8 . The screw  16  and bushing  25  provide a flexible link between the rigid tube  27  and the paddle  21  as a precaution against drivetrain damage. This allows the device to be stored along with conventional decoys without damage to the drivetrain, eliminating assembly prior to deployment. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 8 , an optional foot assembly can be added as an additional visual attractant. The foot assembly comprises a bayonet type clip  48  that mates with the threaded reducer  28  on the lower drivetrain that drives at least one lever  49  and attached foot  51  on each of the at least one levers  49 . The lever  49  pivots about a fulcrum provided on a keel clip  50  (not visible in  FIG. 1 , visible in  FIG. 8 ) that snaps onto the keel  31 . The at least one foot  51  moves up and down and is entrained by the reciprocating drivetrain. The at least one foot  51  may be colored orange and is highly visible and produce additional ripples and movement when entering and leaving the water. The foot assembly is designed to easily snap into place without requiring tools. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 , the platform for the device  100  is a hollow blow-molded polyethylene decoy body  5  that conforms to a mallard drake, of course other waterfowl may be used as the platform, such as a goose, swan, pelican, or other ducks. The posterior portion  108  of the decoy body  5  is oversized to offset the weight of the drivetrain  112  located below the decoy head  116 . 
   The drivetrain  112  is arranged in a tower formation and produces the up and down motion via the paddle  21  that creates the bobbing and resultant ripples while the device  100  is in the water. The top (nearer to the decoy head  116 ) of the drivetrain  112  contains a waterproofed 9.6 VDC reversible 5,500 rpm motor  36  (see  FIG. 6 ) that drives an aggressive linear leadscrew  44 . A set of seals  39 ,  40 ,  120  isolate the motor  36  from the lower portion of the drivetrain  112 , the lower portion which includes the leadscrew  44 , to preserve watertight integrity of the motor compartment  18 . Within the drive train housing  20 , a leadscrew nut  24  tracks up and down on the leadscrew threads  124  driven by the reciprocating motion of the motor  35  and leadscrew  44 . A stainless steel tube  27 , connected to the leadscrew nut  24 , exits the lower end  128  of drivetrain housing  20  and transfers the motion of the reciprocating leadscrew nut  24  to a disc shaped paddle  21  below the decoy body  5 . The paddle  21  produces the bobbing and ripples. The lower portion of the drivetrain  112  is exposed to surrounding water when the device is placed in the water. 
   A timing circuit and 9.6VDC rechargeable battery, which produce the reversing action of the motor, are located in the waterproof keel. The keel is attached to the decoy bottom posterior to the drivetrain and is sealed with an expanding plug. By using the keel to house the battery and circuit, a low center of gravity is gained, making the decoy self righting. This arrangement also provides protection to these vital components against shotgun pellets. Because of the unreliability of switches in an aquatic environment, the decoy is activated by inserting the battery, or by using an optional remote ON/OFF transmitter. An additional option is feet that move up and down on levers driven by the drivetrain. Both the timing circuit and battery are waterproofed. The expanding plug creates a watertight seal. 
   The device is designed as a rugged easy to deploy floating lure that creates a highly visible water ripple patterns produced by an up and down bobbing motion, which is more representative of true waterfowl movement. The ripples also assist in the retardation of ice formation within a 3 meter circle. 
   Because of the novel use of a leadscrew and nut to transfer rotational motion to linear motion, all parts listed for this device, except miscellaneous screws, are unique to this device and individually required engineering design and manufacture. In addition, all parts are sufficiently robust to withstand damage from stray shotgun pellets. Additionally, the waterproof characteristic of the circuit, battery, keel, and body are novel. 
   It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like may be used herein to modify elements performing similar and/or analogous functions. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated. 
   While the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.