Patent Publication Number: US-2016219866-A1

Title: Directional rattle

Description:
This application is a CIP of U.S. Ser. No. 13/784,976, filed Mar. 5, 2013, pending, from which priority is claimed. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The use of devices to attract antlered animals by simulation of sparring antlered animals is not new to the art as there are many such devices available. Hunters rely on these simulated sounds to draw dominate male elk and deer into close proximity to capture these dominate animals during the mating season or as it is typically called rut. 
     One such device is U.S. Pat. No. 7,281,966 issued to McQueen on Oct. 16, 2007 entitled, “Antlered Animal Call”. The device comprises a striking rod and a box. The movement of the rod within the box is said to simulate the sound of antlers coming together or dominate males, sparring. 
     It has been discovered that this device is limited in its sound generating abilities in that the sound is only generated from the nubs on the box. The present device has a better sound generation because both the rod and the housing have sound generation capabilities and a large open bottom. The rod has a whorled portion and the housing has a series of concentric rings forming a much smoother and consistent sound generation. The handle also has a more ergonomical shape allowing the device to be used easier than the prior art device. 
     The bottom of the present invention has a much larger opening allowing for greater directional sound resonation and authentic sound. 
     Another example of prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 8,096,849 issued to Knight on Jan. 17, 2012, entitled, “Rattle Stick for Attracting Animals”. This prior art device discloses a striking rod and a sleeve. The striking rod has knobs for sound generation when they come into contact with the sleeve. The sound generation is different from the present device, in that, the knobs only occur on the striking rod and not the sleeve, just the opposite of the McQueen device. It again suffers from some of the same weaknesses as McQueen. The fact that it lacks sound generation from both working parts makes it inferior to the present device. It also has no resonation chamber to give directional sound generation and a more authentic sound. 
     The present invention, has either a whorled portion on the striking rod or intermittent, fixed, raised shelf-like projections on the striking rod and the housing has concentric rings that generate sound and then that sound resonates out of the open bottom generating a more authentic and louder sound that will travel farther because it will resonate and travel out of the open bottom. 
     It has been discovered that the present invention with its dual sound generation capabilities and greater sound resonation because of the large open bottom produce a much more authentic sound that is louder, giving the present device advantages over any prior art. 
     THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, the present invention is a directional rattle for calling animals. The directional rattle comprises a hollow housing that has a top end, a bottom, an inside surface, a center axis and an opening through the center axis, The bottom of the bottom end is bell shaped. 
     The housing inside surface near the top is threaded. There is located in the opening a rod that has a top end, a bottom end and an outside surface. The rod has a raised whorled configuration on the outside surface essentially the entire length of the rod. 
     The rod has a cap comprised of a flat plate surmounting a threaded hub and a handle surmounting the flat plate. The threads on the threaded hub mate with the threads on the housing inside surface. 
     The inside surface of the housing has a plurality of spaced-apart concentric rings. The rings are large enough to contact the raised whorled configuration when the rod is moved in the opening. 
     There is a second embodiment in this invention which is a directional, rattle for calling animals. The directional rattle comprises a one-piece hollow housing having a top an end, a bottom, an inside surface, a center axis and an opening extending along said center axis, wherein the bottom is tapered. 
     Located in the opening is a rod having a top end, a bottom end and an outside surface, the rod having intermittent, fixed, raised, shelf-like projections to generate sound, on the outside surface, essentially the entire length of said rod. The rod is moveable within the housing and is supported by a cap and a hub. 
     The cap is comprised of a fiat plate surmounting the hub and a handle surmounting the fiat plate. The flat plate and the huh closing the opening. The hub has an outside surface, the outside surface mates with the housing inside surface to create a compression fit. 
     The inside surface of the hollow housing has a plurality of spaced-apart concentric rings, the rings being large enough to contact the intermittent, fixed, raised, shelf-like projection configuration when the rod is moved in the opening. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TEE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a full side view of the directional rattle. 
         FIG. 2  is a full top view of the directional rattle. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the directional rattle through line A-A of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a view in perspective showing the housing of the directional rattle. 
         FIG. 5  is a full bottom view of the directional rattle. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the directional rattle through line B-B of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a full view in perspective Of the rod of the directional rattle. 
         FIG. 8  is a full side view of another embodiment of this invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross sectional view of the directional rattle through line C-C of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows the directional rattle  2  from the side. The housing  4  has a top end  6  and a bottom end  8 . The housing  4  also has an inside surface  10 . The bottom end  8  of the housing  4  has a bell shape  14 . This bell shaped portion  14  is critical in that it has been discovered that the bell shaped  14  gives the directional rattle  2  better delivery of the sound as generated from the housing  4 . 
     Also shown is the rod  18  which has a top  20  and a bottom  22 . The outside surface  24  of the rod  18  is also shown. The rod  18  has a rod cap  28  that has a flat plate  30  and a threaded hub  32 . The rod  18  also has a handle  34  that has an opening  38  at its top end  20 . This opening  34  is available for a strap to secure the directional rattle  2  the user&#39;s wrist. 
       FIG. 2  shows line A-A through the housing  4  of the directional rattle  2 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a cross section of the directional rattle  2  through line A-A. This cross .sectional view allows for a view of the internal working components of the directional rattle  2 . The threaded hub  32  is threaded into the housing  4  giving it a secured position at the top end  6 . The rod  18  is manipulated in an up and down fashion. The whorled portion  26  makes intermittent contact with the concentric rings  36  imitating the sparring sound or antler contact drawing the game animal into close proximity increasing the hunters chances of success. 
     The housing  4  has a top end  6  and a bottom end  8 . It also has an inside surface  10 , that has the concentric rings  36  on it. The rod  18  is aligned along a centered axis  12  of the directional rattle  2 . The top end  6  also has a threaded portion  16  where the hub  32  is secured into the housing  4 . 
     The rod  18  has a top  20 , a bottom  22  and an outside surface  24 . The outside surface  24  has a whorled portion  26  that makes contact with the concentric rings  36  when the rod  18  is manipulated within the housing  4 . The rod  18  has a cap  28  that features a flat plate  30  and a threaded hub  32  beneath the flat plate  30  that when placed in the threaded portion  16  of the housing  4 , both components will thread together securing the hub  32  to the housing  4 . The top  20  of the rod  18  has a handle portion  34  for manipulation of the rod  18  within the housing  4 . Also shown in the top  20  of the rod  18  is an opening  38  that is capable of receiving a strap to secure the directional rattle  2  to the user or to carry the directional rattle  2 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the housing  4  of the directional rattle  2 . The top end  6  shows the threaded portion  16  of the housing  4  for securing the hub  32 . Also shown are the bottom  8  and the bell shape  14 . 
       FIG. 5  shows line B-B through the housing  4  of the directional rattle  2 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a cross section of the directional, rattle  2  through line B-B. Again the threaded portion  16  of the housing  4  is clear at the top end  6 , The bottom  8 , the bell shaped portion  14  and the inside surface  10  are also very clear. This shows the relationship between the inside surface  10  and the series of concentric rings  36  that produce the sound when they come into contact with the whorled portion  26  of the rod  18 . 
       FIG. 7  shows the rod  18  of the directional rattle  2 . It has been discovered that the rod  18  when manipulated creates a more authentic natural sound than other prior art device because of the whorled portion  26  making contact with the concentric rings  36 . 
     The rod  18  has a top end  20 , a bottom end  22  and an outside surface  24 . Along the length of the rod  18  on its outside surface  24  is the whorled portion  26 . The top  20  has a rod cap  28  that has a flat plate  30  and a threaded hub  32 . Above the flat plate  30  is the handle  34  that contains an opening  38 . 
     The user simply manipulates the rod  18  within the housing  4  to generate a sound that imitates the sound of dominate antlered animals sparring for territory and mates. 
     Turing now to the second embodiment of this invention, there is shown in  FIG. 8  a full side view of a directional rattle  40  of this invention and in  FIG. 9 , there is shown a cross sectional view taken through line C-C of  FIG. 8 . 
     This directional rattle  40  differs from the first embodiment by the fact of the rod  41  being held in the opening  42  of the housing by a compression fit and, the bottom end  43  of the directional rattle  40  has a tapered configuration. In addition, the rod  41  is comprised of a different configuration than the configuration of the first embodiment. 
     Thus, there is a one piece hollow housing  39  having a top end  56 , a bottom end  43 , an inside surface  44 , a center axis  45  and the opening  42  wherein the bottom end  43  is tapered. 
     Located in the opening  42  is the rod  41  that has a top end  46 , a bottom end  47  and an outside surface  48 . The rod  41  has intermittent, fixed, raised, shelf-like projections  49  along its outside surface to generate sound. These projections  49  are along essentially the entire surface of the rod  41 . The rod  41  is moveable within the housing  42  and the rod  41  is supported by a cap  50  and a hub  51 . 
     The cap is comprised of a flat plate  52  surmounting the hub  51  and there is a handle  53  surmounting the flat plate  52 . The flat plate  52  and the hub  51  closed the opening  42  in the housing  39 . The hub  51  has an outside surface  54  and this outside surface  54  mates with the housing inside surface  44  to form a compression fit within the housing opening  42 . This compression fit can be aided by a snap  57  or some other means of holding the hub  51  in place. 
     The inside surface  44  of the hollow housing  39  has a plurality of space-apart concentric ring  55  on it. The rings  55  are large enough to contact the intermittent, fixed, raised, shelf-like projections  49  when the rod  41  is moved in the opening  42 . 
     Again, the user simply manipulates the rod  41  within the housing  39  to generate a sound that imitates the sound of dominate antlered animals sparring for territory and mates.