Patent Publication Number: US-2016227761-A1

Title: Hunting equipment

Description:
This application is a Divisional Application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 14/147,335 filed on Jan. 3, 2014, which claims the benefit of provisional application 61/748,688, filed on Jan. 3, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Hunting requires carrying equipment deep into the woods to a hunting spot. The trip to the hunting spot may be long and inaccessible by motorized vehicle, requiring hunters to carry all necessary equipment. For that reason, the equipment must be light, compact and easy to carry. Typical equipment includes a tree ladder and climbing stick. These devices enable a hunter to climb a tree. The higher elevation of a tree provides a better vantage point for hunters to survey the surroundings. Also, it is safer for hunters to be in an elevated position, as errant arrows quickly hit the ground. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a tree stand with attached ladder that&#39;s securely attaches to a tree. 
     It is an object invention to provide a tree stand with attached ladder that is lightweight and compact. 
     It is yet another object invention to provide a tree stand with ladder that quickly and easily attaches to a tree. 
     It is yet another object invention to provide a climbing stick which is lightweight and easy to manufacture. 
     It is still another object invention to provide a climbing stick having steps, each having a central opening to prevent clogging with mud or collecting water. 
     These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading the disclosure of the invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The equipment for climbing a tree must be easy to carry, stable when attached to a tree, and if providing a platform for standing or sitting, must be comfortable for long periods of time. A platform is provided with a ladder to allow the user to easily ascend to the platform. A seat allows for the user to spend long periods of time on the platform. A pair of stabilizing arms extending from the sides of the ladder provides lateral stability to the ladder. In addition, a pair of jaws extends from the platform to grip the tree and provide lateral stability. 
     A climbing stick has a pair of vertical posts attached between the front and rear walls of steps to provide a secure connection. The upper and lower ends extend inwardly and away from each other to provide a gripping surface when the climbing stick is secured to a tree by straps. 
     A tree stand has a male adapter with a bracket for securing a strap. The strap is used to secure the male adapter in place. Once secured to the tree, the platform area can be attached to the male adapter using a female adapter. The ability to first secure the smaller, lighter bracket and male adapter to a tree before attaching the platform using a female adapter increases the ease in securing the tree stand to a tree. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of the tree stand and a ladder attached to a tree; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the stabilizer arms; 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the stand; 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the J-shaped jaws; 
         FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of a climbing stick; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the climbing stick; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the climbing stick; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the climbing stick; 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of a tree stand; 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of the tree stand; 
         FIG. 11  is a side perspective view of the tree stand; and 
         FIG. 12  is a top view of the platform having straps. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of a tree stand and ladder  10  attached to a tree. The ladder  12  extends from the ground to a platform  18 . The ladder  12  is formed in sections that connect to one another by an end of one section telescopingly fitting into an end of the next section. While sections may be any length, a length of four feet allows four sections of ladder to reach a height of sixteen feet. A protrusion from one of the lower rungs of the ladder secures a tensioner, such as a turn buckle  14 , as will be described later. A pair of stabilizer arms  16  extends from either side of the ladder and engages the side of the tree. The stabilizer arms  16  are secured to tree as will also be described later. 
     The platform  18  is a rectangular grid allowing water to pass through the platform but still providing a secure, stable surface for a person to stand. A handrail  20  extends from each front corner and extends towards the rear of the platform to increase safety. A rear bar extends between the rear ends of the handrails to provide rigidity to the handrails and also provide a surface for bearing against a tree. A crossmember  22  extends between the handrails  20  to provide extra stability to the handrails. A seat  24  is formed between the handrails  20  and provides the user a place to sit for extended periods of time. 
     A trapezoidal frame extends from the rear edge of the platform  18 . The end of the trapezoidal frame engages a tree. The engagement end may be provided with a serrated surface to increase the grip of the trapezoidal frame to the tree. The frame secures the platform and ladder in spaced relation from the tree and prevents movement toward the tree. Pivotally attached to each side of the trapezoidal frame is a curved jaw  28  that engages the side of the tray. Preferably, the jaw is J-shaped. The inner surface of each jaw is also provided with serrations to increase the grip of the jaw to a tree. 
     A pair of cables  30  secures the jaws and stabilizer arms  16  to the tree to increase lateral stability of the tree stand and ladder. A cable  30  attaches to each jaw and pivots the jaw when the cables moved, such as under tension applied by the turnbuckle. Preferably, the cables cross each other at a rear of the tree as seen in  FIG. 1  and extend to the turnbuckle  14  by passing through cable guides, such as eyelets, on the outside surface of the stabilizer arms  16 , as seen in  FIG. 2 . The turnbuckle allows the cables to be drawn in, effectively shortening the length of the cables and drawing the cables closer together. In doing so, the cables urge the jaws  28  together and, in a similar manner, urge the stabilizer arms  16  together. The effect of the cables applying force to the jaws  28  and stabilizer arms  16  increases the force applied by these elements to the tree. The jaws and stabilizer arms prevent lateral movement of the stand which is of particular importance when the user is ascending or descending the stand by using the ladder. 
       FIG. 2  shows the details of stabilizer arms  16 . The stabilizer arms can be provided with a gripping surface having serrations to better grip the tree. The gripping surface is adjustably attached to the stabilizer arms. As shown, both the stabilizer arms and gripper surface are provided with apertures, and the gripping surface fits over the stabilizer arms in a telescoping manner. When the apertures of the gripping surface and stabilizer arms are aligned, a fastener can secure the two elements together. The ability to secure the gripping surface at different points along the stabilizer arms increases the ease in connecting the ladder to a tree. The gripping surfaces are curved to increase the contact area with a tree. 
     The arms are pivotally and removably joined to the ladder by any suitable means, such as a threaded fastener. The distance between the arms is adjustable to account for different diameter trees. Preferably, the arms are located near the midpoint of the ladder to increase their effectiveness in providing lateral stability to the ladder. The bottom end of the ladder grips the ground. The stabilizer arms provide lateral stability to the middle of the ladder and the jaws provide lateral stability to the platform. 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the stand, clearly showing the platform  18  with the handrails  20 , crossmember  22  and seat  24 . Also seen is a portion of the trapezoidal frame, which will be discussed latter. The rear bar extending between the handrails and end of the trapezoidal frame  26  are in the same vertical plane to provide surfaces for bearing against the tree.  FIG. 4  shows the trapezoidal frame  26  and jaws  28  which are pivotally connected to the trapezoidal frame. The end of the trapezoidal frame has a V-shape having serrations to increase the contact area between the frame and tree. The cables are connected to an end of the jaws distal to the tree so that pulling on the cables causes pivoting motion of the jaws. The cables pass through cable guides, such as eyelets, on the frame to provide a guide and increase the ease in operating the jaws through the cables. 
     A climbing stick is seen in  FIG. 5 . The climbing stick has a pair of vertical posts  32 ,  34  and a plurality of steps  36  connected to the vertical posts. The vertical posts  32 ,  34  are preferably formed from steel or aluminum square tubing, and each has an inwardly extending upper end  44  and inwardly extending lower end  44 . The ladder may also be formed of U-shaped channels to prevent water from collecting in the ladder, increasing the weight and causing damage upon freezing. If made from U-shaped channel, a square piece of tubing is attached to one end of the section to receive an end of the next section, the square piece of tubing having inner dimensions to securely retain the U-shaped channel. A separate connecting member  46  is a plate that can be welded to both vertical posts or secured with a threaded fastener. The connecting member also provides an attachment point for straps to secure the climbing stick to a tree. 
       FIG. 6  is a front view of the climbing stick showing three steps  36 . The steps are equally spaced one another, with the lowermost step formed near the bottom of the posts  32 ,  34 . The climbing stick is attached to the tree at a height to position the lowest step at a convenient height for the user to be the lowermost rung. While the climbing stick shows 3 steps, any number of steps can be attached to the vertical posts.  FIG. 7  is a side view of the climbing stick and the attachment point on the connecting member for the straps can be seen. The attachment point is shown as secured to the post with a threaded shaft extending between the post and secured with a threaded nut but, as mentioned above can be secured in other manners, such as welding. 
     As best seen in  FIG. 8 , the steps have a wedge shape so that the steps extend outwardly from the posts, providing easier access by the user&#39;s foot. The wedge shape allows the steps to extend away from the tree. The steps are formed from a strip of metal to have an inner wall and outer wall forming a hollow interior. The top edge of each step is serrated to increase grip. The serrations and hollow interior prevent mud, water and debris build up on the steps and increase safety. The distance between the inner and outer walls is equal to the size of the square tubing used to form the vertical posts  32 ,  34 . The posts then fit within the hollow interior between the inner and outer walls of the steps. The front and rear sides are attached to the inner and outer walls by any suitable means, such as welding. This provides a secure connection between the steps  36  and vertical posts. A slight V-shaped between the upper ends  42  and lower ends  44  of the vertical posts results from the connection of the vertical posts to different sides of the steps, as best seen in  FIG. 8 . The angle formed between the upper ends and lower ends of the posts is preferably about 40-45 degrees and increases the contact area between the upper ends  42  and lower ends  44  of the vertical posts and the tree. 
       FIG. 9  depicts a treestand having a standing platform  50  with a vertical seat post  52  extending upwardly from the platform area  50 . The vertical seat post  52  is pivotally connected to the platform area, allowing the seat post to be folded flat against the platform area for transportation. Once folded, a climbing stick, such as depicted in  FIG. 5 , can be attached to the platform by any suitable means, such as bungee cords. A male/female adapter is connected to the top of the seat post  52 . The female adapter  54  receives the male adapter  56 . Each of the male and female adapters has a series of holes. The relative position of the male adapter within the female adapter can be set by extending a hinge pin  58  through aligned holes of the male and female adapters. The adjustment of the male adapter within the female adapter sets the distance between the tree and seat post  52 . The male adapter  56  has a tree attachment bracket  60 . The tree attachment bracket is like a “Reese” style hitch. 
     The tree stand is not a “self climbing” treestand. In order to secure the tree stand to a tree, a user can attach the male adapter  56  to a tree using a strap extending through the bracket  60 . The strap may be any suitable type, such as a ratcheting strap. Attaching only the male adapter is much less cumbersome than trying to attach the entire treestand. Once the male adapter has been strapped to a tree, the stand is lifted into place and the female adapter attached to the male adapter and the two adapters are secured to one another with a hinge pin  58 . The seat  62  extends from the top of the seat post  52 . 
     The various parts are also clearly seen in  FIG. 11  where the seat  62  is better seen. In addition,  FIG. 11  more clearly depicts the attachment bracket  60 . As noted earlier, it is necessary for the hunter to climb the tree to attach the male adapter securely to tree before attaching the tree stand to the male adapter by having the male adapter received within the female adapters. The strap is used to secure the male adapter in place. Once secured to the tree, the platform area can be attached to the male adapter using a female adapter. The ability to first secure the smaller, lighter bracket and male adapter to a tree before attaching the platform using a female adapter increases the ease in securing the tree stand to a tree. 
       FIG. 12  shows the platform having straps connected to the rear of the frame. A pair of straps  64  is attached to a rear portion of the platform. The ends of the straps are provided with one half on a mating connector, such as a female connector. One or both straps is provided with an extension  66  having the other half of the mating connector, such as a male connector. A connector  68  being the same type of connector attached to the extension is also attached to a front portion of the platform. Therefore, the straps can be attached to the connectors  68  to form shoulder straps to carry the platform. Once the platform is attached to the tree, the straps can be wrapped around the tree and secured to the extension of the opposite strap to provide stability to the platform. Alternatively, the left strap can be provided with one mating connector and the right strap can be provided with the other half of the mating connector, allowing the straps to be connected to one another. For instance, the left strap can be provided with a male connector and the right strap can be provided with a female connector. In this case, the left connector  68  would be a female connector and the right connector  68  would be a male connector. 
     The invention has been describes with reference to preferred embodiments. Variations and modification would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the invention encompasses such variations and modifications.