Patent Publication Number: US-2007094910-A1

Title: Tether apparatus for a weapon

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates generally to a tether apparatus for a weapon and more specifically to a tether apparatus that attaches the weapon to an elevated platform such as a hunting stand and that will prevent a falling weapon from contacting the ground or the platform and reduce the forces acting on the weapon when the weapon is dropped from the platform.  
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
      Hunters commonly employ elevated platforms that offer an expanded view of a surrounding area and concealment from their prey. Such platforms can be a tree stand, deer blind, or other elevated structures. While offering a significant hunting advantage, elevated platforms cause some concern regarding weapon safety. If a hunter were to drop a weapon, such as a rifle, from a tree stand, for example, it could discharge upon striking the ground or other object and potentially cause injury to the hunter.  
      Accordingly, an apparatus is needed that will prevent the weapon from striking the ground if the weapon is dropped by the hunter. The apparatus should further reduce the forces acting on the weapon to prevent the weapon from accidentally discharging.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention relates to an apparatus for securing a weapon to an elevated hunting platform comprising a harness that is attachable to the weapon and a tether having one portion that is operably coupled to the harness. The tether comprises a damper whereby the damper reduces the forces acting on the weapon when the weapon is dropped from the platform.  
      According to one aspect of the invention, the harness is configured to attach to a weapon comprising a firearm with a muzzle and a stock such that that muzzle will point downward as the weapon hangs from the tether. According to a further aspect of the invention, the harness mounts to the stock of the firearm.  
      According to yet another aspect of the invention, the harness comprises a strap that encircles a portion of the weapon. Further, the strap comprises a buckle. The harness can further comprise an eyelet to which the tether can be releasably attached.  
      In another aspect of the invention, the tether is adjustable in length. According to a further aspect of the invention, the tether comprises a belt with an adjustment slide that allows the length of the tether to be adjusted.  
      In still another aspect of the invention, at least a portion of the tether comprises a line. According to other aspects of the invention, at least a portion or all of the line is elastic to form the damper.  
      In yet another aspect of the invention, the tether comprises a line with an elastic portion to form the damper and another portion comprising a belt with an adjustment slide. Further, the tether is adjustable in length. The damper further can have two opposing ends and the belt can be mounted to the damper between the opposing ends. The opposing ends of the damper are connectable to the platform. The opposing ends can further comprise carabiners or other connective devices.  
      According to another aspect of the invention, the tether comprises at least one releasable coupler for securing the tether to the elevated platform. The tether can further comprise at least one additional coupler for securing the tether to the harness. The additional coupler can comprise a swivel joint between the tether and the harness. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In the drawings:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective illustration of an apparatus according to the present invention comprising a tether and a harness wherein the tether is shown attached to an elevated platform and the harness is shown attached to a firearm.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the tether from  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a front view of the harness from  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of the harness from  FIG. 3 .  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective illustration similar to  FIG. 1  wherein the harness is shown attached to a bow. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 1 , an apparatus  10  for securing a weapon  20  to an elevated platform  30  comprises a tether  40  and a harness  60 . The apparatus  10  is particularly useful to a hunter that is hunting from the elevated platform  30 . While illustrated as a tree stand, the elevated platform can include any other elevated structure where the hunter is located above the ground. The weapon  20  can be a firearm, for example a rifle, gun, or the like, or the weapon  20  can be a non-firearm, such as the compound bow as shown in  FIG. 5 . The apparatus  10  performs several functions: secures the weapon  20  to the platform  30  such that the weapon  20  will not contact the ground if dropped by the hunter; reduces the forces acting on the weapon when dropped; and, in the case of a firearm, orients the firearm such that a barrel  22  of the firearm is pointed away from the hunter after dropping. The apparatus  10  can also be used as a hoisting device that allows the hunter to first climb to the platform  30  and then pull the weapon  20  up afterward. In addition, the apparatus  10  can be used to secure or hoist other items such as a backpack, additional hunting gear, and the like.  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , the tether  40  comprises a line  41  and releasable couplers  48 ,  50  attached at opposing ends of the line  41 . The line  41  comprises a belt  42  and a damper  44 . The belt  42  is preferably a neoprene web belt and has an adjustment slide  46  that allows the length of the belt  42  to be adjusted to a desired length by the hunter. The belt  42  is preferably connected to the damper  44  such that an end of the belt  42  comprises a loop  51  that encircles the damper  44 . The loop  51  can alternately comprise a swivel joint between the belt  42  and the damper  44 .  
      The damper  44  is illustrated as an elastic cord having ends that are secured to the fasteners  48 . However, the damper  44  can be any suitable device or material that absorbs or at least reduces the forces acting upon the weapon  20  when it is dropped from the elevated platform  30 . For example, the damper  44  can be a spring. The damper  44  can also have a protective covering such as neoprene.  
      Although the line  41  is illustrated with the belt  42  and damper  44  as separate attached parts, the damper  44  can be formed integrally with the belt  42  such that the line  41  is continuously formed. Further, the line  41  can be entirely comprised of the damper  44 . For example, the line  41  can be made of an elastic cord, spring or the like.  
      The first releasable couplers  48  are attachable to the elevated platform  30  and a second releasable coupler  50  is attachable to the harness  60 . The first couplers  48  are affixed to opposing ends of the damper  44  and can be common couplers such as carabiners. The second coupler  50  is affixed to the belt  42  and comprises a swivel joint  52  that permits the weapon to rotate relative to the line  41 . The second coupler  50  is preferably a quick-release clip, but can be any type of suitable coupler such as a carabiner, or the like.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a harness  60  is provided to simplify the coupling of the line  41  to the weapon  20 , even though it is possible to directly secure the line  41  to the weapon  20 . The harness  60  comprises a strap  62  having a buckle  63  for closure of the strap  62 . The buckle  63  comprises a receiving end  64  and an insertion end  65  formed with an adjustment slide  68 . A first band  69  attaches the receiving end  64  to the strap  62 . A second band  70  is inserted through the adjustment slide  68  to attach the insertion end  65  to the strap  62 . The strap  62  and bands  69 ,  70  are preferably made of a neoprene web belt with bands  69  and  70  sewn onto the strap  62 . The strap  62  is of a length such that the strap  62  can be wrapped around the weapon  20  and the strap  62  can be adjusted in length by pulling the band  70  relative to the adjustment slide  68 . Although not shown, the receiving end  64  could also be formed with an adjustment slide to adjust the length of the strap  62 .  
      The strap  62  further comprises a tag  66  attached to the strap  62 . The tag  66  has an eyelet  74  for attaching the second coupler  50  on the tether  40 . The tag  66  can also be a neoprene web belt and the eyelet  74  can be sewn onto the tag.  
      To attach the harness  60  to the weapon  20 , the strap  62  is wrapped around a portion of the weapon  20  and the insertion end  65  of the buckle  63  in inserted into the receiving end  64 . The length of the strap  62  is adjusted before or after attaching the strap  62  to the weapon  20  by pulling band  70  relative to the adjustment slide  68  such that the strap  62  fits securely around the weapon  20 . To attach the tether  40  to the harness  60 , the second coupler  50  is clipped to the eyelet  74 . For a weapon  20  comprising a firearm having a barrel  22  and a stock  24 , the harness  60  is preferably attached around the stock  24  such that the barrel  22  will point downward as the firearm hangs from the tether  40  ( FIG. 1 ). For a weapon  20  comprising a bow, the harness  60  is preferably attached around a grip or a limb  26  of the bow ( FIG. 5 ).  
      When the apparatus  10  is connected to an elevated platform  30 , the apparatus functions to prevent the weapon  20  from striking the ground if the weapon  20  is dropped by the hunter. The belt  42  is adjusted to an appropriate length by the hunter with respect to the height of the elevated platform  30  so that the combined apparatus  10  and weapon  20  is of a length shorter than the distance between the ground and the elevated platform  30 . If the hunter drops the weapon  20  when he or she is on the elevated platform  30 , the motion of the weapon  20  will be arrested by the apparatus  10  before the weapon  20  contacts the ground.  
      The harness  60  provides an additional measure of safety when hunting with a firearm by attaching to the firearm such that the barrel  22  of the firearm will point downward as the firearm hangs from the tether  40  and thus away from the hunter on the elevated platform  30 . If the hunter drops the firearm from the elevated platform  30  and the firearm discharges, the hunter will not be injured.  
      The damper  44  provides a further measure of safety by reducing the possibility of the weapon  20  discharging upon being dropped from the elevated platform  30 . The damper  44  at least partially absorbs and/or reduces the forces acting on the weapon  20  that are created when the weapon  20  is arrested by the apparatus  10 . If the hunter drops the weapon  20  from the elevated platform, the force reduction produced by the damper  44  can prevent the weapon  20  from discharging.  
      Alternately, the apparatus  10  does not need to provide for both barrel positioning and force reduction. Either provision alone combined with the tether  40  that prevents the weapon  20  from striking the ground will suffice to comprise an apparatus  10  that adequately protects the hunter from injury.  
      While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.