Patent Abstract:
A game call with a game call multi-colored volume and tone control which includes a game call volume and tone control-tapered inner chamber and a rotatable game call volume and tone control outer chamber having an outer chamber sound exiting port which variably exposes alternately oriented inner chamber sound exiting ports.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     In the past, hunters have used various devices to call game, such as the ubiquitous tube call, in which air is blown through a mouthpiece and over a reed to generate sound. Other calls, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,451 issued to Ron M. Bean for a “Game Call with Volume Control”, have used a flexible bellows or bulb attached to a tube call to eliminate the need for blowing through the mouthpiece. In both of these examples, sound is produced pneumatically by air flowing over a reed or diaphragm, which induces vibration. 
     While these calls have many advantages, they also have significant drawbacks. 
     First of all, the skill required to successfully operate a pneumatically driven call at a low volume is often more than is possessed by inexperienced or infrequent hunters and game callers. 
     Secondly, in some calls, the lower volume threshold for normal operation may exceed a desired volume level. 
     Thirdly, the calls using bellows and bulbs have often had limited operational characteristics, owing to the lessened control that a bellows often has in comparison to a mouth-blown call. 
     Consequently, there exists a need for improvement in game calling methods and apparatuses. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an easily operated game call having volume variation capabilities. 
     It is a feature of the present invention to include an adjustable sound output port. 
     It is an advantage of the present invention to allow for manipulation of the call volume in an easy-to-use fashion. 
     It is another advantage of the present invention to increase the certainty that the call will produce an appropriate sound. 
     The present invention is an apparatus and method for calling game which is designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features and achieve the already articulated advantages. The present invention is carried out in an “error-less multi-volume” approach in a sense that the amount of errant sounds, which often are produced when attempting to make a softer sound in a pneumatically driven call, is dramatically reduced. 
     Accordingly, the present invention is an apparatus and method for controlling the volume of a game call which includes a twistable and partially open sleeve disposed axially about an inner sound chamber with a sound port therein. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The invention may be more fully understood by reading the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the game call and call volume control of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the assembled call volume control of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line A—A of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is an end view of an inner chamber of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the inner chamber taken from line A—A of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the inner chamber taken on line B—B of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention which shows dual alternately oriented inner chamber sound exiting ports. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Now referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like matter throughout, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a game call  1  and game call volume control  100 , with an airflow axis  101  and also which includes a game call sound outlet end  102 , a game call volume control inner chamber  104 , a game call volume control outer chamber  106 , and an outer chamber to inner chamber fastener  108 . Game call  1  could be a hand-operated squeezable bellows—type call, as shown, or a mouth or lip-blown call or any type of pneumatic game call. 
     Game call sound outlet end  102 , game call volume control inner chamber  104  and game call volume control outer chamber  106  could be any suitable material, such as wood, PVC, or other synthetic material which is sufficiently rigid to permit proper operation of the present invention. Outer chamber to inner chamber fastener  108  could be of similar material. 
     Game call volume control  100  is intended to be affixed to or integrated with a game call sound outlet end  102  of any type of pneumatically driven game call. 
     Game call sound outlet end  102  is shown as including a game call body  120  having one or more O-ring grooves  126  therein. Game call sound outlet end  102  includes a game call sound outlet terminal end  122 , which is inserted into or integrated with game call volume control inner chamber  104 . When game call sound outlet terminal end  122  is inserted into game call volume control inner chamber  104 , one or more O-rings  124  are disposed in O-ring grooves  126  to maintain a pneumatic seal. Other means of sealing game call sound outlet end  102  to game call volume control inner chamber  104  could be substituted. No means of sealing game call sound outlet end  102  to game call volume control inner chamber  104  would be needed if they were integrated. 
     Game call volume control inner chamber  104  may have an inner chamber inlet end  140  which receives game call sound outlet terminal end  122 . Game call volume control inner chamber  104  may have an inner chamber unsleeved exterior section  142  and an inner chamber sleeved interior section  144 . Preferably, inner chamber sleeved interior section  144  has a decreasing cross-sectional diameter going from inner chamber unsleeved exterior section  142  to inner chamber outlet end  148 . Inner chamber sleeved interior section  144  may have at least one, but preferably two or more, inner chamber sound exiting ports  146 . Preferably, inner chamber sound exiting port  146  is not a simple narrow slot running along the longitudinal axis of game call volume control  100  from game call body  120  to airflow exit orifice  110 . Preferably, inner chamber sound exiting port  146  is a generally triangular shaped orifice in the side of inner chamber sleeved interior section  144  between inner chamber unsleeved exterior section  142  and inner chamber outlet end  148 . It should be understood that the present invention is described as a twisting volume control; however, a sliding volume control could be substituted. When a sliding volume control is used, it will likely be necessary to change the shape and orientations of inner chamber sound exiting port  146  and outer chamber sound exiting port  166 . The concept, a variably sized exposed inner port, would be readily implemented in many different configurations. 
     Inner chamber outlet end  148  may be configured to be inserted into game call volume control outer chamber  106  at the outer chamber inlet end  160 . Game call volume control outer chamber  106  may have an outer chamber exit end  164  and an outer chamber sound exiting port  166  in outer chamber sleeve  162 . An outer chamber sound exiting measurement scale  168  is preferred to be located adjacent to outer chamber sound exiting port  166  so as to provide a visual indication of a volume setting for the game call volume control  100 . It may be preferred to have inner chamber sleeved interior section  144  have a contrasting color in comparison to outer chamber sleeve  162 . Inner chamber outlet end  148  may be colored the same as outer chamber sleeve  162  or inner chamber sleeved interior section  144 . 
     Outer chamber to inner chamber fastener  108  with an airflow exit orifice  110  therein may be attached to game call volume control outer chamber  106  and game call volume control inner chamber  104  to hold the same in contact. Alternate configurations of attachment between game call volume control inner chamber  104  and game call volume control outer chamber  106  can be substituted. FIGS. 4-6 include an alternate means for coupling. 
     Now referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a side view of the game call volume control  100  of FIG. 1 in a fully assembled configuration. 
     Now referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross-sectional view of the game call volume control  100  taken along line A—A of FIG.  1 . 
     Now referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an alternate embodiment of the present invention which includes a fastener integrated game call volume control inner chamber  404  and an integrated fastener  408 . Otherwise, game call volume control inner chamber  104  and fastener integrated game call volume control inner chamber  404  are nearly identical. FIG. 4 shows an end view of fastener integrated game call volume control inner chamber  404  looking through airflow exit orifice  110  toward inner chamber inlet end  140 . Two inner chamber sound exiting ports  146  are shown disposed on opposing sides of inner chamber sleeved interior section  144 . 
     FIG. 5 shows a side view of the fastener integrated game call volume control inner chamber  404  taken from line A—A of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the fastener integrated game call volume control inner chamber  404  taken on line B—B of FIG.  4 . 
     In operation, the present invention accomplishes the goal of generating sounds with variable volume characteristics as follows: air is moved through game call body  120 , and a sound is produced therein. The air moves through game call volume control  100 , while the sound vibrations propagate through the moving air. When the sound vibrations meet inner chamber sound exiting port  146 , the vibration is permitted to propagate into any void exposed by inner chamber sound exiting port  146 . However, depending upon the orientation of outer chamber sound exiting port  166  on game call volume control outer chamber  106  with respect to inner chamber sound exiting port  146 , propagation of the sound radially from the longitudinal axis of game call volume control  100  can be permitted, precluded or variably permitted. When outer chamber sound exiting port  166  is aligned with a full-length segment of inner chamber sound exiting port  146 , then the volume of sound emitting from outer chamber sound exiting port  166  is maximized. Likewise, when outer chamber sound exiting port  166  is aligned with a solid section of inner chamber sleeved interior section  144 , then sound emitting from the inner chamber sound exiting port  146  is minimized. Variable sound volume levels are achievable by twisting game call volume control outer chamber  106 , so that outer chamber sound exiting port  166  registers with variable lengths of inner chamber sound exiting port  146 . Outer chamber sound exiting measurement scale  168  can be used to determine the volume setting by visual inspection of the relative size of the opening of inner chamber sound exiting port  146 , which is visible through outer chamber sound exiting port  166 . 
     Now referring to FIG. 7, there is shown an embodiment of the present invention which includes a first inner chamber sound exiting port and a second inner chamber sound exiting port  145 . Inner chamber sleeved interior section  144  is shown to have a tapered shape so as to create a sound chamber capable of producing varying tones at various positions within game call volume control inner chamber  104 . First inner chamber sound exiting port  146  has a first wide end  147 , while second inner chamber sound exiting port  145  has a second wide end  149 , which is in opposition along said first linear axis  101 . Depending on which port is in alignment with outer chamber sound exiting port  166 , the tonal characteristic of the sound output by the game call can be regulated as well. 
     It is thought that the method and apparatus of the present invention will be understood from the foregoing description and that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construct steps and arrangement of the parts and steps thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing all of their material advantages. The form herein described is merely a preferred exemplary embodiment thereof.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0