Abstract:
A mechanical waterfowl decoy to be used in water. It has a buoyant body and a motor that rotates a decoy head in a circular manner which provides propulsion and water disturbance for the decoy to give the appearance of a duck swimming and diving its head under water to feed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention is in the technical field of waterfowl decoys. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of mechanically operated waterfowl decoys. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of mechanically operated waterfowl decoys with mechanical heads. 
         [0002]    Conventional mechanical waterfowl decoys have mechanical movement of various body parts including the head. The head motion of these decoys is often complex in operation and is intended to imitate the natural head movement of ducks, not serve as a means of propulsion for the decoy itself nor as a source of water displacement. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention is a mechanically operated waterfowl decoy, having a head, that automatically rotates  360  degrees vertically, perpendicular to the body of the decoy, cycling through the water, through the body of the decoy, returning to an upright position. 
         [0004]    The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, that it is relatively simple in mechanical operation. The 360 degree rotation of the decoy head serves as the decoy&#39;s means of propulsion, allowing it to swim around automatically. The 360 degree rotating decoy head also creates splashing and rippling superior to that of traditional mechanical waterfowl decoys, particularly those with mechanical moving heads 
         [0005]    In broad embodiment, the present invention is a waterfowl decoy that has a motor driven, vertically rotating head, that rotates 360 degrees, cycling through the water and body of the decoy. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0006]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of  FIG. 1 . with portions open to show detail. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a side view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a side view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a top view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a bottom view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the of the present invention 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a mechanical waterfowl decoy of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  depicts an embodiment of a mechanical waterfowl decoy  100  having a buoyant decoy body  14  with an access panel  10 , a motor  12 , a shaft  11  which is connected to the motor  12 , and a decoy head  13  which is attached to the attachment shaft  12 . 
         [0018]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 2  depicts an embodiment of a mechanical waterfowl decoy  100  with its access panel  10  of the decoy body  14  open to allow access to the power source  15  and the motor  12 . 
         [0019]    The buoyant decoy body  14  is sufficiently wide, long, and tall enough for encasing and providing sufficient flotation for the mechanical elements of the mechanical waterfowl decoy  100  and retaining a realistic size of that of any particular waterfowl, in this case, a duck. Sufficient size is between 12 long 20 inches long with a width of approximately 50% of the length and a height approximately equal to the width. The decoy head  13  is sized proportionate to the body  11  to retain the realistic proportions of a duck 
         [0020]    The construction details of the invention as shown in  FIG. 1  are that the mechanical waterfowl decoy  100  may be made of plastic or of any other sufficiently rigid material that could be made buoyant such as polystyrene, wood, metal, or composite material. Further, the various components of the mechanical waterfowl decoy  100  can be made of different materials. The buoyant body  14  has a “U” shape to permit clearance for the decoy head  13  during operation of the decoy. The decoy body  14  also has an access panel  10  configured to open to allow access to the inside of the decoy body  14  where the motor  12  and power source  15  are located. 
         [0021]    The mechanical waterfowl decoy  100  operates by way of the decoy head  13  rotating on a shaft  11  which is powered by a motor  12 . The motor may be powered electrically, mechanically, or via steam or internal combustion. The motor  12  may also be connected to a power source  15  to supply the motor with electrical or mechanical power. The power source  15  may be integral to or separate from the motor  12 . The motor  12  causes the shaft  11  to rotate which, in turn, causes the decoy head  13  to rotate about the shaft. The shaft  11  is oriented horizontally and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the decoy  100 . The decoy head  13  rotates in a circular motion around the shaft  11 . While the decoy  100  is floating in a liquid, the rotation of the decoy head  13  causes the decoy head  13  to pass under the liquid&#39;s surface which provides disturbance to the liquid&#39;s surface and propels the decoy  100 . 
         [0022]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 9  depicts a configuration of the waterfowl decoy  100  wherein the shaft  11  is connected to the motor  12  via a belt  16 . The belt  16  shall be made of rubber, silicone, plastic or other flexible material. In this configuration, the operation of the motor  12  causes the belt  16  to rotate, which, then causes the shaft  11  to rotate, which rotates the decoy head in a circular motion. 
         [0023]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 9  further depicts a paddle wheel  17  attached to the shaft  11  in place of the decoy head  13 . The paddle wheel is sized such that the length of each extension of the paddle wheel is the same length as the decoy head  13 . The paddle wheel  13  functions the same as the decoy head  13  with respect to providing disturbance to the liquid surface and propelling the decoy  100 . 
         [0024]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 10  depicts the mechanical waterfowl decoy  100  with a rigid guard  18  affixed to the underside of the buoyant body  14  which extends forward along the longitudinal axis of the mechanical waterfowl decoy  100  beyond the forward most position of the decoy head  13  or the paddle wheel  17 . The rigid guard  18  shall be constructed of plastic, metal or other rigid material. The rigid guard  18  shall be shaped with a void space sufficient to permit clearance of the decoy head  13  or paddle wheel  17  during operation of the decoy. The rigid guard acts to prevent obstructions and debris from obstructing the rotation of the decoy head  13  or paddle wheel  17 . 
         [0025]    While this invention has been described with the specific embodiments outlines above, the preferred embodiments set forth are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. The claims provide the scope of coverage of this invention and should not be limited to the specific examples cited above.