Bolt-mounted shelf for use with hunters' tree stands

• US 6,205,935 B1
• Filed: 08/27/1999
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Susquehanna Bank Dv
• Original Assignee: Glenn Lindaman
• Inventors: Lindaman, Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US09/384,695
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 180/152, 180/42, 180/25, 180/26, 180/47, 182/187, 182/129, 182/133
• US Class Current: 108/152
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 31/02 Shooting stands
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/26 consisting of clamping means, e.g. with sliding bolts or sliding wedges fixed on cords or the like A47B43/006
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/027 Cantilever shelves

Abstract

A shelf is mountable on a crank-shaped support that threads into the trunk of a tree, preferably in association with a hunter'"'"'s tree stand. The crank-shaped support forms a threaded lag bolt at one end, perpendicular to an intermediate crank arm. At the opposite end of the crank arm from the lag bolt, an elongated mounting portion protrudes outwardly relative to the tree. When the lag bolt is threaded into the tree trunk, the crank arm depends vertically. The shelf part has a receptacle such as a square tube along the underside of a planar shelf part that receives the mounting portion of the crank-shaped support. Complementary non-round cross sections of the mounting portion and the tube hold the planar member horizontal to support items in convenient reach of the hunter. The planar shelf part can have an upwardly protruding rim around its perimeter or at least partly bounding the available surface and confining the items. The lag bolt is threaded into the tree in a cranking motion, preferably to a depth where friction resists further rotation. The weight of an item aligned to the crank arm does not tilt the shelf because the force is along the crank arm. If the item is laterally off center, rotation of the mounted shelf and consequent tilting of the shelf are minimized because the shelf is spaced well below the rotation axis, namely the axis of the lag bolt. Rotation is also resisted frictionally. Affixation to the tree is quick and easy due to the leverage provided by the intermediate length of the crank when rotating the lag bolt. No tools are required. The crank member can be dimensioned to fit within the contour of the planar shelf part for easy transport. A round handle receptacle can be placed upon the mounting portion and grasped when turning the crank. The support minimizes dropping of items by the hunter and thus avoids the need to descend to retrieve dropped items.

Claims

1. A convenience shelf structure to be attached to a supporting body for carrying an item, the shelf structure comprising:

a bolt member having a thread dimensioned for threading the bolt member at least part way into the supporting body by rotation of the bolt member around an elongated thread axis;

a supporting shelf having a substantially planar surface extending in at least one direction perpendicular to the thread axis, defining a shelf width, and extending in a direction parallel to the thread axis, defining a shelf depth, whereby the supporting shelf can support said item over an area encompassing the shelf width and the shelf depth when the supporting shelf is oriented substantially horizontally;

wherein one of the supporting shelf and the bolt member has a nonround external contour, and the other of the supporting shelf and the bolt member has a nonround receptacle that is complementary to said nonround external contour, and wherein the supporting shelf and the bolt member are coupleable by engaging the nonround receptacle with the external contour; and

,

wherein the bolt member comprises a mounting portion comprising a first length elongated along and substantially coextensive with the thread, a intermediate length attached at one end thereof to the elongated mounting portion, the intermediate length extending perpendicularly from the mounting portion, and a coupling portion comprising one of said nonround receptacle and said external contour.

2. The shelf structure of claim 1, wherein the thread is sufficiently long to resist rotation by friction when threaded into the body.

3. The shelf structure of claim 1, wherein the mounting portion, the intermediate length and the coupling portion reside in a common plane.

6. The shelf structure of claim 3, wherein the coupling portion comprises an elongated rod having a rectilinear cross section and the supporting shelf has an elongated opening complementary to the rod and parallel to the planar surface.

7. The shelf structure of claim 6, wherein the supporting shelf comprises a channel having a rectilinear cross section extending along an underside of the supporting shelf.

8. The shelf structure of claim 3, wherein the supporting shelf further comprises a rim extending vertically upwardly and at least partly bounding a portion of the planar surface.

9. The shelf structure of claim 8, wherein the rim protrudes upwardly around a perimeter of the planar surface.

4. A convenience shelf structure to be attached to a supporting body for carrying an item, the shelf structure comprising:

a bolt member having a thread dimensioned for threading the bolt member at least part way into the supporting body by rotation of the bolt member around an elongated thread axis;

a supporting shelf having a substantially planar surface extending in at least one direction perpendicular to the thread axis, defining a shelf width, and extending in a direction parallel to the thread axis, defining a shelf depth, whereby the supporting shelf can support said item over an area encompassing the shelf width and the shelf depth when the supporting shelf is oriented substantially horizontally;

wherein one of the supporting shelf and the bolt member has a nonround external contour, and the other of the supporting shelf and the bolt member has a nonround receptacle that is complementary to said nonround external contour, and wherein the supporting shelf and the bolt member are coupleable by engaging the nonround receptacle with the external contour;

wherein the mounting portion, the intermediate length and the coupling portion reside in a common plane; and

,

wherein the coupling portion is elongated along an axis perpendicular to the intermediate length and parallel to the mounting portion.

5. A convenience shelf structure to be attached to a supporting body for carrying an item, the shelf structure comprising:

a bolt member having a thread dimensioned for threading the bolt member at least part way into the supporting body by rotation of the bolt member around an elongated thread axis;

a supporting shelf having a substantially planar surface extending in at least one direction perpendicular to the thread axis, defining a shelf width, and extending in a direction parallel to the thread axis, defining a shelf depth, whereby the supporting shelf can support said item over an area encompassing the shelf width and the shelf depth when the supporting shelf is oriented substantially horizontally;

wherein one of the supporting shelf and the bolt member has a nonround external contour, and the other of the supporting shelf and the bolt member has a nonround receptacle that is complementary to said nonround external contour, and wherein the supporting shelf and the bolt member are coupleable by engaging the nonround receptacle with the external contour;

wherein the mounting portion, the intermediate length and the coupling portion reside in a common plane; and

,

wherein the coupling portion and the mounting portion are elongated on parallel axes and extend in opposite directions at opposite ends of the mounting portion.

10. In combination, a hunter'"'"'s tree stand and a supporting shelf for carrying items accessible to an occupant of the tree stand, comprising:

said tree stand having a structure attachable to a trunk of a tree at an elevation above ground elevation and a structure on which a hunter can be supported above said ground elevation;

a shelf structure attachable to the tree trunk within reach of said structure on which the hunter can be supported, the shelf structure comprising a bolt member having a thread dimensioned for threading the bolt member at least part way into the trunk by rotation of the bolt member around an elongated thread axis, a supporting shelf having a substantially planar surface extending in mutually perpendicular directions perpendicular to the thread axis, thereby defining a shelf width and shelf depth sufficient to support an item, and a nonround receptacle extending parallel to the planar surface, said bolt member comprising a mounting portion defining a first length elongated along and substantially coextensive with the thread, a intermediate length attached at one end thereof to the elongated mounting portion, the intermediate length extending perpendicularly from the mounting portion, and a coupling portion comprising one of said nonround receptacle and said external contour;

whereby the mounting portion can be threaded into the trunk using the intermediate length as a radial crank arm and the coupling portion as a handle, whereupon the supporting shelf is received on the coupling portion and held at an orientation that is fixed relative to the intermediate length.

11. The combination of claim 10, wherein the coupling portion has a substantially square cross section, the thread on the mounting portion tapers to define a lag bolt, and wherein the coupling portion, intermediate length and mounting portion are integral parts of a single metal piece.

12. A shelf structure for supporting items on a horizontal surface within reach of an occupant supported in a tree independently of said shelf, the shelf structure comprising:

a bolt member having a threaded portion for threading the bolt member into the tree along a thread axis, a coupling portion with a non-round contour elongated in a direction parallel to the thread axis and extending in a direction opposite from the thread axis, and an intermediate portion between the bolt member and the threaded portion;

a supporting shelf having a substantially planar surface extending in mutually perpendicular directions in a plane parallel to the thread axis, thereby defining a shelf width and shelf depth to support an item, and a nonround receptacle elongated in a direction parallel to the planar surface, the nonround receptacle being complementary with the non-round contour of the coupling portion of the bolt member so as to fix the shelf nonrotatably on the bolt member and hold the planar surface horizontal when the bolt member is threaded into the tree.

13. The shelf structure of claim 12, wherein the intermediate portion is perpendicular to the thread axis and the perpendicular to the coupling portion, the intermediate portion spacing the coupling portion from the thread axis and permitting operation of the bolt member as a crank when threading the bolt member into the tree.

14. The shelf structure of claim 12, further comprising a peripheral rim extending vertically upwardly and bounding a periphery of the planar surface at least on a side opposite from the tree.