Decoy and decoy stand

• US 7,861,453 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DDI Corporation (TTM Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: DDI Corporation (TTM Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ladehoff, Gregory Gustav, Priest, John Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Michener; Joshua J
• Application Number:
  US11/966,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20090165353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 43/2, 43/3, 43/212, 248/156, 248/188.7, 248/188.8, 248/507, 248/508, 248/530, 248/533, 248/519, 248/523, 248/525, 248/528, 248/529, 248/539, 446/97, 446/100
• US Class Current: 43/2
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 31/06 Decoys

Abstract

A decoy has a body and a stand to support the body. In one embodiment, the stand has a least three legs which pivot between extended and collapsed positions, wherein a retainer structure releasably retains the legs in the extended positions. In another embodiment, the decoy includes an interconnect for securing the stand to the body. The interconnect snaps into connection with the body. In one embodiment, the interconnect has a pair of circumferential openings retaining the stand along the body during shipment.

Claims

1. A decoy comprising:

a decoy body; and

a stand supporting the body, the stand comprising;

a rod extending along an axis about which the body is configured to rotate;

at least three legs pivotably coupled to the rod for pivoting between an extended position and a collapsed position; and

a retainer structure coupled between the rod and in the legs, the structure releasably pivotably retaining each of the legs in the extended position, wherein the retainer structure includes a channel for each leg, each channel comprising;

a pair of walls which form a leg receiving portion and a mouth, said mouth communicates with said leg receiving portion receiving a portion of one of the at least three corresponding legs, said walls configured to resiliently flex from a first state in which the mouth has a first width less than a width of the portion of one of the at least three corresponding legs to be received through the mouth and a second state in which the mouth has a second width greater than the width of the portion of one the at least three corresponding legs to be received through the mouth.

2. The decoy of claim 1, wherein the channels are integrally formed as part of a single unitary body of one or more polymeric materials.

3. The decoy of claim 1, wherein the retainer structure includes a bore receiving the rod along the axis and wherein each of the legs extends oblique to the axis in the extended position.

4. The decoy of claim 1, wherein the body includes an opening bounded by a wall, the decoy further comprising an interconnect coupled between the body and the rod of the stand, the interconnect comprising:

a cavity receiving the rod; and

an annular groove receiving the wall of the body.

5. The decoy of claim 4, wherein the interconnect includes a pair opposite circumferential openings configured to receive the rod such that the rod extends across the cavity and through the interconnect.

6. The decoy of claim 5, wherein the interconnect is configured to resiliently flex during insertion of the wall into the groove.

7. The decoy of claim 6, wherein the interconnect includes a slit facilitating flexing of the interconnect.

8. The decoy of claim 5, wherein the interconnect includes an opening and wherein the rod further comprises a projection radially extending into the opening, wherein the opening is sized to permit rotation of the interconnect about the axis and to limit rotation of the interconnect relative to the rod to less than 360 degrees about the axis.

9. The decoy of claim 5, wherein the opening includes a keyway and wherein the interconnect comprises a key in the keyway to limit rotation of the interconnect relative to the decoy body.

10. The decoy of claim 1 further comprising at least one elastic member having a first portion coupled to the decoy body and a second portion coupled to one of the stand legs.

11. The decoy of claim 10 further comprising flexible bands coupled between each elastic member and the decoy body.

12. The decoy of claim 1 further comprising an interconnect coupled between the body and the rod of the stand, the interconnect including a cavity receiving the rod, wherein the interconnect includes an opening and wherein the rod further comprises a projection radially extending into the opening, wherein the opening is sized to permit rotation of the interconnect about the axis and to limit rotation of the interconnect relative to the rod to less than 360 degrees about the axis.

13. The decoy of claim 1 further comprising means for limiting rotation of the body about the axis of the rod.

14. The decoy of claim 1, wherein each of the channels is three sided with the mouth facing in a downward direction away from the body.

15. The decoy of claim 1 wherein the body includes:

a main portion having an opening bounded by a wall; and

a leg mount portion received within the opening and including legs extending away from the main portion.

16. The decoy of claim 15 further including an interconnect connected to the leg mount portion and receiving the rod.

17. The decoy of claim 15, wherein the leg mount portion includes an opening bounded by a wall, the decoy further comprising an interconnect coupled between the leg mount portion and the rod of the stand, the interconnect comprising:

a cavity receiving the rod; and

an annular groove receiving the wall of the leg mount portion.

18. The decoy of claim 17, wherein the interconnect is configured to resiliently flex during insertion of the wall into the groove.

19. The decoy of claim 18, wherein the interconnect includes a slit facilitating flexing of the interconnect.

20. The decoy of claim 17, wherein the interconnect includes an opening and wherein the rod further comprises a projection radially extending into the opening, wherein the opening is sized to permit rotation of the interconnect about the axis and to limit rotation of the interconnect relative to the rod to less than 360 degrees about the axis.

21. A decoy comprising:

a decoy body; and

a stand supporting the body, the stand comprising;

a rod extending along an axis about which the body is configured to rotate;

at least three legs pivotably coupled to the rod for pivoting between an extended position and a collapsed position; and

a retainer structure coupled between the rod and in the legs, the structure releasably retaining configured to releasably retain each of the legs in the extended position, wherein the retainer structure includes a channel for each leg, each channel receiving a portion of one of the at least three legs, each channel having a resilient mouth having a dimension less than a corresponding dimension of the portion that is received by the channel; and

an interconnect coupled between the body and the rod of the stand, the interconnect including a cavity receiving the rod, wherein the interconnect includes an opening and wherein the rod further comprises a projection radially extending into the opening, wherein the opening is sized to permit rotation of the interconnect about the axis and to limit rotation of the interconnect relative to the rod to less than 360 degrees about the axis.