US2435083A - Decoy - Google Patents

Description

DECOY Filed Dec. 16, 1944 INVENTOR. W114. /AM P. JOHNJON firroremsv;

Patented Jan. 27, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DECOY William. R-.. J ohnson, Seattle Wash.

Application December 16, 1944, Serial No: 568,444

I This invention relates to improvements in decoy ducks, or the like, for example, to decoys as used by hunters and sportsmen, anddesigned to be floated on a- Iahe, stream or other body of water for the purpose of attracting live fowl to that location.

More particularly, this invention relates to improvements in decoy ducksof that kind and character described and illustrated in my United States Patent No. 1,062,703, issued May 27, 1913',

which discloses a decoy duck that is made from a single piece of water treated cardboard or fiber board, cut and folded to provide a decoy body of a shape and size corresponding substantially to that of the fowl that it is to attract and within which formed body, a piece of wood or short length of board is contained or secured to give the decoy its desired floating buoyancy in the water.

Heretofore, it has been a practice to so anchor such decoys in the water that they will head into the stream or wind, and to suspend weights of suitable kind from the floating board as a means of giving the decoy a certain desired ballast that w-il} prevent the decoy from being blown over or from having too much movement due to breeze or to the waters being rough or choppy for any reason.

- One type of such decoy is now equipped with a weight or pendulum, fixed to the floating board by a stiff wire. However, it has generally been impractical and undesirable to use attached weights or pendulums of any kind to the board because of the fact that they interfere with collapsing' of the decoy for storage and packing, and also are detrimental to the stacking or storing of the board should they be removed from the decoy body for independent: storage.

In view of the above objections, and for" other reasons, it has been the principal object of this invention to provide improvements in decoys of those types? to be floated in water and made: from water treated cardboard or fiber board, and which employ a floatboarct therein, particularly in the provision of novel means giving the 8- Claims. (Cl. 43-3) conditions, keep the decoy from being blown over decoy use the required ballast without necesto provide a water retaining pocket. in the base portion of the body that will become: filled with water incident to placing the decoy inastream or on the. lake, and; cause this pocket contained water to serve as ballast: that under normal and will also prevent its bobbing around on the Water too much action when the water is rough or choppy.

It is also an obiect of the invention to provide decoys having those several features above men. tioned and. from. which the float board. may be easily and readily withdrawn for their compact assembly for packing and storage, and the" body portions: then. collapsed and stored in minimum space or carried in the pocket of the ordinary hunting coat, or which decoys may be collapsed with the: board therein to a flat package. for convenient storage in limited space.

Other objects of the invention are to bev found in the details or construction of parts of the decoy, in its: preferred form. and in various modified forms; Also' in the construction and combination of parts in use, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing these and; other objects of the invention, 1 have provided; the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawingawherein- Fig. l is a side view of a duck decoy embodying novel: features or the present invention.

Fig; 1a is; an end: view of the decoy of Fig, 1;.

Fig. 2 is: a. cross sectional View of the same, taken online 2-2 in Fig 1.

Fig- 3 is a perspective view of. the float board removed from the decoy body.

Fig. 4 is, a longitudinal, sectional View ofa decoy of an alternative. type of construction.

Fla. 51 is a cross: section taken on line 5-5 in Eigtqa Fig, 6* is a. perspective View of: the. float board of the. decoyot Fig. 4.-

Fig. '25 is a view illustrating the manner of col"- lapsing the decoy body with'float board removed therefrorm.

Fig. 8 illustrates the collapsing of the decoy body with: a float board in place therein.

Fig; 9 is: a. cross sectional: detail showing the ballast: pocket.

Referring more: in detail to: the drawings First: describing the decoy illustrated in Figs. L and 2: The decoy body com-prises a single piece or water treated or water resistant fiber board or cardboard, or it may be other suitable sheet material that is cut to a predetermined shape and folded along spaced longitudinal lines to assume a. substantially triangular cross sectional shape as shown in- Fig. 2, with freeedgesregistered and permanently'joiued. 1

In its folded and secured condition of triangular cross sectional shape, the decoy body is open at its ends and has a rectangular base or bottom section I, and it has the two opposite side sections 2 and 2', integral therewith and folded upwardly therefrom along its opposite edges, and these opposite side parts are brought together, registered one with the other, and secured together preferably by staples 3 which are applied thereto as has been illustrated in Fig. 1. Other suitable means might likewise be used to join these edges.

It is observed in Figs. 1 and 4 that the opposite side sections 2 and 2' of the decoy body forming strip are shaped to resemble a duck in side view and preferably they would be printed, marked or' otherwise given the natural characteristics and I A stifl, upright leg 4 is affixed between the head forming portions 2a and 2a of the two side sections [and 2; this leg being held in place by the application of rivets 3 therethrough. The lower end of this leg is free and is adapted to be wedgingly engaged with the top surface of a float board and spacer 6 that is applied within the decoy body in a'horizontal position and close to the bottom section I as shown in Fig. 2, or as used in Fig. 5.

The float board 5, as used both in the decoy of Fig. 1 and that of Fig. 4, is of a definite width and definite length and when applied within the decoy body will hold the side sections-thereof spaced apart and will draw the side and bottom sections taut. The leg 4, when in place as in Fig. 2, will hold the board pressed down near the bottom section I. On its under side, the board'has cross cleats 8 and 8' fixed thereto in spaced relationship as means for holding the body section I spaced somewhat from the board, and also to define a pocket or chamber between them and 'between'the board and bottom l for holding a quantity of water as ballast.

While I have shown two cleats applied across the board, it is anticipated, as an alternative means, to provide only one cross cleat, which would be placed near the forward end of the board or forward of the longitudinal center, merely to hold the bottom section I of the decoy body spaced from the board in a manner whereby a pocket for water ballast is maintained. This water, to a certain extent, becomes a dead weight that gives steadiness to the decoy and also prevents its being easily tipped over by wind.

In another instance, it might be desired as an alternative, to provide a single, centrally located and longitudinally extended strip on the under side of the board, or, as yet another alternative, to place a central longitudinal strip between the cleats 8-8 of the board shown in Fig. 3; such a longitudinal strip being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 at l3.

Various other applications of spacing strips might be employed to define water ballast pockets underneath the board, and it will be understood that when they are water-filled, the water becomes dead weight ballast that will bring the floating decoy back to natural position on the water when tilted by wind currents, and will also be a means of preventing the decoy from being too freely actuated in the ater, particularly as caused by gusty breezes or choppy. uneven water.

As an alternative means of providing such water ballast Pockets between the float board and the bottom section of the decoy body, I provide a board attachment as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. This comprises a stiff piece of wire l5 that is applied along the under side centrally of the forward end portion of the board, and this wire is secured rotatably in place by staples or the like l6 that are driven into the board over the wire. Intermediate its ends, this length of wire is formed with an offset or eccentric crank portion [8, and at its forward end is formed into a loop l9 serving as a handle whereby the wire may be rotated. At its rearward end, the wire terminates in a laterally directed hook portion 20, which, by rotation of the wire to a position that will cause the eccentric portion to extend directly down from the board surface, will be caused to extend upwardly through a hole 22 in the board. Then, by pulling the wire forwardly, the hook will be caused to engage over the forward edge of the opening to hold the eccentric in its downward position. By rotating the wire in this manner, whereby the crank portion is turned vertically downward, as in Fig. 5, the bottom section I of the decoy body will be pressed away from the board and a pocket between them will be formed for ballast water. To collapse the wire against the board, it is only necessary to push it rearwardly, thus to disengage the hook 2B and then the wire may be rotated to place the eccentric flatly against the bottom of the board, as shown in Fig. 6.

As an alternative, such a wire might be extended the full length of the board 5, or to any desired length, and provided with two or more offset crank portions. The loop i9 at the forward end of the wire may be employed for attaching a cord as at 25 for anchoring purposes.

In use of decoys of this kind, when it is desired that they shall be collapsed, the float board or spacer may be withdrawn therefrom and one side section of the duck body pressed inwardly and folded back upon itself as shown in Fig. 7, thus permitting both sides of the body to be folded flatly down against the bottom section, or if it is desired not to remove the board, the same folding action can be accomplished, as has been shown in Fig. 8. In such folding with the board in place, more space is required for storage purposes.

To erect the decoy for use, the folded body is opened up, the board 5 inserted and the head supporting leg moved into upright position to give rigidity to the decoy and hold the board in place.

The main feature of this invention resides in the provision of means for forming and maintaining the water ballast pocket and in view of the disclosure of various ways of accomplishing this, it is not desired to confine the claims to any specific means, but to cover the invention both specifically and broadly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A decoy of the character described comprising a decoy body, open at its ends and having spaced opposite side walls joined together at their upper edges and a bottom wall connecting the side walls at their lower edges, a float disposed within the body for its functional support in water and wedged between the side walls and means for retaining the bottom wall spaced from the float to provide a water ballast retaining pocket between them.

2. A decoy of the character described comprising a water resistant strip of material, in the 3. A decoy of the character described comprising a water resistant strip of material in the form of a decoy body open at its ends and having a horizontal bottom section and opposite sides that are joined with the longitudinal edges of the bottom section and are inclined toward each other and joined together at their upper edges, and a flat plate of buoyant material removably applied within the body as a horizontal spacer for the side Walls and as a float for the .functional support of the decoy in water; said plate having cleats affixed to its under side whereby to retain the bottom section spaced from the float to define water ballast retaining space between them.

4. A decoy of the character described comprising a Water resistant strip of material in the form of a decoy body open at its ends and having a horizontal bottom section and upwardly and inwardly inclined opposite sides that are joined at their lower edges with the longitudinal edges of the bottom section, and a flat plate of buoyant material removably wedged between the side walls of the body as a horizontal spacer for the side walls and as a float for the functional support of the decoy in water; said plate having cross cleats fixed to its under side in spaced relationship in its longitudinal direction to retain the bottom section spaced from the float to define water ballast pocket between them.

5. A decoy of the character described comprising a water resistant strip of material in the form of a decoy body open at its ends and having a horizontal bottom section and upwardly and inwardly inclined opposite sides that are joined at their lower edges with the longitudinal edges of the bottom section, and a flat plate of buoyant material removably wedged between the side walls of the body as a horizontal spacer for the side walls and as a float for the functional support of the decoy in water; said plate having a" wire shaft fixed rotatably thereto on its under side and extending in its longitudinal direction, and formed with an eccentric whereby the bottom section may be held spaced from the float to define a water ballast retaining pocket between them.

6. A decoy of the character described comprising a water resistant strip of material in the form of a decoy body open at its ends and having a horizontal bottom section and opposite sides that are joined with the longitudinal edges of the bottom section, and a flat plate of buoyant material removably applied within the body as a horizontal spacer for the side walls and as a float for the functional support of the decoy in water; said plate having a wire shaft fixed rotatably thereto on its under side and extending in its longitudinal direction, and formed with an eccentric whereby the bottom section may be held spaced from the float to define a water ballast retaining pocket between them, and said wire shaft being rotatable to dispose the eccentric portion flatly against the under side of the float.

7. A decoy of the character described comprising a water resistant strip of material in the form of a decoy body open at its ends and having a horizontal bottom section and opposite sides that are joined with the longitudinal edges of the bottom section, and a flat plate of buoyant material removably applied within the body as a horizontal spacer for the side walls and as a float for the functional support of the decoy in water; said plate having a wire shaft fixed rotatably thereto on its under side and extending in its longitudinal direction, and formed with an eccentric whereby the bottom section may be held spaced from the float to define a water ballast retaining pocket between them, said Wire shaft being rotatable to dispose the eccentric portion flatly against the under side of the float, and said shaft being formed at one end with a hooklike portion adapted by longitudinal shifting of the wire shaft, to be engaged with the plate body to hold the shaft against rotation when the eccentric is in position to hold the bottom section spaced from the float.

8. A decoy of the character described comprising a water resistant strip of stifi bendable material, in the form of a decoy body having a horizontal bottom section and opposite side sections that continue from the opposite edges of the bottom section, and are joined at their top edges to form a hollow decoy body that is open at its ends and substantially of triangular cross section, a buoyant float in the form of a fiat plate, applied within the body as a horizontal spacer for the side Walls; said plate being disposed adjacent the bottom sections, means on the plate to retain the bottom section spaced therefrom and provide a water ballast retaining pocket formed between them, and a supporting leg fixed between the top edges of opposite sides of the body material and adapted to bear at its lower end against the plate to retain the body against collapse.

WILLIAM R. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 696,621 Baarsen Apr. 1, 1902 757,384 Young Apr. 12, 1904 775,545 Riggs Nov. 22, 1904 1,469,618 Bailey Oct. 2, 1923 1,598,619 Reynolds Sept. 7, 1926 1,604,615 Stoner Oct. 26, 1926 1,663,009 Johnson Mar. 20, 1928 1,697,465 Kempf Jan. 1, 1929 1,746,640 Emofi Feb. 11, 1930 2,201,164 Fox May 21, 1940

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