Adjustable hunter seat

Abstract

The adjustable hunter seat includes independently pivotal back and seat frame members joined to a rotatable connecting member. The rotatable connecting member is supported by a stabilizing truss style base, the base being in contact with the ground when the seat is in use. A unitary padded back and seat cushion is removably disposed over the frame members. A headrest support member extends from the back frame, a headrest being attached to an end of the headrest support member. An adjustable shooting support arm extends from the seat frame. A user can swivel 360° in the seat while maintaining a substantially fixed posture. When not in use, the entire assembly is foldable into a backpack configuration.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/129,902, filed Jul. 28, 2008.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to hunter seats used by persons firing guns, shooting pictures, or the like, and more particularly, to an adjustable hunter seat with a 360° rotation feature.

2. Description of the Related Art

Hunting chairs have been used through the ages. Generally, the chairs have supporting legs, a seat, and a support arm that will support a gun, camera, or other instrument that the hunter wishes to aim at a target. Existing hunting chairs are generally made of heavy metal or wood materials, so that they will remain very stable during operation of the hunter's instruments. For example, such hunting chairs have been used on shooting ranges and at target practice areas to allow a shooter to “sight-in” the shooter's gun. While any gun can be fired while sitting on the hunting chair, the chair is most often used during the firing of rifles or other long guns.

Existing hunting chairs have not been easily transported from one area of use to another area of use. Consequently, the stable shooting chairs have generally not been used in the field when hunting animals or they have been placed in a field location and left at that location. This is due not only to the weight and bulkiness of the hunting chairs, but also because they often do not include any means for easily changing the elevation and azimuth of the gun support for a muzzle end of the gun when it is used in the field, to shoot at an animal. Moreover, it may be necessary for the hunter to quietly rotate his/her position while maintaining a relatively fixed posture.

Thus, an adjustable hunter seat solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The adjustable hunter seat includes independently pivotal back and seat frame members joined to a rotatable connecting member. The rotatable connecting member is supported by a stabilizing base, the stabilizing base being in contact with the ground when the seat is in use. A unitary padded back and seat cushion is removably disposed over the frame members. A headrest extends from the back frame. An adjustable shooting support arm extends from the seat frame. A user can swivel 360° degrees in the seat while maintaining a substantially fixed posture. When not in use, the entire assembly is foldable into a backpack configuration.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the adjustable hunter seat according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the adjustable hunter seat frame according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the unitary cushion of the adjustable hunter seat according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the adjustable hunter seat according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the adjustable hunter seat according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the adjustable hunter seat 10 has a pivotal back frame member 170, comprising longitudinal portions 17a, 17c, extending into lateral portion 17b. A seat frame member 190, comprising longitudinal sections 19a, 19c extending into lateral section 19b, is independently pivotal with respect to the back frame member 170. Both frame members are pivotally joined to a rotatable, i.e., swiveling, frame support member 21.

As most clearly shown in FIG. 2, the back frame member 170 is pivotally joined to laterally extending rear elongate member 37 of the frame support member 21. The seat frame member 190 is pivotally joined to laterally extending front elongate member 36 of the frame support member 21. A hollow tube 26 is juxtaposed against longitudinal sections 17a and 17c of back frame member 170. A cable 28 is disposed through the hollow tube 26, a first end of cable 28 being connected to cable tensioning eyelet 30. Second end of cable 28 is attached to the laterally extending front elongate member 36 of the frame support member 21. On the end of laterally extending front elongate member 36 opposing adjustment cable attachment to the elongate member 36, a back frame adjustment screw 34 is disposed through the member 36 and is threaded to cable tensioning eyelet 30. In this manner, turning of adjustment screw 34 can pay out or reel in the cable 28, which, in turn, adjusts positioning of U-tube 26, wherein the back member 170 is pivotally adjusted according to user preference.

The frame support member 21 is rotatably connected to a stabilizing pedestal base 15, the stabilizing pedestal base 15 being in contact with the ground when the seat 10 is in use. The pedestal base 15 comprises a central plate 39 from which 4 cylindrical elongate members 42a and 4 rectangular elongate members 42b radially extend. Base peripheral members 40 interconnect radial ends of elongate base members 42a, 42b to create an octagonal lattice forming support trusses 460. Each truss is capable of contact with the ground or other support surface and bears a portion of the load of the adjustable hunter seat over a 45° angle, the totality of trusses 460 evenly distributing the weight of the seat over 360° of contact with the support surface.

A headrest 20 extends from the back frame 170 via headrest support member 24, the headrest support member 24 being slidably engaged through apertures in lateral back frame member 17b.

Elongate U-shaped shooting support arm 44 slidably extends from the seat frame 190, the shooting support arm 44 being height adjustable with respect to the seat frame 190. A gun rest 18 is adjustably mounted atop the gun rest attachment member 44 via attachment member extension 46 and pivot joint 48. Pivot joint 48 allows side-to-side rotation of the gun rest 18 responsive to a user's side-to-side positioning (azimuth adjustment) of an object resting in the gun rest 18.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2, a unitary padded back and seat cushion 14 is removably disposed over the frame members 170, 190. Unitary back and seat cushion 14 has an upper lateral pocket 11a that fits over the lateral portion 17b of back member 170 and a lower lateral pocket 11b that fits over the lateral portion 19b of seat member 190. Adjustable straps 12a extend from upper lateral sides of cushion 14. Adjustable strap mating clips 12b extend from lower lateral sides of cushion 14. When the straps 12a are mated to the clips 12b a user can pivotally adjust seat frame member 190 by paying out straps 12a or cinching up straps 12a. A carrying handle 22 is disposed on upper end of the cushion 14. Head rest sleeve 16a extends from upper portion of the cushion 14. Gun rest sleeve 16b extends from lower portion of the cushion 14. The sleeves 16a and 16b can fit over the head rest support member 24 and the gun rest support member 44, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, backpack straps 300 are disposed on the upper lateral portion of cushion 14.

A user can swivel 360° degrees in the seat while maintaining a substantially fixed posture. When not in use, the entire assembly is foldable into a backpack configuration by pivoting back frame member 170 and seat frame member 190 into the positions shown in FIGS. 4-5. FIGS. 4 and 5 show the back and front view of the backpack configuration. As shown in FIG. 4, a bright orange safety disk 400 is disposed over a hub portion of pedestal base 15. The safety disk 400 functions to inform observers that the wearer of device 10 is not a target.

Ends of storage webbing 402 are disposed on respective longitudinal seat support members 19a and 19c, the storage webbing abutting against gun rest support member 44, which, in turn, contacts base member 40 to secure the device 10 in the backpack configuration for ease of user transport.

Ends of storage webbing 502 are disposed on respective longitudinal back support members 17a and 17c, the storage webbing abutting against head rest support member 24 to securely store the head rest support member 24 for ease of user transport.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable hunter seat, comprising:

back and seat frame members;

a pedestal base having a plurality of radially extending members and a plurality of circumferentially connecting members joining the radially extending members, the pedestal base selectively engaging the ground;

a frame support member rotatably attached to the pedestal base, the back and seat frame members each independently having a pivotal connection with the frame support member, the back frame member adjustably swinging about a back support axis of the frame support member, the seat frame member adjustably swinging about a seat support axis of the frame support member;

a unitary back and seat cushion;

means removably mounting the unitary back and seat cushion to the back and seat frame members, respectively;

a gun rest attachment member having a portion connected to the seat frame member, the gun rest attachment member being height adjustable with respect to the seat frame member;

a gun rest adjustable mounted to the gun rest attachment member, the gun rest rotatably moving in azimuth according to user positioning of an object resting in the gun rest;

a head rest support member attached to the back support member; and

a head rest extending from the head rest support member.

2. The adjustable hunter seat according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hollow tube juxtaposed against longitudinal sections of the back frame member;

a cable tensioning eyelet;

a cable extending through the hollow tube, the cable having a first end connected to the cable tensioning eyelet and a second end attached to a laterally extending front elongate portion of the frame support member;

a back frame adjustment screw disposed on the frame support member and threaded to the cable tensioning eyelet, turning of the adjustment screw paying out or reeling in the cable wherein the back member is pivotally adjusted according to user preference.

3. The adjustable hunter seat according to claim 1, wherein said pedestal base radially extending members and said circumferentially connecting members form an octagonal lattice of support trusses, thereby stabilizing the base on a support surface.

4. The adjustable hunter seat according to claim 1, further comprising:

adjustable straps extending from upper lateral sides of said back cushion;

adjustable strap mating clips extending from lower lateral sides of said back cushion; and

wherein when the straps are mated to the clips the seat frame member is pivotally adjusted by paying out strap material or cinching up strap material.

5. The adjustable hunter seat according to claim 1, further comprising a carrying handle disposed on an upper end of the back cushion.

6. The adjustable hunter seat according to claim 1, further comprising:

a head rest sleeve extending from an upper portion of the back cushion; and

a gun rest sleeve extending from a lower portion of the back cushion;

wherein the sleeves removably fit over the head rest support member and the gun rest support member, respectively.

7. The adjustable hunter seat according to claim 1, further comprising a bright orange safety disk disposed over a hub portion of pedestal base.

8. The adjustable hunter seat according to claim 1, further comprising storage webbing disposed on longitudinal seat support members, the storage webbing abutting against said gun rest support member, which, in turn, contacts said base member, thereby securing the adjustable hunter seat in a backpack configuration for ease of user transport.