Back to results
US 9,538,744 B1Granted
Kinematically accurate game bird decoy
AssigneeWiSys Technology Foundation, Inc.
InventorsTimothy John Campbell, Ronald O. T. Campbell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A game bird decoy provides for more natural kinematics by providing a smoothly articulating neck, an automatic orientation of the neck with respect to body tipping and improved dual-mode wing activation in which the wings may lift or lift and extend as a function of body angle.
Claims11
A game bird decoy comprising:
- a body element having a flexible neck element extending therefrom, the body element and flexible neck element sized and decorated to resemble a bird;
- wherein the flexible neck element includes a stack of inter-engaging neck segments extending along a neck axis, each of said neck segments pivotally attached to an adjacent neck segment of said stack of neck segments to provide a limited pivoting with respect to the adjacent neck segment to curve the neck axis;
- at least one restoring spring urging the neck segments into a resting alignment, wherein the resting alignment defines the neck axis;
- at least one tension band attached to an of said stack of neck segments upper neck segment and downwardly extending along the stack of neck segments to follow any curvature of the neck axis;
- a servo-motor receiving the tension band to apply tension to the tension band to controllably curve the flexible neck element;
- and
- an electronic computer executing a stored program to control the servo-motor to provide for controlled bending of the neck axis;
- wherein the at least one tension band further includes at least three tension bands and the servomotor includes at least two servomotors and wherein the at least three tension bands attached to the at least two servo-motors to provide for forward and left and right controlled curvature of the flexible neck element;
- wherein the restoring spring is a central spring element passing upward through the inter-engaging segments and wherein the resting alignment is a substantially straight alignment of the inter-engaging neck segments;
- further including a head element rotatable attached at a distal end of the neck element to rotate about the neck axis as actuated by second servo-motor said second servo-motor is different from the servo-motor after “a second servo-motor”;
- wherein the head element is mounted to the neck element to allow bobbing of the head element with respect to the neck axis about an axis perpendicular to the neck axis as actuated by a third servo-motor said third servo-motor is different the servo-motor and the second servo-motor.
8 more elements
A game bird decoy comprising:
- a body element having a flexible neck element extending therefrom, the body element and flexible neck element sized and decorated to resemble a bird;
- wherein the flexible neck element includes a stack of inter-engaging neck segments extending along a neck axis, each of said neck segments pivotally attached to an adjacent neck segment of said stack of neck segments to provide a limited pivoting with respect to the adjacent neck segment to curve the neck axis;
- at least one restoring spring urging the neck segments into a resting alignment wherein the resting alignment defines the neck axis;
- at least one tension band attached to an upper neck segment of said stack of neck segments and downwardly extending along the stack of neck segments to follow curvature of the neck axis;
- a servo-motor receiving the tension band to apply tension to the tension band to controllably curve the flexible neck element;
- and
- an electronic computer executing a stored program to control the servo-motor to provide for controlled bending of the neck axis,
- wherein the body element further includes at least one wing strut pivotally attached to the body element at a shoulder position proximate to the neck element and extending therefrom and actuable by a wing servo-motor;
- further including a wing control strut attached to the wing strut and operable by at least two wing servo-motors to independently operate in a first mode to elevate the wing strut without lateral extension and in a second mode to elevate and laterally extend the wing strut.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.