Portable apparatus and method for creating a hunting blind
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Hunters face challenges in creating a hunting blind in environments lacking sufficient brush or cover, requiring a device that can be easily secured to trees or objects without additional tools, using either natural or artificial camouflage, and is portable.
Innovation Solution
A self-tapping brush securing apparatus with a screw and flange design, allowing users to screw the apparatus into a fixed wooden object and insert branches into recesses on the flange for camouflage, featuring a circular flange with protrusions and recesses for easy gripping and rotation, and holes for branch placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hunter carries significant quantities of equipment for creating a blind, then the camouflage effectiveness is improved, but the portability and ease of transport deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blind system is segmented into a portable securing apparatus that attaches to trees and separate brush/cover materials that are gathered from the environment. This allows the hunter to carry only the lightweight securing apparatus while obtaining camouflage material from the surrounding area, resolving the contradiction between camouflage effectiveness and equipment weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The securing apparatus acts as an intermediary between the hunter and the natural environment. Instead of carrying all camouflage materials, the apparatus enables the hunter to anchor and secure brush and cover found in the field, serving as a mediator that transforms available environmental resources into effective camouflage without requiring the hunter to transport significant quantities of material.
2Strength
If additional tools are used to secure brush to trees, then the securing strength is improved, but the ease of operation and portability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The screw and flange are merged into a single integrated securing apparatus. The flange is secured to the screw, creating a unified component that can be installed without additional tools. This merging maintains securing strength while eliminating the need for separate installation tools, thus improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The securing apparatus is designed to be self-installing without requiring additional tools. The screw can be directly driven into the tree or fixed object using only the flange as a gripping surface, and the brush is secured through the integrated holes in the flange. This self-service capability resolves the contradiction by providing both strong securing and ease of operation.
3Reliability
If a traditional blind structure is used, then the camouflage effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity and portability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The complex traditional blind structure is extracted down to its essential function: securing brush to a support object. Only the critical securing apparatus (screw and flange) is retained, while the bulk of the blind structure is replaced by using available natural brush and cover from the environment. This extraction maintains camouflage effectiveness while dramatically reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The securing apparatus is designed with universal applicability to work with various types of brush, branches, and cover materials found in different hunting environments. The flange with multiple holes and protrusions can accommodate different configurations of natural materials, providing effective camouflage without requiring a complex, environment-specific structure for each situation.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for securing brush to a fixed wooden object to create a hunting blind, the apparatus having a screw having a head and a tip at opposing ends of the screw, the head having a head diameter; and a flange secured to the screw proximate the head, the flange being substantially circular and having a top surface, a base, a flange diameter at least twice the head diameter, a plurality of protrusions situated about an outer edge of the flange, a plurality of recesses, each of the plurality of recesses being disposed about the outer edge of the flange between two of the protrusions and each of the plurality of recesses being configured to receive a user's palm, thumb, and/or fingers to rotate the apparatus, and one or more holes or indentations positioned on or adjacent to at least one of the protrusions.