Portable tree stand

Claim 1

A portable collapsible stand of the type supported on a tree, pole, or other upright support and used by linemen, hunters, photographers and others who require an elevated position for various reasons such as viewing or hunting wildlife and for camouflage; said collapsible stand comprising: (a) a loadbearing platform having front and rear portions and being positioned horizontally relative to the vertical upright support, for supporting an operator thereon; (b) an outer frame surrounding said platform; the parallel side portions of said frame extending beyond and to the rear of said platform to form a pair of parallel, support-engaging legs; (c) a brace member comprised of said legs and a cross member mounted transversely between said legs in a plane substantially the same as that of said platform for abutting the upright support; said brace crossmember having a substantially arcuate shape, curved inwardly toward said platform, for engaging a portion of the circumference of the upright support; (d) a stabilizing strut pivotally mounted to the underside of said frame, the end of said strut opposite said pivotal mount including means for engaging the upright support below said platform at a point approximately in line with the horizontal mid-point of said brace; (e) a plurality of spikes for engaging the upright support; said spikes being arranged in a prescribed pattern on said cross member, each of said frame legs, and on said strut means; said spikes being substantially traingularly shaped and having flat upper and lower surfaces which join to form a sharp point for piercing the vertical support; said flat upper and lower surfaces of said spikes having a prescribed width dimension; said upper surface lying in a plane common to the plane of the upper surface of said brace and piercing said vertical support substantially at a right angle to the vertical support; said lower surface joining said upper surface at an acute angle to said upper surface; (f) tether means mounted on one of said legs for looping around the upright support and releasably attaching to the other of said legs for securing said stand to the upright support.