Reflective hunting blind

Abstract

An improved hunting blind having a mirrored outwardly facing surface and a camouflaged inwardly facing surface. The blind includes four panels that are hingedly connected together with invisible hinges for allowing the blind to be foldably compacted in the manner of an accordion for conveniently storing and transporting the blind. The top edge of the blind is formed with an irregular, zig-zag shaped contour for allowing the blind to blend in with a natural surrounding environment. When the blind is expanded and erected for use, the mirrored front surface of the blind is tilted forward. A game animal looking onto the front of the blind from a distance therefore sees only a reflection of the terrain surrounding the blind, thereby making the blind substantially indiscernible from the surrounding terrain and effectively obscuring a hunter positioned behind the blind.

1 . A collapsible hunting blind comprising:
 (a) at least first and second substantially planar panels foldably connected to one another in a side-by-side relationship, the panels having a hinge formed at lateral edges where the first panel connects to the second panel to enable expansion and collapse of the blind, and each panel having an inwardly-facing surface and a reflective outwardly-facing surface;   (b) a wave-shaped first panel top edge forms at least one peak and at least one valley that is combined with a wave-shaped second panel top edge forming at least one peak and at least one valley, the combination thereby defining a deep pocket disposed directly above the hinge connecting the first and second panels when the blind is in an operable orientation, wherein substantially half of the deep pocket is formed by the valley of the first panel and substantially half of the deep pocket is formed by the valley of the second panel so that upon collapsing of the hunting blind the reflective, outwardly-facing surface of the first panel is substantially covered and protected by the second panel's reflective, outwardly-facing surface; and   (d) the deep pocket having an open top into which a hunter can place a weapon to observe, while holding the weapon in a firing position in the pocket, and fire upon prey from behind the hunting blind while remaining substantially obscured by the hunting blind.   
     
     
         2 . The improved hunting blind in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein each of the panels is connected to an adjoining one of the panels by a hinge defined by an elongated strip of flexible material extending from adjoining edges of each adjacent pair of the panels. 
     
     
         3 . The hunting blind in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein the elongated strip of flexible material extends along a line at a deepest point of a groove formed through at least one of the surfaces of at least one of the panels, the elongated strip of flexible material thereby forming a live hinge between each pair of adjoined panels. 
     
     
         4 . The improved hunting blind in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the connected, side-by-side panels are wider at their upper ends than their lower ends, thereby causing the blind to tilt away from the hunter behind the blind is in an operable orientation extending at least partially around the hunter. 
     
     
         5 . The improved hunting blind in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein all of the connected, side-by-side panels are wider at their upper ends than their lower ends in an operable orientation. 
     
     
         6 . The improved hunting blind in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein the groove is V-shaped. 
     
     
         7 . The improved hunting blind in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein the groove has sidewalls that converge to form a floor. 
     
     
         8 . A hunting blind comprising a plurality of substantially planar sub-panels foldably connected to one another in a side-by-side relationship and formed from a single, large panel by a plurality of grooves cut partially through the thickness of the large panel along spaced lines defining lateral edges of each sub-panel, each groove forming a hinge with the uncut, thin bridge of large panel material remaining behind each groove along which each sub-panel is foldably connected to an adjacent one of the sub-panels, each sub-panel having a camouflaged inwardly-facing surface, a reflective outwardly-facing surface, and a wave-shaped top edge forming at least one peak and at least one valley that, combined with an adjacent sub-panel's at least one peak and at least one valley, in an operable configuration creates at least one pocket having an open top into which a hunter can place a weapon to observe, while holding the weapon in a firing position in the pocket, and fire upon prey from behind the hunting blind while remaining substantially obscured by the hunting blind. 
     
     
         9 . A collapsible hunting blind comprising:
 (a) a first substantially planar sub-panel foldably connected to a second substantially planar sub-panel in a side-by-side relationship;   (b) a third substantially planar sub-panel foldably connected to the second substantially planar sub-panel in a side-by-side relationship on a side of the second sub-panel opposite the first sub-panel;   (c) a fourth substantially planar sub-panel foldably connected to the third substantially planar sub-panel in a side-by-side relationship on a side of the third sub-panel opposite the second sub-panel;   (d) the combination of the first, second, third and fourth sub-panels formed from a large panel by a first groove cut partially through the thickness of the large panel along a first line between the first and second sub-panels, a second groove cut partially through the thickness of the large panel along a second line between the second and third sub-panels, and a third groove cut partially through the thickness of the large panel along a third line between the third and fourth sub-panels;   (e) the first, second and third grooves form first, second and third hinges, respectively, where an uncut, thin bridge of large panel material remains behind each of the grooves along which each sub-panel is foldably connected to adjacent sub-panels;   (f) each sub-panel has a camouflaged inwardly-facing surface and a reflective outwardly-facing surface, wherein the first and second lines are transverse and the second and third lines are transverse such that when the hunting blind is expanded and disposed in operable orientation on a ground surface the reflective, outwardly-facing surfaces of the sub-panels are angled toward the ground surface and upon collapsing of the hunting blind to a substantially planar configuration, the reflective, outwardly-facing surface of the first sub-panel abuts and is substantially covered over by the reflective, outwardly-facing surface of the second sub-panel, and the reflective, outwardly-facing surface of the third sub-panel abuts and is substantially covered over by the reflective, outwardly-facing surface of the fourth sub-panel;   (g) each sub-panel has deep recesses formed at its opposing lateral edges, wherein when the hunting blind is expanded a deep recess of the first sub-panel combines with an adjacent deep recess of the second sub-panel, another deep recess of the second sub-panel combines with an adjacent deep recess of the third sub-panel, and another deep recess of the third sub-panel combines with an adjacent deep recess of the fourth sub-panel to form first, second and third deep pockets disposed directly above the respective first, second and third hinges connecting the sub-panels, wherein the deep pockets have an open top into which a hunter can place a weapon to observe, while holding the weapon in a firing position in the deep pocket, and fire upon prey from behind the hunting blind while remaining substantially obscured by the hunting blind.   
     
     
         10 . A hunting blind comprising:
 (a) at least a first substantially planar sub-panel and a second substantially planar sub-panel, each of the sub-panels having a back surface and an opposing reflective surface, wherein the reflective surface of the first sub-panel is seated against and substantially parallel to the reflective surface of the second sub-panel; and   (b) said at least first and second sub-panels are defined by at least one groove at adjacent lateral edges of the first and second sub-panels, said at least one groove having a thin bridge of reflective surface material that extends contiguously across the first and second panels and behind said at least one groove to form a live hinge along which the first and second sub-panels are foldably connected together, wherein the first sub-panel has a wave-shaped top edge forming at least one peak and at least one valley that, when the sub-panels are opened, combines with a wave-shaped top edge forming at least one peak and at least one valley on the second sub-panel, with the combination creating at least one pocket having an open top near a top end of said at least one groove into which a hunter can place a weapon to observe, while holding the weapon in a firing position in the pocket, and fire upon prey from behind the hunting blind while remaining substantially obscured by the hunting blind.   
     
     
         11 . A method of expanding a collapsible hunting blind, the method comprising:
 (a) grasping at least a first substantially planar sub-panel with one hand, and a second substantially planar sub-panel with a second hand, each of the sub-panels having a back surface and an opposing reflective surface, wherein the reflective surface of the first sub-panel is seated against and substantially parallel to the reflective surface of the second sub-panel;   (b) pivoting said at least first and second sub-panels along a live hinge at which the first and second sub-panels are foldably connected together, wherein said live hinge is formed by a thin bridge of reflective surface material that extends contiguously across the first and second panels and behind at least one groove formed at adjacent lateral edges of the first and second sub-panels;   (b) resting bottom ends of the sub-panels on a supporting surface with a wave-shaped first sub-panel top edge forming at least one peak and at least one valley that is combined with a wave-shaped second sub-panel top edge forming at least one peak and at least one valley, the combination thereby defining a deep pocket disposed directly above the live hinge connecting the first and second panels wherein substantially half of the deep pocket is formed by the valley of the first sub-panel and substantially half of the deep pocket is formed from the valley of the second sub-panel; and   (c) placing a weapon in the deep pocket and observing, while holding the weapon in a firing position in the deep pocket, and firing upon prey from behind the hunting blind while remaining substantially obscured by the hunting blind.