US3512512A - Archery bow - Google Patents

Description

I P. L. WENTZ ARCHERY BOW 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14, 1967 INVENTOR. PAULL. I I ENTZ.

ATTYB.

P. L. WEN TZ ARCHERY BOW May 19,1970

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1967 H lHHHH HHHHH INVENTOR. PAUL L. WENTZ ATTYs.

United, States Patent 3,512,512 ARCHERY BOW Paul L. Wentz, 1733 N. Countyline St., Fostoria, Ohio 44830 Filed Dec. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 690,627 Int. Cl. F41b /00 US. Cl. 124-24 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An archery bow of the recurve type has an elongate member extending rearwardly from a central portion thereof to aid the archer in shooting an arrow. The elongate member has a handle at the rear end which supports the archers hand when he draws back the arrow and the bow string. The elongate member enables the archer to hold the arrow steady, to release it uniformly, and draw back the arrow a constant amount. The elongate member also tends to act as a stablilizer to dampen vibration and to eliminate arm slap. The elongate member is attached directly on the center line of the bow adjacent the arrow guide. A handle at the end of the member can be adjusted toward and away from the bow and can be pivoted to enable the archer to adjust it to his chin. The elongate member also can be folded, if desired.

This invention relates to an archery bow attachment or accessory and more particularly to an elongate supporting member which increases the accuracy of the archer.

Numerous attachments or accessories are now available for bows with the main goal being to increase the accuracy of the archer. The present invention relates to a supporting member for a bow which has a number of advantages. When the archer pulls back the bow string and arrow, he supports his hand on a handle of the elongate supporting member and thereby relieves much of the compressive force on his forward hand and arm. Consequently, the bow can be held much more steadily and accuracy is thereby increased. The supporting member also enables the string and arrow to be drawn a constant distance each time which further improves the accuracy of the archer. A small variation in the distance the arrow is drawn has a substantial eifect on the trajectory of the arrow and consequently the accuracy. Bows are usually designed to have a 28-inch draw and a variation of one inch can change the amount of pull and the force applied to the arrow by 2 /2 pounds, in the case of a 40-pound bow, for example. The elongate member also acts as a stabilizer to reduce the vibrations in the bow when the string is released. Also, the arrow is held with the hand in a constant position and is released ,more uniformly.

The elongate supporting member embodying the invention has a number of features. The supporting member is attached to the rear of the bow adjacent the arrow guide and is located directly on the center line of the bow, which is essential for a recurve bow since mounting the member on one side of the bow will produce asymmetrical forces on the bow tips and result in warping and permanent damage to the bow. The elongate member is attached to the bow so that it can be adjusted in length and can be rotated to enable the handle position to be changed. This enables the archer to adjust the handle relative to his chin to enable his hand to conform to any desired position when the arrow is in the shooting position. The elongate member also has a loop extending from the handle to further aid in supporting the archers hand and to aid in aiming the arrow, if desired. The elongate member also can be folded to lie along the bow to facilitate transportation and storage.

The elongate member can be afiixed to the bow in a number of ways, depending in part upon whether the member is to be attached to an existing bow or is to be supplied with the bow by the manufacturer.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide an elongate supporting member for a bow, particularly of the recurve type, having the advantages and features discussed above.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation of a recurve bow heaving an elongate supporting member thereon, shown folded and also shown in dotted lines in the operating position;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the recurve bow with the elongate member shown in the operating position and the bow string drawn back;

FIG. 3 is a rear view in elevation of the bow with the elongate supporting member folded down;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view in elevation of the elongate supporting member;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the member shown in FIG. 4 with the bow shown in section;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the elongate supporting member showing the handle and loop extension;

FIGS. 7-9 are further enlarged views in horizontal section showing modified means for attaching the elongate supporting members to bows; and

FIG. 10 is a view in section taken along the line 1010 of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 13, a recurve bow embodying the invention is indicated at 12 and includes a central portion 14, having a handle 16 and an arrow guide 18, and tip portions 20 and 22 which curve in the opposite direction to the central portion. Such bows can be obtained in a variety of shapes, particularly in the central portion 14, and can be of various types of construction, some of which are quite complex, particularly when employing a variety of laminations. A bow string 24 extends between the tips and lays on a center line of the 'bow which extends symmetrically between the bow tips. The bow string 24 is shown strung but undrawn in FIG. 1 and is shown drawn back in FIG. 2. An arrow 26 is fragmentarily shown in the shooting position in FIG. 2.

In accordance with the invention, an elongate supportting member 28 is attached to the back of the central portion 14 of the bow in alignment with the center line extending between the tips and adjacent the arrow guide 18. The elongate member 28 is made of a steel rod 30 which has a shallow-dish-shaped configuration to clear the arrow 26 at all portions thereof except the rear end. The steel rod 30 is inexpensive and can be bent to the desired position after being attached to the bow 12. At the rear end, the rod 30 extends downwardly in a transverse handle 32 which supports the draw hand of the archer when the bow string 24 and the arrow 26 are drawn back. As shown approximately in FIG. 5, the palm of the hand rests on the handle 32 while the forefinger and middle finger straddle the rod 30 and hold the tip of the arrow adjacent the notch therein which receives the bow string 24. The arrow 26 is frictionally held on the bow string 24 so that the archers fingers need not apply any pressure on the arrow to hold it in place. With the arrow drawn 'back, the archers draw hand substantially supports the entire arrow and bow with the forehand used primarily to position and steady the bow. With most of the usual compressive force thereby re lieved from the archers forehand and arm, the bow and arrow can be held much more steadily to increase accuracy. Further, with the draw hand on the handle 32, the

arrow is always drawn back a constant distance and a uniform force is always imparted to the arrow to maintain a constant trajectory thereof.

A loop extension 34 extends upwardly from the handle 32 beyond the rod 30 with ends suitably afiixed to the handle 32 as by soldering and with the closed end of the loop curved back-wardly slightly as shown particularly in FIG. 4. This loop extension 34 further supports the archers hand by extending between the thumb and the forefinger and provides assurance that the archers hand will always be in a particular position when supported on the handle with the arrow thus drawn back the constant distance. The loop extension also aids in sighting or aiming the bow and arrow, if desired.

As shown in FIGS. l-5, the elongate member 28 can be folded, and for this purpose the rod 30 has a thin forwardly-extending car 36 which is about half the thickness of the rod 30. A connecting and adjusting rod 38 also has a thin rearwardly-extending ear 40 which is positioned contiguously with the car 36 and is pivoted thereto by a suitable pin or rivet 42. A sleeve 44 which is slidably mounted on the rod 30 can be slid forwardly over the ears 36 and 40 when they are aligned to hold the rod 30 in a straight, operating position, as shown in FIG. 2. When the sleeve 44 is retracted, the rod 30 can then be swung downwardly to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to enable the bow to be easily carried and packed in an automobile or stored, for example.

The elongate member 28 is preferably mounted on the bow so that the handle 32 can be pivoted around the axis of the rod 30 to enable the archers hand and the handle 32 to be positioned at an angle to the vertical. This enables the supporting member 28 to accommodate the face or chin of the archer in any desired shooting position. It is also desirable to adjust the length of the supporting member 28 to enable the draw of the bow and arrow to be a particular amount. To accomplish these purposes, the connecting rod 38 of FIGS. 4 and S includes a threaded end 46 which is threadedly received in a threaded passage of a supporting tube 48. The threaded end 46 is turned into the passage in the tube 48 until the desired length of the rod 30 is achieved and the handle 32 can then be pivoted to the left or right to the position desired by the archer. A lock nut 50 is then turned against the end of the adjusting tube 48 to hold the elongate supporting member securely in position.

The supporting member 28 can be attached to the bow in several different ways. With an existing how, it is important that the central portion 14 not be unduly weakened. An attaching plate 52 in this instance accomplishes this. The mounting or attaching plate 52 includes a rear supporting plate 54 and a side stabilizing plate 56 which are afiixed to the central portion of the bow 14 by screws 58. These are spread over a sufficiently large area as not to weaken the bow. Actually, in the mounting plate 52, the force on the elongate member is applied through the supporting plate 54, and the plate 56 merely serves to stabilize the transverse position of the elongate member 28. The adjusting tube 48can be suitably affixed centrally to the supporting plate 54, as by welding, and is positioned directly on the center line of the bow extending between the tips thereof.

Other means of attaching the elongate member are shown in FIGS. 7-10. As shown in FIG. 7, :an elongate member 60, which is not foldable in this instance, has a threaded end 62 turned into a through-nut 64 and can be adjusted in length and angle as before and then held in position by a lock nut 66. The through-nut 64 is attached to the bow through a threaded stud 68 having a threaded end 70 received in the through-nut with a forward end 72 forming a wood screw which can be turned into a pre-drilled hole 74 in the bow 12.

In FIG. 8, the threaded end 62 of the elongate member 60 is turned into a threaded passage 76 in a ferrule 78 which is suitably affixed in a blind hole 80 in the central portion of the bow. This embodiment is particularly advantageous when the arrow support is supplied by a manufacturer since the central portion into which the ferrule is affixed can be made slightly thicker to accommodate the large diameter of the ferrule 78 without unduly weakening the bow. The supporting member can then be readily attached or detached.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a modified elongate member 82 has a rectangular end portion 84 which can be aflixed in a hole 86 in the bow, as with the use of epoxy resin, for example. Since the rectangular portion 84 is thin, it can be used with existing bows having relatively thin central portions to have little effect on the strength of the bow. A screw adjustment similar to that of FIG. 7 can be used, if desired.

Various modifications of the above described embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to be understood that such modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenor of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a recurve bow, at single elongate member, means attaching said elongate member to a central portion of said bow on a line between the bow tips, and at a position adjacent an arrow guide of the bow, said elongate member extending rearwardly a distance approximately equal to the desired draw of the bow and terminating in a handle extending transversely of said elongate member, said attaching means including means to enable said elongate member to rotate about its longitudinal axis to change the position of said handle by rotation thereof generally in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said elongate member.

2. The combination according to claim 1 characterized by said attaching means including threads and said elongate member having a threaded end cooperating therewith to enable said handle to be moved toward and away from said bow to change the draw of the bow.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said elongate member is curved in a shallow dish-shaped configuration to enable said member to be out of contact with an arrow throughout most of the length of said member.

4. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said elongate member is made of two pieces, means pivotally connecting adjacent ends of said pieces, and sleeve means associated with said member for encompassing said pivoted ends to hold said elongate member in a generally straight position.

5. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said attaching means includes a threaded ferrule in the central portion of said bow to receive said elongate member, said member having a threaded end.

6. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said attaching means includes a threaded stud turned into said central portion of said how, said stud having a threaded end projecting rearwardly therefrom, a through-nut on said stud, and said elongate member having a threaded end turned into said through-nut.

7. In combination with an archery bow, an elongate member, means attaching said elongate member to a central portion of said bow on a line between the bow tips, and at a position adjacent a narrow guide of the bow, said attaching means including a first plate, screw means afiixing said first plate to the back portion of said bow, an additional plate afiixed to and extending forwardly of said first plate, means afiixing said additional plate to the side of the bow opposite said arrow guide, and means aflixed to said first plate to receive said elongate member, said elongate member extending rearwardly a distance approximately equal to the desired draw of the bow and terminating in a handle extending transversely of said elongate member, said elongate member being curved in a shallow dish-shaped configuration to enable said member to be clear of said arrow throughout most of the length of said member except for a portion adjacent said handle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,815,016 12/1957 Kellogg 12423 3,015,328 1/1962 Ryder 12424 XR 6 3,176,674 4/1965 ,Smith 12423 3,238,935 3/1966 Stanaland.

FOREIGN PATENTS 26,154 1/ 1902 Great Britain.

GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner

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