Blade opening arrowhead
A blade opening arrowhead having an actuator moveably mounted with respect to a blade carrying body. The actuator can move each blade between a closed position and an opened position. During flight, the blade is in the closed position. Upon target penetration, for example, the actuator moves the blade into the opened position.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a blade opening arrowhead having an actuator that can operate one or more movable blades, each between a closed or in-flight position and an opened or cutting position.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Many conventional arrowheads have blades that remain in a closed position during an arrow flight and then are opened upon contact with a target. Some known arrowheads use a target material to provide resistance and thus force open or move each blade from the closed position to the opened position. For example, Mizek, U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,676 teaches a blade opening arrowhead.
Many conventional arrowheads require relatively large portions of the blade to stick out or extend beyond an outer surface of a ferrule or a blade body, so that the blades open upon impact rather than the blades not opening upon impact and passing through the target in the closed position. In many arrowheads, having relatively large portions of the blade exposed during flight results in undesirable aerodynamic steering of the arrowhead.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is one object of this invention to provide an actuator that moves a blade from a closed position to an opened position.
It is another object of this invention to provide an actuator that will open moveable blades upon contact or impact with a target material.
An arrowhead, according to this invention, can be used to move blades between a closed position and an opened position. In some embodiments of this invention, the arrowhead has a blade carrying body. An actuator is moveably mounted with respect to the body. At least one blade, preferably two or more blades, each can pivot about a pivot axis which is fixed with respect to the actuator, even when the actuator moves with respect to the body and causes a further movement of the blade with respect to the body.
In some embodiments of this invention, when in a forward position, the actuator moves each blade into the closed position, and when in a rearward position, the actuator moves each blade into the opened position. For example, the actuator can be any suitable body or other structure that interferes with or contacts target material upon and after impact of the arrowhead with the target material.
In some embodiments according to this invention, the actuator is slideably mounted within a channel of the blade carrying body. At least a portion of the actuator interferes with or contacts the target material and moves each blade from the closed position to the opened position as the arrowhead impacts and moves through the target material. The actuator moves the blade from the closed position to the opened position upon impact, to better cut the target material.
The above and other features and objects of this invention are better understood from the following detailed description is taken in view of the drawings wherein:
Increasing cutting diameter 22 by moving blade 40 from the closed position to the opened position just before, after and/or simultaneously with target impact and/or penetration can provide arrowhead 20 with both relatively good in-flight characteristics and relatively good cutting characteristics, particularly when each blade 40 is opened to cutting diameter 22 as shown in
In certain embodiments of this invention, actuator 50 is moveably mounted with respect to blade carrying body or body 30. As shown in
In other embodiments according to this invention, actuator 50 can be connected and/or operated mechanically, magnetically, electrically and/or in any other suitable manner to allow movement of actuator 50 with respect to body 30 and/or blade 40.
As shown in
As shown in
As arrowhead 20 impacts a target or other similar structure or body, the portion of actuator 50 that extends outward and away from external surface 34 can be used to transfer impact forces into actuator 50, for example to move actuator 50 from the position shown in
As shown in
As shown between
As shown in
The embodiment in
As shown in
The different components of this invention can be made from any suitable strong and durable material, such as aluminum, plastic and/or any composite material.
While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments, and many details are set forth for purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described in this specification and in the claims can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of this invention.
Claims
1. A blade opening arrowhead, comprising:
- a blade carrying body, an actuator movably mounted with respect to the blade carrying body, a blade movably mounted with respect to the actuator and movably mounted with respect to the blade carrying body, and a movement of the actuator with respect to the blade carrying body pivoting the blade about a pivot axis that is fixed with respect to the actuator and moving the blade with respect to the blade carrying body.
2. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is slidably mounted with respect to the blade carrying body.
3. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein the blade carrying body has a channel and at least a portion of the actuator is slidably mounted within the channel.
4. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the actuator extends outward and beyond an external surface of the blade carrying body.
5. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein during the movement of the actuator the pivot axis of the blade moves with respect to the blade carrying body.
6. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein the actuator has a plurality of actuation surfaces each extending outward and beyond an outer surface of the blade carrying body, and the actuation surfaces are equally spaced about a periphery of the blade carrying body.
7. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein as the blade opening arrowhead passes through a target material, at least a portion of the actuator contacts the target material.
8. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein movement of the actuator with respect to the blade carrying body moves the blade between a closed position and an opened position.
9. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 8, wherein a bias element releasably contacts and holds the blade in the closed position.
10. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 9, wherein a force generated by movement of the actuator overcomes a retaining force of the bias element and allows the blade to move from the closed position to the opened position.
11. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein the body forms a slot, and a portion of the blade is mounted within the slot.
12. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein the blade has a back surface that slidingly contacts a contact portion of the blade carrying body when the blade moves between the closed position and the opened position.
13. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 12, wherein the back surface is straight or curved.
14. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 12, wherein the back surface and the contact portion form a line contact with respect to each other.
15. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein a shaft connects two body portions of the actuator.
16. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein a cutting diameter of the arrowhead in the opened position is greater than in the closed position.
17. A blade opening arrowhead according to claim 1, wherein a shaft fixedly positioned with respect to the actuator or the blade pivotally mounts the blade with respect to the actuator.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 12, 2008
Publication Date: Aug 13, 2009
Inventors: Robert S. Mizek (Downers Grove, IL), Miroslav A. Simo (Riverside, IL), Gregory C. Smith (Geneva, IL)
Application Number: 12/069,729