GLUELESS JOINING DEVICES FOR INTERLOCKING WITH HOLLOW SHAFTS
A glueless shaft joining system, apparatus and method are disclosed. An expandable insert, half-out insert or outsert is disposable at least partially into the inside of the shaft of an arrow or other tubular member such as a golf club shaft. A set screw can be tightened to expand finger elements to lock the insert and arrowhead attached thereto in place. Alternatively, a screw can lengthwise contract base and wedge elements along contacting portions of respective ramp portions, thereby expanding the effective outside diameter of the device inside of the shaft to lock it into place. In either case, a component, such as a broad head, can be aligned, removed or indexed as desired.
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This application claims the benefit of priority based on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/583,032 filed on Jan. 4, 2012 and U.S. Provisional Application 61/609,892 filed on Mar. 12, 2012, which are both hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
FIELDThe present invention relates to tubular members, such as arrow shafts and golf clubs, and more particularly, to glueless joining mechanisms, systems and methods for joining shaft portions, securing broad heads, field tips, nocks, fletching systems and other devices to a hollow shaft.
BACKGROUNDCertain conventional arrow shafts, and particularly relatively small diameter (e.g., 0.204″ and 0.165″ inside diameter) shafts, require shaft inserts to be placed inside of the arrow shaft to allow for attachment of a the arrow head, field point, nocks and fletching systems. Conventional inserts, such as that discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,115,055, require that the insert be glued into the shaft. Thus, the insert, whether fully inside, half-out or outsert configuration, cannot be removed from the shaft or adjusted if necessary. This is disadvantageous because sometimes the arrow head must be changed. It is unlikely that the blades of the replacement head will properly align with the vanes of the arrow, which is desired for optimal flight performance. Also, the shaft of the arrow as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,115,055 requires preparation in the form of beveling the opening before receiving the broadhead. The beveling operation weakens the shaft, is inconvenient and may impede performance if imprecisely performed. Thus there is a need to provide for an improved arrow insert system, device and method that addresses, at least in part, the shortcomings of the conventional arrow inserts. Many of these same drawbacks also apply to other situations where an item needs to be joined to a hollow shaft, such as with golf clubs.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure teaches various example embodiments that address certain disadvantages in the prior art. A glueless shaft joining system, apparatus and method are disclosed. An expandable insert, half-out insert or outsert is disposable at least partially into the inside of the shaft of an arrow or other tubular member such as a golf club shaft.
A glueless shaft joining system, apparatus and method are disclosed. An expandable insert, half-out insert or outsert is disposable at least partially into the inside of the shaft of an arrow or other tubular member such as a golf club shaft. In one embodiment, a set screw can be tightened to expand finger elements to lock the insert and arrowhead attached thereto in place. Alternatively, a screw can lengthwise contract base and wedge elements along contacting portions of respective ramp portions, thereby expanding the effective outside diameter of the device inside of the shaft to lock it into place. In either case, a component, such as a broad head, can be aligned, removed or indexed as desired.
The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. It is understood that the features mentioned hereinbefore and those to be commented on hereinafter may be used not only in the specified combinations, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular example embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONIn the following description, the present invention will be explained with reference to example embodiments thereof. However, these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific environment, applications or particular implementations described in these example embodiments. Therefore, description of these example embodiments is only for purpose of illustration rather than limitation. It should be appreciated that, in the following example embodiments and the attached drawings, elements unrelated to the present invention are omitted from depiction; and dimensional relationships among individual elements in the attached drawings are illustrated only for ease of understanding, but not to limit the actual scale.
In this description the terms “insert”, “half-out insert” and “outsert” will be used. An “insert” refers to a component configured to be fully contained within a shaft except for a flanged portion on one end, if present, that may protrude beyond the end of the shaft in which the insert is located. A “half-out insert” is an insert configured to be partially contained within the arrow shaft, but having a significant portion extending outside of the arrow shaft, wherein the receiving portion defined in the insert extends partially inward of the arrow shaft end. In an “outsert”, the receiving portion is maintained entirely outside of the end of the arrow shaft, though a locking mechanism portion may be located inside or outside of the arrow shaft. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various interlocking mechanisms disclosed herein can be configured as full inserts, half-out inserts and outserts, even if not explicitly described as such, without departing from the scope of the invention.
Referring to
Referring now to
The various physical features of the expandable insert element 102 can be seen in
The various physical features of the receiving element 106 can be seen in
The various physical features of the beveled spacer 104 can be seen in
And the various physical features of the tapered set screw can be seen in
The smooth tapered portion 135 of the set screw can be solid or hollow depending on the desired weight of the component. The set screw example shown includes a hollow portion 139 extending through the component. This results in a lighter component compared to a solid piece.
In use, the tapered surface 135 of the set screw 108 pushes outwardly against the corresponding tapered inner surface 117 of the expandable insert element 102 as the set screw travels through the threaded portion 113 from the non-expandable end 105 to the expandable end 103. The farther that the set screw travels towards the expandable end 103, the greater the extend of the outward deflection of the finger elements 109. The depth of the threaded portion 113 in the expandable insert element 102 can be defined to ensure that the set screw will not travel so far that the resulting expansion ruptures or damages the shaft. The user can also be provided with a safe maximum torque rating for a given shaft so that the shaft is not damaged or ruptured. The user can utilize a commercially available torque wrench to measure the torque applied.
Referring to
This preceding configuration is particularly adapted to micro arrow diameter shafts, which ordinarily require specialized arrow heads adapted to fit the narrow inside diameter (e.g. 0.165 to 0.204 inches) of the shaft. The embodiment of
The outer diameter of the female receiving portion 124 can also be slightly larger than the outside diameter of the shaft 119. In such embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, the shoulder portion 122 can extend back over the interlocking portion to define a collar portion and a recess to receive a portion of the end of the shaft 119. In such configuration, the collar extends over the outer diameter of the shaft to capture the shaft by the internal expansion generated by the finger elements expanding in response to the set screw, while the outer collar portion stops further expansion of the shaft. This configuration helps prevent fracture or splitting of the shaft and also ensures a rigid mating of the shaft with the insert.
Referring to
Referring to
The outer surfaces of the wedge portions 204 and 206 can be provided with stippling, knurled surface or other roughened texture to aid in gripping the inside surface of the shaft to which it mates.
An adjustable weight 208 and retention screw 210 are disposable in the end of the outermost wedge portion 206 so that the user can selectively adjust arrow weight. An adjustment screw 212 (shown in
In use, referring to
An additional aspect of certain embodiments is the collar extension 218, shown in
As explained previously, this configuration shown in
The outsert according to the various aspects in the embodiments of
Another configuration of a shaft joining system is shown in
As explained herein the mechanical locking devices according to the various embodiments described herein can be configured and used as an alternative to threaded engagements between two components.
The mechanical locking device, system and method of the invention can further be used to attach external fletching components such as those from NUFLETCH. The mechanical interlocking device in such device replaces the 8-32 threads, thereby eliminating the need for a female 8-32 threaded insert. The product weight would thus be substantially reduced.
The various embodiments herein can use 8-32 thread configurations that are common in the archery industry. However, 6-40 threading configuration can also be used, or other threading configurations can be used, without departing from the scope of the invention.
The arrow insert according to certain embodiments provides certain advantages over conventional inserts. One such advantage is that no glue is needed to retain the insert inside of the arrow shaft. Arrow shafts are expensive and the conventional shafts must be glued in place with epoxy. Only after the epoxy has set (about 24 hours) can the assembled arrows be used. The present invention takes only seconds to install in a shaft and be ready to shoot.
Inserts that are glued in place are considered a onetime use. In contrast, the inserts of the present invention allow the user to reuse the insert over and over again.
With conventional inserts, the tool that is provided to set the internal insert in place is plastic and does not allow the user to align or “index” the arrow vanes to the blades on the broadhead. Also, this tool can allow a small amount of epoxy to coat the inside of the arrow during the installation process. A very small amount of glue can render the arrow unusable as the inside diameter of the arrow shaft is typically 0.204″ and the shank on most broadheads is 0.202″.
An advantage of certain embodiments of the present invention is the elimination of the conventional bevel tool and beveling operation needed for conventional inserts. With conventional inserts, once the arrow has been cut to length, the inside diameter of the arrow shaft must be beveled to match the radius of the broadhead (typically 0.020″). A small stone grinding tool it typically provided to apply the bevel. In contrast, the present invention allows the field point, arrow head or fletching system to make contact with the beveled section of the present invention.
Alternatively, a beveled spacer can be used to eliminate the need to grind the inside diameter of the arrow shaft. The spacer has the required radius (e.g., 0.020″) formed into the part and provides a more accurate and stronger interface between the various arrow components. The beveled spacer can also be color coded to indicate the appropriate yardage (if laser broadheads are used) or to indicate the classification of the arrow. The color coding can be provided by the user using an indelible marker (color of the end user's choice) or can be embedded in the material or coated on the material forming spacer.
An advantage of all embodiments is the ability to index the arrow head. It is very desirable to align the blades of the broadhead to the vanes of the arrow shaft as indicated previously. Alignment provides better flight characteristics and repeatable results between many different arrows (tighter arrow groups). Because the conventional inserts are glued into place, the user will have to index the broadhead to the arrow shaft at the time that the insert is installed. Once the insert and broadhead are glued into place, the two parts are a matched set. If the arrow or broadhead is damaged, it will be nearly impossible to obtain another broadhead to match the same indexed position as the original (onetime use). The present invention, however, allows the end user to reuse the insert (reset the index position) as described herein, so the arrow can be used on multiple broadheads (reusable instead of a onetime use).
The various features of the embodiments described herein can be combined to form additional embodiments not specifically described herein. For example, the wedge interlocking mechanism of
The various components of the arrow inserts, half-out inserts, and outserts described herein can be formed from a variety of materials without departing from the scope of the invention. In one embodiment, the components are a metal such as aluminum or magnesium. In another example embodiment one or more components are plastic or a composite.
The present invention can also be used in with a laser broadhead as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,251,845 and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/273,932. Both of the above-listed U.S. patent and application and U.S. Pat. No. 7,115,055 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Various embodiments of the present invention can also be used in conjunction with the electronic archery sighting system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,286,871, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical contents and inventive features thereof. People skilled in this field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements based on the disclosures and suggestions of the invention as described without departing from the characteristics thereof. For example, the invention is also applicable to cross bows, bowfishing, sling bow fishing/hunting, spear fishing guns and other projectiles that would benefit from a laser aiming pointed tip. Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially been covered in the following claims as appended.
Claims
1. A glueless interlocking mechanism for shafts having a hollow inside diameter, the mechanism comprising:
- a base portion, the base portion defining a first outside diameter, the base portion including a first tapered ramp portion adjacent a first end and a hollow channel therethrough from end to end;
- a wedge portion, the wedge portion having an outside diameter no greater than the first outside diameter, the wedge portion including a second tapered ramp portion adjacent a first end and a hollow threaded recess defined inwards of the ramp portion; and
- an adjustment screw insertable through the hollow portion of the base portion and threadable into the threaded portion of the wedge portion;
- wherein turning the adjustment screw in a retraction direction causes base portion and wedge portions to move towards one another so that the second tapered ramp portion of the wedge portion slides along the first tapered ramp portion of the base portion to define an interlocking diameter that is greater than the first diameter.
2. The mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a weight disposed on an end of the wedge portion opposite the ramp portion.
3. The mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a female receiving portion disposed on an end of the base portion opposite the first tapered ramp portion.
4. The mechanism of claim 3, wherein the female receiving portion defines a recess therein to receive a portion of the shaft, and a collar portion configured to extend over an outside diameter of the shaft when the portion of the shaft is disposed in the recess.
5. The mechanism of claim 3, wherein the female receiving portion defines a hollow threaded portion extending outwardly opposite the base portion.
6. The mechanism of claim 5, wherein the threaded portion of the female receiving portion defines an inside diameter in the range of 0.165 inches to 0.204 inches.
7. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the hollow inside diameter of the shaft is in the range of 0.165 inches to 0.204 inches.
8. A method of removably interlocking an arrow component to an arrow shaft, the method comprising:
- inserting an adjustment screw through a base via a first end thereof so that the adjustment screw extends beyond a second end thereof;
- inserting the adjustment screw into a first end of a wedge;
- turning the adjustment screw to move the wedge towards the base, thereby sliding a portion of a tapered ramp portion of the wedge along a respective tapered ramp portion of the base, which causes the wedge and base portions to laterally separate with respect to one another.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
- defining a threaded advancement depth within the base; and
- preventing further turning of the adjustment screw to move the wedge towards the base when the advancement depth is reached.
10. The method of claim 8, further comprising securing a broadhead to the base by threading a post portion of the broadhead into a female threaded receiving portion of the base.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the broadhead includes an electrical circuit and a battery.
12. The method of claim 8, further comprising securing an arrow nock to the base by threading a post portion of the nock into a female threaded receiving portion of the base.
13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
- inserting the wedge and a portion of the base into a hollow portion of an arrow shaft; and
- turning the adjustment screw until the base is secured to the arrow shaft.
14. A glueless shaft interlocking mechanism for shafts having a hollow interior, comprising:
- a base insertable into the hollow interior of the shaft, the base including a threaded first end, a second end, and a plurality of flexible fingers separated by a slot defined between adjacent fingers and the slots extending inwards from the second end, the base having a hollow interior, the interior including a threaded portion; and
- a set screw insertable into the hollow interior of the base, the set screw comprising a threaded portion and a tapered portion,
- wherein the tapered portion of the set screw is configured to deflect the finger portions laterally outwardly as the set screw is advanced through at least a part of the threaded portion.
15. The mechanism of claim 14, wherein the interior of the base includes a non-threaded portion disposed between the threaded portion and the second end, the non-threaded portion configured to prevent advancement of the set screw in a direction that deflects the finger portions laterally outwardly.
16. The mechanism of claim 14, further comprising a receiving element securable to the base, the receiving element including a threaded shaft portion adjacent to a first end that is engageable with the threaded interior portion of the base, and an opposing adaptor end portion configured to receive a component to be interlocked with the hollow shaft.
17. The mechanism of claim 14, wherein the set screw is integral with a first end portion of a receiving element, the receiving element comprising an opposing threaded adaptor second end portion.
18. The mechanism of claim 14, wherein the base is configured as a half-out insert.
19. The mechanism of claim 14, wherein the base is configured as an outsert.
20. The mechanism of claim 14, wherein the base is configured as a male post insert.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 22, 2012
Publication Date: Jul 4, 2013
Applicant: Clean-Shot Archery, Inc. (Kent, WA)
Inventor: Clean-Shot Archery, Inc. (Kent, WA)
Application Number: 13/726,063
International Classification: F16B 29/00 (20060101);