Abstract: A crossbow includes an elongated frame coupled to a riser at a first end thereof and attached to an upper housing at its second end generally above the trigger region. The riser supports a pair of flexible limbs, and a bowstring extends between such limbs. A bowstring retractor is provided within the upper housing and includes a rope spool used to wind a retractor rope for retracting the bowstring. First and second spool gears surround the rope spool for rotation therewith. A spur gear mounted on a drive axle engages one of the spool gears, and a crank can be engaged with the drive axle. A pawl engages the other spool gear to prevent unintentional unwinding of the retractor rope from the rope spool. A pawl release member disengages the pawl from its associated spool gear. Drawing the bowstring beyond its full draw position also disengages the pawl.

Abstract: A crossbow includes an elongated frame coupled to a riser at a first end thereof. The riser supports a pair of flexible limbs, and a bowstring extends between such limbs. A movable bowstring release is used both to retract the bowstring into a drawn position, and to release the bowstring under the operation of a trigger assembly. The bowstring release is initially positioned near the bowstring at rest, and a bowstring hook is engaged therewith. A bowstring retractor includes a retractor rope secured to the bowstring release for retracting the bowstring. An upper housing is secured to the second end of the elongated frame, and supports a rope spool used to wind the retractor rope. The bowstring release is retracted into the upper housing proximate a trigger assembly for selectively releasing the bowstring when a user pulls a trigger.

Abstract: An archery bow having a riser, a pair of flexible limbs extending from the riser, with each limb having a rotating member on an axel secured to the end thereof. At least one of the rotating members is a cam having a module secured thereto. The module is positionable with respect to the cam by translational movement and is also positionable on the cam with an opposite face against the cam to selectively provide a desired draw length.

Abstract: A compound archery bow having a riser and first and second limbs secured to and extending from opposite ends of the riser, each limb having an axle to support a wheel or cam; the limbs have a limb tip angle measured from an unstrung or unflexed limb position to a flexed position at brace height of at least 65° and preferably 75° or more. The bow has an axle-to-axle distance percentage change from an unstrung or unflexed condition to a brace condition of at least 20%. The limbs exhibit a limb tip angle percentage change from brace height to full draw condition of 25% or less of the total limb tip change from unflexed to full draw while the limb tip measured from an unstrung condition to a flexed condition at full draw is at least 80° and preferably 100° or more.

Abstract: A riser (102) of an archery bow (100) has plurality of holes (200) at least partially through the riser for use in attaching a sight mount (114) to the bow. In one embodiment, the plurality of holes includes eighteen holes (201-218). The eighteen holes are grouped into a top group (228) and a bottom group (229). The eighteen holes include nine pairs of holes. Each pair consists of a preselected one hole from the top group and a preselected one hole from the bottom group. Each pair of holes is usable to attach a sight mount to the riser at a different vertical position on the riser. In another embodiment, the riser has a pair of vertically oriented slots (701) and (702). The abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims pursuant to 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b).

Abstract: A riser (102) of an archery bow (100) has plurality of holes (200) at least partially through the riser for use in attaching a sight mount (114) to the bow. In one embodiment, the plurality of holes includes eighteen holes (201–218). The eighteen holes are grouped into a top group (228) and a bottom group (229). The eighteen holes include nine pairs of holes. Each pair consists of a preselected one hole from the top group and a preselected one hole from the bottom group. Each pair of holes is usable to attach a sight mount to the riser at a different vertical position on the riser. In another embodiment, the riser has a pair of vertically oriented slots (701) and (702). The abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims pursuant to 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b).

Abstract: An archery compound bow having a riser to support accessories is provided with a keyway positioned at the location for attachment of a bracket to support an accessory. The bracket is also provided with a keyway; a key is positioned to nest in the respective keyways when the bracket is attached to the riser. The bracket is secured to the riser using screws or other conventional fastening means with the key extending into the keyways to position the bracket and maintain the position of the bracket on the riser.

Abstract: A single-cam compound bow (200) has two stretches (213, 214) of bowstring (212) and two stretches (227, 228) of cable (226) extending between free outer ends (207, 211) of the limbs (204, 208). A cam (217) is attached to a free outer end of one limb. One or more pulleys (320, 330) are attached to a free outer end of another limb. In one embodiment, the one or more pulleys attached to the free outer end of the other limb include one or more mechanical pulleys (1002, 1202, 1203). One end of cable is attached to sides (435, 436) of a fork (215) at the free outer end of the limb having the cam.

Abstract: Apparatus for adjusting the vertical placement of a bow sight on an archery bow is provided with a belt extending over a drive pulley and an idler pulley. A sight mount is secured to the belt for movement therewith between the pulleys and a sight is attached to the sight mount. A sight adjustor lock locks the sight in position by preventing rotation of the drive pulley.

Abstract: One end of a cable guard for an archery bow is received in a bore in the bow riser. The bore is substantially parallel to the plane of the drawstring. A hole in the riser transverse to the plane of the drawstring houses two clamp members in engagement with the end portion of the cable guard. A bolt extending through one clamp member and threadably received in the other clamp member draws the clamp members toward each other to frictionally clamp the cable guard in place.

Abstract: A bow limb includes an elongated member having a plurality of strands of glass fiber extending longitudinally within the member and a reinforcing sheet adjacent a major surface of the member, preferably the convex surface of the limb when the limb is flexed. The sheet includes a plurality of carbon fibers that are either unidirectional or bi-directional and, if bi-directional, are woven with the warp of the fibers at an angle to the length of the limb. The angle is adjusted to control the characteristics of the limb.

Abstract: A limb pocket is provided with a plurality of plastic inserts located about the interior of the pocket for receiving the butt of a limb. The interior width of the pocket is greater than the width of the butt of the limb and the inserts reduce the interior width of the pocket to less than the width of the limb butt. The inserts are tapered and slightly resilient to assure a close fit between the pocket and the limb. The end wall of the pocket optionally includes inserts for separating the end of the limb from the end wall of the pocket. The walls and floor of the pocket include shallow recesses for locating the inserts.

Abstract: In an archery bow, variations in the alignment between the limbs and the handle due to manufacturing tolerances or the preferences of an archer are accommodated with a laterally adjustable limb pocket having an elongated feature extending across the pocket. The feature permits at least a portion of the pocket to move from side to side on the handle. The feature is a ridge having a dovetail cross-section for engaging a dovetail slot in the end of the handle. Alternatively, the feature is a hole elongated in a side to side direction across the pocket. The hole receives an internally threaded bushing for locating the pocket while permitting rotation of the pocket about a pivot. For a pair of holes elongated in a side to side direction, the position of the pocket relative to the handle is controlled either by opposed setscrews or by an adjustment screw threaded into the handle.

Abstract: The grip for an archery bow is attached to the handle of the bow and can translate (move from side to side) and tilt. The grip is attached to the handle by two screws engaging threaded inserts screwed into the handle. The position of the threaded inserts in the handle determines the side to side position of the grip. The screws pass through elongated slots in one side of the grip, with the slots elongated in different directions, thus enabling one to adjust the tilt of the grip relative to the handle. The threaded inserts are preferably held in position by locking inserts engaging the threaded inserts within the handle.

Abstract: The fork in the limb of a compound archery bow is reinforced with a collar having a flange for stiffening the collar and fitting within the fork. The flange is glued to the inside of the fork to strengthen the joint between the rest of the collar and the fork. A hole in a limb is reinforced with a cylindrical flange having an annular disk extending over a major surface of the limb. Both the cylindrical flange and the disk are glued to the limb.

Abstract: Manufacturing a handle for an archery bow is simplified by extruding a strip having the side to side cross-sectional shape of the handle, cutting the strip into blanks, and machining each blank according to the front to rear outline desired for each handle. Many differently shaped handles can be made from the same shape blanks.

Abstract: The limb in each pocket of a compound archery bow is separated from the pocket by a free-floating pivot having tabs at each end extending between the limb and the pocket and by an end cap separating the end of the limb from the pocket. A flange on the end cap extends past the inside surface of the limb to prevent the limb from being overtightened by contact with the inside of the limb pocket when the limb bolt is overtightened.

Abstract: .[.An archery.]. .Iadd.A .Iaddend.bow handle .[.or riser, in which the riser.]. is .[.cut out sufficiently.]. .Iadd.shaped .Iaddend.to permit a broad head arrow.[.head.]. to pass rearwardly of the hand grip .[.section,.]. and.Iadd., .Iaddend.upon release of the arrow, to avoid interference with the .[.riser.]. .Iadd.handle .Iaddend.by both the broad head point .[.as well as.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.the vanes .[.at the rear portion.]. of the arrow .[.is disclosed.].. .[.Provision is made beneath the riser sight window.]. .Iadd.An .Iaddend.offset .[.to mount an arrow rest, which may interlock into a cutout, and which extends.]. .Iadd.in the window of the handle is displaced .Iaddend.somewhat further .[.offset in order to position the arrow on.]. .Iadd.than the window from .Iaddend.the center line of the bow .[.so that it will behave as an arrow fired with a prior-art type bow handle riser, but accommodating.]. .Iadd.to accommodate .Iaddend.a shorter arrow with a board head.[.,.]. and .[.avoiding.]. .Iadd.avoid .