Archer's target-practice rack
A bow and arrow target-practice rack provides an elongated support member, which may be driven into the ground or supported on a deck or other horizontal surface to orient the member in a vertical orientation. The rack includes a bow holder to hold one or a plurality of bows, a quiver holder to removably hang quivers, a holder for loose arrows, an optional foot-planting pad, and an optional mount to mount to a substantially horizontal and planar surface. The elongated support member may be formed as a unitary structure or may further be provided as a kit having multiple sections adapted for assembly and disassembly for easy storage and portage by a user of the rack. A method of using the rack is also provided.
The present application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/635,349, filed Dec. 10, 2004, titled “ARCHER'S TARGET-PRACTICE RACK”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to a support rack for use in the field of archery.
BACKGROUNDThere are many racks and stands for bows and arrows. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,240 is directed to a stand for supporting sport weapons such as bows, firearms and the like comprising a frame configured to be supported upright with respect to a surface. The frame includes a base which rests substantially flat on the surface and first and second upright members connected to the base. First and second bracket members are mounted to the first and second upright members respectively on one side for pivotal rotation. The first and second bracket members have support members which project outwardly to one side of the frame and are substantially perpendicular thereto. Third and fourth bracket members are mounted to the first and second upright members respectively on the other side for pivotal rotation. The third and fourth bracket members have support members which project outwardly to the other side of the frame and are substantially perpendicular thereto. The support members of the first and second bracket members provide a first pair of independently adjustable rest points for supporting a first sport weapon. The support members of the third and fourth bracket members provide a second pair of independently adjustable rest points for supporting a second sport weapon on the opposite side of the frame. Methods for supporting sport weapons, such as bows, firearms and the like, are also contemplated.
There are also many different types of stands for different purposes. Some of these are very old. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,799,079, entitled WASHSTAND, relates to improvements in wash stands and has particular reference to a toilet unit including combined portable wash stand and towel rack. The primary object of the patent is to provide a combination toilet article for campers′ use which may be set up for use by sticking the same into the ground, and when not in use the device may be folded for compact packing purposes. Another object is to provide a combination article which embodies a supporting staff or column insertable into the ground for its support, and which carries foldable towel racks, a removable soap dish, a removable wash basin, and a mirror support, which constitute the necessities for personal washing purposes.
While existing devices suit their intended purpose, there remains an outstanding need for a target-practice rack that is lightweight, portable, and suitable for hanging bows, arrows and so forth.
SUMMARYIn one aspect of the technology, a bow and arrow target-practice rack is provided in the form of an elongated support member, which may be driven into the ground or supported on a deck or other horizontal surface to orient the elongated support member in a vertical orientation.
In an aspect of the technology, the rack includes a bow holder to hold a plurality of bows, a quiver holder to removably hang quivers, a holder for loose arrows, and an optional foot-planting pad. Additionally, an optional mount is provided in another aspect of the technology.
The elongated support member may be formed as a unitary structure or may further be provided as a kit having multiple sections adapted to easily be assembled and disassembled for easy storage and portage by a user of the rack.
A method of using the rack is also provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThese and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended drawings in which:
The area of technology provides a target-practice rack suitable for holding bows, quivers and arrows. Reference is made to
The overall height of the rack should be sufficient to allow a conventional bow to hang freely therefrom.
The rack may be constructed from steel, though other materials may be utilized, including but not limited to stainless steel, aluminum, and even some plastics or mixture of these materials, so long as the resulting rack is sturdy and long-lasting for its intended purpose.
The rack 20, as shown in
The support pole 22 is an elongated member having a first distal end 34 and a second distal end 36. The first distal end 34 is adapted to receive the bow holder 24 thereon. While the pole may be either hollow or solid, in an aspect of the technology providing a hollow pole, the hollow pole provides a greater strength to weight ratio than a solid pole. On the first distal end 34 of the support pole 22, there is the bow holder 24 having at least one or alternatively, a plurality of bow hangers 38 that resemble an antenna-like arrangement. Each of the bow hangers 38 are adapted to receive and removably hang or retain a conventional bow thereon. The bow hangers 38 are defined by radially extending spokes from the pole 22, or alternatively by a hub 40 that fits on to the first distal end 34 of pole 22. The hub 40 is formed from a tubular cylindrically shaped member adapted to co-centrically engage the elongated support pole 22.
In an aspect of the technology, the hub 40 is engaged to the support pole 22 and has an associated stop 180 (shown in more detail in
Alternatively, the hub 40 may be permanently attached to the support pole 22 in a non-rotatable manner. Each of the bow hanger spokes have an associated elongated portion 42; an associated inner end 44 fixedly secured to a respective portion of the pole 22 or alternatively, to the hub 40; and an associated outer free end 46 adapted to receive a bow. Each of the respective outer free ends 48 are angled upwardly from each of the elongated portions 42 when mounted to the rack 20 and when the rack 20 is in a vertical orientation wherein when the rack 20 is properly vertically oriented, the second distal end 36 is secured to the ground or to another substantially horizontal and planar mounting surface to prevent a bow positioned on each of the bow hangers 38 from falling off the associated bow hanger 38. The spokes may be more or fewer in number than shown, and may optionally be hinged onto the hub for storage purposes.
Alternatively, instead of attaching each of the bow hangers to the hub, each of the bow hangers may be individually permanently attached to a respective portion of the support pole 22.
The quiver holder 26 may be formed by pairs of hooks that cooperate and are adapted to receive and removably retain a quiver thereon such as the conventional quiver 112 shown in prior art
As shown in
Additionally, while the quiver holders may be removable, they are shown in
Each quiver holder may be attached directly to the pole 22, or alternatively, may be first fixedly attached to a hook fastening member, such as, but not limited to the fastening member 130 shown in
A plurality of quiver holders may be formed in a similar manner as described with respect to holders 26a, and 26b.
In the aspect of the technology shown in
In an aspect of the technology shown in
Alternatively, in another aspect of the technology shown in
Alternatively, in an aspect of the technology shown in
As shown in
As shown in
An optional loose arrow holder 28 is provided toward the second distal end 36 of the pole 22, closer to the second distal end of the assembly than a middle of the elongated support pole. The loose arrow holder 28 may be at least one or a plurality of cups 68 attached to the side of the pole 22. As with the bow and quiver and hangers, although four such cups 68 are shown, more or fewer may be provided. The cups 68 may be opened or closed at a bottom of each cup. Each of the cups 68 may be permanently attached to one another and have a centrally disposed opening 70 for receiving the support pole 22.
Alternatively, each of the cups 68 may be individually fixedly attached to a respective portion of a support pole and may be disposed on the support pole at an angle suitable to facilitate the retention of arrows within the cups.
In an alternative aspect of the technology shown in
The foot planting pad 30, as shown in more detail in
Alternatively, the rack may be secured to a substantially horizontal and planar support surface. The foot planting pad mounts to a substantially horizontal and planar surface by positioning the second distal end of the elongated member within a hole having a diameter at least the same as or greater than a diameter of the elongated member such that the planting pad engages a top surface of a substantially horizontal and planar support surface to stabilize and seat the rack on the substantially horizontal and planar support surface.
As another alternative to the ground planting, given the section of pole remaining below the foot-planting pad, an optional mount 32 may be provided, enabling the rack 20 to be placed in and removed from the mount 32 secured onto a deck or other substantially horizontal and planar support surface. The optional mount 32, as shown in detail in an alternative aspect of the technology
In an alternative aspect of the technology shown in
The overall height of the rack should be sufficient to allow a conventional bow to hang freely thereon. In an aspect of the technology shown in
The height may be additionally variable by adding or removing additional pole sections (not shown) in between the first and second sections 104, 106 by use of suitable fastening members.
Additionally,
Additionally,
While several aspects have been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be understood that a vast number of variations exist and these aspects are merely an example, and it is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description provides those of ordinary skill in the art with a convenient guide for implementing a desired aspect of the invention and various changes can be made in the function and arrangements of the aspects of the technology without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. An archery rack, comprising:
- an elongated member having a first and a second distal end, the second distal end adapted for securement to a support surface; and
- a bow holder mounted on the first distal end of the elongated member; and
- a quiver holder located between the first and second distal end of the elongated member adapted to receive and removably retain a quiver thereon.
2. The archery rack of claim 1, wherein the bow holder comprises:
- a plurality of bow hangers adapted to receive and removably hang a conventional bow thereon, each of the plurality of bow hangers have radially extending spokes that extend radially from the elongated member.
3. The archery rack of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of bow hangers comprise:
- an associated elongated portion;
- an associated inner end fixedly secured to a respective portion of the elongated member; and
- an associated outer free end adapted to receive a bow, wherein each of the respective outer free ends are angled upwardly from each of the elongated portions when mounted to the elongated member and when the elongated member is in a vertical orientation such that the second distal end is secured to a substantially horizontal and planar surface to prevent a bow positioned on each of the plurality of bow hangers from falling off the associated bow hanger.
4. The archery rack of claim 1, wherein the bow holder comprises:
- at least one bow hanger adapted to receive and removably retain a conventional bow thereon, the at least one bow hanger has at least one radially extending spoke that extends radially from the elongated member, the at least one bow hanger having an elongated portion; an inner end fixedly secured to a respective portion of the elongated member; and
- an outer free end adapted to receive a bow, wherein the outer free end is angled upwardly from the elongated portion when mounted to the elongated member and when the elongated member is in a vertical orientation such that the second distal end is secured to a substantially horizontal and planar surface to prevent a bow positioned on the bow hanger from falling off the bow hanger.
5. The archery rack of claim 1, wherein the quiver holder comprises:
- a pair of quiver holders defined by a first and a second U-shaped member each mounted on opposing sides of the elongated member, wherein each of the first and the second U-shaped members have an associated first and second base element attached to an associated first and second leg element, wherein the first leg element of the first U-shaped member and the first leg element of the second U-shaped member cooperate to form a first quiver holder, and wherein the second leg element associated with the first U-shaped member and the second leg element associated with the second U-shaped member cooperate to form a second quiver holder.
6. The archery rack of claim 1, wherein the quiver holder comprises:
- at least one pair of hooks mounted to the elongated member that cooperate and are adapted to receive and removably retain a quiver thereon.
7. The archery rack of claim 6, wherein each of the hooks are angled outwardly and upwardly at an angle ranging between and including 0° to 90° from a longitudinal axis of the support pole when the elongated member is vertically oriented such that the second distal end is secured to a substantially horizontal and planar mount surface.
8. The archery rack of claim 1, further comprising:
- a loose arrow holder mounted on the elongated member closer to the second distal end of the elongated member than a middle portion of the elongated member, wherein the loose arrow holder has at least one top adapted to receive a loose arrow.
9. The archery rack of claim 1, further comprising:
- a loose arrow holder mounted on the elongated member, the loose arrow holder positioned closer to the second distal end of the elongated member than a middle portion of the elongated member, wherein the loose arrow holder has a plurality of cups adapted to receive one or more loose arrows.
10. The archery rack of claim 1, further comprising:
- a loose arrow holder mounted on the elongated member, the loose arrow holder positioned closer to the second distal end of the elongated member than a middle portion of the elongated member, wherein the loose arrow holder is defined by a plate having at least one arrow holding aperture formed therethrough for receiving one or more loose arrows.
11. The archery rack of claim 1, further comprising:
- a foot planting pad mounted to the elongated member between the second distal end of the elongated member and a middle portion of the elongated member.
12. The archery rack of claim 11, wherein the planting pad enables a user to place the rack in a desired location and drive the elongated member into the ground using force from the user's foot exerted on the foot planting pad.
13. The archery rack of claim 11, wherein the foot planting pad mounts to a substantially horizontal and planar surface by positioning the second distal end of the elongated member within a hole having a diameter at least the same as or greater than a diameter of the elongated member such that the planting pad engages a top surface of a substantially horizontal and planar support surface.
14. The archery rack of claim 1, further comprising:
- a mount, the mount enabling the rack to be placed within and removed from the mount, wherein the mount may be then secured onto a substantially horizontal and planar support surface.
15. The mount of claim 14, further comprises:
- the mount has a tubular portion adapted to receive the second distal end of the elongated member; and
- a planar mounting portion adapted to seat on the substantially horizontal and planar support surface to securely mount the rack thereon.
16. An archery rack comprising:
- a kit having
- an elongated member defined by at least two sections, a first section having a first outer distal end and a second inner distal end, and a second section having a third outer distal end adapted to mount to a substantially planar surface and a fourth inner distal end adapted to fasten to the second inner distal end of the first section, wherein each of the sections are adapted to removably fasten together to form the elongated member;
- a bow holder mounted on the outer distal end of the first section; and
- a quiver holder located between the bow holder and the second inner distal end of the first section, the quiver holder adapted to receive and removably retain a quiver thereon.
17. The archery rack of claim 16, wherein the kit may be assembled and disassembled for storage and portage by a user of the kit.
18. A method of using an archer rack, comprising the steps of:
- providing an archery rack kit having at least two sections, a first section having a first outer distal end and a second inner distal end, and a second section having a third outer distal end adapted to mount to a substantially planar surface and a fourth inner distal end adapted to fasten to the second inner distal end of the first section, a bow holder mounted on the outer distal end of the first section, and a quiver holder located between the bow holder and the second inner distal end of the first section, the quiver holder adapted to receive and removably retain a quiver thereon;
- assembling the first and the second sections together to form an elongated member;
- securing the archery rack kit onto a substantially horizontal and planar surface such that the assembled archery rack kit is vertically oriented; and
- storing bows, quivers, and arrows on associated portions of the archery rack kit.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 8, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 17, 2006
Inventor: Keith Engberg (Fenton, MI)
Application Number: 11/297,509
International Classification: A47F 7/00 (20060101);