BOW STRING ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

A bow string assembly includes a bow string, a string loop and a pair of spaced sight holders pre-installed on the bow string. The string loop and sight holders are adjustable along the length of the bow string when connected to an archery bow and can be secured in place when locations for a nocking point and peep sight are determined. The pre-installed arrangement facilitates bow assembly and reduces the amount of time needed to tune a bow for an individual user with a unique set of requirements.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/018,133 filed on Dec. 31, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to bow strings, and more particularly to a pre-assembled bow string that can be adjusted for individual users.

In the field of archery, it is well-known to provide an arrow rest on an archery bow for supporting an arrow during aiming and shooting. Arrow rests come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and configurations which may effectively raise or lower the vertical position of an arrow with respect to its nocking point on the bow string. This together with different arrow sizes and diameters can affect the accuracy of the shooter. Accordingly, it is important that adjustment of the nocking point take into consideration the type of arrow rest installed as well as the arrow size.

Another important consideration is the particular position of a peep sight on the string above the nocking point. The peep sight must be properly located so that a user may accurately sight in the bow sight with respect to a distant target while in a shooting stance. The particular peep sight position is largely dependent on the archer's anchor point when the bow is fully drawn in relation to his or her aiming eye, which may be different for each archer. Since archery bows and bow strings may come in different packages from different manufacturers, the nocking point and peep sight location are typically determined for the individual archer by a salesperson at a retail establishment or by the archer through a series of trial and error steps until the correct configuration is achieved. Such a process can be time consuming, especially when the installer has little experience, since it involves tying a variety of different knots for both the string loop (which is installed at the nocking point) and the peep sight. If the string loop is improperly positioned, the knot must typically be cut and the process started over again. The same is true for knots associated with anchoring the peep sight. When a salesperson or archer has little experience in knot tying, the knot tying process may take time and/or the knots may be improperly formed, which may lead to inadvertent movement of the string loop or peep sight, or injury if one or more of the knots were to fail.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a bow string assembly that overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, a bow string assembly includes a bow string, a string loop slidably connected to the bow string, and a pair of spaced sight holders slidably connected to the bow string above the string loop.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a kit for assembling a bow string to an archery bow includes a bow string, a string loop slidably connected to the bow string, a pair of spaced sight holders slidably connected to the bow string above the string loop, and a peep sight adapted for connection to the bow string between the spaced sight holders.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of assembling an archery bow includes providing a bow string, slidably connecting a string loop to the bow string, connecting the bow string to the bow, determining a nock point on the bow string, sliding the string loop along the bow string until the string loop is in alignment with the determined nock point, and securing the string loop against sliding at the aligned position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary as well as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be best understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements throughout the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a compound bow with an attached bow string assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of sections of the bow string assembly;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of a loop string portion of the bow string assembly shown in an adjustable state;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of a peep sight portion of the bow string assembly shown in an adjustable state; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a method of adjusting and setting the bow string assembly for a particular archer.

It is noted that the drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope thereof. It is further noted that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and to FIG. 1 in particular, a bow string assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown connected to a compound bow 12. The compound bow 12 is for illustration purposes only since the bow string assembly 10 of the present invention can be adapted for use with any type of bow including, but not limited to, recurve bows, reflex bows, longbows, compound bows, crossbows, and so on.

The compound bow 12 includes a handle portion 14 with a first limb portion 16 and second limb portion 18 extending outwardly therefrom in generally opposite directions. A first rotation assembly 20 and a second rotation assembly 22 are rotatably mounted on first and second limb portions 16 and 18, respectively. As shown, the first rotation assembly 20 includes a pulley 24 rotatably mounted to a distal end of the first limb portion 16 and the second rotation assembly 22 includes a cam 26 rotatably mounted to a distal end of the second limb portion 18. An arrow rest 28 is mounted to the handle portion 14 above a gripping area 30. The arrow rest 28 is of well-known construction and comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and configurations which may effectively raise or lower the vertical position of an arrow (not shown) with respect to its nocking point 32 on the string assembly 10. This together with different arrow sizes and diameters can affect the accuracy of the shooter. Accordingly, it is important that adjustment of the nocking point take into consideration the type of arrow rest installed as well as the arrow size.

With additional reference to FIG. 2, the bow string assembly 10 includes a bow string 33 that is preferably constructed of multiple elongate strands 34 of any suitable material, such as Dacron™ or other polyester fiber, Kevlar™ or other poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide (aramid) fiber, Spectra or other ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, liquid crystal polymer, polyolefin, or any combination thereof. A first wrap or sleeve 36 is formed around the strands 34 to form a first loop portion 38 and a second wrap or sleeve 40 is formed around the strands 34 to form a second loop portion 42. The first and second loop portions are connected to the bow 12 in a well-known manner and therefore will not be further described. A third wrap or sleeve 44 is formed around the strands 34 between the first and second sleeves to provide support for a string loop 46. Preferably, the sleeve 44 is of sufficient length to permit vertical adjustment of the string loop 46 to accommodate the type of arrow rest, the arrow size, as well as the individual requirements of a user. A peep sight 48 is shown positioned between the strands 34. Sight holders 50, 52 preferably encircle the strands to secure the peep sight to the string 33. String silencers 54, 56 can be mounted on the string 33 above the peep sight 48 and below the string loop 46, respectively. The peep sight 48 and silencers 54, 56 are of well-known construction and therefore will not be further described.

With additional reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the bow string assembly 10 is preferably provided as a kit to a user or other person in order to facilitate both assembly and adjustment of the various components. To that end, the kit preferably includes the bow string 33, the string loop 46 slidably installed on the sleeve 44, and the sight holders 50, 52 slidably installed on the strands 34 above the string loop 46. The strands are sufficiently flexible, at least when the bow string is relaxed or non-stressed, to permit the creation of an opening 58 for receiving the peep sight 48 (FIG. 2). The kit may also include the peep sight 48 and string silencers 54, 56. These components may either accompany the bow string 33 as separate parts or be temporarily tied or otherwise secured to the bow string for further manipulation during the adjusting steps.

As shown in FIG. 3, the string loop 46 preferably includes a loop section 58 with an upper securing section 60 and a lower securing section 62. The upper and lower securing sections are each preferably in the form of a loosely tied clove hitch knot and thus are formed with the loop section 58 as a length of string or cord material. However, it will be understood that other securing sections, such as individual clamps, slidable crimping members or the like, may be used together with the loop section 58. The loose state of the securing sections 60, 62 permit their individual adjustment along the sleeve 44, as shown by arrows 64 and 66, respectively, prior to setting the nocking point.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sight holders 50, 52 are preferably in the form of elongate cords that are tied as nail knots around the strands 34 of the string 33 when the string is in a relaxed state. When the string is under tension, the sight holders 50, 52 can be slid toward or away from each other with some effort, as shown by arrows 65 and 67, respectively, to thereby secure the peep sight at the desired location. It will be understood that the nail knots may alternatively be loosely formed to facilitate sliding movement. It will be further understood that the nail knots may be replaced with individual clamps, slidable crimping members or the like.

With reference now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, a method 70 of adjusting and setting a bow string assembly 10 is illustrated. The method includes providing a multi-stranded bow string 33 as shown at block 72, loosely installing the string loop 58 as shown at block 74, and installing the spaced sight holders 50, 52 as shown at block 76. The string loop 58 can be installed by loosely tying a clove hitch knot around the string 33 at opposite ends of an elongate cord to form the loop section 58. The spaced sight holders 50, 52 can be installed by providing two separate cords of relatively thin diameter as compared to the string 33, then tying each cord into a nail knot around the string 33 in the approximate vicinity where a peep sight would be installed above the string loop 58. The bow string assembly can then be packaged, as shown at block 78, with or without other bow string components such as the peep sight 48 and/or string silencers 54, 56. The package can then be delivered to a customer, such as a retail outlet or other place of commerce or individual, for subsequent installation on an archery bow and adjustment.

As shown at block 80, the bow string assembly is installed on an archery bow in a conventional manner using a suitable bow press (not shown) or the like. The bow can then be removed from the bow press and drawn to the user's shooting stance. In order to facilitate determination of the nocking point 32 and thus the proper position of the string loop 46, an arrow (not shown) may be positioned on the arrow rest of the bow with the nock engaging the string 33 such that the arrow extends approximately perpendicular to the bow in the shooting stance. Once the nocking point is determined, the string loop is adjusted and the securing sections 60, 62 are tightened on either side of the nocking point, as shown at block 82. At full draw, the peep sight 48 is then moved to the desired location for a particular user then secured by sliding the sight holders 50, 52 toward each other until the peep sight is clamped therebetween, as shown at block 84.

It can be appreciated that the provision of pre-installed components on the bow string as described reduces the amount of time needed to tune a bow for an individual user with a unique set of requirements and also reduces the need of installers with knot tying skills.

It will be understood that the term “preferably” as used throughout the specification refers to one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention and therefore is not to be interpreted in any limiting sense. In addition, terms of orientation and/or position as may be used throughout the specification denote relative, rather than absolute orientations and/or positions.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It will be understood, therefore, that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but also covers modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bow string assembly for mounting to a bow prior to calibrating the bow string assembly for a particular user, the bow string assembly comprising:

a bow string;

a string loop slidably connected to the bow string for adjustment to a particular location on the bow string as required by the user; and

a pair of spaced sight holders slidably connected to the bow string above the string loop, the sight holders being independently adjustable for receiving a peep sight at a particular location on the bow string as required by the user;

the string loop and sight holders being capable of securement to the bow string against sliding movement at their respective particular locations.

2. A bow string assembly according to claim 1, wherein the bow string comprises a plurality of strands.

3. A bow string assembly according to claim 2, and further comprising a sleeve formed around the strands to provide support for the string loop.

4. A bow string assembly according to claim 3, wherein the string loop comprises a single length of string having a loop section and upper and lower securing sections, each securing section being loosely tied around the sleeve in a clove hitch knot.

5. A bow string assembly according to claim 4, wherein each spaced sight holder comprises an elongate cord tied around the plurality of strands in a nail knot.

6. A bow string assembly according to claim 5, and further comprising a peep sight adapted for connection to the bow string between the spaced sight holders.

7. A bow string assembly according to claim 2, wherein each spaced sight holder comprises an elongate cord tied around the plurality of strands in a nail knot.

8. A bow string assembly according to claim 2, and further comprising a pair of string silencers adapted for connection to opposite ends of the bow string.

9. A kit for assembling a bow string to an archery bow, the kit comprising:

a bow string;

a string loop slidably connected to the bow string; and

a pair of spaced sight holders slidably connected to the bow string above the string loop.

10. A kit according to claim 9, wherein the bow string comprises a plurality of strands.

11. A kit according to claim 10, and further comprising a sleeve formed around the strands to provide support for the string loop.

12. A kit according to claim 11, wherein the string loop comprises a single length of string having a loop section and upper and lower securing sections, each securing section being loosely tied around the sleeve in a clove hitch knot.

13. A kit according to claim 12, wherein each spaced sight holder comprises an elongate cord tied around the plurality of strands in a nail knot.

14. A kit according to claim 13, and further comprising a peep sight adapted for connection to the bow string between the spaced sight holders.

15. A kit according to claim 9, and further comprising a peep sight adapted for connection to the bow string between the spaced sight holders.

16. A kit according to claim 9 and further comprising a pair of string silencers adapted for connection to opposite ends of the bow string.

17. A method of assembling an archery bow, the method comprising:

providing a bow string;

slidably connecting a string loop to the bow string;

connecting the bow string to the archery bow;

determining a nock point on the bow string;

sliding the string loop along the bow string until the string loop is aligned with the determined nock point; and

securing the string loop against sliding movement at the aligned position.

18. A method according to claim 17, and further comprising:

slidably connecting spaced sight holders to the bow string prior to connecting the bow string to the archery bow.

19. A method according to claim 18, and further comprising:

determining a peep sight location after connecting the bow string to the archery bow;

installing a peep sight at the peep sight location; and

sliding the sight holders toward the peep sight to thereby secure the peep sight to the archery bow.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein the step of slidably connecting further comprises loosely tying opposite ends of the string loop to the bow string with a clove hitch knot.