Archery bow accessory mount

Abstract

An apparatus according to the present invention includes an accessory mount to be mounted to an archery bow or a combination of an archery bow and an accessory, such as a rangefinder that is advertised and sold as a handheld rangefinder, mounted thereto, perhaps on the draw side of the bow. A portion of the accessory may be mounted within a mounting envelope space, which may result in positioning a portion of the accessory above and behind a pivot point defined by a grip disposed on a riser body of the archery bow. Additionally or alternatively, the mounting envelope may be defined with reference to a lowermost operative portion of the bow. Additionally, an accessory having a portion positioned in a desired mounting envelope may be controlled by a remote activation device, such as a trigger switch, the switch being engageable by a finger of an archer.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of archery, and more particularly to the positioning and support of an accessory in relation to an archery bow structure.

Generally, an archery bow comprises a riser body and a pair of limbs extending from opposite ends of the riser body. Strung between the limbs is a bowstring. An archery bow may be provided as a compound bow or a long bow; a compound bow having cams provided on the limbs around which the bowstring is threaded and a long bow not having such cams. Regardless of whether a bow is compound or long, a grip is provided on the riser body to be grasped by one hand of a user while the bowstring is drawn with the other hand. The grip defines a pivot point that is usually engaged by the user's thumb and forefinger.

Many accessories have been developed for use with and integration onto archery bows, such as sights, quivers, stabilizers and silencers. However, other accessories that may be of value to a user of an archery bow may not have been designed to be integrated onto or supported by the bow. For instance, a handheld rangefinder, camera, digital music player, microphone, or other accessory, may be desirable to be used in conjunction with an archery bow, but is likely not to have been designed with such a specific use in mind. For convenience, since the operation or firing of an archery bow requires two hands, it may be desirable to mount such an accessory in a convenient location relative to various components of the archery bow.

While devices and methods have been developed for supporting accessories on an archery bow, such developments may not have appreciated relative positioning of accessories in relation to the archery bow. Therefore, the art of supporting accessories on or near an archery bow would benefit from an improved apparatus for positioning an accessory in relation to the structure of an archery bow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus according to the present invention provides an improved apparatus for positioning an accessory in relation to the structure of an archery bow.

An apparatus according to the present invention includes an archery bow that has a riser body having an upper portion, a lower portion, and a grip portion, the grip portion defining a pivot point. An upper limb is coupled to and extending from the riser upper portion, and a lower limb is coupled to and extending from the riser lower portion. A bowstring extends between the upper limb and the lower limb. An accessory is coupled to the archery bow, wherein at least a first portion of the accessory is positioned within a predetermined mounting envelope space above and behind the pivot point.

According to one aspect, the mounting envelope space may include a substantially rectangular envelope extending from about three inches behind the pivot point to about thirteen inches behind the pivot point, and extending from about five inches above the pivot point to about thirteen inches above the pivot point. The mounting envelope may be on a draw side of the archery bow.

According to another aspect, the mounting envelope space may include a substantially rectangular envelope extending from about three inches behind the pivot point to about thirteen inches behind the pivot point and extending from about twenty-three inches above a lowest operative point of the archery bow to about thirty-one inches above the lowest operative point.

According to still another aspect, at least a first portion of the mounting envelope may be located behind the bowstring. The first portion of the accessory may be positioned within the first portion of the mounting envelope. Additionally, the entirety of the accessory may be positioned within the first portion of the mounting envelope.

According to yet another aspect, the portion of accessory includes an eyepiece. The accessory may be a rangefinder.

According to a further aspect, the entirety of the accessory is positioned within the mounting envelope.

According to a still further aspect, the apparatus may further include a bracket coupled between said archery bow and said accessory. The bracket may include a coupling flange mounted to the riser portion of the archery bow, a support extension coupled to the coupling flange and extending rearwardly, and an accessory brace coupled to the support extension, the accessory brace supporting the accessory. The coupling flange may include a planar riser plate having opposing riser and outer surfaces and at least one stabilizing wing coupled to the riser plate in a geometrically skew arrangement. The support extension may include a plurality of longitudinal struts. The plurality of longitudinal struts may include a first riser strut having a first riser strut first end and a first riser strut second end, a second riser strut having a second riser strut first end and a second riser strut second end, a first lateral strut having a first lateral strut first end and a first lateral strut second end, and a second lateral strut having a second lateral strut first end and a second lateral strut second end. The first riser strut may be coupled at the first riser strut first end to the coupling flange. The first lateral strut may be coupled at the first lateral strut first end to the first riser strut second end and at the first lateral strut second end to the accessory brace. The second riser strut may be coupled at the second riser strut first end to the first lateral strut first end. The second lateral strut may be coupled at the second lateral strut first end to the second riser strut second end and at a second lateral strut second end to the accessory brace. The struts may have a strut width, a strut thickness and a strut length, wherein the strut thickness is at least substantially uniform along each strut length. All of the strut thicknesses may be at least substantially uniform.

The accessory brace may include a corner bracket having a plurality of plates, the plurality of plates being pairwise at least substantially orthogonal. The plurality of plates may include a side plate, a back plate, and a bottom plate. The accessory brace may further include a strap which forms a loop in conjunction with the side plate and the bottom plate. The strap may include two ends defining a split, and a fastening means to couple the two ends so as to close the split. The fastening means may be a positive latch buckle, a friction buckle, or a hook-and-loop fastening means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a first embodiment of a bracket according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a left elevation view of an archery setup including the bracket of FIG. 1 installed on an archery bow.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of the archery setup of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a left elevation partial cut-away view of the archery setup of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a left elevation view of the archery setup of FIG. 3 being used.

FIG. 7 is a left elevation view of a second archery setup according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a left elevation view of the archery setup of FIG. 7 being used.

FIG. 9 is a left elevation view of an accessory to be used in combination with an archery bow.

FIG. 10 is a left elevation view of an embodiment of an interchangeable portion to be used with a portion of the accessory of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a left elevation view of the accessory of FIG. 9 mounted on an archery bow.

FIG. 12 is a left elevation view of the archery setup of FIG. 3, further including an accessory remote activation device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 provide an embodiment 100 of a bracket according to the present invention for positioning and supporting an accessory 400 in relation to an archery bow structure. The bracket 100 generally comprises a coupling flange 110, a support extension 130, and an accessory brace 150. The coupling flange 110 preferably includes a riser plate 112 and at least one but preferably two stabilizing wings 114. The riser plate 112 is a generally planar plate having a riser surface 112a opposed from an outer surface 112b. The stabilizing wings 114 are coupled to the riser plate 112 in a non-coplanar, or skew, manner, thereby forming a bend towards the riser surface 112a. Formed through the riser plate 112, through and preferably at least substantially orthogonal to the riser surface 112a and the outer surface 112b, is a pair of mounting holes 116. Each of the mounting holes 116 is preferably at least substantially laterally centered on the riser plate 112, as shown, or placed in another desirable configuration for mounting to an archery bow.

The coupling flange 110 is preferably formed from a single piece of material, such as steel or aluminum, which has been cast or machined. Alternatively, the stabilizing wings 114 may be coupled to the riser plate 112, by welding, for example, or other desirable coupling methods.

The support extension 130 of the bracket 100 generally comprises a plurality of struts 131, which are preferably substantially longitudinal. A first riser strut 132 is coupled at a first end 132a to the coupling flange 110 and at a second end 132b to a first lateral strut 134. The coupling flange 110 may even be formed from the same material as the first riser strut 132, such as being pressed therefrom, thus providing the coupling flange 110 and the first riser strut 132 as a unitary member. A second riser strut 136 is coupled at a first end 136a to the first lateral strut 134 and at a second end 136b to a second lateral strut 138. The first lateral strut 134 is coupled at a first end 134a to the first riser strut 132 and to the second riser strut 136 and at a second end 134b to the accessory brace 150. The second lateral strut 138 is coupled at a first end 138a to the second riser strut 136 and at a second end 138b to the accessory brace 150. Other configurations of the struts 131 will be obvious to one having skill in the art upon reviewing the disclosed embodiment 130.

Each of the provided struts 131 has a width 140, a thickness 142, and a length (not labeled) which is perpendicular to the geometric plane containing the width 140 and thickness 142. While the width 140 and thickness 142 of each strut 131 may vary, from the other struts 131 or even along its own length, each of the struts 131 is preferably at least substantially uniform in width 140 and thickness 142 along its entire length. Furthermore, all of the struts 131 are preferably at least substantially uniform, with respect to each other, in width 140 and thickness 142 along at least a majority of their respective lengths.

As stated, the support extension 130 preferably includes a plurality of struts 131 that are coupled together. Alternatively, a single strut 131 could be used to extend between the coupling flange 110 and the accessory brace 150. If a plurality of struts 131 is used, the struts 131 are coupled, such as by welding or even being formed integrally together, by being cast or machined from a single piece of material, for example. Indeed, the support extension 130 may even be formed integrally with the coupling flange 110, thereby creating a unitary coupling and support member. Various materials may be used for the support struts 131, from plastics to reinforced paper to metal, which may be solid materials, perforated materials and/or even tubular materials.

In addition to the coupling flange 110 and the support extension 130, the bracket 100 includes the accessory brace 150. The accessory brace 150 is coupled to and supported by the support extension 130 and is adapted to receive an accessory 400, such as a commercially available rangefinder advertised for use as a handheld rangefinder. The accessory brace 150 preferably includes a corner bracket 152 including a side plate 154, a back plate 156, and a bottom plate 158. While various configurations are contemplated, the plates are preferably generally planar plates that are pairwise orthogonal. The plates may be individually formed and then coupled, e.g. by welding. Additionally or alternatively, the plates 152,154,156 may be formed from a unitary sheet of material that is die cut and then bent to form a desired shape. Alternatively, a desired bracket 152 may be cast or machined from a single unitary piece of material. The corner bracket 152 is coupled to the support extension 130, such as by a plurality of threaded fasteners 159. Other methods of coupling the accessory brace 150 to the support extension 130 may depend upon chosen materials and may include adhesive bonding, welding, or even forming the accessory brace 150 integrally with the support extension 130, such as by injection molding, casting or machining. In cooperation with the corner bracket 152, the accessory brace 150 also preferably includes an accessory retainer 160, such as a strap 162. While the accessory retainer 160 may be designed specially to interface to a particular accessory 400, a strap 162 may provide greater flexibility to adapt the bracket 100 for use with a variety of different accessories 400. The strap 162 may be divided into a first strap 162a and a second strap 162b. The strap 162 is preferably split and provided with a male clip portion 164 on one end and a female clip portion 166 on the other. As such, once an accessory 400 is positioned in a desired location on the accessory brace 150, the clip portions 164,166 may be positively joined to maintain the accessory 400 in a relatively stationary position with respect to the bracket 100. Rather than have positively locking clip portions 164,166, the strap 162 may be provided with a buckle, such as a friction buckle, may be provided with a hook-and-loop fastening mechanism, such as Velcro®, or may even be provided as a single piece, with no split, thereby removing any need for a fastening mechanism. If the strap 162 is provided with no split, the strap 162 is preferably formed from a material having elastic properties so that the strap 162 may be stretched away from the corner bracket 152 to allow insertion of the accessory 400 and may be released to secure the accessory 400 to the bracket 152.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 provide an embodiment 200 of an archery bow, on which the bracket 100 of FIG. 1 is installed and supporting an accessory 400. Provided in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are directional arrows to aid in describing relative component positioning. The arrows relate to a two-dimensional plane of description and not necessarily to the third spatial dimension. In other words, use of the arrows for descriptive purposes does not suggest or indicate coplanarity of referenced components. For instance, a first component lying in the direction of arrow 302, from a second component, may be said to be ahead or in front of, leading, or forward of that second component. A first component lying in the direction of arrow 304, from a second component, may be said to be behind, in back of, trailing, or rearward of that second component. A first component lying in the direction of arrow 306 of a second component may be said to be above that second component, and a first component lying in the direction of arrow 308 from a second component may be said to be below that second component. A first component lying in the direction of arrow 310 may be said to be on the draw side of the archery bow 200 and a component lying in the direction of arrow 312 may be said to be on the sight side of the archery bow 200, which is the side of the bow 200 on which an arrow rest 215 is provided. The draw side 310 and sight side 312 shown correlate to a right handed archery bow 200. The directions and related descriptions serve only as aids in explanation and are not intended to limit any complete embodiment of the invention to a particular spatial orientation. It will be understood to those in the art that the directions are easily translatable to a left handed archery bow.

The archery bow 200 includes a riser body 202 having an upper riser portion 204 and a lower riser portion 206. Depending at least partially rearwardly from the upper portion 204 of the riser body 202 is an upper limb 208. Depending at least partially rearwardly from the lower portion 205 of the riser body 202 is a lower limb 210. Coupled to, or formed as a part of the riser body 202, between the upper portion 204 and the lower portion 206, or at the intersection thereof, is a grip 212, which establishes a pivot point 214. When the grip 212 is grasped by a hand of a user, the pivot point 214 normally engages at least the proximal phalanges of the user's thumb and forefinger. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the bracket 100 has been coupled to the archery bow riser body 202, such as by threaded fasteners 117 extending through the riser plate 112 and threadably engaging corresponding threaded apertures (not shown) formed in the riser body 202. Alternatively, the bracket 100 could be strapped or adhered onto the riser body 202 or even formed integrally therewith contemporaneously with the formation of the riser body 202. The stabilizing wings 114 preferably rest against or near the riser body 202, so as to assist in preventing rotation of the bracket 100 about the threaded fasteners 117. Thus, when the bracket 100 is coupled to the riser body 202, the accessory brace 150 is situated above the grip pivot point 214 and behind the riser body 202.

FIG. 5 provides a view of a preferred mounting envelope 220, or space, in which at least a portion of an accessory 400 is mounted, relative to a pivot point 214 defined by an archery bow grip 212. The envelope 220 is preferably rectangular in shape and may lie on the draw side 310 of the bowstring 216. A lower front corner 222 of the envelope 220 is provided a first distance 223, preferably about 3 inches, behind the pivot point 214 and a second distance 225, preferably about 5 inches, above the pivot point 214. An upper front corner 224 of the mounting envelope 220 is provided a third distance 227, preferably about 8 inches, above the lower front corner 222, and preferably approximately directly above the lower front corner 222. An upper back corner 226 of the mounting envelope 220 is provided a fourth distance 229, preferably about 10 inches, behind the upper front corner 224, and preferably approximately directly behind the upper front corner 224. A lower back corner 228 of the mounting envelope 220 is provided a fifth distance 231, preferably about 8 inches, below the upper back corner 226, and preferably approximately directly below the upper back corner 226, and preferably approximately directly behind the lower front corner 222. In use, as shown in FIG. 6, the archery bow 200 having a bracket 100 and accessory 400 coupled thereto, can be held by a user 1, such as when the user 1 is seated on a seat 3 supported by a tree 5.

Additionally, or alternatively, determination of the mounting envelope 220 may be assisted by reference to a portion of an archery bow 200 that is not the pivot point 214 defined by the grip 212. FIG. 7 depicts an alternate or additional reference point in addition to the pivot point 214 for determining at least a portion of the mounting envelope 220. That is, the front lower corner 222 of the mounting envelope 220 may be provided the first distance 223, preferably about 3 inches, behind the pivot point 214 and a sixth distance 233, preferably about 23 inches, above the lowest operative point 230 of the archery bow 200 in its at rest, i.e. undrawn, state. The lowest operative point 230 is to be understood as the lowermost portion of the archery bow 200 that is required by design for operation of the bow 200. Therefore, on a compound bow, the lowest operative point 230 is likely to be the bottom of the lowest cam, and on a long bow, the lowest operative point is likely to be the tip of the lower limb. As can be seen in FIG. 8, such arrangement may be advantageous if the archery bow 200 is to be rested on a seat 3 on which a user 1 is situated during use. As can also be seen in FIG. 8, modifications to the support extension 130 may effect the desired positioning of the accessory 400, such as the shortening of the first riser strut 132. Alternatively, or additionally, the lateral struts 134,138 may be lengthened or shortened and the first riser strut 132 may be lengthened, depending upon desired positioning.

Necessarily, any accessory to be mounted to an archery bow has a mass. Balance of an archery bow is thought to be an important aspect for accurate aim and overall shooting comfort. As a result, it may be desirable to distribute the mass of an accessory, thereby concentrating a majority of the mass at a desired location while operatively placing a portion of the accessory in a desired mounting envelope, an example of such mounting envelope having been previously described. FIG. 9 and FIG. 11 are directed to an accessory having a desired mass distribution and an archery setup incorporating same. FIG. 9 depicts an embodiment 500 of an accessory to be mounted on an archery bow, the accessory 500 having a desired mass distribution. Generally, the accessory 500 has a length 502 comprising a first portion 510 and a second portion 530, where the first portion 510 has a larger mass than the second portion 530. The first portion 510 may include a first housing 512, which may at least partially contain the majority of electronics for calculating a distance, such as a distance from the accessory 500 to a sighted object. An example of such majority of electronics is a majority of the processing electronics for a rangefinder. The second portion 530 preferably includes a second housing 532 extending longitudinally away from the first housing 512. The housings 512,532 may be formed from plastic, such as injection molded plastic, preferably including hollow cavities (not shown) therein. The second housing 532 may support a portion of the operational structure of the accessory 500, such as an eyepiece 534. The second housing 532 may contain a hollow cavity (not shown) to provide a conduit for allowing electronic communication, such as by electrical conductors, or wires, between electronics in the first housing 512 and electronics in the second housing 532.

It may be desirable to provide interchangeable second portions of different lengths, which may be electrically communicatively coupled to the first portion 510. FIG. 10 depicts a second portion 630 that has a shorter length 602 than the length 502 of the second portion 530 of FIG. 9. The second portion 630 may be coupled to the first portion 510 and supported thereby. A plug 614 having electrically conductive contacts 614a may be provided to cooperate with a socket or jack 514 in the first portion 510. The second portion 630 comprises a housing 632, which preferably has a hollow cavity (not shown) therein, thereby providing a conduit for running electrical conductors, such as wires, from the plug 614 or first housing 512 to another portion of the accessory, such as the eyepiece 634. Alternatively, the two portions 510,530, or 510,630, may be provided as a unitary device, not intended for separation except by destruction. For example, the first housing 512 and a second housing 532 or 632 may be provided as a unitary housing.

FIG. 11 depicts the accessory 500 of FIG. 9 mounted to an archery bow 200. A majority of the mass of the accessory 500, which may include the first housing 512, is preferably positioned next to the riser body 202. The accessory 500 may be positioned next to the riser body 202 by being coupled directly thereto, such as by an adhesive, or it may be supported upon a bracket, as shown. The accessory 500 may be in a touching or a spaced relationship with respect to the riser body 202. The accessory 500 may be situated, e.g., on the corner bracket 152, which was described earlier, and secured thereto with an accessory retainer 160. The corner bracket 152 may be mounted directly to the first riser strut 132, which is coupled at a first end 132a to the coupling flange 110, as previously described. The coupling of the corner bracket 152 to the riser strut 132 may be accomplished via fastening mechanisms such as screws, adhesives or welding (not shown). The coupling flange 110 is secured to the archery bow 200 by, e.g., threaded fasteners 117 engaged with threaded apertures (not shown) in the riser body 202 of the archery bow 200, the threaded apertures (not shown) usually being provided for the mounting of bow sights (not shown) or other accessories, such as a quiver (not shown). Once positioned and supported on the bow 200, at least a portion, such as an eyepiece 534, of the accessory 500 is located in a desired mounting envelope, as described earlier, while a majority of the mass of the accessory 500 is positioned at least substantially directly above the pivot point 214.

FIG. 11 also depicts a remote activation device 550 for the accessory 500. Usually, in the case of a rangefinder, the device is activated by the depression of a push button (not shown) that is in direct mechanical communication with the housing of the rangefinder. However, a mounting location on an archery bow has been heretofore overlooked; namely, a forward surface 560 oppositely disposed across the grip 212 from the pivot point 214. Thus, a remote activation device 550 may be mounted to the forward surface 560, which may comprise the forward surface of the riser body 202, or in the case of a wrap-around grip 212 which encompasses the riser body 202, the forward surface of the grip 212, itself. Such mounting position provides ease of activation by a finger of an archer, such as the forefinger of the hand that engages the grip 212 contemporaneously with drawing the bowstring 216. The remote activation device 550 may be provided as, for example, a push-button switch 552, which may be a normally open or normally closed switch, depending upon desired communication with or control of the accessory 500. The switch 552 may be mounted to the forward surface 560 by, e.g., adhesive. The remote activation device 550 may be in electronic communication with the accessory 500, such as by wireless radio frequency communication, or simply through the use of one or more conductive wires 554. Such a remote activation device 550 may also be used in conjunction with an accessory 400 supported by the first bracket 100, as shown in FIG. 12.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. For instance, while the support extension 130 has been shown to be rigid, the extension 130 may be adjustable while maintaining a portion of an accessory 400 within a predetermined mounting envelope 220. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an archery bow comprising: a riser body having an upper portion, a lower portion, and a grip portion, said grip portion defining a pivot point; an upper limb coupled to and extending from said riser upper portion; a lower limb coupled to and extending from said riser lower portion; and a bowstring extending between said upper limb and said lower limb; and

an accessory coupled to said archery bow, wherein at least a first portion of said accessory is positioned within a predetermined mounting envelope space above and behind said pivot point.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, said accessory comprising an electronic device, said apparatus further comprising:

a remote activation device coupled to said riser body, said remote activation device capable of electronic communication to said electronic accessory.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, said accessory comprising a mass, a majority of said mass comprising a housing positioned next to said riser body, substantially directly above said pivot point.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, said housing being spaced from said riser upper portion.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, said mounting envelope space comprising a substantially rectangular envelope extending from about three inches behind said pivot point to about thirteen inches behind said pivot point and extending from about five inches above said pivot point to about thirteen inches above said pivot point.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, said mounting envelope comprising a space on a draw side of the archery bow.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, said mounting envelope space comprising a substantially rectangular envelope extending from about three inches behind said pivot point to about thirteen inches behind said pivot point and extending from about twenty-three inches above a lowest operative point of said archery bow to about thirty-one inches above said lowest operative point.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, at least a first portion of said mounting envelope being located behind said bowstring.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, said first portion of said accessory being positioned within said first portion of said mounting envelope.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the entirety of said accessory is positioned within said first portion of said mounting envelope.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, said portion of said accessory comprising an eyepiece.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, said accessory comprising a rangefinder.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the entirety of said accessory is positioned within said mounting envelope.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a bracket coupled between said archery bow and said accessory.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, said bracket comprising:

a coupling flange mounted to said riser portion of said archery bow;

a support extension coupled to said coupling flange and extending rearwardly;

an accessory brace coupled to said support extension, said accessory brace supporting said accessory.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, said coupling flange comprising:

a planar riser plate including opposing riser and outer surfaces; and

at least one stabilizing wing coupled to said riser plate in a geometrically skew arrangement.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15, said support extension comprising a plurality of longitudinal struts.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, said plurality of longitudinal struts comprising:

a first riser strut having a first riser strut first end and a first riser strut second end;

a second riser strut having a second riser strut first end and a second riser strut second end;

a first lateral strut having a first lateral strut first end and a first lateral strut second end; and

a second lateral strut having a second lateral strut first end and a second lateral strut second end,

wherein said first riser strut is coupled at said first riser strut first end to said coupling flange,

said first lateral strut is coupled at said first lateral strut first end to said first riser strut second end and at said first lateral strut second end to said accessory brace,

said second riser strut is coupled at said second riser strut first end to said first lateral strut first end, and,

said second lateral strut is coupled at said second lateral strut first end to said second riser strut second end and at a second lateral strut second end to said accessory brace.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, each of said struts having a strut width, a strut thickness and a strut length, wherein said strut thickness is at least substantially uniform along each said strut length.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein all of said strut thicknesses are at least substantially uniform.

21. An apparatus according to claim 15, said accessory brace comprising:

a corner bracket having a plurality of plates, said plurality of plates being pairwise at least substantially orthogonal.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, said plurality of plates comprising:

a side plate;

a back plate; and

a bottom plate.

23. An apparatus according to claim 21, said accessory brace further comprising a strap which forms a loop in conjunction with said side plate and said bottom plate.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, said strap comprising:

two ends defining a split; and

a fastening means to couple the two ends so as to close the split.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24, said fastening means comprising a positive latch buckle.

26. An apparatus according to claim 24, said fastening means comprising a friction buckle.

27. An apparatus according to claim 24, said fastening means comprising a hook-and-loop fastening means.