Archery bow stabilizer

Abstract

A stabilizer for a compound archery bow comprising a rigid paddle-shaped member conforming to the archer's forearm, said member being secured to the bow by means of a forward-extending support beam which is attached to the bow handgrip by the insertion and tightening of a forward-extending threaded stabilizer means. The paddle-shaped member is adjustable relative to the support beam and to the bow handgrip by pinch-clamp means.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains to the art of archery, and more particularly to a means of bracing and stabilizing a compound bow during the draw, hold, and release of an arrow.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern compound archery bows employ systems of levers, pulleys and cams to enhance the velocity and accuracy of an arrow, while easing the static pull of the bowstring when in the fully drawn position. Typical modern compound bows are illustrated in Kudlacek U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,066 and Martin, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,070.

Accessories have been developed to enhance the accuracy of compound bows, particularly forward-extending mass stabilizers, which add weight and balance to the bow and also absorb vibration, which allows the archer to keep and hold a more steady aim on his target. Such a mass stabilizer is illustrated in Martin, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,070, FIG. 1. This type of mass stabilizer is typically mounted on or above the handgrip of the bow, generally by being threaded into a suitable forward-facing threaded socket in the handgrip, out of the arrow's line of flight.

THE PRIOR ART

Others have approached the problem of dealing with the problem of wander and shake during draw, hold and release of a compound archery bow in different ways.

Bryant US 2005/0072414 A1 discloses a splint-type brace which the archer attaches to his forearm. The underside of the brace has a ball-and-socket clamp attached to a crutch-like support shaft propped against the archer's hip. The brace is not physically attached to the bow in any way.

Muhich U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,595 B1 discloses an adjustable prop or brace which is attached to the bow itself, extending in a rearward direction and terminating in a broadened crutch-like support resting against the chest of the archer. Its length is adjustable to accommodate holding the bow either above or below a plane defined by the archer's outstretched arm, but performing the adjustment requires the archer to release his draw and then re-draw after the support is adjusted to the correct length. The value of maintaing supportive contact with the archer's forearm is neither disclosed or suggested.

Howell, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,707 B1 discloses a splint-like forearm brace and guard which releasably attaches to the bow itself. The archer wears a strapped-on arm protector which, when the archer is ready to draw, is engaged with a suitable fitting attached to the bow, either by means of a sliding stud-and-slot attachment, or by a tube which slides over a cooperating horizontal rod.

Torgerson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,000 discloses a rudimentary L-shaped wrist brace which engages the archer's bow-holding wrist, but employs no stabilizing contact with the archer's forearm.

Vest U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,867 discloses an adjustable prop anchored to the archer's waist which the user swings upwardly into place with one hand while holding the bow outstretched with the other. The prop has a U-shaped arm or wrist rest which supports the archer's outstretched arm during the draw, hold and release phases of the shot. The prop is entirely separate from the bow itself, and will fall out of place if the archer lifts his outstretched bow-holding arm.

Williams U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,177 discloses a padded brace that loops completely around the archer's bow-holding hand, making it difficult to raise and lower the bow from a resting to a shooting position and back again.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Even with the advantages offered by the lessened full-draw pull force of the compound bow, and by the stabilizing effect of a forward-facing stabilizer mass, many archers with insufficient forearm strength find it difficult to hold a bow steadily in a fully drawn position for very long. They find that the stress of holding a draw for more than a few seconds causes their aim to wander or shake to the detriment of accuracy and consistency in hitting a targets.

The compound bow has the characteristic of a draw force which varies from high to low as the string is brought back to contact the archer's cheek, in contrast to a conventional longbow, where the transition is reversed. This permits the archer to hold the string in a fully drawn position for a longer time without fatigue. This feature is important while hunting, for example, when the archer may be hidden in a stand or blind and must draw his bow at the first sign of game, but must thereafter hold the string in the drawn position for a considerable time, remaining motionless until the game moves into range.

However, after holding the string at full draw for a minute or more, even with the lower pull force of the compound bow, an archer's arm may tire, and his aim may begin to become unsteady. Even a physically fit archer may experience this problem, and a less strong individual—such as a woman, youth, or senior archer—may soon be unable to hold his or her arrow on target at all.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an apparatus for providing support and steadiness to the bow and arrow of an archer while holding a bowstring in the full draw position.

It is a related object of the invention to provide such an apparatus which attaches to a conventional compound bow by utilizing the threaded stabilizer socket commonly provided in the handgrip of modern compound bows.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus which is easily adjustable with common hand tools to accommodate a variety of archers and their clothing.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus which can be inexpensively manufactured from injection-molded plastic with a minimum of machining or other manufacturing steps, and which combines the desirable attributes of strength, stiffness and light weight.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the invention.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the stabilizer in use by an archer, with the partial view of the archer and bow in phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the stabilizer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the stabilizer;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the stabilizer;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the stabilizer;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the stabilizer opposite that of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the stabilizer; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the stabilizer opposite that of FIG. 5.

A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an archer (phantom lines) holding the handgrip 10 of a compound bow 11 (also phantom lines) with his left hand and forearm 12. The bow 10 is shown in a drawn position, ready to release an arrow 13. Ideally, the archer's left arm is straightened with the forearm 12 extended and wrist turned slightly to the left, substantially locking the his arm, forearm and wrist into a rigid unit. The arrow 13 is show with its nock engaged by the bowstring, ready for release.

The stabilizer of the present invention comprises a paddle-shaped forearm rest 13 shaped to confirm to firmly engage and contact with the archer's forearm 12 to provide stability while the bowstring is in a drawn position. The forearm rest 13 may be made integral with the support beam 15, but in the illustrated preferred embodiment is adjustably attached to the support beam 15 by a first pinch-clamp means 16. The forearm rest and support beam are preferably made of injection-molded thermoplastic.

At its forward end, the support beam 15 engages a second pinch-clamp attachment means 17 in which is provided a mounting hole 18 through which the threaded end of a screw-in forward-extending mass stabilizer (not shown) is inserted. The stabilizer's screw threads then engage cooperating threaded attachment means in the bow handgrip 10 in the conventional manner, thereby firmly securing the attachment means 17, support beam 15 and forearm rest to the bow 11.

According to the invention, the device is quickly and easily attached to the bow 11 by simply unscrewing the mass stabilizer, placing the attachment means 17 in line with the hole 18 in threaded attachment means in the bow handgrip 10, and re-attaching the mass stabilizer by screwing it back into place. The forearm rest is thus secured in position where it can engage and steady the archer's forearm as the bow is drawn.

Adjustments to suit the needs and preferences of the archer are easily made by loosening and then tightening the pinch-clamp attachments 16 and 17 in the desired location, using conventional tools such as a screwdriver or hex-headed wrench.

Claims

1. In an archery bow having having a handgrip, a forward-extending stabilizer, and threaded means for attaching said stabilizer to said handgrip, the improvement comprising a paddle-shaped forearm rest conforming to an archer's bow-holding forearm, a support beam holding the forearm rest, and attachment means engageable with said threaded means for securing said support beam and forearm rest to said bow handgrip as a unit with said stabilizer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said forearm rest extends upward from said support beam to contact and partially wrap around an archer's forearm when said bow is held by said archer in a drawn position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 having a first pinch-clamp means for adjustably engaging and securing said forearm rest to said support beam, and second pinch-clamp means for adjustably engaging and securing said support beam to said handgrip.

4. In combination with an archery bow having a handgrip and a forward-facing threaded socket for attaching a screw-in forward-extending stabilizer mass, the improvement comprising a paddle-shaped forearm rest conforming to the shape of an archer's forearm, a support beam connecting said forearm rest with said handgrip, and attachment means for affixing said support beam to said handgrip upon the attachment of said stabilizer mass.

5. The improvement of claim 4 including first pinch-clamp means for adjustably engaging and securing said forearm rest to said support beam, and second pinch-clamp means for adjustably engaging and securing said support beam to said attachment means for affixing said support beam to said handgrip upon the attachment of said stabilizer mass.