Optically Enhanced Bow Sight
A rear sight for a bow comprising a sighting window including a frame and a magnification and clarification lens disposed within the frame. The lens is for magnifying and clarifying an archer's view of a target and of a sighting pin of a front sight. The sighting window further includes a V-shaped sight guide disposed on the lens, wherein the V-shaped sight guide includes two opposing legs that are connected to define a V-notch between the legs. The V-shaped sight guide is configured to insure that the archer is “in form” when aiming the bow at the target. Furthermore, the sighting window includes at least one pair of alignment dots disposed in distal end portions of the legs, wherein the alignment dots are configured to provide the archer with reverence points to which the archer can align a head of the sighting pin when aiming the bow at the target.
The present teachings relate to a rear sight for archery bows, and more particularly, to an archery bow rear sight that improves the speed and accuracy of aiming and shooting the respective bow.
BACKGROUNDOn a compound bow, sighting pins mount forward of the bow and away from the archer when the archer holds the bow handle. The archer uses a rear sight to align with the front sighting pins. In particular, the rear sight mounts to the bow handle in a spaced relation from the front sighting pins such that the archer aligns the rear sight with a selected one of the front sighting pins to sight the target.
Often, due to target distance, ambient light conditions, and/or optical acuity of the archer, archers have difficultly clearly viewing the front sighting pins and/or the target, and also have difficulty aligning the front sighting pins with the rear sight when utilizing known bow sighting systems.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure provides a rear sight for an archery bow. In various embodiments, the rear sight comprises a sighting window connected to a stem that is slidingly engageable with a mounting bracket mounted to a riser of an archery bow. In various implementations, the sighting window comprises a frame, a magnification and clarification lens disposed within the frame, a V-shaped sight guide disposed on the lens, and at least one pair of alignment dots disposed in distal end portions of the legs. The magnification and clarification lens is structured and operable to magnify and clarify an archer's view of a target and of a sighting pin of a front sight mounted to the riser. The V-shaped sight guide includes two opposing legs that are connected to define a V-notch between the legs. The V-shaped sight guide is structured and operable to insure that the archer is “in form” when aiming the bow at the target. The alignment dots are structured and operable to provide the archer with reverence points to which the archer can align a head of the sighting pin when aiming the bow at the target. The rear sight with the V-notch is designed to obscure the front pin if the archer torques the bow or his/her head to be “out of form”, thereby causing the archer to realign his/her head and/or the bow such that the front pin is viewable through the V-notch, and insuring an accurate shot.
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings in any way.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present teachings, application, or uses. Throughout this specification, like reference numerals will be used to refer to like elements.
The present disclosure provides a rear sight 10 for an archery bow. The rear sight 10 is structured and operable to improve the archer's viewing of the front sighting pins, the target and obstacles between the archer and the target, and also improve the viewing of the portions of the rear sight 10 used for aligning with the front sighting pins to sight the target, as described below. Often the viewing of such objects is obscured, diminished and/or impeded due to the distance of the target from the archer, low ambient light conditions, and/or impaired optical acuity of the archer.
The rear sight 10 can be used for aligning any appropriate arrow on a bow. The rear sight 10 can comprise a variety of materials and the components and have a variety of cross sectional shapes, such as elliptical, oval, circular, triangular, square, rectangular or other appropriate configuration. The rear sight 10 can be of any size to accommodate archers of any size; to accommodate right-handed or left-handed archers and to accommodate compound bows of any size or configuration.
Referring to
The limbs 22 extend outward from the riser 18 in Y+ and Y− directions and have pulleys 26 rotationally disposed at ends thereof, as illustrated in
The front sight 12 is mounted to the riser 18 via a front sight mounting bracket 40 and front sight positioner 42 that is coupled to the mounting bracket 40. The front sight mounting bracket and positioner 40 and 42 are structured and operable to selectively position the front sight 12 any desired distance forward of the riser 18 and to one of either side of the riser 18, based on whether the archer is a right-handed or left-handed shooter. Additionally, the front sight mounting bracket and positioner 40 and 42 are structured and operable to mount to the riser 18 any desired pinned front sight, e.g., front sight 12, commonly used with compound bows, such as compound bow 14.
Referring now to
The rear sight mounting bracket 46 additionally includes a slotted tail 32 that has a vertical slot 34 formed therethrough. The rear sight mounting bracket 46 further includes a rear sight holding assembly 36 that includes a holding block 36A and a clamp plate 36B that is connected to the holding block 36A via screws (not shown) that extend through the slot 34 for clamping the slotted tail 32 between the holding block 36A and a clamp plate 36B such that the holding block is mounted to the slotted tail 32. As will be readily and easily understood by one skilled in the art, the slot 34 allows the holding block 36A to be clamped to the slotted tail 32 at any desired location along the length of the slot 34, such that the position of the rear sight 10 can be adjusted in the X+ and X− directions as desired by the respective archer.
The holding block 36A comprises a receiving bore 38 disposed in and extending through the holding block 36A. The receiving bore 38 can have any desired geometry, e.g., round, square, triangular, etc., that matches a stem 44 of the rear sight 10. The clamp plate 36B comprises a bore (not shown) having the same geometry as the receiving bore 38 that is positioned collinearly with the receiving bore 38 when the rear sight holding assembly 36 is mounted to the slotted tail, as described above. For clarity and brevity, the receiving bore 38 and the bore in the clamp plate 36B will be cumulatively referred to herein simply as the receiving bore 38. The receiving bore 38 is sized and shaped to substantially match the size and shape of the rear sight stem 44 such that the stem 44 can be slidingly received and stably retained within the receiving bore 38. Accordingly, the rear sight stem 44 can be adjustably positioned in a Z+ and Z− directions within the receiving bore 38. Additionally, the holding block 36A includes a threaded aperture 50 that is oriented within the holding block such that it is orthogonal to and intersects the receiving bore 38. The rear sight holding assembly 36 includes a set screw 52 that is threadingly engaged with the threaded aperture 50 such that the set screw 52 can be threaded into the holding block 36A to fixedly retain the rear sight stem 44 at a desired position within the holding block 36A. Therefore, the rear sight 10 can be adjustably positioned, relative to the front sight 12, in the Z+ and Z− directions via the receiving bore 38, in the Y+ and Y− directions via the slot 34 in the slotted tail 32, and in X+ and X− directions via the mounting slots 48.
Referring now to
The lens 64 can be structured to provide any desired amount of magnification. Hence, a desired amount of magnification provided by the lens 64 can be selected by the archer based on the target distance and the ambient light conditions. Additionally, the amount of magnification and clarification provided by the lens 64 can be selected by the archer based on the archer's respective visual acuity. That is, if the archer wears corrective lens, i.e., glasses or contacts to correct archer's eyesight, the archer can select a lens 64 that provides sufficient magnification and clarification to compensate for archer's diminished visual acuity. Thus, the archer can choose not to wear his/her corrective lens by utilizing a suitable selected lens 64.
In various embodiments, the lens 64 is removable from the frame 62 such that the archer can interchange lenses 64 having different magnifications within the rear sight 10 without removing the entire rear sight 10 from the rear sight holding assembly 36. In such embodiments, the frame 62 is structured to have a stepped cross-section (see
In various embodiments, the sighting window 60 further comprises a V-shaped sight guide 72 disposed generally in the center of the lens 64. The sight guide comprises two opposing opaque legs 72A that are connected to form a “V”, whereby a V-notch 74 is defined between the legs 72A. The legs 72A are opaque and have a selected width, e.g., 3/16, ⅛ or 5/16 of an inch, that are structured and operable to obscure a portion of the field of view of the archer. More specifically, the opaque legs 72A are structured and operable to obscure the archer's view of the heads of the front sighting pins 16 until, when at his/her anchor point, the archer has returned to the same form in which he/she initially sighted-in the bow 14, i.e., the archer is “in form”. Hence, when aiming the bow 14, utilizing the rear sight 10 as described herein, the archer draws the bow 14 to his/her anchor point and looks through the rear sight sighting window 60 to view the heads of the front sighting pins 16. While maintaining the bow drawn to his/her anchor point, the archer then moves the bow 14 until the head of the selected front sighting pin 16 is positioned on target within the V-notch 74 of the sight guide 72. The sight guide 72 can be any opaque plate(s), sheet(s), label(s), decal(s), film(s), etching(s), or other suitable means disposed on either face of the lens 64 or integrally formed with the lens 64. The opaque legs 72A prevent the head of the selected front sighting pin 16 from being viewable by the archer until he/she has returned to the same form in which he/she sighted-in the bow 14, thereby insuring consistency in the form of the archer and further insuring the consistence and accuracy of each shot.
In various embodiments, the rear sight sighting window 60 further includes at least one pair of alignment dots 76 disposed within the legs 72A of the V-shaped sight guide 72. More specifically, each leg 72A has at least one alignment dot 76 disposed in a distal end portion of the respective leg 72A, as exemplarily illustrated in
In various embodiments, the alignment dots 76 can be fiber optic alignment dots, or any suitable illuminating material. In various embodiments, each alignment dot 76 can be comprised of a fiber optic light pipe 76A (illustrated in
In various embodiments, the V-shaped sight guide 72 can include two or more fiber optic alignment dots 76 disposed in each of the respective legs 72A, such that, based on the target distance and/or personal preference, the archer can position the head of the selected front sighting pin 16 between the selected set of alignment dots 76 such that the sighting pin head is substantially collinear with, and equidistance from, the selected opposing alignment dots 76.
Referring now to
In various embodiments, the rear sight sighting window 60 additionally includes another alignment dot 96 disposed within the head 88 above, and centered with, the peep hole 86, sometimes referred to herein as the center alignment dot 96. In such embodiments, to aim the bow 14, the archer draws the bow 14 to his/her anchor point and positions the head of the selected front sighting pin 16 within the peep hole 86. Then, utilizing the side alignment dots 96 and the center alignment dot 96, the archer positions the head of the selected front sighting pin 16 to align with all three alignment dots 96. Accordingly, when positioned in such a manner, the sighting pin head will be substantially equidistance from and collinear with the opposing side alignment dots 96.
In various embodiments, the alignment dots 96, i.e., the side alignment dots 96 and or the center alignment dot 96, can be fiber optic alignment dots, or any suitable illuminating material. In various embodiments, each alignment dot 96 can be comprised of a fiber optic light pipe 96A (illustrated in
In operation, when the UV LED 100 is turned on, via the switch/rheostat 82, the UV light emitted by the UV LED 100 will be emitted onto the light pipes 94A and into the reflective light channel 94, where the reflected UV light is directed back toward the light pipes 96A. Subsequently, due the properties of fiber optics, the UV light will be transmitted along the length of each fiber optic light pipe 96A to the opposing ends that provide the alignment dots 96, causing the ends, i.e., the alignment dots 96, to illuminate. The illuminating alignment dots 96 provide a significant advantage to the archer when aiming the bow 14 in low ambient light conditions, e.g., with little natural sun light or from within a hunting blind.
The description herein is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of that which is described are intended to be within the scope of the teachings. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the teachings.
Claims
1. A rear sight for a bow, said rear sight comprising:
- a sighting window connected to a stem that is slidingly engageable with a mounting bracket mounted to a riser of an archery bow, the sighting window comprising: a frame; a magnification lens disposed within the frame, the magnification lens is structured and operable to magnify an archer's view of a target and of a sighting pin of a front sight mounted to the riser; a V-shaped sight guide disposed on the lens, the V-shaped sight guide having two opposing legs that are connected to define a V-notch between the legs, the V-shaped sight guide is structured and operable to insure that the archer is “in form” when aiming the bow at the target; and at least one pair of alignment dots disposed in distal end portions of the legs, the alignment dots are structured and operable to provide the archer with reverence points to which the archer can align a head of the sighting pin when aiming the bow at the target.
2. The sight of claim 1, wherein the alignment dots comprise fiber optic light pipes that extend orthogonally through the lens and the distal end portions of the legs of the V-shaped sight guide, the ends of the fiber optic light pipes providing the alignment dots.
3. The sight of claim 2 further comprising an ultraviolet (UV) light fixture removably attached to a top of the sighting window frame, the UV light fixture structured and operable to selectively illuminate alignment dots.
4. The sight of claim 1, wherein the sighting window further comprises a frame comprises a retention ring removably engaged with the frame such that the lens can be removed and replaced with another lens.
5. The sight of claim 1, wherein the opposing legs of the V-shaped sight guide are opaque such that when the archer is aiming the bow the opaque legs are structured and operable to obscure the archer's view of a head of the front sighting pin until the archer is substantially “in form”.
6. The sight of claim 1, wherein the V-shaped sight guide is disposed on a face of the lens.
7. The sight of claim 1, wherein the V-shaped sight guide is integrally formed with the lens.
8. A rear sight for a bow, said rear sight comprising:
- a sighting window connected to a stem that is slidingly engageable with a mounting bracket mounted to a riser of an archery bow, the sighting window comprising: a frame; a magnification lens disposed within the frame, the magnification lens is structured and operable to magnify an archer's view of a target and of a sighting pin of a front sight mounted to the riser; a V-shaped sight guide disposed on the lens, the V-shaped sight guide having two opposing legs that are connected to define a V-notch between the legs, the V-shaped sight guide is structured and operable to insure that the archer is “in form” when aiming the bow at the target; and at least one pair of fiber optic light pipes that extend orthogonally through the lens and distal end portions of the legs of the V-shaped sight guide, the ends of the fiber optic light pipes providing alignment dots that are structured and operable to provide the archer with reverence points to which the archer can align a head of the sighting pin when aiming the bow at the target.
9. The sight of claim 8 further comprising an ultraviolet (UV) light fixture removably attached to a top of the sighting window frame, the UV light fixture structured and operable to selectively illuminate the alignment dots.
10. The sight of claim 8, wherein the sighting window further comprises a frame comprises a retention ring removably engaged with the frame such that the lens can be removed and replaced with another lens.
11. The sight of claim 8, wherein the opposing legs of the V-shaped sight guide are opaque such that when the archer is aiming the bow the opaque legs are structured and operable to obscure the archer's view of a head of the front sighting pin until the archer is substantially “in form”.
12. The sight of claim 8, wherein the V-shaped sight guide is disposed on a face of the lens.
13. The sight of claim 8, wherein the V-shaped sight guide is integrally formed with the lens.
14. An archery bow, said bow comprising:
- a rear sight, said rear sight comprising: a sighting window connected to a stem that is slidingly engageable with a mounting bracket mounted to a riser of an archery bow, the sighting window comprising: a frame; a magnification lens disposed within the frame, the magnification lens is structured and operable to magnify an archer's view of a target and of a sighting pin of a front sight mounted to the riser; a V-shaped sight guide disposed on the lens, the V-shaped sight guide having two opposing legs that are connected to define a V-notch between the legs, the V-shaped sight guide is structured and operable to insure that the archer is “in form” when aiming the bow at the target; and at least one pair of alignment dots disposed in distal end portions of the legs, the alignment dots are structured and operable to provide the archer with reverence points to which the archer can align a head of the sighting pin when aiming the bow at the target.
15. The bow of claim 14, wherein the alignment dots comprise fiber optic light pipes that extend orthogonally through the lens and the distal end portions of the legs of the V-shaped sight guide, the ends of the fiber optic light pipes providing the alignment dots.
16. The bow of claim 15 further comprising an ultraviolet (UV) light fixture removably attached to a top of the sighting window frame, the UV light fixture structured and operable to selectively illuminate the alignment dots.
17. The bow of claim 14, wherein the sighting window further comprises a frame comprises a retention ring removably engaged with the frame such that the lens can be removed and replaced with another lens.
18. The bow of claim 14, wherein the opposing legs of the V-shaped sight guide are opaque such that when the archer is aiming the bow the opaque legs are structured and operable to obscure the archer's view of a head of the front sighting pin until the archer is substantially “in form”.
19. The bow of claim 14, wherein the V-shaped sight guide is disposed on a face of the lens.
20. The bow of claim 14, wherein the V-shaped sight guide is integrally formed with the lens.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 12, 2012
Publication Date: Jun 12, 2014
Inventor: Melvin J. Deien (Breese, IL)
Application Number: 13/711,733
International Classification: F41G 1/467 (20060101); F41B 5/14 (20060101);