ARROW FOR CROSSBOW

Abstract

The crossbow arrow includes an arrow shaft having a head portion at one end and a tail portion at the other end and at least two wing members protruding beyond the transverse dimensions of the arrow shaft and extending substantially between the head portion and the tail portion. The wing members are made of a rigid and hard material and simultaneously perform the function of feathering for stabilizing the arrow in flight and the function of cutting blades for increasing destructive ability of the arrow. The technical effect is reduction in the number of parts used, reduction in a total weight of the arrow, increase of the construction rigidity, improvement of aerodynamic properties and destructive ability of the arrow.

Description

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to arrows for a crossbow, in particular to those for a reverse crossbow.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.

Arrows for crossbows are commonly known that include an arrow shaft member, an arrow head portion, an arrow tail portion and a plurality of wing members. A length or a lengthwise dimension of the arrow head portion and tail portion are significantly less than that of the arrow shaft member. The wing members are a set of flexible feathers mounted near the tail portion, which lengthwise dimension is also significantly less than that of the arrow shaft member. The head portion may comprise cutting protruding parts that, similarly to the wing members, protrude beyond the transverse dimensions of the arrow shaft member, as is shown, e.g., in FIG. 1 to the US patent application No. 2006183579 (published on Aug. 17, 2006; IPC F42B 6/06). In order to increase the destructive ability, the arrow is provided with a removable head portion with a plurality of protruding parts, as described, e.g., in US patent application No. 2008254925 (published on Oct. 16, 2008; IPC F42B 6/08).

Conventional crossbows are characterized by the fact that the riser to which flexible members are attached is located at the front end of the crossbow stock. If an arrow length is less than that of the crossbow stock, an arrow may slide out from the crossbow stock during shooting, hit the riser and bounce back to the crossbowman. For the purpose of precluding such a situation, arrows are used for shooting which length is greater than that of the crossbow stock, so the head portion of an arrow mounted onto a crossbow is ahead of the riser with the limbs, as is shown in FIG. 1 of US patent application No. 2013312724 (published on Nov. 28, 2013; IPC F41B 5/12).

A reverse crossbow disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 7,938,108 (published on 13.05.2010; IPC F41B 5/12) comprises a riser with the limbs thereon that are arranged in such a way that no obstacles exist for an arrow moving along the crossbow stock during shooting. This enables to safely use short arrows having much lesser dimensions, which are more convenient for storage, carrying and use. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,654 (published on Jul. 12, 1983; IPC F42B 6/02, F42B 6/06) discloses a short arrow having flexible wing members extending substantially along the arrow from its head portion to tail portion. However, a significant drawback of this arrow is its low destructive ability.

As the prototype for this invention the arrow according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,935,012 (published on Oct. 29, 2009; IPC F42B 6/08) is selected. The prototype arrow comprises the arrow shaft with wing members in the tail portion and a removable head portion. The removable head portion is provided with cutting protruding parts for the purpose of increasing the arrow destructive ability.

Drawbacks of the prototype that result from its construction and materials used are: a great number of parts protruding beyond the dimensions of the arrow shaft, namely, the cutting protruding parts in the arrowhead and the wing members in the tail portion of the arrow, all of them impairing aerodynamic properties of the arrow; relatively low destructive ability due to the arrangement of the cutting parts in the arrowhead and their small length; a high cost and complexity of making these parts; a possibility of damaging and deforming the flexible wing members during storage, carrying and use; and the fact that a great length of a thin-wall hollow arrow shaft reduces the strength of the arrow construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is aimed at eliminating drawbacks of known solutions and, in particular, of the prototype according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,935,012, while ensuring high destructive ability, good aerodynamic properties, high strength and, at the same time, a compact construction of the claimed arrow for a crossbow.

The objective of the invention is solved due to the fact that the claimed crossbow arrow comprises an arrow shaft which length is preferably less than a working stroke value of a reverse crossbow, and that may have any shape in its section, but, preferably, a round one. The arrow has a head portion of any shape at its one end, which may be both separable and non-separable from the arrow shaft, and a tail portion of any shape at its other end, which may be both separable and non-separable from the arrow shaft. The arrow also comprises at least two wing members protruding beyond the transverse dimensions of the arrow shaft and extending substantially between the head portion and the tail portion.

The wing members are made of a rigid and hard material in order they may simultaneously perform the function of wings as such, i.e., stabilize the arrow during flight, and the function of cutting blades for increasing the arrow destructive ability. The wing members may be provided with holes and/or a cavity of any shape in order to reduce weight, improve balance and improve aerodynamic properties of the wing member and the arrow itself.

According to one preferable embodiment of the invention, the wing member comprises at least one region located near the head portion and expanding from the arrow shaft, and at least one region located near the tail portion and narrowing to the arrow shaft. In particular, the wing member may have a trigonal shape with an obtuse angle between the lateral side of the expanding region and the lateral side of the narrowing region, or a polygonal shape with more than two lateral sides, or with a lateral side shape combining straight and curved lines, or with a lateral side shape corresponding to a curved line. Furthermore, at least one of the lateral edges of the wing member may have a sharp cutting edge that, in its turn, may be made as a straight line, or a broken line, or a line comprising straight and curved regions.

According to some preferable embodiments of the invention, the wing member may have various shapes at its base adjoining the arrow shaft: namely, a rectangular shape, or a rectangular shape with leveled corners, or a rhomb-like shape, or a pentagonal shape with rectangular and triangular regions.

The technical effect of the claimed invention consists in reducing a number of parts used, decreasing an arrow total weight due to a reduced length of the arrow shaft and an area of the wing members, as well as in increasing the structural rigidity of both the arrow itself and the wing members, and improving its aerodynamic properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Hereinafter, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing some embodiments of the crossbow arrow according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of one embodiment of the crossbow arrow having wing members of trigonal shape.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of another embodiment of the crossbow arrow having wing members of a trigonal shape that are provided with holes.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of yet another embodiment of the crossbow arrow having wing members of a polygonal shape.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of still another embodiment of the crossbow arrow having wing members of a polygonal shape that are provided with holes.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of yet another embodiment of the crossbow arrow having wing members which shape comprises straight and curved lines.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of still another embodiment of the crossbow arrow having wing members which shape is characterized by a curved line.

FIG. 7 shows a scaled-up top plan view of the wing member having the rectangular base.

FIG. 8 shows a scaled-up top plan view of the wing member having the rhomb-shaped base.

FIG. 9 shows a scaled-up top plan view of the wing member having the base of a pentagonal shape comprising a rectangular region and a triangular region.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As is shown in FIG. 1, the crossbow arrow comprises the arrow shaft (1) having a substantially elongated shape with the head portion (2) and the tail portion (3), and at least two wing members (4) protruding beyond the transverse dimensions of the arrow shaft (1). The wing members (4) extend between the head portion (2) to the tail portion (3).

The arrow head portion (2) may be made in any shape, e.g., a blunted shape as shown, in particular, in FIG. 1, or a sharpened shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5.

The wing members (4) are made of a rigid and hard material with properties significantly exceeding hardness of a bone tissue of an animal, e.g., of a metal, metal alloy, metal ceramics, composite material or any other material comparable, as to its hardness and rigidity, to the said materials, and perform two functions simultaneously. First, the wing members (4) are intended for stabilizing the arrow in flight, i.e., perform the function of feathering. Second, the wing members (4) are intended for increasing the destructive ability of the arrow, i.e., perform the function of cutting blades.

The fulfillment of the two said functions is possible only in the case where the wing members (4) are made of a rigid and hard material. If the wing members made of a flexible material, e.g., rubber or plastic, are used, then the wing members may not fulfill at least the function of cutting blades, and it will require the use of additional arrow members, such as an arrowhead with protruding cutting parts known in the state of the art. Also, it is not advisable to use hard, but brittle materials for making the wing member, because such wing members will have low destructive ability when hitting a target and may be damaged during carrying and storage.

Thus, if the wing members (4) are made of a material that is hard and rigid at the same time, then the arrow construction will be simplified significantly, its dimensions may be reduced, its destructive ability will be improved, and rigidity of the arrow shaft will be increased.

The wing members (4) may have any shape, but it is preferable that the wing member (4) comprises at least one region located near the arrow head portion (2) and expanding from the arrow shaft, i.e., the region (5), and at least one region located near the tail portion and narrowing toward the arrow shaft (1), i.e., the region (6), as are shown in FIG. 1. This embodiment of the wing members (4) provide them with higher rigidity and improves the arrow destructive ability.

According to one particular embodiment of the invention, the wing member (4) has a trigonal shape, an angle (7) between the regions (5) and (6) being obtuse, i.e., its value being more than 90°. In this case the rigidity of the wing member is increased.

The angle (7) may be moved toward the head portion (2), as shown in FIG. 1, or toward the tail portion (3), as shown in FIG. 2, or be approximately in the middle point of the arrow shaft (1) (not shown); in this way the position of the arrow center of gravity may be regulated, thus imparting definite aerodynamic properties to the arrow. In addition, the wing member (4) may be provided with a hole (8) that also enables to regulate the arrow center of gravity and its total weight, depending on the position of the hole (8) and its dimensions. If necessary, the wing member (4) may be provided with several holes (8) (not shown).

The length of the wing member (4) may be equal to a part of that of the arrow shaft (1), as is shown in FIG. 1. As an alternative, the length of the wing member (4) may be comparable to that of the arrow shaft (1), i.e., extend substantially from the head portion (2) to the tail portion (3), as is shown in FIG. 2. By varying the length of the wing member (4) it is possible to change the arrow aerodynamic properties, rigidity of the arrow itself as well as the destructive ability of the arrow. Thus, the longer the wing member (4) is, the more stable is the arrow in flight, the higher is its flexural rigidity, and, when it hits a target, the higher is the probability that a part of the wing member (4) will remain outside, not allowing the target material (substance) to close in around the arrow shaft (1).

According to another embodiment of the invention, the wing member (4) has a polygonal shape, as is shown in FIG. 3. Apart from the regions (5) and (6), the wing member has additional intermediate regions (9) and (10), but the region (5) that is the nearest to the head portion (2) is still expanding from the arrow shaft (1), and the region (6) that is nearest to the tail region (3) is still narrowing to the arrow shaft (1).

These additional intermediate regions of the arrow wing member (4) are not necessarily inclined toward the arrow shaft (1). For example, FIG. 4 shows the arrow according to this invention, wherein one additional intermediate region (11), which is substantially parallel to the arrow shaft (1), is located between the regions (5) and (6). Similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the embodiment of the wing member (4) in accordance with FIG. 4 is provided with a hole (8).

The hole (8) in the wing member (4), as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, may have any shape, i.e., round, elongated, polygonal, etc. It may occupy a significant portion of the area of the wing member (4), or its small portion or fraction. It may be a single hole or represent several holes made in each of the wing members (4).

According to still another embodiment of the invention, the wing member (4) has a shape comprising a curved line. The curved line may comprise, for example, a straight region and a curvilinear region, as is shown in FIG. 5, and may be a single smoothly curved line, as is shown in FIG. 6. Irrespective of its shape, the wing member (4) may be characterized by the presence of an expanding region (5) and a narrowing region (6).

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the wing member (4) that are shown in FIGS. 3-6 maintain all the above-said advantages relating to the wing member (4) having a trigonal shape, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2.

Also, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a section of the wing member may have a curved shape for the purpose of imparting rotational motion to the arrow during its flight.

The base of the wing member (4) may have various shapes also; its several embodiments are shown in FIGS. 7-9, where scaled-up top view of the wing member (4) are presented.

According to the simplest embodiment, the base of the wing member (4) has a rectangular shape, as shown in FIG. 7. The base of the wing member (4) may be made both with squared corners (FIG. 7), and with rounded corners (not shown).

Other possible shapes of the base of the wing member (4) are: a rhomb-like shape (FIG. 8) or a pentagonal shape with a rectangular region and a trigonal region (FIG. 9).

The shape of the base of the wing member (4) has an effect on rigidity of the wing member (4) and the construction of the arrow itself, as well as may define the shape of the wing member edge and, consequently, have an effect on the arrow destructive ability. In particular, in order to improve the arrow destructive ability, the wing member (4) may be provided with a cutting edge.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the presence of a cutting edge may be characteristic for the region (5) that expands from the head portion (2). This embodiment is shown in FIG. 9 where only the region (5) is provided with a cutting edge (12).

According to another embodiment of the invention, a cutting edge may be located both at the region (5), and at the region (6), as is shown in FIG. 8 where these edges are designated as (12) and (13), respectively.

Cutting edges may be present at all the regions of the wing member (4) or only on some of them, irrespective of the number of such regions and their shapes. The cutting edges may be sharpened similarly to variants of sharpening applicable to modern knives.

The claimed arrow for a crossbow and its embodiments enable to achieve several objectives, namely: reduce the number of the parts used due to combining two parts, i.e., cutting blades and feathering, into one wing member, increase the arrow rigidity due to the use of rigid and hard materials for making the wing members, improve the arrow destructive ability due to an increased length of the wing member, improve the arrow aerodynamic properties, and ensure convenient storage, use and carrying of the arrow due to a significant reduction of the arrow length.

Claims

1. A crossbow arrow, comprising:

an arrow shaft having a shape substantially elongated in the a longitudinal direction, said arrow shaft comprising a head portion at one end and a tail portion at another end; and

at least two wing members protruding beyond transverse dimensions of said arrow shaft and extending substantially from the head portion to the tail portion;

wherein the wing members are comprised of a rigid and hard material and simultaneously perform the function of feathering for stabilizing arrow in flight and the function of cutting blades for increasing the arrow destructive ability.

2. The arrow according to claim 1, wherein each wing member comprises, in the direction from the head portion to the tail portion, at least one region expanding from arrow shaft and at least one region narrowing to arrow shaft.

3. The arrow according to claim 2, wherein each wing member is made trigonal, with an obtuse angle between the lateral side of the expanding region and the lateral side of the narrowing region, or polygonal with more than two lateral sides, or with a shape of the lateral sides, which combines straight and curved lines, or with a shape of the lateral sides in the form of a curved line.

4. The arrow according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the lateral sides of the wing member has a sharp cutting edge.

5. The arrow according to claim 4, the wherein said sharp cutting edge is made as a straight line, or a broken line, or a line combining straight regions and curved regions.

6. The arrow according to claim 1, the wherein a base of the wing member has a rectangular shape, or a rectangular shape with leveled corners, or a rhomb-like shape, or a pentagonal shape with a rectangular region and a triangular region.