Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
This invention relates to archery bows and more particularly to an improved arrow rest.
Archery is a sport enjoyed by target-shooters and hunters alike. Numerous archery ranges attest to archery""s popularity for target shooting. In addition, many states offer a hunting season for bow hunters only that is often limited in duration and/or in the number of participants. Such limitations, coupled with a hunter""s normal aspirations, place an increased emphasis on archery skills to ensure a successful hunt during the time allowed.
An important archery requirement is the ability to stabilize the arrow upon release of the bow string. At an earlier time, the archer rested the arrow on the hand holding the bow. While this method lent some stability to the arrow upon release, it was prone to inaccuracy. Mechanical arrow rests were thereafter developed to better support the arrow and thereby to provide improved arrow stabilization during the important release stage. Early arrow rests provided a fixed support that, although offering somewhat more stabilization, often interacted with the arrow shaft or fletching upon release. Such interaction could cause an arrow to deviate from its intended flight path. Since arrow velocities often exceed 270 feet per second, any interference between the fletching and the arrow rest, after release, reduces the accuracy of the shot and the penetration of the arrow at its target.
Movable arrow rests were developed primarily to reduce unwanted interaction between the arrow rest and the fletching. A moveable arrow rest supports the arrow until released and then drops quickly away from the arrow upon release, thereby allowing the fletching to clear the arrow rest. One type of moveable arrow rest relies on a linkage, such as a cord or rubber tubing, tied between the arrow rest and the bow string or cable. Drawing the bow pulls the linkage and thereby lifts the arrow rest into the set position. Releasing the bow string relaxes the linkage and allows the arrow rest to fall to a release position by means of gravity or a spring mechanism. Such arrow rests often expose the linkage and other operating mechanisms. Since many hunters conceal themselves in dense forests, foliage and undergrowth, these designs could be disadvantageous because the externally exposed mechanism could be damaged in such an environment causing the arrow rest to malfunction.
An inertial moveable arrow rest is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,409 and incorporated herein by reference. The inertial arrow rest takes advantage of a sharp movement of the bow near the handle, in the opposite direction of the arrow""s flight path, that occurs upon arrow release. Such an arrow rest eliminates the need for a cumbersome linkage between the arrow rest and the bow string. The bow handle""s backward movement effects the quick dropping of the rest, thereby allowing it to move out of the arrow""s flight path. The arrow rest shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,409 further disclosed a set screw positioned so as to contact the weight arm and thereby to provide some adjustment for the arrow rest. Adjustment of the set screw operated to vary the travel of the weight arm to allow the arrow rest to release at a desired point.
While this inertial arrow rest and similar models were a step forward, the exposed moving parts presented disadvantages in the field as they are often bent or broken by contact with branches and brush or they are prone to collect dirt or other deleterious materials thereby interfering with proper operation. Moreover, in the field, the adjustment set screw did not always provide the arrow rest mechanism with a constant starting point and thereby could limit the ability of the arrow rest to perform consistently over a large number of shots.
To address these and other needs, the present invention provides a fall-away arrow rest that is adjustable and fully enclosed to assure trouble-free operation of the moveable parts of the associated mechanism. The present invention provides a housing having a cavity. A shaft extends into the housing and is rotatable between a set position and a release position. The shaft is provided with a shaft pin that extends away from the shaft and into the cavity. A first spring is provided to urge the shaft towards the release position. A weight is positioned in the cavity and rotatably coupled with the housing, enabling the weight to pivot between a locking position and an unlocking position. A pin stop is coupled with the weight to receive the shaft pin when the shaft is in the set position and the weight is in the locking position. A second spring is also provided to urge the weight towards the locking position. An arrow support is positioned on a portion of the shaft extending outside of the housing. A cover is coupled with the housing across the cavity in order to shield the moving parts therein. The arrow rest is mounted on a bow near the handle using bolts or other mounting means.
To use the arrow rest of the present invention, the archer rotates the arrow support upwardly into the set position and places an arrow thereon. The bow string is drawn, and when released, the bow handle experiences a backward movement opposite the arrow""s flight path. Being coupled with the bow, the arrow rest moves with the bow in the same backward motion. However, the weight is pivotably coupled with the arrow rest housing, and upon arrow release, the mass of the weight causes the weight to momentarily resist rotation about its pivotal axis while the housing continues to move. The weight thus momentarily becomes positioned in the unlocking position with respect to the housing, thereby releasing the shaft pin from the pin stop. The biased shaft then quickly rotates toward the release direction thereby causing the arrow support to fall into the release position in time to avoid the fletching of the released arrow as it clears the bow.