US3802410A

US3802410A - Archery bow with variable bowlimb tensioning devices

Info

Publication number: US3802410A
Application number: US00272738A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Palma
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-07-18
Filing date: 1972-07-18
Publication date: 1974-04-09
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-09

Abstract

An adjustable bow in which reinforcing members are movable longitudinally of bowlimbs to provide a tension adjustment for each of the bowlimbs, and separate drive means are provided for the reinforcing members so that each bow limb can be adjusted in tension separate from the other bowlimb. In some embodiments only two reinforcing members are provided, but in other embodiments, further reinforcing members are provided. In the latter case, one pair of reinforcing members provide coarse adjustment of the bowlimbs and another pair of reinforcing members provides fine adjustment of the bowlimbs. Indicating scales are provided on the bow to show the amount of tension adjustment for the bowlimbs.

Description

United States Patent Palma ARCHERY BOW WITH VARIABLE BOWLIMB TENSIONING DEVICES [76} Inventor: James R. Palma, 1502 Curry Rd.,

Schenectady, NY. 12306 [22} Filed: July 18, 1972 [21} Appl. No.: 272,738

152} US. Cl. 124/23 R, 124/30 R [5 I 1 Int. Cl. F4lb 5/00 [58] Field of Search 124/23, 24. 25, 22, 30 R, 124/35, 41; 74/29 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 625,193 12/1971 Palrna 1. 124/23 3,475,973 11/1969 Blazek et al. 1 r r 74/29 3,561,418 2/1971 Fredrickson 124/24 R Apr. 9, 1974 Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Oltman and Flynn l ABSTRACT An adjustable bow in which reinforcing members are movable longitudinally of bowlimbs to provide a tension adjustment for each of the bowlimbs, and separate drive means are provided for the reinforcing members so that each bowlimb can be adjusted in tension separate from the other bowlimb. In some embodiments only two reinforcing members are provided, but in other embodiments. further reinforcing members are provided. In the latter case, one pair of reinforcing members provide coarse adjustment of the bowlimbs and another pair of reinforcing members provides fine adjustment of the bowiimbs. Indicating scales are provided on the bow to show the amount of tension adjustment for the bowlimbs.

10 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures ?ATENTEDM=R 91914 SHEU 2 (IF 3 ARCHERY BOW WITH VARIABLE BOWLIMB TENSIONING DEVICES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present inventor has previously developed an adjustable bow in which reinforcing members are movable longitudinally of bowlimbs to provide an adjustment of the tension of the bowlimbs. Such a device is described and claimed in US. Pat. No. 3,625,193 issued to the present inventor. In that device, the reinforcing members overlap at the central portion of the bow, and a single drive means interconnects the two reinforcing members and makes it possible to move those members back and forth in cavities in the bowlimbs for adjusting the tension of the bowlimbs. It has been found that in some cases it would be desirable to be able to adjust the tension of one bowlimb separately from the other. it has also been found that there is sometimes need for a coarse adjustment of tension and in addition a fine adjustment of tension. The present invention is directed to these and other objectives.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an adjustable bow with reinforcing members which are movable relative to the two bowlimbs of the bow for adjusting the tension of the bowlimbs, and there are separate drive means for the two reinforcing members so that one member can be moved separately from the other to adjust the tension of one bowlimb separately from the other. In some embodiments, only two reinforcing members are provided, but in other embodiments, there is one pair of reinforcing members providing coarse adjustment of bowlimb tension and another pair of reinforcing members providing fine adjustment of bowlimb tension. Optionally, the bowlimbs may be detachable from the central portion or handle of the bow to provide a knock-down bow. The drive means for the reinforcing members preferably has an associated indicating means for indicating the tension adjustments of the bowlimbs.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved adjustable bow in which the tension of each of two bowlimbs is adjustable separately.

Another object of the invention is to incorporate both coarse adjustments and fine adjustments of the tension of bowlimbs in an adjustable archery bow.

Still another, and no less important, object of the invention is to provide multiple pairs of reinforcing mem bers in an adjustable bow for coarse and fine adjustments of the bowlimbs of the bow.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of an adjustable bow in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the central portion of the bow of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. I and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view, partly in section, of an adjustable bow in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the central portion of the bow of FIG. 5;

Fit). 7 is an elevational view, partly in section, of an adjustable bow in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view of the central portion of the bow of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along line 9-9 of H6. 7 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along line 10-18 of FIG. 7 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view of a modification of the bows of FIGS. 1, 5 and 7;

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 11 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification of the bows of FIGS. 1, 5 and 7;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line 14-44 of FIG. 13 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 15 is an elevational view of another modification; and

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary exploded view of the central portion of the bow of FIG. 15.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

DETAILED DESCRlPTiON The adjustable bow 20 of FIGS. 1 through 4 includes a pair of

bowlimbs

22 and 24 with a handle 26 between the bowlimbs. A bowstring 28 extends between the

opposite ends

30 and 32 of the bowlimbs.

The bowlimb 22 ha two

elongated cavities

34 and 36 extending longitudinally therein, and the bowlimb 24 also has two

elongated cavities

38 and 40 extending longitudinally therein. All of these cavities may open into a hollow space 42 in the handle 26 of the bow.

Two elongated reinforcing

members

44 and 46 are received respectively in

cavities

34 and 38 and are slidable longitudinally of those cavities. The reinforcing

members

44 and 46 are preferably made of metal, although other materials are possible. The reinforcing

members

44 and 46 are also preferably tapered in generally the same sense as the bowlimbs are tapered so that they will move more easily in the

cavities

34 and 38.

The inner ends 48 and S0 of the reinforcing

members

44 and 46 may overlap each other as shown in FIG. 1 and have rack teeth 52 and 54 thereon which are both engaged by a single pinion 56. The pinion 56 is rotatable to drive the two reinforcing

members

44 and 46 back and forth in the

bowlimbs

22 and 24 to provide an adjustment of the tension of the bowlimbs. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the adjustment provided by the reinforcing

members

44 and 46 is a fine adjustment of the tension of the bowlimbs, and a coarse adjustment is also provided as will be explained further.

Two additional reinforcing

members

58 and 60 are received respectively in the

elongated cavities

36 and 40 and are movable or slidable longitudinally therein. The reinforcing

members

58 and 60 are also preferably made of metal. It may be seen that the

cavities

36 and 40 are shorter than

cavities

34 and 38, and the reinforcing

members

58 and 60 are also shorter than reinforcing

members

44 and 46. The purpose of the additional reinforcing

members

58 and 60 is to provide a coarse adjustment of the tension of the

bowlimbs

22 and 24.

The

inner ends

62 and 64 of the reinforcing

members

58 and 60 may overlap each other and have opposed

rack teeth

66 and 70 which are both engaged by a single rotatable pinion 72. Rotation of the pinion 72 drives the reinforcing

members

58 and 60 in opposite directions longitudinally in the

cavities

36 and 40 to provide the coarse adjustment of the

bowlimbs

22 and 24.

The

pinions

56 and 72 have actuator

shafts

74 and 76 respectively which extend through the handle 26 to the outside of the handle. There are handpieces or

knobs

78 and 80 attached respectively to the

actuator

74 and 76, and these knobs are rotated to turn the

pinions

56 and 72. The

knobs

78 and 80 have pointers which cooperate with indicating

scales

82 and 84 on the handle 26 to indicate both the coarse adjustment and the fine adjustment of the bowlimbs.

The bow may be made in laminated sections as indicated in FIG. 3 where one section 86 has the reinforcing

members

46 and 60 inside it, and the other section 88 closes the cavities in which the reinforcing members are received. It will be understood, however, that the two sections could be halves which join together to form the cavities or some equivalent arrangement. The two sections may be made of wood and secured together adhesively. Note that a pin 90 may be utilized to provide backing for the

end portions

48 and 64.

The embodiment of FIGS. and 6 is very similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 4, and the same reference numerals are used for like parts with prime designations being utilized where modifications are required. The main difference in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 as compared to that of FIGS. 1-4 is that the reinforcing members 44' and 46 have their inner ends 48' and 50' in line with each other rather than overlapping each other, and there are separate pinions 92 and 94 engaging the racks 52' and 54' on the

end portions

48 and 50 respectively. Pinions 92 and 94 have actuator portions 96 and 98 which extend through the handle 26, and there are handpieces or

knobs

100 and 102 on the actuators 96 and 98 respectively. The

knobs

100 and 102 have pointers which cooperate with indicating

scales

104 and 106. The drive means for the other two reinforcing

members

58 and 60 remains the same, and there is the same knob 80 and indicating scale 84 for indicating the adjustment of these reinforcing

members

58 and 60. The

knobs

100, 102 and scales 104,106 allow for separate adjustment of the reinforcing members 44' and 46' so that the fine adjustment of the tension of

bowlimbs

22 and 24 may be carried out separately for each bowlimb.

The embodiment of FIGS. 7-10 inclusive has the same arrangement of adjusting members 44' and 46 with pinions 92 and 94 and

knobs

100 and 102, so in this respect, the embodiment of FIG. 7 is very similar to the embodiment of FIG. 5. However, the other reinforcing

members

58 and 60 are omitted in FIGS. 7-10. Thus, the embodiment of FIGS. 7-10 provides only two adjustable reinforcing members, but these members make it possible to separately adjust the tension of the two

bowlimb portions

22 and 24.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a modification which may be employed in any of the embodiments described previously. In this modification, a bowlimb 108 has a section 110 with a cavity 112 in it for receiving a reinforcing member, but the cavity 112 is only partially closed by plates 114. The plates 114 are spaced longitudinally along the bowlimb 108 and are fastened to the section 110 as with screws 116.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate another possible modification wherein a bowlimb consists of two

sections

122 and 124 laminated together and reinforced by straps 126 which circumscribe the bowlimb 120. The straps 126 are spaced longitudinally along the bowlimb 120, and so only partially close the cavity 128 for a reinforcing member.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate another modification which may be utilized with any of the embodiments described previously. In this modification, the bowlimbs 22' and 24' are detachable from the handle 26. The handle 26' may be generally a tubular metal member providing a socket which receives reduced

portions

130 and 132 at the inner ends of the bowlimbs 22' and 24'. The reduced

portions

130 and 132 may have openings in them at 134 and 136 which register with

openins

138 and 140 in the handle 26.

Pins

142 and 144 pass through the registering openings to lock the bowlimbs to the handle. The pins are removable to allow detachment of the bowlimbs. Thus, the modification provides a knock-down bow.

The modification of FIGS. 15 and 16 is particularly suitable for use with the embodiment of FIG. 7, and where this modification is employed, it is desirable to locate the adjustable reinforcing members 44' and 46' entirely within the bowlimbs 22' and 24'.

Thus, the invention provides an adjustable bow which has multiple adjustments. At least two reinforcing members are provided in two bowlimbs of the bow, and these reinforcing members are adjustable separately by drive means. Optionally, more than two reinforcing members may be provided in each bowlimb, and separate drive means are provided so that both coarse adjustments and fine adjustments of the tension of the bowlimbs can be achieved. A knock-down adjustable bow is also disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An adjustable bow comprising first and second bowlimbs each having a cavity therein, a handle between said bowlimbs, a pair of elongated reinforcing means positioned in said cavities for sliding movement therein, first and second separate drive means for said reinforcing to adjust the tension of the respective bowlimbs means for separately moving lack of said reinforcing means in said cavities longitudinally of said bowlimbs for adjusting the tension of the respective bowlimbs, and third and fourth reinforcing means spaced from said first mentioned reinforcing means for sliding movement longitudinally of said bowlimbs respectively to provide a further adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs.

2. An adjustable bow as defined in claim 1 in which each of said drive means comprises rack teeth on the respective reinforcing means, a pinion meshing with said rack teeth, and an actuator extending outwardly from said pinion having a hand piece for manual actuation.

3. An adjustable bow as claimed in claim 2 in which said hand piece cooperates with an indicating scale on one of said bowlimbs.

4. An adjustable bow as claimed in claim 1 in which said third and fourth reinforcing means are driven respectively by said first and second drive means.

5. An adjustable bow as claimed in claim 1 including further drive means for said third and fourth reinforcing means.

6. An adjustable bow as claimed in claim 5 including indicator means for said further drive means.

7. An adjustable bow as claimed in claim 1 in which one pair of said reinforcing means provides coarse adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs and another pair of said reinforcing means provides fine adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs.

8. An adjustable bow comprising first and second bowlimbs each having a cavity therein, a handle between said bowlimbs, a pair of elongated reinforcing means for sliding movement in said cavities respectively, a pair of actuators for respectively moving said reinforcing means back and forth in said cavities longitudinally of said bowlimhs for varying the tension of said bowlimbs, a handpiece for each of said actuators, and first and second indicating means for said handpieces to indicate the respective tension adjustments of lack of said bowlimbs.

9. An adjustable bow as claimed in claim 8 including third and fourth reinforcing means slidable longitudinally of said bowiimbs, respectively providing a further adjustment of the tension of said bowlirnbsx 10. An adjustable bow as claimed in ciaim 9 in which one pair of said reinforcing means provides coarse adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs, and another pair of said reinforcing means provides fine adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs.

:k k k i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 1410 D t d April 9, 191% Inventor(s) JAMES R. PALMA It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown beiow:

Claim 1 column LI, i 6! change Hack to each Claim 8, column 6, line 1'], change "lack" to each Signed and sealed this 13th day of August 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON, JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents I FORM PC9-10 usccmu ac HGETB-FBQ 9 LLS. GOVERNMENT PIIHITHIG GI'FICI: llll 0-3iI-33l.

Claims

1. An adjustable bow comprising first and second bowlimbs each having a cavity therein, a handle between said bowlimbs, a pair of elongated reinforcing means positioned in said cavities for sliding movement therein, first and second separate drive means for said reinforcing to adjust the tension of the respective bowlimbs means for separately moving each of said reinforcing means in said cavities longitudinally of said bowlimbs for adjusting the tension of the respective bowlimbs, and third and fourth reinforcing means spaced from said first mentioned reinforcing means for sliding movement longitudinally of said bowlimbs respectively to provide a further adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs.

8. An adjustable bow comprising first and second bowlimbs each having a cavity therein, a handle between said bowlimbs, a pair of elongated reinforcing means for sliding movement in said cavities respectively, a pair of actuators for respectively moving said reinforcing means back and forth in said cavities longitudinally of said bowlimbs for varying the tension of said bowlimbs, a handpiece for each of said actuators, and first and second indicating means for said handpieces to indicate the respective tension adjustments of each of said bowlimbs.

9. An adjustable bow as claimed in claim 8 including third and fourth reinfOrcing means slidable longitudinally of said bowlimbs, respectively providing a further adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs.

10. An adjustable bow as claimed in claim 9 in which one pair of said reinforcing means provides coarse adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs, and another pair of said reinforcing means provides fine adjustment of the tension of said bowlimbs.