Abstract:
An apparatus designed to protect the fletchings on arrows while the arrows are placed in a quiver, consisting of two covers made of durable material which may be hinged or attached at one end and lined with foam or a foam-like substance on the interior edges of the covers so as to protect the shafts of the arrows from damage. The covers are then closed around the arrow fletchings, and the entire apparatus serves to protect the fletchings from crushing.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Many bow hunters and other archers have experienced the frustration of using a bow quiver to carry their arrows, only to find out that the pressure of other equipment on the quiver or the case in which the bow and bow quiver are placed have damaged the fragile fletchings on the arrows. Such damage can be monetarily significant on higher-end arrows, as a damaged fletching prevents an arrow from flying true, and as they can be costly to replace. Archers would be well-served by a device which could protect the fletchings while the arrows rest in their quiver. 
         [0002]    There have been various advances made in fletching protection. Some attempts to protect fletchings are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,955,473 and 5,775,313. However, each of these references suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: they do not cover all the arrows in the quiver at the same time; there is not total enclosure of the arrow fletchings, which still leaves them vulnerable to damage; and they require some time to apply and use with the arrows themselves. 
         [0003]    For the foregoing reasons, it has become apparent that a more simple device which encloses all the arrows in a quiver together is necessary in order to protect the investment of an archer&#39;s arrows. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the need for a simple device which encloses and protects all arrows&#39; fletchings while resting in a quiver. The apparatus may include two covers which are attached at their bases by a hinge or other connection which allows the covers to be laid open flat on their faces. These covers, which can be solid or have cutouts in them, can be made with any type of material; a durable hard plastic has the advantages of being lightweight and providing structural support to the apparatus. The covers when meeting each other by being connected via their hinge can be connected at their front ends by means of an attachment assembly, which in the present embodiment is a plastic catch, but which could also be made by a hook and eye connection, a snap-type connection, or other various methods of ensuring the covers remain secured. 
         [0005]    At their front surfaces where the covers meet and may be attached, a strip of foam may be placed within recesses on each cover, made thick enough to remain within the recess yet allowing the covers to close. These strips of foam admit the shafts of the arrows between them and secure the arrows within the apparatus without scratching or damaging the shafts. When the covers are properly secured over the arrows, the nock ends of the arrows with their fletchings are then protected within the apparatus&#39; two covers, and are rendered safe because of the crush-proof properties of the materials, from which the apparatus is made. 
         [0006]    This structure provides an advantage to prior attempts as it is easy to place over arrows already placed in a quiver, and also easy to remove. The crush-proof properties of the apparatus provide peace of mind to the archer, as even locked within a bow case, the apparatus protects the fragile arrow fletchings by virtue of its design. The weight of the case on top of the apparatus, or even the weight of additional items packed on top of the bow case, cannot damage the fletchings because of the structural integrity of the apparatus. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  shows the top cover of an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  shows the bottom cover of an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  shows the assembled covers of the embodiment, viewed from the perspective of the top cover; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  shows a detail of the foam insert placed between the top and bottom cover of the embodiment; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  shows the assembled unit, viewed from the perspective of the opened apparatus, where both the top and bottom covers remain connected at the hinge; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  shows the apparatus in typical usage in association with a fully packed bow case, containing a bow, quiver full of arrows, and with the apparatus in position over the arrow fletchings. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    A detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention can be understood with reference to the above-listed drawings, in addition to the details that follow.  FIG. 1  details the top cover  10  of the device, which may be constructed of a sturdy material  60  such as plastic or metal, and may include an open latticework of protective cross strips  15  which may function to allow the user to view the arrow fletchings through open holes  30  in the cover  10 . The cover  10  could also be built to be totally enclosing of the arrow fletchings, which would not allow a user to see the fletchings, but would still be functional and protective. The cover  10  may also feature an open space  20  which functions as a receiver for a closure hasp  70  as detailed in  FIG. 2 . The open space  20  and closure hasp  70  could also be replaced by any other type of closure mechanism, such as a magnetic or other mechanical closure. The open space  20  and closure hasp  70  combination provides the benefit of being easily opened by one hand, as hasp  70  need only be moved towards the back of the cover  10  in order to release the closure and open the device. 
         [0015]    The top cover  10  may also feature two slots  40  for receiving hinge pins  80  as detailed in  FIG. 2 , which allow the top cover  10  to remain fixed to a bottom cover  65  of the device, and yet provide for an opening action at the rear of the device. Top cover  10  may also have an open slot  50  on the front of the device, which serves to admit a foam or foam-like insert  82  as detailed in  FIG. 4 , which allows the shaft of the arrows placed therein to be secured within the device, yet not be damaged by contact with a harder material, such as the material  60  of which the device may be constructed. Top cover  10  may also contain a channel  51  for the placement of the foam or foam-like insert  82 , which will secure the insert  82  within the top cover  10 . 
         [0016]    A bottom cover  65  of the device, also constructed of the main construction material  60  and as depicted in  FIG. 2 , may include the same or similar details as top cover  10 , such as the open viewing space  30  formed by the latticework of protective cross strips  15  and the open slot  50  for admission of arrow shafts. For example, the bottom cover  65  may also features two hinge pins  80  for fitting into hinge slots  40 , and closure hasp  70 , as detailed above. Moreover, the bottom cover  65  may also include a channel  51  for the placement of the foam or foam-like insert  82 , which will secure the insert  82  within the bottom cover  65 . 
         [0017]      FIG. 3  depicts the top cover  10  attached to the bottom cover  65  by means of the hinge pins  80  of the bottom cover  65  placed into the hinge slots  40  of the top cover  10 , and as viewed from the top-down perspective, looking down on top cover  10 . This produces the assembled device  85 , and details further the viewing slots  30  created by the open latticework of protective cross strips  15 . In addition, the closure formed by the combination of the open space  20  and closure hasp  70  is further detailed. By moving closure hasp  70  towards the rear (hinge-side) of the device  85 , the catch on closure hasp  70  may be released and the unit  85  may be able to be opened from the front, pivoting on the hinge assembly formed by the combination of the hinge pins  80  and the hinge slots  40 . In this view, the opening  50  for the foam insert  82  is able to be more clearly demonstrated. This opening is detailed in  FIG. 4  in close-up view, where the top cover  10  and the bottom cover  65  both have openings  50  for the foam insert  82 , which again allows for the arrow shafts of the user to be placed within without suffering damage by scratching the shafts with the construction material  60  of the unit  85 . 
         [0018]      FIG. 5  depicts the unit  85  laid open at the hinges created by the combination of hinge pins  80  and hinge slots  40 . In this view, the top cover  10  is on the left-hand side of the view, and bottom cover  65  is on the right-hand side. This view also details another option of construction: by fitting foam inserts  82   b  within the rear edges of top cover  10  and bottom cover  65  (toward the hinges), the nocks of the arrows may be placed overlapping the foam inserts  82   b  and thereby locked between the inserts  82  when the unit  85  is closed, thus further stabilizing the arrows, and adding another point of contact for the arrow and the unit  85 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 6  depicts the unit  85  in usage with a typical archer&#39;s outfit, consisting of a quiver  90  of arrows  91 . The quiver  90  is laid within a bow case  95  and on top of a bow  94 , and the arrows  91  are placed within the unit  85 . The nocks  92  of the arrows can be seen protruding from the hinge-end of the present embodiment, and the open viewing areas  30  of the unit allow for visual inspection of the fletchings  93  of the arrows  91 . In this way, closure of the bow case  95  will not damage the fletchings  93  of the arrows  91  due to the protective presence of the unit  85  on the arrows  91 . This demonstrates the utility of the device  85 . The applicant intends to encompass within the above language any structure presently existing or developed in the future that performs the same function of any element of the embodiment. 
         [0020]    Various embodiments of the present invention have many advantages, including that the device  85  is able to cover all an archer&#39;s arrows  91 ; the arrow fletchings  93  are completely covered and encased in the device  85 ; and the device  85  is quick to apply over arrows  91  already in a quiver  90 , and can even be put on and removed from arrows  91  with one hand. The invention does not require, however, that all the advantageous features and all the advantages need to be incorporated into every embodiment of the invention. 
         [0021]    In some embodiments of the invention, the material  60  used to construct the device  85  may be of a rigid and lightweight plastic material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. This serves to keep the unit  85  light, yet strong enough to avoid being crushed by the weight of an archer&#39;s equipment placed on top of a bow case  95 . Additionally, in order to be of maximum utility, some embodiments of the invention may be designed with the dimensions of approximately 6 inches across the front or back edge of the unit  85 , and 6 inches from the front to the back edge. A depth of at least 3 inches may be desired on the unit  85  when it is assembled in order to ensure that there is room enough for the admittance of the arrow fletchings  93  without crushing the fletchings, while still being slim enough for convenience and functionality. The foam inserts  82  and  82   b  may be approximately 0.25 inches high and deep, and of a length close to about 5.5 inches in order to span the entire foam insert channel  81  and to be large enough to protrude a bit from the channels  81  such that the arrow shafts  91  do not come in contact with the actual construction material  60  to prevent scratching. The foam inserts  82  and  82   b  may be of a firm, but not rigid, filler material such as that found in a synthetic sponge, and may be glued or otherwise attached into the foam channel  81  to avoid undesired removal. 
         [0022]    Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible and are contemplated by this description. For example, the construction material  60  could be made of any type of material that will lend strength to the unit  85 ; the view holes  30  in the covers  10  and  65  are optional, and an embodiment may not necessarily be designed to admit the arrow nocks  92  through the rear of the device. Additionally, the invention can be sized differently to accommodate arrows in quivers that hold different numbers of arrows than the embodiment described above. For example, the embodiment described above is of dimensions sufficient to admit arrows in a standard 5-arrow quiver. However, by just modifying the dimensions of the device, the device can then be used in association with quivers of any number of arrows, such as those that hold 8 or 9 arrows, for instance, while still retaining all of the features of the described embodiments. 
         [0023]    Further, the hinge assembly in the design could be altered to incorporate different hinge types such as a pin hinge, a hinge integral with the top cover  10  and the bottom cover  65 , or a hinge whereby the top cover  10  and the bottom cover  65  could be separated completely for fast and easy removal of the arrows. In other possible embodiments, the top cover  10  and the bottom cover  65  could be secured together with a lanyard, and a hinge could be completely forgone. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.