Abstract:
A capsule that mounts on an arrow shaft to release a target marking material when the arrow impacts a target, the capsule having walls forming a chamber around the arrow shaft, and one or more breakaway grooves in the walls that break on impact of the arrow to allow the walls to separate and release the marking material from the chamber.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates generally to arrows used by archers, and more specifically, to a target marking arrow device that visually marks the point of impact on the surface of a target. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    It can be difficult for an archer to accurately determine where the arrow hits the target whether it be a game animal, a three-dimensional target, or a field target. There can be many reasons for this difficulty, such as the distance and position of the target, the speed at which the arrow travels, the terrain, light conditions, and, in the case of wild game, movement of the animal after the shot has been made. The present invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a marking arrow device that shows the point of impact in a manner instantly visible to the archer. 
         [0003]    In the case of bow hunters, instant visualization as to the point of impact of the arrow is critical information to the hunter. A shot to an animal&#39;s vitals (the lungs and/or heart) represents the desired arrow placement. If a hunter sees that the animal has been hit in the vitals, the hunter typically waits a short period of time (½-hour to 1-hour) allowing for the animal to expire before making the recovery. In the case of a marginal hit (a shot other than the vitals), the hunter will typically wait several hours or longer before attempting recovery. By doing so, the hunter greatly improves his or her chances of recovery. A complete miss can be seen by a residue the marking arrow device leaves on the ground or surrounding areas. 
         [0004]    The invention features a capsule that mounts on the shaft of an arrow next to the arrowhead and contains a readily visible marking substance, such as a brightly colored, non-toxic food coloring, that can be dry or in liquid form. The capsule has walls, including an inner wall and an outer wall, forming a chamber for containing the target marking material. The inner wall of the capsule defines a passage for receiving an end portion of the arrowshaft, whereby the chamber surrounds the shaft. One or more of the capsule walls have fracture zones, such as breakaway grooves, that break on impact of the arrow to allow the walls to separate and release the target marking material from the capsule chamber. 
         [0005]    In a disclosed embodiment, a circular breakaway groove is in an end of the capsule and discrete breakaway grooves are formed in the outer wall and extend endwise of the capsule, i.e. between the end of the capsule next to the arrowhead and the rear capsule wall. The rear wall of the capsule also may have a breakaway groove. 
         [0006]    The capsule which is the feature of the invention can be used with all field-point and broadhead arrows that have a standard male/female screw attachment construction without modifying the arrows in any way. In the disclosed embodiment, the end of the arrow shaft received in the central passage of the capsule abuts the inner surface of the capsule front wall. The front of the capsule next to the arrowhead has wall portion extending radially inwardly of the inner wall. The wall portion has a central hole that accepts the male portion or neck of the arrowhead. During assembly, the capsule is slid onto the arrow shaft and is held in place by threadedly connecting the arrowhead neck to the end of the shaft. This construction and manner of connection serves to automatically align the capsule on the arrow for proper flight. 
         [0007]    When an arrow carrying the capsule impacts the target, for example, a game animal, the capsule bursts at the fracture zones to allow the walls to separate, thereby releasing the marking material which marks the point of impact. The inner wall of the capsule may remain fixed in place on the shaft, while the outer wall separates to continue to deposit the marking material externally on the animal as the arrow penetrates the flesh after impact. 
         [0008]    These and other features, advantages and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is an elevational view showing the capsule of the invention mounted on a broadhead arrow; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an elevational view partially in cross-section showing details of the capsule and the connection of the broadhead to the shaft; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged, cross-sectional view showing the construction of the capsule; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is an elevational view showing the arrow as it impacts the target; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the capsule showing its rear wall; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a assembled, elevational view of the capsule. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0015]    Referring to the drawings, reference numeral  10  designates a conventional broadhead arrow which carries the capsule  11  of the invention. The arrow  10  includes a shaft  12  and a broadhead  13 . While the capsule of the invention is illustrated and described in combination with a broadhead arrow, it is to be understood that the capsule could be carried on a field-point arrow, as well as used with other projectiles that strike a target. The capsule  11  is filled with a suitable marking material  14  that is disbursed on the target in a manner to be described upon impact of the arrow. Suitable marking materials include wet or dry brightly colored dyes, food colorant, or the like. 
         [0016]    The capsule  11  has a forward end  15  next to the broadhead  13 , an inner wall  17 , an outer wall  18 , and a rear wall  19 . In the illustrated embodiment, the end wall  16  consists of sections  16   a  and  16   b.  The walls  16   a  and  17 - 19  form a chamber  20  that contains the marking material  14 . The front wall section  16   b  extends radially inwardly of the inner wall  17  and has a center hole  25 . The inner wall  17  forms a passage  27  that receives the end portion of the shaft  12  so that the chamber  20  surrounds the shaft and so that the end of the shaft abuts the wall section  16   b.  As shown, the threaded male neck of the broadhead  13  extends through the hole  25  and is threaded into the end of the shaft  12 , thereby securing the front wall section  16   b  between the broadhead  13  and the end on the arrow shaft. 
         [0017]    The capsule  11  is molded from a material, such a polymerized styrene or the like, that will fracture in one or more fracture zones formed in the capsule walls. These fracture zones may consist of breakaway grooves molded in the walls. In the illustrated embodiment, a breakaway groove  31  is located in the forward end  15  of the capsule at the juncture of the wall section  16   a  and the outer wall  18  so that the outer wall will separate from the front wall  16 . In order to insure complete separation of the outer wall  18  from the front wall  16 , the wall section  16   b  may be made thicker, for example, twice as thick, than the wall section  16   a  and the outer wall  18 . Additional breakaway grooves  32  are formed in the outer wall  18 . These grooves  32  extend endwise of the capsule, that is, from the front wall  16  to the rear wall  19 , so that the outer wall will separate into several sections. The separation of the outer wall  18  into sections protects the arrow fletching (not shown) from being damaged by the capsule as it breaks apart. An additional breakaway groove  33  may be formed in the rear wall  19 . 
         [0018]    During assembly, the capsule chamber  20  is filled with the marking material  14  and the rear wall  19  is sealed to the walls  17  and  18  by adhesive, sonic welding or in any other suitable manner. The filled capsule is then slid onto the end of the arrow shaft  12  and the male portion  30  of the broadhead or field-point is inserted through the hole  25  in front wall section  16   b  of the capsule and threaded into the end of the arrow shaft. The insertion of the broadhead or field-point through the front wall  16  into the threaded connection with the arrow shaft automatically aligns or centers the capsule on the arrow for proper arrow flight. 
         [0019]    The use of the arrow  10  will be largely apparent from the foregoing description. When the arrow is launched by a compound bow, cross-bow or traditional bow and strikes the target, the capsule fractures at the grooves  31 - 33  to release the marking material  14 . The marking material  14  marks the point of impact with the target as shown in  FIG. 4 , for example, the hide  32  of the game animal, thereby affording the archer with immediate visualization of the placement of the shot. 
         [0020]    Among other features of the invention, it will be seen that the capsule  11  has been designed so that no alterations need be made to the broadhead or field-point arrow. The overall length of the capsule is small, for example, about 0.500 inches, so that the capsule does not interfere with the arrow rest on a compound-bow, the arrow launcher on a traditional bow, or with the barrel of a crossbow. Another advantage is that an arrow loaded with the capsule can be used in capped quivers where the arrowhead is embedded in the cap. 
         [0021]    Many modifications and variations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practiced otherwise as specifically shown and described.