Abstract:
A peep sight assembly for an archery bow includes a peep sight housing adapted for connection to a bow string of an archery bow and a plurality of interchangeable peep sight inserts for installation in the peep sight housing. Each peep sight insert has a different aperture size and/or color for accommodating different users and/or shooting conditions. Mutually engageable sloped surfaces on the peep sight housing and the peep sight inserts provide a large contact area for frictionally holding the inserts within the housing. Outer flanges on the peep sight also assist to hold the inserts within the housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to peep sights for archery bows, and more particularly to a peep sight assembly having interchangeable inserts with different aperture sizes for accommodating different users and shooting conditions. 
     In the field of archery, it is well-known to provide a peep sight on the string above the nocking point of an archery bow. The peep sight must be properly located so that a user may accurately sight in the bow sight with respect to a distant target while in a shooting stance. The particular peep sight position is largely dependent on the archer&#39;s anchor point when the bow is fully drawn in relation to his or her aiming eye, which may be different for each archer. Since the bow is custom fit to each archer, there are many variables which affect the sight picture, such as the draw length, the size and location of a front sight aperture with respect to the archer&#39;s eye, the shape of the archer&#39;s face including the location of the eye with respect to other prominent facial features, as well as an archer&#39;s eyesight condition. 
     Traditional peep sights are usually designed to be as small and light as possible, so when the peep sight is changed for another size, the length of the bow string is also changed because the outside diameter of the peep sight has changed. The larger the peep sight, the shorter the string becomes because the string halves are being pulled further apart. Consequently, the cam timing must be retuned and the nock height must be readjusted for the bow. Such adjustments are very detail oriented and time consuming, requiring skill and special tools that many archers do not have. 
     In addition, when a peep sight is changed for another peep sight, an inexperienced archer may have difficulty in tying the new peep sight to the bow string since the knot tying process may take time and/or the knots may be improperly formed, which may lead to inadvertent movement of the peep sight, or injury if one or more of the knots were to fail, especially when the bow string is released during shooting. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a peep sight assembly that overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the invention, a peep sight assembly for an archery bow includes a peep sight housing adapted for connection to a bow string of the archery bow and a peep sight insert for changing the size of the sight aperture. The peep sight housing has front and rear surfaces with a first inner surface located therebetween to define a sight aperture with a first dimension. The peep sight insert has a rear flange adapted to abut the rear surface, a front flange adapted to abut the front surface, and a continuous side wall extending between the front and rear flanges to define a sight aperture with a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension. 
     According to a further aspect of the invention, a peep sight insert for installation into an aperture of a peep sight for reducing an aperture size of the peep sight includes a rear flange, a front flange, and a continuous side wall extending between the rear and front flanges to define a sight aperture. The continuous side wall includes a first outer sloped surface extending inwardly and forwardly from the rear flange; and a second outer sloped surface extending inwardly and rearwardly from the front flange. 
     According to yet another aspect of the invention, a peep sight kit includes a peep sight housing adapted for connection to a bow string of an archery bow and a plurality of interchangeable peep sight inserts for installation in the peep sight housing. The peep sight housing has rear and front surfaces and a sight aperture located therebetween. A first inner sloped surface extends inwardly and rearwardly from the front surface, and a second inner sloped surface extends inwardly and forwardly from the rear surface. Each peep sight insert has a sight aperture that is different in size than the other sight apertures of the peep sight kit. Each peep sight insert includes a rear flange, a front flange, and a continuous side wall extending between the rear and front flanges to define the sight aperture. The continuous side wall has a first outer sloped surface that extends inwardly and forwardly from the rear flange and is adapted to abut the first inner sloped surface, and a second outer sloped surface that extends inwardly and rearwardly from the front flange and is adapted to abut the second inner sloped surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing summary as well as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be best understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements throughout the drawings, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a peep sight assembly in accordance with the present invention connected to a bow string; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged isometric view of the peep sight assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded isometric view thereof; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear elevational view thereof; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view thereof; 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the peep sight assembly with a small aperture insert; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of the peep sight assembly with a medium aperture insert; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view taken along line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a front elevational view of the peep sight assembly with a large aperture insert; 
         FIG. 11  is a sectional view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an isometric view of a peep sight insert having a particular aperture size in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a top plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 14  is a side elevational view thereof; 
         FIG. 15  is a sectional view of the peep sight insert taken along line  15 - 15  of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 16  is an isometric view of a peep sight insert having a different aperture size in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 17  is a sectional view of the insert of  FIG. 16 ; 
         FIG. 18  is an isometric view of a peep sight kit having a peep sight and a number of differently configured peep sight inserts; 
         FIGS. 19-21  show the steps, in a side elevational view, for installing a peep sight insert into a peep sight housing mounted on a bow string; and 
         FIGS. 22-24  show the steps, in a side elevational view, for removing a peep sight insert from a peep sight housing mounted on a bow string. 
     
    
    
     It is noted that the drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope thereof. It is further noted that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, and to  FIG. 1  in particular, a peep sight assembly  10  in accordance with the present invention is shown connected to a bow string  12  of an archery bow (not shown). The peep sight assembly  10  can be adapted for use with any type of bow including, but not limited to, recurve bows, reflex bows, longbows, compound bows, and so on. The bow string  12  is of conventional construction and typically includes multiple elongate strands  14  of any suitable material used to make bowstrings. A peep sight assembly  10  in accordance with the present invention is shown positioned between the strands  14  in  FIG. 1 . The strands are sufficiently flexible, at least when the bow string is relaxed or non-stressed, to permit the creation of an opening  16  for receiving the peep sight assembly  10 . Sight holders  18  preferably encircle the strands  14  to secure the peep sight to the string  12  in a conventional manner. As shown, the sight holders are in the form of elongate cords that are tied as nail knots around the strands  14  of the string  12 . It will be understood that the nail knots may be replaced with individual clamps, slidable crimping members or the like. 
     With additional reference to  FIGS. 2-5 , the peep sight assembly  10  preferably includes a peep sight housing  20  with a sight aperture  22  and at least one peep sight insert  24  that is removably positioned within the sight aperture. The peep sight housing  20  is preferably constructed of a rigid material, such as aluminum or other metal, plastic and/or ceramic materials, and preferably includes an annular body  26  with a rear face  28 , a front face  30 , and a continuous side surface  32  extending between the rear and front faces. A groove  34  is formed in the side surface  32 . Preferably, the groove  34  extends continuously around the periphery of the annular body  26 . Slots  36 ,  38  are preferably located on opposite sides of the annular body  26 . Each slot preferably intersects the circular groove  34  and extends downwardly from the front surface  30  to the rear surface  28  of the annular body  26 , as best shown in  FIG. 5 . Each slot  36 ,  38  is adapted for receiving the strands  14  of the bow string  12  when the peep sight housing  20  is mounted on the bow string. A cord or band  39  ( FIG. 1 ) can be located in the groove  34  and wraps around the strands  14  in the slots  36 ,  38  to further secure the peep sight housing  20  to the bow string  12 . 
     The sight aperture  22  of the peep sight housing  20  is preferably coaxial with a central axis  40  ( FIG. 3 ) of the annular body  26  and preferably includes a first inner surface  42 , a second inner surface  44  that slopes inwardly from the rear face  28  toward the first inner surface  42 , and a third inner surface  46  that slopes inwardly from the front face  30  to the first inner surface  42 . The first inner surface  42  preferably extends coaxially with the central axis  40  with the second and third inner surfaces sloping away from the first inner surface. The first inner surface  42  forms a sight opening with a predetermined aperture size or diameter D 1  ( FIG. 7 ). Preferably, the peep sight housing  20  can be used without the peep sight insert  24  during aiming. Accordingly, the size of the sight aperture  22  is selected to coincide with a largest aperture size that may be needed for most archers and/or archery bow configurations. It will be understood that the first inner surface  46  can be of any width, including zero width which may be in the form of a peak or circular line resulting from the intersection of the second and third inner surfaces. 
     With additional reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the peep sight insert  24  preferably includes an annular body  50  with a rear flange  52 , a front flange  54 , and a continuous side wall  56  extending between the rear and front flanges to form a sight aperture  58  that is smaller than the sight aperture  22  previously described. When installed in the peep sight housing  20 , the sight aperture  58  is preferably coaxial with the central axis  40  ( FIG. 3 ) of the annular body  26 . In this manner, the installation and removal of the peep sight insert does not affect the rear aim point of the bow. The continuous side wall  56  preferably includes a first inner surface  60  ( FIG. 7 ), a second inner surface  62  that slopes inwardly from the rear flange  52  toward the first inner surface  60 , and a third inner surface  64  that slopes inwardly from the front flange  54  and the first inner surface  60 . The first inner surface  60  preferably extends coaxially with the central axis  40  with the second and third inner surfaces  62 ,  64  sloping away from the first inner surface. The first inner surface  60  forms a sight opening with a predetermined aperture size or diameter D 2  that is smaller than the diameter D 1  of the sight aperture  22 . It will be understood that the first inner surface  60  can be of any width, including zero width which may be in the form of a peak or circular line resulting from the intersection of the second and third inner surfaces  62 ,  64 . 
     As best shown in  FIGS. 3 and 7 , the continuous side wall  56  also preferably includes a first outer surface  66 , a second outer surface  68  that slopes inwardly from the rear flange  52  toward the first outer surface  66 , and a third outer surface  70  that slopes inwardly from the front flange  54  and the first outer surface  66 . Depending on the size of the sight aperture  22  and the thickness of the continuous side wall  56 , the slope of the second and third outer surfaces may be different from the slope of the second and third inner surfaces of the peep sight insert  24 . The slope of the second and third outer surfaces preferably corresponds to the slope of the second and third inner surfaces of the peep sight housing. 
     When the peep sight insert  24  is installed in the peep sight housing  20 , the first, second and third outer surfaces of the peep sight insert  24  respectively engage the first, second and third inner surfaces of the peep sight housing  20 , with the rear flange  52  and front flange  54  of the peep sight insert  24  respectively abutting the rear surface  26  and front surface  30  of the peep sight housing  20 . Preferably, the peep sight insert  24  is constructed as a unitary member during the forming process, and is formed of a resilient material, such as rubber, so that the insert  24  can be easily installed and removed by an archer or other person while in the field or other location without tools. Preferably, the material has a Shore A hardness in the range of about 40 to 100 durometer, and more preferably about 70 durometer. However, it will be understood that other rubber compounds or other types of elastomeric material can be used. In addition, the sloped outer surfaces  68  and  70  increase the surface area over a cylindrical or straight outer surface, providing more gripping area between the sloped surfaces of the peep sight housing  20  and the sloped surfaces of the peep sight insert  24  to thereby more securely anchor the insert to the peep sight housing without the need of tools, clamps, adhesives or other secondary securing means. In addition, the outer sloped surfaces  68 ,  70  of the peep sight insert  24  are preferably of a uniform matte finish to increase the friction fit between the insert and peep sight housing. Thus, the front and rear flanges together with the sloped surfaces and the surface finish on the outer sloped surfaces  68 ,  70  of the peep sight insert  24  contribute to firmly anchoring the peep sight insert within the peep sight housing. 
     In addition, the outer surfaces  66 ,  68  and  70  are preferably slightly larger than the corresponding inner surfaces  42 ,  44  and  46  to create an interference fit when the peep sight insert  24  is installed in the peep sight housing  20 . In this manner, the increased frictional force due to the increased pressure between the outer sloped surfaces of the peep sight insert and the inner sloped surfaces of the peep sight housing together with the material hardness, inner and outer flanges and material finish contribute to firmly anchoring the insert within the peep sight housing even while subjected to high forces exerted on the peep sight assembly  10  when the bow string is released during shooting, in both dry and wet conditions. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the interference fit is in the range of about 0.001 to about 0.020 inch overlap, and more preferably about 0.010 inch. It will be understood that the peep sight insert  24  can greatly vary in sloped surface angle, material type, surface finish, material hardness, and dimensions of the various parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a further peep sight insert  72  in accordance with another aspect of the invention is illustrated. The peep sight insert  72  is similar to the peep sight insert  24  previously described, and fits into the peep sight housing  20  substantially in the same way as the peep sight insert  24 , but differs in that the second inner surface  76  and third inner surface  78  slope toward the first inner surface  74  at a different angle than the second and third inner surfaces of the insert  24  to thereby create a sight opening  80  with an aperture size or diameter D 3  that is larger than the diameter D 2  of the peep sight insert  24 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , a further peep sight insert  82  in accordance with the invention is illustrated. The peep sight insert  82  is similar to the peep sight inserts  24  and  72  previously described, and fits into the peep sight housing  20  substantially in the same way as the peep sight insert  24  and  72 , but differs in that the second inner surface  86  and third inner surface  88  slope toward the first inner surface  84  at a different angle than the second and third inner surfaces of the inserts  24  and  72  to thereby create a sight opening  90  with an aperture size or diameter D 4  that is larger than the diameter D 3  of the insert  24  but smaller than the diameter D 1  of the peep sight housing  20 . 
     The provision of a peep sight assembly having interchangeable inserts with different aperture sizes in accordance with the invention accommodates different physical attributes of many users as well as different bow types, shooting styles and conditions without the need to retune the cam timing and nock height of the bow, as well as other adjustments that require skill, attention to detail, and special tools that may not be available or convenient to carry for many archers. 
     Furthermore, the provision of a peep sight assembly having interchangeable inserts with different aperture sizes allows the user to easily match the peep diameter (which functions as a rear sight) with the archery sight diameter (which functions as a front sight) more closely for a particular setup. The better the rear peep sight co-witnesses with the front archery sight, the tighter the arrow groupings will be. Since the bow is custom fit to each archer, there are many variables which affect the sight picture, such as draw length, the size and location of front sight aperture relative to the archer&#39;s eye, the shape of the archer&#39;s face including eye location with respect to other prominent facial features, and the archer&#39;s eyesight condition. Having an easily removable peep sight insert is ideal because the user can try all the combinations with his or her own eyes without the use of a bow press or professional archery shop. This is especially handy for users with aging eyes, or for archers using a front lens on their sight. By reducing the peep size, the sight picture through the peep sight is greatly clarified. 
     In addition to providing a different aperture size for each peep sight insert  24 ,  72  and  82 , the inserts may be formed in different colors to indicate size and/or to accommodate the eyesight of different users as well as shooting conditions. By way of example, certain colors for some archers are more noticeable than the same colors for other archers. For example, the color red may be more prevalent, and thus more preferred, for one archer while the color blue may be more prevalent and more preferred for another archer. To that end, the provision of several visually distinct peep sight inserts facilitates the user&#39;s ability to readily locate the peep sight, especially when time is of the essence, such as during aiming at a momentary target. Furthermore, providing different inserts with colors or other visual effects for enhancing the peep sight during different ambient light conditions, such as full sun and low light conditions, is also contemplated. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 12-15 , a peep sight insert  92  in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention is illustrated. This peep sight insert  92  is similar to the peep sight inserts  24 ,  72  and  82  previously described, and fits into the peep sight housing  20  substantially in the same way as the peep sight insert  24  and  72 , but differs in that one or more labels  94  representing an aperture size or diameter of the insert  92  is formed on the continuous side wall  96  between the front flange  98  and the rear flange  100 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , the label  94  is preferably integrally formed on diametrically opposite sides of the third outer surface  102 . However, it will be understood that the label  94  can be formed on the second outer surface  106  or at other locations on the peep sight insert  92 . As shown, the labels  94  extend radially outwardly from the third outer surface  102  to form raised indicia indicating the size of the aperture. By way of example, for an aperture  108  having a 5/32 inch opening, the raised indicia “ 5/32” is formed on diametrically opposite sides of the surface  102  to thereby efficiently inform a user of the aperture size. It will be understood that the fractional indicia can be replaced with and/or supplemented by a decimal equivalent, letter code or other symbols, characters and/or numerals representing the aperture size. 
     The label  94  in the form of raised indicia also serves to hold the peep sight insert  92  in place within the peep sight housing  20  in a frictional interference fit since the label  94  will become somewhat compressed when the peep sight insert  92  is installed in the peep sight housing  20 . It will be further understood that the label  94  can be imprinted into the insert  92  to form sunken indicia rather than the raised indicia without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 16 and 17 , a peep sight insert  110  in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The peep sight insert  110  is similar to the peep sight insert  92  previously described, but differs in that the sight aperture  112  is of a different size than the sight aperture  108 . Accordingly, one or more labels  114  representing the aperture size or diameter of the insert  110  is formed on the continuous side wall  96  as in the previous embodiment. For an aperture  112  having a ⅛ inch opening for example, the raised indicia “⅛” is formed on diametrically opposite sides of the surface  102  to thereby efficiently inform a user of the aperture size. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 18 , the peep sight assembly can be provided in the form of a kit  120  with a peep sight housing  20  having a first aperture size  22  and a plurality of peep sight inserts  92 ,  110  and  118 , for example, with different aperture sizes. By way of example, the aperture size of the peep sight housing  20  is ¼ inch, while the aperture sizes of the peep sight inserts  110 ,  92  and  118  are respectively ⅛ inch, 5/32 inch and 3/16 inch. When a particular aperture size is desired, the peep sight housing  20  may be used alone or with any of the inserts. In this manner, the aperture size can be quickly and conveniently changed without the need of removing the peep sight from the bowstring and the necessary procedures to install another peep sight as previously described. It will be understood that the particular aperture sizes as shown and described are by way of example only and can greatly vary without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     The peep sight kit  120  of the present invention allows the user to custom select a color and/or aperture size for the rear sight of an archery bow configuration. Since the peep insert is easily changed, the user can try different colors to best suit his or her eyesight condition, since lighter colors tend to pass more light than darker colors. In addition, the archer can simply color coordinate the peep insert with other bow accessories. 
     Another advantage of this invention is to allow the user the option to quickly remove the peep sight insert during low light conditions, which is ideal for hunting since larger peep diameters will allow more light to pass through, improving the sight picture. The point of impact on a distal target will not change when the peep sight insert is replaced because the insert is always centered in the peep sight housing. Accordingly, the archer can shoot with confidence either with or without the peep sight insert. 
     A tool  122  can also be provided as part of the kit  120  for facilitating the installation and removal of the peep sight inserts. As shown, the tool  122  preferably has a generally cylindrical shape and includes a handle section  124 , a wedge section  126  extending rearwardly from the handle section, and drive sections  128 ,  130  and  132  extending forwardly from the handle section. The wedge section  126  includes a curved contact surface  134  extending in an axial direction and a wall  136  extending in a radial direction from the contact surface. The curved contact surface preferably has a shape that complements the shape of the front and rear flanges of the peep sight inserts  110 ,  92  and  118 . The handle and drive section  128  are preferably separated by a step  138 . Likewise, the drive sections  130  and  132  are separated by steps  140  and  142 , respectively. The diameters of the drive sections  128 ,  130  and  132  preferably correspond to the aperture sizes of the peep sight inserts  118 ,  92  and  110 , respectively. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 19-21 , a method of installing a peep sight insert into a peep sight housing the tool  122  is illustrated. Although the method will be described using the peep sight insert  92 , it will be understood that it applies to all inserts. As shown in  FIG. 19 , the insert  92  is first positioned in the aperture of the peep sight housing  20  at an angle such that the front flange  98  is partially inserted into the aperture opening  22  ( FIG. 2 ) using the wedge section  126  of the tool  122 . Once the entire front flange  98  of the insert  92  is inserted into the aperture opening  22  as shown in  FIG. 20 , the tool  122  is reversed and the appropriate drive section (in this case drive section  130 ) corresponding to the size of the insert aperture (in this case aperture  108  in  FIG. 15 ), is inserted into the aperture, as shown in  FIG. 21 . The tool is then pushed forward as shown by arrow  150  until the front flange  98  and rear flange  100  are seated against the peep sight housing  20 . Although this method has been shown installing the insert in the forward direction from the rear of the peep sight housing  20 , the insert can alternatively be installed in the rearward direction from the front of the peep sight housing. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 22-24 , a method of removing a peep sight insert from a peep sight housing the tool  122  is illustrated. Although the method will be described using the peep sight insert  92 , it will be understood that it applies to all inserts. As shown in  FIG. 22 , the drive end of the tool  122  is positioned between the peep sight housing  20  and the rear flange  100  of the insert  92 . This can also be accomplished with the wedge section  126  of the tool. The tool is then pushed down and through the insert aperture  108  ( FIG. 15 ) with the appropriate drive section  130 , as shown in  FIG. 23 . The tool is then pushed forward, as represented by arrow  152  in  FIG. 23 , until the insert  92  is removed from the peep sight housing  20 , as shown in  FIG. 24 . Although this method has been shown removing the insert in the forward direction from the rear of the peep sight housing  20 , the insert can alternatively be removed in the rearward direction from the front of the peep sight housing. 
     It will be understood that the term “preferably” as used throughout the specification refers to one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention and therefore is not to be interpreted in any limiting sense. In addition, terms of orientation and/or position as may be used throughout the specification denote relative, rather than absolute orientations and/or positions. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. For example, although the peep sight housing, peep sight inserts and their corresponding apertures have been shown as circular in shape, it will be understood that such components can be of other shapes without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It will be understood, therefore, that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but also covers modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.