Abstract:
One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a pin and sight point shape configuration for enhancing sight point visibility. Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a pin configuration including a pin portion, an integral pin mounting portion, and an integral spool adapted to be positioned offset to one side of a bow sight.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/880,928 filed Jan. 16, 2007. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present application relates generally to archery equipment. More particularly, the application relates to aiming devices for bows. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A bow sight is used to assist an archer in aiming a bow. A typical bow sight includes a sight housing secured to the frame of a bow by one or more brackets. The sight housing often defines a viewing opening (i.e., a sight window) through which an archer can frame a target. The bow sight also typically includes at least one sighting member that projects into the viewing opening. The sighting member defines and supports a sight point. The sight point is the point the archer aligns with the target during aiming. In use, the archer draws the drawstring of the bow and adjusts the position of the bow so that the intended target is visible through the viewing opening. While continuing to peer through the viewing opening with the bowstring drawn, the archer adjusts the position of the bow so that the sight point aligns with the intended target from the archer&#39;s eye. Once the sight point is aligned with the intended target, the archer releases the bowstring to shoot the arrow. 
         [0004]    Many bow sights are equipped with multiple sighting members. The sighting members are typically arranged so as to define a plurality of separately visible sight points positioned vertically one above the other. The vertical positions of the sight points are preferably set so that each sight point corresponds to a different target distance. The sighting members are generally arranged in either a vertically aligned orientation (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,633, which is hereby incorporated by reference), or a horizontal orientation (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,568). 
         [0005]    Sight point visibility is an important consideration in bow sights. To increase sight point visibility, many bow sights use fiber optic members (e.g., scintillating optical fibers) to define sight points. Such fiber optic members are capable of collecting ambient light along their lengths. The collected light is internally reflected within each fiber optic member and emitted from an end of the fiber at the sight point. Longer fiber optic members are able to collect more ambient light and generate brighter sight points at their ends than shorter fiber optic members. To accommodate longer fiber optic members, various wrapping configurations have been developed (e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,418,633 and 6,601,380). 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a pin and sight point shape configuration for enhancing sight point visibility. 
         [0007]    Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a pin configuration including a pin portion, an integral pin mounting portion, and an integral spool adapted to be positioned offset to one side of a bow sight. 
         [0008]    Examples representative of a variety of inventive aspects are set forth in the description that follows. The inventive aspects relate to individual features as well as combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description merely provide examples of how the inventive aspects may be put into practice, and are not intended to limit the broad spirit and scope of the inventive aspects. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a view of an archery bow with a bow sight having inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a bow sight having inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3A  is an enlarged view of the demarcation structure; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a rear view of the bow sight of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a front, perspective view of the bow sight of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a right, side view of the bow sight of  FIG. 2  shown mounted to a bow; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a left, side view of the bow sight of  FIG. 2  shown mounted to a bow; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a right side, perspective view of the bow sight of  FIG. 2  shown mounted to a bow; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along section lines  8 - 8  of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a front view of a sight pin used by the bow sight of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a rear view of the sight pin of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is a right, side view of the pin of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is a left, side view of the pin of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 13  is a bottom, perspective view of the sight pin of  FIG. 9 ; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 14  is a top, perspective view of the sight pin of  FIG. 9 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0024]    For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations, modifications, and further applications of the principles of the invention being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
         [0025]    Embodiments of the present invention provide a sight pin and a sight pin structure useable to define a sight point for an archer. In some embodiments, the sight pin includes a sight point configuration to enhance use of the sight point. The pin preferably includes a fiber optic cable or strand to gather light and carry it to an end of the fiber optic cable arranged at the sight point. In certain embodiments, the pin includes a one piece shaft, central portion and spool which is mountable to the housing. Preferably the pin is vertically adjustable relative to the housing to allow an archer to sight the pin for a selected range. In certain preferred embodiments, multiple pins are mountable to the housing and independently adjustable to sight respective sight points for selected designated ranges. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  illustrates one example of a conventional single cam compound archery bow generally designated as  10 . When viewed from the perspective of an archer holding the bow  10 , it includes a riser  11  with a handle, an upper limb portion  12 , a lower limb portion  14  and a bowstring  15 . Rotational members forming one or two variable leverage units such as idler wheel  16  and eccentric cam  18  are supported at the limb tip sections for rotary movement about axles  17  and  19 . The upper and lower limbs can be solid or formed of pairs of parallel and symmetric limb portions sometimes called quad limbs. Idler wheel  16  is carried between the outer limb tip portions of upper limb  12 . The lower pulley is carried between the outer limb tip portions of lower limb  14 . 
         [0027]    Bowstring  15  is arranged with upper and lower ends which are fed-out from idler wheel  16  and cam  18  when the bow is drawn. Bowstring  15  is mounted around idler wheel  16  and cam  18  as is known in the art. When the bowstring  15  is drawn, it causes idler wheel  16  and cam  18  at each end of the bow to rotate, feeding out cable and bending limb portions  12  and  14  inward, causing energy to be stored therein. When the bowstring  15  is released with an arrow engaged to the bowstring, the limb portions  12  and  14  return to their rest position, causing idler wheel  16  and cam  18  to rotate in the opposite direction, to take up the bowstring  15  and launch the arrow with an amount of energy proportional to the energy initially stored in the bow limbs. 
         [0028]    Bow  10  is described for illustration and context and is not intended to be limiting. The present invention can be used with dual-cam compound bows, or can be used with single-cam bows as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,006 to McPherson, hereby incorporated herein by reference. It can also be used with hybrid cam bows or recurve bows. The present invention can also be used in other types of bows, which are considered conventional for purposes of the present invention. 
         [0029]      FIGS. 2-8  illustrate a bow sight  20  mountable on bow  10  having features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The bow sight  20  includes a sight housing  22  defining a viewing area such as a viewing opening  24  through which an archer peers when aiming a bow with the sight. The bow sight  20  also includes a plurality of upper sight pins  26   a - c  having vertical portions  28  that project downwardly from the sight housing  22  into the viewing opening  24 . The upper sight pins  26   a - c  are positioned one behind the other with the vertical portions  28  generally aligned along a vertical plane  30  that bisects the sight housing  22 . The bow sight  20  also includes lower sight pins  32   a - c,  having vertical portions  28  that project upwardly into the viewing opening  24 . The lower sight pins  32   a - b  are also positioned one behind the other with the vertical portions  28  associated with the lower sight pins  32   a - c  generally aligned along the vertical plane  30  (shown as a dashed line in  FIG. 2 ). The illustrated bow sight  20  further includes an optional level  34  positioned adjacent the viewing opening  24  adjacent to a front side of the bow sight  20 . As used herein, the term “front side” means the side of the bow sight that faces toward the archer when the archer is aiming a bow. 
         [0030]    In a preferred embodiment, each of the sight pins  26   a - c  and  32   a - c  supports a separate fiber optic member  36  having a light-emitting end at a corresponding sight point  38 . For example, the sight pins  26   a - c  preferably can each support separate fiber optic members  36  with the light-emitting ends at the sight points  38 . Similarly, the lower sight pins  32   a - b  can each support separate fiber optic members  36  with the light-emitting ends of those fiber optic members  36  being supported at the sight points. The sight pins  26   a - c  and  32   a - b  preferably include structure adapted to better demarcate, identify or otherwise accentuate the visibility of the sight points  38 . 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 2A , each of the sight pins  26   a - c  and  32   a - b  includes a sight point demarcation structure, generally designated  40 , depicted as a first tick mark member  42  positioned to the left of the sight point  38  and a second tick mark member  44  positioned to the right of the sight point  38 . The tick mark members  42 ,  44  project transversely outward from and preferably perpendicular to the vertical plane  30 . Each of the tick mark members  42 ,  44  includes a pair of surfaces  46   a  and  46   b  that converge as the tick mark members  42 ,  44  extend away from the sight point  38 . The converging surfaces  46   a,  and  46   b  meet at a point  48 . The points  48  of the first and second tick mark members  42 ,  44  are preferably aligned along a horizontal line  51  (shown as a dashed line in  FIG. 2A ) that bisects the corresponding sight point  38 . 
         [0032]    In the depicted embodiment, the sight point  38  is defined by the light emitting end of the fiber optic member  36  held at the end of the sight pin projecting into the viewing opening. In alternative embodiments, the sight point  38  can be formed by any other type of structure such as an opening, a paint dot, a reflective dot, any other type of illuminating dot, or any point provided on the sight pin  26 . Additionally, while it is preferred to have two tick mark members  42 ,  44  for each sight point  38 , in other embodiments, it may be desirable to have only one tick mark member per sight point  38 . Alternately, a sight pin could have three or more tick mark members radiating from the sight point. 
         [0033]    As indicated previously, the sight pins  26   a - c  and  32   a - c  have vertical portions  28  that project into the viewing opening and which are aligned along the vertical plane  30 . Immediately adjacent the sight points  38 , the vertical portions  28  have defined widths W 1 . The sight point demarcation structures  40  preferably have widths W 2  that are greater than the width W 1  (see  FIG. 2A ). It will be appreciated that the widths are preferably measured in a direction generally transverse to the vertical plane  30 . In certain embodiments, the sight point demarcation structures  40  define widths W 2  that are at least 25% greater than the width W 1 . In other embodiments, the sight point demarcation structures  40  define widths W 2  that are at least 50% greater than the width W 1 . In still other embodiments, the sight point demarcation structures  40  define widths W 2  that are at least 75% greater than the widths W 1 . It is not necessary, however, that the widths W 2  of the demarcation structures  40  be consistent as between the sight pins  26   a - c  and  32   a - c  in the bow sight  20 . For example, it may be advantageous to have the demarcation structure  40  associated with the sight pin  32   a  corresponding to the longest target distance be smaller than the demarcation structure associated with the sight pin  26   a  corresponding to the shortest target distance. 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 2A , each of the tick mark members  42 ,  44  has a generally triangular shaped profile when viewed from the front side of the bow sight  20 . It will be appreciated that other projections having other shapes suitable for demarking or improving sight point visibility can also be used. Examples of other usable shapes include flat tick mark members or curved tick mark members with points aligned along horizontal line  51  that bisects the corresponding sight point. 
         [0035]    Gravity will affect archery shots. For example, when two arrows are shot different distances at the same speed, the longer shot will fall a greater distance than the shorter shot. To compensate for the effect of gravity for different shot distances, the sight points  38  of the sight pins  26   a - c  and  32   a - c  can be positioned at different vertical elevations relative to one another. Preferably, the sight pins  26   a - c  and  32   a - c  can be vertically adjusted relative to one another to set the vertical positions of the sight points  38 . This allows an archer, through trial and error, to “sight in” a bow so that each sight point  38  is accurately associated with a particular target distance. The sight points  38  of the lower sight pins  32   a - c  would typically correspond to the longer target distances with the lowest sight point  38  (e.g., the sight point  38  of sight pin  32   c ) corresponding to the longest target distance. The sight points  38  of the upper sight pins  26   a - c  correspond to shorter target distances with the shortest upper sight pin  26   a  (shown at  FIG. 4 ) defining the sight point  38  corresponding to the shortest shot distance. The positioning of the sight points  38  can be adjusted to be customized to the shooting characteristics of a particular hunter using a particular bow. In the depicted embodiment of  FIGS. 2-7 , three upper sight pins  26   a - c  and three lower sight pins  32   a - c  are provided. With a six-pin sight, it is common to set the sight points  38  to correspond to shooting distances such as 60, 50, 40, 30, 20 and 10 yards. However, other pin numbers and configurations can be used. 
         [0036]      FIGS. 9-14  illustrate an example sight pin  26   a.  While the sight pin is labeled “ 26   a ”, it will be appreciated that sight pins  26   b - c  and  32   a - c  have the same configuration, except the lengths of the vertical portions  28  can optionally vary. The vertical portions  28  may also extend upward or downward from the central portion depending on the desired mounting location. 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , sight pin  26   a  has a body which includes a vertical pin portion  28  integrally connected to a horizontal central portion  50 . The horizontal portion  50  extends from the vertical portion  28  at one end to a spool portion  52  at an opposing end. The body can be formed of various appropriate materials such as plastic or metal and can be formed by machining, stamping, injection molding or other forming methods. In certain preferred embodiments, spool portion  52  has a central axis W substantially parallel to an axis S defined by the line through the sight point which an archer aligns with a target as the archer is aiming the bow. 
         [0038]    A pin mounting portion  54  is positioned along the length of the horizontal portion  50 . Pin mounting portion  54  is an example of how sight pin  26   b  can be mounted to housing  22 . In this embodiment the pin mounting portion  54  includes a central guide portion  56  to be received within a slot in housing  22  and shoulders  58  that project outwardly from the guide portion  56  to abut housing  22  (see  FIG. 8 ). A bolt hole  60 , optionally threaded, extends through the pin mounting portion  54  in a direction generally parallel to the horizontal portion  50 . 
         [0039]    The sight pin  26   a  preferably includes the fiber optic member  36  which in this example defines the sight point  38  at a free end of the vertical portion  28 . The light emitting end of the fiber optic member  36  is mounted facing the archer in an opening located at the free or extending end of the vertical portion  28  of the sight pin  26   a.  From the sight point  38 , the length of the fiber optic member  36  extends along the back side of the vertical portion  28  and passes through an opening  62  defined through the vertical portion  28  adjacent the horizontal portion  50 . After passing through the opening  62 , the fiber optic member  36  extends along the front side of the horizontal portion  50  and may pass through a passage  63  defined through the pin mounting portion  54 . In certain embodiments, vertical portion  28  and horizontal portion  50  define depths with radiused portions to minimize bends in the fiber optic member and grooves with sidewalls and a channel to receive and retain the diameter of the fiber optic member. A portion of the fiber optic member  36  is wrapped at least one revolution and preferably a plurality of times about the spool portion  52 . The fiber optic pin can be held to the horizontal portion and vertical portions via tension between secured ends, a friction fit into a groove or can be secured with fasteners such as clamps or adhesive. 
         [0040]    In certain embodiments, the spool portion is offset from the pin portion with the spool portion spaced away from the pin portion, for example outside of the housing. In this type of embodiment the sight pin passes through a side wall of housing  22  and the fiber optic member extends from the interior to the exterior of the housing. 
         [0041]    The fiber optic member  36  is adapted to collect light along its length and convey the light to exit out at the sight point  38  defined at the end of the fiber optic member  36 . It is desirable to maximize the brightness of the sight point  38 . Preferably the visible surface area of the fiber optic member is maximized to allow a greater collection of light. 
         [0042]    By providing a longer fiber optic member  36 , the brightness of the sight point  38  can be increased. The spool portion  52  provides a mounting location for an extended length of optical fiber to be wrapped. The fiber optic member can be made in various colors, such as green, yellow or red. When multiple pins are used in a sight, multiple colors can be used to provide contrast between adjacent sight points. 
         [0043]    Referring back to  FIGS. 2-8 , the sight housing  22  includes a base plate  66  with plurality of vertical slots  64  adapted for use in mounting the sight pins  26   a - c  and  32   a - c  to the sight housing  22 . The vertical slots  64  includes an upper set of vertical slots  64 U and a lower set of vertical slots  64 L. The upper set of vertical slots  64 U have upper ends that are open (see  FIG. 7 ) to allow the pin mounting portions  54  of the sight pins  26   a - c  to be inserted into the slots. Similarly, the lower set of vertical slots  64 L have open lower ends for allowing the pin mounting portions  54  of the sight pins  32   a - c  to be inserted into the lower set of vertical slots  64 L. 
         [0044]    As illustrated in cross-section in  FIG. 8 , When the sight pins  26   a - c,    32   a - c  are mounted to the base plate  66 , the shoulders  58  of the mounting portions abut against a first side  68  of the base plate  66  and the guide portions  56  fit within the vertical slots  64 . Set screws  70 , for example with cap heads, are positioned with the cap heads on the opposite side of the base plate  66  from the mounting portions  54  and threaded into internal threading within bolt holes  60 . The set screw can be tightened to lock the sight pins  26   a - c,    32   a - c  with their sight points  38  at a desired elevation. Optionally, the heads of the set screws  70  abut against washers/collars  72  that abut against a second side  74  of the base plate  66 . By tightening the set screw  70 , the base plate  66  is compressed between the shoulders  58  and the washer  72  thereby causing the sight pins  26   a - c,    32   a - c  to be frictionally locked in place. By loosening the set screw  70 , the sight pins  26   a - c,    32   a - c  can be slid up and down along the vertical slots  64  to change the elevation or height of the corresponding sight points  38 . 
         [0045]    The base plate  66  can include one or more bosses, texture such as ribs or other structures for facilitating attaching one or more mounting brackets that are useful in securing the sight housing  22  to a bow and locking the sight points in place. In certain embodiments, the brackets or other connecting structures can have structures for adjusting the vertical position of the sight housing  22  relative to the bow and can also include structure for adjusting the lateral position of the sight housing relative to the bow to account for windage. Furthermore, the brackets or other structures may include structure that allows the sight housing  22  to be pivoted relative to the bow to account for bow torque. 
         [0046]    While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.