Pendulum sight

A pendulum sight for archery bows that includes a bow mounting bracket secured to a pendulum support frame and a pendulum pivotally mounted to the pendulum support frame with a pivoting pendulum axle having two axle ends. The improvement includes providing one or more vibration/noise damping elements between moving and or contacting points of the pendulum sight to minimize or eliminate noise generated by the pendulum sight that results from vibrations created by shooting an arrow from a bow to which the pendulum sight is affixed.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates to pendulum sights for archery bows and more 
particularly to an improved pendulum sight of the type including a bow 
mounting bracket secured to a pendulum support frame and a pendulum 
pivotally mounted to the pendulum support frame with a pivoting pendulum 
axle; the improvement including positioning each of the axle ends of the 
pivoting pendulum axle into one of two axle end cups secured to the 
pendulum support frame; each axle end cup having an axle receiving cavity 
formed therein that is partially defined by a cavity bottom surface that 
has an axle end contact protrusion extending into the axle receiving 
cavity from the center of the cavity bottom surface, the axle end contact 
protrusion preventing the end of the pivoting pendulum axle from 
contacting the cavity bottom surface, the two axle end cups providing 
vibrational damping between the axle ends and the pendulum support frame 
to minimize noise generated by vibrations resulting from firing an arrow. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Pendulum sights are often used by archery hunters that hunt from tree 
stands and other elevated positions. Although the use of a pendulum sight 
when hunting from such an elevated position can increase the aiming 
accuracy of the hunter, because pendulum sights include a pivoting 
pendulum, they can generate noise when subjected to the vibrations 
associated with releasing an arrow from the bow that can spook the game 
animal and cause it to bolt while the arrow is in flight. It would be a 
benefit, therefore, to have a pendulum sight that included vibrational 
noise damping elements for damping the noise generated when the pendulum 
sight is subjected to the vibrations associated with releasing an arrow 
from the bow. 
GENERAL SUMMARY DISCUSSION OF INVENTION 
It is thus an object of the invention to provide an improved pendulum sight 
that includes vibrational noise damping elements. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved pendulum 
sight that includes the improvement of positioning each of the axle ends 
of the pivoting pendulum axle into one of two axle end cups secured to the 
pendulum support frame; each axle end cup having an axle receiving cavity 
formed therein that is partially defined by a cavity bottom surface that 
has an axle end contact protrusion extending into the axle receiving 
cavity from the center of the cavity bottom surface, the axle end contact 
protrusion preventing the end of the pivoting pendulum axle from 
contacting the cavity bottom surface; the two axle end cups providing 
vibrational damping between the axle ends and the pendulum support frame 
to minimize noise generated by vibrations resulting from firing an arrow. 
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved 
pendulum sight that includes vibrational noise damping elements that are 
biased against the axle ends of the pivoting pendulum axle by a side-play 
elimination mechanism that is adjustable by the user. 
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved 
pendulum sight that accomplishes all or some of the above objects in 
combination. 
Accordingly, an improved pendulum sight is provided. The improvement is for 
pendulum sights that include a bow mounting bracket secured to a pendulum 
support frame and a pendulum pivotally mounted to the pendulum support 
frame with a pivoting pendulum axle; the improvement including positioning 
each of the axle ends of the pivoting pendulum axle into one of two axle 
end cups secured to the pendulum support frame; each axle end cup having 
an axle receiving cavity formed therein that is partially defined by a 
cavity bottom surface that has an axle end contact protrusion extending 
into the axle receiving cavity from the center of the cavity bottom 
surface, the axle end contact protrusion preventing the end of the 
pivoting pendulum axle from contacting the cavity bottom surface; the two 
axle end cups providing vibrational damping between the axle ends and the 
pendulum support frame to minimize noise generated by vibrations resulting 
from firing an arrow. 
In a preferred embodiment the improvement further includes providing an 
side-play elimination mechanism including a threaded axle side-play set 
screw passage formed into the pendulum support frame into one of the axle 
end cup receiving cavities and a threaded side-play set screw 
companionately threaded to engage the threads of the threaded axle 
side-play set screw passage and of sufficient length to generate a lateral 
force against an axle end cup positioned within axle end cup receiving 
cavity and force the axle end contact protrusion against an axle end of 
the pivoting pendulum axle when screwed sufficiently into the threaded 
axle side-play set screw passage. 
When the pendulum of the pendulum sight is adjustably positionable along 
the pivoting pendulum axle it is also preferable to further include two 
tubular axle/pendulum damping elements positioned over the pivoting 
pendulum axle and against each side of the pendulum to damp vibrational 
noise caused by vibrations resulting from firing an arrow. 
Because vibrational noise can be generated between the forward or rearward 
stops and the pendulum support frame, it is also preferable to provide a 
resilient forward vibration damping structure in connection with the 
pendulum in a manner to contact the pendulum support frame to stop forward 
rotation of the pendulum and a resilient rearward vibration damping 
structure in connection with the pendulum in a manner to contact the 
pendulum support frame to stop rearward rotation of the pendulum.

EXEMPLARY MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 shows an improved pendulum sight of the invention, generally 
designated 10. Improved pendulum sight 10 includes a bow mounting bracket, 
generally designated 12, secured to a pendulum support frame, generally 
designated 14, and a pendulum, generally designated 16, pivotally mounted 
to pendulum support frame 14 with a pivoting pendulum axle, generally 
designated 18. 
With reference now to FIG. 2, pendulum 16 is of molded construction and 
includes an axle passage 22 formed through a top portion thereof and an 
axle locking set screw 24 that is threadable into a threaded axle locking 
set screw passage 25 (shown in dashed lines FIG. 9) to lock pendulum 16 in 
a user set fixed position along pivoting pendulum axle 18. Pivoting 
pendulum axle 18 includes two axle ends 28 (see also FIG. 6) that, 
referring now to FIG. 3, are each set into one of two molded plastic axle 
end cups, generally designated 30, that themselves are each set into one 
of two opposed, concentrically aligned axle end cup receiving cavities 34 
(shown in dashed lines, see also FIG. 6) formed into the pendulum support 
frame 14. 
Referring now to FIG. 7, each axle end cup 30 has an axle receiving cavity 
38 formed therein for receiving one of the axle ends 28. Axle receiving 
cavity 38 is partially defined by a cavity bottom surface 40 that has an 
axle end contact protrusion 42 extending into axle receiving cavity 38 
from the center thereof. Referring now to FIG. 8, axle end contact 
protrusion 42 prevents the planar tip end surface 44 of axle end 28 from 
contacting cavity bottom surface 40. In this embodiment a side-play 
elimination mechanism, generally designated 46 is provided that includes a 
threaded axle side-play set screw passage 48 formed into pendulum support 
frame 14 and a threaded side-play set screw 50. Side-play set screw 50 is 
screwed into threaded axle side-play set screw passage 48 sufficiently to 
force axle end contact protrusion 42 against planar tip end surface 44 of 
axle end 28 to minimize side-play and the vibrational noise and sighting 
errors associated therewith. 
Referring back to FIG. 2, pendulum 16 includes an integrally molded forward 
pendulum stop, generally designated 54, onto which a tubular-shaped, 
resilient forward vibration damping structure 56 is positioned. Forward 
vibration damping structure 56 is a length of resilient plastic tubing and 
is, referring now to FIG. 9, positioned over the outward most end 60 of 
forward pendulum stop 54. Outward most end 60 includes upper and lower 
vibration damping structure retaining ledges 62,64 for maintaining, with 
reference back to FIG. 2, tubular-shaped, resilient forward vibration 
damping structure 56 thereon. 
In this embodiment, axle locking set screw 24 is of sufficient length to 
act as a rearward pendulum stop when, referring now to FIG. 4, it is 
screwed into threaded axle locking set screw passage 25 (FIG. 9) of 
pendulum 16 and has a tubular-shaped, resilient rearward vibration damping 
structure 68 positioned over the end thereof (see also FIG. 5). 
In this embodiment, two tubular axle/pendulum damping elements 70 are 
positioned over pivoting pendulum axle 18 and against each side of 
pendulum 16 to damp vibrational noise between pivoting pendulum axle 18 
and pendulum 16. Rearward vibration damping structure 68 and the two 
tubular axle/pendulum damping elements 70 are each a section of resilient 
plastic tubing having an inner diameter sized to allow rearward vibration 
damping structure 68 and the two tubular axle/pendulum damping elements 70 
to grip and hold the structures on which they are mounted. 
It can be seen from the preceding description that an improved pendulum 
sight has been provided that includes an improved pendulum sight that 
includes vibrational noise damping elements; that includes the improvement 
of positioning each of the axle ends of the pivoting pendulum axle into 
one of two axle end cups secured to the pendulum support frame; each axle 
end cup having an axle receiving cavity formed therein that is partially 
defined by a cavity bottom surface that has an axle end contact protrusion 
extending into the axle receiving cavity from the center of the cavity 
bottom surface, the axle end contact protrusion preventing the end of the 
pivoting pendulum axle from contacting the cavity bottom surface; the two 
axle end cups providing vibrational damping between the axle ends and the 
pendulum support frame to minimize noise generated by vibrations resulting 
from firing an arrow; and that includes the improvement of vibrational 
noise damping elements that are biased against the axle ends of the 
pivoting pendulum axle by a side-play elimination mechanism that is 
adjustable by the user. 
It is noted that the embodiment of the improved pendulum sight described 
herein in detail for exemplary purposes is of course subject to many 
different variations in structure, design, application and methodology. 
Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the 
scope of the inventive concept(s) herein taught, and because many 
modifications may be made in the embodiment herein detailed in accordance 
with the descriptive requirements of the law, it is to be understood that 
the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a 
limiting sense.