Archery arm guard

Disclosed is an arm guard for the protection of the bow arm of an archer. The arm guard comprises an elongated rigid member attachable to a bow at the handle of the bow generally beneath the bow hand of the archer. The elongated member extends rearwardly and closely parallel to the bow arm of the archer, to a point substantially at or beyond the elbow region of the bow arm, with the rearward portion of the elongated member curving towards the bow arm. The elongated member thus presents a physical barrier to a released bow string from striking the arm of the archer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to archery equipment. More specifically, 
the present invention relates to a bow-mounted device for protecting the 
bow arm of the archer from injurious contact with a bow string. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
In archery, the string of the bow has three positions: 
(1) Quiescent, i.e. when the string is operably attached to the bow and no 
pull is exerted by the archer; 
(2) Drawn, i.e. when the string is pulled to flex the bow preparatory to 
shooting an arrow; and 
(3) Kinetic, i.e. when the string is moving forward to launch the arrow. 
When an archer draws the bow string and then releases it, the kinetic 
string will travel from the drawn position to just forward of the 
quiescent position and then return to the quiescent position. The kinetic 
string will have a travel path generally defining a plane through the 
longitudinal midline of the bow. 
Due to the body positioning of the archer when engaging in archery 
activities, i.e., the archer's shooting form; when an archer fully draws 
the bow string and releases it, the kinetic string may contact the 
archer's chest or bow arm, i.e., the arm holding the bow, giving pain and 
injury to the archer. 
In the recurve, or long bow the body area susceptible to string contact is 
that portion of the bow arm from the protruding elbow joint down to the 
wrist area, since the quiescent string of the long bow normally is a short 
distance from the bow, placing the quiescent string in the wrist area of 
the bow arm when the bow is held in shooting form. 
However, the long bow has now been suplanted in popularity of use by the 
compound bow. The force required to bring the bow string to a drawn 
position and the force the kinetic bow string will apply to the arrow when 
released, i.e., the draw weight of the bow, has become commonly higher 
with the advent of the compound bow. As has always been known to the 
archer, bad bow arm positioning, or a bad release of the draw string, or 
both, may cause the bow string to contact the archer's bow arm resulting 
in pain and injury to the archer. With the higher bow string forces 
produced by the now ubiquitous compound bow, such bow string contact 
represents a potential for serious injury to a great many archers. 
Especially susceptable to kinetic bow string contact from the compound bow 
is that portion of the bow arm around the elbow, since the quiescent bow 
string of a compound is located well away from the bow, placing the 
quiescent string at the upper forearm when the bow is held in the shooting 
form. 
Thus, there exists a need for a device attachable to standard compound bows 
or long bows which will protect the archer's bow arm, or remove the 
archer's clothing from the path of the kinetic string so as not to cause 
injury to the archer or spoil his shooting of the arrow. Such a need 
particularly exists in the increasingly popular sport of bow hunting where 
the archer may be far removed from medical attention and a shot at the 
archer's quarry may be a once in a lifetime opportunity. 
The art which has evolved to data has not fully addressed this issue. 
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,468 to Crest, discloses a bow `arm guard` 
and positioner device mountable to a long bow handle. A bendable rod is 
disclosed as extending in three planes to place a vertical portion of the 
rod lateral to the midline of the bow. This vertical portion contacts the 
medial surface of the archer's bow arm at a point between the wrist and 
elbow, generally just beyond the quiescent string of the long bow as held 
by the archer. The device is not a physical barrier to bow string contact 
with the upper forearm, but instead is a bow arm indexing means primarily 
for target shooting which relies on positioning the archer's arm lateral 
to the path of the kinetic bow string to thereby function as a "guard". 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,177 to Williams discloses an archery bow wrist brace 
attachable to a bow handle. The wrist brace has a generally U-shaped rigid 
frame extending rearwardly from the bow with a transverse arm brace 
connecting the legs of the rigid frame. The brace engages the lower 
forearm of the archer's bow arm and provides a steadying means surrounding 
the bow arm proximal to the archer's wrist. This wrist brace may provide 
some protection against a bow string striking the archer's wrist or lower 
forearm but does not protect the upper forearm. 
The known devices provide no physical barrier to the string striking that 
most vulnerable upper forearm and elbow region of the bow arm, especially 
when the archer is using a compound bow. Further, neither of the devices 
removes bulky clothing such as hunting overalls, from the kinetic string 
path, to insure that the shot is not fouled by string contact with that 
clothing. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An arm guard for use with an archery bow for the protection of the bow arm 
of the archer, is disclosed as comprising an elongated member attachable 
to the bow and means for mounting the elongated member to the bow. The 
elongated member extends rearwardly from the bow along a line lateral to a 
midline of the bow to a point substantially at or beyond the elbow region 
of an archer's bow arm. 
The elongated member curves outwardly, i.e., further away from the midline 
of the bow, at a rearward portion of the elongated member. The elongated 
member thus forms a physical barrier preventing the kinetic bow string 
from striking the archer's entire forearm and is thus usable for either a 
compound bow or a long bow. The elongated member rests upon the archer's 
bow arm due to the outward curvature of the elongated member, thereby 
preventing the bow string from slipping beneath the elongated member and 
inflicting injury upon the archer. The elongated member will generally be 
rod-shaped and have a rounded end to further prevent the bow string from 
slipping beneath the rod. The rod-to-arm contact further provides a 
readily sensed positioning means for the shooting form of the archer 
especially when the bow arm is unencumbered by bulky clothing. Conversely, 
when the archer is wearing bulky clothing the arm guard will keep such 
clothing out of the kinetic string path. 
The rod used as the elongated member in the present invention is preferably 
a rigid member so as to provide maximum protection to the bow arm and so 
as to be able to withstand the rigors of field use when the archer is 
bow-hunting. The rod is also preferably generally planar along most of its 
length and mountable on the bow by a separate mounting block which places 
the rod in a position lateral to the longitudinal midline of the bow. 
Other attendant advantages will be more readily appreciated as the same 
becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed 
description and considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in 
which like reference symbols designate the parts throughout the figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Shown in FIG. 1 is an archery arm guard, generally at 10, attachable to an 
archery bow 12 for the protection of the archer's bow arm 13 against a 
kinetic bow string contact, especially the elbow region 36 which is most 
vulnerable to string contact when using a compound bow. The bow 12 
illustrated is of compound type favored by the vast majority of bow 
hunters, but the guard 10 will work equally well with a conventional type, 
or long bow due to the protection of the entire forearm of the bow arm 13 
by the guard 10. As used herein, positional terms such as horizontal, 
rearward, lower, etc. are used in their ordinary sense in relation to an 
archer standing on the flat ground and taking an ordinary archery shooting 
stance towards a target on the same ground some distance forward of the 
archer. 
Most bows produced nowadays for the serious archer, whether a hunter or a 
target shooter, are provided with various attachment points about the bow 
handle 14 for the anchoring thereto of balancing shafts, range finders, 
sighting devices, cable guards, etc. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, as 
seen in FIG. 2 a mounting block 16 will be attached to the bow handle 14 
by the bolt 15 inserted therethrough into a mounting hole 18 located in 
the lower portion of the bow handle 14. The mounting block 16 then secures 
an elongated member, or rod 17, to the bow 12. The bolt hole 20 and rod 
hole 22 may, if desired, be threaded to accept threaded members 
therethrough, although this is not strictly necessary. 
The mounting block 16 is a generally rectangular-shaped body, or block, 
having a transverse, bolt hole 20 therethrough, and a rod hole 22 
therethrough parallel to the bolt hole 20 and on the bow arm side thereof. 
Communicating with the rod hole 22 is a set screw 24 located on the 
longitudinal axis of the mounting block 16. The set screw 24 provides for 
secure attachment of the rod 17 within the rod hole 22. 
In the preferred embodiment, the mounting block 16 has, on that side of the 
mounting hole 18 opposite the rod hole 22, a further auxillary hole 21 for 
attachment therein of other archery accessories. In the use of a compound 
bow, the auxillary accessory is likely to be a cable guide rod, (not 
shown) which is an elongated rod extending rearwardly to the 
pulley-mounted bow cables 23, and having a slotted guide member located 
thereon for the control of cable movement. 
The bolt hole 20 will generally overlay the plane of the longitudinal 
midline of the bow 12, in which plane the bow string 26 is located. Thus 
by placing the mounting block 16 transversely to the longitudinal midline 
of the bow 12, the rod hole 22 is placed at a point lateral to the 
longitudinal midline of the bow 12 and therefore lateral to the bow string 
26. 
Alternative mounting block shapes or fastening arrangements to the bow, or 
rod, or both, will be readily recognized by the artisan and may be 
utilized within the scope of the present invention. Especially, the 
mounting block 16 may be mounted to the front of the bow 12 since the 
mounting hole 18 will usually extend through the bow 12 in most 
commercially available bows. 
Together, the mounting hole 18, the mounting block 16 and its associated 
structures, and a suitable fastening bolt 15, form a means for attaching 
the rod 17 to the bow 12. 
The elongated member, or rod 17, in the preferred embodiment is a rounded 
shaft attachable to the mounting block 16 which, as a matter of 
convenience, will be located on the lower part of the handle 14 of the bow 
12. The arm guard 10 may be in integral part of the bow 12 as seen in FIG. 
1; or the rod 17 may be attached to the bow by inserting a forward portion 
42 thereof into the rod hole 22 of the mounting block 16 which is mounted 
on the bow 12, and tightening a set screw 24 as more fully explained 
below. The rod 17 has a first generally horizontal section 28 attached to 
the mounting block 16 and extending rearwardly therefrom in a generally 
horizontal plane to a point within the wrist region 30 of an archer 
grasping the bow in shooting form. Extending upwardly from the rearward 
point of the first horizontal section 28 is a generally vertical section 
32 of the rod 17. The generally vertical section 32 extends the rod 17 to 
a point at the height of the wrist region 30 in order to place the rod 17 
at the height of the bow arm 13 for the protection thereof. Extending 
rearwardly from the vertical section 32 is a second generally horizontal 
section 34. The second horizontal section extends the rod 17 to a point 
beyond the elbow region 36 of an archer grasping the bow in shooting form. 
At the rearward end of the second horizontal section 34 is a bent section 
38 curving further away from the midline of the bow 12, and therefore, 
towards the elbow region 36 of an archer grasping the bow in a shooting 
form. The rod 17 ends in a rounded tip 40 so as to comfortably contact the 
bow arm 13 and easily deflect the bow string 26 should the string strike 
the rounded tip 40. 
The first horizontal section 28 has a forward portion 42 for engaging the 
bore of the rod hole 22 in the mounting block 16. Thus, the forward 
portion 42 may be used to adjust the rearward extension of the guard 10 by 
altering the depth of the forward portion 42 within the rod hole 22. The 
forward portion 42 is provided with a planar surface 44 positioned so as 
to contact the set screw 24 when rod 17 is in its operative position. This 
arrangement provides a secure attachment of the rod 17 to the bow 12 so 
that rod 17 will not reposition itself due to the bow string 26 striking 
thereon, or through active use and transport of the bow 12 and the guard 
10 in the field. 
As shown in FIG. 2, should further adjustment of the guard length be 
desired, the second horizontal section can be constructed as a tube within 
a tube fastened together by a releasable series of detents 45 to provide a 
means for adjusting the guard length to accommodate variations in the bow 
arm length between different archers. 
Thus, it will be seen that the rod 17 extends rearwardly from the bow 12 in 
a plane generally parallel to the plane of travel of a kinetic bow string, 
the rod 17 imposing itself between this kinetic string plane and the bow 
arm 13 of the archer. The rod 17 contacts the bow arm 13 through the bent 
section 38 so as to press the rounded tip 40 into the bow arm 13 beyond 
the elbow region 36. This arrangement provides a physical barrier to 
prevent a kinetic bow string 26 from striking the elbow region 36 or the 
forearm of the bow arm, and will keep any bulky clothing, such as hunting 
coveralls, out of the kinetic string path. 
In the preferred embodiment, the rod 17 is formed from a rigid material to 
provide a strong physical, as well as psychological, barrier against bow 
string-induced injuries; and to prevent the rod 17 from moving or 
deforming upon contact with a kinetic string, thereby preventing secondary 
injuries caused by rod-to-arm contact. The rod will further provide a 
constant reference for physical placement of the rod 17 and thus the 
attached bow 12, in relation to the bow arm 13 to improve shooting form. 
This is especially true when the archer is not wearing bulky clothing such 
as hunting coveralls. However, when the archer is wearing bulky clothing, 
the rod 17 will help to keep such clothing free and clear of the kinetic 
bow string path to avoid fouling the shot. It is conceivable that the rod 
17 could be semirigid or bendable and still function effectively as a part 
of the guard 10. 
As shown in FIG. 3, to keep the rod 17 rigid, angled bends are used in the 
preferred embodiment to direct the rearward course of the rod 17. However, 
in the alternative, a curved section 46, as shown in FIG. 3 could be used 
to position the rod 17 upwardly from the bottom of the bow handle 14 to an 
operative position paralleling the bow arm 13. 
By utilizing a separate mounting block 16 and a generally planar rod 17, 
the arm guard 10 will be easily manufactured, resulting in lower costs, 
and will be easily constructed and set up by the archer for usage with the 
bow 12. Alternatively, the arm guard 10 could be easily manufactured as an 
integral part of the bow, as seen in FIG. 1. 
In use, the mounting block 16 is affixed to the bow 12 through the mounting 
hole 18 located on the bow handle 14 by use of a threaded bolt 15. The set 
screw 24 is withdrawn from communication with the rod hole 22 and the 
forward portion 42 of the rod 17 is inserted into rod hole 22 to a depth 
which places the rounded tip 40 at the desired area of the elbow region 36 
of the bow arm 13. The rod 17 is then secured by placing the set screw 24 
into abutment with the rod 17 at the planar surface 44 thereof. 
The archer may then assume a shooting form, placing at least the rounded 
tip 40 of the bent section 38 against the flesh of the bow arm elbow 
region 36, with the bent section 38 following the contour of the bow arm 
13, thereby eliminating a path for a kinetic bow string between the guard 
10 and the bow arm 13 and also preventing secondary injuries from 
rod-to-bow arm contact should the bow string 26 strike the rod 17 and 
force the rod into the bow arm. 
Should an errant release of the bow string 26 cause the string to travel in 
a path that would contact the arm, the bow string 26 is not allowed to 
travel under the rod 17 due to the abutment of the rounded tip 40 and bent 
section 38 against the bow arm 13. These elements will channel a kinetic 
string 26 back towards the bow 17 longitudinal midline and/or along the 
second horizontal section 34 thereby protecting the bow arm of the archer.