Adjustable archery stabilizer

A stabilizer which may be attached to an archery bow. The stabilizer includes three elongated parallel rods with two end caps for interconnecting the three rods. An axial slider is mounted on the rods and may be secured at any desired axial position of the rods. The rods may be rotationally adjusted relative to the bow by means of a rotational adjustment which includes a locking nut.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to an archery accessory and more 
particularly to an archery stabilizer which is adapted to be attached to 
an archery bow for the purpose of reducing vibration and torque of the bow 
and for producing greater accuracy in the shooting of arrows with such an 
archery bow. 
Prior art stabilizers for archery bows have been known for many years. If a 
bow does not include such a stabilizer mounted thereon, there is a 
tendency for the bow to be laterally and rotationally displaced upon the 
release of an arrow from the bow. During this lateral and rotational 
displacement, the handle section of the bow tends to move in a vibrating 
manner in the direction away from the arrow as it passes the bow handle. 
Since the arrow is affected continuously throughout the time that the bow 
string is moving from its drawn position to its forwardmost position, due 
to the constant pressure exerted on the arrow nock by the bow string, it 
follows that any concurrent rotational displacement of the handle section 
or the arrow rest of the bow during this period will ultimately effect the 
resulting cast of the arrow. Thus it is desired to provide a stabilizer 
for a bow which reduces the lateral and rotational displacement of the bow 
and thereby results in greater shooting accuracy. 
Efforts have been made in the past to achieve the foregoing purpose by the 
provision of weighted elements rigidly attached to the bow by various 
means. However, for the most part these prior art efforts have fallen 
short of providing the necessary stabilizing and dampening action required 
to achieve the most consistent and accurate arrow passage from the bow. It 
is therefore desired to provide an improved stabilizer which provides 
improved damping action to efficiently and effectively absorb as much of 
the vibrating energy of the bow as is possible 
Some prior art stabilizers have been adjustable. One adjustment which has 
been provided in prior art stabilizers has been the addition or deletion 
of the amount of weight carried by the stabilizer. While this arrangement 
is desirable, it is furthermore desired to provide additional adjustment 
of a stabilizer to match the weight of a bow as well as the tension of the 
bow string. Prior art stabilizers have not been able to satisfy this need. 
It is known that a limited degree of bow rotation is necessary to insure 
proper passage of the arrow from the bow. It is therefore also desired to 
provide a stabilizer wherein the amount of bow rotation can be controlled 
by adjustment of the stabilizer. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a stabilizer consisting of a plurality of 
elongated parallel rods, the ends of which are interconnected by means of 
end caps. Additionally, a slider or sleeve is adjustably mounted on the 
rods which can be adjusted and secured in any desired axial position along 
the rods. Still further provision is made for rotationally adjusting the 
position of the rods relative to the bow. Lastly, an adjustable weight can 
be mounted at the end of the stabilizer. 
An advantage of the present invention is that by the use of multiple rods 
the damping action of the stabilizer is more effective than was the case 
with prior art stabilizers. The rods, upon absorption of the shock caused 
by shooting an arrow, will vibrate and in effect support a standing wave. 
By providing an axially adjustable slider for the rods, a node can be 
introduced into the vibrating rods to tune the rods whereby the shock 
absorbing capability of the stabilizer can be optimized. The axial slider 
can be secured to one of the rods in any selected axial position In the 
case of use of a stabilizer having three rods, the axial slider can be 
connected to one of the rods, thus providing a rigid node for that rod. 
The additional two rods can move somewhat within the apertures of the 
adjustable sleeve. By providing rotational adjustment for the rod assembly 
relative to the bow, the rotation effect of the bow can be affected as 
desired. Lastly, by adding various weights, the characteristics of the 
stabilizer can be further adjusted. 
The present invention, in one form thereof, comprises a plurality of 
elongated parallel rods and a means for securing the rods to a bow. 
The present invention, in one form thereof, comprises a plurality of 
elongated parallel rods, means for securing the rods to a bow and an axial 
adjustment means mounted on the plurality of rods for axial adjustment 
relative to the rods. 
The present invention, in one form thereof, comprises a stabilizer 
including three elongated parallel rods, a first end cap for securing 
first ends of the rods and a fastening means connected to the first end 
cap for securing the stabilizer to a bow. A rotational adjustment means is 
connected to the fastening means for adjusting the rotational position of 
the plurality of rods with respect to the bow. An axial adjustment means 
is adjustably mounted on the rods for axial adjustment relative to the 
rods. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bow stabilizer which 
includes a plurality of parallel rods. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stabilizer 
having multiple parallel rods and which includes an axial slider and which 
can be positioned at various axial positions along the rods. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a stabilizer 
for a bow which is rotationally adjustable to effect the rotational 
characteristics of a bow.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout 
the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate 
preferred embodiments of the invention, in one form thereof, and such 
exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the 
invention in any manner. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1 there is seen a bow 10 having a bow string 14 on which 
an arrow 12 rests. A stabilizer 16 is secured to the front of bow 10. 
Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, the stabilizer includes three parallel 
elongated rods 20. The rods are connected at their distal ends by means of 
an end cap 22 and at their proximal ends by means of an end cap 24. Distal 
end cap 22 includes three apertures 26 in which the rods are secured by 
means of any suitable means such as for instance epoxy cement. Similarly 
proximal end cap 24 includes three apertures 28 for receiving the proximal 
ends of rods 20. Proximal ends of rods 20 are secured in apertures 28 by 
any suitable means such as for instance epoxy cement. The rods 20 are 
fairly rigid and, in a preferred embodiment, are composed of graphite such 
as is commonly used in arrows, fishing rods, and the like. Alternatively, 
the rods 20 may be made of other types of materials such as aluminum or 
fiberglass. It should also be noted that, in the interest of making the 
stabilizer lightweight, the rods 20 are hollow. In one embodiment used 
successfully by the inventors, the rods are 1/4 inch in diameter and are 
20 inches long. The end caps 22 and 24 are preferably made of a 
lightweight metal such as for instance aluminum. However, the end caps may 
be made of other materials such as for instance lightweight magnesium, 
fiberglass, or the like. Distal cap 22 by suitable means such as for 
instance by means of a suitable adhesive. Stud 30 is threaded whereby it 
can receive a weight 32 for varying the weight of the stabilizer. Weight 
32 may be selected for best performance of the stabilizer for a particular 
bow. 
While in the disclosed embodiment three rods 20 are shown, alternatively 
another number of rods may be used such as for instance two or four rods. 
A second stud 34 is secured to proximal end cap 24 by means of an adhesive 
or other suitable means. Stud 34 is adapted to receive a locking nut 36. 
Stud 34 furthermore is adapted to be threaded into mounting section 38. In 
turn mounting section 38 includes a threaded stud 40 which is adapted to 
engage with a mounting portion 41 of a bow 10. Stud 40 is threaded into a 
threaded aperture 42 of mounting portion 41. 
FIG. 5 shows, in cross-section, locking nut 36. Locking nut 36 includes a 
threaded aperture 46 for threading onto stud 34. Locking nut 36 also 
includes threaded aperture 43 for receiving a set screw 44. Thus, by 
tightening set screw 44, locking nut 36 can be secured at any axial 
position on stud 34. By referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that proximal 
end cap 24 has been tightened against lock nut 36 which in turn has been 
tightened against mounting section 38. It can be seen that end cap 24 ma 
be rotated relative to locking nut 36 and mounting section 38 whereby stud 
34 will be rotated inside nut 36 and the threaded aperture of mounting 
portion 38. Thus, it is possible for rods 20 and end caps 22 and 24 to be 
rotated relative to mounting section 38 and to be locked in any rotated 
position b means of lock nut 36. 
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, it can be seen that a slider 50 is 
positioned on rods 20. Slider 50 includes three apertures 52 which receive 
respectively rods 20. Slider 50 also includes a threaded aperture for 
receiving a set screw 54. By tightening set screw 54, the axial position 
of slider 50 on rods 20 can be fixed. When set screw 54 is tightened, 
slider 50 is secured to the rod 20 which is received in aperture 52a of 
slider 50. The fit of rods 20 in apertures 52 is such that slider 50, 
after loosening of set screw 54, can be easily adjusted axially with 
respect to rods 20. 
By adjusting slider 50, it can be seen that the rod structure can be tuned 
for the vibrations generated when an arrow is shot from the bow. These 
vibrations set up standing waves in rods 20. By adjusting slider 50, it 
can be seen that the node created by the slider in the rods is adjustable 
relative to the length of the rods, thus tuning rods 20. Thus by properly 
tuning the rod structure it is noted that the structure can be adjusted to 
be maximally effective in dampening the vibrations and absorbing the 
energy generated by the vibrating bow string. Thus the entire structure 
can be adjusted for bows of various sizes, poundages, and bow string 
tensions. 
Referring now to FIGS. 6-9 the stabilizer structure as shown wherein the 
locking nut 36 has been adjusted and the entire stabilizer has been 
rotated relative to the position disclosed in FIG. 2. By first rotating 
end cap 24, rods 20, and end cap 22 relative to the lock nut until a space 
56 exists between the lock nut 36 and end cap 24, the slider 50 will also 
have been rotated so that set screw 54 has been rotated through 
90.degree.. If this is the selected rotational position of slider 50, the 
lock nut 36 is now threaded firmly against mounting 38 to lock the rod and 
end cap structure against further rotation. The Applicants have found that 
by selecting the rotational position of slider 50, the archer can select 
which side of the stabilizer is to be the stiff side i.e. where the set 
screw 54 is located, so that the pattern of the arrows shot by the bow can 
be changed to suit the archer. 
Referring now to FIG. 10, an alternate embodiment of the stabilizer is 
shown. In this embodiment the slider 50 has been eliminated. Furthermore, 
rods 60 are substantially shorter than in the embodiment of the stabilizer 
shown in FIGS. 1-9. For instance the rods in the embodiment of FIG. 10 are 
6 inches long. End caps 62 and 64 are provided similarly to end caps for 
the embodiment of FIGS. 1-9. Similarly a stud 68 is provided for mounting 
of various weights and a stud 66 is provided to thread the stabilizer into 
the mounting portion 41 of a bow. The stabilizer shown in FIG. 10 may be 
used for hunting bows since the long stabilizer shown in FIGS. 1-9 would 
not be suitable for the hunting environment. In connection with the 
stabilizer of FIG. 10, the stabilizer should be selected for the 
particular bow since there is no adjustment by means of a slider 50, 
either axially or rotatably. 
Still a further embodiment of the stabilizer is shown in FIG. 11. In this 
embodiment mounting section 38 has been replaced by means of mounting 
section 78 having rods 80 and end caps 82 and 84. End cap 84 is secured to 
mounting portion 41 by means of a threaded stud 86. By use of the 
additional mounting section 78, further vibration is absorbed by the 
stabilizer. 
While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the 
present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of 
this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any 
variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general 
principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures 
from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in 
the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits 
of the appended claims.