Abstract:
The disclose describes an improved holder for an archery bow which includes two arms pivotally attached to one another and a sliding support arm for resisting bending moments due to the weight of the bow being held at a distance away from a tree. The support arm and one of the arms each feature a separate fastener for securing the holder to a tree.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention generally relates to a device for supporting an archery bow and more particularly to a bow support for supporting a bow in a vertical and easily accessible position near the hunter so that the hunter may quickly access the bow. 
     While bow hunting, many hunters position themselves where game is likely to pass. While the hunter waits for the game to pass by, it is inconvenient for him to hold an archery bow at the ready. Instead, the hunter may need his hands free in order to perform animal calls or other tasks related to the sport. 
     Therefore, it is necessary for the hunter to either rest his bow on the ground or on a support. The hunter&#39;s bow needs to be easily accessible so that when the game appears, the hunter may quickly retrieve the bow and deliver his arrow to the target. 
     Other prior art archery bow supports have been described and are used by hunters. One common type of bow support has a threaded end for attaching to a tree and holding the bow at a distance away from the tree. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Often times it is desirable when hunting to have a bow support to hold an archery bow at a distance away from a tree, such as several feet or more. In this case, the weight of the bow on the support creates a moment which may cause the support to pull out of the tree. Therefore, it is preferable to have the support anchored to the tree by a second arm at a point below the anchor point. This arm counters the moment created by the weight of the archery bow on the support. 
     One problem which has been identified in the art is that often times the tree to which the bow is secured does not have a planar face. Therefore, it may be necessary to anchor the arm at a point away from the face to which the original support is anchored. 
     It is therefore a primary objective of this invention to provide a support having an arm for holding a bow away from a tree, the support having a separate support arm extending below the arm with the support arm being moveable relative to the tree. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a side view of the preferred bow support in a collapsed position suitable for storage or transport. 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment in a partially opened position. 
         FIG. 3  shows a side view of the preferred embodiment in a fully extended position. 
         FIG. 4  shows an expanded side view of the support arm and fastener of the preferred bow support. 
         FIG. 5  shows an expanded side view of the hook end of the preferred bow support. 
         FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention in shown in a collapsed position in  FIG. 1 . The support  10  comprises a first arm  20  and a second arm  40  joined together by a hinge  30 . The first arm  20  has a fastener  24  at one end and a support arm  60  positioned between the fastener  24  and hinge  30 . The support arm  60  has a second fastener  66  positioned at a distance away from the first arm  20 . The support arm  60  is slidable along the first arm  20  between stops  64 . The second arm  40  also features a hook  44  positioned at the end opposite the hinge  30 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment in a partially opened position. First arm  20  and second arm  40  are shown to pivot about the common axis, hinge  30 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the support  10  fully extended at a side view. As shown, the hook  44  curves upward away from the second arm  40  and the support arm  60  extends downward from the first arm  20 . As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, when the first fastener  24  and second fastener  66  are inserted into a tree, the support arm  60  resists bending forces due to the weight of a bow on the hook  44 . The first arm  20  also has a first end  22  corresponding with the fastener  24  and a second end  26  corresponding with the hinge  30 . The second arm  40  has a support end  42  corresponding with the hook  44  and an opposite end  48  corresponding with the hinge  30 . As previously described, the support arm  60  is slidably attached to the first arm  20  between the first end  24  and second end  26  and features a second fastener  66  at a position away from the first arm  20 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an expanded view of the support arm  60  and second fastener  66 . The first arm  20  has a pair of stops  64  extending from the first end  22  near the fastener  24 . The stops  64  limit the travel of the support arm  60 . The support arm  60  has a slide hole  62  extending through the arm, the slide hole  62  being sized to fit about the first arm  20 . Also on the support arm  60  opposite the slide hole  62  is a second fastener  66 . The second fastener  60  generally comprises a thread  70  extending in the same direction as the fastener  24  and a handle  68  for turning the thread  70  into the tree. A metal spacer  72  which limits the depth to which the thread  70  can be inserted into the tree is also provided adjacent the handle  68 . When the first arm  20  is fastened to the tree by the fastener  24 , the support arm  60  can be positioned so that the thread  70  engages the tree. The user may then turn the handle  68 , thereby driving the thread  70  into the tree. This engagement by the support arm  60  into the tree resists bending moments caused by the weight of the bow. 
       FIG. 5  shows an enlarged view of the support end  42  of the second arm  40 . The support end  42  features a hook  44  extending generally upward from the second arm  40 . The hook  44  may be covered with a membrane  46  which is preferably of latex or like coating. The membrane  46  provides protection to the bow to eliminate abrasion between the surface of the hook  44  and the bow, as well as providing increased friction so that the bow is less likely to slip off of the hook  44 . 
       FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of the hinge  30 . The hinge is formed from a hinge pin  32  which is held in place by a pair of stops  36 . The hinge pin  32  passes through the hinge through hole  50  at the opposite end  48  of the second arm  40 . The hinge pin  32  then passes through a spacer  34  which separates the second arm  40  from the first arm  20 . The hinge pin  32  finally passes through the hinge pin hole  28  at the second end  26  of the first arm  20  and is secured by a second stop  36 . Hinge pin  32  preferably comprises a threaded member such as a screw or threaded rod, while stops  36  comprise either a screw head and nut or a pair of nuts. This type of hinging is merely exemplary in nature and other types of hinges may be used which are generally known in the art. 
     In use, the hunter first attaches the support  10  to a tree by placing the fastener  24  against the tree and rotating the support  10  until the thread is fully engaged. The hunter then adjusts the support arm  60  along the first arm  20  so that the fastener  66  is engaging the tree at a point below the fastener  24 . The hunter then turns the handle  68 , driving the threaded end  70  of the fastener  66  into the tree. Once the support  10  is securely fastened to the tree, the hunter rotates the second arm  40  about the hinge  30  to a convenient position. The hunter then may hang his bow onto the hook  44 , thereby leaving his hands free for other tasks. When the hunter is ready to use the bow, he may rotate the second arm  40  out of the way. 
     The above description is of the preferred embodiment of the invention, although other variations are anticipated. For example, the fastener  24  may take other forms different than a threaded screw. One such variation is a belt and buckle assembly may be used for encircling the tree, thereby preventing damage to the tree. Another variation is the fastener  24  including a separate latch for affixing to a screw which may be permanently embedded within the tree. Other attachment variations are generally known in the art. Support arm  60  need not include a fastener  66  for engaging the tree, but may include a cleat or other means for resisting slippage along the tree. The purpose of fastener  66  is to securely position support arm  60  against the tree to oppose the bending moment caused by the weight of the bow. Another variation is providing an adjustable stop  64  to securely position the support arm  60  at a position along the first arm  20 . Support arm  60  may also have a means in the slide  62  for fixing the position of the support arm  60 . 
     According to the preferred embodiment, the first arm  20  and the second arm  40  comprise equal lengths of square steel tubing. The square tubing provides high strength and resists bending while remaining durable and light weight. However, other materials, shapes, or lengths may be used. 
     Other variations of the described invention may be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The above description is exemplary, limitations appear only in the claims.