Abstract:
A riser for a bow is disclosed. The riser includes a top riser section that is joined to a middle riser section by a first and second step. The first and second steps strengthen the riser and permit the riser to be formed from less material while resisting undesirable deformation during use.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a non-provisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/880,303 (filed Sep. 20, 2013) the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The subject matter disclosed herein relates to archery bows and more particularly to risers for bows. Archery risers are the central portion of a bow that provide a means for attachment of other bow components such as limbs, grips, sights, etc. During a bow&#39;s draw cycle, the riser is placed under extreme stress which often produces riser deformation. Excessive deformation of the riser can hinder repeatability, accuracy, promote riser fatigue, decrease safety and negatively impact other parameters of the bow. An improved archery riser is therefore desirable. The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A riser for a bow is disclosed. The riser includes a top riser section that is joined to a middle riser section by a first and second step. The first and second steps strengthen the riser and permit the riser to be formed from less material while resisting undesirable deformation during use. An advantage that may be realized in the practice of some disclosed embodiments of the ability to produce a riser for a bow that uses less material than other risers while maintaining a riser that resists undesirable deformation. 
         [0004]    In a first embodiment, a riser for a bow is provided. The riser comprises a top riser section joined to a middle riser section. The top riser section defines a first plane and the middle riser section defines a second plane. The first plane and the second plane are spaced from one another by a gap to provide an arrow shelf The top riser section is joined to the middle riser section by both a first top step and a second top step. The first top step and the second top step join together at a first junction, separate from one another to form a cavity, then reunite at a second junction. The first junction is in the first plane and connects to the top riser section and the second junction is in the second plane and connects to the middle riser section. 
         [0005]    In a second embodiment, a riser for a bow is provided. The riser comprises a top riser section joined to a bottom riser section by a middle riser section. The top riser section and the bottom riser section are aligned to define a first plane and the middle riser section defines a second plane. The first plane and the second plane are spaced from one another by a gap to provide an arrow shelf The bottom riser section is joined to the middle riser section by a bottom step and the top riser section is joined to the middle riser section by both a first top step and a second top step. The first top step and the second top step join together at a first junction, separate from one another to form a cavity, then reunite at a second junction. The first junction is in the first plane and connects to the top riser section. The second junction being in the second plane and connects to the middle riser section. 
         [0006]    In a third embodiment, a bow is provided. The bow comprises a riser comprising a top riser section joined to a bottom riser section by a middle riser section. The top riser section and the bottom riser section are aligned to define a first plane and the middle riser section defines a second plane. The first plane and the second plane are spaced from one another by a gap to provide an arrow shelf The bottom riser section is joined to the middle riser section by a bottom step and the top riser section is joined to the middle riser section by both a first top step and a second top step. The first top step and the second top step join together at a first junction, separate from one another to form a cavity, then reunite at a second junction. The first junction is in the first plane and connects to the top riser section and the second junction is in the second plane and connects to the middle riser section. The bow further comprises a first bow limb removably attached to the top riser section and a second bow limb removably attached to the bottom riser section. 
         [0007]    This brief description of the invention is intended only to provide a brief overview of subject matter disclosed herein according to one or more illustrative embodiments, and does not serve as a guide to interpreting the claims or to define or limit the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the appended claims. This brief description is provided to introduce an illustrative selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This brief description is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    So that the manner in which the features of the invention can be understood, a detailed description of the invention may be had by reference to certain embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only certain embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the scope of the invention encompasses other equally effective embodiments. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis generally being placed upon illustrating the features of certain embodiments of the invention. In the drawings, like numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout the various views. Thus, for further understanding of the invention, reference can be made to the following detailed description, read in connection with the drawings in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1A ,  FIG. 1B  and  FIG. 1C  are side, front and perspective views of an exemplary riser; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2A ,  FIG. 2B  and  FIG. 2C  are side, front and perspective views of another exemplary riser that includes a second step; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an expanded view of a section of the riser of  FIG. 2B ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is an expanded view of the riser of  FIG. 2C ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is another view of the riser of  FIG. 4 ; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a view of an exemplary bow that uses the riser of  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]      FIG. 1A ,  FIG. 1B  and  FIG. 1C  depict a riser  100  that comprises a top riser section  102  and a bottom riser section  104 . The top riser section  104  and the bottom riser section  104  define a first plane  108 . Bow limbs (see  FIG. 6 ) may be attached to the top riser section  102  and the bottom riser section  104 , respectively. An arrow shelf  106  is provided by a middle riser section  110  that defines a second plane  112 . The first plane  108  and the second plane  112  are separated by a gap. The middle riser section  110  joins with the bottom riser section  104  at a bottom step  114 . The middle riser section  110  joins with the top riser section  102  at a top step  116 . A handle  118  is provided below the arrow shelf  106  for an archery to grip the riser  100 . During use, the top riser section  102  experiences stresses that causes undesirable deformations. To compensate for such deformations, the riser section  102  may be formed from strong, heavy materials. Unfortunately, this increases both the cost and the weight of the riser  100 . 
         [0016]      FIG. 2A ,  FIG. 2B  and  FIG. 2C  depict a riser  200  that comprises a top riser section  202  and a bottom riser section  204 . The top riser section  204  and the bottom riser section  204  define a first plane  208 . An arrow shelf  206  is provided by a middle riser section  210  that defines a second plane  212 . The first plane  208  and the second plane  212  are separated by a gap. The middle riser section  210  joins with the bottom riser section  204  at a bottom step  214 . The middle riser section  110  joins with the top riser section  202  at a first top step  216 . A handle  218  is provided below the arrow shelf  206  for an archer to grip the riser  200 . Unlike the riser  100 , the riser  200  further comprises a second top step  300 . The configuration shown in  FIG. 2A ,  FIG. 2B  and  FIG. 2C  improves riser strength by as much as 30% and reduces deformation by as much as 20% compared to a riser without such a second top step  300 . Due to the increased strength provided by the second top step  300 , the riser may be formed using less material. This reduces the weight and cost of the riser without negatively impacting its performance. 
         [0017]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first top step  216  and the second top step  300  join at a first junction  302  where they both contact the top riser section  202 . The first top step  216  and the second top step  300  separate to form a cavity  304  and then reunite at a second junction  306  where they both contact the middle riser section  210 . The cavity  304  and the second top step  300  provide additional strength to the riser  200  while minimizing the amount of material used. This results in a reduction in weight and manufacturing costs. The first junction  302  is in the first plane  208  while the second junction  306  is in the second plane  212 . The first top step  216  is disposed below the second top step  300 . 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the cavity  304  comprises a forward-facing opening  402  and a backward-facing opening  404  that define a direction  404  that is parallel to a plane defined by the arrow shelf  206 . The top riser section  202  comprises a plurality of holes  406  that extend from a first lateral side  408  to a second lateral side  412 . The plurality of holes  406  are perpendicular to the forward-facing opening  402  and the backward-facing opening  404 . The presence of the plurality of holes  406  permits the riser  200  to be formed using less materials, thereby reducing the weight and cost of the riser  200 . The presence of the second top step  300  increases the strength of the riser  200  to minimize undesired deformation. Additional holes  410  in the lower riser section  204  and the middle riser section  210  further reduce the weight and cost of the riser  200 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the cavity  304  comprises four openings: the forward-facing opening  402 , the backward-facing opening  404 , and two openings facing the lateral sides  408 ,  412 , respectively. In another embodiment, not shown, the cavity  304  comprises at least one lateral facing opening and the forward-facing and backward-facing sides are solid plates. 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the cavity  304  has a length  500  and a width  502 . In one embodiment, the length  500  is at least about 10% of an overall length  504  of the top riser section  202 . In another embodiment, the length  500  is at least about 15% of the overall length  504 . In another embodiment, the length  500  is at least about 20% of the overall length  504 . In yet another embodiment, the length  500  is about 25% of the over length  504 . The width  502  is less than the length  500 . In one embodiment, the width is about 50% of the length  500 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 6  depicts a compound bow  600  that comprises the riser  200 , a first bow limb  602  and a second bow limb  604 . A first cam  606  and a second cam  608  are attached to the first bow limb  602  and the second bow limb  604 , respectively. Bowstrings  610  are stretched between the first cam  606  and the second cam  608 . When the bowstrings  610  are actuated, the first bow limb  602  and the second bow limb  604  bend and apply a strain to the riser  200 . The second top step  300  (see  FIG. 3 ) minimizes the deformation in the riser  200  caused by the strain. The presence of cams in the compound  600  permits a bowstring to be drawn with high force which results in significant strain on the riser  200 . Accordingly, the riser  200  is particularly useful with compound bows. 
         [0021]    In one embodiment, the riser is monolithic such that the top riser section, the bottom riser section and the middle riser section are formed as a single piece. The riser may be formed from a lightweight material, such as aluminum. 
         [0022]    This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.