Abstract:
A back tension bow release includes at least one adjustable finger hold positioned with respect to a base. The base has a finger insert portion about which the adjustable finger hold may be positioned. A release mechanism is attached to the base for holding a bowstring until release.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to archery, and more particularly to back tension release devices used by an archer to release a bowstring. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Archery bows were originally drawn by hooking two or more fingers over the bowstring and pulling the string back from the bow. Archery technology has advanced over the centuries and now includes bowstring release devices used to assist the archer in gripping the bowstring securely and releasing it smoothly. This eliminates distractions caused by the effort of gripping a bowstring directly with the fingers, and the resulting finger fatigue and soreness after multiple shots. These distractions impair an archer&#39;s concentration on aiming, and reduce the accuracy and repeatability of shots by changing the timing, consistency, and smoothness of the release of the bowstring. 
         [0003]    Archers use release devices to protect their fingers from injury and to enable them to release a bowstring with minimal adverse influence of involuntary movements made during the aiming of the arrow and releasing of the bowstring. In a manner analogous to the aiming and firing of a rifle or handgun, in which involuntary movements of the hand, finger or other components of the body result in inaccurate striking of a target, so also do such involuntary movements result in inaccurate hitting of an archery target with an arrow. 
         [0004]    A major source of such involuntary movements is the archer&#39;s mental anticipation of moving his hand to release the bowstring. When this mental anticipation occurs, the anticipation induces anxiety and tension in the hand and fingers, which translates into involuntary movements. These involuntary movements in turn cause variances in the aiming and alignment of the bow and arrow with the intended target. This can then result in a variety of unintended consequences including missing a target in competition or a game animal in hunting. 
         [0005]    There are a variety of devices that exist in the prior art that are intended to lessen or do away with the unintended consequences of such tension and involuntary movements. Some of these devices are configured so that a bowstring hook is arranged to hook and pull and then release a bowstring by pivoting the device laterally about the archer&#39;s hand or fingers. Typically, these devices are either not adjustable to accommodate the hands of different archers or are adjustable only within narrowly defined limitations. As a result of this lack of adjustability, these devices may prove to be more of a bother than a benefit as they may require the archer to make movements that are unnatural and which may cause the arrow to be directed in incorrect directions. Representative examples of prior art bowstring release devices are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,853,111 for a rope release, 3,965,884 for a mechanical hook release, 5,692,490 for a rotating bearing and cord release, and 5,694,915 for a back tension rope release. 
         [0006]    Therefore, what is needed is an archery bowstring release which provides faithfully reproducible releases. What is also needed is an archery bowstring release that provides an archer with the ability to modify the positions of the release pieces so as to accommodate the feel and configuration desired by the archer. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is a new design for a back tension bow release for archery. This style of release is called back tension release because, typically, the release of the bowstring from the device occurs as the archer flexes his back muscles and squeezes his shoulder blades together. The release mechanism releases the bowstring after the archer has pulled the bowstring into a full draw position. The archer then makes a final movement that causes the arm to move in the horizontal plane, thereby changing the position of the release hand. This change in hand position causes the release mechanism to release the bowstring. The archer is not fully cognizant of precisely when the bowstring will be released and the arrow projected from the bow towards the target. This feature eliminates involuntary movements that tend to occur when an archer readies to release an arrow with other types of releases. In as much as the involuntary movements are eliminated, greater accuracy and precision can be obtained because the archer can more fully concentrate on aiming rather than on releasing the bowstring. 
         [0008]    The present invention provides adjustable finger holds so that the release can be custom fit to accommodate the particular hand size, shape, and bone structure of a particular archer. The archer may also adjust the release to produce a desired string let-off (or release) point by adjusting the finger holds. With a release custom fit to the individual archer&#39;s hand and preferences, the present invention provides a release that increases comfort, accuracy, precision when targeting, and subsequent projection of an arrow to a target. It reduces the hesitation and flinching common with the prior art releases. 
         [0009]    In use, the archer adjusts the finger holds of the release until finding the most comfortable or desired position for the individual archer. The archer then places a bowstring within the release mechanism and pulls back on the release to draw the bowstring toward a full draw position while aiming the arrow at a target. After the archer draws the bowstring backward to a full draw position, the archer makes a final movement causing the hand which holds the release to naturally turn at a particular location. When this occurs, the bowstring will release from the release device and the arrow will be projected toward the target. Because the exact time at which this release occurs is not mentally known to the archer, the archer does not anticipate the release and does not make involuntary movements that would alter the path or trajectory of the arrow. This results in better accuracy and precision. 
         [0010]    Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description wherein only the preferred embodiment of the invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention, including the manufacture of components from various materials. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive in nature. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a release in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a partial cross-section of the release of  FIG. 1 , taken generally along the plane  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a release in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a side elevation of the release in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation of a release in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a side elevation of a release in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a partial cross section of the release of  FIG. 4 , taken generally along the line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 4 ; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a cross-section of the release of  FIG. 7 , taken generally along the line  8 - 8  in  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed. On the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. 
         [0020]    Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1-2  show one embodiment of a release  20  in accordance with the present invention. The primary components of the release  20  are a base  22 , an upper finger hold  24 , a lower finger hold  26 , and a string release mechanism  28 . In this embodiment, the base  22  is generally circular in shape and has a generally rounded finger insert  30  having a surrounding flange  32 . The shape and dimensions of the base  22  may be varied depending on the preferences of the manufacturer without departing from the invention, e.g., an oval, squared, or other shape might be used. Flange  32  includes a plurality of screw holes  34  and, like the base  22 , may take different forms. Upper finger hold  24  and lower finger hold  26  both include a finger grip  36  and a mounting plate  38  with screw holes  40 . The mounting plate  38  of the finger holds  24 ,  26  is positioned over flange so as to align the screw holes  40  in the mounting plate  38  with the screw holes  34  in the flange  32 . Securing screws  42  are positioned through screw holes  40  in the mounting plate  38  and threaded into screw holes  40  to secure the finger holds  24 ,  26  to the release base  22 .  FIG. 1  shows the use of two securing holes  40  in each mounting plate  38  but other numbers, e.g., one, could be used if desired and if the parts are configured so that the finger holds  24 ,  26  can be adequately secured to the release base  22 . 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the position of the finger holds  24 ,  26  with respect to the release base  22 , may be adjusted from a first position (shown in solid lines in  FIG. 1 ) to a second position (shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 1 ) by removing the securing screws  42 , repositioning the mounting plate  38  with respect to the flange  32 , and then screwing the securing screws  42  into the screw holes  34  in the flange  32  through the screw holes  40  in the mounting plate  38 . The heads of securing screws  42  may take any of a variety of configurations, e.g., flat head, Phillips head, TORX® head, and may be threaded in a wide variety of manners. Locking pins, bolts, and other securing means could also be used instead of the securing screws shown. 
         [0022]      FIGS. 3 ,  4 ,  7 , and  8  reflect one alternative embodiment of a release  20  in accordance with the present invention. (The description of this embodiment will use the same reference numerals used above where there is corresponding structure.) In this embodiment, the primary components of the release  20  are a base  22 , an upper finger hold  24 , a lower finger hold  26 , and a string release mechanism  28 . In this embodiment, the base  22  is also generally circular and includes a generally rounded finger insert  30 . Surrounding finger insert  30  is a slotted mounting flange  62  that preferably includes a screw engagement groove  64 . As in the previously-described embodiment, the shape and dimensions of the base  22  may be varied depending on the preferences of the manufacturer without departing from the invention, e.g., an oval, squared, or other shape might be used. Upper finger hold  24  and lower finger hold  26  both include a finger grip  36  and a mounting plate  38  with a screw hole  40  therethrough (the underlying and hidden screw hole  40  is indicated by the phantom lines in  FIG. 4 ). The mounting plate  38  of the finger holds  24 ,  26  is slidably positioned over the slotted mounting flange  62  such that the screw hole  40  is in alignment with the screw engagement groove  64 . Securing screws  42  (not shown in  FIG. 3  or  4 , shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 ) are then threaded into each screw hole  40  in the mounting plates  38  to frictionally engage the screw engagement groove  64  in the slotted mounting flange  62  so as to prevent the finger holds  24 ,  26  from sliding with respect to the slotted mounting flange  62  of the release base  22 . 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the position of the finger holds  24 ,  26  with respect to the release base  22  may be adjusted from a first position (shown in solid lines in  FIG. 4 ) to a second position (shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 4 ) by loosening the securing screws  42  from their frictional engagement in the slotted mounting groove  62 , repositioning the mounting plates  38  with respect to the slotted mounting flange  62 , and then tightening the securing screws  42  back down to create a frictional engagement in the slotted mounting groove  62 . While preferable to include, it would be possible to eliminate the use of the screw engagement groove  64  and have the frictional engagement of the securing screws  42  be made against the side of the slotted mounting flange  62 . 
         [0024]      FIGS. 5 and 6  reflect additional embodiments of the release  20 . In these embodiments, extended finger grips  86  are attached to either or both of the upper finger hold  24  and/or the lower finger hold  26 . Extended finger grips  86  may be locked into place using a locking screw  88  or other similar mechanism. As shown in  FIG. 6 , lower finger hold  26  could be replaced, if desired, with a thumb rest  90  with a thumb post mounting hole  92  therein. A conventional thumb post could be screwed into or otherwise fastened into thumb post mounting hold  92 . A thumb rest or thumb post could also be used, if desired, with the previously described embodiments. 
         [0025]    While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described as having two adjustable finger holds, it would also be possible to have a permanently positioned finger hold coupled with an adjustable finger hold in accordance with the present invention. Similarly, while the preferred embodiments have been illustrated with particular release mechanisms  28 , a variety of release mechanisms could be used as the release mechanism  28  in the present invention. For example, the release mechanism could be the simple hook shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the pivot release shown in  FIG. 1 , the mechanical release disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,884 to Killian, the rope release disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,915 to Summers, or any other suitable release mechanism. The hook release mechanism illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4  may be adjustable/positionable to allow for different bowstring release points or may be permanently fixed in position. 
         [0026]    Many different materials can be used for the various components of the present invention, including metals, composites and plastics. It has been found effective to manufacture the majority of the components by machining them from steel, brass, or aluminum. 
         [0027]    Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is perceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments set forth above. Rather, it is recognized that modifications may be made by one of skill in the art of the invention without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention and, therefore, the invention is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the appended claims and the description of the invention herein.