Patent Publication Number: US-11022399-B2

Title: Inertial dampener riser for an archery bow

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/860,712, filed on Jun. 12, 2019. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to archery equipment, particularly compound and/or recurve bows. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved attachment of a grip section of the riser for any compound or recurve bow so as to absorb and minimize shock and inertia associated with release of the bow string. 
     It is well known in the field of competitive archery that shot accuracy has many independent variables. One important variable is the ability to maintain control of the bow through release of the string. Most prior art grip attachments rigidly connect to the front riser such that forces from the bow string are transferred through the ends of the bow to the grip. Those forces can cause a user to twist and turn their hand, creating even minute variations in the position of the bow. Those minute variations can alter the path of the bow as it leaves the bow frame. The forces associated with the release of the string can create movements in the bow that impact the trajectory of the arrow as it leaves the frame of the bow. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for an improved attachment between the grip and the riser that minimizes these forces associated with the release of the string. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The inventor has developed an improved attachment mechanism for connecting the hand grip to a riser beam of the bow. In particular, the inventor has developed various embodiments of shock and inertia absorbers for connecting the grip to the front rise. 
     Generally, the hand grip is connected to a shaft that passes through a hole the riser beam. The shaft has a plate that is configured to rest against the front surface of the front riser. A number of shock absorbing pads are disposed between the front plate of the grip shaft and the front face of the front riser. The shock absorbing pads are preferably resilient foam or rubber pads that are designed to compress upon experiencing the forces associated with release of the bow string and return to their original state once the forces have dissipated. 
     This improved inertia absorber may also include a shaft cover that encloses the front plate and inertia absorbing pads. This shaft cover is designed to keep the shaft in place during full retraction of the bow string, as well as, protect the inertia absorbing pads from environmental hazards that might degrade the same, such as sun, heat, moisture, etc. The shaft cover is preferably secured to the front surface of the front riser as by screws or bolts. 
     The body of the shaft may also include an inertia absorbing tube surrounding the length of the shaft through the hole in the riser beam. The inertia absorbing tube is preferably made from foam or rubber and is designed to minimize and/or neutralize lateral and vertical forces experienced upon release of the bow string. The inertial absorbing tube may be only as long as the hole through the riser beam or extend the entire length of the shaft. 
     In an alternate embodiment, the front plate of the shaft may be recessed into the front surface of the riser beam with shock absorbing pads disposed in the recessed hole around the face plate. A shaft cover may be screwed or bolted in place so as to be generally flush with the front surface of the riser beam. 
     The inventive inertial dampener riser for an archery bow has a typical riser body with a riser beam disposed proximate to a middle of the riser body. The hand grip is mounted on a first end of a shaft that passes through the riser beam. A plate is mounted on a second end of the shaft and secured in a cavity on the riser beam. A first inertia pad is disposed on a proximate side of the plate within the cavity. The inertial dampener riser may also include a second inertia pad disposed on a distal side of the plate within the cavity, as well as, an inertia sleeve pad disposed around the shaft within the riser beam. 
     The cavity is preferably attached to an anterior surface of the riser beam. Alternatively, the cavity may be recessed in an anterior surface of the riser beam. As a further alternative, the cavity may be formed on an anterior surface of the riser beam. 
     Each of the first and second inertia pad, as well as, the inertia sleeve pad is preferably made from shock absorbing foams, polymers, or rubber. 
     The hand grip may be a molded handle or a spherical handle. 
     In operation, any of the above described embodiments serve to minimize interference in the trajectory of the arrow upon release of the bow string. The shock absorbing pads serve to minimize the shock felt from vibration of the bow as the string is released. The inertia absorbing tube serves to neutralize lateral and vertical inertial forces that may be generated. These features serve to minimize negative effect that a user might experience upon release of the bow string. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon further consideration and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a prior art archery bow, including a riser body; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of a first preferred embodiment of an inventive riser body for an archery bow; 
         FIG. 3  is a close-up cross-sectional view of a front riser bridge on the inventive riser body of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 3A  is a close-up cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the front riser bridge of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of a second preferred embodiment of an inventive riser body for an archery bow; 
         FIG. 5  is a close-up cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the front riser bridge of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 5A  is a close-up cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the front riser bridge of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a close-up cross-sectional view of a third preferred embodiment of an inventive riser body for an archery bow; and 
         FIG. 6A  is a close-up cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the front riser bridge of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a prior art archery bow  10 , including a riser body  12 , upper and lower limbs  14 , and bow string  16 . A hand grip  18  is mounted directly and fixedly to the riser body  12 . A person of ordinary skill in the art understands how the forces generated from a draw and release of the bow string  16  transfers through the riser body  12  and directly to the hand grip  18  without any abatement. There is a need in the art for an improved bow design wherein vibrations from release of the bow string are dampened. 
     In the following detailed description, the inventive riser body of the present invention is generally referred to by reference numeral  20  in  FIGS. 2-6A . For consistency, references to anterior  21  faces or sides will be relative to the front of the riser body  20  and references to posterior  23  faces or sides will be relative to the rear of the riser body  20 . The anterior side  21  is depicted as the front of the bow, i.e., the direction in which an arrow will travel after release. The posterior side  23  is depicted as the rear of the bow, i.e., the direction in which the string is drawn prior to release. 
     The components of the riser body  20  include a hand grip  22  mounted on a riser beam  24  below an arrow shelf  26 . The riser body  20  preferably has an upper riser portion  20   a  and a lower riser portion  20   b , to which the limbs  14  are attached. The grip  22  being mounted directly on the riser body  12  of the prior art is eliminated in favor of the inventive inertial dampening attachment. 
     In a first preferred embodiment of the invention ( FIGS. 2, 3, and 3A ), a shaft  28  passes through a hole or passage  30  through the riser beam  24 . A cavity  32  is at one end of the hole/passage  30 , preferably on an anterior face  24   a  of the riser beam  24 . A first end  28   a  of the shaft  28  has is attached to the hand grip  22 . The attachment between the shaft  28  and hand grip  22  may be a direct, fixed attachment, or any of the adjustable, zero torque forms described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,126,091. A second end  28   b  of the shaft  28  is fixedly attached to a plate  34  and is disposed in the cavity  32 . 
     The cavity  32  may include one or more of a first inertia pad  36  and/or a second inertia pad  38 . Preferably, the first inertia pad  36  is disposed to the posterior side  23  of the plate  34 . This first inertia pad  36  is designed to absorb shock waves and vibrations generated by the release of the bow string  16  that would exist between the plate  34  and the anterior face  24   a  of the riser beam  24 . The first inertial pad  36  best accomplishes this function by being in physical contact with both the plate  34  and the anterior face  24   a  of the riser beam  24 , i.e., completely filling any space therebetween. Preferably, the second inertia pad  38  is disposed to the anterior side  21  of the plate  34 . This second inertia pad  38  is designed to absorb shock waves and vibrations generated by the release of the bow string  16  that would exist between the plate  34  and the interior face  32   a  of the cavity  32 . Similarly to the first inertial pad  36 , the second inertial pad  28  best accomplishes this function by being in physical contact with both the plate  34  and the interior face  32   a  of the cavity  32 , i.e., completely filling any space therebetween. 
     Working together, the first inertia pad  36  and second inertia pad  38  absorb longitudinal shock waves and vibrations resulting from release of the bow string  16 , while minimizing movement of the plate  34  in the cavity  32  relative to the riser beam  24 . Preferably, the first inertia pad  36  and the second inertia pad  38  are both made from a known shock absorbing material, including foams, polymers, or rubber. Typical polymeric materials include urethane foam, silicone, or other materials with sufficient qualities to withstand the forces associated with the release of a bow string. Vibration damping is a function of mass, frequency, surface area and environmental factors such as temperature or humidity. Durable materials, such as those designed to absorb impact energy by controlling rapid deceleration without returning the energy, are particularly useful in this regard. 
     In addition, the shaft  28  may be surrounded by an inertia sleeve  40  along its length. The inertia sleeve  40  may enclose substantially the entire length of the shaft  28  from proximate the first end  28   a  to proximate the cavity  32 . The shaft  28  and inertia sleeve  40  may also be contained within a cylinder body  42  disposed in the hole/opening  30  concentrically with the shaft  28 . Alternative, the inertia sleeve  40  (and optionally the cylinder body  42 ) may be truncated such that the same only cover the shaft  28  from proximate the cavity  32  to the posterior face  24   b  of the riser beam  24 . ( FIG. 3A ) The critical coverage area is within the hole/opening  30  within the riser beam  24 . 
     As with the first and second inertia pads  36 ,  38 , the inertia sleeve  40  is configured to absorb shock waves and vibrations resulting from release of the bow string  16 , namely, latitudinal shockwaves horizontal, vertical, and every angle in between. The inertia sleeve pad  40  best accomplishes this function by being in physical contact with both the shaft  28  and the cylinder body  42  through the riser beam  24 , i.e., completely filling any space therebetween. Preferably, the inertia sleeve  40  is made from a known shock absorbing material, including foams, polymers, or rubber. The same considerations discussed above in connection with the inertia pads  36 ,  38  apply. The cylinder body  42  is preferably made from a rigid, durable material to survive the forces of release of the bow string  16  and protect the surrounding riser beam  24  from impacts and torques from the shaft  28 . 
       FIGS. 4, 5, and 5A  illustrate an alternate embodiment of the inventive inertial dampened riser. In this embodiment, the configuration of the shaft  28 , plate  34 , first inertial pad  36 , second inertia pad  38 , and inertial sleeve  40  are basically the same as the first embodiment. The difference is embodied in that the cavity  32  is embedded within anterior face  24   a  of the riser beam  24  rather than being attached to the anterior face  24   a . In this embodiment, the anterior face  24   a  of the riser beam  24  presents a flat, essentially uninterrupted surface—contrasted with the first embodiment where the cavity  32  protrudes from the anterior surface  24   a  of the riser beam  24 . 
     The inertia sleeve  40  and cylinder body  42  are again depicted as extending to proximate the first end  28   a  of the shaft  28 , but may be truncated proximate to the posterior surface  24   b  of the riser beam  24 . The drawings of this second embodiment depict the hand grip  22  as a sphere or ball as opposed to the molded grip depicted in the first embodiment. The inventive inertial dampener may be used with either type of hand grip  22  without altering the invention. 
       FIGS. 6 and 6A  depict yet a third embodiment, wherein the cavity  32  is molded integrally with the anterior surface  24   a  of the riser beam  24 . Everything else about the embodiment is as described above for the other embodiments. In this third embodiment, the cavity  32  is preferably made from the same or similar material as the riser beam  24 , but the cylinder body  42  is still preferably made from the rigid, durable material described above. 
     Although preferred embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.