Patent Publication Number: US-9851170-B1

Title: Arrow retention device of crossbow

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Fields of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a crossbow, and more particularly, to an arrow pressing device of a crossbow and the pressing device firmly positions the arrow before shooting. 
     2. Descriptions of Related Art 
     The conventional crossbow comprises a b, a riser, a string, a barrel, a foregrip, a trigger unit, a stock and a retention member. An arrow is first put in the flight groove and the retention member presses on the arrow to ensure that the arrow does not shift such that the arrow can be sent to the target as expected. Nevertheless, when the user pulls the trigger to shoot the arrow, the retention member still applies a downward force to the arrow. The downward force pushes the rear end of the arrow and the arrow head slightly tilt upward. Besides, the downward force from the retention member reduces the speed when the arrow leaves the crossbow. The retention member will be worn out due to friction so that the retention member gradually fails to correctly press the arrow. 
     The present invention intends to provide an arrow retention device to eliminate the shortcomings mentioned above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an arrow retention device of a crossbow, and the arrow retention device comprises a fixing member having one end thereof fixed to a shooting device of the crossbow, and an installation slot is defined axially in the underside of the fixing member. An arm is pivotably inserted into the installation slot and has a first end and a second end. The first end is exposed beyond the installation slot, and the second end of the arm is inserted into the shooting device. A restriction rod extends from each of two sides of the arm. A pushing spring is connected to the top of the arm and biased between the second end of the arm and the shooting device. A retention member is connected to the end face of the first end of the arm and comprises a connection portion, a shank and a guide portion. The connection portion is connected to the end face of the first end of the arm and the first end of the shank. The second end of the shank is connected to the guide portion. The connection portion and the guide portion respectively extend toward, two opposite directions. A contact portion is formed at the connection portion of the shank and the guide portion. The contact portion presses the arrow put in the flight groove of the crossbow. 
     When the arrow is put in the shooting device, the rear end of the arrow pivots the arm so that the first end of the am drives the retention member toward the arrow. The contact portion presses the arrow. The second end of the arm compresses the pushing spring. When the shooting device is activated to shoot the arrow, the arrow leaves from the arm, and the pushing spring releases the recovery force to pivot the arm back, and the contact portion is separated from the arrow. Therefore, the arrow does not tilt when shooting. 
     The present invention become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows that the arrow retention device of the present invention is installed to a crossbow; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view to show that the arrow retention device al the present invention is installed to a crossbow; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view to show the arrow retention device of the present invention and a portion of the shooting device of the crossbow; 
         FIG. 4  is another perspective view to show the arrow retention device of the present invention and a portion of the shooting device of the crossbow; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial cross sectional view to show the arrow retention device of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged cross sectional view of the arrow retention device of the present invention and a portion of the shooting device of the crossbow; 
         FIG. 7  shows that an arrow is put to the crossbow, the arm is pivoted and the retention member presses the arrow; 
         FIG. 8  shows that the safety unit is released, and the arrow is ready to shoot; 
         FIG. 9  shows that the user begins to pull the trigger, and 
         FIG. 10  shows that the retention member is separated the arrow when the trigger is pulled. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 10 , the arrow retention device of the present invention comprises a fixing member  2  having one end thereof fixed to a shooting device  1 . An installation slot  21  is defined axially in the underside of the fixing member  2 . An arm  3  is pivotably inserted into the installation slot  21  and includes a first end  31  and a second end  32 , wherein the first end.  31  is exposed beyond the installation slot  21 , and the second end of the arm  3  is inserted into the shooting device  1 . A restriction rod  33  extends from each of two sides of the arm  3 . A pushing spring  4  is connected to the top of the arm  3 , and biased between the second end  32  of the arm  3  and the shooting device  1 . A retention member  5  is connected to the end face of the first end  31  of the arm  3  and comprises a connection portion  51 , a shank  52  and a guide portion  53 . The connection portion  51  connected to the end face of the first end  31  of the arm  3  and the first end of the shank  52 . The second end of the shank  52  is connected to the guide portion  53 . The connection portion  51  and the guide portion  53  respectively extend toward two opposite directions. A contact portion  54  is formed at the connection portion of the shank  52  and the guide portion  53 . The contact portion  54  presses an arrow  10  in the fight groove of the crossbow. 
     When the arrow  10  is put in the shooting device  1 , the rear end of the arrow  10  pivots the arm  3  so that the first end  31  of the arm  3  drives the retention member  5  toward the arrow  10 . The contact portion  54  presses the arrow  10 , and the second end  32  of the arm  3  compresses the pushing spring  4 . This ensures that the arrow  10  does not shift before pulling the trigger  11 . 
     When the shooting device  1  is activated to shoot the arrow  10  by pulling the trigger  11 , the arrow  10  leaves from the arm  3  and the pushing spring  4  releases a recovery force, so that the second end  32  of the arm  3  is pivoted back (downward), and the first end  31  of the arm  3  and the contact portion  54  are separated from the arrow  10 . By this specific arrangement of the present invention, the arrowhead of the arrow  10  does not tilt upward when the string sends the arrow  10  toward the target as shown in  FIGS. 6 to 10 . 
     The fixing member  2  includes two notches  22  which are located corresponding to the restriction rods  33 . Each notch  22  includes a first inclined face  221  and a second inclined face  222 , and an angled area  223  is formed between the first and second inclined faces  221 ,  222 . The angle of the angled area.  223  is larger than 90 degrees or equal to 90 degrees. The restriction rods  33  are engaged with the angled area  223  when the arm  3  is not pivoted, and the restriction rods  33  are move away from the angled area  223  when the arm  3  is pivoted. When the angle is larger than 90 degrees, the time that the restriction rods  33  contact the angled area  223  is faster than that when the angle is equal to 90 degrees. The users can use the feature to adjust the crossbow according to individual needs. As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the setting to the angle relates the time required to install an arrow  10  to the crossbow. Besides, in order to prevent the pushing spring  4  from disengaged from its position by the pressure from the second end  32  of the arm  3 , the arm  3  includes a recess  34  which is located corresponding to the pushing spring  4 , and one end of the pushing spring  4  is securely engaged with the recess  34 . Therefore, the pushing spring  4  does not disengaged from the recess  34  when the second end  32  compresses the pushing spring  4 . The pushing spring  4  can provide a stable recovery force to the arm  3 . The recovery force from the pushing spring  4  relates the time that the arm  3  pivots back, so that the users may use the angle setting of the angled area  223  and the pushing spring  4  to install the arrow  10  to the crossbow quickly. The force of the pushing spring  4  affects the speed that the arm  3  pivots back as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , a bolt  6  extends through the connection portion  51  of the retention member  5  and is connected to the first end  31  of the arm  3 . The retention member Scan also be connected to the arm  3  by other known methods such as adhering, magnetic attracting, or snapping. 
     The shooting device  1  comprises a trigger  11 , a link  12 , a driving member  13  and a striking member  14 . The trigger  11  is exposed beyond the body of the crossbow, and the link  12  and the driving member  13  are installed in the body of the crossbow. The link  12  is connected between the trigger  11  and the driving member  13 . The striking member  14  is located in the shooting device  1  and hooked to the driving member  13 . The striking member  14  is located beside the arm  3  and has a hook  141  which is used to hook the string  20  of the crossbow. As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , when the trigger  11  is pulled, the link  12  is driven to pivot the driving member  13 . The driving member  13  is pivoted to separate striking member  14  from the driving member  13 . A resilient member  7  is located on the top of the striking member  14 . The resilient member  7  is biased between the striking member  14  and the shooting device  1 . The resilient member  7  pivots the striking member  14  to release the string  20  to shoot the arrow  10 . The string  20  and the arrow  10  are located on a common horizontal plane. 
     The shooting device  1  includes a safety unit  15  which is located beside the driving member  13  and the striking member  14 . The safety unit  15  includes a safety pin  151 , a positioning spring  152 , a ball  153  and a restriction pin  154 . A control rod  155  extends from each of two sides of the safety pin  151  and is exposed beyond the shooting device  1 . The shooting device  1  has a path  16  in which the safety pins  151  are slidably received. An oval opening  161  is defined in each of two sides of the path  16 . The control rods  155  slidably extend through the oval openings  161 . The safety pins  151  each have two first slots  156  defined in the top thereof. The positioning spring  152  and the ball  153  are secured to the shooting device  1 . The ball  153  is engaged with one of the two first slots  156 , the positioning spring  152  is biased between the shooting device  1  and the ball  153 . The restriction pin  154  has a second slot  157  and a passage  158 . The passage  158  communicates with the second slot  157  and the path  16 . A spring  8  is received in the second slot  157 . The restriction pin  154  has a first end thereof biasing the driving emmer  13 , and a second end of the restriction pin  154  extends through the second slot  157 , the spring  8  and the passage  158 . The safety pin  151  slides in the path  16  and presses the restriction pin  154  to restrict and secure the driving member  13  under the safety mode as shown in  FIG. 6 . The safety pin  151  slides in the path  16  and away from the restriction pin  154 , and the driving member  13  is pivoted to push the restriction pin  154  which extends through the passage  158  and reaches into the path  16  under a shooting mode as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     The cooperation of the arm  3  and the retention member  5  ensures that the arrow  10  does not shift. The speed of the arrow  10  that leaves from the crossbow is not reduced. The arm  3  brings the retention member  5  does not generate noise. The users can quickly shoot arrows  10  consecutively because the arm  3  is quickly pivoted after the previous arrow  10  leaves from the crossbow. 
     While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.