Patent Publication Number: US-9417040-B2

Title: Arrowhead attachment

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 61/988,328, filed 5 May 2014, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to bow hunting accessories and, more particularly, to an attachment for arrowheads to aid in the recovery of game animals and the arrow used. 
     Few large animals can be dropped immediately by an arrow, and a relatively low percentage of game animals hit by a conventional broad head arrows are recovered by the hunter. 
     Current devices for increasing the effectiveness of an arrowhead have multiple elements, which increase their cost, especially considering that they can only be used once. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for an inexpensive device of unitary construction for cost effectively increasing the effective cutting diameter of an arrow used to bring down game animals. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, an arrowhead attachment formed from an unitary, planar sheet of attachment material includes an annular body forming a shaft opening; a plurality of radial arms extending radially from a periphery of the annular body; and at least one piercing tip disposed along each radial arm, whereby each piercing tip, each radial arm and the annular body are planar in a shipping configuration. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, the attachment material is adapted to maintain a twisted form when the shipping configuration is positioned to an operable form. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in use; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in an operable configuration; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in use; 
         FIG. 4  is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in a shipping configuration; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in the operable configuration; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in the shipping configuration; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in the operable configuration; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in the operable configuration; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in the operable configuration; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in the operable configuration; and 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in the operable configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present invention. 
     Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an arrowhead attachment. The arrowhead attachment may be formed from a unitary sheet of attachment material so as to be bent and/or twisted from a shipping configuration to an operable configuration. The arrowhead attachment may include an annular body and a plurality of radial arms extending from a periphery of the annular body. In the shipping configuration, at least one piercing tip is disposed alone each radial arm so as to be co-planar with the plurality of radial arms and the annular body. A user may use a common tool to twist the arrowhead attachment from the shipping configuration to the operable configuration. Then the user may place the arrow shaft through a shaft opening formed by the annular body so as to couple the arrowhead attachment behind an arrowhead. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 through 12 , the present invention may include an arrowhead attachment  100 . The arrowhead attachment  100  may be made from a planar sheet of attachment material so as to be formed into a shipping configuration, illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 7 . The attachment material can be bent and/or remain twisted without fracturing and still have sufficient strength to prevent shattering on impact on the intended use disclosed herein. The attachment material may be tempered steel and the like. The arrowhead attachment  100  may be dimensioned and adapted to be bent and/or twisted from the shipping configuration to the operable configuration; the operable configuration is illustrated in  FIGS. 2, 6, 8 through 11 . 
     The arrowhead attachment  100  may form an annular body  10  and a plurality of radial arms  12  extending from a periphery of the annular body  10 . The annular body  12  may form a shaft opening  16 . The shaft opening  16  may be dimensioned and adapted to receive a post  20  of an arrowhead  18  and/or a shaft  22  of an arrow so that the arrowhead attachment  100  may be coupled or otherwise attached thereto. At least one piercing tip  14 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  or  34  may be disposed along each radial arm  12 . In the shipping configuration, the at least one piercing tip  14 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  or  34  may disposed alone each radial arm so as to be co-planar with the plurality of radial arms  12  and the annular body  10 . In other words, the shipping configuration is planar throughout its form, and so enabling flat packing, ease of manufacture through punch-out, or the like, manufacturing. 
     Each piercing tip  14 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  or  34  may be the most significant penetrating element, so that its shape is of some significance. The shape of each piercing tip  14 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  or  34  may be generally triangular and oriented as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 through 12 . Each piercing tip  14 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  or  34  may be shaped, dimensioned and adapted to provide maximum penetration and effective ripping and tearing with adequate strength but minimum weight. In certain embodiments, the piercing tip  34  may be half-crescent shaped, as illustrated in  FIG. 12 . In certain embodiments, the piercing tip  28  may be beak-shaped, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
     The operable configuration is illustrated in  FIGS. 2, 6, 8 through 11  and may be accomplished by the following. Each radial arm  12  may be twisted approximately 90 degrees so that each piercing tip  14 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 , or  34  disposed thereon may face generally perpendicular to the plane to the annular body  10 , and so each piercing tip  14 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 , or  34  may generally face the direction of the arrowhead  18 . The operable configuration is adapted to expand the cutting diameter and so the effectiveness of the arrowhead  18 . The expanded cutting diameter may increase the probability of immediate kill of a game animal and generation of a sufficient blood trail from external bleeding to allow tracking and recovering of the game animal. Likewise, the operable configuration may be adapted to maximize traumatic damage to the game animal by ripping and tearing vital organs as well as minimize the likelihood that the wound closes quickly. 
     From the description above, a number of advantages of some of the embodiments become evident. For example, the planar arrowhead attachment  100  can be manufacture in a cost effective manner, whereby a single sheet of attachment metal may be used to punch out or cut out a plurality of arrowhead attachments  100 . The immediate result of such a process is the shipping configuration, thereby lending itself to flat packing so as to make shipping to a user very inexpensive. 
     The method of using the present invention may include the following. The arrowhead attachment  100  disclosed above may be provided. A user may use a common tool, such as pliers, to twist the arrowhead attachment  100  from the shipping configuration to the operable configuration. Then the user may place the arrow shaft  22  through the shaft opening  16  of the annular body  10  so as to couple the arrowhead attachment  100  behind the arrowhead  18 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . In certain embodiments, the post  20  of the arrowhead  18  may be received through the shaft opening  16  prior to securely engaging a shaft slot  24 , and so coupling the arrowhead attachment  100  behind the arrowhead  18 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . As a result increasing the effective cutting diameter of the arrowhead  18 , whereby the probability of an immediate kill of a game animal as well as its external bleeding correspondingly increases, and so that tracking and recovering of the game animal in turn increases. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.