Patent Publication Number: US-7216643-B2

Title: Laser-equipped pneumatic training aid for safe drawing of the bowstring

Description:
This Application is a Division of application Ser. No. 10/360,170, filed Feb. 7, 2003 
    
    
     1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is in the field of archery training aids. 
     2. DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
     The main objective of the present invention is to enable the archer to safely draw back the bowstring of a bow that said invention is attached to, without removing the arrow rest, and allow the archer to release the bowstring without damaging said bow, for the purpose of exercise or practice, aiming, releasing and simulating arrow impact, without actually firing an arrow. All manufacturers of bows highly recommend not releasing a bowstring without an arrow, as it can severely damage the bow. This present invention allows the archer to draw and fire the bow for practice and exercise without damaging the bow this removable device is attached to. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A device and training aid for safe drawing, aiming and releasing of the bowstring is a pneumatic tube attached to a holding bracket, which is attached to a mounting block, which in turn is attached to the front of the bow in the standard stabilizer hole. It is not necessary to remove the arrow rest (a unique feature) for the purpose of mounting this device as is the case with previous inventions of this type. (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,341. This device clamps onto the handle riser and replaces the arrow rest. The archer would have to re-tune the bow every time the device was removed to be able to accurately shoot a real arrow from said bow, which is not practical or convenient.) This device consists of a tube with an arrow that has a piston attached at one end that is inside the tube. The other end of the arrow attaches to the bowstring. As the arrow is released, air pressure or an air blast is created, which is forced through a tiny hole in a plug, near the end of the tube. This blast of air then is directed against a sliding sleeve that encases a laser device held in a tube section forward of the plug. This sleeve can be withdrawn over the on/off button on the laser with a lever to project an intense, but safe laser dot of light on an intended target from the end of the tube. This device can be quickly and safely attached to any modern bow so the archer can draw and fire the bow without a conventional arrow on the string, which would ordinarily damage a bow and/or injure the archer. Another unique feature of this device is that the archer can turn on the laser light and practice shooting the bow anywhere without shooting an arrow. As the string is loosed, the air blast turns off the laser light. The archer can see where he or she would have hit with an arrow by noting where the light went off on the intended target. After practicing a smooth steady release technique, the archer can remove two attaching bolts and detach the device easily and return to shooting actual arrows at a target backstop. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PICTURES AND DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  Shows a cross section of the pneumatic tube and laser. 
         FIG. 2  Shows the bracket that attaches the pneumatic tube to the bow. 
         FIG. 3  Shows archer with pneumatic tube attached to bow. 
         FIG. 4  Shows dose up of the bracket that attaches the pneumatic tube to the bow handle. 
         FIG. 5  Shows cross section and side view of how laser is to be mounted externally 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
           1 . Pneumatic Tube 
           2 . Bow Riser 
           3 . Arrow 
           4 . Air Piston 
           5 . Bow String 
           6 . Arrow Nocking Point 
           7 . Arrow Rest 
           8 . Laser Pointer 
           9 . Hold Down Collar Device 
           10 . Button/Switch 
           11 . Fixture to Hold Laser 
           12 . Pin 
           13 . Slot 
           14 . Air Hole 
           15 . Coupling Plug 
           16 . Nocking Groove 
           17 . Set Screw 
           18 . Protective Sleeve 
           19 . Stabilizer Hole 
           20 . Block 
           21 . Screw 
           22 . Step Down Hole 
           23 . Stabilizer Adapter 
           24 . Set Screw 
           25 . Slots 
           26 . Brace 
           27 . Adjustment Holes 
           28 . Nut 
           29 . Bolt 
           30 . Tube Clamp 
           31 . Set Screws 
           32 . External Laser Bracket 
       
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A pneumatic tube ( 1 ) that is secured on a bow riser ( 2 ) with an arrow ( 3 ) and air piston ( 4 ) inside, with one end secured to the bowstring ( 5 ) at the arrow nocking point ( 6 ). The arrow ( 3 ) has an air piston ( 4 ) secured on one end that is inside the tube ( 1 ). As the archer draws the string ( 5 ) back, the air piston ( 4 ) is retracted rearward inside the tube ( 1 ). When the archer looses the string ( 5 ) and the string ( 5 ) drives the arrow ( 3 ) and piston ( 4 ) forward inside the secured pneumatic tube ( 1 ), the air piston ( 4 ) creates pneumatic air resistance like a hand operated bicycle pump. *Note: this “resistance” is sufficient to prevent damage to the bow and/or its components from loosing the string, without an actual arrow on the string. Normal loosing the string without an arrow on it is called “dry-firing” and would damage the bow and/or its components. The features of this training and archery practicing device are: the pneumatic tube is attached via a bracket ( FIG. 2 ) on a bow to the stabilizer hole so the arrow ( 3 ) rides along slightly above the archer&#39;s affixed arrow rest ( 7 ). This allows the archer to remove and replace this device at will, without removing or modifying his existing arrow rest ( 7 ), or re-tuning his bow and arrow set-up. 
     A unique feature of this device is that a laser or laser pointer ( 8 ) is mounted inside the end of the pneumatic tube ( 1 ), opposite from the string ( 5 ). This laser ( 8 ) could also be mounted on the outside of the pneumatic tube ( 1 ) or on the bow handle-riser itself ( 2 ). The laser ( 8 ) is turned on with a hold down device ( 9 ) that depresses the button/switch ( 10 ) on the laser ( 8 ) before the archer draws the bowstring ( 5 ) back. In the case of the laser being externally mounted in the external bracket ( 32 ), the user would turn the laser one quarter of a turn so the button/switch ( 10 ) would contact the bracket ( 32 ) wall causing the button/switch ( 10 ) to become depressed and put in the ON position. As the string ( 5 ) is being drawn back, the laser ( 8 ) projects a small spot of light forward on a target, which shows the archer how steady he or she is aiming. As the string ( 5 ) is loosed, the hold down device ( 9 ) is forced off the button/switch ( 10 ) on the laser ( 8 ), which turns off the laser light. The archer can see when and where on the target the projected laser light or dot goes off. Therefore, the archer could predict where an actual arrow would have hit if he or she were to have one on the string ( 5 ). This type of practice is helpful to the archer when shooting actual archery arrows at a target is not desired or even possible. 
     The method of releasing the hold down laser button/switch ( 10 ) can be different, depending on whether the laser ( 8 ) is mounted on the inside or the outside of the pneumatic tube ( 1 ). If the laser ( 8 ) is mounted on the outside of the pneumatic tube ( 1 ) and the user wants to turn the laser ( 8 ) off, they turn the laser ( 8 ), in it&#39;s bracket ( 32 ) one quarter turn back to where the button/switch ( 10 ) is in the up position, where the button/switch ( 10 ) is no longer contacting the bracket ( 32 ). If the laser is on the inside in the front end, away from the archer, then the fixture ( 11 ) that holds the laser is mounted and secured inside the tube ( 1 ). The hold down collar device ( 9 ) has a pin ( 12 ) in the collar&#39;s side perpendicular to the tube ( 1 ) and the pin ( 12 ) is protruding through the tube ( 1 ) through a slot ( 13 ). The collar ( 9 ) is slid back toward the archer and over the laser button/switch ( 10 ), which depresses the button/switch ( 10 ). As the bowstring ( 5 ) is drawn and loosed, the air blast coming from inside the tube ( 1 ) is forced through a small hole ( 14 ) in the coupling lug ( 15 ) at the end of the tube ( 1 ), which created the pneumatic resistance and is sufficient to blow the collar ( 9 ) forward and allow the laser button/switch ( 10 ) to be released and the laser light goes off. 
     The arrow ( 3 ) is attached to the bowstring ( 5 ) by putting the bowstring ( 5 ) in the nocking groove ( 16 ) of the arrow ( 3 ), then inserting the set screw ( 17 ) to hold it in place. The set screw ( 17 ) has a protective sleeve ( 18 ) to keep the threads of the set screw ( 17 ) from cutting the bowstring ( 5 ). 
     The bracket for attaching the pneumatic tube ( 1 ) to the bow is attached via the stabilizer hole ( 19 ) on the bow handle/riser ( 2 ). The block ( 20 ) is attached to the bow with a screw ( 21 ), which goes through the step-down hole ( 22 ) through the center of the block ( 20 ). There is an adapter ( 23 ) in the end of the block ( 20 ) that presses in and is held in place with a set screw ( 24 ), so the archer can still use a stabilizer. There are two slots ( 25 ) in the sides of the block ( 20 ) to allow the brace ( 26 ) to be used on a right or left-handed bow. There are adjustment holes ( 27 ) in the brace ( 26 ) to allow for different size bows. The brace ( 26 ) is held in place in the appropriate slot ( 25 ) with a nut ( 28 ) and bolt ( 29 ). At the top of the brace ( 26 ), the tube clamp ( 30 ) is attached, which holds the pneumatic tube ( 1 ) in place. The tube clamp ( 30 ) has set screws ( 31 ) to tighten the tube clamp ( 30 ) around the pneumatic tube ( 1 ).