Patent Abstract:
A quick connect/disconnect system for connecting and disconnecting an object, such as an archery release aid, to a wrist strap on a human wrist has a first member adapted to be attached to the wrist strap and a second member adapted to be attached to the object. The first and second members fit together coaxially and can be released by movement of a single lever.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This application relates to a device for removably connecting an object to a wrist strap. In a preferred embodiment the invention relates to an archery bowstring release aid that is attached to an archer&#39;s wrist by a quick release mechanism. 
     Archery release aids have been developed to assist archers in shooting modern archery bows. A release aid assists an archer when drawing the bowstring back and then further assists the archer when releasing the bowstring. Thus, release aids commonly provide some type of triggering device for smoothly releasing the bowstring. Examples of prior art archery release aids are shown in: U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,213, Aug. 5, 1997, to Linsmeyer for “Bow String Release with Trigger Having Multiple Bow String Securing Positions”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,214, Aug. 5, 1997, to Lunn for “Pivotal Bowstring Release Mechanism”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,997, May 23, 1989, to Greene for “Wrist Strap.” 
     Release aids are generally attached to wrist straps to ensure that the archer does not accidentally drop the release aid which could result in harm to the archer or damage to the bow and further to ensure that the release aid is readily available in the event a shot presents itself Some release aids are attached to the archer&#39;s wrist via a wrist strap, e.g., a Velcro® or buckle wrist strap such as is shown in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,997. Release aids are usually joined to wrist straps with a rope or straight-shaft mechanism. In some cases the mechanism can be adjusted to fit an archer&#39;s draw length, i.e., distance between the archer&#39;s wrist and fingers. However, prior art designs do not offer a means for readily detaching and reattaching the release aid to the wrist strap without removing the entire assembly from the wrist. 
     While release aids have been beneficial to the archer, there remains a need for improvement. Release aids, which are fixedly attached to a wrist strap when not in use, are problematic. For example, when the archer is not engaged in shooting, the release aid dangles from the wrist and interferes with non-shooting tasks. Dangling release aids tend to snag on clothes, backpacks, and other equipment and the free movement of the release aid tends to interfere with tasks requiring free hands. Although some release aid designs allow the release aid to fold out of the way, tuck away into a shirtsleeve, or pivot back and forth, such designs are somewhat cumbersome. 
     Fixedly attached release aids can also be an unwanted source of noise and missed shot opportunities. While wearing a release aid, it is difficult to install screw-in or rope tree-steps, climbing sticks, climbing and fixed position deer stands, etc., without clanking the free-swinging release aid against something. 
     Because of the problems described above, archers often remove their wrist straps and release aids from their wrists while en route to their hunting site. However, the time required to reattach the assembly to the wrist can result in missing a shot opportunity. To reduce the time required to reattach/detach a release aid to/from the wrist, Velcro® has been incorporated into wrist straps. Unfortunately, the loud, unnatural sound that comes from removing or attaching the release aid to the wrist with Velcro® can spook game, resulting in missed shot opportunities. A quiet alternative to Velcro® designs are buckle-type wrist straps, which are quiet when putting on, but take considerable time to attach and detach and, or course, have the disadvantage of the dangling release aid banging on equipment if not detached. 
     It would be desirable to have a system having a wrist strap with a quick release mechanism that would allow an archer to quickly, quietly, and easily attach and detach an archery release aid to/from a wrist. Accordingly, the present invention provides a release aid which can be readily attached and detached from an archer&#39;s wrist without removing the wrist strap, hence, there is no need to suffer a dangling release aid which hinders the archer or produces game spooking noise. Furthermore, the present invention provides a release aid, which can be quietly detached or reattached at any time with minimal effort whenever desired by the archer. Thus, the present invention avoids game spooking noise associated with Velcro wrist straps or time fumbling with buckles. The archer can perform a plethora of tasks without interference of the release aid by simply removing the release aid from the wrist strap. Then, for example, the archer may add or remove clothing, use any accessory while hunting such as binoculars, range finder, or rattling antlers used to lure deer to the hunter by simulating a fight, or simply put hands inside of pockets or muffler for warmth. Of course, the wrist strap may be attached before leaving the vehicle to reduce noise en route and at the hunting site where the release aid may be simply reattached to the wrist strap. 
     In addition to the above advantages, the release aid of the present invention is convenient and easy to use and is inexpensive to manufacture. Further understanding of the present invention will be had from the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention a system for removably connecting an object to a wrist strap has:
         a) a wrist strap;   b) a first member attached to said wrist strap;   c) a second member adapted to be attached to said object; and said first member and said second member being removably connected to each other by a quick connect/disconnect mechanism.       

     In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a system for removably connecting an archery release aid to a wrist, said system having:
         (a) a wrist strap;   (b) a first member attached to said wrist strap;   (c) a second member attached to said archery release aid; said first member and said second member being removably connected to each other by a quick connect/disconnect mechanism.       

     Preferably, the release aid is freely rotatably connected to the second member and the second member comprises a length adjustment element by which the length of the release aid along its longitudinal axis may be adjusted. Also preferably, a safety feature is built into the quick disconnect to prevent an unintentional disconnect of the release aid from the strap fitting. These features enable the archer to fine tune the fit of the release, have a torque free shot for better accuracy, and wear the wrist strap minus the release aid to perform any number of duties without sacrificing a potential shot. If a shot opportunity presents itself the archer can quickly, quietly, and easily reattach the release aid in a matter of seconds. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in operative association with a wrist strap; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view, in perspective, of the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a pull-apart Keytag commonly used as a key ring and incorporated into the design of the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 1  as the quick connect/disconnect feature; 
         FIG. 4  is an elevational view of a pull-apart Keytag cut longitudinally along its axis; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  from the wrist strap perspective; 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  from the release aid perspective showing apertures and surfaces not visible in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view, broken away and taken along the longitudinal axis of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention with a portion broken away; and 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in detached configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While the present invention relates broadly to devices for connecting an object to a wrist strap, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to an archery release aid and the invention is specifically described herein as an archery release aid. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, however, that the invention is broadly useful to removably attach other devices to a wrist. 
     Now referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , a preferred embodiment of a system of the present invention is shown and indicated generally by the numeral  130 . A first member comprises parts shown as optional attachment  1  for female socket  12 , female socket  12 , and a wrist strap GWS, which is well known in the art. 
     Also shown is a second member, which comprises body tube  16 , pushpin  18 , locknut  28 , adjustable screw  26 , release aid adapter  22 , male connector  10 , body tube  16 , setscrews  14   a  and  14   b , pushpin  18 , adjustable screw  26 , lock nut  28 , cap screw  24 , and a release aid GRA which is well known in the art. Quick Connect/Disconnect System  130  can be used to secure two members together in a wide variety of applications where quick connect/disconnect of the two members is desirable. However, it has been found that Quick Connect/Disconnect System  130  is particularly suitable for securing a wrist strap GWS to an archery release aid. For the purposes of exemplification herein, Quick Connect/Disconnect System  130  includes wrist strap GWS and release aid GRA. Release aids such as GRA are known in the art and used to draw back and trigger the release of a bowstring in order to launch an arrow as smoothly as possible. The Quick Connect/Disconnect System  130  allows the release aid GRA to be detached from wrist strap GWS without removing the wrist strap GWS from the wrist. Primarily this will reduce noise while hunting as discussed in the Objects and Advantages section of this document and will free up the archer&#39;s hands for other tasks when the archer is not actually engaged in shooting. 
     Male connector  10  and female socket  12  are pull-apart keytag parts, which are readily commercially available. Such keytags parts are preferred in the present invention but it is to be understood that other quick connect/disconnect mechanisms can be used herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a pull-apart keytag. Female socket  12  can be attached to wrist strap GWS through aperture  20  of female socket  12  in a plurality of ways. As shown, male connector  10  consists of a plunger  33  that has an existing aperture  51  tapped to mate the thread pitch of pushpin  18 . The main body of male connector  10  consists of two shoulders  41   a  and  41   b  and a neck  52 . When press-fitted, surfaces  41   c  and  41   d  of shoulders  41   a  and  41   b  come in contact with the internal surface  19   a  of cavity  19  of body tube  16 . Male connector  10  is further secured by setscrews  14   a  and  14   b  and tightened against surface  52   a  of neck  52 . Ball bearings  32   a  and  32   b  fit into annular groove  35  of female socket  12  when male connector  10  is inserted through aperture  30  into cavity  12   a  of female socket  12 . 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the internal components of the pull-apart keytag male connector  10  and female socket  12 . Female socket  12  has an annular groove  35  machined into surface  12   b  of cavity  12   a  to accept two ball bearings  32   a  and  32   b  on male connector  10 . Male connector  10  is comprised of a plunger  33  with a shaft  36  that has a bulb  34  on the end that restricts movement of two ball bearings  32   a  and  32   b  when said plunger  33  is not depressed. A spring  37  slides over said shaft  36  and sits above said bulb  34  and ball bearings  32   a  and  32   b . Plunger  33  has a collar  39  that is larger in diameter than aperture  31  to keep the plunger from pulling out of male connector  10 . All parts fit into channel  38  of male connector  10  through aperture  31 . 
     Male connector  10  is inserted into cavity  12   a  through aperture  30  of female socket  12 , mating surfaces  11  of male connector  10  and surface  13  of female socket  12  in order to secure the release aid GRA to wrist strap GWS. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  7 , system  130  can be assembled as follows: 
     Step 1. Female socket  12  is attached to wrist strap GWS. To do so, female socket  12  is attached to wrist strap GWS through existing hole  20  in female socket  12  by any number of means such as a bolt and locking nut optional attachment  1 . 
     Step 2. Male connector  10  is attached to body tube  16 . In order to do so, male connector  10  is press fit into cavity  19  through aperture  40  of body tube  16 . Screw setscrews  14   a  and  14   b  are threaded into threaded passages  42   a  and  42   b , respectively, of body tube  16  until both setscrews are seated tightly against surface  52   a  of neck  52  of male connector  10 . This offers additional assurance that male connector  10  will remain in cavity  19  of body tube  16 . 
     Step 3. Pushpin  18  is assembled to press fitted male connector  10  by inserting pushpin  18  through passage  50  of body tube  16  and pushpin  18  is screwed into threaded passage  51  of plunger  33  of male connector  10 . 
     Step 4. Surface head  26   a  of adjustment screw  26  is assembled to the surface head  22   a  of release aid adapter  22  by using cap screw  24  to secure assembly. To do so, cap screw  24  is inserted first through counter-bored passage  90  of release aid adapter  22 , through passage  80  and into threaded cavity  81  of adjustment screw  26  until the head of cap screw  24  is snug against surface  22   b  of release aid adapter  22  and the heads of the two surfaces  22   a  and  26   a  ( FIGS. 4   a ,  4   b ), respectively, are adjacent to one another. Cap screw  24  should be snug but not so tight that release aid adapter  22  does not rotate 360° around said cap screw  24 . 
     Step 5. Lock nut  28  is assembled to adjustment screw  26  by threading adjustment screw  26  through threaded passage  70  of locknut  28 . The position of locknut  28  along adjustment screw  26  is left to the archer to decide upon. The locknut&#39;s  28  placement determines the ultimate length that will result between the final wrist strap GWS assembly and release aid GRA. 
     Step 6. The above subassembly resulting from steps 4-5 is threaded into the body tube  16  subassembly from steps 2-3. To do this, adjustment screw  26  is threaded into mating cavity  17  through passage  60  of body tube  16  until surface  16   a  of body tube  16  is adjacent to surface  29  of locknut  28 . To secure these parts, a wrench is used on flat head surfaces  28   a  and  28   b  of locknut  28  and hex head of adjustment screw  26 . Opposing pressure is applied to adjustment screw  26  in a counterclockwise direction while pressure is applied to locknut  28  in a clockwise direction in order to tighten surface  29  of locknut  28  against surface  16   a  of body tube  16 . It should be noted that before tightening locknut  28 , the archer can fine-tune the length of this assembly by merely adjusting passage  60  of body tube  16  and passage  70  of locknut  28  all along the threads of adjustment screw  26 . Once the desired length is achieved locknut  28  can be tightened down in the above manner. 
     Step 7. Release aid adapter  22  is threaded into existing aperture  100  in release aid GRA by applying one wrench to surfaces  22   c  and  22   d  of release aid adapter  22  and another wrench to the hex head of adjustment screw  26 . Opposing pressure is applied in a clockwise direction to release aid adapter  22  and counterclockwise to adjustment screw  26  until the release aid GRA is firmly attached to the preferred embodiment  130 . Release aid adapter  22  and adjustable screw  26  are joined together by cap screw  24 . In a preferred embodiment, release aid adapter  22  includes a standard Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization (AMO) thread pitch for archery release accessories; however, other mating thread pitches are suitable. 
       FIG. 8  shows an alternative embodiment  110  of the present invention. System  110  uses the same Quick Connect/Disconnect System as preferred embodiment  130 . The length and torque free 360° swivel are realized through the use of a rope, which secures release aid GRA to body tube  16 . The rope goes through hole  114   a  of modified release aid adapter  114  and both ends of the rope are threaded through hole  112   a  of body tube cap  112 . Both ends of the rope are knotted together when the desired length between the release aid GRA and wrist strap GWS is determined. The knot then goes through passage  60  and into cavity  17  (which is not threaded in this embodiment) of body tube  16 . Body tube cap  112  mates to threads  16   b  on the outside of body tube  16 . In this alternative embodiment A  110 , the modified release aid adapter  114  includes a standard Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization (AMO) thread pitch for archery release accessories; however, other mating thread pitches are suitable. 
       FIG. 9  is yet another alternative embodiment  120  of the present invention. Alternative embodiment  120  uses the same quick connect/disconnect system as preferred embodiment  130 . The length adjustment and torque free 360° swivel are realized through the use of a rope that secures the release aid GRA to body tube  16 . A rope goes through hole  114   a  in modified release aid adapter  114 . The two ends of the rope are inserted into passage  60  and one end goes out passage  60   a  and the other out passage  60   b . Knots are tied in the two ends of the rope at the desired length that are large enough not to pull back through passages  60   a  and  60   b . In alternative embodiment  120 , the modified release aid adapter  114  includes a standard Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization (AMO) thread pitch for archery release accessories; however, other mating thread pitches are suitable. 
     In operation, all wrist strap type release aids currently on the market require the archer to physically remove the wrist strap in order to remove the release aid for any reason. The manner of using the Quick Connect/Disconnect System  130  is unique to all other wrist strap type archery release aids in that the release aid can quickly, quietly, and easily be detached from the wrist strap to free up the hands of the archer and reattached to the wrist-strap in seconds when needed. To disconnect the release aid GRA from the wrist strap GWS, the archer simply grasps body tube  16  with his/her free hand, slides pushpin  18  towards the wrist while simultaneously pulling body tube  16  and release aid GRA from the wrist. In so doing, plunger  33  depresses spring  37 , and moves bulb of shaft  34  down past ball bearings  32   a  and  32   b  allowing them to fall into channel  38  and disengage from annular groove  35  in female socket  12 . This leaves only the wrist strap GWS and female socket  12  attached to the archer&#39;s wrist. To reconnect the release aid GRA to the wrist strap GWS the archer simply slides pushpin  18  away from release aid GRA and simultaneously inserts male connector  10  into cavity  12   a  through aperture  30  of female socket  12 , releases pushpin  18 , allowing bulb of shaft  34  to slide upwards pushing ball bearings  32   a  and  32   b  into annular groove  35  in female socket  12  thus reattaching release aid GRA to the wrist strap GWS. 
     Because the fit of a release aid is so crucial to proper form and smooth release when shooting a bow and arrow, a fine length adjustment feature is machined into preferred embodiment  130 . To adjust the preferred embodiment  130 , locknut  28  is loosened with a wrench applied to the two flat sides  28   a  and  28   b  of lock nut  28  and another on the hex head of adjustable screw  26 . Adjustable screw  26  is then simply screwed in or out until the perfect fit for the archer is achieved, and locknut  28  is tightened back down to secure the fit. Alternative embodiment  110  is connected/disconnected in the same manner as preferred embodiment  130 . However, to adjust the length, body tube cap  112  is removed by simply unscrewing body tube cap with the archer&#39;s fingers, the rope either shortened or lengthened, the knot retied and body tube cap  112  replaced and retightened. Alternative embodiment  120  is connected/disconnected in the same manner as preferred embodiment  130 . Again a rope is used as the length adjustment feature. Both ends of the rope coming from the release aid GRA are threaded through aperture  60  of body tube  16  and one end of the rope threaded through hole  60   a  and the other end threaded through hole  60   b . A knot larger than hole  60   a  and  60   b  is then tied in the end of each rope to set the length. 
     A torque free 360° swivel feature for the release aid is achieved by inserting cap screw  24  into the counter-bored interior of release aid adapter  22  and threading it into adjustable screw  26 . The inside of release aid adapter  22  is smooth to allow the release aid adapter to rotate freely around the head of cap screw  24  once it is screwed into cavity  81  through aperture  60  of adjustable screw  26 . In alternative embodiments  110 , and  120 , the rope provides a torque free shot because it allows the release aid GRA to rotate to the correct position when the bowstring is pulled back. 
     From the description above, a number of advantages of the release aid of the present invention over the prior art become evident:
         a) The release aid can be detached quickly, quietly, and easily without removing the wrist strap and any number of duties requiring the archer to have free hands can be performed.   b) The release aid can be quickly and easily reattached—within seconds—to the archer&#39;s wrist with no noise and minimal movement.   c) The release can be precisely fit to the archer using the fine adjustment screw, or in an alternative embodiment by adjusting the length of rope securing the release aid to the body tube.   d) The release aid is completely torque free due to the 360° rotation of the release aid adapter.       

     Although the description above and detailed drawings of the preferred and alternative embodiments contain much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the Quick Connect/Disconnect System  130  could be modified in many ways to obtain the desired effect of removing the release aid from the wrist strap without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Synthetic materials or different alloys could be used in manufacturing, the parts could be reduced or enlarged so as to adapt to larger or smaller archers, etc. Thus the scope of the invention should be limited only by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5