Abstract:
A bow stand includes an upper section and a lower section connected by an articulating joint that allows the upper and lower sections to be folded flat against each other for compact storage. A point at the lower end of the lower section is pushed into the ground and an archer&#39;s bow is set into a U-shaped bracket mounted at the top of the top section for temporarily storing the bow without having it touch the ground.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not Applicable. 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not applicable. 
   SEQUENCE LISTING 
   Not applicable 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is related to an apparatus for conveniently holding an archery bow off the ground in the field. More particularly, the present invention is a stake having a bracket at the top for holding the bow, a sharpened end for inserting the stake into the ground and a means for folding the stake for convenience and safety. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART INCLUDING INFORMATION DISCLOSED UNDER 37 C.F.R. 1.97 and 1.98. 
   Archery bow hunting has become increasingly popular. When archers rest or wait for game, they often want to put the bow down. With many archery bows being very expensive, however, most archers want to put the bow down in such a fashion that it will not be damaged. Lying the bow on the ground leaves it susceptible to being stepped on or becoming contaminated by dirt, branches or the like, all of which may affect the accuracy of the bow. Alternatively, the archer may lean the bow against a tree or fence. Due to the shape and weight distribution along the bow, however, leaning the bow against an object places the bow into an unstable position from which it is likely to fall to the ground, adversely affecting the accuracy of the bow and perhaps damaging it. 
   Therefore, the causal practice of lying the bow on the ground or leaning it against an object are not satisfactory. The need for an archery bow stand to place the bow in during rest has lead to several patented designs for archery bow stands. 
   Addressing a similar problem, Rindfleish devised a cylindrical stake having a pointed lower end and a U-shaped bracket attached on the top. The stake is inserted into the ground and a golf club handle is cradled in the U-shaped bracket, while the head of the golf club rests on the ground. This device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,327. Such a device, however, would be dangerous and awkward for an archer in the open field to use because the stake is relatively long and the exposed pointed end of the stake is dangerous. Further, it is desirable for such a stand to hold the bow without having the bow contact the ground at all and the thin cylindrical stake portion of Rindfleish would not provide the lateral support needed to retain the relatively heavy archery bow. Thus, a similar device would be undesirable in archery bow hunting or other use in the field. 
   An archery bow stand is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,992, issued to Meeks et al., which consists of a pair of legs that swivel apart and that are connected to a damper rod, or stabilizer rod, that extends forward of the bow and perpendicular to the general vertical line of the bow. When the legs are deployed, they form a tripod, with the lower end of bow forming the third leg. This arrangement leaves one end of the bow in contact with the ground. It also adds weight to the bow and can alter the balance and accuracy of the bow, as well as the performance of the damper rod in reducing accuracy robbing vibration of the bow when it is fired. 
   The bow holder of Englehardt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,658, must be attached to an external member, such as a plank or exposed timber and hence is wholly unsuitable to use in the open field. 
   The Reynolds bow holder, U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,800, includes a stake for inserting into the ground and a pair of vertically spaced pegs that project outwardly from the stake in the same direction and that are parallel to each other, with each peg having elaborate and confusing adjustments. In addition, the pointed end of the stake is permanently attached to the main body of the stake, increasing the danger of carrying it. 
   DiMartino, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,140, includes a stake that is inserted into the ground, with a bend in the stake rod and a complex mounting bracket in the form of a clamp on the top of the stake with the bow being clamped into the bracket and held off the ground. This device is relatively heavy and awkward to carry and has a dangerously exposed sharpened end on the stake. 
   Other related references include complex stands, long stands, clamps and so forth. All are awkward to carry or to use, add significant extra weight to the archer&#39;s equipment and most include dangerously exposed points on the lower end of the stake. It would be very easy for an archer to fall onto the pointed end of the stake while carrying it, risking serious energy. 
   Therefore, there is a need for an archery bow stand that can be carried without an exposed point; that can be folded to provide a smaller more convenience size for carrying or storage; that is simple to use with any bow and that can be conveniently used in the field. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an archery bow stand that can be carried without an exposed point. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide an archery bow stand that can be folded to provide a smaller more convenience size for carrying or storage. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide an archery bow stand that is simple to use with any bow. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide an archery bow stand that can be conveniently used in the field. 
   These objects are achieved by providing an archery bow stand comprising a stake having a body of rectangular cross section with a pointed lower end for penetrating into the ground and a U-shaped bracket on the top for holding a bow off the ground. A joint between the upper and lower portions of the stake allow the stake to be folded against itself in a virtually flat configuration for transportation or storage. In the folded position, the pointed end is relatively safely stored because the point does not extend beyond the flat end of the member it is folded against. That is, although the point is visible, it cannot penetrated into anything. 
   A U-shaped slide lock in the form of a U-shaped channel bracket slides up and down the stake and when it is placed into the locking position, it covers the joint between the upper and lower stake portions, preventing the stake from folding when it is pushed into the ground or is supporting an archery bow. 
   Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, the preferred embodiment of the present invention and the best mode currently known to the inventor for carrying out his invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a folding archery bow stand according to the present invention showing the device in use supporting an archery bow. 
       FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the folding archery bow stand of  FIG. 1  shown in the unfolded and locked position ready for use. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded isometric view of the folding archery bow stand of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is an isometric view of the folding archery bow stand of  FIG. 1  shown in an intermediate position between an unfolded position and a fully folded position. 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the folding archery bow stand of  FIG. 1  shown in the fully folded position. 
       FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the folding archery bow stand of  FIG. 1  having an alternative locking mechanism for retaining the folding archery bow stand in its unfolded state. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , the folding archery bow stand, or bow stand,  10  includes a lower end  12  having a pointed end  14  (e.g.,  FIG. 2 ) that is pushed into the ground  16  so that the bow stand  10  is more or less vertical. A U-shaped bracket  18  is fastened to the upper end  20  of the bow stand  10 . The bow stand  10  includes an upper section  22  and a lower section  24  that are connected by an articulating joint  26  that allows the upper and lower sections  22 ,  24  to be folded against each other. A U-shaped channel slide lock  28  is slid over the articulating joint  26  to lock the upper and lower sections  22 ,  24  into a unified single stake strong enough to be pushed into the ground  16  and to hold an archery bow  30 . 
   Still referring to  FIG. 1 , the bow  30  includes a riser section  32  fitted with a forward projecting stabilizer  33  and an upper limb  34  and a lower limb  36 , both connected to the riser section  32  conventionally. The bow  30  can be placed into the U-shaped bracket  18  in any fashion that maintains the bow  30  in an upright position. It is preferred, however, to place the bow  30  in the position shown in  FIG. 1  in which the bow  30  is suspended by the U-shaped bracket  18  and does not contact the ground  16 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , the U-shaped bracket  18  includes a proximal leg  38  that is directly fastened to the upper end  20  of the bow stand  10  and a distal leg  40  that is parallel to the proximal leg  38  with the two legs  38 ,  40  connected by the straight base connector portion  42 . The general plane of the bracket  18  is perpendicular to the upper section  22 , that is, if the stake bow stand  10  is vertical, as is normally the case when the bow stand is inserted into the ground  16  for use, then the bracket  18  is horizontal, as shown in, for example,  FIGS. 1-3 ,  6 . The lower limb  36  of the archery bow  30  includes an upper surface  44  that contacts the lower edge  46  of the distal leg  40  and a lower surface  48  that contacts the upper edge  50  of the proximal leg  38 , thereby holding the lower limb  36  in a bind with most of the weight of the archery bow  30  lying toward the stabilizer  33 , resulting in most of the weight of the archery bow being cantilevered over the bow stand  10 , providing an equilibrium position in which the archery bow  30  is fully suspended above the ground  16 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , the U-shaped bracket  18  is fastened to the upper end  20  of the bow stand  10  by three rivets  52  arranged in a triangular shape, which are inserted through the aligned apertures  54  in the stake adjacent to the upper end  20  and the corresponding apertures  56  in the proximal leg  38  of the U-shaped bracket  18 . The U-shaped bracket is coated with tool dip  57  or other suitable padding material to prevent marring the archery bow  30 . 
   Still referring to  FIG. 3 , the articulating joint  26  includes a squared-off U-shaped lower notch  58  centered in the upper end  60  of the lower section  24  and a right-hand bore  62  through the right-hand leg  64  of the notch  58  and an aligned left-hand bore  66  though the left-hand leg  68  of the notch  58 . A corresponding identically shaped and dimensioned squared off U-shaped upper notch  70  is centered in the lower end  72  of the upper section  22  and a right-hand bore  74  through the right-hand leg  76  of the notch  70  and an aligned left-hand bore  78  through the left-hand leg  80  of the notch  70 . Interposed between the two notches  58 ,  70  is a joint block  82  dimensioned to fit into the notches  58 ,  70 , and having a lower bore  84  though it and a parallel upper bore  86  through it. 
   Still referring to  FIG. 3 , the bow stand  10  is assembled by inserting the lower pin  90  through the bores  62 ,  84 ,  66  and the upper pin  92  through the bores  74 ,  86 ,  78 . The pins  90 ,  92  fit tightly enough that they will not fall out, and may include positive stops on both ends, but loosely enough that all parts pinned by them will pivot about the pins  90 ,  92 . The lower end of the joint block  82  is fitted into the lower notch  58  and the upper end of the joint block  82  is fitted into the upper notch  70 . 
   Still referring to  FIG. 3 , the upper section  22  and lower section  24  will not form a rigid bow stand  10  due to pivoting about the pins  90 ,  92 , but they are made rigid by the U-shaped channel slide lock  28 , which is slid over either the upper section  22  or lower section  24  before other hardware is connected to them. The U-shaped channel slide lock  28  includes a rear side wall  94  and a front side wall  96 , which are spaced apart and parallel and are connected by the edge side wall  98 , that is, the slide lock  28  is conveniently formed from a length of extruded channel member. A slot  100  is cut into the edge side wall  98  and a machine screw  100  is inserted into the slot  100  and screwed into the aperture  104  on the edge  106  of the upper section  22  of the bow stand  10 . The slot is narrower than the diameter of the head of the screw  100 , protrudes outwardly such that the lower should of the head  108  of the screw  100  rides on the outer surface  110  of the slide lock  28 , which, in combination with the screw  100 , serves as stop mechanism that confines the reciprocal movement of the slide lock  28  to a desired range that allows the slide lock  28  to be moved between a locked position covering the articulating joint  26  as shown in, for example,  FIGS. 1 ,  6  to an unlocked position free of the articulating joint  26  as shown in, for example  FIGS. 3-5 , in which the slide lock  28  has been slid upward. The slide lock  28  could as well be slid downward to unlock the articulating joint  26 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the bow stand  10  is shown with the slide lock  28  moved to its highest position free from the articulating joint  26 , which has been folded into an intermediate position between opened and closed with the upper and lower sections  22 ,  24  lying at about 45° to one another. 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , the bow stand  10  is shown in its fully folded closed position with the upper section  22  and lower section  22  touching each other in full contact. The pointed end  14  is pointing upward and is not exposed, reducing the risk of injury from it. In the folded or collapsed position, the bow stand  10  can conveniently be carried in a sheath on the archer&#39;s belt, or in a pocket of his clothes. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , the bow stand  10  is shown fully unfolded, with the slide lock  28  slid downward as far as possible so that the screw head  108  contacts the upper end of the slot  100 , locking the articulating joint  26  and securing the bow stand  10  for insertion into the ground  16  for use. In this position, the upper section  22  and the separate lower section  24  are aligned along a single longitudinal axis to define a stake having a straight single axis. 
   The upper and lower sections  22 ,  24 , the slide lock  26  and the bracket  28  and the joint block  82  are all conveniently made of aluminum bar stock, which may be hardened. The pins  90 ,  92  and the screw  102  are conveniently made of steel. 
   While the present invention has been described in accordance with the preferred embodiments thereof, the description is for illustration only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.