Abstract:
An open ended foam-lined flexible fabric cover for a bow sight having closure and/or retention means for closing the open end and securing the cover on the bow sight after installation.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 60/570,403, filed May 10, 2004 (May 10, 2004). 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not applicable.  
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
       [0003]     Not applicable.  
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0004]     The present invention relates generally to protective covers, more particularly to a protective cover for a bow sight used in archery or bow hunting.  
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART  
       [0005]     It is well known to employ a sighting device for use on archery and hunting bows. An exemplary device that has been widely accepted in the market place is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,113 to Simo, et al, which teaches a bow sight having a crosswire frame supported by a bracket attached to the bow. A pin slide is formed in an inner frame member and has a cylindrical opening. The pins can emit light and are mounted in transparent discs which slide into the cylindrical opening and which are tightened by an Allen screw against a slot in the disc, thereby expanding the disc against the side of the pin slot. The transparent disc gathers surrounding light and transmits or directs the light to the light-emitting pin. A lens or a light-emitting source can be positioned in the cylindrical opening to surround the transparent disc with light. The crosswire frame may be incrementally moved up and down with respect to the bracket by locking a spring-loaded ball bearing in any one of a plurality of detents in the frame. The spring-loaded ball bearing may be forcibly engaged so that the spring is completely compressed thereby locking the ball bearing in a chosen detent.  
         [0006]     Those with experience in bow hunting will appreciate that bow sights are fabricated from relatively sturdy and rigid plastics and lightweight metals. However, because bow hunters stalk prey through thickets and other wooded cover, and because such cover is often a tangle of branches, bushes, and brambles, by their very nature bow sights are exposed to the elements and are vulnerable to damage during use. Thus, it is also well known to provide a protective cover for a bow sight Most notably, U.S. Pat. Nos. D483,090 and D485,594, both to Kelsoe, show snap-on bow sight covers having first and second halves attached with a hinge and adapted for snap-on attachment to a bow sight installed on a bow.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,898 to Altmann et al is directed to protecting bow sights from weather conditions when shooting an arrow, as well as when the bow is put down. The apparatus is a cover suspended in the manner of a pendulum and uses gravity to automatically moves over and cover the sight optics.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,791, to Sloop, shows a rectangular protective housing with an open end into which a bow sight is placed. The housing has channels on a rear side which slidably engage a mounting bracket attached to the central portion of the bow via the bow sight. The housing can be locked to the mounting bracket.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,352 to McFarlin teaches the most straightforward of the prior art devices. This patent shows a protective bow sight cover having a substantially rectangular shape with an opening formed to snugly fit over a sight of a bow, and means to secure and retain the protective cover close to the bow when removed from the sight.  
         [0010]     While illustrative, the foregoing patents reflect only the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant&#39;s acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The present invention is an open ended foam-lined flexible fabric cover for a bow sight having closure and/or retention means for closing the open end and securing the cover on the bow sight after installation.  
         [0012]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bow sight cover that can be quickly, easily, and quietly installed and secured on a bow sight and thereafter quickly, easily, and quietly removed from the bow sight.  
         [0013]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bow sight cover that is lightweight.  
         [0014]     A further object or feature of the present invention is a new and improved bow sight cover that can be folded or otherwise reduced in size so as to fit and store compactly in a pocket or pouch.  
         [0015]     An even further object of the present invention is to provide a protective cover for a bow sight that has soft insulative material to protect a bow sight from damage due to impact or abrasion.  
         [0016]     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a protective bow sight cover that can double as a storage pouch for other hunting articles when not in use to protect a bow sight.  
         [0017]     Other novel features which are characteristic of the invention, as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. The various features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this disclosure. The invention does not reside in any one of these features taken alone, but rather in the particular combination of all of its structures for the functions specified.  
         [0018]     There has thus been broadly outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form additional subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based readily may be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0019]     Further, the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention of this application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.  
         [0020]     Certain terminology and derivations thereof may be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, words such as “upward,” “downward,” “left,” and “right” would refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made unless otherwise stated. Similarly, words such as “inward” and “outward” would refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of a device or area and designated parts thereof. References in the singular tense include the plural, and vice versa, unless otherwise noted. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:  
         [0022]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of the protective cover for a bow sight of the present invention, shown installed on a bow sight attached to a bow;  
         [0023]      FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of a bow sight of the type suitable for use with the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 2A  is a cross-sectional top view of the bow sight cover installed on a bow as taken along the section lines of  FIG. 1A ;  
         [0025]      FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional top view of the inventive bow sight cover;  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a second preferred embodiment of the inventive apparatus;  
         [0027]      FIG. 4A  is a cross-sectional top view of the second preferred embodiment; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 4B  is a cross-sectional top view showing the second preferred embodiment installed on a bow sight. 
     
    
       [0029]     Drawing Reference Numerals  
         [0030]      100  first preferred embodiment of inventive bow sight cover  
         [0031]      110  fabric pouch  
         [0032]      120  frame member of a bow sight  
         [0033]      130  bow sight  
         [0034]      140  bow  
         [0035]      150  bracket proximate the bow grip  
         [0036]      160  bow grip  
         [0037]      170  fiber optic bow sight pins  
         [0038]      180  open first end of protective cover  
         [0039]      190  closed second end of protective cover  
         [0040]      200  strap  
         [0041]      210  foam padding  
         [0042]      220  clip  
         [0043]      300  second preferred embodiment of bow sight cover of present invention  
         [0044]      310  pouch  
         [0045]      320  open end of pouch  
         [0046]      330  closed end of pouch  
         [0047]      340  drawstring  
         [0048]      350  bow sight  
         [0049]      355  bow  
         [0050]      360  quick release drawstring lock  
         [0051]      370  foam liner  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0052]     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 2 B, wherein like reference numerals refer to like components in the various views, there is illustrated therein a new and improved new and improved protective cover for a bow sight, generally denominated  100  herein.  FIGS. 1   a  through  2 B illustrate a first preferred embodiment, showing that the inventive apparatus comprises a substantially cylindrical fabric pouch  110  dimensioned for selective placement over the frame member  120  of a bow sight  130 . As is known by those with knowledge of the art, a contemporary bow sight is typically attached to a bow  140  by a bracket  150  proximate the grip  160 . Disposed within the frame member  120  is a set of fiber optic bow sight pins  170 . (It is these pins, more than any other feature of the bow sight, that are vulnerable to damage.)  
         [0053]     The inventive protective cover has an open first end  180  and a closed second end  190  and includes retention means, preferably a strap  200 , and preferably elastic, connected to the pouch proximate the edges of the open first end and disposed across the open first end such that the strap secures the cover in place after installation on a bow sight. The cover further includes padded material  210 , such as foam, preferably covering the entire interior surface of the protective cover but at a minimum disposed interiorly proximate the closed second end. The strap is preferably bifurcated or divided into two portions by a clip  220  or buckle for rapid unfastening of the strap and rapid removal of the cover from the sight when the bow is needed for use. Preferably the cover is fabricated from canvas or synthetic material that may be patterned with a suitable camouflage design for the hunting environment in which it will be used.  
         [0054]     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 through 4 B, there is illustrated in a perspective and two top cross-sectional views, respectively, a second preferred embodiment of the protective bow sight cover of the present invention. In this embodiment  300 , the cover is provided in the form of a pouch  310  having an open end  320  and a closed end  330  and closure means, preferably comprising a drawstring  340  disposed around the circumference of the open end for selectively closing the open end when placed over a bow sight  350  installed on a bow  355 . The pouch may be made of canvas, nylon, silicone coated nylon, other coated nylons, such as nylon microfiber having a water-repellent coating and a backing of urethane or polyurethane spray or laminate that prevents water intrusion, GOR-TEX®, WINDSTOPPER®, KEVLAR®, NOMEX®, other aramid fibers, vinyl or vinylized canvas, and the like. Preferably, the material from which the protective pouch is made provides weatherproofing as well as impact and abrasion protection. Accordingly, a waterproof or coated fabric is preferred.  
         [0055]     The drawstring preferably includes a quick release locking device  360  of some kind, as are well known. Any of a number of suitable buckles, buttons, clasps, cord and rope holders, pins, and separable fasteners, can be employed as a locking device, though the pushbutton drawstring lock illustrated is preferred because of the rapidity with which it can be operated.  
         [0056]     A thin foam liner  370  is affixed to the interior surface of the protective cover giving it a rigidity just sufficient to assume a generally cylindrical shape. In this form, the bow sight cover effectively has a universal fit and is less likely to become inadertently dislodged from the bow sight during travel in rugged terrain.  
         [0057]     The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensional relationships, and operation shown and described. Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed, as suitable, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like.  
         [0058]     Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.