FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a sporting equipment, and in particular to a protective arm guard for the sport of archery.
BACKGROUND
In the sport of archery, the archer typically wears a protective guard on the forearm of the bow-hand to prevent injury from direct contact with the bow string upon releasing the arrow. These conventional arm guards typically include a piece of plastic or leather secured to the forearm using multiple straps with buckle or loop and hook closures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 and 2 are top view and side view of a first example embodiment of an archery arm guard according to the teachings of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are top view and side view of a second example embodiment of an archery arm guard according to the teachings of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 5 and 6 are top view and side view of a third example embodiment of an archery arm guard according to the teachings of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 7 and 8 are top view and side view of a fourth example embodiment of an archery arm guard according to the teachings of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 9 and 10 are top view and side view of a fifth example embodiment of an archery arm guard according to the teachings of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 11 is an illustration of the archery arm guard secured to an archer’s forearm and in position to protect the archer’s forearm from contact with the released bow string.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Conventional archery arm guards require the user to single-handedly maneuver the guard to the proper position on the forearm and then to fasten or buckle the multiple straps around the arm while somehow also holding the guard in place. This process is not only clumsy but can be challenging for those users who are less than coordinated. The archery arm guard described herein can be secured to the user’s forearm nearly instantly and can also be removed quickly without having to manipulate buckles, ties, or other fasteners.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are a top view and side view of a first example embodiment of an archery arm guard 100 that includes a guard plate 102 and a slap strap 104 coupled to the guard plate 102. The guard plate 102 has a generally elongated shape having a length along a longitudinal axis 106 that is longer than its width. As shown in FIG. 2, the guard plate 102 is preferably contoured to curve along its longitudinal center axis 106 so that it has a concave profile that may comfortably conform around the archer’s forearm as shown in FIG. 9. The guard plate 102 may be fabricated from a suitable material, such as plastic, metal, leather, fabric, nylon, graphite, graphene, polyvinylchloride, or a combination of these materials. The guard plate 102 may include a number of openings 109 arranged about the surface of the guard plate. Because the portion of the guard plate along the medial line may cover the parts of the archer’s arm that is most likely to make contact with the bow string, the openings 109 are generally arranged along the sides of the medial line portion of the guard plate. These openings 109 helps to increase air flow to the archer’s forearm and avoids trapping perspiration between the arm guard and the wearer’s skin. The openings also help to reduce any unnecessary bulk and weight of the guard plate. As shown in FIG. 1, the overall shape of the guard plate 102 may include a wide end and a narrow end where the arm guard is fastened to the user’s forearm with the wide end oriented toward the user’s elbow and the narrow end oriented toward the user’s wrist.
The slap strap 104 is preferably secured at or near one end to the guard plate 102. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slap strap 104 is secured to the guard plate 102 using a fastener 108 that may be any suitable connector, such as a rivet, snap, threaded fastener, or a friction-fit connector. The dimensions of the friction-fit connector and the hole are sized so that the connector remains securely attached to the slap strap 104 under normal usage conditions. The guard plate 102 further includes one or more slits 110 and 112 or elongated openings that allow the slap strap 104 to pass though and to maintain its generally perpendicular orientation of its longitudinal axis 114 with respect to the longitudinal axis 106 of the guard plate 102.
The slap strap 104 incorporates the use of an elongated flexible bistable spring band commonly known as a “slap bracelet” or a “snap bracelet” and enjoys popularity among children and teens as a decorative accessory. The characteristic of the slap bracelet is that it can instantly snap from a substantially straight configuration to an annular configuration encircling a wearer’s wrist. Because the slap strap 104 will maintain the annular configuration encircling the archer’s forearm, no additional fastener is needed. The slap strap 104 may be fabricated from one or more thin metallic bistable spring bands that are held together or sealed within fabric, silicone, or plastic covering as known in the art.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show a top view and a side view of a second example embodiment of an archery arm guard 300 that includes a guard plate 302 secured to a slap strap 304 with a fastener 308. The guard plate 302 and the slap strap 304 have the same general configuration and construction as the other embodiment described herein. However, the guard plate 302 may include a different arrangement of openings 309 about the surface of the guard plate 302. The guard plate 302 may include a number of openings 309 arranged about the surface of the guard plate 302. Because the portion of the guard plate 302 along the medial line may cover the parts of the archer’s arm that is most likely to make contact with the bow string, the openings 309 are generally arranged along the sides of the medial line portion of the guard plate 302. The openings 309 helps to increase air flow to the archer’s forearm and avoid trapping perspiration between the arm guard and the wearer’s skin. The openings also help to reduce any unnecessary bulk and weight of the guard plate.
Similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slap strap 304 is preferably secured at or near one end to the guard plate 302 using a fastener 308 that may be any suitable connector, such as a rivet, snap, threaded fastener, or a friction-fit connector. The guard plate 302 further includes one or more slits or elongated openings that allow the slap strap 304 to pass though and to maintain its generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis 310 of the guard plate 302.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a top view and a side view of a third example embodiment of an archery arm guard 500 that includes a guard plate 502 secured to a slap strap 504 with a fastener 508. The guard plate 502 and the slap strap 504 have the same general configuration and construction as the other embodiment described herein. However, the guard plate 502 includes a first guard plate section 512 coupled to a second guard plate section 514 by a substantially linear guard segment 516. As shown in FIG. 5, the guard plate sections 512 and 514 may be circular regions but may have any other suitable shape. The guard plate 502 protects the archer’s forearm along the medial line as it is most likely to make contact with the bow string upon release.
Similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slap strap 504 is preferably secured at or near one end to the guard plate 502 using a fastener 508 that may be any suitable connector, such as a rivet, snap, threaded fastener, or a friction-fit connector. The guard plate 502 further includes one or more slits that allow the slap strap 504 to pass though and to maintain its generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis 520 of the guard plate 502.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show a top view and a side view of a fourth example embodiment of an archery arm guard 700 that includes a guard plate 702 secured to a slap strap 704 with a fastener 708. The guard plate 702 and the slap strap 704 have the same general configuration and construction as the other embodiment described herein. However, the guard plate 702 includes an elongated guard plate section 714 coupled to a second guard plate section 716. As shown in FIG. 7, the guard plate sections 714 may include a linear segment and a circular guard plate section 716, but the guard plate sections may have any other suitable shape. The guard plate 702 protects the archer’s forearm along the medial line as it is most likely to make contact with the bow string upon release.
Similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slap strap 704 is preferably secured at or near one end to the guard plate 702 using a fastener 708 that may be any suitable connector, such as a rivet, snap, threaded fastener, or a friction-fit connector. The guard plate 702 further includes one or more slits or elongated openings that allow the slap strap 704 to pass though and to maintain its generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis 720 of the guard plate 702.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a top view and a side view of a fifth example embodiment of an archery arm guard 900 that includes a guard plate 902 secured to a slap strap 904 with a fastener 908. The guard plate 902 and the slap strap 704 may have the same general configuration and construction as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-8 and described above. However, the guard plate 902 may have a rectangular shape with and without openings. The guard plate 902 protects the archer’s forearm along the medial line as it is most likely to make contact with the bow string upon release.
Similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-8, the slap strap 904 is preferably secured at or near one end to the guard plate 902 using a fastener 908 that may be any suitable connector, such as a rivet, snap, threaded fastener, or friction-fit connector. The guard plate 902 further includes one or more slit or elongated opening 910 that allows the slap strap 904 to pass though and to maintain its generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis 920 of the guard plate 902.
Referring to FIG. 11 showing an illustration of the arm guard 100 secured to the forearm of the archer’s bow-hand. To fasten the arm guard to the archer’s arm, the user may hold the arm guard with the fastener 108 held between the thumb and the index finger, while the slap strap 104 is in its straight configuration. The user may then “slap” the slap strap 104 across the forearm of the bow-hand, which causes the slap strap 104 to quickly snap to its annular configuration and wrap around the user’s forearm. The slap strap may be easily slipped off of the user’s arm to remove the arm guard.
It should be noted that the attachment point of the slap strap to the guard plate may vary from that shown in the figures, and the manner of attachment may employ any suitable known device and method. It should also be noted that the arm guard described herein can be used to shield the forearm for applications other than archery.
The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth below with particularity in the appended claims. However, modifications, variations, and changes to the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the archery arm guard described herein thus encompasses such modifications, variations, and changes and are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein.
Patent Application
20230127336
