The present invention relates generally to archery releases. An archery release is used by an archer to fire an arrow. The release may be grasped, worn, or otherwise held at the end of a user's arm using wrist straps, glove-like straps, or a user's hand. Hand held releases are used by an archer to hold and pull a bowstring to a drawn potion and then releasing the bowstring to fire an arrow. Such releases improve the archer's accuracy and performance. Some hold/release devices directly hold and release a bowstring, while other devices indirectly hold and release a bowstring via an intermediate piece of string with two ends connected to the hold/release devise so that the string or bowstring look can be looped around a bowstring and then the loop can be held and released.
The present invention relates to a gate on a release which connects the release to a bowstring or string loop so that the release is always in close proximity to the hunter. The gate keeps the release on attached to the bow string without the hunter worrying about bumping it which would allow the release to fall to the ground.
Archery releases of the hand held type are well-known in the patented prior art as evidenced for example by the Summers et al U.S. Pat. No. 8,622,051. While such releases operate satisfactorily, they must be continually gripped by the archer and thus are in danger of being inadvertently dropped. For example, when hunting, the archer may sit in a tree, in a tree stand, or on the ground while waiting for a shot. If the release is inadvertently dropped, the archer must retrieve the release, and potentially miss a clean shot because the release is not in the hunter's possession when a target is passing within range.
The present invention was developed in order to overcome these and other drawbacks of conventional hand held archery releases by providing a movable gate mechanism on the release to connect the release to a bowstring, even when the release is not in use.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide an archery release including a handle and a gate pivotally connected with the handle for movement between open and closed positions for receiving and retaining a bowstring. The gate contains a recess in which a spring and ball are arranged for pressing the ball into one of at least two detents arranged in an outer surface of the handle to retain the gate in either the open or closed position.
According to a more specific object of the invention, the gate includes a projection at one end and the handle includes a bail pivotally connected with the handle and operable to release the bow string when the gate is in either of the open or closed positions. The gate projection is adjacent the bail when the gate is in the closed position and spaced from the bail when the gate is in the open position.
It is a further object of the invention to provide the gate with an outer surface having a configuration which conforms to the outer surface of the handle so that the outer surface of the gate slides against the handle outer surface during movement of the gate.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Referring first to
As shown in
The outer surface 22 of the gate 10 is configured to correspond with the outer surface 24 of the handle 4 so that the gate slides relative to the handle during movement between the closed and open positions. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the gate outer surface is convex and the handle outer surface is concave, with the radius of curvature of both surfaces being generally the same.
The handle outer surface 24 contains at least two spaced recesses or detents 26 and 28 as shown in
In the closed position, the gate is arranged adjacent to a bail 36 of the release 2. As is known in the release art, a trigger (not shown) on the release is operable by the archer to displace a firing pin 38 to operate a sear 40 which in turn activates the bail to release a bowstring held by the bail.
The gate does not interfere with operation of the bail or the release. Thus, the release may be operated with the gate in either of the open or closed positions. When open, a bowstring may be arranged adjacent to the handle without being engaged by the bail. When the gate is closed, it retains the release on the bowstring as shown in
No tools are required either to fasten the gate/release combination to a bowstring or to operate the gate between the closed and open positions.
While the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without deviating from the inventive concepts set forth above.
This application claims the benefit of provisional application No. 61/874,668 filed Sep. 6, 2013.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61874668 | Sep 2013 | US |