Patent Application
20120073556
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates generally to the field of sports bow accessories and more specifically to a camera attachment device for sports bow.
The rapid advancement of features found in cell phones and small hand held video cameras make it possible to use these devices in many new and unusual ways. Many current cell phones include that ability to take video recordings. One unique application for these new video devices is to fasten them to sports equipment such as a sport bow, so that the user can record the event of an arrow being released from the bow and hitting its intended target.
Several designs have been thought of to hold cameras to sports bows. U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,725 shows a method of attaching a still camera to the central portion of a bow and includes a method of automatically activating the camera shutter when the arrow is released. U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,420 shows a way to attach a video camera to a sports bow by means of a standard threaded screw mounted on the bow to a threaded aperture found on the bottom of the camera.
However, none of the designs shown in the prior art provides the ability for a user to attach a standard cell phone or hand held video camera, not having a threaded aperture, to a sport bow. Furthermore, none of the prior art designs provides a camera mount device that can be easily adjusted to fit a variety of sizes and thickness of hand held video cameras.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a camera mount for a sport bow that lets the user take video footage of an arrow leaving the bow and hitting a target.
Another object of the invention is to provide a camera mount for a sport bow whose retaining clamp can be adjusted to fit various sizes of cell phones and video camera devices.
Another object of the invention is to provide a camera mount for a sport bow that includes compressible adaptor panels that accommodate the varying thickness between cameras.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed camera attachment device for sports bow comprising: a main support bracket, a secondary support bracket, a bow to bracket attachment arm, and a thumb screw, said main support bracket including a flat vertically disposed panel having forwardly disposed cradle arms fixedly attached to the lower portion of said panel and rearwardly disposed inwardly facing cradle arms on each vertical side of said panel. said secondary bracket being an inverted L shape with the horizontally disposed top leg of said L shape having a downwardly facing tab, the vertically disposed leg of said L shape sized to be slidably retained within said rerwardly facing cradle arms of said main bracket, said secondary bracket including a centrally disposed slot that can allow penetration of a threaded post of said thumb screw. said threaded post of said thumb screw capable of being received by a matching threaded aperture centrally located on said main support bracket panel, said bow to bracket extension arm having a first aperture located near one end and a second aperture located near the opposite end. said bow to bracket extension arm fitting between said thumb screw and said second support bracket so that said thumb screw can penetrate said first aperture, said bow to bracket extension arm capable of removably attaching, via said second aperture, to the stabilizer screw portion of a standard sports bow so that said extension arm is captured between said stabilizer and said bow frame, said secondary bracket capable of being slidably adjusted by a user to fit a standard hand held video camera snuggly between said lower cradle arms of said main support bracket and said upper horizontal leg of said secondary support bracket, said secondary bracket fixed in place when said user tightens said thumb screw.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
