The present invention relates to a utility tool device for an archery bow which can be attached to a bow or incorporated directly into the riser of a bow.
A wide variety of utility tools are required for the proper maintenance, repair and operation of an archery bow and its related accessories. Some of the more commonly used tools or implements are nock wrenches, broadhead wrenches, broadhead sharpeners and various types of Allen wrenches. These tools are generally stored in a toolbox and taken out when required. On occasion, such items may also be carried by an archer or transported in his or her pocket, since it is not always practical to carry a toolbox.
These methods of storage and transportation are somewhat undesirable from an archer's perspective, as it can be cumbersome for an archer to transport a toolbox along with his or her bow and inconvenient to carry such items around by hand or store them in a pocket. Hand and pocket storage can often lead to tools being misplaced, lost or forgotten.
In situations where it is not practical or desirable for an archer to carry a toolbox, or where tools have been forgotten or misplaced, it is not uncommon for archers to attempt to make certain adjustments manually, without any tools. Sometimes this can be a safety concern. For example, when hunting, an archer typically uses a broadhead, which consists of several razor sharp blades. The broadhead must be secured and tightened onto an arrow and this is normally accomplished with a broadhead wrench. However, in circumstances where such a wrench is not readily available, an archer may attempt to tighten the broadhead manually, which can sometimes result in the archer being cut or scraped unnecessarily. In addition to causing injury to an archer, attempts to manually adjust certain parts of a bow can also result in damage to the bow itself, since some components are not particularly strong or durable and are prone to damage if care is not taken.
Not all archery tools and implements are sold individually. Some are incorporated into accessories that can be secured to a bow. An example of such an accessory is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,756 to Achkar, which discloses a bow carrying and support structure which can be adapted to include a broadhead wrench, a sling or an arrow rest. Although somewhat more convenient, not all archers prefer to have a bow carrying and support structure attached to their bow. Moreover, such accessories are generally not equipped to include many of the different types of utility tools that are required for proper maintenance and operation of the bow.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a utility tool device for an archery bow that contains one or more of the tools which are necessary for the proper operation, set-up, repair and/or maintenance of an archery bow. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a utility tool device which permits an archer to carry and store one or more archery tools in a convenient and less cumbersome manner.
These and other objectives are accomplished by providing an archery bow incorporating a utility tool device consisting of a body for carrying or supporting one or more tools, and one or more tools selected from a sharpener, a shot counter, a broadhead wrench and a nock wrench. The tools are associated with the body and the body is formed as an integral component of a riser on the bow in an area where it will not interfere with the operation of the bow. The device may also optionally include one or more Allen wrenches.
A further embodiment consists of a utility tool device for an archery bow, consisting of a body for carrying or supporting two or more tools selected from a sharpener, a counter, a broadhead wrench, a nock wrench; and one or more individual Allen wrenches, as well as a means for securely but releasably attaching the body to a portion of the riser or any other part of the bow, where it will not interfere with the operation of the bow.
While the invention will be described in conjunction with illustrated embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to such embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals.
Turning to
These tools are all positioned on a web-like tool supporting body 10 which is incorporated into the bow riser in such a manner that neither it, nor the tools will interfere with the operation of the bow. The body is formed of a flat, rigid material and is approximately 1/16 to ⅛ of and inch in thickness.
The sharpener 12 ideally consists of two overlapping blades forming a v-shaped valley, suitable for sharpening a broadhead, which is a sharp implement consisting of one or more blades that is placed on the end of an arrow for hunting purposes. The sharpener may, however, also be used to sharpen a knife.
The broadhead wrench 14, which is formed from an impression imbedded in the body, can be used to tighten the broadhead onto the arrow, once it has been sharpened. This is accomplished by inserting the blades of the broadhead into the corresponding slots in the broadhead wrench.
The nock wrench 16, is also formed from an impression imbedded in the body and can be used to assist an archer in properly aligning the nock with the fletching. Similar to the broadhead wrench, this tool is utilized by inserting the nock components into the corresponding cut-outs forming the nock wrench on the body. Such a tool is particularly desirable to an archer, as manual alignment can often result in damage to the nock, which is quite often made out of plastic.
The shot counter 18 is also a very useful archery tool. It is important for an archer to know how many shots have been taken, so that he or she can determine when string replacement is required. The counter may be selected from a variety of conventional counters, and, for example, be configured so as to respond to the vibrations generated by the bow when an arrow is shot and display a number representative of the total number of shots taken in a sequence. Alternatively, it may respond to a mechanical strike or be an electronic device using a motion or light sensor.
Various Allen wrenches 20 may also optionally be incorporated into the riser 4 of the bow.
Further embodiments of the present invention are shown in
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Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a device for transporting and storing archery tools and implements on an archery bow that fully satisfies the objects, aims and advantages set forth above. For example, while the device has been illustrated as being attached to the riser of the bow, it may be attached to any other part of the archery bow so long as it does not interfere with the operation of the bow. While the invention has been described in conjunction with illustrated embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the invention.