Bowstring Pulling And Releasing Device

Abstract

A bowstring-pulling device for facilitating pulling back and releasing a bowstring comprised of a handle which fits within an archer's hand and securing means on the handle for releasably securing the bowstring to the handle. The securing means is a strap adapted to be wrapped around the bowstring and folded back against one side of the handle where it is releasably held by the hand of the archer. A chin rest may be provided on the handle for aiding the archer in positioning his head properly. The chin rest may be adapted for attachment to archer's tabs, gloves, and other bowstring-pulling devices.

Description

This invention relates to a bowstring-pulling device for archers.

Archers conventionally shoot arrows from bows by placing one hand on the bow and by drawing the bowstring rearwardly with the other hand. When the archer releases the bowstring, it propels the arrow forwardly. Most archers grip the bowstring by hooking the first three fingers of one hand around the bowstring. The arrow is mounted on the bowstring with its rear tip positioned between the archer's first and second fingers. During repeated shooting of the bow, the bowstring causes the archer's fingers to become bruised and sore and consequently the archer loses his ability to shoot accurately. Several devices have been used to avoid this handicap. For example a leather tab such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,319 can be used to protect the archer's fingers. Attempts have also been made to provide a device which can be used for gripping the bowstring and drawing it rearwardly without requiring that the fingers be hooked about the bowstring. An example of such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,028,852. The disadvantage of most of these devices is that they do not provide a smooth release of the bowstring so as to insure accurate shooting of the arrow. Proper release is difficult even when the archer draws the string with his bare fingers because the string is deflected during the release, thereby causing the arrow to waver or to be deflected in the wrong direction.

Another problem encountered in archery is that of sighting and aiming so as to shoot the arrow accurately. Sighting is commonly done by lining up a mark on the bow with the desired target. The mark on the bow may be raised or lowered to adapt the archer's aim for the drop which the arrow will encounter between the shooting point and the target point. This method of sighting can only be consistent from one shot to another if the eyes of the archer are in exactly the same position with respect to the bow, the bowstring and the arrow during each shooting of the arrow.

The bowstring-pulling device of this invention permits the archer to draw the bowstring rearwardly and to release it without hooking his fingers around the bowstring. It additionally provides a chin rest secured to the bowstring-puling device in a predetermined position so that the archer may position his head and eyes consistently during shooting by resting his chin on the chin rest.

Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of a bowstring pulling device which provides a greater advantage to the archer in drawing the bowstring rearwardly; the provision of a bowstring-pulling device which permits the bowstring to be pulled rearwardly without the archer's fingers being hooked around the bowstring; the provision of a bowstring-pulling device which provides a quick, easy release with a minimum of deflection of the bowstring; the provision of a bowstring-pulling device wherein it is not necessary to match the stiffness or spine as closely to the draw weight of the bow; the provision of a bowstring-pulling device which includes a chin rest for properly positioning the archer's head so that consistent sighting and aiming of the arrow may be obtained; the provision of a chin rest which may be used with any type of shooting tab, glove, handle, etc.; and the provision of a bowstring-pulling device wherein worn-out parts may be easily replaced. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bowstring-pulling device illustrating its relative position to a bowstring and arrow;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the bowstring-pulling device;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the use of the bowstring-pulling device by an archer;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a chin rest used in conjunction with a shooting tab;

FIG. 6 is a back elevational view of the chin rest illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of the chin rest illustrated in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the chin rest illustrated in FIG. 5.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Numeral 10 designates a bowstring-pulling device. A handle 12 having a nose 14 and a knob 16 is constructed of a solid material such as metal, wood, plastic, or hard rubber. Knob 16 is convex in shape on its upper and lower surfaces so as to give it a shape which fits comfortably into the palm of the archer's hand. Nose 14 includes two opposite lateral sides 18, 20, and a front face 22. Lateral sides 18, 20, are illustrated as being parallel to one another (FIG. 3), but lateral side 20 may be made to angle rearwardly away from lateral side 18 up to an angle of about 25.degree.. The most satisfactory results are obtained when handle 12 is held in a position wherein lateral side 20 is pointing in a direction parallel to the direction in which the arrow is pointing. When handle 12 is constructed with lateral side 20 angling rearwardly away from lateral side 18, and when lateral side 20 is aligned with the direction in which the arrow is pointing, handle 12 is in a position wherein its knob 16 angles away from the direction in which the arrow is pointing. Thus handle 12 may be shaped to fit the particular type of the archer by varying the angle between lateral slides 18, 20.

Lateral side 20 is provided with a rubber grip pad 24 which is inset so as to provide a smooth flat surface along lateral side 20. A handle loop 26 is secured to lateral side 18 by means of a screw 28. Handle loop 26 is comprised of two pieces 30, 32, which are detachably joined together by any conventional securing means. Handle loop 26 is adjustable in size to accommodate from one to three of the archer's fingers.

Also secured to lateral side 18 by screw 28 is one end of a looped shooting strap 34 which is doubled over against itself. Shooting strap 34 has a loose end 36 which may be wrapped around front face 22 and brought back to engage grip pad 24. A reinforcing piece 38 is also secured at one of its ends to lateral side 18 by means of screw 28. Reinforcing piece 38 is constructed of a soft material such as leather and is positioned between shooting strap 34 and front face 22. Reinforcing piece 38 is relatively short compared to shooting strap 34, its length being only great enough to cover front face 22 when shooting strap 34 is drawn against grip pad 24.

A brace pad 39 is sewn over the overlapping ends of handle loop 26, shooting strap 34, and reinforcing piece 38 to prevent their rotation with respect to one another. Screw 28 extends through brace pad 39, handle loop 26, reinforcing piece 38, and shooting strap 34 to secure them to lateral side 18. Replacement of any of the straps or reinforcing piece 38 may be easily accomplished by unscrewing screw 28.

A chin rest 40 is positioned on top of nose 14 immediately behind front face 22 and includes a support 42 and a platform 44 mounted on the top of support 42. Platform 44 is positioned so that it will be immediately behind the bowstring and so that it will be in a substantially horizontal position when handle 12 is secured to the bowstring. While platform 44 is illustrated with a substantially flat contour it may have an irregular concave shape to fit the chin of the archer.

When using bowstring-pulling device 10, the archer grips knob 16 of handle 12 in the palm of his hand with his thumb running along rubber grip pad 24 and with his first three fingers protruding through handle loop 26. One, two or three fingers may be kept in handle loop 26, depending upon the particular preference of each individual archer. When handle 12 is gripped in this manner nose 14 protrudes outwardly from between the archer's first finger and thumb. Front face 22 is positioned adjacent and immediately behind bowstring 46. Shooting strap 34 and reinforcing piece 38 are looped around bowstring 46. Loose end 36 of shooting strap 34 is brought back against grip pad 24 and is releasably held there by the thumb of the archer. In this position bowstring 46 is held between reinforcing piece 38 and front face 22 of handle 12. Front face 22 is beveled with respect to opposite lateral sides 18, 20. This beveling causes bowstring 46 to be urged to one side during the rearward pulling of the bowstring. This insures that the bowstring will always be positioned in the same relative position with respect to the handle every time the bowstring is drawn rearwardly. An arrow 48 having a slot 50 at its extreme rear tip is positioned with slot 50 embracing bowstring 46. The rear tip of arrow 48 is positioned on bowstring 46 at a point immediately above front face 22 of handle 12. After the archer has secured bowstring 46 to handle 12 by wrapping shooting strap 34 around the bowstring and back against grip pad 24, he pulls the bowstring rearwardly to the desired position for shooting the bow (FIG. 4). He places his chin on platform 44 of chin rest 40 and sights towards the target at which he is aiming. A plurality of calibrations or a sighting device are provided on the bow. A few experimental shots will enable the archer to determine which calibration, when lined up with the target, will aim the bow so that the arrow will have the loft needed to reach the target. Chin rest 40 will always have the same position relative to bowstring 46 and arrow 48 and consequently the archer, by placing his chin on chin rest 40, can be assured that his eyes will be in the same position relative to the bow and arrow each time he shoots.

After the archer has taken aim he shoots the arrow by releasing shooting strap 34 with his thumb. Bowstring 46 immediately springs forward and in so doing flips shooting strap 34 and reinforcing piece 38 out of its way. The extreme flexibility of shooting strap 34 and reinforcing piece 38 permit this release to be completely free with a minimum of deflection of bowstring 46. Reinforcing piece 38 prevents shooting strap 34 from conforming too much to the curvature of bowstring 46. In the absence of reinforcing piece 38 the pressure of bowstring 46 against shooting strap 34 would tend to form a crease in shooting strap 34, and this crease could cause deflection of the bowstring during its release. However, because reinforcing piece 38 is constructed of soft material such as leather, there is very little tendency to form a crease in strap 34. The low mass and soft characteristic of reinforcing piece 38 cause it to be flipped easily out of the way of the bowstring causing only a minimum of deflection. Thus reinforcing piece 38 contributes substantially towards providing a completely free release of bowstring 46.

While chin rest 40 provides a substantial aid in the aiming of the arrow some archers may prefer not to use such a device. Therefore the device of this invention may be constructed without chin rest 40 and will function equally as well as a superior device for pulling and releasing the bowstring. Because bowstring-pulling device 10 provides a means for pulling the bowstring rearwardly without hooking the archer's fingers around the bowstring it avoids causing sore fingers. Because bowstring-pulling device 10 releases the bowstring freely causing only a minimum of deflection of the bowstring, a superior arrow flight is provided. The arrow does not waver during flight and is not deflected by the release from the direction in which it was originally aimed. The fact that the arrow does not waver or wobble when shot by the device of this invention avoids the necessity of matching the arrows so closely to the draw weight of the bow. Opposite lateral sides 18, 20, of nose 14 may be parallel as illustrated in the drawings or they may be made to diverge rearwardly to accommodate bows having different draw weights. Screw 28 holds shooting strap 34 tightly against nose 14 and keeps it properly aligned so that it will always wrap around front face 22 in the same position. The archer's ability to hold shooting strap 34 firmly in position during the rearward pulling of the bowstring is enhanced by the use of grip pad 24 having a high coefficient of friction.

Referring to FIGS. 5-8, a chin rest 52 may be provided which can be adapted for use in conjunction with any type of tab or glove used by archers. Chin rest 52 is illustrated (FIG. 5) secured to an archer's tab 54 such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,319, but it may be adapted for attachment to any other similar tab or glove. Tab 54 includes a leather pad 56 having three finger tabs 58, 60, 62. A wide slot 64 is provided between finger tabs 58, 60, to permit positioning of the arrow's rear tip between the archer's first and second fingers. A strap 66 is provided for securing archer's tab 54 to the archer's hand.

Chin rest 52 includes a leg 68 and a platform 70. An arcuate ridge 72 extends along one side of chin rest 52 and is adapted to conform to the upper edge of archer's tab 54. Leg 68 is glued or secured by other means to archer's tab 54 so that platform 70 is rigidly held in a predetermined position with respect to archer's tab 54. When the archer uses tab 54 with chin rest 52 affixed thereto he hooks his first three fingers around the bowstring and draws it rearwardly. Platform 70 is positioned immediately behind the bowstring so that when the archer places his chin on the platform his eyes will be positioned properly for aiming the arrow. Thus the chin rest permits the archer to have his eyes in a position which does not vary from one shot to another, thereby facilitating more accurate shooting.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A bowstring-pulling device to be held in one hand of an archer to facilitate pulling back and releasing a bowstring, said device comprising an elongated rigid handle which will fit within one hand of an archer; an elongated flexible securing means attached to only one end of said handle for releasably securing a bowstring between said securing means and handle; said securing means being movable from a first position overlying a substantial portion of said handle wherein it secures a bowstring to said handle to a second position wherein it releases a bowstring from said handle; said securing means being manually holdable in its first position by said one hand of an archer while said bowstring is being drawn rearwardly and being manually releasable to its second position in order to release a bowstring from its securement to said handle, said handle having a thickened terminal end portion at the end opposite the end for securing a bowstring, said thickened end being receivable in the a of an archer's hand during the drawing of a bowstring.

2. The bowstring-pulling device of claim 1 wherein said securing means includes a strap secured at one of its ends to said handle; said handle including a front portion which can be held adjacent a bowstring, said strap having a loose end which can be wrapped around said front portion for releasably securing a bowstring between said strap and said handle.

3. The bowstring-pulling device of claim 2 wherein said front portion of said handle includes a forwardly presented face and opposite lateral walls; said strap being secured to one of said walls and said loose end being long enough to wrap around said face and engage the other of said walls where it may be releasably held by the hand of the archer.

4. The bowsring-pulling device of claim 3 wherein said face is beveled with respect to said opposite lateral walls.

5. The bowstring-pulling device of claim 4 wherein said opposite walls are parallel to one another.

6. The bowstring-pulling device of claim 3 wherein a separate reinforcing piece is secured to said handle and is positioned between said strap and said face to provide a cushion between a bowstring and said strap.

7. The bowstring-pulling device of claim 1 wherein said handle includes a loop to receive some of the archer's fingers in order to facilitate a tight grip of said handle.

8. The bowstring-pulling device of claim 1 wherein a chin rest is provided on said handle for helping the archer to place his chin in a predetermined position with respect to a bowstring and said handle when a bowstring is pulled back.

9. The bowstring-pulling device of claim 1 wherein said handle includes a knob portion to be received in the palm of the archer's hand and a nose portion extending forwardly from said knob portion.

10. A bowstring-pulling device for helping an archer in pulling back and releasing a bowstring, said device comprising an elongated flexible strap having first and second ends which can be looped around a bowstring; an elongated rigid handle secured only to said first end of said strap; said second end of said strap being a sufficient distance from said first end so that said second end can be looped around a bowstring and returned to engage said handle; a major portion of the length of said strap, including the second end, being positioned between the handle and an archer's hand so as to be engaged by an archer's hand and a substantial portion of the handle during the drawing of a bowstring.

11. The bowstring-pulling device of claim 10 wherein a portion of said handle includes a material having a high frictional coefficient to facilitate the holding of said strap against said portion by said archer.