Range Finder And Bow Sight Device

Abstract

A range finder and bow sight device wherein plural sights are made adjustable and correlated with a fixed, stepped range finder. The individual bow sights used are adjustable both for height and azimuth, and in a preferred form of the invention, can be locked through such adjustment to a vertical slide member. Mounts on the device are self-aligning and can be screwed or taped to a conventional archery bow.

Description

The present invention relates to range finder and bow sight devices and, more particularly, to a new and improved device of the type described wherein plural sights, adjustable as to both heighth and azimuth, are correlated with respective sections of the range finder such that when one determines the range of the particular object such as a deer, this by looking through the range finder, he may immediately select the correlated sight to be used in aiming his arrow toward the object being sighted.

In the present invention the device incorporates a range finder portion having stepped, horizontal, mutually spaced bars the distances between which sub-tend an angle, from the observer's eye there-toward, so that when an object such as the chest cavity of a deer "fills" the space between a particular set of bars the hunter knows that the associated index of the range finder spells the distance of the object, such as a deer, from the hunter.

"Sighting in" the bow involves use of the range finder such that at a given distance from the target, corresponding to a given index on the range finder, the user can adjust both vertically and sideways the several sighting mechanisms provided the device. These sighting mechanisms include screws having sighting beads on their respective end extremities. The screws are threaded through and are adjustably contained in slide boss mounts and are provided with locking means to fix not only the sighting bead in a chosen azimuth position but also the boss mount to a vertical slide at a particular heighth level. As to sighting, the same is accomplished for all of the mounting bosses and their associated sighting beads, this for the entire range of distance readings of the range finder.

Means are supplied the device for either accommodating screw attachment thereof to a bow or for providing tape attachment, as desired. Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved range finder and sighting device for bows.

A further object is to provide a range finder and sighting device which, by its construction, can be mounted to almost any type of bow either by screws or by tape, for example.

A further object of the invention is to provide a range finder and sighting device wherein the range finder distance indexes are correlated with individual ones of plural sighting means, the latter being adjustable both for heighth and azimuth and bead positioning in accordance with the requirements of the user.

An additional object is to provide a range finder and bow sighting device wherein individual sights thereof can be locked as to vertical position and azimuth in a simple and convenient manner, this by inexpensively produced structure.

A further object of the device is to provide for a bow a range finder device such that the cross bars thereof are light-receptive, this to be clearly visible even during periods of low illumination.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a archery bow incorporating the range finder and sighting device of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, exploded as to mounts, of the range finder and sighting device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side view of a central portion of the bow of FIG. 1, is reversed 180.degree., and illustrates the manner in which tape can be employed to secure the mounts of the device to the bow.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross section taken along the line 5--5 in FIG. 4; in this figure is shown the condition of a boss mount before the tightening down thereof to fix the heighth of such boss along its slide.

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 it illustrates the device as being locked down so as to preclude movement of the mounting boss of the associated sighting means and of its sighting screw either vertically or horizontally.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, rear elevation of the bow when used by the viewer, this to illustrate the manner of employment of the range finder to ascertain the distance at which an object such as a deer is being sighted.

FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 7, illustrating that once the range of the hunted object has been ascertained, then the object may be zeroed in by the corresponding bead being sighted preparatory to arrow release.

In FIG. 1 the bow 10 is strung with a conventional bow string 11. Bow 10 includes the conventional handle grip 12, arrow guide way 13, and thickened upper portion 14. Mounted to upper portion 14 is the range finder and sighting device 15 of the present invention. Device 15 includes an upper range finder portion 16 taking the form of a frame 17 provided with cross bars 18. Cross bars 18 are preferably fabricated from nylon of a clear, colorless type and are glued or otherwise secured in place in aligned notches 19, by way of example. A clear nylon is preferred for the cross bars 18 since such tends to absorb light and become visible even during periods of very low illumination, as in early morning or late evening hours.

Disposed between cross bars 18 are respective distance indices 20 indicating distances such as 20-60 yards as between the object being sighted and the observer. The spacings between cross bars 18 for the corresponding distances are preferably so chosen that the chest cavity of a deer or other animal to be hunted just fills the space as relates to the angle subtended by adjacent cross bars relative to the observer's sighting eye. See FIG. 7. Accordingly, the upper space is "filled" when a deer of average size appears 20 yards from the observer. The space associated with the cross bars relating to the marking "30" in FIG. 2 is just filled by the chest cavity of a deer of average size when such deer is 30 yards from the observer holding the bow.

Depending from the frame 17 is an elongate slide support 21 having inwardly tapered opposite sides 22 and 23. Such opposite sides are illustrated with more particularity in FIGS. 5 and 6. A base 24 may also be supplied, which base will be made integral with an elongate slide support 21, by way of example.

Slidably mounted upon elongate slide support 21 are plural, resilient, inwardly compressible, plastic slide boss mounts 25 having distance indicia 20' corresponding to range indicia 20. Each of these are detailed in FIGS. 5 and 6 and, as shown, include a threaded bore 26 and an undercut slot 27. An interior transverse slot 28 is also provided and accommodates the squeezing together of portions 29 and 30 of the slide boss mount when locking nut 31 of FIG. 5 is turned down to the position shown in FIG. 6. Note is to be made that the locking nut 31 threadedly engages the threaded shaft of sighting screw 32. The latter incorporates a respective sighting bead 33 at its leftward extremity, see FIG. 2 and also FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate that the slide boss mount 25 for a particular yardage, e.l.g. 20-50 yards, may be slid up and down elongate slide support 21 to the exact position needed relative to heighth of the same.

Furthermore, during the "sighting in" procedure at the target range, not only can exact height be determined and set by the sighting screw and locking nut combination, but, in addition, when the locking nut is unlocked in the position shown in FIG. 5, then the sighting screw 32 can be rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise about its own axis so that there is correct azimuth positioning of sighting bead 33 of that respective screw. Subsequently the nut 31 will be tightened down against mount 25.

The above procedure will be followed for accurately positioning, both vertically and for azimuth, the sighting screw beads of the several sighting screws in correspondence with the various distances enumerated in range finder portion 16.

As to mounting to the bow, the range finder portion 16 will be provided with a pair of mounting brackets 34 each of which include mounting ears 35 and 36, a base 37, and upstanding pivot ears 38 and 39. The latter are provided with counter-sunk apertures 40 and 41 for receiving a respective pivot screw 42. Pivot screw 42 proceeds through pivot boss 43, and its upper counterpart, not shown in FIG. 2, so as to provide a pivotal connection as between the mounting bracket 34 and its respective pivot boss or ear 43. The mountings ears 35 and 36 may be taped to the bow as by tape T in FIG. 3, or the same way be provided with mounting screws 45 and 46 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In usage, the archer is supplied with a range finder and sighting device 15 for his bow 10. The range finder and sighting device 15 may be temporarily fitted to the bow, as by tape T in FIG. 3, for a preliminary determination as to approximately correct fitting. The device may simple remain taped to the bow or, if desired screws 45 and 46 may be supplied to secure the device to the bow. It is noted that the device can be fitted to almost any conceivable type of bow because of the pivot mounts associated with mounting brackets 34 and their pivotal connection to respective ears 43.

In properly adjusting the device the user will stand back, say, 20 yards from a given target approximating in heighth the average dimension of the chest cavity of a deer, by way of example. At 20 yards the space between the upper cross bars 18 of the range finder portion 16 of the device will just be "filled." At this point the corresponding slide boss mount 25 is adjusted vertically along the elongate slide support 21 such that, after repeated shooting through trial and error, the associated bead 33 of the upper screw 32 is exactly placed both as to height and azimuth. At this point the associated locking nut 31 is turned down against the mount so as to compress the portions 29 and 30 together and against the opposite sides 22 and 23 of elongate slide support 21. This operation locks this particular slide boss mount to the slide support and, hence, the sighting mechanism is accurately positioned for this particular distance i.e. 20 yards.

A corresponding procedure is followed for each of the next enumerated distances, 30-60 yards, relative to range finder portion 16 and remaining slide boss mounts 25 so that, correspondingly, the beads 33 of the remaining sighting screws can be fixed from the point of view of both heighth and azimuth. Again, this is accomplished simultaneously by unlocking the locking nut 31, then moving the slide boss mount up and down to the proper position and screwing the sighting screw appropriately so that the proper point disposition of bead 33 is achieved. Again, exact positioning is determined through trial and error after several arrow releases. Adjustments will vary depending upon the strength of the bow, stance of the user, and so forth.

In hunting, the object such as a deer being sought is first sighted and centered between those two cross bars 18 of the range finder portion at which the chest cavity just fills the distance between these two cross bars. See FIG. 17. At this point the user knows the approximate distance of the deer from the bow. He then selects the appropriate bead, of corresponding distance 20', of the sighting screw relative to this same yardage distance, see FIG. 8, and releases his arrow toward the target.

What is provided therefore is a new and improved device, readily and conveniently attachable to target and hunting bows, herein the range finding operation and sighting function are accomplished by use of a single device. MOre specifically, a series of bead-providing sighting screws are incorporated in the design and are correlated with the range finder of the device such that an ascertainment of the distance of a sighted object from the observer, as determined by the range finder, is utilized to select the appropriate sighting screw for that distance such that the appropriate bead may be zeroed in on the target in an accurate manner.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A range-finder, bow-sight device including, in combination, a range-finder portion having a multiplicity of fixedly disposed horizontal crossbars adjacent ones of which define respective, separated, light-transmissive viewing spaces of respective, unique heights, said range finder portion including respective identifying indicia means for respectively identifying said spaces as to ranges represented thereby as when a target of given height, when viewed by a user, visibly fills exactly a respective, determined one of said spaces when said target is at a range corresponding to that of the indicia means of the space through which said target is viewed; a bow-sight portion comprising a depending, elongate support, and a plurality of sighting means for respectively sighting targets at respective ranges established by said range-finder portion as identified by said indicia means, slideably mounted upon said elongate support and adjustably secured thereto; and means for mounting said device to a bow such that said range-finder portion is laterally offset relative to said bow, for viewing purposes, said range-finder portion being constructed to be so offset, and wherein respective ones of said sighting means individually comprise a boss mount having a transverse interior slit and being slideably disposed upon said elongate support, and sighting screw means for releasably locking said boss mount to said elongate support and comprising a sight-tipped sighting screw threadedly disposed through said boss mount, through said interior slit, and nut means threaded upon said sighting screw for locking said sighting screw in place such that the sight thereof is disposed at a desired azimuth.

2. A range-finder, bow-sight device including, in combination, a range-finder portion having a multiplicity of fixedly disposed, horizontal crossbars adjacent ones of which define respective, separated, light-transmissive viewing spaces of respective, unique heights, said range finder portion including respective identifying indicia means for respectively identifying said spaces as to ranges represented thereby as when a target of given height, when viewed by a user, visibly fills exactly a respective, determined one of said spaces when said target is at a range corresponding to that of the indicia means of the space through which said target is viewed; a bow-sight portion comprising a depending, elongate support, and a plurality of sighting means for respectively sighting targets at respective ranges established by said range-finder portion as identified by said indicia means, slideably mounted upon said elongate support and adjustably secured thereto; and means for mounting said device to a bow such that said range-finder portion is laterally offset relative to said bow, for viewing purposes, said range-finder portion being constructed to be so offset, and wherein respective ones of said sighting means individually comprise a boss mount having a transverse interior slit and being slideably disposed upon said elongate support, and sighting screw means for releasably locking said boss mount to said elongate support and comprising a sight-tipped sighting screw threadedly disposed through said boss mount, through said interior slit, and nut means threaded upon said sighting screw for locking said sighting screw in place such that the sight thereof is disposed at a desired azimuth, and wherein each of said sighting means includes an undercut slot, said elongate support being correspondingly configured for retentively receiving said sighting means at their undercut slot as aforesaid.