Broadhead matched practice field tip and related method of use

• US 10,066,912 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grace Engineering Corporation
• Original Assignee: Grace Engineering Corporation
• Inventors: Grace, Nathaniel E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Niconovich, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US15/789,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20180188011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 473583, 473582
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/04 Bow shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/00 Training appliances or apparatus for special sports training of parachutists B64D23/00
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/08 Arrow heads; Harpoon heads

Abstract

An archery practice field tip and related method of use is provided, where the field tip has a first shape that is structurally different from a second shape of an actual hunting broadhead, but where the tip mimics the aerodynamics and flight characteristics of the hunting broadhead. The practice tip can be void of sharpened cutting edges, and can include a head on drag promoting element and/or a crosswind drag promoting element, either of which can be scoops, flanges, fins, holes and the like. The tip can have a head on aerodynamic drag that is within 40%, within 25%, within 10% and/or within 5% of the first head on aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead. The practice tip can have a crosswind aerodynamic drag that is within 40%, within 25%, within 10% and/or within 5% of the crosswind aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead.

Claims

1. An archery broadhead kit comprising:

(a) a broadhead comprising;

a first ferrule having a first longitudinal axis;

a first stem configured to join with an arrow insert, the stem joined with the first ferrule at a first end;

a first tip included with the first ferrule at a second end distal from the first end;

a blade extending from the first ferrule, the blade having a cutting edge; and

(b) a practice field tip comprising;

a second ferrule different in shape from the first ferrule and having a second longitudinal axis;

a second stem configured to join with the arrow insert, the stem joined with the second ferrule at a first end;

a second tip joined with the second ferrule at a second end distal from the first end; and

an aerodynamic drag promoting element joined with the second ferrule distal from the second tip, the aerodynamic drag promoting element being configured to increase the amount of aerodynamic drag experienced by the practice field tip in flight,

wherein the practice field tip is void of any blade, whether sharpened for cutting or not sharpened for cutting,

whereby the practice field tip has substantially the same aerodynamic flight characteristics of the broadhead.

2. The archery broadhead kit of claim 1,

wherein the second ferrule includes a shoulder, configured to engage at least one of an arrow and an arrow insert,

wherein the aerodynamic drag promoting element is a scoop adjacent the shoulder and projects outward from the second longitudinal axis,

wherein the aerodynamic drag promoting element includes a first well adjacent the second longitudinal axis;

wherein the aerodynamic drag promoting element terminates at an outer scoop lip.

3. The archery broadhead kit of claim 2,

wherein the scoop is flanked by first and second fins that each project away from the second longitudinal axis and terminate at an outer fin edge.

4. The archery broadhead kit of claim 1,

wherein the aerodynamic drag promoting element includes a first scoop and a second scoop, the first scoop including a first scoop upper edge and the second scoop including a second scoop upper edge,

wherein the second ferrule includes a first fin projecting away from the longitudinal axis,

wherein the first fin includes a first landing extending from the first scoop upper edge to the second scoop upper edge,

wherein the first scoop includes a first well that is rounded and concave toward the second longitudinal axis,

wherein the second scoop includes a second well that is substantially identical to the first well, and is rounded and concave toward the second longitudinal axis.

5. The archery broadhead kit of claim 1,

wherein the aerodynamic drag promoting element includes a head on aerodynamic drag promoting scoop that transitions to a crosswind aerodynamic drag promoting scoop that extends forward toward the second tip.

6. The archery broadhead kit of claim 5,

wherein the aerodynamic head on drag promoting scoop includes a first well;

wherein the crosswind aerodynamic drag promoting scoop includes a second well that is substantially parallel to the second longitudinal axis,

wherein the first well is adjacent the second well.

7. The archery broadhead kit of claim 1,

wherein the aerodynamic drag promoting element includes a crosswind aerodynamic drag promoting scoop that transitions toward first and second fins that are void of cutting edges,

wherein the first and second fins include outer edges through which a reference line extends,

wherein the head on aerodynamic drag promoting element is a scoop that extends away from the second longitudinal axis and beyond the reference line.

8. The archery broadhead kit of claim 1,

wherein the first ferrule is of a first length extending from a first shoulder to the first tip,

wherein the second ferrule is of a second length extending from a second shoulder to the second tip,

wherein the second length is greater than the first length.

9. An archery practice field tip comprising:

a ferrule;

a stem configured to join with an arrow insert, the stem joined with the ferrule at a first end;

a tip joined with the ferrule at a second end distal from the first end, with a longitudinal axis extending from the first end to the second end;

a head on aerodynamic drag promoting element joined with the ferrule distal from the tip, the aerodynamic drag promoting element being configured to increase the amount of head on drag on the archery practice field tip in flight; and

a crosswind aerodynamic drag promoting element joined with the ferrule adjacent the head on aerodynamic drag promoting element, the crosswind aerodynamic drag promoting element being configured to increase the amount of crosswind drag experienced on the practice field tip in flight,

wherein the archery practice field tip is void of any cutting edges;

wherein the archery practice field tip is void of any blade, whether sharpened for cutting or not sharpened for cutting,

whereby the archery practice field tip mimics the aerodynamic flight characteristics of a hunting broadhead having cutting edges.

10. The archery practice field tip of claim 9,

wherein the head on aerodynamic drag promoting element is a first scoop having a first concave surface that opens forward generally toward the tip;

wherein the crosswind aerodynamic drag promoting element is a second scoop having a second concave surface that opens outward, away from the longitudinal axis.

11. The archery practice field tip of claim 9,

wherein the crosswind aerodynamic drag promoting element includes a first scoop and a second scoop, the first scoop including a first scoop upper edge and the second scoop including a second scoop upper edge,

wherein the ferrule includes a first fin projecting away from the longitudinal axis,

wherein the first fin includes a first landing extending from the first scoop upper edge to the second scoop upper edge,

wherein the first scoop includes a first well that is rounded and concave toward the longitudinal axis,

wherein the second scoop includes a second well that is substantially identical to the first well, and is rounded and concave toward the longitudinal axis.

12. The archery practice field tip of claim 9,

wherein the second concave surface includes a uniform curvature between first and second fins,

wherein the first concave surface forms a curvilinear line that curves outward away from the longitudinal axis, the curvilinear line being in a plane that passes through the longitudinal axis and a well of the first concave surface.

13. The archery practice field tip of claim 9,

wherein the ferrule, stem, tip, head on aerodynamic drag promoting element and crosswind aerodynamic drag promoting element are formed as a monolithic one piece unit having no moving parts and no replaceable parts.

14. A method of manufacturing a practice field tip comprising:

measuring at least one of a first head on aerodynamic drag and a first crosswind aerodynamic drag of a hunting broadhead, the hunting broadhead having a first shape and a sharpened cutting edge;

forming a practice field tip, including a second shape different from the first shape and an aerodynamic drag promoting element not present on the hunting broadhead, the practice field tip being void of a sharpened cutting edge, so that the practice field tip has at least one of;

(a) a second head on aerodynamic drag that is less than 40% above and less than 40% below the first head on aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead, and

(b) a second crosswind aerodynamic drag that is less than 40% above and less than 40% below the first crosswind aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead,

wherein the practice field tip is void of any blade, whether sharpened for cutting or not sharpened for cutting.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the forming includes molding the practice field tip in a mold.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the forming includes milling the practice field tip in a CNC machine.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising:

forming the practice field tip so that the practice field tip has the second head on aerodynamic drag that is less than 25% above and less than 25% below the first head on aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead, and so that the practice field tip has the second crosswind aerodynamic drag that is less than 25% above and less than 25% below the first crosswind aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead.

18. The method of claim 14, comprising:

forming the practice field tip so that the practice field tip has the second head on aerodynamic drag that is less than 10% above and less than 10% below the first head on aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead, and so that the practice field tip has the second crosswind aerodynamic drag that is less than 10% above and less than 10% below the first crosswind aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead.

19. The method of claim 14, comprising:

forming the practice field tip so that the practice field tip has the second head on aerodynamic drag that is less than 5% above and less than 5% below the first head on aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead, and so that the practice field tip has the second crosswind aerodynamic drag that is less than 5% above and less than 5% below the first crosswind aerodynamic drag of the hunting broadhead.

20. The method of claim 14 comprising:

producing the practice field tip to include a first scoop and a second scoop, the first scoop including a first scoop upper edge and the second scoop including a second scoop upper edge,

wherein the practice field tip includes a first fin projecting away from a longitudinal axis of the practice field tip,

wherein the first fin includes a first landing extending from the first scoop upper edge to the second scoop upper edge,

wherein the first scoop includes a first well that is rounded and concave toward the longitudinal axis,

wherein the second scoop includes a second well that is substantially identical to the first well, and is rounded and concave toward the longitudinal axis.