Bowstring release mechanism

• US 4,509,497 A
• Filed: 11/24/1980
• Issued: 04/09/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Geary L. Garvison
• Original Assignee: Geary L. Garvison
• Inventors: Garvison, Geary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bratlie, Steven A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/209,757
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 124/35 A, 124/24 R, 124/23 R, 124/41 A, 124/35 R, 124/31
• US Class Current: 124/35.2
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 5/1469 Bow-string drawing or releasing devices F41B5/1473 takes precedence

Abstract

The disclosure concerns a release mechanism for drawing and releasing the bowstring of free-standing bows in which a triggered-latch mechanism is affixed to sheet of resilient, non-stretchable material shaped to overlie the palm of the archer'"'"'s hand and to be strapped around his wrist. A thumbhold is provided in the sheet so that the triggered-latch mechanism can be drawn up into the crotch between the forefinger and the thumb and the trigger is positioned in the latch mechanism in position to be easily pulled by the forefinger when the triggered-latch mechanism is so positioned. The triggered-latch mechanism has a trigger and a rotary latch having a latching arm and a cocking arm and complementary detents on the trigger and the latch operative in the cocked position to prevent rotation of the latch, and in the release to permit rotation of the latch. The trigger and rotary latch are mounted in an elongate holding device having a bowstring receiving slot which cooperates with the latching arm and the cocking arm to cause the latching arm to latch onto the bowstring to permit drawing the bow and to effect release thereof when the trigger is actuated. The trigger has surfaces arranged to contact the rotary latch on opposite sides of the pivot point thereof to hold the rotary latch in position while the cocking arm is crosswise of the bowstring-receiving slot and in a position to effect rotation of the latch to the cocked position when the bowstring is inserted into the slot.

Claims

1. A bowstring release mechanism which comprises:

a sheet of resilient, non-stretchable material shaped to overlie the palm of an archer'"'"'s hand and having a thumbhole therein in combination with a triggered-latch mechanism affixed thereto;

said triggered-latch mechanism comprising an elongate rigid body in which the maximum dimension of any transverse cross section is substantially smaller than the length of said body;

latch means in one end of said elongate body adapted releasably to engage a bow-string;

trigger means operatively associated with said latch means and adapted releasably to hold said latch means in latch position, whereby a bowstring is released when said trigger means is actuated;

first fastening means for fastening said sheet of material to the wrist of the archer with the thumb projecting through said thumbhole; and

,

second fastening means for fastening said elongate body to said sheet at the end thereof opposite said latch means and in a position such that, when said latch means is latched onto a bowstring and drawn to the desired release position, the end of said elongate body which is fastened to said sheet is disposed in the crotch of the thumb and trigger finger;

said elongate body being of such a length that when the end thereof which is attached to said sheet is so disposed in said crotch, it extends out to a position beyond and along side of the folded-back middle finger of the archer and along said trigger finger to a position where said trigger means can be actuated by said trigger finger to effect release of a bowstring and, when not latched, dangles down from said second fastening means in a position to be easily engaged by the thumb and forefinger for the purpose of latching it onto a bowstring.

2. A release mechanism according to claim 1, in which said first fastening means comprises strapping means for strapping said sheet to the wrist of said archer and finger-grasping means which is part of said sheet and cooperates with said strapping means to hold said sheet in the stated position overlying the palm where the trigger means can be grasped by and actuated by the trigger finger of the archer, said finger-grasping means being separated from said thumbhole by an expanse of said sheet sufficient to bring said finger-grasping means out into contact with the inner portion of said folded-back middle finger, whereby the stress induced on said sheet by drawing the bow is distributed between said first fastening means and said finger-grasping means.

3. An archery release mechanism according to claim 2, in which said finger-grasping means is long enough to be grasped by two or more fingers other than said trigger finger.

4. A bowstring release mechanism of a bow which comprises:

a sheet of resilient, non-stretchable material shaped to overlie the palm of an archer'"'"'s hand;

a triggered-latch mechanism affixed to said sheet having latch means adapted releasably to engage a bowstring, and trigger means adapted releasably to hold said latch means in latch position, whereby said bowstring is released when said trigger is actuated;

fastening means for fastening said sheet of material to the hand of the archer and holding said trigger means in a position relative to said trigger finger such that, when it is latched onto a bowstring and drawn to the desired release position, a trigger means is in position to be actuated by the trigger finger of said archer to effect release of a bowstring; and

finger-grasping means which comprises an elongate, rounded enlargement on one edge of said sheet angling back from the attachment of said triggered-latch mechanism thereto, said enlargement having a length of at least the width of three fingers and being located in a position relative to said fastening means to be grasped by one or more fingers other than the trigger finger when the trigger finger is in position to actuate said trigger.

5. A bowstring release mechanism of a bow which comprises:

a sheet of resilient, non-stretchable material shaped to overlie the palm of an archer'"'"'s hand;

a triggered-latch mechanism affixed to said sheet having latch means adapted releasably to engage a bowstring, and trigger means adapted releasably to hold a latch means in latch position, whereby said bowstring is released when said trigger is actuated; and

fastening means for fastening said sheet of material to the hand of the archer and holding said trigger means in a position relative to said trigger finger such that, when it is latched onto a bowstring and is drawn to the desired release position, said trigger means still is in position to be pulled by the trigger finger of said archer to effect release of a bowstring, in which a latch mechanism comprises cocking means actuated by said bowstring, and in which said first fastening means comprises wrist straps on opposite edges of said sheet of sufficient length to permit strapping said sheet to the wrist of said archer to hold said sheet in position overlying the palm and finger-grasping means comprising an elongate rounded enlargement on one edge of said sheet which angles back from the attachment of said triggered-latch mechanism thereto, has a length of at least the width of three fingers and is located in a position to be grasped by two or more fingers other than the trigger finger when the trigger finger is in position to actuate said trigger, and in which said sheet has a thumbhole therein between said straps.

6. In a bowstring release mechanism, the combination which comprises:

a trigger;

a rotary latch having an upstanding latching arm and an upstanding cocking arm forming a notch between them, said latch being mounted for rotation about a pivot disposed below said upstanding cocking arm;

complementary detents on said trigger and said latch operative in the cocked position to prevent rotation of said latch and, in the release position, to permit rotation of said latch; and

an elongate rigid body which houses said trigger and said latch in operative position and having, in one end thereof, a longitudinal, bowstring-receiving slot which cooperates with said latching arm and said cocking arm to permit said latching arm to latch onto a bowstring of a bow to permit drawing a bow and to effect release thereof when the trigger is actuated, said elongate body being in the shape of a narrow, elongate, box-shaped member having at one end, attaching means for attaching it to draw means which is operative to draw said body and, in turn, said bow-string to drawn position and, at the other end, said bowstring-receiving slot, the distance from said attaching means to said slot being substantially longer than the width of any transverse cross section of said box-shaped member, and said trigger being pivoted in said box-shaped member above said slot but extending below said box-shaped member in position to be engaged by the index finger of the archer.

9. A release mechanism of claim 6, which further comprises a wrist-strap draw means for fastening said elongate rigid body to the hand of the archer in a fixed position such that, when said elongate rigid body is latched onto said bowstring and a bowstring drawn to release position, the trigger finger of the archer will extend alongside said box-shaped member and the trigger will be held in a position to be actuated by the trigger finger of the archer.

7. A bowstring release mechanism, the combination which comprises:

a trigger;

a rotary latch having a latching arm and a cocking arm;

complementary detents on said trigger and said latch operative in the cocked position to prevent rotation of said latch and, in the release position, to permit rotation of said latch; and

elongate holding means for holding said trigger and said latch in operative position and having, in one end thereof, a longitudinal bowstring-receiving slot which cooperates with said latching arm and said cocking arm to permit said latching arm to latch onto a bowstring to permit drawing a bow and to effect release thereof when the trigger is actuated, in which said latch comprises and rotates about a pivot point so located that the latching arm, in the cocked position, blocks the slot and acts to retain a bowstring in said slot until the trigger is actuated, whereupon it rotates to the release position and re-releases said bowstring, which further comprises limiting means for limiting the rotation of said rotary latch, in which said limiting means comprises holding means for holding said rotary latch in a release position in which said latching arm is free of said slot so that said slot can be easily and quickly engaged on a bowstring and with said cocking arm in position to be engaged by a bowstring to move said latching arm to the cocked position and to trap the bowstring in said slot, and in which said holding means comprises spaced apart, line-contact edges on said trigger adapted to contact surfaces on said rotary latch in its release position, one of which is on one side of a pivot point and the other of which is on the other side of a pivot point.

8. An archery release mechanism of claim 7, in which said rotary latch has a curved cam surface sloping from the bottom of said latch to a point substantially opposite the pivot point up to the complementary detent thereon, effective on rotation of said latch to latching position to move said trigger and the complementary detent thereon to a position where one detent can be moved back past the other one into latching position, said trigger being spring-biased against movement by said curved cam surface, whereby the trigger snaps back into latched position when the two detents are in latching position.

10. A bowstring release mechanism which comprises:

a sheet of resilient, non-stretchable material shaped to wrap around the wrist of the archer, to overlie at least a part of the palm of an archer'"'"'s hand, and to provide a finger-gripping portion at least wide enough to accommodate two or more fingers other than the index finger and the thumb;

a triggered-latch mechanism affixed to said sheet having latch means adapted releasably to engage a bowstring of a bow, and trigger means adapted releasably to hold said latch means in latch position, whereby an engaged bowstring is released when said trigger is actuated to release the same; and

fastening means for fastening said sheet of material to the wrist of the archer for fastening said trigger means in a position relative to said index finger such that, when it is latched onto a bowstring and drawn to the desired release position, said trigger means is still in position to be actuated by the index finger of said archer to effect release of an engaged bowstring and said finger-gripping portion being spaced from said wrist-fastening means a distance such that it is in position to be engaged in the light formed when two or more fingers other than the index finger and the thumb are folded back on themselves and such that the tension of a drawn bow is distributed between said wrist-fastening means and said two or more fingers.