Bow with barrel arrangement

• US 5,678,528 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Claude Hadley
• Original Assignee: Claude Hadley
• Inventors: Hadley, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Reese, Randolph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beach, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US08/474,702
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 124/24.1, 124/65, 124/66, 124/25, 124/25.5, 124/25.6, 124/25.7, 124/26, 124/27
• US Class Current: 124/25
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 5/12 Crossbows

Abstract

A projectile launcher having a barrel for holding projectiles traveling through an aligning opening in or connected to a rigid support. Two bow arms extend from the rigid support. A bow string travels between the ends of the two bow arms and behind the aligning opening. The rigid support may include a brace which extends from the rigid support to the forearm of the user. A piston within the barrel or the barrel itself is propelled by the string. The piston moves relative to the rigid support which remains substantially motionless when used. This bow may have an arm brace characteristic of a wrist slingshot or other bow designs. Pulleys or cams of novel design having curved lips are attached to either bow arm to decrease wear on the bow strings. A novel pulley arrangement is disclosed which limits the number of strings passing behind the rigid support. Tubing or elastic bands may run between the rigid support and bowstring to (1) give additional power to the bow and (2) to keep the bow string travel in line in conjunction with the tubular aligning opening in the rigid support.

Claims

1. An apparatus for hurling a projectile comprising:

(a) a barrel means for containing a projectile having an ejection end, a back end, and a longitudinal length comprised of consecutive segments between said ejection end and said back end, said barrel means defining an open internal area within said longitudinal length for containing the projectile and defining an aperture continuous with said open internal area at the ejection end;

(b) a substantially rigid support defining an opening through which the barrel means moves;

(c) a first bow arm having a first and second end wherein said first bow arm first end is connected to the rigid support means;

(d) a second bow arm having a first and second end wherein said second bow arm first end is connected to the rigid support;

(e) a first attachment means mounted substantially on the second end of the first bow arm and a second attachment means mounted substantially on the second end of the second bow arm;

(f) a bow string having a first end and second end and having a middle between the first and second end and having the first end attached to the first attachment means and having the second end attached to the second attachment means and further comprising a piston means movable within said barrel means attached to the string middle for moving the projectile in response to movement of the bow string relative to the rigid support and wherein said piston means is releasably connectable to the barrel by a trigger means mounted to the back end of the barrel means; and

, wherein the opening defined by the rigid support being approximately equal to the circumference of the barrel means at the consecutive segments between the barrel back end and barrel ejection end so that at least some of the barrel segments may move along the barrel longitudinal length through the opening defined by the rigid support; and

further comprising a sleeve within the opening for guiding consecutive segments of the barrel means within the sleeve.

2. An apparatus for hurling a projectile comprising:

(a) a barrel means for containing a projectile having an ejection end, a back end, and a longitudinal length comprised of consecutive segments between said ejection end and said back end, said barrel means defining an open internal area within said longitudinal length for containing the projectile and defining an aperture continuous with said open internal area at the ejection end;

(b) a substantially rigid support defining an opening through which the barrel means moves;

(c) a first bow arm having a first and second end wherein said first bow arm first end is connected to the rigid support means;

(d) a second bow arm having a first and second end wherein said second bow arm first end is connected to the rigid support;

(e) a first attachment means mounted substantially on the second end of the first bow arm and a second attachment means mounted substantially on the second end of the second bow arm;

(f) a bow string having a first end and second end and having a middle between the first and second end and having the first end attached to the first attachment means and having the second end attached to the second attachment means and further comprising a piston means movable within said barrel means attached to the string middle for moving the projectile in response to movement of the bow string relative to the rigid support and wherein said piston means is releasably connectable to the barrel by a trigger means mounted to the back end of the barrel means; and

, wherein the opening defined by the rigid support being approximately equal to the circumference of the barrel means at the consecutive segments between the barrel back end and barrel ejection end so that at least some of the barrel consecutive segments may move along the barrel longitudinal length through the opening defined by the rigid support; and

wherein the barrel means comprises at least one first groove defined by the longitudinal length of the barrel means, and wherein the piston means comprises a first end and a second end wherein the first end lies partially within the barrel and fits movably through said groove so that a portion of the piston may contact the projectile,; and

further comprising at least one elastic band means for supplementing the elongate energy storage means having a first end and a second end and wherein the band first end is attached to the substantially rigid support and wherein the band second end is attached to the piston means.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the invention further comprises the rigid support defining a first half closest to the first bow arm, a second half closest to the second arm, and a second elastic band means having a first end and a second end and wherein the first elastic band means first end attaches to the rigid support on the half of the rigid support closest to the first bow arm and the second elastic band means first end attaches to the rigid support on the half of the rigid support closest to the second bow arm and the second end of each elastic band means attaches to the piston means for controlling the direction of travel of the bow string.

4. An apparatus for hurling a projectile comprising:

(a) a barrel means for containing a projectile having an ejection end, a back end, and a longitudinal length comprised of consecutive segments between said ejection end and said back end, said barrel means defining an open internal area within said longitudinal length for containing the projectile and defining an aperture continuous with said open internal area at the ejection end;

(b) a substantially rigid support defining an opening through which the barrel means moves;

(c) a first bow arm having a first and second end wherein said first bow arm first end is connected to the rigid support means;

(d) a second bow arm having a first and second end wherein said second bow arm first end is connected to the rigid support;

(e) a first attachment means mounted substantially on the second end of the first bow arm and a second attachment means mounted substantially on the second end of the second bow arm;

(f) a bow string having a first end and second end and having a middle between the first and second end and having the first end attached to the first attachment means and having the second end attached to the second attachment means and further comprising a piston means movable within said barrel means attached to the string middle for moving the projectile in response to movement of the bow string relative to the rigid support and wherein said piston means is releasably connectable to the barrel by a trigger means mounted to the back end of the barrel means; and

, wherein the opening defined by the rigid support being approximately equal to the circumference of the barrel means at the segments between the barrel back end and barrel ejection end so that at least some of the barrel segments may move along the barrel longitudinal length through the opening defined by the rigid support; and

wherein the piston further comprises a trigger receiving face and wherein the trigger means further comprises a return spring mounted to the back of the barrel means and wherein the return spring is connected to projectile launcher release lever and biases this lever upward in contact with the trigger receiving face between the rigid support and the piston receiving face and wherein the trigger further comprises a pivoting trigger which contacts the release lever so that as the trigger pivots it moves the release lever out of contact with the receiving face.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein the piston means further comprises a piston hole defined by the piston means and wherein the trigger means further comprises a first leg having a front facing the rigid support is pivotally connected to the barrel so that it may fit within the piston hole and further comprising a hammer pivotally mounted on the barrel which contacts the front of the first leg so that when the hammer is rotate around its pivot, it releases the first leg so that the first leg may withdraw as the piston means moves forward.