Arrowhead with laser

• US 8,657,709 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nockout Outdoors LLC
• Original Assignee: Clean-Shot Archery Incorporated
• Inventors: Bay, Larry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): RICCI, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US13/273,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20120035006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 473/570, 473/578, 473/582, 473/583, 473/585, 473/586
• US Class Current: 473/583
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/35 for illuminating the target , e.g. flash lights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/467 for bows
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/362 Arrows or darts F42B12/38 takes precedence, having means for implantation, e.g. hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54; arrows or darts in general F42B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/365 Projectiles transmitting information to a remote location using optical or electronic means F42B12/385 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/04 Archery arrows F42B6/08, F41B5/06, F42B12/362 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/08 Arrow heads; Harpoon heads

Abstract

An arrow, arrowhead and method of shooting an arrowhead are disclosed. In one example embodiment, a plurality of blades extend outwardly from the body of an arrowhead and a sharpened tip extends forwardly. A front laser diode is disposed in the arrowhead and is arranged so that a laser beam emitted by the diode projects forward from the arrowhead through an aperture in the tip and is coaxial with the tip'"'"'s center axis. In another example embodiment, the housing includes a rear facing light source to selectively light the nock. The method includes indexing the arrowhead to the vanes by tightening a set screw disposed in a portion of the arrowhead disposed in the arrow shaft.

Claims

1. An arrowhead comprising:

a body, the body including an internal cavity;

a plurality of blades extending outwardly from the body;

a sharpened tip extending forwardly from the body, the tip having a center axis, and an aperture formed in the tip that extends outward along the center axis of the tip;

a battery housing extending rearwardly from the body, the battery housing including a rearwardly extending threaded portion, the threaded portion including a hole defined longitudinally therethrough, and the threaded portion being sectioned longitudinally into first and second halves with a slot defined between the first and second halves;

a battery disposed in the battery housing; and

a front laser diode disposed in the internal cavity of the body, the front laser diode arranged so that the laser beam emitted by the diode projects forward from the arrowhead through the aperture in the tip, the laser beam being coaxial with the center axis of the tip.

2. The arrowhead of claim 1, further comprising a hall effect sensor disposed in the body, the hall effect sensor configured to detect the proximity of the arrowhead to a magnet disposed on a bow.

3. The arrowhead of claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer disposed in the body.

4. The arrowhead of claim 1, further comprising a rear facing light source disposed in the battery housing.

5. The arrowhead of claim 1, further comprising a set screw disposed in the hole defined longitudinally through the threaded portion.

6. The arrowhead of claim 1, further comprising a collimating lens disposed in the body and arranged so that the laser beam projected by the front laser diode travels through the lens before exiting the tip.

7. The arrowhead of claim 1, further comprising a set screw disposed in the body and configured to adjust the aim of the laser beam emitted by the front laser diode.

8. The arrow of claim 1, wherein the tip comprises a first tip point, a second tip point and a cutting edge disposed between the first and second tip point.

9. An arrow comprising:

a hollow shaft having a front end and a rear end;

a nock disposed on the rear end of the shaft; and

an arrowhead disposed at the front end of the shaft, the arrowhead comprising;

a body having a forward end and a rearward end, the body including a microprocessor disposed therein;

a tip disposed on the forward end of the body, the tip including a plurality of sharpened points and cutting edges;

a housing disposed on the rearward end of the body, the housing including a rearwardly extending threaded portion, the threaded portion being sectioned longitudinally into first and second halves with a slot defined between the first and second halves.

10. The arrow of claim 9, further comprising:

an accelerometer disposed in the body and in communication with the microprocessor.

11. The arrow of claim 9, further comprising:

a forward facing laser diode disposed in the body; and

an aperture defined in the tip and configured to permit a light beam from the forward facing laser to exit the tip along a central axis of the arrow.

12. The arrow of claim 11, further comprising a hall effect sensor disposed in the body, the hall effect sensor responsive to a magnet disposed on a bow.

13. The arrow of claim 11, wherein the arrowhead further comprises a collimating lens disposed in the body and arranged so that the laser beam projected by the forward facing laser diode travels through the lens before exiting the tip.

14. The arrow of claim 9, wherein the arrowhead comprises a plurality of blades, each blade disposed in a groove defined in the body, each blade having a flanged portion and a forward corner, wherein the blade is secured to the body by flanged portion interfacing with the housing and the forward corner interfacing with the tip.

15. The arrow of claim 9, further comprising a rear facing light source disposed in the cavity of the housing, the rear facing light source having an unobstructed path through the shaft to the nock, the light source selectively lighting the nock.

16. A method of shooting an arrow, the arrow comprising an arrow head, a shaft and a plurality of vanes, the method comprising:

indexing the arrowhead to the plurality of vanes by tightening a set screw disposed in a portion of the arrowhead;

disposing a magnet on a bow;

engaging an arrow with the bow;

drawing the arrow back until a forward facing laser beam in the arrowhead turns on in response to a hall effect sensor sensing the presence of the magnet; and

turning off the forward facing laser beam when the hall effect sensor does not sense the presence of the magnet.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

wherein the tightening of the set screw laterally expands a portion of the arrow head disposed within the arrow shaft.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether the arrow has reached a preset flight speed and turning on a rear-facing light source disposed in the arrowhead to illuminate the nock.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

storing flight data for the arrow in a memory disposed in the arrowhead.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

pulsing the illuminations of the nock to transmit the flight data to a device configured to decode the transmitted flight data.

21. An arrowhead comprising:

a body portion having a forward end and a rearward end, the body defining a non-threaded hollow interior portion, the forward end defining an opening into the non-threaded hollow interior portion;

a removable tip portion securable to the forward end of the body;

a circuit board disposed within the non-threaded hollow interior portion; and

a flight data sensor disposed within the non-threaded hollow interior portion.

22. The arrowhead of claim 21, wherein the flight data sensor is an accelerometer.