Games using tangible projectile – Projectile – per se; part thereof or accessory therefor – Arrow – dart – or shuttlecock; part thereof
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-02
2003-03-11
Ricci, John A. (Department: 3712)
Games using tangible projectile
Projectile, per se; part thereof or accessory therefor
Arrow, dart, or shuttlecock; part thereof
Reexamination Certificate
active
06530853
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the sport of archery, and more specifically to an assembly for securing bladed arrowheads to an arrow shaft ferrule. The present assembly utilizes an internally slotted washer which fits over complementary extensions at the bases of the blades, to lock the blades in place on the body with a fraction of a turn of the washer. The present assembly is adaptable to virtually any blade configuration having a flat, thin configuration, for single or any practicable number of plural blades.
2. Description of the Related Art
The sport of archery has developed tremendously since its origins as a necessary activity in primitive times. Yet, it still remains a challenging sport, with the hunter or archer dependent only upon his or her own strength and skill to hit the target precisely or to produce a clean kill of a game animal. Archers are of course constantly searching for the most advanced technology possible, in order to provide greater accuracy, stopping or killing power when hunting, ease of maintenance, and other factors.
As the sport has evolved, relatively thin arrowhead blades have become common, particularly for hunting. Such thin blades provide superior penetration and killing power when hunting, but their drawback is their relative fragility. Such thin arrowhead blades are easily bent or broken if they strike bone, or perhaps a stone or other hard object if the shot is missed or penetrates completely through the target. As a result, it has become standard procedure to provide for the replacement of blade elements as required on the arrow shaft attachment body, rather than forcing the archer to outlay a considerable expense to replace the entire assembly or perhaps the entire arrow, when all components excepting perhaps a single blade edge are in perfect condition. Such replaceable blade elements are also more easily sharpened than blades which are inseparably affixed to the shaft attachment body, or to the leading end of the arrow shaft itself.
A number of means of providing such replaceable blades on a blade attachment body, have been developed in the past. These replaceable arrowhead and/or blade assemblies almost universally rely upon a threaded mechanism for holding the blades in place on the body or leading end of the arrowhead shaft. Most such threaded assemblies rely upon the clamping action of a tapered collet arrangement to hold the blades in place, rather than providing positive retention. Those that do provide positive retention, require some significant time to thread and unthread the retaining components through several turns, as the threads are engaged and disengaged.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for an arrowhead assembly for retaining thin arrowhead blades upon a body, which in turn is secured to the leading end of an arrow shaft. The present invention provides positive and accurate retention and alignment of the blades relative to the body, while also providing for ease of release and locking in place through a fractional turn of a locking retaining washer. The present system provides numerous benefits in the field, particularly in savings of time and effort during arrowhead blade removal and replacement.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,969 issued on May 29, 1990 to Wesley S. Nagatori, titled “Arrowhead,” describes an assembly in which two flat blades are assembled together in a cruciform configuration. The primary blade includes a rearward extension, with threads cut or formed along the edges of the flat extension. A cruciform slotted body receives the two blades, with the blade and body assembly then securing to the end of the arrow shaft by means of the threaded edges of the rearward extension of the primary blade engaging cooperating internal threads in the leading end of the arrow shaft. In contrast, the present invention does not utilize any threaded means for securing the arrowhead components to the leading end of the arrow shaft, but rather utilizes a slotted body and complementary internally slotted lock washer to secure the trailing ends of the blades to the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,282 issued on Aug. 11, 1992 to Donald E. Segar et al., titled “Plastic Molded Arrowhead And Method,” describes an assembly formed of two mutually orthogonal flat metal blades which are placed in a mold and combined with plastic material about portions thereof. The plastic forms a rearward extension for securing the assembly to the leading end of the arrow shaft, and also covers the inner edges of the open blades, leaving the outer metal cutting edges exposed. The problem with the Segar et al. assembly is that the blades cannot be disassembled from one another for replacement of a single blade element, without destroying the plastic matrix which secures them together. The Segar et al. assembly thus cannot be repaired in the field by disassembly to sharpen individual blade elements, or to replace a single blade element, as can the present blade assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,186 issued on Sep. 8, 1992 to Richard Maleski, titled “Broadhead For An Arrow And Method Of Securement,” describes an assembly having a series of laterally asymmetrical blade elements each having a body attachment edge and an outward cutting edge. The Maleski blade elements do not extend symmetrically across the body, as do the present blade elements, but rather abut the side of the body. They are captured on the body by a separate tip component which threads onto the body and captures the forward tips of the blade elements, and a similar collet which threads onto the rearward end of the body. The present assembly needs no additional tip component to secure the blade elements, nor any threaded components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,697 issued on Nov. 24, 1992 to Stanley E. Lauriski et al., titled “Broadhead Archery Hunting Point,” describes an assembly having a relatively complex body assembly formed of two different metals in three different portions, which are press fit together. The blade elements assemble to the body assembly through slots in the body and mating reliefs in the blades. However, the Lauriski et al. blades are secured only when the body assembly is threaded into the socket at the leading end of the arrow shaft. In contrast, the present assembly locks the blades to the body by means of a specially formed washer which secures to the trailing end of the body, separate from the arrow shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,068 issued on Oct. 11, 1994 to Richard Maleski, titled “Broadhead For An Arrow And Method Of Securement,” is a continuation in part of the '186 parent U.S. Patent, discussed further above. The assembly of the '068 U.S. Patent utilizes a longer tapered collet at the trailing end of the body, in comparison to the assembly of the '186 parent U.S. Patent. However, both differ considerably from the present arrowhead assembly, in that both of the Maleski assemblies utilize laterally asymmetrical blade components with inboard edges which abut the side of the body, rather than symmetrical blade elements which pass through slots formed through the body, as in the present arrowhead assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,440 issued on May 23, 1995 to Robert Barrie et al., titled “Broadhead Arrow Tip,” describes an assembly much like that of the '186 and '068 Maleski U.S. Patents discussed further above. The Barrie et al. assembly also uses laterally asymmetrical blade components which abut the sides of the arrowhead body and are secured at their forward and trailing ends by separate components which attach to the body. Barrie et al. also disclose a locking collar, which is installed between the arrow shaft insert or ferrule and the trailing end of the arrowhead body. However, the Barrie et al. locking collar has no provision for positively engaging any portions or extensions of the blades, for holding the blades positively in place on the arrowhe
Ballistic Archery, Inc.
Litman Richard C.
Ricci John A.
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