Take-down archery bow
United States Patent 1191 1111 ,874,360 Armstrong et al. Apr. 1, 1975 TAKE-DOWN ARCHERY BOW Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne 75 I t L A t R b t 1 men Ors gz izi fg gg ggg zfi Wis Attorney, Agent, or Fzrm-Hawke Gifford Patalidls &amp;  
  Dumont [73] Assignee: American Archery Company, Inc.,  
  Oconto Falls, Wis. [57 BST C [22] Filed: Nov. 5, 1973 A take-down, or break-down archery bow having a socket in at least one end of the handle for receiving [2]] Appl&#39; 4l2716 the end of one of the bow limbs. Locking pins extend outwardly from the opposite surfaces of the end of the [52] US. Cl. 124/23 R, 124/30 R, 403/306 limb received in the socket. A hole for receiving one [51] Int. Cl. F4lb 5/00 of the pins is formed in the socket. A leaf spring is dis- [58] Field of Search 124/23 R, 24 R, R, 25, posed in the socket and biases the butt end of the limb 124/22; 403/305, 306, 316, 361, 378, 379 in a direction such as to force the pin into the holes. Said spring has a hole for receiving the other of said [56] References Cited locking pins. To disassemble a limb from a handle the UNITED STATES PATENTS archer disengages the pins from the holes in the han- 3,628,519 12/1971 Hofmeister 124/24 R and pulls the bow many from the Socket 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures TAKE-DOWN ARCHERY BOW BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to archery bows, especially to take-down, or break-down, archery bows. In particular, the invention pertains to a novel means for removably connecting the limbs of a take-down archery bow to the handle of the bow.  
 II. Description of the Prior Art Various take-down archery bows are known. The advantages of take-down archery bows have long been recognized and include ease of shipping, transportation and storage as compared to conventional one-piece bows.  
  The problems to be solved in designing a take-down archery bow are to provide a simple disconnect mechanism making the bow easy to assemble and disassemble without tools, and providing a secure limb to handle connection while, at the same time, keeping manufacturing costs reasonable and precluding the high incidence of failures inherent in complicated mechanism.  
  A prior art break-down bow has a tapered socket in each end of the handle for receiving a complementary tapered projecting portion at the end of the limb which is inserted in the tapered socket. A drawback of this type of bow is that the end portion of the limb may be come wedged tightly in the socket in the handle and, as a result, it is difficult to disassemble the bow without the aid of tools. In an attempt to overcome such disadvantages, another prior art bow is provided with a tapered socket in the handle in which is engaged the tapered end of the bow limb, and a movable wedge block is disposed in the socket for engagement with the tapered end of the bow limb by means ofa lever. The disadvantage of this type of structure is that the mechanism is relatively complicated and has moving parts which may become inoperative, and it is expensive to manufacture.  
  The present invention obviates the drawbacks of the prior art take-down bows by providing a socket in the handle to receive the butt end of the limb, wherein the socket is provided with a simple, novel mechanism which positively locks the limb and the handle together. Further, the mechanism of the present invention does not require for the archer to do anything more than insert the end of the limb into the socket in the handle and string the bow.  
  No other known prior art device provides the combined advantages of the present invention, that is, a simple, inexpensive, reliable mechanism for locking the limbs of a take-down archery bow to the handle and permitting to assemble and disassemble the bow without tools.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention therefore provides a takedown archery bow having a handle provided with a socket in at least one end to axially receive the butt end portion of the corresponding limb. The butt end portion of the limb has two pins protruding from opposite sides thereof. The socket in the handle has a hole in a wall adapted to receive one of the pins protruding from the limb. The socket has a leaf spring attached to the handle and bordering one wall of the socket.  
  To assemble the bow, the limb is axially inserted into the socket of the handle. The leaf spring biases the limb in a direction to cause engagement of the pin into the hole. The bow is then strung, the taut bow string providing a force at the end of the limb which prevents the pin from disengaging from the hole in the socket of the handle.  
  To disengage the limb from the handle, the archer unstrings the bow, grasps the handle in one hand and the limb in the other hand and moves the limb in a direction opposite to that in which it is biased by the spring, thus, disengaging the pin from the hole, and then extracts the limb axially from the socket in the handle,  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An example of the present invention is illustrated in the drawings, where like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:  
  FIG. 1 is a side view of a take-down bow according to the present invention;  
  FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of a portion showing the handle and butt end of the limb in the engaged and locked position;  
  FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the handle and butt end of the limb in the engaged and unlocked position;  
  FIG. 4 is a view of a portion of the take-down bow as seen from line 44 of FIG. 1; and  
  FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.  
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a takedown archery bow, generally designated at 10, which comprises a handle 12 and a pair of limbs 14 and 16 detachably mounted and extending in opposite directions from the ends 20 and 22, respectively, of the handle 12. The bow I0 is shown strung with a bow string 18. The handle 12 may be of any configuration and may include, for example, a contoured hand grip. The handle and the limbs may be made of any convenient material.  
  At least one of the limbs 14 and 16 is detachably fastened or connected to the handle 12. However, it will be appreciated that both limbs 14 and 16 may be detachably fastened to the handle 12, and that the following description also applies to a structure wherein both limbs are detachable, the connect-disconnect mechanisms being identical.  
  As shown at FIG. 1, a formed sheet metal sleeve 24 is disposed around an end 22 of the handle 12 and is attached thereto. As best shown at FIGS. 2 and 3, the handle 12 has an L-shaped cut-out portion 20 closed by a portion of the sleeve 24 and thus defining a blind socket 26 of substantially rectangular cross-section having an end wall 32, a pair of lateral walls 36 and 34 (FIGS. 4 and 5) and an outer wall 38, all formed by portions of the sleeve 24, and an inner wall 30 formed by the surface of the cut-out portion in the handle 12.  
  A thin flat spring 40 is disposed in the socket 26 bordering the inner wall 30. The flat spring 40 is attached at one end 42 thereof to the end 22 of the bow handle 12 near the opening into the socket 26 by connecting means such as screws, not shown, or by welding, soldering or remounting to the sleeve 24. The free end 44 of the spring 40 extends proximate the end wall 30 of the socket and a portion 46 of the spring 40 adjacent the free end 44 thereof is arcuately shaped away from the inner wall 30. The inner wall 30 and the outer wall 38 of the socket 26 are relatively disposed so as to slightly converge towards each other from the bottom to the open end of the socket 26.  
  The bow limb 16 has a butt end portion, generally designated at 48, which is axially slidably receivable in the socket 26 through its open end. A pin 50 extends generally perpendicularly from a surface 52 of the limb 16 along an axis substantially parallel to the axis of arm of the bow and a second pin 54 spaced from the pin 50 parallel to the pin 52 extends generally perpendicularly from the opposite surface 56 of the limb.  
  The pins 50 and 54 may be press-fitted in appropriate apertures proximate the end of the limb 16, or they may glued or bonded in the apertures, or they may be in the form of threaded studs secured in place. While the pins 50 and 54 have been illustrated as being fixedly mounted through the limb 16, it is also contemplated that each pin could be mounted in an aperture in the limb to be axially movable therein and be biased axially outwardly from the limb by a spring, appropriate retainer means being provided for preventing their separating from the limb. The pins could also be in the form of buttons attached to and extending from the surface of the limb 16.  
  An aperture 58 in the form of a circular hole is disposed through the outer wall 38 of the socket 26 for ax ially receiving the pin 50, and another aperture 60 in the form of a slot is formed in the flat spring 40 for receiving the pin 54. When the pin 50 is engaged in the aperture 58 the limb 16 is restrained against withdrawal from the socket 26 in the handle 12.  
  Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the aperture 58 is illustrated as a generally round hole while the aperture 60 in the flat spring 40 is illustrated as an elongated slot. The slot 60 in the spring 40 co-operates with the pin 54 as an aligning and guiding means for the limb 16 relative to the handle 22.  
  A tapered channel 62 is formed in the outer wall 38 of the socket 26. The channel 62 tapers inwardly from the open end of the socket 26 to proximate the aperture 50 through the outer wall 38 of the socket. The channel 62 forms a path for the pin 50 as the butt end portion 48 of the limb 16 is inserted into the socket 26.  
  To attach the limb 16 to the handle 12, the archer merely grasps the handle 12 in one hand and the limb 16 in the other hand, properly orients the limb l6, and axially inserts its butt end portion 48 into the socket 26. After the butt end portion 48 of the limb has been inserted into the socket 26, the archer releases its grasp on the limb 16. The arcuately shaped portion 48 of the spring 40 exerts a force on the surface 56 of the limb l6, proximate its end to bias the limb end toward the outer wall 38 of the handle socket which simultaneously forces the surface 56 of the limb 16 into contact with the surface of the flat spring 40. The projecting end of the pin 50 snaps into the aperture 58 while the projecting end of the pin 54 is engaged into the aligning and guiding slot 60 in the spring 40. The biasing force of the fiat spring 40 exerts a force on the limb 16 to maintain the projecting ends of the pins 50 and 54 engaged in the aperture 58 and the slot 60, respectively. It will be appreciated that when the bow is strung, the string 18 exerts a force on the ends of the limbs 16 which tends to maintain the projecting ends of the pins 50 and 54 engaged in the aperture 58 and the slot 60, respectively.  
  To detach the limb 16 from the handle 12, the archer unstrings the bow 10 to release the force exerted by the string 18 on the ends of the limbs 16 and 14. The archer then grasps the handle 12 in one hand and the limb 16 in the other hand and exerts a force on the limb 16 in a direction opposed to that normally exerted by the string such as to cause the limb 16 to pivot about a pivot point proximate the open end of the socket 26, thus causing the butt end portion 48 of the limb 16 to be displaced toward the wall 30 of the socket 26, flattening the arcuate portion 46 of the spring 40 and unlocking the end of the limb 16 from the handle socket 26 by disengaging the projecting end of the pin 50 from the aperture 58. The limb 16 may then be detached from the handle 12.  
  Having described the invention by way of a typical structural example thereof, what is claimed as new is as follows:  
 1. A take-down archery bow comprising:  
 a handle;  
 a socket in at least one end of said handle;  
 a pair of limbs, at least one of which is a removable limb having an end engageable in said socket;  
 a first pin projecting from a surface of said removable limb proximate the end thereof;  
 an aperture in said socket for accepting said projecting pin;  
 a second pin spaced longitudinally along said at least one of the removable limbs from said first pin, said second pin projecting from an opposite surface of said limb;  
 an aligning and guiding slot in said socket for accepting said second projecting pin;  
 said aligning slot and said aperture being spaced apart in said socket; and  
 means for biasing said first and second projecting pins respectively into said aperture and said slot.  
  2. A take-down bow as defined in claim 1, wherein said biasing means comprises a flat spring disposed in said socket, said flat spring having said slot and an arcuate portion engaging the surface of the end of said removable limb for urging said end in a direction engaging one of said pins with the corresponding aperture in one of said walls and the other of said pins in the slot in said spring.  
  3. A take-down bow as defined in claim 1, wherein said socket comprises:  
 a cut-out portion in said end of said handle;  
 a sleeve disposed about said end of said handle and said cut-out portion, said sleeve defining with said cut-out portion said socket provided with an inner wall, an outer wall and a pair of opposite lateral walls.  
  4. A take-down bow as defined in claim 3, wherein said biasing means comprises a flat spring disposed in said socket, said flat spring having an arcuate portion engaging the surface of the end of said limb for urging said end in a direction engaging said projecting pin into said aperture.  
  5. A take-down bow as defined in claim 3, further comprising a channel formed in the outer wall of said socket to provide a path for said first pin as said removable limb is inserted into said socket.  
  6. A take-down archery bow as defined in claim 1, further comprising:  
 a pair of sockets one at each end of said handle; and  
 each one of said limbs having an end removably engageable with one of said sockets.