US3635205A

US3635205A - Spring-loaded bow

Info

Publication number: US3635205A
Application number: US21354A
Authority: US
Inventors: Brian Wood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-03-20
Filing date: 1970-03-20
Publication date: 1972-01-18
Anticipated expiration: 1989-01-18

Abstract

Archery bow having bow limbs that are detachably connected to a handle. In the handle there are limb vibration-dampening springs positioned at each end of the handle to biasingly engage the ends of the bow limbs. The bow limbs are rotatably mounted with respect to the handle and there is a locking device on the handle that rocks the bow limbs to a desired angular position with respect to the ends of the handle resulting in varying compressive forces being applied to the springs. The springs in the ends of the handle have screw adjustable supports for varying the positions of the bases of the springs with respect to the end of the bow limb thus resulting in controllable biasing forces on the bow limbs at their connections with the handle of the bow.

Description

O United States Patent 51 3,635,205

Wood [451 Jan. 18, 1972 54] SPRING-LOADED BOW 3,467,350 9/1969 Tyler ..248/358 AA x [72] Inventor: Brian Wood, 414 E. Harry St., Hazel Park, Primary Examiner Richard C. Pinkham Mich 48030 Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne 22 Filed; Man 20 1970 Attorney-Cushman, Darby & Cushman [21] Appl. No.: 21,354 [57] ABSTRACT Archery bow having bow limbs that are detachably connected [S2] U.S. Cl. ..l24/24, 124/30 R to a handle, In the handle them are limb vibration-dampening [51] Int. Cl ..F4lb 5/00 ring positioned at each end of the handle to biasingly en- [58] Field of Search ..124/23, 24, 25, 22, 21, 30 R; gage the ends of the bow limbs. The bow limbs are rotatably 43/19; 248/358 AA mounted with respect to the handle and there is a locking device on the handle that rocks the bow limbs to a desired an- 5 Reference Cit d gular position with respect to the ends of the handle resulting in varying compressive forces being applied to the springs. UNITED STATES PATENTS The springs in the ends of the handle have screw adjustable supports for varying the positions of the bases of the springs 428,912 5/1890 Holmes ..124/23 with respect to the end ofthe bowlimb thus resultingin con Mulkey o ab e biasing forces on the bo at their connections 3,265,055 8/1966 Gage ..124/24 with the handle of the 3,518,980 7/1970 Harnm ..124/24 X 3,059,882 10/1962 Staar ..248/358 AA X 11 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures mammmarazz 635L205 SHEET 3 OF 8 a g edm PATENTEDJANYBIHTZ afaslzos SHEET 7 [IF 8 ZA/VEA/TOE 235/4 lyaaz SPRING-LOADED BOW The present invention relates to novel archery bows, and in particular to a bow structure that is spring loaded in the limbmounting area, that is, at the juncture of the bow limbs with the handle or central portion of the bow.

In order that the purposes of the invention may be clearly understood, a discussion of the functions and disadvantages of bow structures of the prior art will be given and will be followed by a description of the present invention. Bow structures of the prior art will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4 of the accompanying drawings, and the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. through 14 of the drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevation of a bow in the strung position, with the limbs at rest;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a bow in the unstrung position, with the limbs at rest, and the bowstring removed;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a bow in the strung position, with the limbs at rest, illustrating the relationships of the upper limb flex point and the lower limb flex point, to the bowstring, when the bow is in the strong position;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a bow, showing the limbs in three positions. The bow strung, and the limbs at rest; the bow fully drawn and the limbs in the furthest rearward position, and the limb positions at the instant of shock, before their return to the strung and at rest position;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a bow, showing the shock-dampening and flex point-adjusting devices;

FIG. 6 is a view in section along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the area encircled in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partial elevation from the rear of the bow, showing the upper limb-mounting area, and the upper shock-dampening and flex point-adjusting device;

FIG. 9 is a view in section, along the line 99 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view in section along the line 10-40 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a partial elevation from the rear of the bow, in the upper limb-mounting area, showing the possible downward movement allowed the limb 2, the possible downward movement being illustrated by the positions R and S of the lower extremities ofthe bracket 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial side elevation of the bow in the upper limb-mounting area showing the possible rotation allowed the limb 2, about the

pins

13 and 15, the possible rotation of the limb 2 being illustrated by the positions N and P of the limb 2;

FIG. 13 is a partial elevation, from the front of the bow, of the upper limb-mounting area, showing the upper shock-dampening and flex point-adjusting device, partially disassembled, in order to clearly illustrate the component parts of the device;

FIG. 14 is a partial elevation of the upper limb-mounting area, in the direction of the line l4-l4 in FIG. 13, showing the upper shock-dampening and flex point-adjusting device, partially disassembled, in order to further illustrate the component parts of the device.

The term rear or rearward refers to the area to the left of the bowstring 1 in all side elevations of the bow shown in the accompanying drawings.

The term front or forward refers to the area to the right of the handle or central portion 3 in all side elevations of the bow shown in the accompanying drawings.

The term limb refers to the flexible or working portions 2 of the bow, which perform the work of propelling the arrow.

The term handle refers to the fixed central portion 3 of the bow, to which the limbs are affixed.

The term flex point refers to the point at which each limb 2 begins to be flexible.

Limbs for modern archery bows are usually made from strips of fiber glass and hard flexible woods, bonded together with epoxy resins to form extremely flexible and resilient members. The limbs of modern bows are mounted to the handle section, or central portion of the bow, in many different ways. Regardless of the limb mounting method however, the flex points, or point at which each limb begins to be flexible, indicated at 5 and 6 in FIG. 3, have to have a definite relationship to each other in order for the bow to shoot arrows accurately and consistently. The flex point to flex point relationship is extremely important, and forms one of the basic rules of the bowyers art.

FIG. 3 illustrates the flex point to flex point relationship. The basic rule for the relationship is as follows: When the bow is strung and the limbs are at rest as shown in FIG. 3, the distance from the upper limb flex point 5 to the bowstring I should be three-sixteenths of an inch greater than the distance from the lower limb flex point 6 to the bowstring 1.

Due however to slight errors sometimes made in the manufacture and assembly of prior art bows, and to warpage, which sometimes occurs in the wooden pieces of prior art bows, the important flex point to flex point relationship is not always accurately established. Bows with inaccurately established flex point to flex point relationships are extremely difficult to shoot accurately, to the considerable disadvantage of archers shooting them. The present invention overcomes the disadvantage described, of prior art bows, by providing an easily accessible device for the adjustment of the flex point to flex point relationship. The device of the invention allows for the adjustment to perfection of the flex point to flex point relationship after final assembly of the bow structure.

FIG. 4 illustrates the motions and reactions of the limbs 2 of a bow, as a result of the bow being fully drawn and released, in performing its function of shooting an arrow. The curving reference lines D are used to illustrate the paths through which the limb tips 4 travel when the bow is fully drawn and released in the act of discharging an arrow. The motions of the limb tips 4 are compared to their paths of travel, as illustrated by the curving lines D, in order to describe the motions, and reactions, of the limbs 2 of prior art bows, and to illustrate the disadvantages to the archer as a result of the reactions of the limbs 2 to the action of discharging an arrow from the bow. The positions A of the limb tips 4 indicate the positions of the limbs 2 when the bow is strung and the limbs are at rest (as shown in FIG. 1). The positions B of the limb tips 4 indicate the positions of the limbs 2 when the bow is fully drawn. The positions C of the limb tips 4 indicate the positions of the limbs 2, in shock, after discharging an arrow from the bow.

When a bow is drawn in order to shoot an arrow the limb tips 4 swing rearward along the approximate path shown by the curving lines D in FIG. 4, the limb tips 4 travel from the strung and at rest position A to the fully drawn position B.

When the bowstring l is released the limb tips 4 swing forward from the fully drawn positions lB, accelerating rapidly along the curving lines D until, at positions A, the forward mo tion of the limb tips 4 is instantly prevented by the length of the bowstring l. The instant cessation of the forward motion of the limb tips 4 creates ajarring shoclt in the limbs 2 which is transmitted through the limbs 2 to the point at which the lirn bs 2 are attached to the handle 3. This instant in the actions of the limbs shall be hereinafter referred to as the instant of Shock.

At the instant of shock, the limb tips 4 move inward to position C in FIG. 4, the outer extremities of the limbs 2, adjacent to the limb tips 4, bulge forward, and the inner extremities of the limbs 2, adjacent to the handle section 3, bulge rearward.

At the instant of shock, therefore, there is a jarring shock in the limbs 2, the limb tips 4 move inward to positions C, and the limb sections 2 bulge forward and rearward, as described. These reactions on the part of the limbs 2 cause forces to be applied to the handle section 3 at the point at which each limb 2 is attached to the handle 3. The limbs 2 are made mostly of wood, and, because of differences in grain, no two pieces of wood react in an identical fashion to forces applied to them. Consequently, at the instant of shock, each limb transmits the jarring shock described to the handle section in a slightly dif ferent way, and each limb bulges forward and rearward in a slightly different way. Because of the different way each limb reacts at the instant of shock, different forces are applied in different directions to the points at which the limbs 2 are attached to the handle section 3. These unbalancedforces cause the handle section 3, and the whole bow structure, to move in the archers hand at the instant of shock, relative to its position in the archers hand, at the instant the bowstring is released by the archer.

The position of the bow in the archers hand at the instant which the bowstring is released, is the one which the archer strives to maintain, since the archer only releases the bowstring when he has decided that the bow is in the correct position to shoot the arrow into the desired point on the target. Any change, therefore, in the position of the bow at the instant of shock is undesirable, since at the instant of shock, the arrow has not yet left the bow and any movement of the bow structure deflects the arrow causing it to strike the target at a point different from that at which the archer has directed it. Since the bow structure does move in the archer's hand at the instant of shock, relative to its position at the instant of release, it is clear that a disadvantage to the archer exists in bow structures of the prior art. I

A further disadvantage of bow structures of the prior art is that a considerable amount of limb efficiency is lost to the archer because of the fact that a limb has to be designed so as not to transmit excessive shock to the handle section.

In the following, the term cast shall mean the maximum distance which a bow will project an arrow. Further, the term draw weight shall mean the amount of force required to draw back the bowstring to the fully drawn position.

The cast of a bow is a function of the curving contours of the limbs 2, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The curving contours of the limbs 2, of bows having identical draw weights, can be so varied that the cast of one bow will be far in excess of another. It has been found however, that as the contours of the limbs 2 are varied to increase the cast of the how so the shock transmitted to the handle section by the action of the limbs 2 increases at the instant of shock.

The curving contours of the limbs 2 of a bow can be so designed as to give the maximum efficiency possible and the maximum cast possible to a bow in the action of shooting an arrow. But this type of limb usually transmits so much shock to the handle section at the instant of shock that the archer finds the bow impossible to shoot accurately because of excessive movement of the bow in his hand due to the action of the limbs at the instant of shock. Prior art bowyers found, that in order to keep the amount of shock transmitted to the handle at the instant of shock within limits which allowed the archer to shoot the bow accurately, the limbs of prior art bows had to perform not only the function of propelling the arrow, but also the function of absorbing some of the shock normally trans mitted to the handle section at the-instant of shock. Changes in the curving limb contours to provide for resiliency, and shock-absorbing properties, however, seriously affected the cast of the limb in the following manner. As the shock-absorbing properties of the limb increased, so the cast of the limb decreased, and as the cast of the limb increased, so the shockabsorbing properties of the limb decreased. It can be readily seen, therefore, that the prior art bowyer was seriously restricted as to the manner in which he designed limbs for prior art bows. The prior art bowyer could not design limbs for maximum cast, for the reasons explained, and he could not design limbs for maximum shock-absorbing properties for the reason that the limb lost so much cast as to prove useless for competition in archery tournaments. The prior art bowyer found that he must design limbs to provide the maximum possible cast whilst allowing for shock absorption in the limbs to a degree which would allow the archer to shoot the bow accurately. The prior art limb had two disadvantages therefore, since designing for some shock absorption properties resulted in some loss of cast, and designing for good cast (with some shock absorption) resulted in some shock being transmitted to the handle at the instant of shock, and some motion of the bow in the archer's hand as result of shock, and some loss of accuracy as a result of the bow moving in the archers hand at the instant of shock.

The bow of the invention overcomes the several disadvantages of prior art bows, by providing adjustable shockdampening devices inserted between the base of the limbs 2 and the handle 3, in the limb-mounting area, that is, at the juncture of the bow limbs with the handle or central portion of the bow. The purpose of the shock-dampening devices is to transfer shock normally transmitted to the handle 3 by the action of the limbs, to springs within the shock-dampening devices, thereby minimizing shock, thus the amount which the bow moves in the archer's hand at the instant of shock is substantially reduced, making the bow easier to shoot accurately. Secondly, with shock transmission minimized, the bowye-r has much more freedom to design limbs for maximum cast and efficiency.

The present invention will now be described.

One of the shock-dampening and flex point-adjusting devices is located at either end of the handle 3, in the area that is adjacent to the inner extremities E, of the limbs 2, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The two shock-dampening and flex point-adjusting devices are identical in structure, and the following description will be limited to the device located in the upper end of the bow handle.

As shown in the drawings, each limb 2 is unitarily secured at its inner extremity E, to the U-shaped bracket 10, being held in position by means of screws or bolts 11 extending vertically upward through the upper plate of the bracket 10, and into threaded bushings 9, bonded into the base of the limb 2. A pin or dowel 10a formed unitary with the bracket 10, extends vertically upward in frictional engagement with the bushing 8, which is bonded into the base of the limb 2. The bracket 10 includes a flat platelike structure having a flat upper surface which covers the base of the limb 2 at E. The inner surfaces G of downwardly extending lugs of the bracket 10 are in sliding engagement with the plate of second bracket 20, but in sufficiently close frictional engagement therewith to prevent any side-to-side movement of the bracket 10, and consequently of the limb 2 which is unitary with the bracket 10.

The bracket 20 is made up of a flat plate, and a single unitary lug K extending vertically therefrom. The bracket 20 is secured to the shoulder H of the handle 3 by means of the screws or bolts 25 extending vertically through the plate of bracket 20 and into threaded holes in the shoulder H, of the handle 3. (See FIG. 9.)

In FIGS. 6 and 8, the

short pins

13 and 15, can be seen extending horizontally through the lugs of the outer bracket 10, and parallel to and beneath the plate of the bracket 20. The pin 13 extends from the left toward the shoulder H of the handle 3 but does not contact the shoulder H. The pin 15 extends from the right into the aperture J in the handle 3 but does not contact the handle 3, (see F I0. 10 for further illustration).

Paired pins 14 and 16 extend vertically through the plate of the inner bracket 20, on either side of and adjacent to the

pins

13 and 15, spaced apart in sliding engagement with the outside diameters of the

pins

13 and 15, the two pins noted 16 being on the right of the handle 3 and the two pins noted 14 being on the left of the handle.

The arrangement of the pins l3, l4, l5, and 16 is such as to allow downward movement of the upper assembly and upward movement of the lower assembly and a forward and rearward rotation or tilt of the bracket 10 relative to the bracket 20 but no other movement. The upward (or downward) movement of the bracket 10 and the assembly. is restricted by the contact of the

pins

13 and 15 with the underside of the plate of bracket 20, and the forward and rearward motion of the bracket 10, in a horizontal direction, is restricted due to the entrapment of the

pins

13 and 15 between the paired pins 14 and 16.

Expansion coil springs are seated on plates or spring seats 17 located within recesses formed in the shoulder H of the handle 3, the recesses being centered about a line through the center of the limb 2, the bracket 10, and the bracket 20, (see FIGS. 6, 8, and 9).

The expansion springs 12 extend from the upper surfaces of the seats 17, through holes in the plate of the bracket 20, to inner surface F of the bracket 10, the inner surface being that surface of the plate of bracket that faces the handle section of the bow.

Threaded bolts 19 extend vertically through threaded holes in the shoulder H of the handle 3 into engagement with the lower (or upper) surfaces of the spring seats 17. Each of the bolts 19 carries a locknut l8. Rotation of the bolts 19 in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, causes the spring seats 17 to move vertically upward or downward and the springs 12 either to expand or compress, thereby increasing or decreasing the pressure applied by the spring to surface F of the bracket 10.

The lug K of the bracket 20 is located at the rear of the bow handle facing the archer. A flex-adjusting threaded bolt 21 extends horizontally through the threaded hole in the lug K, into engagement with the upper plate of the outer bracket 10 at point L, the end of the threaded bolt 21 being spherical at the point of contact L. The bolt 21 is rotatably secured with the locknut 22.

Clockwise rotation of the bolt 21 applies pressure at point L, (see FIGS. 11 and 12), causing the bracket 10, and the unitary limb 2, to rotate in a forward direction about

pins

13 and 15. In this manner, the limbs 2 may be rotated independently relative to each other after final assembly of the bow, in order to obtain the important flex point to flex point relationship previously described.

The bow of the invention functions as follows:

Pressure against the limb tips 4 (see FIG. 2) in a rearward direction, in the act of stringing the bow (see FIG. 1) causes the limbs 2 and the unitary brackets 10 to rotate about the

pins

13 and 15 in the rearward direction until the upper plate of the bracket 10 contacts the end of the flex point-adjusting bolt 21 at point L (see FIG. 12). At this time, since the theoretical rotation of the

pins

13 and 15 about the arc V (see FIG. 12) with the point L as center of rotation, is prevented by contact of the

pins

13 and 15 with the lower surface of the plate of bracket and by the entrapment of the

pins

13 and 15 between the paired pins 14 and 16 (see FIG. 10), and since movement in a vertically downward direction is overcome by the exertion of sufficient pressure against surface F of the bracket 10 by the springs 12 in an upward direction, the brackets 10 and the unitary limbs 2 become unitary with the brackets 20 and the unitary handle section 3, allowing the bow to be strung and the bowstring to be pulled back to the fully drawn position without further movement of the component parts of the shock-dampening and flex point-adjusting devices.

When the bowstring 1 is released from the fully drawn position (point B on the curving lines D in FIG. 4), the limb tips 4 swing forward, rapidly accelerating along the curving lines D, until, at points A, the forward motion of the limb tips 4 is instantly prevented by the length of the bowstring 1. The instant cessation of the forward motion of the limb tips 4 creates a jarring shock in the limbs 2 causing the limb tips 4 to move inward to points C; the outer extremities of the limbs 2 adjacent to the limb tips 4 bulge forward, and the inner extremities of the limbs 2, adjacent to the handle section 3, bulge rearward. At this instant the shock-dampening devices come into opera tion. The devices allow two simultaneous motions on the part of the bases of the limbs 2 and the unitary brackets 10. The limb bases and the unitary bracket 10 rotate in a forward direction about the

pins

13 and 15, from position N in FIG. 12 to the approximate position P in FIG. 12, causing point L on the upper plate of the bracket 10 to rotate away from engagement with the end of the flex point-adjusting bolt 21, along the approximate arc T, with the

pins

13 and 15 the center of rotation.

Simultaneously, the shock-dampening devices allow the limb bases and the unitary brackets 10 to move in a vertical direction, from the position R in FIG. 11 to the position S in FIG. 11. Thus the forward and rearward bulging actions of the limbs, and the jarring shock in the limbs, are both transmitted directly to the springs 12 at the instant of shock. In this manner the amount of shock, and the effect of the forward and rearward bulging of the limbs (normally transmitted directly to the handle) are minimized, and the consequent movement of the handle section 3 and the entire bow structure in the archers hand is proportionately reduced at the instant of shock. The immediate advantage to the archer is that the bow is much easier to shoot accurately and consistently, because the unbalanced forces. normally applied by the limbs at the instant of shock to the points at which they are attached to the handle, are dampened or absorbed by the springs 12, in a consistently identical manner, within the shock-dampening devices.

Further, the shock-dampening effect of the springs 12 may be varied by rotation of the bolts 19 (see FIGS. 6 and 9), causing the spring seats 17 to move up or down, thereby increasing or decreasing the amount of pressure exerted by the springs 12 against the surface F of the brackets 10. This adjustment of the spring-dampening effect is essential because of differences in limb draw weights. The draw weight of limbs (amount of force required to pull back the bowstring to the fully drawn position) may vary from 15 to pounds. As the draw weight of limbs increases from 15 toward 70' pounds, so the amount of shock transmitted to the handle section at the instant of shock increases, and the amount of pressure exerted by the springs 12 against the surfaces F of the brackets 10 is required to increase in order to compensate for the heavier shock produced by heavier limbs. The advantage to the archer is that should he decide to increase the draw weight of his bow, by using heavier draw weight limbs, he may adjust the dampening effect of the shock-dampening devices to compensate for the heavier shocks produced by the heavier limbs.

Another function of the invention is to allow for adjustment of the flex point to flex point relationship in the limbs 2 of the bow after final assembly of the bow structure. The adjustment is achieved in the following manner:

Clockwise rotation of the bolt 21 exerts pressure on the upper plate ofthe bracket 10 at point L (see FIG. 12), causing the bracket 10, the unitary limb 2 and the flex point 5 within the limb to rotate about the

pins

13 and 15 in a forward direction, towards the position P shown in FIG. 12. After ad justment, the bolts 21 are locked in position by tightening the locknuts 22. In this manner, each limb may be rotatably adjusted relative to the other, and independently of the other; until the required flex point to flex point relationship is obtained to perfection, after final assembly of the bow structure.

The final function of the invention is to allow the bowyer much greater freedom to design limbs for maximum cast, due to the shock absorbing properties of the bow structure of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An archery bow having in combination a handle member, a pair of spaced-apart bow limb sections detachably connected to said handle member, an adjustable spring-loaded means for dampening the vibrations in the bow limb sections, a flex-controlling means for varying the: position of one of said bow limb sections with respect to the: handle member, said means being integrally connected to the end of the handle member, said bow limb sections and said handle member having brackets attached to their respective ends which are detachably connected to each other, said spring-loaded vibration-dampening means being mounted within said handle member and in biasing engagement with the bracket on a bow limb section, and said flex-controlling means being positioned on the bracket mounted on the end of the handle member.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 including locking means for fixing in predetermined relationship with each of said shock-dampening members and said flex-control means.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1, said spring-loaded means comprising shock-control1ing springs compressibly housed within said handle and compressible by means of compressing screws, and a flex-adjusting member mounted in each of the said brackets secured to said handle in flex-adjusting relation with each of the said brackets secured to said limbs.

4. An archery bow having in combination a handle member, a pair of spaced-apart removable bow limb sections detachably connected to said handle member, an adjustable vibration-dampening means for dampening the vibration in one of said bow limb sections, an adjustable flex-controlling assembly for varying the position of one of said bow limb sections with respect to the handle member, each bow limb section of said bow limb sections having a bracket connected to an end portion thereof, the end portions of the handle member having brackets connected thereto and positioned so as to be in frictional engagement with the brackets on the ends of the bow limb sections, said adjustable vibration-dampening means being mounted integrally with the handle member, and the bracket on the handle member having a plate with a single lug connected thereto and said lug extending vertically above said plate.

5. The combination defined in claim 4, shoulders on the ends of the handle member and brackets, the inner bracket being secured to the shoulder on said handle member, the close frictional engagement between the respective brackets serving to prevent side-to-side movement of the brackets on the handle members with respect the limb sections.

6. An archery bow having in combination a handle member, a pair of spaced-apart bow limb sections detachably connected to said handle member, an adjustable spring-loaded means for dampening the vibrations in each of said bow limb sections, and a flex-controlling means for varying the positions of the bow limb sections with respect to the handle member, said flex-controlling means being integrally connected to the end of the handle member, said handle member and said bow limb sections having brackets attached to their respective ends which are detachably connected to each other, said springloaded vibration-dampening means being mounted within said handle member and in biasing engagement with the bracket on each bow limb section, and said flex-controlling means being positioned on the brackets mounted on the ends of the handle member, said brackets connected to said bow limb sections having means for permitting vertical and rotational movement of said brackets in the vertical plane of the bow in an adjustably controlled manner, means for restricting said vertical and rotational movements, said movements occurring in response to shock or vibration generated by discharge of an arrow from the bow. I

7. The combination as defined in claim 6 said spring-loaded means comprising shock-controlling springs compressible by means of compressing screws, and said flex-controlling means comprising a flex-adjusting member mounted in said brackets secured to said handle in flex-adjusting relation with each of said brackets secured to said limb sections.

8. The combination as defined in claim 6, including locking means for fixing in predetermined relationship said shock and vibration-dampening members and said flex-controlling means.

9. The combination as defined in claim 6, including shoulders on the ends of said handle member and brackets being secured to said shoulders on the ends of said handle member, and to the ends of said bow limb sections, close frictional engagement between the respective brackets serving to prevent side to side movement of the bracket connected to the bow limb sections with respect to the brackets on the handle member.

10. The combination as defined in claim 6 wherein said bow limb sections are adapted for vertical movement in the vertical plane of the bow with respect to the handle member, and means are provided for restricting said vertical movement of said bow limb sections, said movement resulting in response to shock or vibration generated by discharge of an arrow from the bow.

1 l. The combination as defined in claim 6 wherein said bow limb sections are adapted for rotational movement in the vertical plane of the bow with respect to the handle member and means are provided for restricting said rotational movement of said bow limb sections, said movement resulting in response to shock or vibration generated by discharge of an arrow from the bow.

Claims

1. An archery bow having in combination a handle member, a pair of spaced-apart bow limb sections detachably connected to said handle member, an adjustable spring-loaded means for dampening the vibrations in the bow limb sections, a flex-controlling means for varying the position of one of said bow limb sections with respect to the handle member, said means being integrally connected to the end of the handle member, said bow limb sections and said handle member having brackets attached to their respective ends which are detachably connected to each other, said spring-loaded vibration-dampening means being mounted within said handle member and in biasing engagement with the bracket on a bow limb section, and said flex-controlling means being positioned on the bracket mounted on the end of the handle member.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1, said spring-loaded means comprising shock-controlling springs compressibly housed within said handle and compressible by means of compressing screws, and a flex-adjusting member mounted in each of the said brackets secured to said handle in flex-adjusting relation with each of the said brackets secured to said limbs.

6. An archery bow having in combination a handle member, a pair of spaced-apart bow limb sections detachably connected to said handle member, an adjustable spring-loaded means for dampening the vibrations in each of said bow limb sections, and a flex-controlling means for varying the positions of the bow limb sections with respect to the handle member, said flex-controlling means being integrally connected to the end of the handle member, said handle member and said bow limb sections having brackets attached to their respective ends which are detachably connected to each other, said spring-loaded vibration-dampening means being mounted within said handle member and in biasing engagement with the bracket on each bow limb section, and said flex-controlling means being positioned on the brackets mounted on the ends of the handle member, said brackets connected to said bow limb sections having means for permitting vertical and rotational movement of said brackets in the vertical plane of the bow in an adjustably controlled manner, means for restricting said vertical and rotational movements, said movements occurring in response to shock or vibration generated by discharge of an arrow from the bow.

11. The combination as defined in claim 6 wherein said bow limb sections are adapted for rotational movement in the vertical plane of the bow with respect to the handle member and means are provided for restricting said rotational movement of said bow limb sections, said movement resulting in response to shock or vibration generated by discharge of an arrow from the bow.