Mechanical Broadhead Arrowhead with Force Adjustment Feature

The present application claims the benefit of and priority to, under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e), U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/441,201, filed Jan. 26, 2023, entitled MECHANICAL BROADHEAD ARROWHEAD WITH FORCE ADJUSTMENT FEATURE, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

The present disclosure is directed to arrows and archery, and more particularly, to mechanical broadhead arrowheads used in archery hunting.

It is desirable for arrowheads used in bowhunting to promote an efficient and humane kill of an animal by creating maximum penetration of the arrowhead into the animal with a large entry wound. It is also desirable to provide an arrow that travels in a substantially straight and predictable path to the intended target, so that a hunter may place his shot accurately. Having an accurate and precise flight path is key to improving a hunter's effectiveness.

Traditional arrowheads usually include several triangular blades which are arranged and secured around the forward pointed tip of the arrow. As the tip enters the intended target, the blades slice a region much greater than the diameter of the arrow shaft. A drawback of these broad flat blades is that they have a pronounced aerodynamic effect that can substantially affect the overall stability of the arrow in flight and reduce the hunter's precision.

Mechanical broadhead arrowheads were developed to address problems associated with traditional bladed broadheads. Mechanical broadheads may include deployable bladed or serrated appendages that remain closed to the body of the arrow shaft until impact with the target. This reduces the overall aerodynamic effect of large, bladed structures during flight. A variety of mechanisms such as annular retaining rings or bands that rely upon friction are used to hold the deployable appendages closed to the body of the arrow. When the arrowhead impacts the target, the retaining rings are pushed out of the way and the blades open. Upon deployment, such appendages provide greater cutting surfaces and create a large entry wound.

A problem with existing mechanical broadhead arrowhead designs is that the mechanism for preventing premature deployment of the bladed appendages is often imprecise and unreliable. If the bladed appendages open in mid-flight, the flight path of the arrow may become unpredictable, thus defeating the purpose of the mechanical design. Likewise, if the bladed appendages do not open upon impact, the entry wound will be too small causing excessive suffering to the animal. These issues are exasperated by the large selection of bows available to hunters, each with different string mechanisms and draw weights which will apply different levels of force to the arrow. Some mechanical broadhead arrowheads when used with a compound bow or crossbow may have their appendages open prematurely due to the high forces involved in compound bows. Similarly, the lower forces involved with longbow or recurve bows may not be sufficient to cause the bladed appendages to open upon impact.

What is needed is an improvement over the foregoing.

The present disclosure provides a mechanical broadhead arrowhead for use with an arrow in archery. The arrowhead has a ferrule with a cylindrical threaded base and blades pivotally mounted to the ferrule. The arrowhead has a force adjustment member which is operable by a user to vary the force imparted on the blades to maintain the blades in a closed position during flight of the arrow.

In one form thereof, the present disclosure provides an arrowhead for use with an arrow in archery, comprising: a ferrule including a body having a distal tip end and an internally threaded proximal end, the body including a slot; at least one blade having a pivot end pivotally mounted to the body and at least partially disposed within the slot, the blade further including a forward cutting edge and a rear edge, the pivot end including a first detent, wherein the blade is pivotable relative to the ferrule body between a closed position and an open position; and a retaining mechanism received within the proximal end of the ferrule body, comprising: a detent member; an externally threaded adjustment member having a proximal end threadingly received within the internally threaded proximal end of the ferrule body; and a biasing member disposed between the adjustment member and the detent member, the biasing member exerting a biasing force on the detent member and wherein an extent of threaded receipt of the adjustment member within the ferrule body is operable to vary a biasing force of the biasing member.

In a second form thereof, the present disclosure provides a method of configuring an arrowhead for flight, comprising: adjusting the extent of threaded insertion of a distal end of a threaded adjustment member into an internally threaded proximal end of a slotted ferrule body to vary a biasing force of a biasing member against at least one pivoting blade; and threading a proximal end of the threaded adjustment member into in internally threaded distal end of an arrow to attach the arrowhead to the arrow.

The exemplification set out herein illustrates an embodiment of the disclosure, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.

Referring to, arrow assemblyis shown, including arrowand arrowhead. Arrowhead, as described further below, is a mechanical broadhead arrowhead including at least one pivoting blade. Arrowgenerally includes an elongate shafthaving a proximal endwith a nockand a number of feather vanes, and a distal endfor receiving arrowheadthat includes in internally threaded borefor attachment of the arrowhead, as described further below. Alternatively, arrowmay attach to arrowheadvia other structures, such as any of those contemplated in U.S. application Ser. No. 18/390,822, filed Dec. 20, 2023, entitled FIXED BLADE BROADHEAD WITH INTEGRAL FACET SHARPENING GUIDES, INCLUDING INSERTABLE ARROW SHAFT SUPPORT AND CENTRAL INTERIOR CAVITY, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Referring additionally toarrowheadincludes ferrule bodyhaving a proximal endand pointed distal end. The ferrule bodymay be formed of a metallic material in a single piece casting, followed by machining, for example. The ferrule bodyincludes a longitudinal slotshown in, which extends from the proximal endof the ferrule toward the distal end, diverging into a pair of slots near distal end, and which may receive bladesand. Bladesandare attached to the ferrule bodyvia pinsuch that they may pivot relative to the ferrule body. Bladesandeach have a forward cutting edge, a rear edge, and a first detentand a second detentnear the pivot endwhich is nearer to ferrulecompared to the distal endof bladesand.

Referring to, the pivoting of bladesandis facilitated by retaining mechanismwhich includes an adjustment member in the form of an externally threaded set screw, a biasing member, and detent member. The biasing membermay be a coil spring, and the detent membermay be a ball bearing. The externally threaded set screwincludes a distal endthreadingly received within the internally threaded proximal endof the ferrule body, and a proximal endwhich may be threadingly received into the internally threaded boreof arrow. The biasing memberis disposed between externally threaded set screwand the detent membersuch that it may exert forces simultaneously on both the set screwand the detent member.

shows the arrowheadin its closed position with bladesandrecessed into slotsof ferrule body. Referring tosecond detentwill be engaged by detent memberwhen the arrowheadis in its closed position. As discussed further below, the force exerted by detent memberupon second detentmay be sufficient to keep bladesandclosed to the ferrule bodyuntil the arrowheadimpacts its intended target.

shows the arrowheadin its open position with bladesandoutside of slotsin ferrule body. Referring to, first detentwill be engaged by detent memberwhen the arrowheadis in its open position. As discussed further below, the force exerted by detent memberupon first detentmay be sufficient to keep bladesandin the open position until a force is applied on the rear edgeof the bladesandto push them into the closed position.

Referring to, the retaining mechanismis capable of varying the force on the biasing memberby varying the degree to which the set screwis threaded within the ferrule body. A user may adjust the degree to which the set screwis threaded within the ferrule bodyby manually rotating the set screwto move the set screwin a more desired proximal or more distal direction along the axis depicted by arrow.

The biasing memberexerts a greater biasing force on the detent memberwhen the set screwis threadingly received within the threaded proximal endof the ferrule bodyto a greater extent; and the biasing memberexerts a lesser biasing force on the detent memberwhen the set screwis threadingly received within the threaded proximal endof the ferrule bodyto a lesser extent.

When the biasing force exerted on the detent memberis lesser, the opening of bladesandfrom the closed position depicted into the open position depicted inrequires a lesser force. This lesser force may be suitable for smaller bows which fire arrows at slower speeds and with less energy, or for targets that are closer in distance. When the biasing force exerted on the detent memberis greater, the opening of bladesandfrom the closed position depicted into the open position depicted inrequires a greater force. This greater force may be suitable for larger bows such as compound bows or crossbows which fire arrows at higher speeds with greater energy, or for targets that are further away in distance.

Upon impacting the target, the bladesandof the arrowheadmay experience a force which causes them to pivot around pinand move to the open position. The force of the impact causes detent memberto be pushed out of detentas bladesandrotate out of slot. This rotation continues until detent memberis received within detent, upon which the bladesandwill be secured in the open position.

From the open position depicted in, a user may apply a force to the rear edgesof bladesandto push them into the closed position depicted inwhere bladesandare received by slotof ferrule body. The force applied by the user causes detent memberto be pushed out of the detentas the bladesandrotate to the closed position. This rotation continues until the detent memberis received within the detentand the bladesandare received by slot, upon which the bladesandwill be secured in the closed position. This process may be performed after each use such that the arrowhead may be reused for other targets.

Advantageously, the adjustability of the present broadhead arrowhead allows a user to select the amount of force by which blades are held in their closed position during flight, promoting the adaptability of the broadhead arrowhead for use in a wide range of bows and crossbows, for example, as well as for use with a wide variety of targets at varying distances from the user.

According to a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an arrowhead for use with an arrow in archery includes a ferrule having a ferrule body with a distal tip end and an internally threaded proximal end. The ferrule body includes a slot. At least one blade has a pivot end pivotally mounted to the ferrule body and at least partially disposed within the slot. The blade further includes a forward cutting edge and a rear edge, and the pivot end includes a first detent. The blade is pivotable relative to the ferrule body between a closed position and an open position. A retaining mechanism is received within the proximal end of the ferrule body, and the retaining mechanism includes: a detent member; an externally threaded adjustment member having a proximal end threadingly received within the internally threaded proximal end of the ferrule body; and a biasing member disposed between the adjustment member and the detent member, the biasing member exerting a biasing force on the detent member and wherein an extent of threaded receipt of the adjustment member within the ferrule body is operable to vary a biasing force of the biasing member.

According to a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, wherein the biasing member exerts a greater biasing force on the detent member when the adjustment member is threadingly received within the internally threaded proximal end of the ferrule body to a greater extent, and the biasing member exerts a lesser biasing force on the detent member when the adjustment member is threadingly received within the internally threaded proximal end of the ferrule body to a lesser extent.

According to a third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, wherein the slot extends longitudinally along the ferrule body, and the at least one blade received within the slot.

According to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, wherein, in the closed position, the at least one blade is disposed closely adjacent the ferrule body with the forward cutting edge substantially received within the slot.

According to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the fourth exemplary embodiment, wherein the detent member is received within the first detent when the at least one blade is in the closed position.

According to a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, wherein, in the open position, the at least one blade is disposed at an angle outwardly of the ferrule body with the forward cutting edge exposed toward the distal tip end of the ferrule body.

According to a seventh exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the sixth exemplary embodiment, wherein the pivot end of the at least one blade includes a second detent, and wherein the detent member is received within the second detent when the at least one blade is in the open position.

According to an eighth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, in combination with an arrow having an elongated shaft with an internally threaded distal end into which a proximal end of the externally threaded adjustment member is threadingly received to attach the arrowhead to the arrow.

According to a ninth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, wherein the adjustment member is a set screw.

According to a tenth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, wherein the biasing member is a coil spring.

According to an eleventh exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, wherein the detent member is a ball bearing.

According to a twelfth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the first exemplary embodiment, further comprising a pair of blades including the at least one blade.

According to a thirteenth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arrowhead of the twelfth exemplary embodiment, wherein the retaining mechanism limits a maximum deployment angle of the blades in a range of about 90 degrees to 180 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the ferrule.

According to a fourteenth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of configuring an arrowhead for flight includes: adjusting an extent of threaded insertion of a distal end of a threaded adjustment member into an internally threaded proximal end of a slotted ferrule body to vary a biasing force of a biasing member against at least one pivoting blade; and threading a proximal end of the threaded adjustment member into an internally threaded distal end of an arrow to attach the arrowhead to the arrow.

According to a fifteenth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of the fourteenth exemplary embodiment, wherein the ferrule body includes a longitudinally extending slot, the at least one pivoting blade received within the slot.

According to a sixteenth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of the fourteenth exemplary embodiment, further comprising manually moving the at least one pivoting blade to a closed position in which the at least one pivoting blade is received within the slot.

According to a seventeenth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of the fourteenth exemplary embodiment, wherein the at least one pivoting blade further includes a forward cutting edge and a rear edge, and a pivot end including a first detent, wherein the at least one pivoting blade is pivotable relative to the ferrule body between a closed position and an open position, and the arrowhead further comprises: a retaining mechanism received within the proximal end of the ferrule body, the retaining mechanism includes: a detent member; an externally threaded adjustment member having a proximal end threadingly received within the internally threaded proximal end of the ferrule body; and a biasing member disposed between the adjustment member and the detent member, the biasing member exerting a biasing force on the detent member and wherein an extent of threaded receipt of the adjustment member within the ferrule body is operable to vary a biasing force of the biasing member.

According to an eighteenth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of the seventeenth exemplary embodiment, wherein the biasing member exerts a greater biasing force on the detent member when the adjustment member is threadingly received within the internally threaded proximal end of the ferrule body to a greater extent; and the biasing member exerts a lesser biasing force on the detent member when the adjustment member is threadingly received within the internally threaded proximal end of the ferrule body to a lesser extent.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present disclosure. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims.