Bow sight and sight cover assembly

Abstract

A bow sight of the type having a pin guard that surrounds the sighting pins is fitted with a cover assembly. A protective cap can be moved between a closed position to protect the sight pins, and an open position in which the cap is out of the sight picture. The cover assembly can have a base that fits onto the distal side of the bow sight, with the cap being hinged to the cover on the riser side of a circular aperture through the base. The bow sight may have a built-in receptacle to attach the hinge of a cap. Also, the cap may have a transparent window for sighting with the cap in the closed position. The window may be clear, or may be an optical filter or a lens. A spring can bias the cap to the open position.

1 . A bow sight and cover assembly in which the bow sight comprises 
 at least one sighting member; a mounting block supporting said sighting member such that the sighting member is within a sight picture when an archer is aiming at a target; means for mounting the bow sight onto a bow riser; and a guard member at least partially surrounding the sighting member around the sight picture, and having a proximal side facing the archer and a distal side facing the target;    and in which the cover assembly comprises    a protective cap member covering the distal side of the guard member, and pivot means mounting said cap member onto the bow sight at the distal side of the guard member such tat the archer can swing the cap member between a closed position in which the cover is held against the guard member and an open position in which the cap member remains on the bow sight but is displaced away from the guard member and out of said sight picture.    
   
   
       2 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said guard member is arcuate and forms at least a portion of a circle, and said cap member is disk shaped.  
   
   
       3 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said cover assembly includes a snap-on base that removably fits onto the distal side only of said guard member, and said pivot means includes a first hinge portion formed on said snap-on base and second hinge portion formed on an edge of said cap member and pivotally fitting said first hinge portion.  
   
   
       4 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 3 , wherein said pivot means includes a spring means biasing said cap member to one of said open and closed positions.  
   
   
       5 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 4 , wherein said spring means biases the cap member to said open position.  
   
   
       6 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 4 , wherein said spring means has an over-the-center action and biases the cover from a raid position to each of said open and closed positions.  
   
   
       7 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said pivot means includes a hinge portion formed on the bow sight at the distal side of said guard member and on a side thereof oriented towards said riser, and a mating hinge portion formed on the cap member.  
   
   
       8 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said cover member has a transparent window permitting viewing of the sight picture when the cover member is in its closed position.  
   
   
       9 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 8 , wherein said transparent window includes an optical filter to improve viewing of the target within the sight picture.  
   
   
       10 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 9 , wherein said optical filter includes a polarizer.  
   
   
       11 . The bow sight and cover assembly of  claim 8 , wherein said transparent window includes a magnifying lens.  
   
   
       12 . A bow sight through which an archer aims at a target situated in a visual background, comprising: 
 means for mounting the bow sight on a bow riser;    at least one sighting member;    a mounting block supporting said sighting member such that the sighting member is within a sight picture when an archer is aiming at a target;    a guard member at least partially surrounding the sighting member around the sight picture, and having a proximal side facing the archer and a distal side facing the target;    a receptacle formed directly on the distal side of said guard member and adapted for receiving a pivot fitting onto which a bow sight cap may be mounted for pivoting action in which the cap may be moved between a closed position in which the cap covers the distal side of the guard member and an open position where the cap remains on the bow sight but is displaced away from the guard member and out of said sight picture.    
   
   
       13 . A bow sight cover for covering a bow sight of the type in which a sighting member is mounted on a mounting block, and is at least partly surrounded by a guard member tat forms a viewing frame around a sight picture for an archer aiming at a target, the guard member having a proximal side facing the archer and a distal side facing the target; the bow sight cover comprising a protective cap member covering the distal side of the guard member, and pivot means mounting said cap member onto the bow sight at the distal side of the guard member such that the archer can swing the cap member from a closed position in which the cover is held against the guard member and an open position in which the cap member remains on the bow sight but is displaced away from the guard member and out of said sight picture.  
   
   
       14 . A bow sight cover according to  claim 13  wherein said guard member is arcuate and forms at least a portion of a circle, and said cap member is disk shaped.  
   
   
       15 . A bow sight cover according to  claim 14  wherein said cover includes a snap-on base that removably fits onto the distal side of said guard member, and said pivot means includes a first hinge portion formed on said snap-on base and second hinge portion formed on an edge of said cap member and pivotally fitting said first hinge portion.  
   
   
       16 . The bow sight of  claim 12 , wherein said receptacle is formed at a side of the guard member that is disposed towards the bow riser.  
   
   
       17 . A bow sight cover according to  claim 13  in which the pivot means is disposed on the cap member and guard member on a side thereof which is oriented towards the bow riser when the protective cap member is in the closed position, such that the cap member swings in the direction towards said bow riser to move into its open position.  
   
   
       18 . A bow sight cover according to  claim 13  in which said pivot means includes a pin defining a fore-and-aft axis about which said cap member swings.