Arrowhead Blade Retention Device

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/657,441, entitled “Arrowhead Blade Retention Device,” filed Jun. 7, 2024, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology described herein relates generally to an arrowhead blade retention device.

BACKGROUND

Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows. Archery has been used for hunting, combat, competitive sport, and recreation. The most common form of an arrow consists of a shaft, with an arrowhead at the front end, and fletchings and a nock at the other end. Arrowheads may come separate from the shaft and include target points, field points, and broadheads. Broadheads are typically wide arrow points with sharp edges for cutting and are often used for hunting. Broadheads may come with different types of blades, including fixed blades, removable blades, and expandable blades. It is desirable for an expandable broadhead to maintain a compact formation and deploy upon impact with a target; however, current expandable broadheads have difficulty maintaining this compact formation until impact and often deploy early during flight, reducing kinetic energy and the ability of the broadhead to penetrate deeply into the target.

The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention as defined in the claims is to be bound.

SUMMARY

The disclosed technology includes arrowhead blade retention devices. Embodiments of the present disclosure may include an arrowhead blade retention device. The arrowhead blade retention device may include a body, which may include a central body and a plurality of ears that extend outward from the central body. The arrowhead blade retention device may also include a plurality of blade retainers defined at least partially within the plurality of ears. The plurality of blade retainers may include retainer outer walls and may be sized to receive arrowhead blades. A plurality of lateral walls may be defined between the retainer outer walls and an outer wall of the body.

Other examples or embodiments of the present disclosure may include an arrowhead with deployable blades that includes a point, an arrowhead shaft having a first shaft end and a second shaft end, with the point coupled to the first shaft end and a base coupled to the second shaft end. The base may include a base head and a base shaft. A blade carrier may be slidably coupled to the arrowhead shaft. A plurality of cutting blades may be pivotally coupled to the blade carrier, the cutting blades including blade tips and blade cutting edges. The arrowhead may further include a blade retention device that includes a flexible body including a top wall defining a central aperture and at least two blade retainers on opposing sides of the central aperture. The base shaft may extend through the central aperture, the top wall may be positioned below the base head, and the blade tips may align with the at least two blade retainers.

Further examples or embodiments of the present disclosure may include an arrowhead blade retention device that includes a flexible body. The flexible body may include a top wall and a sidewall, and the top wall may define a central aperture. At least one recess may be defined in the top wall and may include a recessed surface and a recess outer wall. At least one lateral wall may be defined between the recess outer wall and the sidewall. A thickness of the at least one lateral wall is sized such that the at least one lateral wall breaks when an arrowhead blade applies force to the recess outer wall.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. A more extensive presentation of features, details, utilities, and advantages of the present invention as defined in the claims is provided in the following written description of various embodiments and implementations and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of an arrowhead blade retention device of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a rear isometric view of the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7A is a front elevation view of an exemplary arrowhead that may be coupled to an arrowhead blade retention device of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7B is a front elevation view of the arrowhead of FIG. 7A with the arrowhead blade retention device of FIGS. 1-6 coupled thereto.

FIG. 8 is a bottom isometric view of a base of the arrowhead of FIGS. 7A-B.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the base of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the base of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is an isometric front view of the arrowhead of FIG. 7B.

FIG. 12 is a zoomed in view of a portion of the arrowhead of FIG. 7B showing the arrangement of the cutting blades relative to the base and arrowhead blade retention device.

FIG. 13 is a zoomed in view of a portion of the arrowhead of FIG. 7B showing the arrangement of the cutting blades relative to the arrowhead blade retention device, with the base removed for ease of view.

FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the arrowhead of FIG. 7B.

FIG. 15 is a front elevation view of the arrowhead of FIGS. 7A-B with the cutting blades in a deployed position.

FIG. 16 is a top isometric view of another embodiment of an arrowhead blade retention device of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a bottom plan view of the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is a front elevation view of the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 16.

FIG. 20 is a front elevation view of an exemplary arrowhead with the arrowhead blade retention device of FIG. 16 coupled thereto.

FIG. 21 is a bottom isometric view of an exemplary base coupled to the arrowhead of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a zoomed in view of a portion of the arrowhead of FIG. 20 showing the arrangement of the cutting blades relative to the base and arrowhead blade retention device.

FIG. 23 is a zoomed in view of a portion of the arrowhead of FIG. 20 showing the arrangement of the cutting blades relative to the arrowhead blade retention device, with other structures of the arrowhead removed for ease of view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure is related to an arrowhead or broadhead blade retention device. The disclosed arrowhead blade retention device may include a flexible body that couples with arrowhead blades to hold the arrowhead blades in a collapsed or folded position while the arrowhead is in flight. The disclosed arrowhead blade retention device may be broken or reconfigured upon impact with a target, releasing or deploying the arrowhead blades in a deployed position. The term “target” is used herein to refer to any material the arrowhead may encounter. By holding the arrowhead blades in place in a compact configuration during flight and allowing the blades to deploy upon impact with a target, disclosed arrowhead blade retention devices maintain the kinetic energy of an arrow during flight to allow for greater impact force with and penetration through the target.

Disclosed arrowhead blade retention devices are configured to retain blades of an arrowhead that includes blades that release or deploy from a retained or collapsed position. Such arrowheads include broadheads, which have blades that open outward from a central shaft. As an example, disclosed arrowhead blade retention devices may be used with the arrowhead disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,180,312 B2 entitled “Mechanical Expanding Broad Head Arrow Point,” granted on Jan. 15, 2019 (the '312 Patent), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Disclosed arrowhead blade retention devices may include a central body and a plurality of blade retainers. The blade retainers may be positioned on opposing sides of the central body. The blade retainers may be recesses, notches, apertures, grooves, slots, and the like. The blade retainers are configured to retain blades of an arrowhead, for example, by housing, surrounding, encapsulating, or otherwise holding a portion of the blades, such as the blade tips or points. Disclosed arrowhead blade retention devices may include a plurality of ears or arms that extend outward from the central body. The plurality of ears or arms may extend or curve upward from the central body. The plurality of blade retainers may be defined within the plurality of ears. The number of ears and/or the number of blade retainers may be varied to correspond with the number of blades of the arrowhead. The central body may define a central aperture that is configured to receive a shaft of the arrowhead. For example, the central aperture may receive a shaft of a base of the arrowhead. The arrowhead blade retention device may be positioned such that the blade retainers align with the tips or bottom portions of the arrowhead blades. In some embodiments, a disclosed arrowhead blade retention device is positioned between two components of an arrow and held in place by pressure between the two components, for example, between two threaded components. As an example, an arrow may include an arrowhead base coupled to an arrow shaft by threading. A disclosed arrowhead blade retention device may be positioned between the arrowhead base and the arrow shaft and retained by threaded tension between the components. In this manner, the disclosed arrowhead blade retention device may be a type of washer that is shaped to retain the arrowhead blades.

Disclosed arrowhead blade retention devices may be configured to deploy or release the arrowhead blades upon impact with a target. For example, a disclosed arrowhead blade retention device may include points of weakness or breaking points that break upon impact with a target. For example, the portion of wall between a blade retainer and an outer edge of the arrowhead blade retention device may be a point of weakness that breaks upon impact. The arrowhead blades may extend outwards upon impact with the target and the outward force of the blades on the walls surrounding the blade retainers may cause the arrowhead blade retention device to break and release the blades.

Turning to the figures, arrowhead blade retention device embodiments of the present disclosure will now be discussed in more detail. FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of an arrowhead blade retention device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a rear isometric view of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 of FIG. 1. As shown, the arrowhead blade retention device 100 may include a body 102. The body 102 may include a top wall 104, a bottom wall 106, and a sidewall or outer wall 108. The sidewall 108 may extend around the outer edge of the body 102 and may include a front surface 110, a rear surface 111, a left side surface, and a right side surface 112. The left side surface is not shown in the drawings, as it is a mirror image of the right side surface 112.

The body 102 may include a central body 114 and a plurality of ears 116a, b. The central body 114 may be formed by a flat portion of the top wall 104. The central body 114 may have a thickness T formed between the flat portion of the top wall 104 and the bottom wall 106. The thickness T may be sized to allow for flexibility of the body 102. For example, the thickness T may be within the range 0.010-0.150 inches, for example 0.020 inches. The central body 114 may define a central aperture 118. As depicted, the central aperture 118 has a circular shape; however, other shapes are contemplated. The central aperture 118 is sized to fit with an arrowhead or broadhead, such as the arrowhead or broadhead described in the '312 Patent. For example, the central aperture 118 is sized to fit with a shaft of a base of the arrowhead, such as the base shaft 218 described below with respect to FIG. 8. The central aperture 118 may be sized to prevent a tight tolerance with the arrowhead, facilitating coupling of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 with the arrowhead and alignment of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 with the arrowhead blades.

The plurality of ears 116a,b may be formed by a curvature and extension of the top wall 104 upwards from the central body 114 or in a direction that is away from the bottom wall 106. The ears 116a,b may extend upwards at an angle from the central body 114. As an example, the ears 116a,b may extend at a 45 degree angle from the central body, though other angles are contemplated. In the depicted embodiment, the arrowhead blade retention device 100 includes two ears, a left ear 116a and a right ear 118a; however, more or less than two ears 116a,b are contemplated. For example, the number of ears may match the number of blades on an arrowhead or broadhead. For example, one, three, four, or more ears are contemplated. The ears 116a,b may be evenly spaced apart. The left and right ears 116a,b are positioned on opposing sides of the central aperture 118. The left and right ears 116a,b may include left and right curved ear surfaces 120a,b and left and right flat ear surfaces 122a,b, respectively. It is contemplated that the left and right flat ear surfaces 122a,b may also be curved.

The left and right ears 116a,b may include a plurality of left and right blade retainers 124a,b. In the depicted embodiment, the left and right blade retainers 124a,b are recesses defined within the top wall 104 on opposing sides of the central aperture 118. It is contemplated that the blade retainers 124a,b may be apertures, grooves, slots, slits, or the like. The left and right blade retainers 124a,b may be equal distanced from the central aperture 118. The left and right blade retainers 124a,b may be defined at least partially within the left and right curved surfaces 120a,b, respectively. The left and right blade retainers 124a,b may include left and right recessed surfaces 126a,b that are recessed from the top wall 104. The left and right blade retainers 124a,b may include left and right retainer outer walls 128a,b, also referred to herein as left and right recess outer walls. In embodiments where the left and right blade retainers 124a,b are apertures, the left and right recessed surfaces 126a,b are omitted. It is contemplated that the ears 116a,b may be omitted and the blade retainers may be formed in the top wall 104. The left and right blade retainers 124a,b may each have a diameter between about 0.050 inches to about 0.1 inches. For example, the retainer diameter may be 0.070 inches, 0.071 inches, 0.072 inches, 0.073 inches, 0.074 inches, 0.075 inches, 0.076 inches, 0.077 inches, 0.078 inches, or the like. Other sizing of the left and right blade retainers 124a,b is contemplated to accommodate different sized or shaped arrowheads or broadheads.

Left and right lateral walls 130, 132 may be formed between the left and right retainer outer walls 128a,b (or left and right recess outer walls) and the sidewall 108, respectively. The left and right lateral walls 130, 132 may have a thickness t. The thickness t may be sized to create a point of weakness or breaking point upon impact with a sharp edge. The thickness t may be thick enough to prevent breakage of the lateral walls 130, 132 during flight, but thin enough to allow for breakage of the lateral walls 130, 132 upon impact of the arrowhead with a target. The thickness t may depend on the types of blades being retained, including the blade size, thickness, and sharpness. In exemplary embodiments, the thickness t is between 0.010-0.90 inches, for example, 0.018, 0.019, 0.020, 0.021, or the like, inches.

The body 102 may be shaped to reduce its aerodynamic signature on the arrowhead. As shown, the body 102 has an eye-shape or parallelogram shape with curved corners; however, other shapes are contemplated, including, for example, an oval or circular shaped body 102. In embodiments where the body 102 is circular, the ears may be formed by raised opposing sides of the body 102 or the ears may be omitted, as described with respect to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 16-19.

The body 102 may be a flexible body configured to flex when external pressure or force is applied to the body 102. The flexible body may flex with flexion of an arrowhead coupled thereto. For example, the flexible body may flex with the arrowhead shaft as it moves or flexes during flight, acting as a shock absorber. The flexibility of the body 102 may mitigate impact of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 on the kinetic energy or inertia of the arrowhead during flight. The flexibility of the body 102 may also prevent breakage of the body 102 prior to impact with a target, as the body 102 may flex relative to the arrowhead blades. The body 102 may be made of a flexible and/or resilient material, including, for example, plastic, nylon, carbon fiber, non-ferrous metals, wood composite, fiberglass composites, molded epoxies, and other composite compositions. As an example, the body 102 may include a plastic composition including nylon, such as, for example, polyamides such as Nylon 12 (PA12) or Nylon 6 (PA6). The body 102 may include various other injectable plastic compounds such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and the like. The material of the body 102 may be breakable when an external cutting force is applied to the material.

A disclosed arrowhead blade retention device may be coupled to an arrowhead. FIG. 7A is a front elevation view of an exemplary arrowhead 200 that may be coupled to an arrowhead blade retention device described herein. FIG. 7B is a front elevation view of the arrowhead 200 of FIG. 7A with the arrowhead blade retention device 100 of FIGS. 1-6 coupled thereto. The arrowhead 200 may be the arrowhead shown and described in the '312 Patent. As shown, the arrowhead 200 includes a point 202 and a resilient shaft 204. In the depicted embodiment, the point 202 has a three blade configuration, though other configurations are contemplated. The point 202 may be coupled to the resilient shaft 204 directly or through an intermediate component, such as the ferrule described in the '312 Patent. The resilient shaft 204 and/or the ferrule may include threading to couple with threading on a threaded socket coupled to the point 202. The resilient shaft 204 may be composed of carbon fiber or another equally resilient material. The resilient shaft 204 may be disposed through a blade carrier 206 allowing the blade carrier 206 to move up and down the resilient shaft 204. A plurality of cutting blades 208 may be pivotally mounted to the blade carrier 206. In the depicted embodiment, two cutting blades 208 are coupled to the blade carrier 206; however, more or less cutting blades 208 are contemplated, such as one, three, four, or more cutting blades. The cutting blades 208 each have a blade tip 210 at one end, a spine 211, and a cutting edge 212. The spine 211 and the cutting edge 212 are on opposing sides of the cutting blade 208. The cutting edge 212, when deployed, is oriented toward the direction of flight of the arrowhead 200 so that the cutting edge 212 will be deployed against the target material.

The resilient shaft 204 may be disposed within a base 214. The resilient shaft 204 may be coupled to the base 214 by threading or adhesive. FIGS. 8-11 show an exemplary base 214. The base 214 may include a base head 216 and a base shaft 218. The base shaft 218 may include threading 220 along at least a portion of the base shaft 218. The threading 220 may couple with threading on an arrow shaft to couple the arrowhead 200 to an arrow shaft. The base head 216 may include curved opposing edges 222a,b, flat opposing edges 224a,b, a top base head surface 225, and a bottom base head surface 227. The top base head surface 225 may be a flat surface. The bottom base head surface 227 may be a curved surface. The base head 216 may define a base central bore 226 that receives the resilient shaft 204. The base head 216 may define a plurality of blade retention apertures 228. The blade retention apertures 228 may be defined within the flat opposing edges 224a,b of the base head 216. The blade retention apertures 228 may be positioned lateral to the base central bore 226. As shown, the blade retention apertures 228 are on opposing sides of the base central bore 226. In the depicted embodiment, the blade retention apertures 228 are slots; however, other shapes are contemplated that are sized to fit the cutting blades 208. The spines 211 of each of the cutting blades 208 may be disposed within the blade retention apertures 228. The blade tips 210 of the cutting blades 208 may extend through the blade retention apertures 228 and below the base head 216. The blade tips 210 of the cutting blades 208 may extend through the blade retention apertures 228 a distance D below the bottom base head surface 227. The distance D may be the same as a height of the left and right retainer outer walls 128a,b.

FIG. 11 is an isometric front view of the arrowhead 200 of FIG. 7B. FIG. 12 is a zoomed in view of a portion of the arrowhead 200 of FIG. 7B showing the arrangement of the cutting blades 208 relative to the base 214 and arrowhead blade retention device 100. FIG. 13 is a zoomed in view of the arrangement of the cutting blades relative to the arrowhead blade retention device 100, with the base 214 removed for ease of view. FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the arrowhead 200 of FIG. 7B. As shown in the figures, the arrowhead blade retention device 100 may couple to the base 214 of the arrowhead 200. The base shaft 218 may be disposed within the central aperture 118 of the arrowhead blade retention device 100. The top wall 104 of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 may be biased against the bottom base head surface 227. The curvature of the top wall 104 may align with or correspond to the curvature of the bottom base head surface 227 in a manner that minimizes spacing or gaping therebetween. The blade retainers 124a,b may align at least partially with the blade retention apertures 228 and may be positioned such that the portions of the cutting blades 208 that stick out below the base 214 are disposed within the blade retainers 124a,b. The blade tips 210 may rest or bias against the recessed surfaces 126a,b. The contact of the blade tips 210 with the recessed surfaces 126a,b may mitigate or prevent movement or rattling of the cutting blades 208. In embodiments in which the blade retainers 124a,b are apertures and the recessed surfaces 126a,b are omitted, the blade tips 210 may be disposed within the apertures or extend partially below the arrowhead blade retention device 100. The cutting edge 212 may rest or bias against the left and right retainer outer walls 128a,b or against the left and right lateral walls 130, 132.

As shown in FIG. 14, the arrowhead blade retention device 100 may be disposed diagonally across the base 214. The width of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 from left side surface to right side surface 112 may be no greater than the diameter of the blade carrier 206. In the depicted embodiment, the width of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 is the same dimensions as the diameter of the blade carrier 206. In other words, the sidewall 108 of arrowhead blade retention device 100 does not extend out beyond the edges of the blade carrier 206, mitigating or eliminating impact of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 on aerodynamics, wind resistance, and kinetic energy of the arrowhead 200 while in flight.

FIG. 15 is a front elevation view of the arrowhead 200 of FIGS. 7A-B with the cutting blades 208 in a deployed position. When target material is encountered, rearward force may be applied to the blade carrier 206, moving the blade carrier 206 along the resilient shaft 204 towards the base 214. Such movement of the blade carrier 206 may move the cutting blades 208 in an outward direction away from the resilient shaft 204 and base 214, placing pressure from the cutting edges 212 of the cutting blades 208 on the left and right lateral walls 130, 132. The pressure of the cutting edges 212 on the left and right lateral walls 130, 132 may break the left and right lateral walls 130, 132, deploying the cutting blades 208. The breaking of the arrowhead blade retention device 100 thereby allows deployment of the cutting blades 208.

While the disclosed arrowhead blade retention device 100 is depicted with ears that break upon impact, it is contemplated that the ears may remain intact. In some embodiments, the ears may instead be reconfigured upon impact to deploy the cutting blades. For example, the ears may stick out past the outer edge of the arrowhead (e.g., the outer edge of the blade carrier 206) and may act as a barbed edge or catch of the arrowhead, catching a portion of the target material upon impact and folding or extending in a rearward position towards the arrow shaft. The folding or extension of the ears may move the ears off of the cutting blades, allowing the cutting blades to deploy or release upon impact with the target material.

In some embodiments, the ears may remain intact for use with a practice arrowhead. For example, it is sometimes desirable for a bow and arrow user to test an arrow to see how it flies relative to a target. For example, the user may want to ensure the trajectory of the arrow hits a desired target. In these instances, it may be desirable for a disclosed arrowhead blade retention device to retain the cutting blades upon impact with a target so that the arrow is easier to pull out of the target and the cutting blades do not dull. For example, the lateral walls may retain their structure when the cutting force of the cutting blades is exerted on them. In these embodiments, the arrowhead blade retention device may be made of a sturdier, more rigid material, such as aluminum, for example.

FIGS. 16-19 show another embodiment of a disclosed arrowhead blade retention device. FIG. 16 is a top isometric view of an arrowhead blade retention device 300 of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 of FIG. 16. FIG. 18 is a bottom plan view of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 of FIG. 16. FIG. 19 is a front elevation view of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 of FIG. 16. The arrowhead blade retention device 300 may have similar features as the arrowhead blade retention device 100 described with respect to FIGS. 1-6 with the ears omitted. As shown, the arrowhead blade retention device 300 may include a body 302. The body 302 may include a top wall 304, a bottom wall 306, and a sidewall or outer wall 308. The sidewall 308 may extend around the outer edge of the body 302 and may include a front surface 310, a rear surface 311, a left side surface, and a right side surface 312. The left side surface is not shown in the drawings, as it is a mirror image of the right side surface 312. The body 302 may be shaped to reduce its aerodynamic signature on the arrowhead. As shown, the body 302 has a circular shape.

The body 302 may include a central body 314. The central body 314 may be formed by a flat portion of the top wall 304. The body 302 may have a thickness T formed between the top wall 304 and the bottom wall 306. The thickness T may be sized to allow for flexibility of the body 302. For example, the thickness T may be within the range 0.010-0.150 inches, for example 0.020 inches. The central body 314 may define a central aperture 318. As depicted, the central aperture 318 has a circular shape; however, other shapes are contemplated. The central aperture 318 is sized to fit with an arrowhead or broadhead, such as the arrowhead or broadhead described in the '312 Patent. For example, the central aperture 318 is sized to fit with a shaft of a base of the arrowhead, such as the base shaft 418 described below with respect to FIG. 21 or the base shaft 218 described with respect to FIG. 8. The central aperture 318 may be sized to prevent a tight tolerance with the arrowhead, facilitating coupling of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 with the arrowhead and alignment of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 with the arrowhead blades.

The top wall 304 may define a blade retainer 320. The blade retainer 320 may be a recess or groove defined in the top wall 304. The recess may be a circumferential recess that surrounds the central body 314. In this manner, similar to the arrowhead blade retention device 100 of FIGS. 1-6, the arrowhead blade retention device 300 includes left and right recesses 324a,b on opposing sides of the central aperture 318. In this embodiment, the opposing left and right recesses 324a,b are connected and formed as a single recess in the top wall 304. While the blade retainer 320 depicted surrounds the entire central body 314, it is contemplated that the blade retainer 320 may surround a portion of the central body 314. As one example, the blade retainer 320 may surround half of the central body 314, forming a semi-circumferential shape. It is contemplated that the blade retainer 320 may be two separate blade retainers (e.g., recesses, grooves, apertures, or the like) defined in the top wall 304 on opposing sides of the central aperture 318, similar to the left and right blade retainers 124a,b described with respect to the arrowhead blade retention device 100 of FIGS. 1-6. The blade retainer 320 may include a recessed surface 326 that is recessed from the top wall 304. The blade retainer 320 may include opposing inner and outer retainer walls 328, 330, respectively. The opposing inner and outer retainer walls 328, 330 may be opposing inner and outer recess walls.

A lateral wall 332 may be formed between the outer retainer wall 330 and the sidewall 308. The lateral wall 332 may have a thickness t. The thickness t may be sized to create a point of weakness or breaking point upon impact with a sharp edge. The thickness t may be thick enough to prevent breakage of the lateral wall 332 during flight, but thin enough to allow for breakage of the lateral wall 332 upon impact of the arrowhead with a target. The thickness t may depend on the types of blades being retained, including the blade size, thickness, and sharpness. In exemplary embodiments, the thickness t is between 0.010-0.90 inches, for example, 0.018, 0.019, 0.020, 0.021, or the like, inches.

The arrowhead blade retention device 300 may be coupled to an arrowhead. FIG. 20 is a front elevation view of an exemplary arrowhead 400 with the arrowhead blade retention device 300 of FIGS. 16-19 coupled thereto. The arrowhead 400 may be the arrowhead shown and described in the '312 Patent. The arrowhead 400 may have the same or similar features as the arrowhead 200 described with respect to FIGS. 7A-B. As shown, the arrowhead 400 includes a point 402 and a resilient shaft 404. The resilient shaft 404 may be disposed through a blade carrier 406 allowing the blade carrier 406 to move up and down the resilient shaft 404. A plurality of cutting blades 408 may be pivotally mounted to the blade carrier 406. In the depicted embodiment, two cutting blades 408 are depicted; however, more or less cutting blades 408 are contemplated, such as one, three, four, or more cutting blades. The cutting blades 408 each have a blade tip 410 at one end and a cutting edge 412.

The resilient shaft 404 may be disposed within a base 414. FIG. 21 is a bottom isometric view of an exemplary base 414. The base 414 may include the same or similar features as the base 214 described with respect to FIGS. 8-11. The base 414 may include a base head 416 and a base shaft 418. The base shaft 418 may include threading 420 along at least a portion of the base shaft 418. The threading 420 may couple with threading on an arrow shaft to couple the arrowhead 400 to an arrow shaft. The base head 416 may include convex curved opposing edges 422, concave opposing edges 424, a top base head surface 425 (shown in FIG. 22), and a bottom base head surface 427. It is contemplated that the base head 416 may be the same as base head 216 of base 214, for example, with flat opposing edges. The top base head surface 425 and the bottom base head surface 427 may be flat surfaces. The base head 416 may define a plurality of blade retention apertures 428. The blade retention apertures 428 may be defined within the base head 416 in a similar position as the blade retention apertures 228 of base head 216. The blade tips 410 of the cutting blades 408 may extend through the blade retention apertures 428 a distance D below the bottom base head surface 427. The distance D may be the same as the thickness T of the body 302 of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 or as the distance between the top wall 304 and the recessed surface 326 of the arrowhead blade retention device.

FIG. 22 is a zoomed in view of a portion of the arrowhead 400 of FIG. 20 showing the arrangement of the cutting blades 408 relative to the base 414 and arrowhead blade retention device 300. FIG. 23 is a zoomed in view of a portion of the arrowhead 400 of FIG. 20 showing the arrangement of the cutting blades 408 relative to the arrowhead blade retention device 300, with other structures of the arrowhead 400 removed for ease of view. As shown in the figures, the arrowhead blade retention device 300 may couple to the base 414 of the arrowhead 400. The base shaft 418 may be disposed within the central aperture 318 of the arrowhead blade retention device 300. The top wall 304 of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 may be biased against the bottom base head surface 427. The curvature of the top wall 304 may align with or correspond to the curvature of the bottom base head surface 427 in a manner that minimizes spacing or gaping therebetween. In this embodiment, the flat bottom base head surface 427 lies flat on the flat top wall 304. The base head 416 may have a width, length, and/or diameter that is the same as the diameter of the central body 314. In these embodiments, the base head 416 may not extend over the blade retainer 320. It is contemplated that a portion of the base head 416 may extend over the blade retainer 320.

The blade retainer 320 may align at least partially with the blade retention apertures 428 and may be positioned such that the portions of the cutting blades 408 that stick out below the base 414 are disposed within the blade retainer 320. As shown, the blade tips 410 are positioned within the opposing left and right recesses 324a,b. The blade tips 410 may rest or bias against the recessed surface 326. The cutting edge 412 may rest or bias against the outer retainer wall 330 or lateral wall 332. The size and shape of the blade retainer 320 may accommodate arrowheads with different numbers and configurations of blades. For example, blades that are closer to one another around the circumference of the arrowhead 400 than the blades 408 depicted may still fit within the blade retainer 320.

As shown in FIG. 20, the width, length, and/or diameter of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 (e.g., between the left side surface and right side surface 312) may be no greater than the diameter of the blade carrier 406. In the depicted embodiment, the width, length, and/or diameter of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 is the same dimension as the diameter of the blade carrier 406. In other words, the sidewall 308 of arrowhead blade retention device 300 does not extend out beyond the edges of the blade carrier 406, mitigating or eliminating impact of the arrowhead blade retention device 300 on aerodynamics, wind resistance, and kinetic energy of the arrowhead 400 while in flight.

While disclosed arrowhead blade retention devices are depicted with specific embodiments of arrowheads, the arrowheads depicted are meant to be exemplary only and it is contemplated that disclosed arrowhead blade retention devices may be coupled to any arrowhead or broadhead that includes blades that deploy upon impact.

All references disclosed herein, whether patent or non-patent, are hereby incorporated by reference as if each was included at its citation, in its entirety.

All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, back, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the structures disclosed herein, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of such structures. Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a collection of elements and relative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated and may include wired or wireless connections, including electrical connections. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other. The exemplary drawings are for purposes of illustration only and the dimensions, positions, order, and relative sizes reflected in the drawings attached hereto may vary.

The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined in the claims. Although various embodiments of the claimed invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention. Other embodiments are therefore contemplated. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only of particular embodiments and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the basic elements of the invention as defined in the following claims.