Electronic rangefinder for archery

Claim 1

A rangefinding apparatus for attachment to a bow, comprising in combination: (a) a transparent viewing window through which a target having a first preselected size can be viewed by an archer aiming the bow in a drawn configuration at the target; (b) first display means for selectively displaying an upper target bracketing line and a lower target bracketing line in the transparent viewing window, the lower bracketing line being below and spaced from the upper target bracketing line, the location of the lower target bracketing line being selected for the first preselected size target; (c) second display means for displaying a digital number corresponding to a distance between the upper target bracketing line and the first lower target bracketing line, and hence to the distance from the rangefinding apparatus to the target; (d) upper bracketing line control means for effectively moving the upper target bracketing line in response to a control switch actuated by a finger of the archer's hand gripping a handle of the bow to cause the upper target bracketing line to visually bracket an upper portion of the target as seen through the transparent viewing window by the eye of the archer when the bow is aimed so that the lower target bracketing line appears to bracket a lower portion of the target; and (e) digital display control means responsive to the control switch for causing the second display means to automatically display a digital number corresponding to the position of the displayed upper target bracketing line and hence to the distance from the rangefinding apparatus to the target.

Claim 9

A method for operating an electronic rangefinding apparatus attached to a bow to indicate the distance from the bow to a target of a preselected size, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a transparent viewing window and a digital display in a housing of the rangefinding apparatus, and providing a movable bracket line display in the transparent viewing window; (b) providing a digital display in the housing of the rangefinding apparatus; (c) producing a first electrical signal and applying it to the movable bracket line display to generate a lower bracket line in the transparent viewing window at a first location corresponding to the preselected size of the target; (d) producing a second electrical signal in response to a control switch and applying the second electrical signal to the movable bracket line display to generate an upper bracket line in the transparent viewing window at a second location that brackets an upper portion of the target as seen in the transparent viewing window by the eye of an archer aiming the drawn bow at the target so that the lower bracket line brackets a lower portion of the target as seen in the transparent viewing window; and (e) automatically producing a third electrical signal that corresponds to the second location and applying the third electrical signal to the digital display to cause it to display a digital readout that corresponds to the distance between the first and second locations of the upper and lower bracketing lines, respectively, and hence to the distance from the bow to the target.

Claim 10

A method for operating an electronic rangefinding apparatus attached to a bow to indicate the distance from the bow to a target of a preselected size, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a transparent viewing window and a digital display in a housing of the rangefinding apparatus, and providing a movable bracket line display in the transparent viewing window; (b) providing a digital display in the housing of the rangefinding apparatus; (c) producing a first electrical signal and applying it to the movable bracket line display to generate a lower bracket line in the transparent viewing window at a first location corresponding to the preselected size of the target; (d) producing a second electrical signal in response to a control switch and applying the second electrical signal to the movable bracket line display to generate an upper bracket line in the transparent viewing window at a second location that brackets an upper portion of the target as seen in the transparent viewing window by the eye of an archer aiming the drawn bow at the target so that the lower bracket line brackets a lower portion of the target as seen in the transparent viewing window; and (e) automatically producing a third electrical signal that corresponds to the second location and applying the third electrical signal to the digital display to cause it to display a digital readout that corresponds to the distance between the first and second locations of the upper and lower bracketing lines, respectively, and hence to the distance from the bow to the target.