Apparatus, system and method for archery sight tape selection
09777993 · 2017-10-03
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
A system includes at least one processor; a memory configured to store for each of the plurality of sight tapes, a first distance separating two sight marks included on each of the plurality of sight tapes, respectively, the two sight marks including a first sight mark associated with a first known shot-distance and a second sight mark associated with a second known shot-distance; a sight setting module configured to determine sight settings for the selected archery equipment and determine a second distance separating a first sight setting associated with the first known shot-distance and a second sight setting associated with the second known shot-distance; and a comparison module configured to compare a value of the second distance with a value of the respective first distances to determine which of the respective first distances most closely matches the second distance.
Claims
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents cause a processing device including a processor, a memory coupled to the processor and a display coupled to the processor to perform a method of selecting an archery sight tape for an archery sight employed with selected archery equipment, the archery sight tape included in a plurality of sight tapes uniquely identified relative to one another, the method comprising: storing in the memory, for each of the plurality of sight tapes, a first distance separating two sight marks included on each of the plurality of sight tapes, respectively, the two sight marks including a first sight mark associated with a first known shot-distance and a second sight mark associated with a second known shot-distance, wherein each of the respective first known shot-distances are selected to be the same as one another, and wherein each of the respective second known shot-distances are selected to be the same as one another; providing at least one archery parameter for the selected archery equipment; determining, by the processor, sight settings for the selected archery equipment based, at least in part, on the at least one archery parameter; determining, by the processor, a second distance from the sight settings, the second distance separating a first sight setting associated with the first known shot-distance and a second sight setting associated with the second known shot-distance; comparing, by the processor, a value of the second distance with a value of the respective first distances to determine which of the respective first distances most closely matches the second distance; and providing an identification of an archery sight tape included in the plurality of archery sight tapes having the first distance that most closely matches the second distance.
2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the archery sight includes at least one mechanically operated sight pin.
3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the act of providing the identification includes an act of providing an indicia that uniquely identifies the archery sight tape.
4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the indicia includes a numeric indicia.
5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the indicia includes an alphabetical indicia.
6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents cause a processing device including a processor, a memory coupled to the processor and a display coupled to the processor to perform a method of selecting an archery sight tape for an archery sight employed with selected archery equipment, the archery sight including a sight pin, the archery sight tape included in a plurality of sight tapes and a setup tape, the method comprising: storing in the memory, for each of the plurality of sight tapes, a first distance between a first position of the sight pin established for a first known shot-distance and a second position of the sight pin established for a second known shot-distance, respectively, wherein the setup tape includes a first sight mark common to each of the plurality of sight tapes for use at the first known shot-distance, and wherein the setup tape includes a plurality of second sight marks for use at the second known shot-distance, each of the plurality of second sight marks including an indicia that uniquely identifies one of the plurality of sight tapes, respectively; providing at least one archery parameter for the selected archery equipment; determining, by the processor, sight settings for the selected archery equipment based, at least in part, on the at least one archery parameter; determining, by the processor, a second distance from the sight settings, the second distance separating a first sight setting associated with the first known shot-distance and a second sight setting associated with the second known shot-distance; comparing, by the processor, a value of the second distance with a value of the respective first distances to determine which of the respective first distances most closely matches the second distance; and providing an identification of an archery sight tape included in the plurality of archery sight tapes having the first distance that most closely matches the second distance.
7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the archery sight includes at least one mechanically operated sight pin.
8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first distance represents a difference in a pin elevation in the archery sight.
9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the second distance represents the difference in the pin elevation in the archery sight.
10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the act of providing the identification includes providing the indicia that uniquely identifies the archery sight tape.
11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the indicia includes a numeric indicia.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the indicia includes an alphabetical indicia.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents cause a processing device including a processor, a memory coupled to the processor and a display coupled to the processor to perform a method of selecting an archery sight tape for an archery sight employed with selected archery equipment, the archery sight including a sight pin, the archery sight tape included in a plurality of sight tapes and a setup tape, the method comprising: storing in the memory, for each of the plurality of sight tapes, a first distance between a first position of the sight pin established for a first known shot-distance and a second position of the sight pin established for a second known shot-distance, respectively, wherein the setup tape provides data employed to determine a numerical value corresponding to each of the first differences, respectively, and wherein each of the respective numerical values uniquely identifies a respective one of the plurality of sight tapes; providing at least one archery parameter for the selected archery equipment; determining, by the processor, sight settings for the selected archery equipment based, at least in part, on the at least one archery parameter; determining, by the processor, a second distance from the sight settings, the second distance separating a first sight setting associated with the first known shot-distance and a second sight setting associated with the second known shot-distance; comparing, by the processor, a value of the second distance with a value of the respective first distances to determine which of the respective first distances most closely matches the second distance; and providing an identification of an archery sight tape included in the plurality of archery sight tapes having the first distance that most closely matches the second distance.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the archery sight includes at least one mechanically operated sight pin.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first distance represents a difference in a pin elevation in the archery sight.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the second distance represents the difference in the pin elevation in the archery sight.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the act of providing the identification includes outputting the identification for display.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
(1) The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(15) This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
(16) Referring now to
(17) In one embodiment, each of the plurality of sight tapes 141 includes an identification numeral 149 that uniquely identifies the sight tape (for example, sight tape 141A and identification number “42”) relative to other sight tapes included in the set 140. In other embodiments, an identification letter 148 (for example, sight tape 141E and identification letter “(I)”) is employed to uniquely identify one sight tape from another. Combinations of numerals and letters can be employed as well as various symbols depending on the embodiment.
(18) Referring again to
(19) Some archery sight systems include a setup tape in addition to the set of actual sight tapes where the set-up tape is pre-marked with indicia. Often such systems are employed with an archery sight that includes a curved surface (for example, the face of an adjustment wheel) on which the sight tape is located. According to these embodiments, the setup tape is first secured in place of the sight tape. The archery equipment is sighted in at two distances. The sight tape selection is made using information provided by the setup tape when the equipment is sighted in at the two distances.
(20) Accordingly,
(21) In the illustrated embodiment, the first setup tape 142 includes numerically labeled indicia, for example, 144A-144H and other indicia, for example, 146A-146H. In some embodiments, the other indicia 146A-146H can also include a numerical label, an alpha label, alpha-numeric label and/or symbols.
(22) In the illustrated embodiment, the second setup tape 143 includes a first sight mark 145 and a plurality of second sight marks 147, for example, the sight marks labeled with indicia A-M, respectively. The indicia A-M are illustrated on either side of the second setup tape 143 for clarity. In practice, however, the indicia A-M are included (for example, printed) on the setup tape 143.
(23) For purposes of illustrating apparatus, systems and methods for computer-based sight tape selection, separate embodiments are described herein. These include at least a first embodiment in which a gap between selected sight marks (for example, sight marks for the known shot-distances of 20 and 60 yards) is stored for each sight tape 141 included in a plurality of sight tapes 141, where a gap between sight settings determined for selected archery equipment is compared with the gaps on the plurality of sight tapes to find a closest match. This embodiment can be used with archery sights in which the vertical travel of the sight pin and the alignment pin is a 1:1 ratio.
(24) A second embodiment is employed with archery sight tapes established for archery sights in which the travel of the sight pin and travel of the alignment pin is other than on a 1:1 ratio. For example, where the mechanical adjustment of the archery sight includes wheels, levers or dials the alignment pin can travel at greater than a 1:1 ratio relative to the travel of the sight pin. Often the sight tape is applied on a curved surface such as an arc, dial or wheel for these style sights. According to these embodiments, a sight-pin gap (for example, a difference in sight-pin height between the sight-pin positions for the known shot-distances of 20 and 60 yards, respectively) is stored for each of the sight tapes included in the plurality of sight tapes along with the indicia of the sight tape corresponding to the respective sight-gap. According to some embodiments, the preceding is established by moving the alignment pin between a first position on a setup tape and a second position on a setup tape and recording the resulting sight pin gap. The first position corresponds to a first shot distance and the second position corresponds to a second shot distance.
(25) According to this second embodiment, a gap between sight-pin settings determined for selected archery equipment is compared with the difference in sight-pin gap for each of the plurality of sight tapes to find a closest match. In one further embodiment relative to the second embodiment, the setup tape 143 is employed and includes the first sight mark 145 and the plurality of second sight marks 147. In another further embodiment relative to the second embodiment, the setup tape 142 includes numerical values employed to determine the numerical indicia that identifies the sight tape that provides the closest matching pin gap relative to the sight settings determined for the selected archery equipment.
(26) Referring again to
(27) According to an embodiment employing the first setup tape 142 a difference in value between a value of the numerical indicia adjacent the alignment pin when sighted-in at the first known-distance and a value of the numerical indicia adjacent to the alignment pin when sighted-in at the second known-distance is used to select the sight tape. According to this embodiment, the difference in value provides a numerical value that can be matched to one of the indicia 148.
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(29) Referring to
(30) The distance D3 is the distance (for example, a difference in elevation) that separates the first sight pin position 153 and the second sight pin position 154 from one another. Various embodiments described herein determine the distance D3 between sight pin positions, for example, the distance between a pin for which the archer has sighted in the bow (either the first sight pin position 153 and the second sight pin position 154) to one or more different sight pin positions. The distance D3 can also be referred to as a “pin gap.”
(31) Some embodiments described herein provide an approach to establish accurate sight marks for sight pin elevation/position via selection of the proper sight tape and to do so without taking any shots other than those needed to provide the arrow speed when it leaves the bow. Once the sight tape is properly selected it can be placed accurately on the bow sight when the user sights-in at only a single distance. When accurately located on the bow sight, the sight marks that the sight tape provides can be used to shoot accurately across the range of distances covered by the sight tape. Thus, the accurate sight tape can be selected before the sighting-in process begins. In addition, the approaches described herein simplify the sighting-in process by reducing it to acts of: 1) sighting in at a single shot distance; and 2) locating the sight tape on the sight based on the sight mark determined for that single shot distance.
(32) According to some embodiments, the single shot distance is less than 40 yards. In one embodiment, the single distance is 20 yards because 20 yards is almost universally available at indoor archery ranges. In some embodiments, arrow drag is employed to facilitate each of the preceding embodiments. Further, in some embodiments, the arrow drag is directly measured using a sensing system included in the arrow when shot from the bow. In other embodiments, arrow drag is estimated, for example, based on the arrow speed, vane/fletching type and/or arrow shaft selection for the archery equipment for which the sight marks are being established. In still other embodiments, sight marks are established without the use of arrow drag. Each of these approaches is in contrast to prior approaches in which a sight tape cannot be selected without sighting in at a minimum of two distances, for example, as illustrated in
(33) Further, embodiments of an archery sight tape selection application as described herein can provide multiple approaches for establishing the correct sight tape from a plurality of sight tapes based on different combinations of archery parameters, respectively. For example, in one embodiment, the archery parameters include archery equipment setting parameters (for example, peep-to-sight and peep-to-arrow measurements) and archery equipment performance parameters (for example, arrow launch speed). According to these embodiments, a plurality of sight marks are generated with the preceding information. In a further embodiment, improved precision is achieved by also including arrow drag in the archery performance parameters used to generate the plurality of sight marks. According to one embodiment, a measured arrow drag is employed. According to another embodiment, arrow drag is calculated based on information concerning arrow launch speed and/or arrow construction (for example, a shaft type, a type of vane/fletching, a shaft diameter and combinations of any of the preceding and other information).
(34) In an alternative embodiment, the sight tape selection is accomplished based solely on archery equipment selection parameters (for example, make and model of the bow and arrow, draw weight and draw length) and a limited amount of equipment setting information (for example, the peep-to-arrow and peep-to-sight measurements). While this embodiment may not provide the degree of precision as the approaches described in the immediately preceding paragraphs, it can still deliver a satisfactory result in many situations. In still another embodiment, the sight tape selection is generated with the archery equipment selection parameters but without use of measured dimensions of the peep sight. Instead, the equipment setting information may either not be used or be estimated from the archery equipment selection parameters.
(35) Referring to
(36) In general, the network 190 can include either or both of local-area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless communication, wired communication and may include the Internet. According to a further embodiment, the network 190 provides access “over-the-cloud” to one or more remote devices, servers, application resource management and/or data storage systems. For example, the network 190 can allow communication between any of the mobile device 179, the stationary device 188, and the other user devices 189 with one another and/or with any of the other resources and devices coupled to the network 190. Communication can occur using any of Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth™ communication, cellular networks, satellite communication, and peer-to-peer networks available either alone or in combination with one another via the network 190. Other communication protocols and topologies can also be implemented in accordance with various embodiments. According to some embodiments, a plurality of the end user devices 179, 189, for example, mobile computing devices, and stationary devices 188 suitable for selecting an archery sight tape communicate with and/or access the application server 191 and services 192 via the network 190.
(37) According to various embodiments, the mobile device 179 and the other user devices 189 can be, for example any of a portable device such as a tablet computer, a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, a camera, a smart phone, and enhance general packet radio service (EGPRS) mobile phone, a media player, a navigation device, an e-mail device, a game console, a laptop computer, or a combination of any two or more of these processing devices and/or other processing devices. In one embodiment, the stationary device 188 is a desktop computer or other device having limited or no mobility but suitable for creating archery sight-settings for viewing, sharing and/or printing.
(38) As is described in more detail with reference to
(39) Referring to
(40) In some embodiments, the display 180 is configured to present a user interface to a user of the device 179, for example, a graphical user interface (GUI). The display 180 can include OLED technology, LCD technology, light emitting polymer display technology or other display technology suitable for presenting information to a user in a visual format. According to some embodiments, the display 180 is touch screen display. According to these embodiments, the display 180 is sensitive/responsive to input selections made by the user contacting the face of the display 180. According to one embodiment, the display 180 includes haptic display technology. According to some embodiments, the display 180 is sensitive to touch inputs received in proximity to, but not actually in contact with the display 180. In accordance with further embodiments, the device 179 can also include one or more additional touch-sensitive surfaces such as a trackpad or touchpad. In various embodiments, the device 179 can also include additional I/O devices such as pushbuttons and/or switches that are operable by the user.
(41) According to some embodiments, the display 180 is responsive to multiple touch inputs applied simultaneously to the display by the user. According to these embodiments, the device processes the multiple inputs based on any of the pressure, degree, and/or position of each point of the inputs. Further, the device can process touch input based on the length of a stroke and/or swipe. These embodiments can allow for a wider range of touch inputs to be employed by the user. According to other embodiments, the device 179 can include a display in which contact is made using a stylus or other pointing device.
(42) In general, the device 179 can display one or more graphical user interfaces on the display 180 to provide the user access to various system objects (for example, a display object 197) and for conveying information to the user. In the illustrated embodiment, the display object 197 is a graphic representation of objects employed in a system used to generate archery sight-settings and employ the sight settings to select an archery sight tape. A non-exhaustive list of examples of such system objects include device functions such tools for: selecting one or more archery parameters that affect arrow flight; parameters concerning archery sights or other archery equipment (for example, where an archery parameter can include values represented as discrete values, charts, plots, graphs, etc.); generating, applying and modifying sight settings; creating, displaying, sharing and/or printing files (for example, image, text or data files that identify the selected sight tape); alerts, events or other visual references represented graphically. Accordingly, one or a plurality of icons can be rendered for viewing and/or selection in the display 180 via either a touch input or other input such as a cursor rendered in the display.
(43) Referring to
(44) According to some embodiments, the tools are provided in an application that the user downloads to the device. For example, the application can be downloaded from the application server 191. According to some embodiments, the application server 191 is hosted by a third party service, for example, in an application store or other digital application distribution platform from which other applications unrelated to the archery sight-setting application can also be accessed and downloaded (well-known current examples include the iOS App Store operated by Apple, the Amazon App store and Google Play). According to other embodiments the application server 191 is provided by the entity that hosts the services and resources included in the services 192. Accordingly, in some embodiments the application server 191 is integrated into the services 192. In further embodiments, the system 178 allows updates to the archery sight-tape selection application and other software to be “pushed” to any of the devices 179, 188 and 189 from either or both of the application server 191 and the services 192.
(45) According to the illustrated embodiment, the user further employs the device to access additional resources to share archery sight-settings and sight tape selections with other users of the service 192, for example, via social media resources included in the services 192 or provided by a third-party. For example, the social media service 195 can allow for the sharing of archery sight-settings via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the provider of the host application and services 192 and/or other social networks. In a further embodiment, the services 192 and social media service 195 allow the archery sight-settings to be shared via a blog, for example, Tumblr.
(46) Referring to
(47) According to various embodiments, the file generation service 194 provides users with the resources, for example, applications that can be downloaded to the devices 179, 188, 189. In some embodiments, the applications provide the tools and functionality that allow the user to generate a sight setting tool, display the indicia that uniquely identifies the selected sight tape, and/or selection, and deliver sight-marks in the display using the mobile device 179, stationary device 188 and other user devices 189.
(48) According to some embodiments, the one or more databases 196 store user identification information (for example, user IDs and passwords), user content (for example, sight-settings that are saved at the services 192), other information associated with the user such as their social network/contacts and/or other preferences. Depending on the embodiment, the database 196 can include any of a relational database, object-oriented database, unstructured database, or other database. Further, the database 196 can be included in any aspect of a memory system, such as in RAM, ROM or disc, and may also be separately stored on one or more dedicated data servers included in the services 192.
(49) In various embodiments, the mobile device 179 and the stationary device 188 can implement one or more of a variety of operations associated with the generation and/or sharing of archery sight tape selections and sight settings. According to some embodiments, the devices 179, 188, 189 can present a graphical user interfaces in a display, for example, in the display 180. According to these embodiments, the device responds to inputs received from a user, for example, through the touch-sensitive display and/or a voice activated display. For example, a user can select various operations by launching one or more applications on the device by selecting one of the display objects presented in the display 180. According to alternate embodiments, the user can select operations in other ways including, for example, using one of user-selectable menus included in the user interface. Once an application has been selected, one or more windows or pages corresponding to the application can be displayed on the display 180 of the mobile device 179 or the stationary device 188, for example, via a graphical user interface presented in the display. In embodiments where a touch display is employed, the user can navigate through the windows or pages by selecting appropriate places on the display 180. In other embodiments, the user can navigate through the windows or pages using a cursor rendered in the graphical user interface, for example, the cursor can be positioned using a mouse, touchpad or other input device. In further embodiments, the application can be accessed and navigated to generate, view, modify and/or share archery sight setting voice commands where the device 179, 188, 189 includes a speech recognition system.
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(51) As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the disclosure herein, the archery sight tape selection application 246 can be configured for operation with a variety of operating systems 242 and associated hardware resources 244. For example, the archery sight tape selection application 246 can be configured for operation with Apple iOS, Google's Android, RIM's BlackBerry OS and
(52) Microsoft Windows Phone. The preceding provide some examples and the archery sight tape selection application 246 can be configured for operation with other operating systems.
(53) Operating system 242 provides an interface to the hardware resources 244 for example the display employed to render a GUI for operation of the archery sight tape selection application 246. Accordingly, the operating system 242 can support a variety of displays including touch displays and other user interfaces. According to further embodiment, the operating system 242 can also communicate with other hardware such as communication interfaces (e.g., a cell phone), cameras, audio hardware, location systems such as GPS and other I/O devices using device drivers.
(54) The operating system 242 can also communicate with hardware processing modules such as the graphics processing unit and/or the central processor executing operations and/or instructions during the archery sight tape selection process.
(55) Archery sight tape selection application 246 can be an archery sight tape selection application executing on a device such as the mobile devices 179, stationary device 188 and other user devices 189. Archery sight tape selection application 246 can include an archery parameter input module 248, an archery sight tape selection module 253, a sight-setting generator 252, a user preferences engine 254 and an output sharing engine 256. These components can be communicatively coupled to one or more of each other. Though the components identified above are described as being separate or distinct, two or more of the components may be combined in a single process or routine. The functional description provided herein includes the separation of responsibility for distinct functions as an example. Other groupings or other divisions of functional responsibilities can be made as necessary or in accordance with design preferences. For example, in one embodiment, the functionality provided by the archery parameter input module 248, the archery sight tape selection module 253, and/or the sight-setting generator 252 can be combined in a single process.
(56) While the application 246 is referred to as an “archery sight tape selection application,” it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in view of the disclosure provided herein, that the application 246 can be employed to determine and provide sight marks for use with archery sights that do not include a sight tape. For example, the application 246 can be employed to generate scaled sight marks for multi-pin bow sights. According to these embodiments, the sight setting generator 252 is employed to generate the sight marks for use as described with reference to
(57) According to various embodiments, the archery parameter input module 248 is employed by a user to provide information concerning an identification of archery equipment, archery equipment settings and/or archery equipment performance for use in creating archery sight-settings. According to one embodiment, the archery parameter input module 248 can also be used to present display objects, for example, the display object 197, or other objects employed by the user to select one or more archery parameters used to create archery sight-settings. The functionality of the archery parameter input module 248 is described in further detail herein.
(58) According to various embodiments, the sight setting generator 252 receives the archery parameters from the archery parameter input module 248, for example, archery parameter inputs provided by the user via selections made using the graphical user interface. The sight-setting generator determines the sight settings that result from the archery parameter inputs. These sight-settings provide the relative spacing of the sight marks for the given archery parameters where, for example, the given archery parameters are for selected archery equipment. According to one embodiment, the relative spacing provides a direct measure of the gap between adjacent sight marks and between selected sight marks and other selected sight marks that may not be adjacent to one another. Thus, in one embodiment, the sight settings provide a distance between a 20 yard sight mark and a 60 yard sight mark for the given archery parameters. For example, where the movement of the mechanically operated sight pins of the archery sight is in a 1:1 ratio with the movement of the alignment pin adjacent the sight tape. According to another embodiment, the sight settings provide differences in sight-pin elevation where the differences are correlated to the difference in a position of two sight marks on a setup tape. For example, where the movement of the mechanically operated sight pins of the archery sight is not in a 1:1 ratio with the movement of the alignment pin adjacent the setup tape and/or sight tape.
(59) The immediately preceding situation is often found where the archery sight includes wheels, levers or other adjustment means such that the alignment pin travels proximate an arcuate surface as the elevation of the sight pin is adjusted. In a conventional approach the sight tape, marking tape and/or setup tape are each affixed to the arcuate surface. According to embodiments, described herein the archer need not employ a setup tape. According to a further embodiment, the archer need not even employ a marking tape. Instead, the archer sights in the archery equipment at one known shot distance. After employing the application 246, the archer aligns the mark on the selected sight tape that corresponds to the known shot distance with the alignment pin and secures the selected tape to the sight.
(60) Because these distances (or “gaps”) in each of the above-described embodiments are employed by the archery sight tape selection application 246 in a mathematical operation, the sight settings need not be displayed as sight marks in the graphical user interface. However, in one embodiment, the sight-setting generator 252 provides the sight settings for display as sight marks in the graphical user interface
(61) According to some embodiments, the archery sight tape selection module 253 receives the sight settings from the sight-setting generator 252. In various embodiments, the archery sight tape selection module 253 performs at least one mathematical operation with the information provided by the sight settings. For example, the mathematical operations can determine the distance separating various sight settings such as the sight settings for two predetermined shot-distances (the 20 yard sight setting and the 60 yard sight setting, for example). In further embodiments, the sight tape selection module 253 employs the results of these operations in at least one additional mathematical operation. According to some embodiments, the distance separating the pre-determined sight marks is compared with one or more values in memory (for example, the memory 305 of the device 300 illustrated in
(62) In various embodiments, the sight tape selection module 253 selects the appropriate sight tape from among a plurality of sight tapes by determining the sight tape that includes sight marks that most closely match the sight settings generated by the sight setting tool generator. In a further embodiment, the sight tape selection module 253 outputs an identification of the selected sight tape for display in the graphical user interface. In one embodiment, the identification includes an indicia that uniquely identifies the selected sight tape. Further, the result of the operations performed by the sight tape selection module is a selection of a sight tape that provides sighted-in sight marks based on the archery parameters selected by the user.
(63) According to some further embodiments, the user preferences engine 254 receives and stores user preferences used, for example, by the archery sight selection tape selection tool 253 and/or the sight setting generator 252. Accordingly, the user preferences engine can provide the information used to display a sight-tool format, a selected set of sight tapes, a make and model of the bow sight that the sight tape is to be used with, values of pre-determined shot-distances, and the ranges and functionality of information and display objects to allow the user to most efficiently receive a selection of a sight tape.
(64) According to still further embodiments, the output sharing engine 256 receives one or more user inputs to define whether, and if so, how the sight tape selection and/or sight-settings are shared. According to some embodiments, user inputs can include a title, a tag (i.e., a description), selection of a geo-tag, and/or selection to share via one or more social media services. In various embodiments, the sight tape selection is shared along with one or more archery parameters, for example, equipment performance, equipment selection and/or equipment settings. Accordingly, the output sharing manager 256 can provide one or more display objects in the display 180 and received one or more touch inputs as the user's selections and preferences.
(65) The components included in the device 300 can be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines. The communication buses can be used for the communication of instructions/commands and data between the illustrated components and between the illustrated components and other components included in the device depending on the embodiment.
(66) In various embodiments, the communication system 324 can include one or more wireless communication subsystems and one or more wired communication subsystems. Wireless communication systems can include RF communication systems and/or optical communication systems such as IR communication systems. The RF communication systems can provide for local communication such as via Bluetooth™ communication and/or long-distance communication, for example, via cellular and/or satellite communication networks.
(67) The device 300 can also support hardwired communication systems in some embodiments, for example, communication via USB or other hardwired communication port included in the device 300. Depending on the embodiment, the hardwired communication can allow the device 300 to communicate with any of an electronic archery accessory such as those described in the '273 patent, a personal computer, a printer, a display screen, a router or other processing devices capable of receiving and/or transmitting voice or data.
(68) In general, the device 300 is not limited to any specific communication hardware and/or protocol. Thus, for example, the communication systems can support any of a (GSM) network, a GPRS network, an enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE) network, 802.x communication networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, WiMax, or 3G networks), code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, a Bluetooth™ network, or other communication network depending on the embodiment.
(69) According to one embodiment, the display 308 includes a touch screen display that can detect contact and movement or break thereof using any of a number of touch sensitivity technologies, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with display 308 or proximity to the display. According to one embodiment, the display 308 can be used to implement virtual or soft buttons and/or a keyboard or other display object 197.
(70) According to various embodiments, the I/O devices 328 can include one or more buttons, rocker switches, thumb-wheel, infrared port, USB port, and/or a pointer device such as a stylus.
(71) In various embodiments, the memory 305 can include high-speed random access memory and/or non-volatile memory, such as RAM, EEPROM, flash memory magnetic storage devices and optical storage devices. In further embodiments, the memory 305 can store operating system such as, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, iOS, Android, bada, BlackBerry OS, Symbian OS, WINDOWS, WINDOWS phone for mobile, S40 (Series40) or any other OS operating on a mobile device or a stationary device. The operating system can include instructions for handling basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks. As mentioned above, the archery sight-setting application can be configured for a specific operating system in a selected embodiment.
(72) In various embodiments, the memory 305 can also store communication instructions to facilitate communicating with one or more additional devices, one or more computers and/or one or more servers, for example, as described with reference to
(73) Depending on the embodiment, the software instructions 307 can be implemented as individual software programs or modules, or combined with one or another in various configurations. Also depending on the embodiment, various functions of device 300 can be implemented in hardware and/or in software, including in one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits.
(74) According to some embodiments, the memory 305 includes one or more databases for use in the sight tape selection process. Depending on the embodiment, the database(s) can include the distance separating sight marks for the two pre-determined shot distances on each of a plurality of sight tapes, the difference in pin elevation (i.e., the pin gap) resulting with the sight adjusted to a first pre-determined sight mark and then a second pre-determined sight mark for each of a plurality of sight tapes, respectively, or other stored value(s) that provide a reference for comparison with the sight settings. According to one embodiment, the memory 305 stores information identified by the bow sight and/or sight tape manufacturer such that the user can quickly access the relevant stored information for use in the process of selecting the correct sight tape for their bow sight.
(75) The hierarchy illustrated in
(76) Referring now to
(77) At act 904, the process 900 continues with a user providing at least one selected archery parameter for selected archery equipment. The information provided can vary depending on the embodiment. According to some embodiments, the archery parameters are provided such that the trajectory of the arrow shot from the bow included in the selected archery equipment can be determined. According to some further embodiments, the parameters can allow a determination of a launch angle of an arrow to hit a bullseye at various distances for the given parameters.
(78) At act 906, sight settings are determined based, at least in part, on the information provided at act 904. At act 908, a value is stored of the distance separating two sight marks in the sight settings determined at act 906. According to one embodiment, the two sight marks correspond to a sight mark for the first known shot distance and a sight mark for the second known shot distance, respectively.
(79) At act 910, a sight tape included in the plurality of sight tapes is selected. According to the illustrated embodiment, the sight tape is selected because it includes the distance separating two reference sight marks on each of a plurality of sight tapes, respectively, that most closely matches the distance separating two sight marks in the sight settings as determined at act 906. The preceding can be achieved where the two reference sight marks on each of a plurality of sight tapes are for the first known shot distance and the second known shot distance respectively. The result is a selection of a best fit from among the set of sight tapes included in the set of sight tapes provided for the sight.
(80) At act 912, the process 900 is completed when the sight tape identified at 910 is output for display. According to one embodiment, the indicia (for example, the identification letters 148 or identification numerals 149) is displayed to the user in the display 308 of the device 300 illustrated in
(81) Further, the user need only sight-in the selected archery equipment at a single shot-distance to properly locate the sight tape on the archery sight. Once the sight tape is so located the set of sight marks provided by the sight tape are sighted-in for the full sight tape.
(82) Referring now to
(83) According to one embodiment, the sight generation module 402 receives the archery parameters as input and establishes sight settings based on the parameters. In general, the archery parameters provide the sight generation module 402 with the information necessary to determine a trajectory of the arrow shot from the bow for the selected archery equipment for a given launch angle. For example, the archery parameters can include arrow speed, arrow drag and/or vane and shaft types, and peep measurements. In one embodiment, the drag is estimated by the application. The sight generation module employs to parameters to determine the launch angle of the arrow needed to hit the bullseye at various distances for those given parameters. Further, the sight generation module determines the sight marks for the various distances based on the archery parameters, for example, the peep-to-sight and the peep-to-arrow measurements.
(84) In the illustrated embodiment, the gap measurement module 404 determines a distance between two sight settings, for example, sight settings for the shot-distances associated with the reference sight marks. The gap dimension storage module 406 includes stored values of the distance separating sight marks for the two pre-determined shot distances on each of a plurality of sight tapes, the difference in pin elevation (i.e., the pin gap) resulting with the sight adjusted to a first pre-determined sight mark and then a second pre-determined sight mark for each of a plurality of sight tapes, respectively, or other stored value(s) that provide a reference for comparison with the sight settings.
(85) The gap comparison module 408 receives a first distance output from the gap measurement module 404 and at least one of the stored values provided by the gap dimension storage module 406. According to some embodiments, the gap comparison module 408 receives a plurality of stored values (for example, one for each sight tape included in a set of sight tapes). The gap comparison module 408 compares the first distance received from the gap measurement module 404 with the stored value(s) received from the gap dimension storage module 406 until a closest match is identified. The gap comparison module 408 provides an identification of the sight tape providing the closest match to the sight tape selection output module 410. The sight tape selection output module 410 provides an identifier as an output for display to the user where the identifier uniquely identifies the sight tape identified by the gap comparison module.
(86) Referring now to
(87) According to various embodiments, information provided to the system can include a reference sight mark identification, archery parameter inputs, pin gap measurements, bow sight manufacturer and/or sight tape manufacturer as some examples. For example, for a set of sight marks provided by a particular sight tape (for example, a uniquely identified sight tape), and for a particular make and model bow sight, a change in pin elevation when the sight is adjusted between a first sight mark and a second sight mark on the sight tape can be measured. In some embodiments, the preceding is performed for the same two sight marks (for example, 20 yards and 60 yards) on each of the respective sight tapes in a set of sight tapes. The set of “pin gap” measurements for the particular sight and set of sight tapes is provided to the system 500. In further embodiments, the preceding pin gap measurements are arrived at using a setup tape rather than each sight tape where, for example, the setup tape can be employed to establish the relative difference between a pin position established for a first known shot-distance and a pin position for a second known shot-distance for each sight tape included in a plurality of sight tapes.
(88) The information can be provided by the application, provided by the user and/or be provided as a default after an initial selection by a user. As one example, the reference sight marks can be fixed by the application (for example, 20 yards and 60 yards) while at least some of the archery parameters are provided by the user concerning the performance and/or settings of their selected archery equipment. According to one embodiment, the sight-pin gap measurements for one or more brands of sight tapes are provided by the application. Because changes in sight-pin elevation must be measured to one hundredth of an inch, the preceding provides a substantial advantage. For example, embodiments described herein can quickly provide the user with a sight tape selection using a process that does not require the user to make detailed measurements to the hundredth of an inch or perform mathematical operations.
(89) According to one embodiment, the sight generation module 502 receives the archery parameters as input and establishes sight settings based on the parameters. In general, the archery parameters provide the sight generation module 502 with the information necessary to determine a trajectory of the arrow shot from the bow for the selected archery equipment. For example, the archery parameters can include arrow speed, arrow drag and/or vane and shaft types, and peep measurements. In one embodiment, the drag is estimated by the application. The sight generation module 502 employs to parameters to determine the launch angle of the arrow needed to hit the bullseye at various distances for those given parameters. Further, the sight generation module determines the sight marks for the various distances based on the archery parameters.
(90) In the illustrated embodiment, the gap measurement module 504 determines a distance between two sight settings, for example, sight settings for the shot-distances associated with the reference sight marks. In one embodiment, the reference sight marks (for example, 20 yards and 60 yards) are provided as default values by the application. In further embodiments, the user can custom select the reference sight marks so, for example, the user can use 20 yards and 80 yards as the reference sight marks. The gap dimension storage module 506 includes stored values of the difference in sight-pin elevation (i.e., the pin gap) resulting with the sight adjusted to a first pre-determined sight mark and then a second pre-determined sight mark for each of a plurality of sight tapes, respectively, or other stored value(s) that provide a reference for comparison with the sight settings.
(91) The gap comparison module 508 receives a first distance output from the gap measurement module 504 and at least one of the stored values provided by the gap dimension storage module 506. According to some embodiments, the gap comparison module 508 receives a plurality of stored values (for example, one corresponding to each sight tape included in a set of sight tapes). The gap comparison module 508 compares the first distance received from the gap measurement module 504 with the stored value(s) received form the gap dimension storage module 506 until a closest match is identified. The gap comparison module 508 provides an identification of the sight tape providing the closest match to the sight tape selection output module 510. The sight tape selection output module 510 provides an identifier as an output to the user where the identifier uniquely identifies the sight tape identified by the gap comparison module.
(92) Although illustrated and described with reference to the embodiments of
(93) According to some embodiments, either or both of the systems 400, 500 can be included in the archery sight tape selection application 246 executing on a device such as the mobile devices 179, stationary device 188 and other user devices 189. In some embodiments, a first portion of either or both systems 400, 500 is included in the sight setting generator 252, for example, either or both of the sight setting generation module 402 and sight setting generation module 502. Similarly, one or more of the gap dimension storage modules 406, 506, the gap measurement modules 404, 504, the gap comparison modules 408, 508, and the sight tape selection output modules 410, 510 can be included in the archery sight tape selection module 253. Referring now to
(94) According to one embodiment, each sight tape included in the set of tapes corresponds to a selection provided when the alignment pin is moved from a first position in which it is aligned with a first mark on a setup tape to a second position in which it is aligned with a second mark on the setup tape. According to one embodiment, where the first setup tape 142 of
(95) The process 600 begins at step 602 where a tape is selected from the set of sight tapes. At act 604, the alignment pin is moved from a first position to a second position where the first position corresponds to a position for a first known shot distance and the second position corresponds to a position for a second known shot distance, for the selected sight tape.
(96) At act 606, a vertical displacement of the sight pin is recorded when the alignment pin is moved from the first position to the second position. For each sight tape in the set that is uniquely identified relative to other tapes in the set a unique displacement will be measured.
(97) At act 608, the vertical displacement and corresponding indicia uniquely identifying the corresponding sight tape is stored. Optionally, the first shot distance and the second shot distance are also recorded and stored.
(98) At act 610, the process returns to act 602 for another uniquely identified tape included in the set of sight tapes. Acts, 602, 604, 606, 608 and optionally 612 are repeated for the tape. The process can be repeated as necessary to provide the vertical displacement and corresponding indicia uniquely identifying the corresponding sight tape is stored. The process can employ the same first shot distance and second shot distance when determining the preceding for each tape.
(99) The process provides a set of information that can then be employed in a process that allows accurate sight tape selection before the archer has even set a single sight mark for their archery equipment.
(100) The process 620 begins at act 622 where at least one archery parameter is provided for selected archery equipment. In one embodiment, arrow speed and at least one peep-measurement are provided. In a further embodiment, both a peep-to-sight measurement and a peep-to-arrow measurement are provided. In some embodiments, a value of arrow drag is provided. In a further embodiment, the value of arrow drag is determined by the archery sight tape selection application 246 based, in part, on information concerning the arrow build (for example, a selection of vanes or feathers).
(101) At act 624 sight settings are determined based on the at least one archery parameter provided at act 622. The sight settings include a first sight mark providing a sighted-in mark for a first known shot distance and a second sight mark providing a sighted-in mark for a second known shot distance. Further, the first known shot distance and the second known distance correspond to those used to determine the vertical displacement of the sight pin for the respective sight tapes in the process 600.
(102) According to one embodiment, the sight marks employed in the process 620 are the marks that correspond to the sight pin position on a 1:1 ratio. At act 626, the gap between the first sight mark and the second sight mark is determined. Adjustment of the sight from the first sight mark to the second sight mark would result in a sight-pin displacement equal to a distance separating the sight marks. With the information available form the process 600 and stored in the application, the process 620 can directly select the sight tape with the closest matching gap even when there is a difference in travel between the sight pin and the alignment pin, i.e., they do not travel on a 1:1 ratio. The measurement determined at act 626 is employed in a comparison that occurs at act 628 in the illustrated embodiment. According to another embodiment, the process 620 includes a separate comparison step between act 626 and act 628.
(103) At act 628, a sight tape is selected from among the plurality of sight tapes included in the set of sight tapes. The sight tape is selected by comparing the measured gap determined at act 626 with the previously stored gaps for the same two known shot distances corresponding to each of the sight tapes included in the set of sight tapes. Where the sight-pin/alignment-pin travel occurs on a 1:1 basis the gap provided on the sight tape is employed in the comparison. Where the sight-pin/alignment-pin travel does not occur on a 1:1 basis, the difference in sight pin elevation when the sight is adjust between two known marks on the setup tape is employed in the comparison. Act 628 results in determination of the sight tape that has the closest match between the pin-gap for the two known shot distances and the pingap determined at act 626. At act 630, the indicia that uniquely identifies the selected sight tape is provided. For example, the archery sight tape selection application 246 can display the indicia in the apparatus 200. The process ends after act 630.
(104) Various embodiments of the apparatus, systems and methods described herein employ an electronic display device to generate sight settings for archery sights that include mechanically-adjusted archery sight pins. According to some embodiments, one or more archery parameters provided by a user are employed to generate the sight settings and automatically select the correct sight tape based on the archery parameters.
(105)
(106) Referring to
(107) Referring to
(108) Because sight tape selection does not require a display of sight marks, the archery sight tape selection application can employ the archery parameters provided by the GUIs 330, 340 to mathematically generate sight settings and then select the sight tape that most closely matches the calculated sight settings.
(109)
(110)
(111) In some embodiments, one or more of the graphical user interfaces illustrated in
(112) Referring to
(113) The approaches described herein with reference to “sight tapes” or “a sight tape” can also be employed with archery sights (for example, the sight 120) in which the indicia (for example, the indicia 132) are placed directly on the sight 120, for example, where the indicia 132 are engraved or otherwise marked on the face 127 or another part of the sight 120. Further, the approaches described herein can be employed with a sight that has a first fixed set of indicia placed on the face (including versions where the face is placed on a wheel or other arcuate surface) and a second related set of indicia spaced on an adjusted arm that varies the distance of the face from the sight pin 124. Accordingly, one of skill in the art will recognize that aspects and embodiments can be employed with an archery sight 120 that does not include any removable “tape” or other removable marking material. Further, the archery sight 120 can include a plurality of sight pins within the housing 122 such that movement of moveable portion of the housing 122 raises or lowers the plurality of sight pins together.
(114) Although primarily described with reference to a portable device, depending on the embodiment, the apparatus, systems and methods described herein can be implemented using portable or stationary devices, including devices having a temporary or permanent fixed location. Further, although some embodiments are described herein with reference to a touchscreen display, the apparatus, systems and methods described herein can be also be implemented using devices having other forms of display.
(115) Although illustrated as a combination of specialized hardware and software, various aspects of the system 178 such as the application, and/or services 192 can be implemented as specialized software executing in a general purpose computing device such as a PC, a laptop, a tablet computer or other handheld computing device. The computing device can include, for example, a processor connected to one or memory devices, such as a disk drive, flash drive, memory or other device for storing data. Depending on the embodiment, the computing device can communicate over hardwired or wireless communication interfaces with one or more other devices including, for example, the host system. Accordingly, any of the embodiments described herein can include a non-transitory computer readable medium in which signals are stored that when executed by a processing system implementing aspects described herein. Further, in some embodiments, the system 178 can employ client and server computing devices, for example, in a configuration in which one or more of the devices (179, 188 and 189) operate as the client and the services 192 operate as the server.
(116) Further, aspects can be implemented with a specially-programmed, special purpose hardware, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Aspects of the invention can be implemented in software, hardware or firmware or any combination thereof. Such methods, acts, apparatus, systems, system elements and components thereof may be implemented as part of the computing system described above or as an independent component or components.
(117) Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.