Apparatus for drawing, holding and releasing bowstring

Apparatus for rearwardly drawing a taut bowstring spanning opposite ends of a flexible hand-held archery bow relative to said bow from a linear condition to a non-linear condition to flex the bow from an unflexed, undrawn condition to a flexed, drawn condition, detachably holding said bowstring in said non-linear condition and said flexed bow in said drawn condition, and releasing the bowstring and allowing the return of said archery bow to said undrawn condition to forwardly propel an archery arrow slidably received on the bow and detachably received at its rearward end by said bowstring comprising:

• hand graspable means for detachably holding said bowstring and rearwardly moving the bowstring relative to said bow to flex said bow to said drawn condition and for releasing said bowstring to propel said arrow;
• a forwardly extending elongate draw bar mounted on said hand graspable means;
• guide means mountable on said bow for slidably receiving and guiding said draw bar for movement in a to-and-fro reciprocal path of travel relative to said archery bow between a forward inoperative position and a rearward, bowstring drawing position;
• and
• lock means for detachably holding said draw bar in said rearward bowstring drawing position including stop means moveable between a holding position forwardly of and in the path of a forward end of said draw bar when said draw bar is in said drawing position and a draw bar releasing position removed from said path of travel;
• said guide means comprising a hollow annular side wall defining a bore said side wall being provided with a slot therethrough disposed between the opposite ends of said guide means;
• said stop means comprising a lock bar member being received by said slot for pivotal movement from a position resting on said draw bar when said draw bar is in said forward inoperative position to said holding position in which said lock bar member is received by said bore and aligned with said forward end of said draw said bar when said draw bar is in said rearward bowstring drawing position to hold said draw bar in said rearward bowstring drawing position.

Apparatus for operating archery apparatus to forwardly propelling an arrow, said archery apparatus including a forwardly disposed, flexible, hand-held, curved-bow, having opposite ends, and being flexible from an unflexed, undrawn condition to a flexed drawn condition;

• and a rearwardly disposed taut bowstring spanning said opposite ends for receiving a rearward end of an arrow to be propelled forwardly of said bow;
• said operating apparatus including means for rearwardly drawing said bowstring relative to said bow from a forward linear position to a rearward non-linear position to flex said bow from said undrawn condition to said drawn condition, holding the flexed bow in said drawn condition and said bowstring in said non-linear position, and releasing said bowstring to allow the return of said bow to said undrawn condition to forwardly propel said arrow comprising:
• hand graspable means for detachably holding said bowstring and rearwardly moving said bowstring relative to said bow to flex said bow to said drawn condition and for releasing said bowstring to propel said arrow;
• a forwardly extending elongate draw bar mounted on said hand graspable means for guiding the path of travel of said hand graspable means;
• guide means mounted on said bow for slidably receiving and guiding said draw bar for movement in a to-and-fro reciprocal path of travel relative to said bow between a forward inoperative position and a rearward bow string drawing position;
• stop means mounted on a forward portion of said draw bar;
• said guide means including an open ended, forwardly opening slot for receiving said stop means to limit the rearward path of travel of said draw bar when said stop means travels the full extent of said slot;
• said guide means comprising a hollow cylinder having a side wall defining an elongate passage receiving said draw bar;
• and including lock means for releasably locking said draw bar in said rearward bowstring drawing position including
• slot means in said side wall and a lock bar pivotally mounted for movement in said slot means between a position resting on the side of said draw bar when said draw bar is moving from said forward position to said rearward position and a position received in said passage in alignment with a forward end of said draw bar when said draw bar is in said rearward position.