Arrowhead having both fixed and mechanically expandable blades
View Patent ↗An improved arrowhead features two sets of expandable blades. The expandable blades are pivotally movable from a first, concealed position to a second expanded position when spurs on the front of the blades contact a target. The first concealed position of the blades allows the arrowhead to penetrate the target upon contact. The fixed blades may be diamond-shaped, double-edged replaceable blades. The expandable blades comprise at least two pivotable blades that can be held in the first safe position by an elastic band. The spurs are located at a first end of the expandable blades, and these spurs are located proximate the base of the fixed blade portion of the arrow head, to allow the fixed portion to penetrate the target before the expandable blades are deployed by the spurs contacting the target.
1. An arrowhead for securement to one end of an arrow, comprising;
a support body having a base and a tip, the tip being opposite the base;
at least one fixed-position blade attached to the tip of said support body;
at least four expandable blades movably attached to the support body; said expandable blades having cutting edges formed on leading edges thereof, a first pair of the expandable blades being substantially parallel and non-planar to each other and a second pair of the expandable blades being substantially parallel and non-planar to each other; the expandable blades being movable between a first retracted position, in which said cutting edges are disposed in slots of said support body, and a second open position in which the expandable blades extend outwardly from said support body with said cutting edges exposed;
wherein the first pair of expandable blades extend laterally outwardly from the support body in a first direction, and the second pair of expandable blades extend laterally outwardly from the support body in a second direction.
2. The arrowhead of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fixed-position blade comprises a diamond-shaped double-edged fixed blade.
3. The arrowhead of claim 1 , wherein each of the fixed-position blades comprises a replaceable blade.
4. The arrowhead of claim 1 , wherein the expandable blades comprise two pairs of parallel and non-planar blades and the body has at least one pair of parallel slots formed therein.
5. The arrowhead of claim 1 , wherein each expandable blade includes a spur formed at a first end thereof, each spur being located at the leading edge of the respective expandable blade when in the retracted position and each spur is positioned adjacent the fixed blade.
6. The arrowhead of claim 5 wherein each spur is configured to impact the target during use and force the expandable blades rearwardly to orient the cutting edges to face forwardly.
7. The arrowhead of claim 4 wherein the cutting edges of the expandable blades are semi-concealed within the slots in the support body when in the retracted position.
8. The arrowhead of claim 1 wherein each of the expandable blades includes a rounded portion and a flat portion at the first end thereof, the rounded portion enabling fast deployment of the blades the flat portion defining a stop to limit the rearward motion of the associated expandable blade when it hits a target.
9. The arrowhead of claim 1 wherein the expandable blades are secured to the body with fasteners.
10. An arrowhead for attachment to an arrow shaft, the arrowhead including a fixed blade portion, a movable blade portion, and a support body, the arrowhead comprising:
the support body having a first end and a second end, the second end having an attachment portion for securing the arrowhead to the arrow shaft, the first end having the fixed blade portion mounted thereto and integrally formed therewith;
the support body further having two pairs of parallel slots between the fixed blade and the second end; and
the movable blade portion having at least two pairs of parallel non-planar movable blades having cutting edges, each movable blade having a first end attached to the support body in the slot adjacent the second end of the body, each of the movable blades fitting into an associated slot, each movable blade having a spur that moves with the blade from a first retracted position adjacent the fixed blade when the movable blades are in the slots and a second position wherein the spurs are spaced from the body exposing the cutting edges of each of the movable blades;
wherein a first pair of the movable blades extends laterally outwardly from the body in a first direction when moving from the first position to the second position, and a second pair of the movable blades extends laterally outwardly from the body in a second direction when moving from the first position to the second position, the first and second directions being substantially opposite each other.
11. The arrowhead of claim 10 wherein the fixed blade is diamond-shaped replaceable blade.
12. The arrowhead of claim 10 wherein the spurs define aerodynamic stabilizers.
13. The arrowhead of claim 10 wherein the spurs impact the target forcing the movable blades rearwardly to orient the cutting edges of the movable blades facing forwardly.
14. The arrowhead of claim 10 , wherein the retracted position when the spurs are adjacent the fixed blades allows the safe handling of the arrowhead since the sharpened edges on the movable blades are concealed in the slots in the support body.
15. The arrowhead of claim 10 , wherein each of the movable blades comprise an elongate blade member having a first end with the spur and a second end having a pivot point, the pivot point secured to the body, and the second end further having a flat portion to limit the rearward movement of the movable blade.
16. The arrowhead of claim 15 wherein at least two of the movable blades are pivotally fastened to the support body with a single screw.
17. The arrowhead of claim 15 , wherein each of said movable blades is pivotally secured to the support body with a fastener.
18. The arrowhead of claim 15 , wherein the pivot point acts as a fulcrum on which the movable blades pivot to the deployed position.
19. A method for hunting a game animal comprising:
shooting the game animal with an arrow comprising an arrowhead secured to an arrow shaft, the arrowhead comprising:
a body, and
at least two pair of parallel spaced apart cutting blades, the blades of the first pair movably secured to the body and extending laterally outward from the body in a first direction, the blades of the second pair movably secured to the body and extending laterally outwardly from the body in a second direction different from that of the first pair of blades, the space between the blades of the first pair and the blades of the second pair blades cooperate to form an enlarged wound opening when both pairs are fully extended.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the body includes a fixed-position blade which is integrally formed with the body.