초록 ▼

An unanchored 3-D portable archery target made of foam can withstand a 20 to 150-pound blow from an arrow without tipping completely over even though the target's weight (e.g., about 10 lbs.) is less than the arrow's force of impact. To achieve such surprising and unexpected results, the target emp

An unanchored 3-D portable archery target made of foam can withstand a 20 to 150-pound blow from an arrow without tipping completely over even though the target's weight (e.g., about 10 lbs.) is less than the arrow's force of impact. To achieve such surprising and unexpected results, the target employs a unique combination of weight, foam density, and a center of gravity that is counter-intuitively elevated to provide the target with a greater rotational moment of inertia. Although it would seem that an arrow with 800 in-lbs of kinetic energy should be capable of completely tipping over a target that requires only about 15 in-lbs of energy to tip over, the target's foam core has a density and gumminess that quickly dissipates most of the arrow's kinetic energy before the energy has time to tip the target over. A hollowed-out base underneath the target provides the target with greater stability.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A portable 3-D archery target for absorbing an impact from an arrow moving with at least 100 in-lbs of kinetic energy such that the impact provides an impact force of at least 20 pounds of force and the arrow penetrates the portable 3-D archery target, wherein the porta

The invention claimed is: 1. A portable 3-D archery target for absorbing an impact from an arrow moving with at least 100 in-lbs of kinetic energy such that the impact provides an impact force of at least 20 pounds of force and the arrow penetrates the portable 3-D archery target, wherein the portable 3-D archery target can be freely set upon a target-supporting surface in an unanchored manner, the portable 3-D archery target comprising: a foam body having a weight, the foam body has a three-dimensional curved outer surface to provide at least some animal resemblance: the foam body includes a bottom surface that can be freely set upon the target-supporting surface, the foam body has a center of gravity at a height above the bottom surface, the bottom surface has a lower rear edge about which the foam body can pivot in reaction to being struck at the center of gravity by the arrow delivering the impact force of at least 20 pounds of force, the impact force times the height imparts a tipping rotational moment that urges the foam body to pivot about the rear edge, the weight of the foam body provides an anti-tipping rotational moment about the rear edge, wherein the anti-tipping rotational moment opposes the tipping rotational moment, the tipping rotational moment is greater than the anti-tipping moment, however, the foam body has a quality such that most of the 100 in-lbs of kinetic energy is absorbed within the foam body so that there is insufficient remaining kinetic energy left to completely tip over the foam body, and further wherein the foam body comprises an upper section and a lower section, the upper section has a maximum horizontal cross-sectional area, the lower section defines a horizontal base envelope that is smaller than the maximum horizontal cross-sectional area, an intermediate horizontal cross-sectional area is interposed between the upper section and the lower section, and the intermediate horizontal cross-sectional area is smaller than the maximum horizontal cross-sectional area and is smaller than the horizontal base envelope. 2. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 1, wherein at least 90% of the kinetic energy of the arrow is converted to heat that is absorbed by the foam body. 3. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 1, wherein the foam body includes an alternate geometric target area that is more planar than the three-dimensional curved outer surface. 4. A portable 3-D archery target adapted to be set upon a target-supporting surface and adapted to being struck and penetrated by an arrow that can exert an impact force of at least 20 pounds when the arrow strikes the portable 3-D target with sufficient kinetic energy, the portable 3-D archery target comprising: a foam body having a weight and being selectively movable to an upright position and a tipped-over position, wherein the foam body comprises an upper section and a lower section, the upper section has a maximum horizontal cross-sectional area, the lower section defines a horizontal base envelope that is smaller than the maximum horizontal cross-sectional area, an intermediate horizontal cross-sectional area is interposed between the upper section and the lower section, and the intermediate horizontal cross-sectional area is smaller than the maximum horizontal cross-sectional area and is smaller than the horizontal base envelope; the foam body has a three-dimensional curved outer surface to provide at least some animal resemblance; the foam body includes a bottom surface that can be freely set upon the target-supporting surface to place the foam body in the upright position; the foam body has a center of gravity at a height above the bottom surface when the foam body is in the upright position; the bottom surface has a lower rear edge about which the foam body can pivot from the upright position toward the tipped-over position in reaction to a tipping rotational moment created by a 20-pound horizontal force being exerted against the foam body toward the center of gravity; the weight of the foam body provides an anti-tipping rotational moment about the rear edge when the foam body is in the upright position, wherein the anti-tipping rotational moment opposes the tipping rotational moment when the foam body is in the upright position and is experiencing the 20-pound horizontal force; the tipping rotational moment created by the 20-pound horizontal force is greater than the anti-tipping moment when the foam body is in the upright position; and the tipping rotational moment is sufficient to tip the foam body completely over from the upright position to the tipped-over position if the 20-pound horizontal force is exerted for a period of at least one second; however, the foam body has a shape and a foam density that enables the anti-tipping moment to prevent the foam body from tipping completely over to the tipped-over position if the 20-pound horizontal force is exerted for a period of less than 5 milliseconds. 5. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 4, wherein the anti-tipping moment is sufficient to substantially prevent the foam body from tipping about the rear edge from the upright position to the tipped-over position when a 3-pound horizontal force is exerted against the foam body toward the center of gravity. 6. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 4, wherein the foam body has a density appreciably greater than 6 pounds per cubic foot. 7. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 4, wherein the foam body has an overall height that is less than twice the height of the center of gravity. 8. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 4, wherein the bottom surface is concave to create an outer peripheral rim that engages the target-supporting surface when the foam body is placed thereon. 9. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 4, further comprising a handle attached to an upper section of the foam body. 10. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 9, wherein the handle includes a rope with spread-out stranded ends that are embedded within the foam body. 11. The portable 3-D archery target of claim 4, wherein the foam body includes an alternate geometric target area that is more planar than the three-dimensional curved outer surface.