Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates generally to holders
or cases for carrying or holding darts or tools, and in
particular to quivers or holders for transporting and
storing darts.
The game of darts is a popular sport and there
exists many variations of the game. When darts are provided
- with the game itselE they are usually stored and carried in
some form of dart holder such as a box, wallet or other
container. Alternatively, many individuals who participate
in darts generally own or provide their own personalized
darts which are of a design most suited to their particular
style. During the playing of darts, a participant is
generally required to carry their darts in some fashion
which renders them readily accessible while maintaining them
out of harms way.
One known method of carrying and transporting
darts is to use a dart case adapted to be attached to the
belt of the user. A carrying case of this type is shown in
U.S. Patent No. 4,773,578 issued September 27, 1988 to
Richard A. Braun. This type of arrangement is awkward since
the user is somewhat restricted in movement, for example,
being unable to bend over due to the presence of the case.
The subject invention provides a hand quiver or
hand case for holding darts and related accessories or for
holding other objects such as small tools.
The subject invention provides a hand mounted case
for holding small elongate objects such as darts and tools
and includes a holder member having a front surface and a
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back surface, the holder member provided with holding means
located on the front surface thereof for holding at least
one small object. The quiver or case includes strap
securing means attached to the holder for securing the
holder to a hand of a user with a porti.on of the back
surface of the holder member adapted to be held in contact
against the back of the hand of the user.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described
by way of e~ample only with reference to the drawings, in
which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment
of a hand quiver for darts according to the subject
invention;
Figure 2 is a top view of the quiver of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a bottom view, of the lower portion of
the quiver of Figure 1;
Figure ~ is an end view of the quiver of the
subject invention looking from the distal end thereof;
Figure 5 is a detail view of the central portion
of another embodiment of the wrist strap;
Figure 6 is a detail side view showing how the end
of the palm strap is connected to the wrist strap;
Figure 7 is a detail front view again showing how
the end of the palm strap is connected to the wrist strap
using a buckle;
Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 1 but
illustrating another embodiment of the invention where the
darts point towards the user's thumb; and
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Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing
a third embodiment of the invention adapted to hold small
elongate tools.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a hand mounted
quiver or case for darts or small, elongate tools is shown
generally at 10 and includes a holder member 12 for holding
darts or tools. Holder 12 includes an elongate, leather
backing member 14 having a first end portion 16 and an
opposite second end portion 18. Located on the front or top
surface of backing 14 is a leather tapered member 20 which
is secured to member 14 along seams 22 thereby forming two
or more and preferably three sheaths or receiving slots 24,
26 and 28 for receiving the pointed end portions of darts
therein (not shown). Seams 22 are angled in such a way that
they converge toward the first end 16 of holder 12 so that
sheaths 24, 26 and 28 also converge toward the first end of
holder 12. Backing 14 could alternatively be fabricated
from other materials beside leather including plastic and
heavy reinforced cloth, to mention just a few.
Holder 12 is provided with a flexible, elastic
band 30 which is stitched to backing member 14 via stitching
22 applied in four positions as shown in Figure 2. Five
adjacent retaining loops 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 are thereby
formed which extend transversely across the front of backing
14. The middle three loops 34, 36 and 38 are spaced above
sheaths 24, 26 and 28 respectively with the latter three
sheaths aligned each one with a loop. Band 30 is preferably
fabricated of any suitable elastic material so that the loop
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may accommodate any sized darts. Non-elastic materials may
be used for band 30, such as leather or plastic, when
certain darts having a known diameter substantially the same
as the loop diameter are to be stored in quiver 10.
Holder member 12 includes a tapered leather end
member 42 attached to distal end 16 along the outer
peripheral edge portion thereof by further stitching 23. A
pocket 44 is formed between the combination of the member 20
and backing member 14 and end member 42.
Referring to Figure 3, backing 14 is provided with
a sleeve member 50 secured to the back surface thereof at
the distal end 16 via the aforementioned stitching 23 and
the stitching 22 along the top, thereby forming a retaining
loop 52. Quiver 10 is secured to the user's hand by means
of a hand harness that includes a wrist strap 54 which
extends through loop 52 and which is provided with a
fastening means 56 at one end for fastening the other end of
strap 54 thereto. The preferred form of fastening means 56
is a buckle as shown.
As shown in Figure 5, the central portion of wrist
strap 54' may be provided with serrated edges 57 on one or
both sides. These serrations help to hold the strap from
moving in the loop 52, particularl~ when the strap is pulled
to form an angle with the central axis of the loop 52.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that
wrist strap 54 may be permanently attached to backing 14,
for example, by stitching or alternatively strap 54 may be
temporarily fixed thereto using dome connectors.
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Fastening means 56 may be a standard buckle or
alternatively it may be any other suitable connector such as
VELCRO (trade mark) connectors or dome connectors. Figure 4
illustrates an embodiment of the strap 54 with a loop
VEL~RO-type connector 61 at one end and a hook VELCRO-type
connector 63 at the other end.
The hand harness for the case 10 also includes a
palm strap 58 permanently secured at one end to the top or
second end portion 18 and having an end 60 provided with
holes to detachably connect to a standard buckle 62. The
buckle 62 is connected to the strap 54 by means of loop
member 71. The preferred fastener for strap 58 is the
buckle shown in Figures 6 and 7 but alternatively it could
be any suitable fastening means such as VELCRO (trade mark)
connectors or dome connectors. The illustrated loop member
71 is a short piece o~ strap that is bent twice and secured
with a metal stud 80.
Referring to Figure 1, darts 70 can be stored in
quiver 10 by inserting a dart through one of loops 34, 36 or
38 and guiding the sharpened tip into the sheath
corresponding to that particular loop. Since sheaths 24, 26
and 28 converge, the ends of the darts having the flights
attached thereto are spaced apart. The flights are not
shown on the darts 70 of Figure 1 for ease of illustration.
Spare dart shafts may be retained by end loops 32 and 40
while spare flights may be stored in pocket 44.
Quiver 10 is preferably secured to the user's hand
(preferably the hand not being used to throw the darts) by
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inserting wrist strap 54 through the loop member 71 and
placing the quiver 10 on the back of the hand with palm
strap 58 being received between the index finger 73 and the
thumb 75 so that the longitudinal central axis X of the
quiver extends at an angle to the centreline ~ of the hand
defined by the outstretched centre finger 77 of the hand.
Wrist strap 54 is then fastened securely about the user's
wrist whereupon palm strap 58 may be connected to the buckle
62 and adjusted for maximum comfort. Alternatively, palm
strap 58 could be received between the index finger and the
middle finger if this arrangement is found to be more
comfortable by the user. The quiver of the subject
invention may be readily worn on either hand by rearranging
the wrist strap (if required).
It will be appreciated that by strapping quiver 10
to the back of either hand in the manner disclosed herein,
the user still has the full advantage of being able to use
the hand for gripping and holding other objects with little
interference from the quiver. The use of the present quiver
avoids the need to lay one's darts down on a table or other
surface where they could be damaged, soiled, or possibly
stolen.
Figure 8 illustrates another embodiment of the
hand quiver of the invention. This embodiment also includes
a holder member 12' which includes an elongate, leather
backing member 1~' having a first end portion 16 which is
rounded, and, when the quiver is mounted on one's hand, is
positioned adjacent the base of the thumb. As in the first
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embodiment, there is a leather, tapered member 20' which is
secured to member 14' in a described manner to form three
sheathes or receiving slots for the pointed ends of the
darts.
The holder 12' is also provided with a flexible,
elastic band 30' which is stuck to the backing member and
which forms five adjacent retaining loops 32', 3g', 36', 38'
and 40'. The holder member 12' also includes a tapered
leather end member 42' attached to the end 16. A pocket 44'
suitable for extra dart flights is formed behind the member
42'.
The quiver 10' is also secured to a user's hand by
means of a hand harness that includes the wrist strap 54.
In this embodiment, the palm strap 58' extends from the end
16 while the wrist strap is secured to the lower end portion
18'. It will appreciated that in this embodiment, the ends
of the darts which may have flights attached thereto, extend
generally away from the fingers and thumb of the hand. This
arrangement may be more convenient for some dart players
than the arrangement shown in Figure 1. The arrangement of
Figure 8 may also have a better appearance and there is
possibly less likelihood that the flights of the darts, when
they are in the case, could inadvertently hit one's face or
other sensitive area.
Figure 9 illustrates a third embodiment of the
invention, an embodiment designed to hold small tools. In
the illustrated embodiment, the case 100 includes a holder
member 102 for holding tools such as small, elongate
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screwdrivers 104 and small pliers or punch. Except as
described hereinafter, the case 100 is constructed in
substantially the same manner as the case 10 of Figure 1.
In this embodiment, there is a somewhat larger, tapered
leather end member 108 attached near the end 110 of the case
by means of stitching 112. The end member 108 forms a
tapered sleeve 11~ which is open at both ends. In this way,
the end 116 of the pliers can project out of one end of the
sleeve.
Although not as preferred as a leather strap, the
palm strap 58 can be made from an elastic material which
avoids the need for any adjustment of the palm strap. The
use of a elastic palm strap may however cause the harness to
be less snug and to not fit as well on some users.
While the present invention has been described and
illus~rated with respect to the preferred and alternative
embodiments, it will be appreciated that numerous variations
of these embodiments may be made without departing from the
scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended
claims.
