US Patent 9958232 Mechanism for drawing, cocking, and triggering a crossbow

An inventive mechanism includes stationary, reciprocating, winch, and stock subassemblies. The winch subassembly is mounted on the stock subassembly; the stationary subassembly is mounted at the rear of a slotted mainframe of the stock subassembly; the reciprocating subassembly moves along the mainframe between forward brace and rearward drawn positions. The winch subassembly takes up a rope to cause rearward movement of the reciprocating subassembly and lets out the rope to permit forward movement. The reciprocating subassembly includes a body engaged with the slot, a catch, and a sear. The stationary subassembly includes a trigger and an actuator. In the drawn position and retaining a bowstring, trigger movement causes actuator movement, which causes sear movement, which permits catch movement, which releases the bowstring. In its latched position, a trigger latch obstructs forward movement of the reciprocating subassembly from the drawn position; in its unlatched position, it permits that forward movement.