A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
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The present disclosure relates generally to workout equipment. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an adjustable sledgehammer workout apparatus.
Sledgehammer workouts are well known in the art and generally involve an individual swinging and striking a rubber tire with a sledgehammer. Sledgehammers for this purpose are available in a variety of weights and individuals must purchase different weighted sledgehammers in order to vary the weight they are using during a workout. Purchasing multiple different weighted sledgehammers, however, can be expensive and undesirable in some cases. In addition, storing multiple different weighted sledgehammers can be inconvenient for some individuals.
The present invention is directed to an adjustable sledgehammer workout apparatus that can be used by an individual to create a sledgehammer and to vary the weight of that sledgehammer as desired. As a result, individuals do not need to purchase and store multiple different weighted sledgehammers.
In one exemplary embodiment, an adjustable sledgehammer workout apparatus is disclose which may include a handle, and a clamping assembly connected to the handle. The clamping assembly can include an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion connected to a first end of the handle, the clamping assembly operable to releasably clamp the dumbbell between the upper and lower portions of the clamping assembly. The clamping assembly can include a first clamping subassembly operable to apply a clamping force on the upper and lower portions of the clamping assembly. The clamping assembly can further include a second clamping subassembly engageable with the first clamping subassembly, the second clamping subassembly operable to increase the clamping force applied by the first clamping subassembly on the upper and lower portions of the clamping assembly.
Numerous other objects, advantages and features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon a review of the following drawings and description of a preferred embodiment.
While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that are embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific apparatus and methods described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims.
In the drawings, not all reference numbers are included in each drawing, for the sake of clarity. In addition, positional terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “top,” “bottom,” etc. refer to the apparatus when in the orientation shown in the drawing. A person of skill in the art will recognize that the apparatus can assume different orientations when in use.
Referring to
The supporting brackets 14 may be welded to the upper portion of the handle 12 and may be rectangular in shape with beveled or rounded edges 20 (
The clamping assembly 16 (
The upper c-shaped portions 24 may be connected together using an elongated, u-shaped support 32, which may be welded to the upper c-shaped portions 24. The upper c-shaped portions 24 may include threaded openings 34 for receiving the threaded bolts 30. The threaded openings 34 may extend through the upper c-shaped portions 24.
The hinge assembly 26 may include a pair of hinge pins 36 (
The apparatus 10 may include different sized rubber pads, 42, 44, and 46, (
The workout apparatus 10 may be used by removing threaded bolts 30 (which may be hex bolts), lifting the upper c-shaped portion 24 up (
The workout apparatus 10 may include any one of a number of different clamping assemblies. For example, as shown in
Another embodiment of the adjustable sledgehammer workout apparatus of the present disclosure is shown in
As noted previously, in some embodiments, the upper portion 17 of the clamping assembly 16 can be connected to the lower portion 19 of the clamping assembly 16 via a hinge assembly 26. In some embodiments, the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly can include C-shaped upper and lower members 17 and 19 which can be received around a dumbbell handle 92 of a dumbbell 90 positioned within the clamping assembly 16.
In some embodiments, the first clamping subassembly 80 can include a tension rod 84 extendable between the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16. The first clamping subassembly 80 can also include a fastener 86. The tension rod 84 and fastener 86 can be movable relative to one another to apply a clamping force 88 on the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16 to initially clamp a dumbbell 90 positioned within the clamping assembly 16. In some embodiments, the tension rod 84 can be at least partially threaded and the fastener 86 can be threadably engageable with the tension rod 84 to move the fastener 86 on the tension rod 84. As such, the tension rod 84 can be extended through the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16 and the fastener 86 can be tightened on the tensioning rod 84 to clamp the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16 together.
In some embodiments, the upper portion 17 of the clamping assembly 16 can include a first clamping plate 94 having a first recess 95, and the lower portion 19 of the clamping assembly 16 can include a second clamping plate 96 having a second recess 97. First and second clamping plates 94 and 96 can extend between upper and lower c-shaped members of the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16 respectively. The tension rod 84 can be sized to be received in the first and second recesses 95 and 97 in the first and second clamping plates 94 and 96 respectively. In some embodiments, the recesses 95 and 97 may be holes through which the tension rod 84 can be passed. In other embodiments, the recess 95 and 97 can be notches defined in a side of the clamping plates 94 and 96 in which the tension rod 84 can be received.
The second clamping subassembly 82 can be operable to increase the clamping force 88 applied to the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16. For instance in some embodiments, the second clamping subassembly 82 can be configured to produce a force on an end of the tension rod 84 opposite the fastener 86 while one of the upper or lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16 remains stationary. The force applied by the second clamping subassembly 82 can force the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16 further toward one another, in order to increase the clamping force 88 applied on the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16, and thus the clamping force 88 applied on a dumbbell 90 positioned within the clamping assembly 16.
In some embodiments, the second clamping subassembly 82 can include a cam assembly 100 mounted adjacent one of the upper or lower portions 17 or 19 of the clamping assembly 16 and coupled to the tension rod 84, the cam subassembly 100 can be operable to apply a force on the tension rod 84 to increase the clamping force applied by the tension rod 84 and the fastener 86 on the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16. In some embodiments, the cam subassembly 100 can include a cam 102 rotatably disposed on the cam subassembly 100, the cam 102 having a rotational axis 104. A cam handle 106 can extend from the cam 102 in a direction transverse to the rotational axis 104 of the cam 102. Having a cam handle 106 extending in a generally radial direction or transverse direction with respect to a rotational axis of the cam 102 direction from the cam 102 can provide additional leverage from the user when turning the cam 102 to operate the second clamping subassembly 102. The leverage applied via the cam handle 106 can allow the clamping force applied to the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 via the second clamping subassembly 82 to be increased significantly with a smaller input force by the user on the cam handle 106.
In some embodiments, the tension rod 84 can be rotatably coupled to the cam subassembly 82. In some embodiments, the cam subassembly 82 can include a tension rod follower coupling 108 that can be rotatably disposed within the cam 102 and coupled to an end of the tension rod 84. The tension rod 84 can thus be rotatably coupled to the cam subassembly 82 via the tension rod follower coupled 108. A cam housing 116 can be mounted to the handle 12 or the upper or lower portions 17 or 19 of the clamping assembly 16 and the cam 102 can be rotatably disposed in the cam housing 116. The cam housing 116 can include a slot 118 oriented to allow for rotation of the tension rod 84 on the cam subassembly 82. The tension rod follower coupling 108 can have a rotational axis 110 that is not collinear with the rotational axis 102 of the cam 102. As such, as the cam 102 rotates about its rotational axis 104, the tension rod follower coupling 108 can revolve around the rotational axis 104 of the cam 102. As the tension rod follower coupling 108 revolves around the rotational axis 104 of the cam 102, the distance 112 between the tension rod follower coupling 108 and the nearest upper or lower portion 17 or 19 of the clamping assembly 16 can increase when the cam 102 is rotated from an unlocked position (
In other embodiments, the cam 102 be an eccentric cam that is not symmetric about its rotational axis 104. The cam 102 can be engaged with a movable upper or lower portion 17 or 19 of the clamping assembly 16. As the cam 102 is rotated via the cam handle 106 between an unlocked and a locked position, a distance between the rotational axis 104 of the cam 102 and the movable upper or lower portion 17 or 19 of the clamping assembly 16 is forced to increase due to the asymmetry of the cam 102. The rotation of the cam 102 forces the movable upper or lower portion 17 or 19 of the clamping assembly 16 to move toward an opposing fixed upper or lower portion 17 or 19 of the clamping assembly 16 to further clamp the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the clamping assembly 16 together.
As such, as shown in
With the first clamping subassembly 80 in a tightened position and applying an initial clamping force, a user can then actuate the second clamping subassembly 82 by turning cam handle 106 to apply an additional force on the first clamping subassembly 80 and/or move the upper and lower portions 17 and 19 of the camping assembly closer together. The additional clamping force and/or movement of upper or lower portions 17 or 19 of the clamping assembly 16 can further clamp the dumbbell handle 92 within the clamping assembly 16.
Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful ADJUSTABLE SLEDGEHAMMER WORKOUT APPARATUS, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/465,595 filed Mar. 21, 2017 entitled ADJUSTABLE SLEDGEHAMMER WORKOUT APPARATUS, which is a non-provisional of 62/310,897 filed Mar. 21, 2016 entitled ADJUSTABLE SLEDGEHAMMER WORKOUT APPARATUS, and this application is a non-provisional of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/719,447 filed Aug. 17, 2018 entitled ADJUSTABLE SLEDGEHAMMER WORKOUT APPARATUS, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190366143 A1 | Dec 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62310897 | Mar 2016 | US | |
62719447 | Aug 2018 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15465595 | Mar 2017 | US |
Child | 16544377 | US |