Patent Application
20240009514
This application claims the priority of French patent application number 2207102, filed on Jul. 11, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to an apparatus intended for practising physical exercises, particularly muscle exercises using pull-ups.
It is known from documents EP-2 624 917 and U.S. Pat. No. 9,616,264 apparatuses comprising two lateral arms transversally spaced apart, each by having an arched geometry forming a rear vertical portion and a front horizontal portion extending under said vertical portion, and wherein:
These apparatuses are adapted to be mounted in the upper portion of the opening of a structure, for example the frame of a door, in order to enable a user to perform pull-up exercises by hanging from the arms of such an apparatus to work the muscles of their arms.
In particular, when practising the sports activity, the front bearing sections are intended to bear on either side of a side of the door frame, whereas the upper bearing section is intended to be supported on a side opposite and above said frame.
The document EP-2 624 917 further provides to equip the apparatus with an attachment element configured to forcibly bear against the frame of the door, so as to cooperate with the lower transverse bar to secure said apparatus on the upper portion of said door.
This solution does not provide entire satisfaction, in that the attachment of the apparatus is complicated to implement. Furthermore, the longitudinal spacing between the upper and front bearing sections is fixed, so that proper attachment of the apparatus cannot be guaranteed on door frames of different thicknesses. Likewise, the arms are disposed between the front bearing sections with a fixed spacing, which goes against the modularity of the apparatus.
The aim of the invention is to improve the prior art particularly by proposing an apparatus the mounting of which on a structure can be performed simply and reliably, while being modular in particular in relation with the thickness of the structure.
For this purpose, the invention proposes an apparatus intended for practising physical exercises, particularly muscle exercises using pull-ups, comprising two lateral arms transversally spaced apart each by having an arched geometry forming a front vertical portion and a rear horizontal portion extending under said vertical portion, the vertical portions being connected by a transverse slat by defining an upper bearing section in a plane P1 of said apparatus on a first side of a structure, the horizontal portions being connected by a transverse bar having two end portions laterally protruding respectively from an arm, each of said end portions having a front bearing section in a plane P2 of said apparatus on a second side of the structure, each of said end portions having a rear section for gripping by the user, said bar being slidably mounted on the horizontal portions of the arms by means of a mechanism for reversibly locking the position of said bar so as to be able to set the distance between the planes P1 and P2.
Further specific features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, made with reference to the appended figures, wherein:
In relation with these figures, an apparatus intended for practising physical exercises, particularly muscle exercises using pull-ups, is described below.
The apparatus comprises two lateral arms 1 transversally spaced apart, each by having an arched geometry forming a front vertical portion 1a and a rear horizontal portion 1b extending under said vertical portion.
In the embodiment shown, the arms 1 have a tubular geometry, and may be made of a metal material.
The vertical portions 1a are connected by a transverse slat 2, by defining an upper bearing section 6 in a plane P1 of the apparatus on a first side of a structure 3.
Likewise, the horizontal portions 1b are connected by a transverse bar 4 that has two end portions 5 laterally protruding respectively from an arm 1, each end portion 5 having a front bearing section 5a in a plane P2 of the apparatus on a second side of the structure 3.
In particular, as shown in
In the description, the terms of positioning in space are made with reference to the structure 3 on which the apparatus is mounted, represented by a door frame in the figures. Thus, the term “transverse” refers to a direction parallel to the width of the opening 3a of the structure, and the term “longitudinal” refers to a direction perpendicular to this width. Likewise, the terms “front” and “rear” are made with reference to positions along the longitudinal direction, and located respectively on the left and on the right in
The upper slat 2 may preferably be made of a metal material but also of wood or of plastic material, and may be associated with the vertical portions 1a by screwing, as shown in the figures, or by welding.
In relation with the figures, the slat 2 is associated at the rear of the upper end of the vertical portions 1a, in order to be disposed at a height that is sufficient to enable it to rest on the upper plinth 3b of the door frame 3.
The slat 2 has a rectangular section, the thickness of which may particularly be arranged to make it possible for a rear surface 2a of said slat to bear in the plane P1 on a wall portion extending above the upper plinth 3b.
The bar 4 is preferably made of a metal material, and has a tubular geometry, particularly with an external diameter substantially equal to the external diameters of each of the lateral arms 1.
The front sections 5a are each equipped with a pad 7 for bearing on the second side of the structure 3. In particular, the pads 7 have planar front surfaces 8 that define the bearing plane P2, which makes it possible to stabilise the mounting of the apparatus by the bearing of said planar surfaces on a planar wall of the structure 3, particularly a jamb 3c of the door frame 3 or a wall portion extending next to said doorjamb.
The pads 7 may be made of a material having elastomer properties, in order to bear against lateral jambs 3c or wall portions disposed on either side of the door frame 3 without damaging them.
Advantageously, the pads 7 may be made of a rigid material, particularly of plastic, of wood or of metal, their front surfaces 8 being able to be covered with a covering 9 made of elastomer material, for example of polymer foam.
Such a covering 9 may also be associated on the lower and/or rear surfaces 2a of the transverse slat 2, so as not to damage the wall portions and/or the plinth on which they bear when mounting the apparatus on the door frame 3.
The pads 7 have a height h that is greater than the external dimension d of the front sections 5a of the bar 4, corresponding to the external diameter of said bar, in order to bear against the jambs 3c with an improved stability, particularly under the effect of the weight exerted by a user that hangs from the apparatus to perform pull-up exercises. In particular, the height h of the pads 7 is at least three times greater than the external diameter d of the bar 4.
Advantageously, the apparatus, once attached to the structure 3, may perfectly be removed from said structure without having to unlock the mechanism 11 or change a setting. For this, the height h of the pads 7 may be arranged sufficiently short to make it possible for the apparatus to tilt by inclining the bar 4, for example by approximately 30°.
The pads 7 each have a mounting pipe on the front sections 5a, said pipes being clipped on the tubular geometry of said front sections then attached.
At least one pad 7 is slidably mounted transversally on the corresponding front section 5a, so as to be able to set the spacing of the bearing surfaces 8 of the pads 7 on the second side of the structure 3, for example depending on the width of the opening 3a of said structure.
In the figures, each pad 7 is slidably mounted on its front section 5a. For this, each front section 5a has a row of holes 10 transversally spaced apart by a constant pitch, each by defining a defined position for the pad 7 for setting the transverse spacing, a screw making it possible, once adjusted to the width of the opening 3a, to immobilise the pads 7 on their respective front section 5a.
Alternatively, each pad 7 may have a pin mounted on a spring that extends longitudinally in its mounting pipe, in such a way as to elastically engage in the facing hole 10 when the user moves said pad along the front section 5a, in order to automatically lock the setting selected.
The bar 4 is slidably mounted on the horizontal portions 1b of the arms 1 by means of a mechanism for reversibly locking the position of said bar, so as to be able to set the longitudinal distance between the planes P1 and P2.
Thus, the transverse slat 2 and the front sections 5a of the bar 4 together form a clip that clasps the structure 3 in a way adapted to its thickness, which makes it possible to mount the apparatus simply and reliably on structures 3 of different thicknesses.
Advantageously, the bar 4 is slidably mounted free on the horizontal portions 1b of the arms 1, the locking mechanism comprising a member 11 for clamping the bar 4 on at least one of said horizontal portions.
This arrangement makes it possible to very accurately set the longitudinal distance between the bearing planes P1, P2, in order to form a clip adapted to all types of doors, and thus ensure a compatibility of the apparatus with a greater number of structures 3.
The bar 4 comprises two sleeves 12 each longitudinally slidably mounted on respectively a horizontal portion 1b of an arm 1, each front section 5a being associated at one of its ends with the corresponding sleeve 12, in order to be moved longitudinally by sliding said sleeve.
The clamping mechanism further comprises two clamps 11 each integrated respectively into a sleeve 12, in order to be able to slide freely around the corresponding horizontal portion 1b, each clamp 11 being equipped with a lever 13 for clamping around said portion, for example of the cam lever type, in order to lock the distance selected between the planes P1 and P2.
In the embodiment shown, the bar 4 has a central portion 14 disposed between the horizontal portions 1b of the arms 1, by being associated on either side with respectively a sleeve 12. This arrangement enables the user to simultaneously move the front sections 5a, particularly by manipulating said central portion, in order to facilitate the setting of the distance between the planes P1 and P2.
In particular, the central portion 14 has two ends that are each reversibly associated with a sleeve 12, in order to make it possible to dismantle the apparatus.
Each sleeve 12 comprises a longitudinal end fitting 15 that defines a housing for receiving an end of the central portion 14. Moreover, each end of the central portion 14 is screwed into a hole provided for this purpose on the end fitting 15.
Each end portion 5 of the bar 4 further has a rear section 5b for gripping by the user, particularly during the practice of a pull-up exercise.
Each rear gripping section 5b is disposed longitudinally facing the corresponding front section 5a, which constitutes a particularly intuitive location for the user, but also enables said user to exert weight close to the bearing plane P2 when they hang from the apparatus, in order to improve the stability of said apparatus when practising exercises by said user. Moreover, the rear sections 5b are disposed outside of the arms 1, which improves their gripping by the user.
In particular, the front 5a and rear sections 5b of an end portion 5 are longitudinally spaced apart by a distance at least sufficient to enable the user to dispose their fingers between them, and to make it possible to increase the lever arm force that reinforces the clip effect and the stability of the apparatus. In particular, the distance between the sections 5a, 5b may be between a minimal distance making it possible to dispose fingers and a maximum distance corresponding to that which would generate a lever arm that would “damage” the wall/the door during the use by an individual at the maximum weight indicated (130 kg).
In the embodiment shown, the front 5a and rear sections 5b of an end portion 5 are arranged to be jointly slidably movable on the horizontal portions 1b of the arms 1, in order to limit the manipulations to be carried out to mount and use the apparatus.
According to variants not shown, the rear sections 5b of the end portions 5 may be associated on the horizontal portions 1b of the arms 1 in a fixed or movable manner independent from the front sections 5a.
In the figures, each of the end portions 5 has a U-shaped geometry the branches of which respectively form the front section 5a and the rear section 5b, the ends of said U being associated with the sleeve 12, for example by welding.
Moreover, the front 5a and rear sections 5b both extend transversely outside of the arms 1 and of the structure 3 to enable the user to be able to suitably modulate their grip.
The rear sections 5b have an outer surface that is arranged to improve their gripping by the user. For this, in relation with
In a variant not shown, the rear sections 5b may comprise a covering at least partially covering their periphery, said covering being able to be made of foam or of elastomer material.
In order to mount the apparatus on the frame of a door 3, the user disposes the transverse slat 2 bearing on the upper plinth 3b on a first side of said door frame, with the plane P2 at a distance from the side opposite said structure (
Subsequently, the user makes the bar 4 slide along the horizontal portions 1b of the arms 1, for example by pushing the central portion 14 forwards, until the pads 7 of the front sections 5a bear on the second side of the door frame 3, on each door jamb 3c on either side of the opening 3a of the door.
In particular, the user may move beforehand at least one pad 7 along the corresponding front section 5a, in such a way as to adapt the transverse spacing between said pads to the width of the opening 3a.
Finally, the user locks the longitudinal position of the bar 4, and therefore the distance between the bearing planes P1 and P2, by folding back the levers 13 of the clamping members 11 (
Advantageously, the shape and the dimensions of the arms 1 enable the user to dismantle the apparatus from the door frame 3 without having to loosen the bar 4, so that the clamping members 11 only serve to block the sliding of said bar. Thus, the user may easily remove and replace the apparatus on a same structure without having to re-set the distance between the planes P1 and P2.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2207102 | Jul 2022 | FR | national |
