The present disclosure relates to systems, apparatus and methods for containing and dispensing gym chalk and for storing personal items.
Many persons use gym chalk during athletic or recreational activities. Activities where gym chalk may be applied by a user to their hands include but are not limited to gymnastics, weightlifting, climbing, organized exercise classes and the like. Various containers and bags exist to store and/or dispense gym chalk. Known chalk bags or other chalk containers can be somewhat large, messy and inconvenient to use. Known chalk bags or other chalk containers tend to be shared by many persons during an activity. This has caused concerns during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020.
Persons engaging in activities such as gymnastics, weightlifting, climbing or organized exercise classes can also find it inconvenient to comfortably store small personal items during their activities. The embodiments disclosed herein are directed toward overcoming one or more of the above problems.
One embodiment disclosed herein includes a gym chalk container. The gym chalk container includes two chambers, a chalk chamber, and an accessory chamber. The chalk chamber includes a first open end and a first closed end, with a mesh screen positioned at the first open end. The chalk chamber further includes a first cap positioned to close the first open end. The accessory chamber includes a second open end and a second closed end. The accessory chamber further includes a second cap positioned to close the second open end.
In certain embodiments of gym chalk container, the chalk chamber is separable from the accessory chamber. In other embodiments, the chalk chamber and accessory chamber are permanently affixed to each other implemented as a unitary device. The first closed end of the chalk chamber is positioned adjacent to the second closed end of the accessory chamber. Thus, the first open end of the chalk chamber faces away from the second closed end of the accessory chamber.
Alternative embodiments include methods of dispensing gym chalk from a gym chalk container as disclosed herein.
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that other embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. Several embodiments are described herein, and while various features are ascribed to different embodiments, it should be appreciated that the features described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated with other embodiments as well. By the same token, however, no single feature or features of any described embodiment should be considered essential to every embodiment of the invention, as other embodiments of the invention may omit such features.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers used herein to express quantities, dimensions, and so forth used should be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” In this application, the use of the singular includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise and use of the terms “and” and “or” means “and/or” unless otherwise indicated. Moreover, the use of the term “including,” as well as other forms, such as “includes” and “included,” should be considered non-exclusive. Also, terms such as “element” or “component” encompass both elements and components comprising one unit and elements and components that comprise more than one unit, unless specifically stated otherwise.
One embodiment is a gym chalk container 10, also referred to herein as a container 10. The container 10 is designed to store and dispense quantities of gym chalk for personal use, and to conveniently store ancillary personal items as well. Therefore, the container 10 is divided into two distinct and separate chambers, a chalk chamber 12, and an accessory chamber 14. Gym chalk is utilized by users participating in various sports including but not limited to gymnastics, rock climbing, weightlifting, parkour, and like.
The chalk chamber 12 is used to store and dispense gym chalk and therefore includes a mesh screen 16 at or near an open end 18. The chalk chamber 12 further includes a cap 20, plug or similar structure operatively associated with the open end 18 to close the chalk chamber 12. As illustrated in
The cap 20 may be a unitary component which threads into engagement or press-fits into engagement with the open end 18 of the chalk chamber 12. In other embodiments, the cap 20 may include multiple components. For example, the cap 20 embodiment illustrated in
An alternative cap embodiment is illustrated in
As noted above, the mesh screen 16 serves to limit the amount of chalk that will be dispensed from the chalk chamber 12 during normal operations. The mesh screen 16 can be fabricated from metal, plastic or another suitable material and will have mesh openings or holes sized to meter how much chalk can be conveniently shaken into a user's hand during normal operations.
The container 10 further includes an accessory chamber 14 sized and configured to hold any number of typically small personal items such as a tube of lipstick, a locker key, a blister repair kit, cash, car keys, etc. The accessory chamber 14 includes an open end 32 which may be closed with a cap 33 or plug.
The accessory chamber 14 also includes a closed end 34 which is positioned opposite the open end 32 and separated from the open end 32 by a sidewall 36. The accessory chamber 14 therefore defines an interior space between the closed end 34 and the cap 33 within the sidewall 36 for accessory item storage.
As shown in
In certain embodiments, the cap 33 closing the accessory chamber 14 will be substantially identical to the cap 20 closing the chalk chamber 12. In other embodiments, the caps 20, 33 will have different structures. The cap 33 can include threads, a friction-fit surface, press-fit surface, or similar structure to engage with the open end 32 of the accessory chamber 14.
The cap 33 may be a unitary component which threads into engagement or press-fits into engagement with either the accessory chamber 14 or an ancillary structure attached to the accessory chamber 14. In other embodiments, the cap 33 may include multiple components. For example, the cap 33 illustrated in
An alternative cap 33 embodiment is illustrated in
The container 10 may also optionally include a ring 44, extension, loop, or similar attachment point for the purpose of connecting the container 10 to a carabiner, clip 45, link, or other intermediate structure for subsequent attachment to a gym bag strap, belt loop, locker, or similar article. An alternative connection structure may be permanently formed in one of sidewalls 23 and 36.
The various chambers and structures comprising the container 10 may be fabricated from any suitable material, including but not limited to, metal, plastic, or composites. The various chambers and structures included in the container 10 may be molded, formed, machined, or fabricated using any combination of fabrication techniques.
The chalk chamber 12 and accessory chamber 14 may, in certain embodiments, be permanently bonded together or co-formed from a single tube or other structure with the closed ends 22 and 34 positioned together within the container 10 and the respective open ends 18 and 32 facing away from each other, out of the opposing ends of the structure. In one embodiment, best shown in
In the embodiment of
In an alternative embodiment including a separable chalk chamber 12 and accessory chamber 14, the junction between the chambers may be accomplished with a press-fit coupling, fasteners, or other engagements.
In certain embodiments, the mesh screen 16 may be housed in a removable mesh supporting structure permitting the mesh screen 16 to be removed from the open end 18 of the chalk chamber 12. One example of a mesh supporting structure permitting the mesh screen 16 to be removed is the annular body 27 described above. Another example of a mesh supporting structure permitting the mesh screen 16 to be removed from the chalk chamber is a threaded end piece 50 that can be attached to the chalk chamber 12 by engaging threads 51 formed on the end piece 50 with corresponding threads 52 formed at the open end 18 of the chalk chamber 12. In other embodiments, the mesh screen 16 may be housed in a removable press-fit housing, an interior, ring, bushing, grommet, or other structure that can be removed from the open end 18 of the chalk chamber 12. In certain embodiments, the mesh screen 16 may not include a supporting structure of any sort and may be removable by itself. Providing a removable mesh screen 16 with or without a mesh supporting structure is advantageous because removal of the mesh screen 16 from the chalk chamber 12 is a prerequisite to conveniently refilling the chalk chamber 12 with chalk.
As shown in
As shown in
In certain embodiments, gym chalk is simply placed within the chalk chamber 12 prior to use. In other embodiments, the chalk is contained within a removable chalk cartridge 54. The removable chalk cartridge 54 is sized to fit within the chalk chamber 12, as shown in
Another embodiment disclosed herein is a method of dispensing chalk using the container 10. Method embodiments include storing gym chalk in the chalk chamber and dispensing the chalk through the mesh screen 16. Method embodiments further include storing one or more personal items in the accessory chamber 14.
In certain embodiments, the chalk dispensing method may include providing a removable mesh support attached to the chalk chamber 12 that supports the mesh screen 16, removing the removable mesh support from the open end 18; and placing gym chalk into the chalk chamber 12. The gym chalk may be placed directly into the chalk chamber 12, or the gym chalk may be contained within a chalk cartridge 54 that is placed within the chalk chamber 12.
In embodiments including a separable connection between the chalk chamber 12 and the accessory chamber 14, the method may include separating the chalk chamber from the accessory chamber at the separable connection, for example by unthreading a threaded connection between the chalk chamber 12 and accessory chamber 14. A method embodiment may also include attaching the gym chalk container to another item with an attachment ring and/or clip attached to the gym chalk container.
Having described certain exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Hence, while various embodiments are described with, or without, certain features for ease of description and to illustrate exemplary aspects of those embodiments, the various components and/or features described herein with respect to a particular embodiment can be substituted, added and/or subtracted from among other described embodiments, unless the context dictates otherwise. Consequently, although several exemplary embodiments are described above, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/934,335 filed on Nov. 12, 2019, entitled “Chalk and Accessory Container”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62934335 | Nov 2019 | US |