FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to devices for weight training, including for general fitness, for physical therapy, and other uses.
In the field of weight training using weights that can be held by a user, such as barbells, hand weights, kettlebells, and medicine balls (also known as exercise balls or fitness balls) have, in one form or another, been used in the exercise, health and fitness fields since ancient times. Animal bladders filled with sand served as medicine balls in Persia over 3000 years ago. In Greece, in the time of Hippocrates, animal skins were sewn up and stuffed with sand to serve as exercise balls. Some of today's exercise balls are made with synthetic outer shell materials, which are then filled with sand, metal shot, other ballast materials, and often lighter filler material, such as yarn, foam, cotton, and the like, to provide a variety of exercise balls having a desired weight, hardness/softness, and size.
Many professional and student athletes, as well as the general public wishing to get into and stay in shape have found exercising with exercise balls and hand weights to be helpful. Using exercise balls can help develop the abdominal and other core muscles by lifting and moving the exercise ball, for example while performing other exercises, such as doing leg lifts, sit ups, etc., to be able to work additional muscle groups that would otherwise not be included in the exercise. Exercise balls are also used in rehabilitation of injured athletes.
Exercise balls currently made of various materials, such as leather, vinyl covered nylon, neoprene, polyurethane rubber, plastics, and the like, and are filled with sand, steel shot, and sometimes lighter weight stuffing. For balls that are intended to be bounced, they can be air filled.
Currently, there are exercise balls that incorporate two handles formed into opposite sides of the ball structure which are provided for gripping by users. Some other balls include a rope that passes through a middle of the ball. However, with these prior exercise balls, users are limited as to how they can exercise with the exercise balls. The exercise ball itself is not adapted to be used as an anchoring device with other attachments and accessories, such as elastic straps, pulleys, accessory handles, wrist straps (that would allow hands free use), e.g., with clips and carabiners. Moreover, current exercise balls have not been useful for exercising the legs and other parts of the body due to their lack of engagements and use with other accessories.
Likewise, hand weights, kettlebells, and exercise balls require that the user have sufficient hand and grip strength to actually hold the hand weight or exercise ball, otherwise, the user simply cannot get the benefit of such weight training devices. Indeed, many people, including many senior citizens and those who have experienced hand and arm injuries, simply have insufficient hand and arm strength to use hand weights and exercise ball. Regarding kettlebells, which are typically formed for cast iron, can be dangerous if dropped or bumped against a user's body.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved exercise ball device that troubleshoots the limitations of current standard exercise equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an exercise ball device with a plurality of attachment points that are adapted to be used to affix accessories, e.g., straps, elastic cords and bands, wrist and ankle straps, hand grips, and the like, to the exercise ball device. These accessories can be attached with detachable clips, for example, such as carabiners, snap clips, and the like, or can be looped through the attachment points. In addition to the attachment points, the exercise ball device is provided with one or more hand grips positioned to extend outside of the exercise ball. These hand grips are preferably adjustable to allow for quick and easy adjustment to comfortably fit a wide variety of user's hand sizes and preferences. In addition, one or more elongate loop handles can likewise be provided, e.g., on opposite sides of the exercise ball, and are provided so that users can pass their hands and wrists, and/or feet therethrough for additional utility, and to provide a simple way for users to hold the exercise ball without relying on the user's grip strength, as will be discussed below.
It is preferable that there be at least two attachment points which are positioned on opposite sides of the exercise ball device, and more preferable that there be at least three or four attachment points that are offset from each other. The number of features of the exercise ball device can be varied depending on the size and weight of the exercise ball device. For larger and heavier exercise ball devices, it is preferable that there be at least two sets of such opposing attachment points that are offset from each other by about 90 degrees.
The exercise ball device is preferably formed having a plastic or rubber shell, which can be formed as a softer and more forgiving material than harder materials such as metal. The various attachment points can be integrally formed as part of a plate structure which adds mass to the exercise ball device. The plate structure can comprise a single plate or a plurality of stacked plates that nest inside of an outer plastic or rubber shell. This design provides very secure attachment points, and the plate structure can be formed of metal (e.g., iron, steel, etc.) or some other heavy and strong material, which can be formed by various known methods (e.g., casting, stamping, laser cutting, plasma cutting, water jet cutting, 3-D printing, etc.) and add the desired mass to the exercise ball. In cases where the plate structure does not add enough mass to the exercise ball, an additional weighted portion, e.g., an elongate cylindrical shape, rectangular shape, hexagonal shape,or other shape made of metal, concrete, etc., can be included in the design to pass through a central opening in the plate structure. The additional weighted portion can also help ensure that the exercise ball device's center of gravity is preferrably at the center of the ball.
The feature of having the attachment points for the hand grips allows a light weight and softer shell portion to be used which surrounds the plate structure. The user's hands will make contact with the outer surface of the shell portion and also with the various attachment thereto. Unlike exercise hand weights like barbells and kettlebells, whose contact with a portion of the body can result in smashed toes and fingers and the like, the shell portion of the exercise ball device will be softer and more forgiving. However, due to the innate strength of the plate structure contained in the shell portion, even if the straps are yanked or pulled with great force, they will remain securely in place and will not become detached from the exercise ball device and will not distort or damage the exercise ball device.
These and other features of the invention are described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first exemplary embodiment of an exercise ball device of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a side perspective view showing the exercise ball device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is detail view showing the exercise ball device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is another detail view showing the exercise ball device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the exercise ball device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a side exploded view showing the exercise ball device of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is cross-sectional view through view lines 6-6 of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a fully exploded view showing the exercise ball device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 is a top view of the shell portion and plate structure of the exercise ball device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one of the two shell portions of the exercise ball device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 11 is top view of one of the two shell portion of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is perspective view of the optional additional weighted portion of the exercise ball device of FIG. 8.
FIG. 13 is a top plan view showing an exemplary plate structure of the exercise ball device of FIG. 8.
FIG. 14 is partially assembled view showing a bottom shell portion, the plate structure, and various straps engaged with the plate structure.
FIG. 15 is a detail view showing a loop handled looped around a loop handle connection area of the plate structure nested in one shell portion.
FIG. 16 is a detail view showing two adjustable hand grip straps looped around an adjustable handle strap connection area, a clip strap engaged with a clip strap attachment point of the plate structure, and a loop handle looped around a loop handle connection area of the plate structure, which plate structure is nested in one shell portion.
FIG. 17 is detail view showing multiple plates of the plate structure.
FIG. 18 is detail view showing a clip strap engaged with a clip strap attachment point of the plate structure.
FIG. 19 is a top view showing two adjustable hand grip straps looped around an adjustable handle strap connection area, and a loop handle looped around a loop handle connection area of the plate structure, which plate structure is nested in one shell portion.
FIG. 20 is another view showing two adjustable hand grip straps looped around an adjustable handle strap connection area, and a loop handle looped around a loop handle connection area of the plate structure, which plate structure is nested in one shell portion.
FIG. 21 is a detail view showing the plate structure seating with the shell portion and connection bosses thereof.
FIG. 22 is a detail showing the shell portion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1-22 are various views showing a first exemplary embodiment of the exercise ball device 10 of the invention. This first exemplary embodiment has all below described features incorporated and would be typical of a larger diameter and heavier exercise ball device of the invention. Smaller and lighter exercise ball devices can include all of the same features but can also leave out certain features due to space and size constraints, with some simplification of functionality, as will be described further below.
Turning first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there are shown two perspective view showing the first exemplary embodiment of the exercise ball device 10 of the invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are detail views thereof. The exercise ball device 10 preferably includes two outer shell portions 12 which are preferably generally semi-spherical on shape. The two outer shell portions 12 will be affixed together to surround a plate structure 24. The shell portions 12 can have pairs of spaced apart bores 14A and 14B opening on the outer surfaces of the shell portions. Loop straps 16, adjustable hand straps 18, and carabiner straps 20 engage with the plate structure 24, where a carabiner style clip 22 is shown on the carabiner strap 20. The shell portions 12 include various cutaways to allow connection of the loop straps 16, adjustable hand straps 18, and carabiner straps 20 to the plate structure 24. As shown, the two shell portions 12 are joined together where their circumferential edges 32 meet. The shell portions 12 have clip strap reliefs 26 to provide access to carabiner attachment points 34 in the plate structure 24. The shell portions 12 have loop strap reliefs 28 to provide access to the loop strap attachment area 62 in the plate structure 24 as will be discussed further with respect to FIGS. 13-21. Lastly, the shell portions 12 also have adjustable hand strap reliefs 30 to provide access to the hand strap attachment area 64 in the plate structure 24 as will also be discussed further with respect to FIGS. 13-21.
FIGS. 5, 6, and 8 exploded views showing the exercise ball 10 but no straps are shown. Detachable attachments, e.g., screws 36 are to be passed through the bores 14A of both shell portions 12. As shown, the two shell portions 12 can be identical in shape and design. Also shown are the bores 14B, which unlike the bores 14A, do not include through holes all the way through the shells 12. The shell portions 12 include alignment and securement bosses 40A and 40B. The bosses 40A can be generally cylindrical in shape and include through holes in their middle and are aligned to allow the screws 36 to freely pass through from the bores 14A. The bosses 40B can also be generally cylindrical in shape. These bosses 40B can preferably have starter screw holes in their middle which are aligned to allow the screws 36 which freely pass through the oppositely positioned bosses 40A to screw into the bosses 40B and thereby secure the two shell portions 12 together.
Turning to FIG. 22, there is shown a detail view of the shell portion 12. The clip strap reliefs 26, the loop strap reliefs 28, and the adjustable hand strap reliefs 30 are shown. Also shown are details of the circumferential edges 32. The circumferential edges 32 is made up of L-rim sections 46 and reverse L-rim sections 48. The L-rim sections 46 have an L-rim upper bead 54 which lies inward of a L-rim lower ledge 56, which lower ledge 56 communicates with the outer surface 84 of the shell 12. The upper bead 54 and lower ledge 56 have an L-shaped profile. The reverse L-rim sections 48 have a reverse L-rim upper bead 58 which lies outwardly of a reverse L-rim lower ledge 60, which reverse L-rim lower ledge 60 communicates with an inner surface 86 of the shell 12. The reverse L-rim sections 48 has a mirror image L-shape profile. In construction, one half of the circumference of each shell has the of L-rim sections 46 and the other half of the circumference has the reverse L-rim sections 48. Thus, when the two shell portions are screwed together, the L-rim sections 46 and the reverse L-rim sections 48 will lock together and close off any gap in the regions where the L-rim sections 46 and the reverse L-rim sections 48 connect. The top surfaces of the bosses 40A and 40B are preferably on the same level as the L-rim lower ledge 56 and the reverse L-rim lower ledge 60. This ensures that the top surfaces of the now aligned and contacting bosses 40A and 40B will make contact when the two shell portions 12 are screwed together.
As can be seen in FIGS. 13 and 14, the exemplary plate structure 24 has boss receiving apertures 92 which are aligned with the bosses 40A and 40B. When the plate structure 24 is nested in the shell, the bosses 40A and 40B will pass through the boss receiving apertures 92 and secure the position of the plate structure. Turning back to FIGS. 5 and 8 and to FIGS. 7, 9-11, the shell portions 12 can optionally include an additional weighted portion relief 42, which is adapted to receive an optional additional weighted portion 50. The optional additional weighted portion 50 (also shown in FIG. 12) can, for example, comprise a cylindrical section of heavy material, such as steel, iron, concrete, etc., that will add additional mass over that provided by the plate structure 24. While the additional weighted portion 50 is shown as having a cylindrical shape, it can have any desired shape, including, but not limited to having a square, hexagonal, octagonal, etc., cross-section, and the plate structure 24 will include an additional weighted portion opening 52 to allow the additional weighted portion 50 to pass therethrough. The plate structure 24 will nest in a plate structure recess 44 provided in each shell portion.
Turning again to FIGS. 13 and 14, the exemplary plate structure 24 is shown as having a generally circular outer perimeter 38. The carabiner attachment points 34 are shown set apart by 90 degrees and are relatively close to the outer perimeter 38. The boss receiving apertures 92 are likewise shown in the plate structure 24. In order to provide for securement of the loop straps 16 and adjustable hand straps 18, there are provided a loop handle connection area 62, and an adjustable handle strap connection area 64, respectively, in the plate structure 24. The loop handle connection area 62 has a slot 66 which extends inwards of an outer finger area 68, and the slot 66 communicates with the outer perimeter 38 of the plate structure 24 via a slot entrance 70, which slot entrance 70 allows an already sewn up loop of material (viz., the loop strap 16) to be passed into slot 66. The adjustable handle strop connection area 64 has an outer slot 72 and an inner slot 74. The outer slot 72 and an inner slot 74 are separated by an inner finger 76. The outer slot 72 is adjacent an outer finger 82 which forms part of the outer perimeter 38 of the weight portion. The inner slot 74 communicates with the outer perimeter 38 of the plate structure 24 via an inner slot entrance 80. The outer slot 72 has an outer slot entrance 78 which likewise communicates with the outer perimeter 38 of the plate structure 24. An advantage of having the slots 66, 72, and 74 communicate with the perimeter edge of the plate structure 24 is that this allows straps to be easily loop through, even when the straps have sewn together loop ends, whereas if the slots were not in communication with the edge of the plate, this would require sewing of loops after engaged with the plate structure.
FIG. 7 is cross-sectional view through view lines 6-6 of the exploded exercise ball 10 and shows how the optional additional weighted portion 50 passes through the aperture 50 of the plate structure 24 and seats in the additional weighted portion reliefs 42 formed in the shell portions 12.
Turning to FIGS. 15-21 are various views showing how the loop straps 16, adjustable hand straps 18, and carabiner straps 20 with carabiner clips 22 engage with the plate structure 24 and shells 12 to formed the finished exercise ball 10. FIGS. 15-17 and 19-21 are views showing a bottom shell portion 12, the plate structure 24, with the loop straps 16, adjustable hand straps 18, and carabiner straps 20 with carabiner clips 22 engaged with the plate structure 24. The loop straps 16 loops is preferably a continuous loop of material (e.g., a sewn up loop of material) and passes through the slot entrance 70 into the slot 66 in the loop handle connection area 62 and thus wraps around the outer finger area 68 and extends outside of the shells 12 for free access by a user. As can be seen, loop straps 16 can be provided set apart by about 180 on the plate structure 24. The adjustable hand straps 18 preferably include a sewn loop end 94 and a free end 96. The sewn loop end 94 will loop through the outer slot 72 and around the outer finger 82 and thus the sewn loop end 94 is secured to the plate structure 24. The free end 96 will slidably loop through the outer slot 72 and an inner slot 74 of the adjustable handle strop connection area 64. Detachable attachable material, such a hook and loop, or hook and hook material 98 can be provided on the free end 96 to allow a working length of the adjustable hand straps 18 to be adjusted when the exercise ball 10 is fully assembled. Another adjustable hand straps 18 extends on the back side of the ball and is not shown, with the positions of its sewn loop end 94 and a free end 96 offset by 180 degrees on the plate structure 24.
As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the plate structure 24, instead of one thick plate, can comprise a series of thinner stacked metal plates. A carabiner 22 is shown connected to the plate structure 24 by snapping the carabiner through the carabiner attachment point 34 with the clip strap reliefs 26 providing room for the carabiner 22 and its strap 20 to be attached and freely move relative to the shell 12.
FIG. 16 is a detail view showing two adjustable hand grip straps 18 looped around in the adjustable handle strap connection areas 64 at both ends of the plate structure 64, wherein one end of each adjustable hand grip straps has a fixed loop, a clip strap 20 engaged with a clip strap attachment point of the plate structure 24, and a loop handle 16 looped around a loop handle connection area of the plate structure, which plate structure is nested in one shell portion. The
The preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, however, so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention.
Patent Application
20220387859
