BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A fuller understanding of the present invention will be accomplished upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiments of the invention, when reviewed in connection with the annexed drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an exercise device of the invention, showing a shell mounted on a core;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the exercise device;
FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof;
FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the exercise device showing a cover upon a core, with a lock device for the cover in an unlocked position;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the exercise device showing the cover in an open orientation;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an exercise device in accordance with the invention embodied in a barbell-like construction;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the exercise device of FIG. 6 configured as a dumbbell;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exercise device of the invention depicting the nesting of cover elements upon a core;
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the embodiment of the exercise device wherein the cover comprises two spherical panels which form a receiving aperture therebetween;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a core element resting inside the embodiment of the exercise device wherein the cover comprises two spherical panels having inner and outer wall elements which form a hollow surface therebetween for receiving weight blocks; and
FIG. 11 is a partially cut away perspective view of an assembled weight device of the invention depicting a core and first and second shells of an alternative embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With initial reference to FIGS. 1-5, an exercise device 10 of the present invention may be in the form of a sphere or ball, although other shapes may be employed. The exercise device 10 includes a core element 12 and an overlying cover or shell element 14. The core is constructed of any appropriate material, such as metal or a filled plastic composition, chosen to provide a desired weight or mass for the core when the core is utilized as an exercise unit without a shell. The core may also be of any appropriate diameter, chosen for the particular intended use of the exercise device. For use as a free-standing exercise ball, for example, the core may have a diameter of anywhere from 4 to 12 inches, while for use as the core of a barbell or dumbbell construction cores at the lower range of such sizes may be preferred. The core may be solid or hollow as appropriate for its size and desired weight.
Shell 14 is constructed as a relatively thin body, having an inner surface or alternative means preferably configured to allow it to rest closely against the outer surface of the core element 12. Typically, the outer surface of the shell will be of the same general shape as that of the core. As depicted in the figures, the shell 14 may be formed of two or more panels or sections 16 which together envelop substantially all of the core. While the figures depict the shell 14 fully covering the core, it is anticipated that other shell arrangements, covering less than substantially all of the core surface, can be employed. The individual shell panels or portions 16 may be substantially identical, as shown in the figures, or may be of differing shapes.
Means are provided to retain the shell upon the core. When the shell covers more than 50% of the core surface, such means can be in the form of elements holding the shell sections together, without a mechanical coupling to the core itself. Thus, as shown in the figures, such retention means may be in the form of a hinge 18 and a lock 20. Such a hinge and lock system may be effectively utilized when two individual shell portions or panels 16 are used. The hinge 18 connects the two panels 16 together, while allowing them to pivot apart, as depicted in FIG. 5, so that they may be placed upon or removed from the core 12. The lock 20, located diametrically across the cover from the hinge, allows the individual shell portions 16 to be retained together in a closed orientation, thereby retaining the shell upon the core 12. The lock element 20 may comprise a pivoting lock arm 22 mounted adjacent an edge of a first cover element portion 16 and bearing a plug 24 at an end thereof, and a bore 26 adjacent a corresponding edge of the second cover element 16 to accommodate the plug in a snug, friction-fit manner to retain the shell portions elements together. Other lock constructions as know in the art can similarly be employed.
Alternative retaining means can also be employed. For example, the inner surfaces of the shell portions 16 and the outer surface of the core 12 may be provided with complimentary hook-and-loop fastener elements, whereby the shell portions 16 are retained directly upon the core. The cover portions may be provided with interlocking means to join them together in the manner of puzzle parts to retain them upon the core.
As with the core, the shell portions or panels may be manufactured from any appropriate material. Both the core and the individual shell portions be fabricated from a cast metal-filled epoxy plastic formulation, as known in the art. Such a construction can allow the weight of the shell to be chosen based upon the extent and nature of the metal fill. The thickness of the shell can be chosen in accordance with the shell's diameter and desired weight, and typically is expected to be in the range of 1 to 2 inches.
With further reference to FIG. 8, an exercise device of the present invention may incorporate, in addition to a core element 12 and a shell 14, one or more further shells 26. The shells 26 may be fabricated in a manner analogous to that of shell 14, but of shape and size such that they fit over the outer surface of the shell 14 or a previously-mounted further shell 26. Thus, and as depicted in the Figure, use of the core element 12 provides an exercise device of a first weight, such as 3 lbs; adding the first shell 14 thereto provides a total weight of 5 lbs; and further addition of the shell 26 provides a total weight of 8 lbs. Various combinations of core and shells may be provided to give great flexibility in the construction of weight elements of varying weights for a full range of exercise needs.
The combination of core 12 and shells 14, 26 may be incorporated into other exercise devices. As depicted in FIG. 6, cores 12 may each be provided with a bore, such as threaded receiving bore 28 into which a complimentary threaded end 30 of a handle, shown in the form of a bar unit 32 or 34, is received. A single core and attached bar/handle may be used as is, or the bar units 32 and 34 may have complimentary joining means 36 at the ends opposite from those having the threaded couplings 30, allowing the two bar units to be coupled together to produce an extended length bar, in the nature of a barbell bar. Shell elements 14 (and 26) may be provided with a bore 38, depicted in phantom in FIG. 1, to accommodate the threaded end 30 of a bar unit when the shell is mounted on the core. The bore 38 may preferably be located along the line of intersection between two of the individual shell portions 16 to facilitate mounting of the shells upon a previously assembled barbell, and allowing the shells to be mounted upon and removed from the core without disassembling the barbell construction. Other connection means, such as bayonet type connections, snap-fit connectors, and the like may be used in place of threaded connections.
When the complimentary joining means 36 of the bar units 32, 34 are in the form of a threaded receiving bore and threaded end having the same size and thread pitch as the bore 28 and threaded end 30, the bar unit 34, having two threaded ends, may be used to engage a pair of core elements as depicted in FIG. 7, whereby the length of the bar is shortened and the resulting construction is in the nature of a dumbbell. Once again, the overall weight of the dumbbell may be adjusted by the placing of one or more cover elements on the cores.
A first preferred embodiment of the invention is depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10. As seen therein, the shells 14 or 26 may comprise two hemispherical sections 36 each having an outer wall element 38 and an inner wall element 40. The inner wall element has a peripheral flange 42, which rests on a series of standoffs 44 molded in the interior of the outer wall element 38. Screws 48 extend through bores in the flange and engage the standoffs to connect the inner and outer wall elements 38, 40 together. A hollow space 42 is formed between the wall elements, allowing a plurality of weight blocks 45 to be installed in receiving pockets or apertures 52 located on the inner surface of the outer wall. This allows the mass of the of shell to be adjustable, and allows the panel shells to made of a rigid, tough material without significant concerns regarding its density, as the mounted weights 45 are chosen as appropriate for the intended weight of the shell. Because the weight blocks 45 are internal to the shell, they may be of any appropriate material without undue concern regarding their appearance. Thus, for example, the weight blocks 45 may be chosen of an appropriate metal or metal alloy, and need not have a highly finished surface appearance. The weights may be user accessible, allowing them to be interchanged by the user upon separating the inner and outer wall elements 38, 40 or the wall elements may be permanently joined together to prevent separation and user access to their contents.
FIG. 11 depicts an alternative construction for the invention and shows a cut away assembly of a core 52 and first and second overlying shells 54, 56. As depicted therein, each of the shells have a pair of hinged outer wall element 58. Rather than having complete inner walls, the shells each have a series of inwardly-directed pedestals 60 which may be fabricated integrally with the outer wall elements. The pedestals 60 are capped with covers 62, with both the distal ends of the pedestals and the covers contoured to provide a mating surface for outer surface of the core or another shell about which the shell is mounted. Hinge 64 is mounted to the interior surfaces of the outer wall element to maintain a smooth outer surface for the shell.
The outer wall elements 58 may provided with a thickened inner flange section 68 through which mounting bores 66 for bar unit 24 and the like extend. As shown, the bores are located at the bating interface between the two hinged wall elements of the shell. The end of the bar unit threads into an inner block 70 of core 52, which block may be supported within the core by internal support flanges 72. The block 70 may be of a different material form the surrounding portions of the core, thus allowing the block material to be chosen with proper regard for strength requirements, which may be different from or incompatible with those desired for the surrounding core portions. The size of the block 70 may also be chosen with consideration of the desired overall weight for the core. The end of the bar unit may be of a stepped construction as shown, wherein the mounting bore of each size shell are different, with larger shells having larger bores.
The shells may also be provided with internal mounting pedestals 74 for weight units 76. Each of the pedestals may have a planar base portion 78 and a central cylindrical stem 80, upon which the ring-shaped weight units are mounted. A cover 82 hold the weight in position. The cover may be of a removable configuration to allow weight interchange. Preferably the pedestals are arranged evenly about the shell for a balanced weight distribution, and may be two in number, positioned perpendicularly to the hinged edge of the wall element. The pedestal stems 80 may have a length such that they extends inwardly a greater distance that the height of the positioning pedestals 60. In such a case the outer wall of the adjacent inner shell, such as first shell 54 in the figure, is provided with a mating depression 84 to accommodate the pedestal end. The portion of the outer wall in which the depression is located may be internally thickened at 86 to provide the needed support for the depression. The thickenings may preferably be incorporated into the pedestal bases 78 for the weight units 76 of the shell. The engagement of the pedestal ends with the depression provides an alignment system for the shell units and provides additional rigidity to the assembled system.
Other adaptations and modifications to the embodiments of the invention as presented herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, a core element may be provided with a removable integral handle to form a kettle bell-type exercise device. In such a case, the overlying covers would be provided with appropriate cut-out portions to allow them to be mounted on the core without interference with the handles.