Patent Application
20240307731
The present system relates to exercise machines in general and to adjustable safety tiers and rack out hooks for use on half-rack machines in particular.
Existing half-rack and full-rack (a.k.a. “power-rack”) exercise machines are used for squat exercises. In a squat exercise, the user stands under a barbell that has been suspended on a pair of rack out hooks and places the barbell across his/her shoulders. With the barbell across their shoulders, the user then performs a squat exercise. At the end of the exercise, the standing user then places the barbell back onto the pair of rack out hooks.
As can be appreciated, the height of the rack out hooks must be adjusted for users of different heights. It is therefore important that such height adjustments be made easily and quickly, and with minimum potential for the user dropping the hook itself during the height adjustment.
Secondly, half-rack and full-rack exercise machines are also equipped with safety tiers. Safety tiers are positioned below the rack out hooks and are used to catch a barbell should it accidently be dropped by the user, or should the user stumble and fall. In short, safety tiers prevent the user from becoming trapped below a falling barbell. As can be appreciated, different users typically set their safety tiers to different heights. Safety tiers must be strong and sturdy. As a result, they are typically rather heavy. The danger when adjusting the height of standard heavy safety tiers is that the user accidently drops them. In fact, the weight of common safety tiers deter some users from even adjusting them at all. Additionally, the most common designs for safety tiers requires a user to completely remove them from the machine so that the next user must replace them to use the machine safely.
What is therefore desired in both half-rack and full-rack exercise machines are rack out hooks and safety tiers that can be easily and quickly adjusted and are not likely to be accidentally dropped by the user. As will be shown, the present system addresses these concerns.
In preferred aspects, the present system provides an exercise machine having easily adjustable rack out hooks and easily adjustable counterweighted safety tiers. In preferred aspects, the present system provides an exercise machine having both an adjustable safety tier system and an adjustable rack out hook system. The present system preferably comprises rack out hooks and safety tiers that travel along the guide rods that are positioned next to the system's front support members. The rack out hooks and safety tiers can each be rotated from a position at which they latch onto the front support members to a position at which they unlatch and can then be moved to a different height (and then re-attached onto the front support members). The present rack out hooks and safety tiers may preferably be attached to the guide rods by slidable Delrin®-type bushings.
In preferred aspects, the present system comprises: a frame having a pair of upwardly-extending support members and a pair of upwardly-extending guide rods, wherein one of the guide rods is positioned next to each of the upwardly-extending support members; a safety tier attached to and moveable along each of the upwardly-extending guide rods, wherein the safety tier can be rotated to a locked position such that the safety tier latches onto the upwardly-extending support member or to an unlocked position such that the safety tier disconnects from the upwardly-extending support member and a counterweight connected to each safety tier. Also included are rack out hooks attached to and moveable along each of the upwardly-extending guide rods, wherein each of the rack out hooks can be rotated to a locked position such that the rack out hook latches onto the upwardly-extending support member or to an unlocked position such that the rack out hook disconnects from the upwardly-extending support member.
In preferred aspects, the safety tiers and rack out hooks need only rotate about 20 degrees around the upwardly-extending guide rods from their locked to unlocked positions. The safety tiers and rack out hooks may be moved from their locked to unlocked positions by simply lifting them and rotating them inwardly. Preferably, the upwardly-extending support members have a series of grooves thereon, and the rack out hooks and safety tiers have protrusions thereon that are received into the grooves when the safety tier and the rack out hooks are in their locked positions.
In preferred aspects, the counterweights for the support tiers move up and down within the upwardly-extending support members, thereby protecting the user from contacting them.
Also in preferred aspects, the exercise machine frame further includes base supports connected to the bottom ends of the upwardly-extending support members; upwardly-extending rear supports; a top support connected to the top ends of the upwardly-extending support members; and an optional a pair of lifting handles mounted onto the top support. It is to be understood that the present system can be used both with a half-rack exercise machine (as illustrated) and with a full- or power-rack machine.
One advantage of the present system is that the user does not have to remove either the safety tiers or the rack out hooks from the frame of the machine itself to adjust their respective heights. Specifically, neither the rack out hooks nor the safety tiers are removed from the guide rods, but rather simply travel up and down along them. As such, the danger of the user dropping either the rack out hooks or the (heavier) safety tiers is minimized.
Another advantage of the present system is that the counterweights are attached to the safety tiers and significantly reduce the weight the user has to lift when adjusting the height of the safety tiers. As such, the user can make adjustments quickly and easily with minimum danger of inadvertently dropping a safety tier.
In preferred aspects, frame 10 further includes horizontal base supports 50 which may be connected to the bottom ends of upwardly-extending support members 22. Frame 10 may also include a top support 52 connected to the top ends of the upwardly-extending support members 22. In optional aspects, top support 52 may also include a pair of lifting handles 54 and/or gripping pads or supports attached thereto. Frame 10 may also include a pair of upwardly-extending rear supports 56 connected both to base supports 50 and to top support 52. As illustrated, the present exercise machine system can be used with a half-rack exercise machine. It is to be understood, however, that the present exercise system can also be used with a full- or power-rack exercise machine, all keeping within the scope of the present invention.
As will be explained herein, rack out hooks 40 can be rotated into a locked position (
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The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/452,308, of same title, filed Mar. 15, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63452308 | Mar 2023 | US |
