Patent Application
20120270706
The present invention relates to an exerciser and, more particularly, to an exerciser including a length-adjustable inelastic suspension member and a handle allowing the exerciser to exercise the muscles by performing exercises resisting the weight of the user.
A wide variety of exercisers is available on the market for exercising the muscles by resisting the weight. An example of the exercisers of this type is dumbbells. Various exercisers are required for exercising muscles of different parts of the human body. These exercisers are generally expensive and occupy a large space. Some of the exercisers allowing the user to resist the weight of a portion of the components of the exercisers have certain weights and volumes and are, thus, not suitable for use in homes. General users can only use small-size exercisers such as dumbbells.
Thus, a need exists for an exerciser that can be used at home.
The present invention solves this need and other problems in the field of exercisers providing convenient use by providing, an exerciser including a first suspension member having an extension strap with first and second ends and a side extending between the first and second ends of the extension strap. A connecting ring is fixed to the first end of the extension strap. A positioning rod is mounted to a linking ring and slideable between upper and lower ends of the linking ring and between a disengagement position and a clamping position. The second end of the extension strap is wound around the positioning rod. A first ring is fixed to the side of the extension strap and located between the first and second ends of the extension strap. An attachment member in the form of a looped belt includes a hook fixed thereto. The hook is releasably engaged with one of the connecting ring and the first ring. A handle is slideably mounted around the attachment member and includes a longitudinal through-hole extending along a longitudinal axis of the handle. The attachment member slideably extends through the longitudinal through-hole of the handle. The handle is slideable relative to the attachment member between first and second positions. The handle is located around an intermediate section of the attachment member when the handle is in the first position. The handle is spaced from the intermediate section of the attachment member when the handle is in the second position. A connecting strap includes first and second ends. The second end of the connecting strap is fixed to the upper end of the linking ring. A stop is fixed to the first end of the connecting strap and has cross sections larger than the connecting strap.
When the positioning rod is in the disengagement position, the positioning rod is spaced from the lower end of the linking ring by a spacing allowing the second end of the extension strap to move towards or away from the first end of the extension strap, adjusting an overall length of the extensions strap.
When the positioning rod is in the clamping position adjacent to the lower end of the linking ring, the extension strap is frictionally retained between the positioning rod and the linking ring.
In a form shown, a second ring is fixed to a surface between the first and second ends of the connecting strap. The first extension strap further includes an attachment belt. Two hooks are respectively attached to two ends of the attachment belt and releasably engaged with the second ring of the connecting strap, with the attachment belt forming a loop.
In another form shown, the exerciser further includes a bar and a second suspension member identical to the first suspension member. The handles of the first and second suspension members are releasably attached to two ends of the bar and have a fixed spacing therebetween.
The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.
The illustrative embodiments may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where:
All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present invention only; the extensions of the figures with respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiments will be explained or will be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional proportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength, and similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood.
Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “upper”, “lower”, “outer”, “side”, “end”, “portion”, “section”, “spacing”, “length”, and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings and are utilized only to facilitate describing the invention.
An exerciser according to the present invention is shown in the drawings and generally designated 12. According to the form shown, exerciser 12 includes a first suspension member 301 including an extension strap 303 made of inelastic fabric of canvas or nylon. Extension strap 303 includes first and second ends 305 and 307 spaced in a longitudinal direction and two sides 309 extending between first and second ends 305 and 307. First end 305 of extension strap 303 is wound around a rectilinear section of a semi-circular connecting ring 315 and then sewn to one of sides 309, attaching connecting ring 315 to first end 305. Second end 307 of extension strap 303 is wound around a positioning rod 323 and extends towards but spaced from first end 305. A square linking ring 321 includes upper and lower ends and two parallel arms extending between the upper and lower ends. Positioning rod 323 includes two ring portions 325 mounted around the parallel arms of linking ring 321, allowing positioning rod 323 to slide along the arms of linking ring 321 between a disengagement position and a clamping position. Second end 307 of extension strap 303 is wound around positioning rod 323 between ring portions 325. A sliding loop 317 made of inelastic fabric of canvas or nylon is sewn to second end 307 of extension strap 303. Sliding loop 317 is located between first and second ends 305 and 307 of extension strap 303 (
When positioning rod 323 is in the clamping position adjacent to the lower end of linking ring 321 (see the solid lines in
According to the form shown, first suspension member 301 further includes four first fixing straps 311 made of inelastic fabric of canvas or nylon. First fixing straps 311 are sewn to one of sides 309 of extension strap 303 and spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction and located between first and second ends 305 and 307. Each first fixing strap 311 has a first spacing to connecting ring 315 and a second spacing to linking ring 321. The first spacing is larger than the second spacing. Thus, movement of sliding loop 317 will not be hindered by first fixing strap 311. Specifically, when second end 307 of extension strap 303 is located in a position most adjacent to first end 305, the four first fixing straps 311 are located between first and second ends 305 and 307. However, second end 307 can be moved to a location adjacent to first end 305 if extension strap 303 does not include first fixing straps 311. A semi-circular first ring 313 is attached between each first fixing strap 311 and extension strap 303.
According to the form shown, first suspension member 301 further includes a connecting strap 327 made of inelastic fabric of canvas or nylon. Connecting strap 327 includes first and second ends 329 and 331 and a surface 333 extending between first and second ends 329 and 331. A cylindrical stop 80 is attached to first end 329 of connecting strap 327. Second end 331 of connecting strap 327 is engaged with the upper end of linking ring 321. Stop 80 has a volume significantly larger than that of connecting strap 327. A second fixing strap 335 made of inelastic fabric of canvas or nylon is sewn to surface 333 of connecting strap 327 at a location adjacent to linking ring 321. A semi-circular second ring 337 is attached to second fixing strap 335.
According to the form shown, first suspension member 301 further includes a handle 2. Handle 2 is tubular and includes a longitudinal through-hole 211 extending along a longitudinal axis of handle 2. Handle 2 further comprises a grip portion 21 and a connecting portion 22 extending from grip portion 21 along the longitudinal axis and having at least one protrusion 221. In the form shown, connecting portion 22 includes two diametrically opposed protrusions 221 formed by two exposed portions of a pin 23 that transversely extends through connecting portion 22. Handle 2 further includes two spaced flanges 26 between grip portion 21 and connecting portion 22. A slot 27 is defined in an annular 29 between flanges 26 and in communication with through-hole 211. A protective padding member 25 is mounted around grip portion 21 for comfort gripping.
According to the form shown, first suspension member 301 further includes an attachment member 24 in the form of a belt made of inelastic fabric of canvas or nylon and slideably mounted to handle 2. Attachment member 24 is a loop having a portion extending through longitudinal through-hole 211 and slot 27 of handle 2 (
Handle 2 can be detachably attached to one of connecting ring 315 and four first rings 313 by hook 28. Connecting ring 315 and first rings 313 to be coupled with handle 2 can be selected according to the required overall length of first suspension member 301.
The user can proceed with minor adjustment of the overall length of extension strap 303 by moving second end 307 of extension strap 303 through manually pulling pull strip 319. When handle 2 is attached to connecting ring 315 and when pull strip 319 is adjacent to linking ring 321, first suspension member 301 has the maximum length. When handle 2 is attached to the first ring 313 closest to sliding loop 317 and when sliding loop 317 is adjacent to the first fixing strap 311 closest to linking ring 321, first suspension member 301 has the minimum length.
In an example of use, handle 2 is attached by hook 28 to connecting ring 315. Exerciser 12 can be mounted between two objects. Specifically, connecting strap 327 is extended through a gap 92 between a first object 88 (such as a door) and a second object 90 (such as a door frame). Stop 80 is firmly stuck between first and second objects 88 and 90. Disengagement will not occur when connecting strap 327 is subjected to force pulling connecting strap 327 away from stop 80, because stop 80 has a volume much larger than gap 92. It can be appreciated that handle 2 can be attached to any one of first rings 313. The user can proceed with weight training to resist the weight while the body is slant relative to the ground.
In the form shown, first suspension member 301 further includes an attachment belt 339 made of inelastic fabric of canvas or nylon. Attachment belt 339 includes two ends 341 each having a hook 343. Each hook 343 includes a hook portion 345 and a resilient plate 347 for closing an opening of hook portion 345. In the form shown, attachment belt 339 has a length approximately four times of that of connecting strap 327.
Exerciser 12 can be engaged with a thin third object 94 without using attachment belt 339. However, through use of attachment belt 339, exerciser 12 can be engaged with a fourth object 96 (such as a trunk) that is too thick to be wound around by connecting strap 327. Attachment 339 is tied around fourth object 96. Then, hooks 343 on attachment belt 339 are engaged with second ring 337. Thus, first suspension member 301 is securely attached to fourth object 96.
In use, connecting strap 327 of each of first and second suspension members 301 is tied around rod-like third object 94 by a knot. Since stop 80 of each of first and second suspension members 301 is much larger than the gaps of the knots, the knots will not become loose when first and second suspension members 301 are pulled, avoiding disengagement of first and second suspension members 301 from third object 94. The user can grip handles 2 with both hands and proceed with various exercises, examples of which are shown in
Since handles 2 can be selectively engaged with connecting ring 315 or any first ring 313, the overall length of exerciser 12 can be rapidly adjusted according to the needs of users of various sizes.
In the form shown in
The length of each longitudinal guiding slot 33 is equal to the distance between an associated protrusion 221 and an adjacent flange 26 of an associated handle 2. Thus, when connecting portion 22 of each handle 2 is inserted into an associated end 31 of bar 3, protrusions 221 reach the inner ends of longitudinal guiding slots 33 of the associated end 31 when the flange 26 adjacent to the protrusions 221 comes in contact with the end face of the associated end 31 of bar 3, as shown in
In use of the third example, connecting strap 327 of each of first and second suspension members 301 is tied around rod-like third object 94. First and second suspension members 301 are spaced from each other. Bar 3 is interconnected between handles 2. The user grips handles 2 to proceed with various exercises, examples of which are shown in
Exerciser 12 can be used in differing conditions and allows the user to proceed with various exercises against the weight of the user to exercise different muscles of the user. Exerciser 12 is light and occupies a small space, allowing easy storage.
Now that the basic teachings of the present invention have been explained, many extensions and variations will be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art.
For example, exerciser 12 does not have to include attachment belt 339 and second ring 337. Furthermore, exerciser 12 does not have to include sliding loop 317 and pull strip 319. In this case, second end 307 of extension strap 303 can not be fixed. However, the length of extension strap 303 can still be adjusted by pulling second end 307.
Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.
