FINGER EXERCISE DEVICE

Abstract

The invention is an improved finger exercise device. The device includes a frame and a plurality of finger holds positioned in an arc. The finger holds may be horizontal, or may include an inclined surface declining from the front of the device to the back of the device. The device may include a back plate connecting a top arc of the frame to a bottom arc of the frame. The finger holds may be displaced from the back plate, or extend outward from the back plate. The finger holds may be wider in a front to back direction than the top arc of the frame, or the bottom arc of the frame.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates exercise devices to increase finger, hand, and grip strength. The device also relates to devices used for suspension exercises.

Background Art

Grips and other devices exist which allow a user to hang or suspend themselves from a fixed point, such as an overhead bar or rack, or attach to bands, weights, or other resistance mechanisms. Some devices allow the user to grip the device, but are generally not designed with the specific profiles and features described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a device or apparatus that a user may engage with the user's hand. The invention may be considered a suspension grip. In use, the user grabs the device, engaging the device by the fingertips or up to the second knuckle with one or any select number of fingers. The user may use the device while suspending the user's body from a rack, or use the device to pull exercise bands, weights, or other forms of resistance.

In one form, the invention is directed to a finger exercise device including a frame and a plurality of finger holds. The frame includes a bottom arc portion that has an upper surface. The finger hold is positioned on the upper surface. The plurality of finger holds includes a central finger hold. Each of the finger holds has a minimum position. The finger holds on either side of the central finger holds have a respective minimum position. Each minimum position is lower as the finger holds are further from the central finger hold.

In one form, the frame has a top flange for suspending the device.

In one form, the frame includes a top arc. The bottom arc is wider than the top arc.

In one form, the frame includes an eye.

In one form, the device includes a back wall. The back wall extends between the top arc and the bottom arc.

In one form, at least one of the finger holds is spaced apart from the back wall.

In one form, the device further includes corner arcs. The corner arcs join the bottom arc and a top arc.

In one form, the device further includes a tangent portion located between the finger holds and a corner arc joining the bottom arc.

In one form, the finger holds include a horizontal portion.

In one form, the finger holds include a horizontal portion and an inclined portion.

In one form, the inclined portion is behind the horizontal portion.

In one form, at least one finger hold includes an inclined surface inclining downward from the front of the device to the back of the device.

In one form, the finger holds include a vertex where one arc of a finger hold meets the arc of an adjacent finger hold.

In one form, the finger holds adjacent to the central finger hold each have an outer vertex having a maximum height that is equal to or lower than the minimum position of the arc of the central finger hold.

In one form, the vertex of at least one finger hold is rounded.

In one form, the frame includes an aperture positioned above the central finger hold. An eye is positioned in the aperture.

In one form, the minimum position of the arcs of the finger holds adjacent to the central finger hold are lower than the minimum position of the arc of the central finger hold.

In one form, the inclined portion of at least one finger hold is inclining downward from front to back.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exercise device without a back wall of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the exercise device without a frame and with a back wall, of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a close-up perspective view of the inclined finger holds of exercise device of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a close-up perspective view of the inclined finger holds of exercise device of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the Figures, in some embodiments, the device 10 includes an eye 5 attached to a frame 20. The eye 5 may then be attached to a rack, exercise bands, or weights, or other resistance mechanisms as the user desires. In the most preferred embodiment, the device 10 is suspended or attached to a rack and suspended vertically. This arrangement allows a user to employ the user's body weight as resistance by hanging by the user's fingers from the device.

For reference purposes, the eye 5 is generally positioned in the up U direction with the horizontal plane being perpendicular to the up U or vertical direction. The front 11 of the device 10 is the direction to which the finger holds 30a-e extend from the back 12 or back plate in embodiments that have a back plate or back 12. In other embodiments, the front is the side in which the finger holds 30a-e project beyond the plane of the top arc 22, such as in FIGS. 5-11. One skilled in the art will readily recognize the device 10 assumes an orientation of the frame 20 hanging below the eye 5 when the device 10 is suspended from a rack by the eye 5 or other structure connected to the top arc 22 or aperture 6.

In some embodiments such as FIGS. 12-15, the finger holds 30 do not extend from the back plate or back 12. Thus there is a space between the finger holds 30 and the back 12, as seen in FIGS. 13-15. Thus the top surface 31 is narrower in the W direction than the bottom arc 25 or the top arc 22 of the frame 20.

In some embodiments, the eye 5 is threaded into an aperture 6 in the frame 20. In other embodiments, the eye 5 is part of a bolt that is placed into the aperture 6 and captured by another fastener 8 on the opposite side of the frame 20 or flange 7 The aperture 6 may be positioned above and aligned with the center finger hold 30c.

In some embodiments, the frame 20 may be eliminated, and instead, a back or back plate 12 structurally replaces the frame, as best shown in FIG. 2. In such an embodiment, the eye 5 may be attached to a flange 7 extending perpendicularly from the back plate 12. Similarly, the plurality of arced finger holds 30 may extend perpendicularly from the back plate or back wall 12.

In some embodiments, the frame 20 is arc shaped. The frame 20 includes a top arc 22 defining the upper bounds of the frame 20, and a bottom arc 25 defining the bottom bounds of the frame 20. In some embodiments the bottom bounds may be a shallow arc, or even flat, as shown in FIG. 1. The frame 20 may be open, as shown in FIG. 1, or the frame 20 may include a back wall 12 as shown in FIGS. 3-15. In some embodiments, the bottom arc 25 of the frame 20 may have a width W that is wider than the top arc 22 of the frame 20. In other embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 1, the bottom arc 25 and top arc 22 are of the same width W In the most preferred embodiment, the bottom arc 25 is approximately 1.5 inches wide, while the top arc 22 or member of the frame 20 is one inch wide. One skilled in the art will recognize that these dimensions may vary.

In some embodiments, the bottom arc 25 includes a central arc portion 27 and a tangent portion 28 and 29 on either side of the central arc 27. The tangent portions 28 and 29 are connected or transitioned to the top arc 22 by corner arc portions 32 and 33.

The inner or upper surface 31 of the bottom arc 25 includes a plurality of finger arcs or finger holds 30. In some embodiments there are five finger holds 30a-e.

In other embodiments there may be any number of finger holds 30. For instance the area between the tangent portions 28 and 29 and the upper arc 22 or the corner arcs portions 32 and 33 may form a sixth and seventh finger hold. In such embodiments where there are seven finger holds 30. In some embodiments the finger holds 30 closest to the corner arcs 28 and 29 may be smaller in width across the front or face of the bottom arc 25 than the other finger holds 30. In some embodiments, all of the finger holds 30a-e are generally of the same width across the front or face of the bottom arc 25, but need not be.

In some embodiments, the finger holds 30a-e are open to the interior of the device 10 or frame 20. In some embodiments, the finger holds 30a-e are generally horizontal from front to back. To put it another way, in some embodiments the finger holds 30a-e do not slope from front to back. In other embodiments, the individual finger holds 30a-e may be inclined with reference to front and back, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. In some embodiments, the incline of the finger holds 30 is generally downward from the front of the device 10 towards the back wall 12 of the device 10. In some embodiments as shown in FIG. 19, the finger holds 30 include a horizontal portion 35 and an inclined portion 36, the inclined portion 36 being closer to the back wall 12 of the device, or the back of the device in embodiments that do not have a back wall 12. In some embodiments, the finger holds 30 may be considered inclined from side to side or laterally as they are positioned along the arc or in an arc shape.

In some embodiments, the central finger hold 30c includes a minimum position 50c of the arc defining the finger hold 30c, the minimum position 50c being the lowest point of the arc defined on the front face. In some embodiments, finger holds 30 adjacent to the central finger hold 30c may also include respective minimum positions of the arcs, the minimum positions of the adjacent finger holds being below the minimum arc position 50c of the central finger hold 30c. In some embodiments, the outer finger holds, which might be described as the first and fifth finger holds 30a and 30e respectively, also include minimum positions 50a and 50e of the arcs defining those finger holds 30. The minimum positions of the first and fifth finger holds 30a and 30e are below the minimum arc positions of the adjacent finger holds 30b and 30d respectively. In summary, one skilled in the art will recognize that finger holds 30 lower on the bottom arc 25 have minimum arc positions 50 that are lower than the finger holds 30 that are more central on the bottom arc 25 or upper surface 31.

In some embodiments, adjacent finger holds 30 include a discrete projection or vertex 60 where the arc of one finger hold 30 meets the arc of another finger hold 30. With respect to the finger holds 30b and 30d adjacent to the central finger hold 30c, the outer vertex and has a maximum height above the ground when the device is suspended by the eye that is equal to or slightly below the minimum position 50c of the arc defining the central fingerhold 30c. In some embodiments, the vertexes 60 where the arc of the finger holds meet are generally rounded.

The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is intended to be illustrative of the broad concepts comprehended by the invention.

Claims

1. A finger exercise device, including a frame and a plurality of finger holds, the frame including a bottom arc portion having an upper surface, the finger hold positioned on the upper surface, the plurality of finger holds including a central finger hold, each of the finger holds having a minimum position, the finger holds on either side of the central finger holds having a respective minimum position, each minimum position being lower as the finger holds are further from the central finger hold.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the frame includes a top flange for suspending the device.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the frame includes a top arc, the bottom arc being wider than the top arc.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the frame includes an eye.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein the device includes a back wall, the back wall extending between the top arc and the bottom arc.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein at least one of the finger holds are spaced apart from the back wall.

7. The device of claim 1 further including corner arcs, the corner arcs joining the bottom arc and a top arc.

8. The device of claim 1 further including a tangent portion located between the finger holds and a corner arc joining the bottom arc.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the finger holds include a horizontal portion.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the finger holds include a horizontal portion and an inclined portion.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the inclined portion is behind the horizontal portion.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein at least one finger hold includes an inclined surface inclining downward from the front of the device to the back of the device.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the finger holds include a vertex where one arc of a finger hold meets the arc of an adjacent finger hold.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the finger holds adjacent to the central finger hold each have an outer vertex having a maximum height that is equal to or lower than the minimum position of the arc of the central finger hold.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the vertex of at least one finger hold is rounded.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the frame includes an aperture positioned above the central finger hold, an eye positioned in the aperture.

17. The device of claim 1 wherein the minimum position of the arcs of the finger holds adjacent to the central finger hold are lower than the minimum position of the arc of the central finger hold.

18. The device of claim 10 wherein the inclined portion of at least one finger hold is inclining downward from front to back.