The disclosed embodiments relate generally to exercise equipment and in particular, but not exclusively, to a foldable exercise bench.
Many exercise activities require specialized equipment that can be quite bulky and, currently, much exercise equipment is not easily collapsed for storage. Most exercise equipment is also not attractive as a piece of furniture and not useful for much other than its intended function. Before buying current exercise equipment, then, a buyer must have a dedicated space for using and storing the exercise equipment. But this is often not feasible, especially for people who live in small houses or apartments. One alternative is to join a fitness club and use its exercise equipment, but that can be expensive and people often don't want the multi-year commitment fitness clubs can entail.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.
Embodiments are described of a foldable exercise bench. Specific details are described to provide an understanding of the embodiments, but one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the described details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In some instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail but are nonetheless encompassed within the scope of the invention.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a described feature, structure, or characteristic can be included in at least one described embodiment, so that appearances of “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. As used in this application, directional terms such as “front,” “rear,” “top,” “bottom,” “side,” “lateral,” “longitudinal,” etc., refer to the orientations of embodiments as they are presented in the drawings, but any directional terms should not be interpreted to imply or require any particular orientation of the described embodiments when in actual use. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
Foldable exercise bench 100 has a frame that includes a girder 102, a front leg 104, and a rear leg 106. A seat 108 is positioned on girder 102 and a back rest 110 with a variable angle relative to girder 102 is attached to a rear end of the girder. In the illustrated embodiment, girder 102, front leg 104, and rear leg 106 are hollow members with a quadrilateral cross-sectional shape, but in other embodiments the girder, front leg, and rear leg can have other cross-sectional shapes and need not be hollow. In still other embodiments, the girder, front leg, and rear leg need not have the same build or cross-sectional shape.
Girder 102 has a first fitting 112 attached to its front end and a second fitting 114 attached to its rear end. A pair of substantially parallel spaced-apart rails 116 are mounted to girder 102, and a seat 108 is then mounted to the rails. In other embodiments, seat 108 can be coupled to girder 102 differently than shown; for instance, seat 108 can be coupled to girder 102 with a structure different than rails 116, or can be directly mounted onto girder 102 without any intervening structure. First fitting 112 and second fitting 114 are further described below in connection with
Front leg 104 has a proximal end 118 and a distal end 120. Distal end 120 has a foot 122 that extends perpendicular to front leg 104 and to either side of front leg 104. When exercise bench 100 is deployed, foot 122 stabilizes the bench and prevents it from tipping laterally. In the illustrated embodiment foot 122 is hollow and has a circular cross-sectional shape, but in other embodiments it need not be hollow and can have a different cross-sectional shape than shown. End caps 124 can be positioned on the ends of foot 122 both for aesthetic reasons and, if the end caps 124 are made of a material such as rubber, to keep bench 100 from sliding laterally or longitudinally across the floor when in use. Front leg 104 is coupled to girder 102 by inserting proximal end 118 into fitting 112 and inserting the required pins and bolts, as described below in connection with
Rear leg 106 includes a proximal end 122 and a distal end 126. As with front leg 104, distal end 126 has a foot 128 that extends perpendicular to rear leg 106 and to either side of the rear leg. When exercise bench 100 is deployed, foot 128, acting together with foot 122, stabilizes the bench and prevents it from tipping laterally. In the illustrated embodiment foot 128 is hollow and has a circular cross-sectional shape, but in other embodiments it need not be hollow and can have a different cross-sectional shape. End caps 130 can be positioned on the ends of foot 128 both for aesthetic reasons and, if end caps 130 are made of a material such as rubber, to keep bench 100 from sliding laterally or longitudinally during use.
A fitting 124 is positioned on proximal and 122 of leg 106. Rear leg 106 is coupled to girder 102 by coupling fitting 124 to fitting 114, as further described below in connection with
Backrest 110 is coupled to a pair of substantially parallel spaced-apart rails 132 attached to its back side. Each rail 132 includes a cylindrical sleeve 134 at one of its ends, with each cylindrical sleeve being substantially perpendicular to an axis of its corresponding rail. Backrest 110 is coupled to girder 102 and rear leg 106 by coupling circular sleeves 134 to fitting 124 using rod 133 and bushings 135. To allow adjustment of the backrest angle (i.e., the angle of backrest 110 relative to seat 108 and/or girder 102), circular sleeves 134 are rotatably attached to fitting 124—i.e., circular sleeves 134 are attached to fitting 124 so that backrest 110 can rotate about rod 133, thus allowing the angle of backrest 110 relative to seat 108 to be adjusted. A positioning strut 136 includes a transverse portion 138 that is rotatably coupled to both rails 132 and also includes a transverse portion 140 that can be inserted into the detents formed by the notch pairs in rails 144. Thus, backrest 110 can rotate about fitting 124, and it is held at a desired angle by inserting transverse member 140 into the appropriate pair of detents in rails 144.
Fitting 112 includes a pair of laterally spaced-apart flanges 208a and 208b, both of which are coupled to a base 210 that is in turn coupled to the front end of girder 102. Base 210 includes a flat surface 212 that will be flush against one side of front leg 104 when the front leg is in its deployed position. The lateral spacing between flanges 208a and 208b is large enough to accommodate a dimension of front leg 104, in this case its lateral width. Flanges 208 includes two aligned hole pairs 214 and 216: aligned hole pair 214 includes hole 214a in flange 208a and hole 214b in flange 208b, while aligned hole pair 216 includes hole 216a in flange 208a and hole 216b in flange 208b.
To connect front leg 104 to girder 102, its proximal end 118 is inserted into fitting 112 between flanges 208a and 208b so that sleeve 202 aligns with hole pair 214. A bolt 218 is inserted into hole 214a, through sleeve 202, and out hole 214b, where a nut is attached to the end of the bolt and tightened to keep the bolt in place. Once bolt 218 is secured in place, front leg 104 can rotate about the bolt between a deployed position and a stored position. In the deployed position, a side of front leg 104 is brought flush with surface 212, at which point hole pair 206 in front leg 104 aligns with hole pair 216 in flanges 208. A pin 220 can then be inserted through holes 216a, 206a, 206b, and 216b to prevent rotation of front leg 104 about bolt 218, thus locking the front leg in its deployed configuration (see, e.g.,
Fitting 114 includes a pair of laterally spaced-apart flanges 302a and 302b, both of which are coupled to base 304. Base 304 is in turn coupled to the rear end of girder 102. The lateral spacing between flanges 302a and 302b is sized to accommodate a dimension of fitting 124, in this case its lateral width. Flanges 302 includes two aligned hole pairs 306 and 308—that is, each flange 302 includes a pair of holes, and each hole in each flange has a corresponding aligned hole in the other flange. Thus, aligned hole pair 306 includes hole 306a in flange 302a and hole 306b in flange 302b, and aligned hole pair 308 includes hole 308a in flange 302a and hole 308b in flange 302b. Holes 306b and 308b are not visible in the figure.
Fitting 124 is coupled to a proximal end 122 of rear leg 106. This fitting includes a pair of laterally spaced-apart flanges 310a and 310b coupled to a base 312. In the illustrated embodiment flanges 310a-310b have a substantially pentagonal shape, but in other embodiments they can have other shapes. Each flange includes an inwardly-projecting tab 311 (i.e., a tab projecting toward the other flange): flange 310a includes tab 311a and flange 310b includes tab 311b. Base 312 is coupled to the distal end 122 of rear leg 106. Base 312 and both flanges 310a and 310b are coupled to a cylindrical sleeve 312 at one end. At or near an end of fitting 124 opposite sleeve 314, rod 133 extends through a pair of aligned holes in flanges 310a and 310b. Sleeves 135 slide onto rod 133 to allow attachment of cylindrical sleeves 134 of rails 132 to rod 133 (see
To connect rear leg 106 to girder 102, fitting 124 is inserted into fitting 114 between flanges 302a and 302b, so that cylindrical sleeve 314 aligns with hole pair 306—i.e., holes 306a and 306b. A bolt 316 is inserted into hole 306a, through sleeve 314, and out hole 306b, where a nut is attached to the end of the bolt and tightened to keep the bolt in place. Once bolt 316 is secured in place, rear leg 106 can rotate about bolt 316 between a deployed position and a folded or stored position. In the deployed position, tabs 311a and 311b are brought flush with base 304 of fitting 304, at which point hole pair 308 in flanges 302 aligns with a lower surface of rear leg 106. A pin 318 can then be inserted through holes 308a and 308b, so that the pin is in contact with a lower surface of rear leg 106 and prevents rotation of rear leg 106 about bolt 316, thus locking the front leg in its deployed position (see, e.g.,
The above description of embodiments is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the described forms. Specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, but various modifications are possible.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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D933762 | Wang | Oct 2021 | S |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220219037 A1 | Jul 2022 | US |