This invention relates to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to a selectorized dumbbell that permits easy adjustment of the overall exercise mass provided by the dumbbell.
Selectorized dumbbells are well known in the exercise equipment art for allowing a user to quickly and easily adjust the exercise mass of the dumbbell rather than having to rely on a set of dumbbells that are individually non-adjustable but each provide a different exercise mass. For example, rather than having to purchase and store a set of ten different dumbbells to provide a user with the ability to pick an exercise mass that starts at five pounds and ends at fifty pounds in five pound increments, a user can purchase and store a single selectorized dumbbell to accomplish the same functionality. The exercise mass of the selectorized dumbbell is adjusted by a selector that cooperates with the handle of the dumbbell with the selector being adjusted relative to the handle by the user to selectively couple different numbers of weights to the handle. If the user wishes a lighter exercise mass, the user adjusts the selector in a manner that couples fewer weights to the handle. If the user wishes a heavier exercise mass, the user correspondingly adjusts the selector in a manner that couples a greater number of weights to the handle.
The PowerBlock® selectorized dumbbell, manufactured and sold by PowerBlock, Inc. of Owatonna, Minn., uses a series of nested exercise weights in which each weight comprises a left weight plate and a right weight plate which are spaced apart from one another but which are joined to one another to form a single weight by a front rail and a rear rail extending between and fixedly fastened to front and rear sides of the weight plates. Each weight in the series of weights have the weight plates spaced apart at progressively larger distances beginning with an innermost weight that is nearest to the handle and an outermost weight that is furthest from the handle. The front and rear rails in each weight are progressively longer to take into account the progressively increasing distances between the weight plates of the different weights. In addition, the rails are attached at progressively lower heights on the weights beginning with the innermost weight and ending with the outermost weight. Thus, the weights can be nested together in a compact assembly forming a set of nested left weight plates disposed adjacent the left end of the handle, a set of nested right weight plates disposed adjacent the right end of the handle, and with the handle capable of being dropped down into the gap that is formed between the sets of nested left and right weight plates. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,335,142, 7,387,696 and 7,857,735 illustrate the above described structure of the PowerBlock® selectorized dumbbell.
The rails in each weight of the series of nested weights used in the PowerBlock® selectorized dumbbell have been attached to the front and rear sides of the weight plates in different ways in different models of the dumbbell. In some models, the rails are welded to the front and rear sides of the weight plates. In other models, the front and rear sides of the weight plates contain outwardly projecting lugs with the ends of the rails being bolted by threaded fasteners to such lugs. In this bolted attachment model, the fasteners require a high degree of torque and precision to drive them in properly such that the fastening of the rails to the lugs is done at the factory as part of the overall manufacturing process to ensure quality. As a result, the completed dumbbell is shipped in an assembled form with the different weights being disposed in their nested configuration and with the handle being dropped down into the gap between the spaced sets of nested left and right weight plates. This requires a carton, shipping package or crate large enough to envelop the assembled dumbbell such that the dumbbell is not easily transportable by an end user once the end user removes the dumbbell from its original shipping enclosure and disposes of such enclosure.
Thus, there is a need in the art to provide a knock down form of this type of selectorized dumbbell including a way of easily disassembling and reassembling the weight plates and the rails in each of the nested weights and in more easily carrying the components of the dumbbell from place to place if the end user desires to do so. This invention is directed to satisfying such need.
One aspect of this invention relates to a selectorized dumbbell which comprises a plurality of nested exercise weights, a handle, and a selector that is selectively adjustable on the handle to couple different numbers of exercise weights to the handle to vary the exercise mass provided by the dumbbell. Each weight in the plurality of weights comprises left and right weight plates which are spaced apart from one another but which are joined to one another to form a single weight by at least one interconnecting member extending between and being attached to the weight plates. The weight plates and the at least one interconnecting member of each weight are separate and distinct from the weight plates and the at least one interconnecting member of the other weights. Each weight has a releasable connection between each of the left and right weight plates and opposite ends of the at least one interconnecting member for attaching the left and right weight plates to the at least one interconnecting member. Each connection comprises an opening formed in the each of the left and right weight plates, the opening comprising at least first and second contiguous and interconnected portions. Each connection further comprises each end of the at least one interconnecting member being shaped to be capable of being freely inserted into the first portion of the opening in a first insertion direction and to be then subsequently moved within the second portion of the opening in a second securement direction that is different than the first direction to secure the at least one interconnecting member and the left and right weight plates together.
Another aspect of this invention relates to a selectorized dumbbell which comprises a horizontal stack of nested left weight plates and a horizontal stack of spaced right weight plates with the stacks being separated by a gap into which a handle may be inserted. A selector is movable into different positions relative to the handle to vary how many nested left and right weight plates from the stacks thereof are coupled to the handle to vary the exercise mass of the handle. Each left weight plate has a counterpart right weight plate which are coupled together by at least one interconnecting member having a first keyhole slot connection between the left end of the interconnecting member and the left weight plate and a second keyhole slot connection between the right end of the interconnecting member and the right weight plate.
A further aspect of this invention is a method of using a selectorized dumbbell for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise which comprises providing a selectorized dumbbell having a handle, a plurality of nested weights, and a selector that is selectively movable by a user into different positions relative to the handle to vary how many nested weights are coupled to the handle to thereby vary an exercise mass provided by the dumbbell. The handle, weights and selector have both an assembled condition and a disassembled condition. The handle, weights and selector interact with one another in the assembled condition to be capable of functioning as a dumbbell for use in anaerobic exercise. The handle, weights and selector are separate from and unconnected to one another in the disassembled condition to be incapable of functioning as a dumbbell for use in anaerobic exercise. The method further comprises providing a garment having storage pockets for storing the handle, weights and selector of the dumbbell when the dumbbell is in the disassembled condition, having a user employ the dumbbell when in the assembled condition thereof to perform anaerobic exercise, placing the handle, weights and selector of the dumbbell when the dumbbell is in the disassembled condition into the storage pockets of the garment, having a user don the garment carrying the handle, weights and selector of the dumbbell, and then having the user perform aerobic exercise while wearing the garment such that the benefit of the aerobic exercise is enhanced by the mass added to the garment by the handle, weights and selector of the dumbbell.
Yet another aspect of this invention is a method of using a selectorized dumbbell for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise which comprises providing a selectorized dumbbell of the type set forth in the previous paragraph hereof. The method further comprises providing a user powered vehicle having storage pockets for storing at least some of the weights of the dumbbell when the dumbbell is in the disassembled condition, having the user employ the dumbbell when in the assembled condition thereof to perform anaerobic exercise, and placing the at least some of the weights of the dumbbell when the dumbbell is in the disassembled condition into the storage pockets of the vehicle, and then having the user perform aerobic exercise by propelling the vehicle such that the benefit of the aerobic exercise is enhanced by the mass added to the vehicle by the at least some of the weights of the dumbbell.
An additional aspect of this invention comprises providing a selectorized dumbbell in custom made lengths. The method comprises providing a selectorized dumbbell which comprises a plurality of nested exercise weights, each weight in the plurality of weights comprising left and right weight plates which are spaced apart from one another but which are joined to one another to form a single weight by at least one interconnecting member extending between and being attached to the weight plates, the weight plates and the at least one interconnecting member of each weight being separate and distinct from the weight plates and the at least one interconnecting member of the other weights. Each weight has a releasable connection between each of the left and right weight plates and opposite ends of the at least one interconnecting member for attaching the left and right weight plates to the at least one interconnecting member to permit the weights to be disassembled into a plurality of weight plates and interconnecting members that are capable of being disconnected from one another. The dumbbell further comprises a handle comprising a hand grip releasably connecting left and right handle ends to permit the handle to be disassembled into disconnected handle ends and hand grip and a selector that is adjustable on the handle to couple different numbers of exercise weights to the handle to vary the exercise mass provided by the dumbbell. The method further comprises providing dumbbells of different lengths having weight plates and handle ends that are common to each dumbbell but also having hand grip lengths, selector widths and sets of interconnecting members that are unique to each dumbbell according to the length of each dumbbell.
This invention will be described more fully in the Detailed Description, when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which like reference numerals to refer to like elements throughout.
One embodiment of a selectorized dumbbell according to this invention is illustrated generally as 2 in
By way of a brief overview, dumbbell 2 is illustrated in
In one embodiment thereof as shown in
Referring again to
Handle 8 has a left end 12, a right end 14, and an elongated hand grip 16 that joins handle ends 12 and 14 together. The distance between the outside surfaces of handle ends 12 and 14 is arranged to allow handle 8 to be dropped down into the gap between the laterally spaced stacks of nested left weight plates 6l and right weight plates 6r. If so desired, left and right handle ends 12 and 14 may have an upper, outwardly extending lip 18 that rests atop the left and right weight plates 6l and 6r of innermost weight 4i when handle 8 is fully and properly inserted into the gap between the laterally spaced stacks of nested left weight plates 6l and right weight plates 6r. In addition, the outside surfaces of handle ends 12 and 14 each carry a vertical array of identical, vertically spaced slots 20 that extend horizontally across the width of handle 8 between the front and back sides of handle 8. The uppermost slot 20 in each vertical array of slots 20 on handle ends 12 and 14 is visible in
A U-shaped weight selector 22 is shown in a mostly but not fully installed position in
The position of selector 22 within the vertical arrays of front and rear rails 10 determines how many nested weights 4 are coupled to handle 8. When selector 22 is beneath the lowermost rails 10 of outermost weight 4o as shown in
The above-described overview is directed to various features of PowerBlock selectorized dumbbells that are already known in the exercise equipment art except for the above-described feature of sub-plates 7 being separate from one another without being fixed to one another. This invention is directed to a novel connection between the left and right weight plates 6l and 6r and the front and rear rails 10 of each weight 4 that permits such components to be quickly and easily assembled by an end user without the need for tools. In addition, handle 8 can be quickly and easily disassembled without the need for tools by using threaded shanks 28 on opposite ends of hand grip 16 with shanks 28 being received in threaded bores 30 in left and right handle ends 12 and 14. See
The ability to knock down weights 4 and handle 8 into their individual components allows packaging all the components of dumbbell 2 in a single convenient, briefcase type case 32 as shown in
The use of a single case 32 as shown in
Referring now to
The connections that include openings 40 also include shaped ends 44 for opposite ends of each of the front and rear rails 10. Each rail end 44 is shaped to be capable of being freely inserted into a first portion 46 of opening 40 in a first insertion direction, indicated by the arrow I in
By way of example but not limitation, opening 40 as shown in
Preferably though not necessarily, both shaped rail ends 44 of a single rail 10 are inserted through the first portions 46 of both openings 40 in the laterally spaced left and right weight plates 6l and 6r before the securement of rail 10 takes place. Once rail ends 44 have been inserted as described above, the user can grip rail 10 and pull rail 10 in the second securement direction S to force the cylindrical body 54 of each tip 50 into second portion 48 of each opening 40. Diameter d4 of body 54 of tip 50 is preferably greater than diameter d2 of second portion 48 of opening 40 and tip 50 is made of a resilient elastomeric material, such as urethane, which has the ability to compress to permit each tip 50 of rail 20 to move laterally outwardly into the smaller sized second portion 48 of opening 40. In one embodiment, a tip 50 having a diameter d4 that is 5 to 10 thousandths of an inch greater than diameter d2 of second portion 48 of opening 40 and a durometer within the range of 60 to 90 on the Shore A scale has been found to develop a force in tip 50 when tip 50 is received in second portion 48 of opening that is sufficient to non-movably secure rail 10 to weight plates 6l and 6r during ordinary use of dumbbell 2 by a user when the user is exercising. However, the retention force is nonetheless not strong enough to prevent the user from pulling rail 10 back out of the second portions 48 of openings 40 when it is desired to disassemble weight 4. Each rail 10 in each weight 40 will be similarly installed in lugs 42 provided therefor.
Referring further to
During the OEM manufacturing process of each rail 10, urethane tips 50 are preferably over molded onto each end of each rail 10 such that tips 50 are a permanent part of each rail 10 and are not intended to be removable therefrom. Tips 50 are shown separated from one end of rails 10 in
The ability of a user to break down the individual weights 4 that comprise the set of nested weights that are used in conjunction with handle 8 provides a way for easily disassembling weights 4 for storage in case 32 so as to take up less space and/or to allow a user to transport dumbbell 2 in its disassembled form more easily for place to place, to then reassemble dumbbell 2 into its operative form at a new location, and to thereby use dumbbell 2 in multiple locations for exercise. This is enhanced by allowing handle 8 to break down into its left and right ends 12 and 14 and hand grip 16. Moreover, the fact that all such components can be reassembled into their operative forms without the need for tools is a further advantage. However, if so desired, hand grip 16 could be screwed or bolted to left and right ends 12 and 14, thus requiring a screwdriver which could be packaged within case 32, rather than having the user spin or thread the parts together by hand.
Referring now to
Referring first to
Thus, as the user lowers handle 8 and any weights 4′ carried thereby towards the gap between the stacks of nested left and right weight plates 6l′ and 6r′ of the unused weights 4′, the decreased distance between the lower ends of weight plates 6l′ and 6r′ of the outermost weight on handle 8 can, fairly easily and without the need for strict alignment, enter into the increased distance between the upper ends of weight plates 6l′ and 6r′ of the innermost weight in the unused weights. As the user continues to lower handle 8, the weight plates 6l′ and 6r′ of the outermost weight on handle 8 will eventually contact and begin to slide on the weight plates 6l′ and 6r′ of the innermost weight in the unused weights. This engagement will then cam or slide handle 8 in one direction or the other into full alignment with the gap. This alleviates the need for the user to exactly align handle 8 with the gap before attempting reinsertion.
The inward angling of weight plates 6l′ and 6r′ has been used in prior art PowerBlock® selectorized dumbbells of the Applicant for the alignment correction purpose described above, but is accomplished in a new and different way in weight 4′ as disclosed herein—through a timed connector tip 50′. Two mirror image forms of connector tips 50′ are needed to accomplish the desired result, namely a left connector tip 50l′ used on the left end of connecting rail 10′ and a right connector tip 50r′ used on right the right end of connecting rail 10′. See
Referring again to
As best shown in the transverse cross-section of
Thus, when tips 50l′ or 50r′ are slid outwardly in the direction of arrow S in
The remaining portion of body 54′ of tips 50l′ or 50r′ is formed as a thickened, somewhat square rib 68 that extends radially outwardly to one side of the cylindrical portion of body 54′. Rib 68 has an arcuate side surface 70 that conforms with and matches to the diameter of flanges 52′ and 64 so that rib 68 does not extend radially outside of flange 52′ and 64. Rib 68 is integrally formed with body 54′ and with flanges 52′ and 64 so that tips 50l′ or 50r′ are integral, one-piece units. The purpose of rib 68 is to reinforce flanges 52′ and 64 to resist any tendency for such flanges 52′ and 64 to fold over or deform during tip installation or use of dumbbell 2. If so desired, rib 68 could be provided in a similar place along body 54 and joined with flange 52 of the connector tips 50 shown in
Traditionally, dumbbell 2 as disclosed herein is used for anaerobic weight training to build strength. While this is useful and needed for health maintenance and vitality, another equally important aspect of exercise is aerobic training. In aerobic training, one does a movement type of exercise at a rate and for a period of time that elevates one's heart rate and maintains the heart rate at an elevated level. The maintenance of the heart rate at an elevated level can be for a relatively long continuous period of time, such as when a person runs, swims, climbs, or performs some other continuous movement over a significant time duration without stopping. The maintenance of the heart rate at an elevated level can be in shorter and more intense bursts of the type known as interval training. Regardless of how one performs aerobic exercise, such exercise gives cardiovascular benefits to the heart and circulatory system which are not provided by anaerobic strength training alone. The best exercise regime is commonly considered to be one in which a person does both aerobic and anaerobic training, either during one workout or perhaps in separate workouts dedicated to each.
The ability to easily knock down or disassemble the component parts of dumbbell 2 extends the use of dumbbell 2 for providing both anaerobic and aerobic training. Referring to
Referring further to
Vest 72 allows dumbbell 2 to be used in a new way in support of aerobic exercise as well as anaerobic strength training. It allows all of the components needed for dumbbell 2 to work in an anaerobic way, namely the handle ends 12 and 14 and hand grip 16 that comprise handle 8, the selector 22, and the rails 10 and weight plates 6 that can be assembled into the nested weights 4 having stacks of nested left and right weight plates 6l and 6r, to be carried on the user's body as the user walks or jogs in an aerobic manner. The added mass of dumbbell 2 carried on the user's body greatly increases the aerobic effort required from the user while giving the user the opportunity to get such aerobic exercise outdoors. If desired, the user can carry fewer rails 10 and their corresponding weight plates 6 while leaving the rest of rails 10 and their corresponding weight plates behind if the user wishes to carry less than the full weight of dumbbell 2.
However, regardless of whether the user carries all of the weight of dumbbell 2 in vest 72 or only a portion of the weight, as some point the user may desire to shift from aerobic exercise to anaerobic strength training. The user can then simply stop the aerobic exercise, remove from vest 72 the handle components 12, 14 and 16, the selector 16, and as many of the rails 10 and their corresponding weight plates 6 as the user desires to use during the anaerobic exercise, and then quickly and easily assemble dumbbell 2. The user can then use dumbbell in its normal manner, positioning selector 22 to pick up different amounts of the weights 4 dependent upon where selector 22 is inserted into handle 8, to exercise in an anaerobic manner. Once the user has had enough anaerobic exercise, the user can then quickly and easily reassemble dumbbell 2 and restore the component parts thereof in vest 72 to resume aerobic exercise or to return home if the user has been exercising outdoors. The knock down capability of dumbbell 2 along with vest 72 permits a user to exercise in an entirely new way for obtaining both aerobic and anaerobic benefits.
Referring now to
In
In addition, selectorized dumbbell 2 of this invention provides the manufacturer with the ability to cost effectively provide dumbbells 2 of different lengths to suit customers having different hand sizes. It is important to a particular user to have a dumbbell that is appropriate to the user's hand size to thereby keep the weight plates 6 that are carried outboard of the ends of handle 8 as close to the user's hand as possible. This tailored approach to the manufacture of dumbbells has not been economically possible in the past. Thus, the length of the hand grip 16 of handle 8 has necessarily been made in a single size that large users may find to be too small and that small users may find to be too large.
With dumbbell 2, the weight plate 6 and handle ends 12 and 14 would be common components in every dumbbell, thus leading to manufacturing and cost efficiencies. The only thing that would change in making a length tailored dumbbell would be the length of hand grip 16, the lengths of some of the rails 10, and the width of selector 22. It would be economically possible to stock this latter group of length dependent components in various sizes.
Thus, if an order were received for a dumbbell 2 having a four inch hand grip 16, then the manufacturer would merely package such a four inch sized hand grip 16 with the common left and right handle ends 12 and 14 that attach to hand grip 16, would package a set of rails 10 having one or two shorter rails in place of the one or two longest rails 10 in a standard set of rails 10 with the common weight plates 6 that are used regardless of the rail length, and would finish the packaging with a four inch wide selector 22 that is sized to fit into handle ends 12 and 14 when such handle ends 12 and 14 are joined together by a four inch sized hand grip 12. This custom packaging of components would be as simple to do as picking the appropriate components out of bins of the same to package the correctly sized components needed to meet the request for a dumbbell 2 having a four inch long handgrip. If the request were for a dumbbell having a five or six inch long hand grip, the same weight plates 6 and handle ends 12 and 14 could be used as in a four inch set. However, these common components would simply be packaged with a hand grip 16 of the requested length, a selector 22 having a corresponding width, and a set of rails 10 having the right lengths. The ability to provide individualized selectorized dumbbells 2 that are, in effect, custom made for a particular user without excessive cost is one further advance provided by this invention.
Finally, while the preferred embodiment of dumbbell 2 comprises an interference fit arising between a larger outer diameter d4 portion of shaped rail end 44 received in the smaller inner diameter d2 of second portion 48 of opening 40, an interference fit is not required and could be dispensed with in favor of a non-interference or loose fit. For example, the outer diameter d4 portion of shaped rail end 44 could be smaller, e.g. 5 to 10 thousandths of an inch smaller than the inner diameter d2 of second portion 48 of opening 40, to create a loose fit between the two. This would make it very easy to assemble rail ends 44 into openings 40 since pulling or pushing outwardly on rail ends 44 in securement direction S would require less force. However, at first blush, this would seem to suggest that rail ends 44 would not remain secured to openings 40 during use or storage of dumbbell 2. This is not the case as will now be explained with reference to
In looking at the three coupled weights 4 that are carried by handle 8, the front and rear sides 13 and 15 of each of the handle ends 12 and 14 form backing or stop surfaces that are inwardly of but close enough to each of the front and rear rails 10 of weights 4 carried on handle 8 to physically prevent such rails 10 from moving inwardly far enough to disengage with second portion 48 of opening 40. Thus, even with a loose fit between rails 10 and second portions 48 of the openings 40 in which they are received, the front and rear sides 13 and 15 of the handle ends prevent rails 10 from detaching or disassembling themselves from weight plates 6l and 6r comprising each weight 4 during use of dumbbell 2. Thus, the terms “secure” or “securement” as used herein to describe the connection between each rail 10 and weight plates 6l and 6r are intended to cover both a non-interference fit as well as a loose fit unless such connection is specifically claimed as a non-interference fit or a loose fit.
Turning now to
As to the very innermost weight 4 shown in the remaining stack of nested weights 4 in
Since dumbbell 2 functions normally even with a loose fit between rails 10 and the second portions 48 of openings 40 as noted above, this would permit dumbbell embodiments in which rails 10 could be made simply of steel without using compressible tips 50 and without having to fashion an interference fit that is tight enough to normally hold rails 10 non-movably in place during use of dumbbell 2. This would lead to the possibility of having a less expensive version of dumbbell 2 for sale, thereby allowing a premium dumbbell embodiment using compressible tips 50 with an interference fit and a more basic dumbbell embodiment using simple steel rails with a loose fit. The more basic dumbbell embodiment would also lead to more opportunities to source components from multiple sources around the world to give the manufacturer more flexibility in where the product would be manufactured and in achieving better component pricing.
Various modifications of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. While a keyhole slot configuration for opening 40 and the cooperating shaped rail end 44 is preferred, it is not the only type of configuration that could be used to permit tool free assembly and disassembly. Other forms of openings could be used that could comprise rotary motions as well as linear motions of the parts to assemble or disassemble.
Moreover, rather than using a pair of front and rear rails 10 to join the left and right weight plates 6l and 6r, a single, shallow, channel shaped connecting member 10 connecting a central area of the bottom of each of the left and right weight plates 6l and 6r could have been used. Such single connection members would be horizontally nested together inside one another in a vertically compact manner beneath hand grip 16 with a different type of selector 22 being used, namely a connecting pin that is horizontally movable into received in one of a plurality of sets of horizontally spaced, uniquely shaped, sets of holes and slots provided the connection members, as also shown in the '735 patent incorporated by reference herein. In this single connecting member setup, the keyhole slot connection would be used at each end of the single connecting member and the bottoms of each of the left and right weight plates.
Various other modifications of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the scope of this invention is not to be limited by the details of the description of the embodiment of dumbbell 2 disclosed herein, but only by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16921565 | Jul 2020 | US |
Child | 17411885 | US | |
Parent | 15355704 | Nov 2016 | US |
Child | 16921565 | US |