STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to athletic training devices in general, and to agility training apparatuses in particular.
Many athletic activities require not only strength, but the ability to precisely control the athlete's movements, to have a sense of body positioning, and to rapidly change direction. Training for sports like football includes exercises in which the athlete practices moving with speed and precision through a predetermined course. The target course can be marked out with physical apparatuses. For example, a series of automotive tires can be laid out in a course, and an athlete can move through the course placing each footfall in a different tire. Yet tires are bulky and cumbersome, and burdensome to move, store, and place. The agility ladder is a lightweight and compact apparatus to facilitate this training, usually comprised of parallel transverse rungs, fabricated of a stiff material such as a plastic strip or tubing, and joined by parallel runners which connect the rungs, and which may be flexible strips of woven webbing, stiff tubing, or linkages. These agility ladder segments may be readily stored and transported, and can be laid out in sequence to provide a variety of training exercises. Various mechanisms for storing and transporting individual ladder segments are known. For example, metal handles can be extended through slots in individual rungs, or the entire assembly may be collected and stored in a nylon or netting drawstring bag.
What is needed is an agility ladder arrangement that can be readily stored, transported, and assembled into various configurations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An agility ladder exercise device has plural rungs which are connected by spaced flexible straps. Each rung has a left connector and a right connector, the left connector having structure thereon which engages with a right connector of a similar rung in a non-pivoting connection. The ladder may be laid out on a play surface for use in agility exercises, with the rungs spaced parallel to one another, and then collected with the rungs stacked parallel to one another within a holder with a U-shaped base. Each holder has connectors allowing a pair of holders to be releasably connected, and has a necked down region defined by restraint walls that engage with notches in the rungs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide agility ladder segments, the rungs of which are connectable end to end to allow the modular assembly of agility ladders with rungs of a desired width.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a pair of like agility ladder holders which can be compactly and releasably connected to conveniently carry the components of a double width agility ladder.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an agility ladder which can be combined in groups of two or more to form an array of patterns including a grid, shifted lanes of rungs, and a zig zag pattern.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of two agility ladder assemblies of this invention with their holders connected together.
FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the two agility ladder assemblies of FIG. 1, shown spaced apart.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of one of two segments of an agility ladder of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the ladder segment of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the ladder segment of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the two joined agility ladder assemblies of FIG. 1 partly cut away.
FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of the joined agility ladder assemblies of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a isometric view of a hook and loop flexible strap shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 6-7.
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary exploded isometric top view of the rungs of two adjacent agility ladders.
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary exploded isometric bottom view of the rungs of two adjacent agility ladders.
FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a single rung of the agility ladder of FIGS. 3-5.
FIG. 12 is a plan view of two segments of the agility ladder of this invention connected into one agility ladder.
FIG. 13 is a plan view of 4 segments of two agility ladders of this invention connected into a double wide agility ladder.
FIG. 14 is a plan view of 6 segments of three agility ladders of this invention connected into a triple wide agility ladder.
FIG. 15 is a plan view of a multiplicity of segments of the agility ladder of this invention connected into a ladder grid.
FIG. 16 is a plan view of a multiplicity of segments of the agility ladder of this invention connected into a ladder where placement of the ladder shifts the line of the ladder into a parallel lane.
FIG. 17 is a plan view of a multiplicity of segments of the agility ladder of this invention connected into a ladder where placement of the ladder shifts the line advancement along the path defined by the agility ladder, into a zig zag pattern.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1-17 wherein like numbers refer to similar parts, an agility ladder segment 20 is shown in FIG. 3. Each agility ladder segment 20 has a plurality of shaped plastic rungs 22, for example five, which are joined by two flexible straps 24, which may be formed of woven fabric one-inch wide webbing. The rungs 22 extend generally parallel to each other, and when disposed on a running surface are spaced on the straps about 15 to 18 inches apart. (For clarity, the straps have been omitted in FIGS. 6, 7, 10 and part of 9.) The 22 rungs may be about 18 inches long. Each rung 22 is fixed at each end to a strap 24 which extends through an inlet slot 26 and an outlet slot 28 as shown in FIG. 9. A fastener opening 30 is located on each rung end between the inlet slot 26 and the outlet slot 28. A two-part snap fastener 32 such as a plastic rivet passes through the strap 24 and extends through the fastener opening 30 to fix the strap to the rung 22.
The straps 24, as shown in FIG. 3, extend beyond the first and last rungs 22 of the ladder segment 20 and have one part 25 of a two-part snap fastener so that multiple ladder segments 20 may be connected together. Preferably the length of the terminal segments of the straps is one half the distance between the other rungs, so that a common rung spacing can be maintained so that as many ladder segments as are desired are connected together over whatever length is desired.
Each rung 22, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5-6 and 7, has two notches 34 positioned at the midpoint of the rung between the opposite ends. As shown in FIGS. 9-10, each rung 22 has a left connector 36 and a right connector 38 which allow similar rungs 22 to be joined end to end in a non-pivoting connection, which allows the joined rungs of two adjacent ladder segments to act as essentially a single rung for most purposes. The left connector 36 comprises a T-slot 40 which is spaced sidewardly from a T-key 42, each of the T-slot and T-key having an underlying platform 44, 46. The right connector 38 has similar structure to the left connector, only rotated 180 degrees, such that the T-key 42 and T-slot 40 of one rung can be engaged with and retained by the T-slot and T-key of the rung of a sidewardly adjoining ladder. To connect the rungs 22 with the connectors 36, 38 two rungs are brought together so the gaps 39 and 37 overlap with the rung ends approximately perpendicular to each other and rotated into a common plane to connect the T-slots and T-keys of each pair of rungs. This results in a connection which is not broken by flexing or pulling on the joined rungs, so only a counter rotation will separate the joined rungs. Such a rotation is not likely to occur during ordinary use. Any slot and key arrangement that can be closed by rotation, and once closed, locks the rungs together against lateral and horizontal movement could be used.
As shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 6-7, two agility ladder segments 20 may be received within a holder 46 and two like holders may be releasably connected together. The holder 46 as shown in FIG. 6 is a molded plastic element having an inverted U-channel base 48 with a top wall 50 which connects a front wall 52 to a rear wall 54. The front wall 52 and the rear wall 54 extend from an open left end 56 to an open right end 58 of the U-channel base 48. The front 52 wall has a first segment 60 which is spaced sidewardly from and aligned parallel with a second segment 62. A front restraint wall 64 is spaced from the first front wall segment and the second front wall segment towards the rear wall 54. Similarly, the rear wall 54 has a first segment 66 and an aligned spaced second segment 68, with a rear restraint wall 70 spaced from the first and second rear wall segments towards the front wall. The front and rear restraint walls thus extend into the notches 34 of the stacked rungs 22 received within the U-channel base 48. The rungs with their engaged notches are thereby restrained from escaping from the U-channel base in the direction of the left and right ends.
Each holder 46 may thus retain in a compact and portable fashion two agility ladder segments. Each holder 46 is preferably constructed to be releasably connectable to a like holder. In this way, four agility ladder segments 20 i.e., two agility ladders 21 can be carried as a combined compact assembly. As shown in FIG. 2, one of the front wall or the rear wall, for example the rear wall 54 as illustrated, is provided with a first mechanical connector 76 and a second mechanical connector 78 which extend from one of the first rear wall segments and the second rear wall segment. The connectors 76 and 78 are configured such that the holder is mechanically connectable to a like holder which is rotated 180 degrees about an axis extending parallel to the front and rear walls 52, 54. For example, the first mechanical connector 76 may be two L-shaped members 80 which project from the rear wall. The second mechanical connector 78 may be a single T-shaped projecting member 82 which is dimensioned to be received in a friction fit between the two L-shaped members 80.
The T-shaped projecting member 82 has a stem 83, shown in FIG. 6, which projects a cap 85 away from the rear wall 54. As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 85 is terminated by two flanges 87 positioned towards the top wall of the U-channel. One outer edge 89 of the cap is curved so that the width of the cap 85 becomes narrower as it extends away from the flanges 87. Thus two holders 46 are connected by engaging the caps 85 within the opposed pairs of L-shaped members 80, and rotating the holders to drive the caps into the spaces between the L-shaped members. Each cap 85 has one outer edge 89 which is curved with a radius R which extends from the middle of the notch 34 to the outer edge so that the mechanical connectors 76, 78 can be rotated into engagement. The flanges 87 on the caps serve to halt the rotation when the holders 46 are in a final position of engagement as shown in FIG. 6.
It should be noted that the holder is configured to work with a like holder containing a similar agility ladder, but the mechanical connectors would also allow the holder 46 to be joined to some other holder for a different type of exercise accessory.
A first flexible strap handle 72 is fastened to the top wall 50 of the holder U-channel base 48 by multiple fasteners 74 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A second flexible strap handle, not shown, may be connected to the front or rear wall of the U-channel base, opposite the first mechanical connector and the second mechanical connector.
To restrain the contained agility ladder segments 20 from escaping out the bottom opening 84 between the front wall 52 and the rear wall of the U-channel base, a flexible strap 86 which is fastened to the bottom wall by fasteners 88 is wrapped across the opening 84 and connected to itself, for example by hook and loop fasteners 90 on the ends of the strap.
Thus a user who desires to use only a single agility ladder 21 assembled from two segments 20, as shown in FIG. 12 may take only a single holder with its contents to prepare for agility exercises. Where a wider ladder arrangement is called for, the user may take two holders as shown in FIG. 13 and their contents and connect the holders together for transport to the exercise site. At the site, the two like ladder segments are deployed, and the end connectors of the ladders' rungs are connected together. Similarity three agility ladders 21 can be joined as shown in FIG. 14. Further agility ladders 21 can be joined until a grid of multiple agility ladders 21 is formed as shown in FIG. 15.
Agility ladders 21 can also be connected so the lane or path formed by partly overlapping ladders keeps shifting laterally as shown in FIG. 16 with just two or more rungs 22 connected by connectors 36 and 38. Another arrangement of the agility ladders 21 is to connect only one snap 25 on one of the straps 24 on each agility ladder so that successive agility ladders can be connected at right angles to form a zig zag course as shown in FIG. 17.
It should be understood that an agility ladder 21 may consist of one, two, or more segments 20. Further, the segment may have 5 rungs or 10 rungs or any convenient numbers of rungs. The strap 24 includes any elongated member of woven or twisted fiber which connects each of the plurality of rungs 22 so they are spaced apart to form an agility ladder 21.
It should be noted that the end connectors of the rungs permit more than two ladder segments to be connected sidewardly, so that a ladder of whatever multiple of rung length desired can be obtained.
It is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.
Patent Grant
10369402
