The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a level attachment and specifically to a weight bar level attachment.
Physical fitness and health concerns are among the areas of highest concern among Americans today. More than ever, people are frequenting health clubs and performing exercise routines at home in order to lose weight, improve muscle tone and maintain a healthy lifestyle. One common item found at almost all gyms is that of the weight set. These sets use variable weights held on a bar by use of a bar clamp. Many other pieces of gym equipment use similar bars that are also used by the arms for various chest, arm, and shoulder workouts. As the human body is symmetrical, it is important that the user keep the bar level to ensure an even workout from side to side.
However, it is common to have one side of the body to be slightly stronger than the other thus causing the user to favor that side. As such, the strong side gets even stronger, should the bar not be in a level position. As the bar is typically close to the user, it is often difficult to judge whether or not it is level. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which it can be verified that weight bars and similar workout bars are kept in a level configuration during use. The development of the Weight Bar Level Attachment fulfills this need.
The principles of the present invention provide for a removable weight bar bubble level, comprises a bubble vial which is contained in a divided housing. The divided housing is attached to a first bar sleeve half and a second bar sleeve half. The first bar sleeve half and the second bar sleeve half form a sleeve-like assembly with an inner tubular opening which accepts a bar. The first bar sleeve half and the second bar sleeve half is secured with a fastener. The fastener allows the first bar sleeve half and the second bar sleeve half to be opened along an opening path for application and removal to the bar. There is also a plurality of compressible foam strips which are disposed along an interior surface of both the first bar sleeve half and the second bar sleeve half
The bar may be a standard weight bar, workout bar, exercise machine bar and/or an EZ bar. The fastener may be a piano-style hinge or a snap clasp. The first bar sleeve half and the second bar sleeve half may be joined together by the piano-style hinge and secured by the snap clasp. The divided housing may be on a bottom, a side, or a rotational position of the housing that maximizes visibility for the user, a partner, or a spotter. The fastener may comprise a magnetic patch. The divided housing may be made of material selected from the group consisting of high strength injection molded plastic, steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or carbon fiber. The first bar sleeve half and second sleeve bar half may be made of material selected from the group consisting of high strength injection molded plastic, steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or carbon fiber.
The compressible foam strips may provide for automatic self-adjusting and self-centering of the removable weight bar bubble level while preventing unwanted turning or rotation of the removable weight bar bubble level upon the bar. The weight bar may be in a semi-permanently installed state. The weight bar may be removed after each use and installed upon other bars in an as-needed state.
The removable weight bar bubble level may be placed at a midpoint of the bar such that the bubble vial is facing the user at all times. The bubble vial may remain visible allowing the user to make corrections to keep the weight bar level and thus optimize a workout session. The removable weight bar bubble level may be utilized with a bench press, an incline bench press, a lat pulldown machine, a smith machine, or a preacher bench. The removable weight bar bubble level the first bar sleeve half and the second bar sleeve half encircle the bar and are centered and stabilized by the compressible foam strips.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
10 removable weight bar bubble level
15 bubble vial
20 divided housing
25 first bar sleeve half
30 second bar sleeve half
35 inner tubular opening
40 piano-style hinge
45 snap clasp
50 opening path “a”
55 compressible foam strip
60 magnetic patch
65 user
70 exercise equipment
75 weight set
80 weight bar
85 weight
90 range of motion “m”
The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within
The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one (1) of the referenced items.
Referring now to
When positioned as shown, the first bar sleeve half 25 and the second bar sleeve half 30 form a sleeve-like assembly with an inner tubular opening 35 which accepts a standard weight bar 80, workout bar, exercise machine bar, EZ bar, or the like as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow. The first bar sleeve half 25 and the second bar sleeve half 30 is secured via use of a piano-style hinge 40 (not shown in this figure due to illustrative limitations) as well as a snap clasp 45. The piano-style hinge 40 and snap clasp 45 allow the first bar sleeve half 25 and the second bar sleeve half 30 to be opened along an opening path “a” 50 for application and removal to said bar. As the chosen bar 80 may vary in outer diameter, the device 10 is equipped with a series of compressible foam strips 55 along the interior surface of both the first bar sleeve half 25 and the second bar sleeve half 30. The compressible foam strips 55 provides for automatic self-adjusting and self-centering of the device 10 while also preventing unwanted turning or rotation of the device 10 upon said bar 80. The preferred embodiment of
Referring next to
Referring now to
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Referring to
The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. It is envisioned that the device 10 would be constructed in general accordance with
After procurement and prior to utilization, the device 10 would be prepared in the following manner: in the case of the preferred embodiment, the snap clasp 45 would be disengaged, and the first bar sleeve half 25 and the second bar sleeve half 30 would be opened along the opening path “a” 50 and placed on the weight bar 80 at the approximate mid-point; the first bar sleeve half 25 and the second bar sleeve half 30 would be closed and secured via manipulation of the snap clasp 45. In the case of the alternate embodiment, the divided housing 20 would be placed at the approximate midpoint of a ferrous weight bar 80 allowing the magnetic patch 60 to magnetically engage the weight bar 80. In both cases, the bubble vial 15 would be positioned to provide the maximum visibility for either the user 65 or any workout partner/spotter.
During utilization of the device 10, the following procedure would be initiated: the user 65 would view the bubble vial 15 of the device 10 to ensure that the weight bar 80 is aligned parallel to the shoulders of the user 65 and level. As such, it is ensured that one (1) side (i.e., chest, arms, shoulders, elbows, and the like) are not favored during the workout and a workout with maximum effectiveness can take place.
After use of the device 10, it may be removed, stored and utilized on a different weight bar 80 in a repeating manner, or may be left upon the original weight bar 80 and utilized over and over.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
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