Patent Application
20200246656
The present invention relates to exercise equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to equipment for protecting a user's wrist and hand during exercise.
Weightlifters have been using wrist wraps to protect and support their wrists during lifts for many years. Wrist wraps generally comprise one or more straps that wrap around the user's wrist and had support through slight compression of the joint and the added stiffness of the wrap. Wrist wraps are especially helpful for exercises that involve movement of a barbell, dumbbell, or other load above the lifter's head, and help prevent fatigue in the wrist joint which may set in before the lifter's larger muscles have been sufficiently fatigued.
Gymnasts have been using palm grips for many years to protect the palms of their hands during movements that involve rings, pull-up bars, and the like. Such movements involve very high levels of force applied by the gymnast to the rings or bar. This force is translated via friction between the gymnast's palm and the rings or bar. Many repetitions of such movements can cause injury to the gymnast's palms in the form of blisters or even painful tears to the skin. Palm grips are intended to alleviate this issue. Palm grips generally comprise a leather or other material strap secured to the wearer's wrist and to the base of the wearer's fingers such that the leather strap covers the wearer's palm. The strap, therefore, bears the majority of the friction between the wearer's hand and the ring or bar.
In recent years, fitness experts have increasingly advocated that cross training provides health benefits to individuals across a variety of athletic skill levels. Fitness experts have also identified additional benefits of high-intensity fitness training to both elite athletes and the general population. The result has been the increasing popularity of cross training exercise regimens that emphasize use of multiple types of exercise movements in high-intensity workouts.
Such high-intensity exercise regimens often utilize workouts that utilize 2-4 different movements that each target different body parts and athletic skills. For example, one workout might involve a series of shoulder-to-overhead barbell presses (for which an athlete may wish to have the additional wrist support of wrist wraps), bodyweight pull-ups (for which an athlete may wish to have the palm protection of palm grips), and “wall ball shots” (which involve tossing a medicine ball to an overhead target and then catching the ball, an exercise for which an athlete may prefer to have bare hands to better handle the ball). Further, this workout may be set up as a competition between athletes for the shortest time to complete a given number of repetitions of each exercise or as a set time period in which the athletes compete to amass the most number of repetitions of each exercise. In either case, the athletes are racing to move as fast as possible through the movements.
In this context, it is extremely time consuming for the athlete to change between wrist wraps, palm grips, and bare hands multiple times during the workout. The lost time encourages athletes to forego wrist wraps and palm grips, which substantially increases the risk that the athlete will injure his or her wrist and/or hand. Furthermore, it is inconvenient for an athlete to have to organize and carry multiple pieces of protective equipment in his or her bag, which increases the possibility that the athlete will forget his or her wrist wraps or palm grips and, therefore, increase the risk of injury.
What is needed therefore, is a device that provides athletes with the ability to shift quickly and conveniently between palm protection and bare hands without sacrificing wrist support and protection.
It is an object of the present invention to provide both wrist support and palm grip protection in a single device, while permitting the user to conveniently remove the palm grip protection while maintaining the wrist support.
It is an object of the present invention to provide such a device in which the palm grip protection will not be in the way of the user when it is not in use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a device that is inexpensive and simple to manufacture, assemble, and maintain.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a wrist support device is provided that comprises a first strap adapted to wrap around a user's wrist; a first fastening system for securing the first strap to itself so that the first strap forms a loop; a second strap sized to extend from the user's wrist to the base of the user's fingers; and an attachment system for attaching the second strap to the first strap. The first strap has a first side and a second side. The attachment system permits the second strap to pivot relative to the first strap between a first position in which the second strap is substantially perpendicular to the first strap and a second position in which the second strap is substantially parallel to the first strap.
In some embodiments, the device further comprises a second fastening system adapted to secure the second strap in the second position. In some embodiments, the second fastening system comprises a two-component fastener, where a first component of the second fastening system is attached to the second strap and a second component of the second fastening system is attached to the first strap. The second strap has a first length measured from the attachment system to the first component of the second fastening system, and the second component of the second fastening system is positioned on the first strap such that it is located a distance away from the attachment system equal to the first length when the first strap is secured around a user's wrist.
In some embodiments, the first fastening system comprises a two-component fastener, where a first component and a second component of the first fastening system are both attached to the first side of the first strap and a loop ring attached adjacent to an end of the first strap. The second component of the second fastening system is attached to the second side of the first strap.
In some embodiments, the first fastening system comprises a two-component fastener, where a first component of the first fastening system is attached to a first side of the first strap and a second component of the first fastening system is attached to the second side of the first strap. The second component of the second fastening system is attached to the first side of the first strap.
In some embodiments, the first strap comprises two strap pieces attached together and the first component of the first fastening system and the first component of the second fastening system are the same component.
In some embodiments, the attachment system comprises an opening formed in either the first strap or the second strap adjacent the wrist end of the second strap and a rod securable in the opening. In some embodiments, the rod comprises a base portion and a screw portion, wherein the base portion includes internal threads that correspond to external threads on the screw portion. In some embodiments, the device further comprises at least one opening adjacent a finger end of the second strap adapted to receive at least one finger of the user when the second strap is in the first position.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a wrist support device is provided that comprises a first strap sized to wrap around a user's wrist; a second strap sized to extend from the user's wrist to the base of the user's fingers and having a wrist end and a finger end; and an attachment system comprising an opening in either the first strap or the wrist end of the second strap and a rod securable inside the opening so that the second strap can pivot relative to the first strap between at least a first position in which the second strap is substantially perpendicular to the first strap and a second position in which the second strap is substantially parallel to the first strap.
In some embodiments, the rod comprises a screw part and a base part, wherein the screw part is adapted to be threaded into the base part through the opening. In some embodiments, the opening comprises a metal grommet.
In some embodiments, the device further comprises a first fastening system for securing the first strap to itself in a loop; and a second fastening system for securing the second strap to the first strap in the second position, comprising a two-component fastener, where a first component of the second fastening system is attached to the second strap and a second component of the second fastening system is attached to the first strap. In some embodiments, the second fastening system comprises a fabric fastening system. In some embodiments, at least one of the first or second components of the second fastening system comprises at least one magnet.
In some embodiments, the first strap further comprises: a first side, a second side, a first end, and a second end; and a loop ring attached adjacent the first end. The first fastening system comprises a two-component fastener in which both a first component of the first fastening system and a second component of the first fastening system are attached to the first side of the first strap.
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, a wrist support device is provided that comprises a first strap sized to wrap around a user's wrist; a second strap sized to extend from the user's wrist to the base of the user's fingers and having a wrist end and a finger end; a first fastening system for securing the first strap to itself so that the first strap forms a loop; an attachment system comprising an opening in either the first strap or the wrist end of the second strap and a rod securable inside the opening so that the second strap can pivot relative to the first strap between at least a first position in which the second strap is substantially perpendicular to the first strap and a second position in which the second strap is substantially parallel to the first strap; and a second fastening system for securing the second strap in the second position, comprising at least one component attached to the second strap.
In some embodiments, the second fastening system comprises a two-component fastener in which a first component of the second fastening system is attached to the second strap. In some embodiments, the first strap further comprises a loop ring attached adjacent to an end of the first strap and wherein the first fastening system comprises a two-component fastener, wherein a first component and a second component of the first fastening system are both attached to a first side of the first strap.
In some embodiments, the first fastening system comprises a two-component fastener, where a first component of the first fastening system is attached to a first side of the first strap and a second component of the first fastening system is attached to a second side of the first strap.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail in reference to the attached drawings.
The first strap 11 also has a loop ring 15 attached to a first end 16 of the strap 11. The loop ring 15 is sized so that the second end 17 of the first strap can be fed through it and folded back onto itself. In this arrangement, the fastener components 14a and 14b can be secured to one another so that the first strap forms a loop. To achieve this, both of the components 14a and 14b of the first fastening system 14 are attached to the same side of the first strap 11. The first strap 11 has a length appropriate for wrapping around a user's wrist, as shown in
The width of the first strap is selected to provide adequate support for the user's wrist during weightlifting movements or other exercises. The width is varied in other embodiments to be appropriate for different amounts of support and/or different types of exercise.
The first strap 11 of the first embodiment comprises a flat webbing formed of a suitable material, such as nylon, polypropylene, cotton, or other material or blend of materials. In some embodiments, the strap is a woven webbing, in others it is a suitable unitary construction.
The second strap 12 is attached to the first strap via an attachment system 18. The second strap 12 is adapted to provide protection to a user's palm and/or to improve the ability of a user to grip an object with his or her hand. In the embodiment shown, the second strap 12 is similar to a gymnastics palm grip in material and construction. The strap 12 includes two finger openings 19 adapted to receive a user's fingers as shown in
In the embodiment shown, the second strap 12 is comprised of a leather material. In other embodiments, the second strap 12 is comprised of a synthetic leather, a suitable strap webbing material, or any other material that is suitable for use as a gymnastics palm grip. Such materials are sufficiently strong and resilient to withstand the significant friction created between a user's palm and a pull-up bar, for example, but are sufficiently soft and flexible so as not to create excess friction and chafing on the user's palm and/or fingers.
In the embodiment shown, the pad 13 is comprised of a neoprene foam. Other foam types and other materials are used for the pad in other embodiments.
The attachment system 16 of the device 10 permits the second strap 12 to pivot relative to the first strap 11. The pivoting or rotating motion is illustrated by arrows 23 shown in
The embodiment shown also includes a second fastening system 22 which is used to secure the second strap 12 into its second position. In this embodiment, the second fastening system 22 comprises a two-component fastener with a first component 22a attached to the second strap 12 (shown in
In this embodiment, the second strap 12 is sized, and the second component 22b of the fastening system is positioned, such that the second strap should be wrapped around the wrist in the direction away from the loop ring 15 to ensure that the second fastening system functions.
The first end 16 of the first strap 11 is also shown. It includes the webbing of the first strap folded over onto itself in order to attach the loop ring 15. An opening 30 is also formed in the first strap 11 adjacent to the first end 16. The opening 30 and the opening 28 are sized and located to receive the attachment system 18, which enables the second strap 12 to pivot relative to the first strap 11. The attachment system 18 comprises screw portion 31 and a base portion 32. The screw portion includes external threading that engages a complementary internal threading on the base portion 32. In this embodiment, the attachment system also includes a washer 33 disposed between the screw portion 31 and the first strap 11. To assemble the attachment system 18 and attach the first and second straps together, the base portion 32 is inserted into the opening 28 of the reinforced portion 26, then inserted into the opening 30, then the washer 33, and then the screw portion 31 is screwed into the base portion 32 until it is sufficiently snug.
When the screw portion 31 is threaded into the base portion 32, they form essentially a rod around which the straps can pivot. In some embodiments, the base portion is integrally attached to one of the first or second straps. Other types of pivoting attachment systems are used in other embodiments, including more permanently attached pivoting rivet style attachments. In some embodiments, the screw portion, base portion, and other components of the attachment system are stainless steel. In other embodiments, these components are formed of other appropriate metals, composite materials, and thermoplastics, or combinations thereof.
The first strap 111 includes a first fastening system 114, with a first component 114a attached to the pad portion 113 and a second component 114b attached to the strap portion 140. The two components of the fastening system are on opposite sides of the first strap 111. This enables a user to simply wrap the first strap 11 around his or her wrist and press the second component 114b against the first component 114a to secure the strap in place. In this embodiment, component 114a is a loop portion of a hook-and-loop system, while component 144b is the hook portion. The length of the strap is again selected so that the user can adjust the tightness of the wrap and/or to accommodate different sized wrists.
The second strap 112 is attached to the first strap 111 via the rotating attachment system 118. In this embodiment, the attachment system comprises a thumb screw and a base for receiving the thumb screw. The thumb screw and base form the rod that fits through openings formed in both of the straps (not shown). This permits the second strap 112 to rotate relative to the first strap 111.
The device 110 also includes a second fastening system 122 for securing the second strap 112 to the first strap 111 in a manner similar to that shown in
The embodiment shown in
The fastening systems used in the embodiments of
The spacing of the various parts attached to the first strap is important to the functioning of embodiments of the invention. For example, the second component of the second fastening system 22b, 122b must be placed on the first strap 11, 111 at a position that is appropriate for the distance between the pivot point of the second strap (i.e., the attachment system 18, 118) and the first component 22a, 122a of the second fastening system. In the embodiment of
For embodiments in which the first strap utilizes a loop ring or another feature so that the first strap doubles back on itself to be secured, reference is again made to
In general, the second component 22b extends about the same distance along the second side 42 from the second end 17 as the second component 14b extends along the first side 41 from the second end 17. The space 43 between the two components 14a and 14b is generally the space that permits the fit of the strap to be varied around the wrist of a user. This is the portion of the strap that can easily be moved within the loop ring 15.
The relationships between the length of the second component 22b, the length of the space 43, the distance between the attachment system 18 and the first component 22a, and the distance between the attachment system 18 and the far edge of the first component 14a in the embodiment shown are as follows: The ratio of the length of the second component 22b to the length of the space 43 is about 2.75:2.5. The ratio of the length of the second component 14b to the length of space 43 is about 3.25:2.5. The distance between the attachment system 18 and the second component 22a is about the same as the distance between the attachment system 18 and the far edge of the first component 14a. The ratio of the length of the second component 22b to the length of the second component 14b is about 2.75:3.25. When the device is sized up or down, preserving these ratios ensures that the second strap 12 can be safely secured in its second position while still allowing adjustability in the fit of the device. At a minimum, the second component 22b is sized and positioned such that, when the first strap is folded back onto itself through the loop ring, the second component 22b extends far enough that it can be reached by the first component 22a on the second strap. In other embodiments, the ratio between the length of the second component 22b and the space 43 is about 3:2, about 3:2.5, about 1:1, or about 2:1.
In other embodiments, only a single stitch line is necessary. In some embodiments, the stitch line is made at a 45 degree angle to the longitudinal direction of each of the first and second straps, similar to the hypotenuse stitch line shown
Thus, in some embodiments, the attachment system comprises at least one stitch line securing the first strap to the second strap and the stitch line is positioned so that the second strap pivots between the first and second positions by folding over the stitch line. In some embodiments, the at least one stitch line comprises an arrangement of stitching comprising a triangular shape with a first stitch line substantially aligned with a longitudinal dimension of the first strap, a second stitch line substantially perpendicular to the first stitch line, and a third stitch line connecting the first and second stitch lines and over which the second strap folds.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that a variety of other features and embodiments can be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/630,570 filed Jun. 22, 2017 and claims the benefit of that application and of U.S. Provisional Appl. No. 62/353,140 filed Jun. 22, 2016, both of which are incorporated by reference as if disclosed herein in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62353140 | Jun 2016 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15630570 | Jun 2017 | US |
| Child | 16847036 | US |
