WO2006069421A1

WO2006069421A1 - Gymnasium equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2006069421A1
Application number: PCT/AU2005/001979
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Edgar Roe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-12-31
Filing date: 2005-12-30
Publication date: 2006-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 2007-06-30

Abstract

A rack stand for supporting dumbbells (12) has at least one tier (14) having a front part and a rear part, at least the front part being interrupted by one or more gaps (32) into which a person can locate at least a part of their body, such as a leg, the gap having a depth towards the rear part sufficient to allow the person to lift a dumbbell supported on the tier alongside the gap without leaning over the rack stand. A dumbbell, comprising a handle and a plurality of weight discs mounted thereon, the weight discs being so arranged along the handle as to leave a gap between an innermost two of the weight discs at a central portion of the handle used for gripping by a user, and means (48) located on at least one of the innermost two weight discs on an exposed side thereof adjacent the central portion which identifies the total weight of the dumbbell.

Description

GYMNASIUM EQUIPMENT

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to gymnasium equipment and, in particular, to a rack stand for supporting dumbbells of the kind used for weight training. For ease of understanding, the invention will be described by reference to the support of dumbbells. However, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto, but has a wider application for supporting any weighted objects at an elevated location and which require picking up and transfer by hand to another location where weight training is performed.

Background of the Invention

There are many types of dumbbell rack stands currently available on the market and in use, which cater both for people who are committed to weight training and for people who have a more leisurely involvement therein. For all such people, it is important that a proper manual pick up technique be followed as the weight of the dumbbell to be lifted (to provide the necessary resistance for muscular development) must be heavier than objects that the person regularly lifts, and such a heavy weight may cause soft tissue or joint injury in parts of the body that are placed under stress by poor manual pick up technique. Present dumbbell rack stands, however, do not facilitate a proper manual pick up technique as they require that all users assume a biomechanically unsuitable body position when picking up dumbbells from the rack stand. People committed to weight training generally have more experience in manually picking up dumbbells from a rack stand and so many of them have, over time, adapted their bodies to a poor picking up technique that, without their knowledge, places stress on their body. Less experienced users of dumbbells are also particularly vulnerable to injury caused by poor picking up technique. In particular, the risk of such injury is exacerbated by the configuration of conventional dumbbell rack stands which require that a user must lean forward over the stand to gain access to a dumbbell. Where a dumbbell is located at the rear of the stand (say, on a rear tier of a two tier rack stand), a greater lean forward is required as the user strains to reach the dumbbell, placing the user (and especially a less experienced user) at a heightened risk of injury during the picking up action. A user will encounter a similar problem when returning a dumbbell to the rack stand. Another problem with present dumbbell rack stands is the absence of any means located on a dumbbell for easily or immediately identifying the total weight of the dumbbell (which includes all of its weight discs and the handle (or bar) to which the discs are mounted). The weight of dumbbells of the prior art have hitherto been ascertained by reading the weight identified on each disc and adding the disc weights, together with the weight of the handle, to arrive at a total weight of the dumbbell. This is a time consuming task that sometimes leads to errors in calculation of the total weight of a dumbbell, with unwanted consequences for the user of the dumbbell.

Many present dumbbell rack stands also suffer from the problem that a dumbbell will occasionally fall to the floor when a user attempts to quickly return it to a support plate on the stand. This may not only arise from the carelessness of a user, but in many cases arises from the poor design of the support plate, which may not provide features that correct any slight misalignment of a dumbbell when it is being returned that would otherwise cause it to fall from the support plate. Objects and Summary of the Invention

It is an object of a first aspect of the present invention to provide a rack stand having an ergonomic configuration that enables a person to readily pick up a weighted object supported thereon without the need to significantly lean forward over the rack stand, thereby lessening the risk of injury and ensuring that the user follows a proper manual pick up technique.

It is a preferred object of this aspect of the invention to provide a rack stand that supports dumbbells at positions where their total weight is easy to identify.

It is another preferred object of this aspect of the invention to provide a rack stand having rounded comers and curved edges for improved safety over conventional, a sharply profiled, rack stands. It is an object of a second aspect of the present invention to provide a means located on a dumbbell for easily identifying the total weight of the dumbbell when supported by a dumbbell rack stand.

It is a preferred object of this aspect of the invention to provide a weight indicator disc upon which the total weight of a dumbbell is identified, the weight indicator disc being adapted to locate against an innermost weight disc of the dumbbell on a side thereof adjacent a central portion of the dumbbell handle which can be gripped by a user.

It is an object of a third aspect of the present invention to provide a dumbbell rack stand having a plurality of support plates for dumbbells in which each support plate is so designed as to correct any slight misalignment of a dumbbell when it is being returned to it so as to prevent the dumbbell falling therefrom. *

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a rack stand for supporting dumbbells or like weighted objects, the rack stand comprising at least one tier having a front part and a rear part, at least the front part being interrupted by one or more gaps into which a person can locate at least a part of their body, the gap having a depth towards the rear part sufficient, when at least a part of the person's body is located in the gap, to allow the person to lift a weighted object supported on the tier alongside the gap without leaning over the rack stand. In a preferred form, the rack stand comprises two tiers consisting of a front tier and a rear tier, the front tier having a wave-like front portion and a linear rear portion, the wave-like front portion lying in a plane that meets the linear rear portion, the plane being inclined downwardly from the rear portion to a forwardmost position of the front portion, the wave-like front portion being defined by a plurality of bends that are so formed to create gaps into which a person approaching the front portion can locate at least a part of their body. It is preferred that the person can locate a leg into such a gap. Preferably, the rack stand includes support plates upon which dumbbells are placed, each plate having a longitudinal axis and being secured to both the front portion and rear portion of the or each tier such that, for each gap, there is a first support plate located at one side of the gap and a second support plate located at an opposite side of the gap, the first and second support plates being so arranged that their longitudinal axes diverge in a direction from the rear portion to the front portion. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a dumbbell, comprising a handle and a plurality of weight discs mounted thereon, the weight discs being so arranged along the handle as to leave a gap between an innermost two of the weight discs at a central portion of the handle used for gripping by a user, and means located on at least one of the innermost two weight discs on an exposed side thereof adjacent the central portion which identifies the total weight of the dumbbell. Preferably, the weight identifying means comprises a weight indicator disc having a central aperture through which the handle is adapted to locate for mounting the disc thereto, whereby the weight indicator disc can abut against an exposed side of an innermost weight disc.

It is preferred that the weight indicator disc has a split region defined between two facing end portions of the disc that can be manipulated by a user to expand a gap separating the facing end portions so as to enable the handle to pass therethrough and be located in the central aperture , whereby ceasing the manipulation allows the expanded gap to contract and so enable the weight indicator disc to be mounted on the handle. In this way, the weight indicator disc can be "post fitted" to existing dumbbells.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a dumbbell support plate for a dumbbell rack stand, the support plate comprising a generally U-shaped member having a retention wall across an end thereof adapted to be lowermost when the support plate is supported in an inclined position on the rack stand.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures

Fig 1 is a perspective view of a preferred rack stand according to one aspect of the invention, the rack stand being two tiered, having a front tier and a rear tier.

Fig 2 is a perspective view of another preferred rack stand according to one aspect of the invention, the rack stand having a single tier. Fig 3 is an end view from the right side of the rack stand shown in Fig 1.

Fig 4 is a partial, left front view of yet another preferred rack stand according to one aspect of the invention, the rack stand supporting dumbbell support plates of a particularly preferred structure and including weight identification means attached to preferred locations thereof and to dumbbells supported by the support plates.

Fig 5 is a partial, left front view of the rear tier of the rack stand shown in Fig 4. Fig 6 is a perspective view of a dumbbell adapted to be supported by the rack stands of Figs 1 to 5 and including a weight indicator disc.

Fig 7 is a front view of the weight indicator disc shown in Fig 6.

Best Mode and Other Embodiments of the Invention The rack stand 10 shown in Figs 1 and 3 supports a plurality of dumbbells 12 on a front tier or rack portion 14 and on a rear tier or rack portion 16. The rack portions 14, 16 thus provide a two tiered rack stand, the front tier 14 having a dumbbell support level that is lower than a dumbbell support level of the rear tier 16. It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art that the rack stand of the invention may have any (practical) number of tiers. The dumbbell support level of the rear tier 16 comprises a pair of spaced apart, parallel extending, front and rear pipe portions 20, 22. The portions 20, 22 are held in elevated positions by integrally connected, upright pipe portions at both ends thereof and by T-shaped pipe members 23 at positions intermediate those ends. Front pipe portion 20 is lower than rear pipe portion 22. There are knurled or roughened hand grip surface areas 24 located at various positions along the front pipe portion 20 to assist a user with balance if required. The dumbbell support level of the front tier 14 comprises a pair of front and rear pipe portions 28, 30, the front pipe portion 28 being wave-like in configuration and the rear pipe portion 30 being linear in configuration. The wave-like front pipe portion 28 lies in a plane that meets the linear rear pipe portion 30, the plane being inclined downwardly from the rear pipe portion 30 to a forwardmost position of the front pipe portion 28. The wave-like front pipe portion 28 is defined by a plurality of bends that are so formed to create gaps 32 into which a person approaching the front pipe portion can locate at least a part of their body, such as a leg. It is especially suited to placement of a leg when the person's body is side-on and the upper torso is in an upright or near upright position. The forwardmost position of the front pipe portion 28 provides a series of spaced apart support elements 34 which are lower than rear pipe portion 30. Dumbbell placement or support plates 36 are secured, such as with screws or by welding, to both the front and rear pipe portions of each of the front and rear tiers 14, 16. The support plates are secured at such locations that each consecutive pair of support plates have respective longitudinal axes that diverge in a direction from the rear pipe portion to the front pipe portion. Each support plate 36 is curved and scallop shaped and has an internal dumbbell locating stopper for preventing the dumbbell sliding down the inclined support plate. In regard to the front tier 14, a first plate is located at one side of a gap 32 and a second plate is located at an opposite side of the same gap 32. The first and second plates are so arranged that their respective longitudinal axes diverge in a direction from the rear pipe portion to the forwardmost support elements. The divergent spatial relationship between adjacent pairs of placement plates creates space in which to locate useful information. Between each consecutive pair of dumbbell support plates, there is a weight identification plate 46 (displaying the total weight of the dumbbell) screwed or clipped (either upright, flat, or at an angle) to the rear pipe portion. As well, weight identification discs 48 are located against the inside face of each weight disc (of a dumbbell) that is nearest the central grip portion of the handle 49 of the dumbbell. The weight identification discs 48 may be made of a suitable plastic by injection moulding. The plates 46 and discs 48 may be any desired shape, such as circular, square, rectangular, hexagonal, triangular, octagonal, or crescent shaped, so long as they identify the weight and/or any other relevant information. Weight identification means, in the form of "flag- style" markers may alternatively be used. As a result of these features, the rack stand may support not only weight information, but information of a commercial nature, such as the brands or logos of a sponsor or other entity associated with the rack stand. The same approach can be taken in relation to fixed barbells, as these too do not presently have clearly marked and visible information thereon. As such, the rack stand may provide "signpost" regions or advertising spaces that are not currently being utilised to make users of the rack stand aware of useful and commercial information. The rack stand 50 shown in Fig 2 supports a plurality of dumbbells 12 on a single tier only, having a wave-like front portion and a linear rear portion. The rack stand 50 is thus similar to the front tier 14 of the rack stand 10. Like features have been accorded like numerals in Fig 2 for ease of understanding. The rack stand 60 shown (partially) in Figs 4 and 5 is similar to the rack stand 10, but differs in the structure of the support plates for the dumbbells 12. In this embodiment, each support plate 62 is cradle-like and comprises a generally shallow U-shaped member 64 and an integrally formed retention wall 66 across its lowermost end. There is a rubber or hard plastic protective cover 68 around its top edges.

The dumbbell 12 shown isolated in Fig 6 has four weight discs 72 mounted on a handle 49. In the conventional manner, the weight discs are arranged along the handle in a balanced configuration so as to leave a gap 74 between an innermost two of the discs 72a, 72b at a central portion 76 of the handle used for gripping by a user. Located against both of the discs 72a,72b at their facing or exposed sides adjacent the central portion 76 of the handle are respective weight indicator discs 48 which identify the total weight of the dumbbell.

As shown in Fig 7, the weight indicator disc 48 has a central aperture 78 through which the handle 49 is adapted to locate for mounting the weight indicator disc 48 to an existing dumbbell (that is, for "post fitting") or during assembly of the weight discs on the handle. When so mounted, the disc 48 may abut against the exposed side of an innermost weight disc 72a,72b. The weight indicator disc 48 has a split region defined between two facing end portions 80,82 of the disc. The end portions 80,82 can be manipulated by the hand of a user to expand the gap separating the end portions 80,82 so as to enable the handle 49 to pass therethrough and be received in the central aperture 78. Upon ceasing such manipulation, the expanded gap is allowed to contract so that the end portions 80,82 capture the handle 49 within the aperture 78. As a result, the weight indicator disc 48 is mounted on the handle of an existing dumbbell. If required, strong adhesive may be used to effectively permanently secure the weight indicator disc 48 to the exposed side of the weight disc 72a,72b, or an adjustable clip-on mechanism may be utilized for temporary securement. IO

In another embodiment, the weight identification means may comprise a weight disc having a total weight identified thereon as part of the original casting of the weight disc. In such an embodiment, the weight disc which has had cast thereon a total weight for a dumbbell must always be located innermost of all the weight discs forming the dumbbell having the identified total weight.

In use, a person wanting to pick up a dumbbell from a one, two or three tiered rack stand locates a part of their body into a gap, and because of the depth of the gap towards the rear portion, the person is able to lift a dumbbell supported on a rack alongside a gap without leaning over the rack. The person is able to easily identify the total weight of the dumbbell from the identification means located on the dumbbells and on the rack stand, and can return the dumbbells after use to their appropriate support plate where they are safely supported.

By minimising reach and providing easy access to the dumbbells, the user's lifting position or pick up technique is. improved. The weight identification means provide clear and concise information about the weight of the dumbbells, and reduce the risk of confusion and possible injury through the lifting of heavier than expected dumbbells. The rack stand has rounded edges, due to use of pipe portions for example, and thus eliminates the risk of injury from sharp edges.

These and many other advantages of the gymnasium equipment disclosed herein will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A rack stand for supporting dumbbells or like weighted objects, the rack stand comprising at least one tier having a front part and a rear part, at least the front part being interrupted by one or more gaps into which a person can locate at least a part of their body, the gap having a depth towards the rear part sufficient, when at least a part of the person's body is located in the gap, to allow the person to lift a weighted object supported on the tier alongside the gap without leaning over the rack stand.

2. The rack stand of claim 1 wherein there are two tiers consisting of a front tier and a rear tier, the front tier having a wave-like front portion and a linear rear portion, the wave-like front portion lying in a plane that meets the linear rear portion, the plane being inclined downwardly from the rear portion to a forwardmost position of the front portion, the wave-like front portion being defined by a plurality of bends that are so formed to create gaps into which a person approaching the front portion can locate at least a part of their body.

3. The rack stand of claim 2 and including support plates upon which dumbbells are placed, each plate having a longitudinal axis and being secured to both the front portion and rear portion of the or each tier such that, for each gap, there is a first support plate located at one side of the gap and a second support plate located at an opposite side of the gap, the first and second support plates being so arranged that their longitudinal axes diverge in a direction from the rear portion to the front portion.

4. A dumbbell, comprising a handle and a plurality of weight discs mounted thereon, the weight discs being so arranged along the handle as to leave a gap between an innermost two of the weight discs at a central portion of the handle used for gripping by a user, and means located on at least one of the innermost two weight discs on an exposed side thereof adjacent the central portion which identifies the total weight of the dumbbell.

5. The dumbbell of claim 4 wherein the weight identifying means comprises a weight indicator disc having a central aperture through which the handle is adapted to locate for mounting the disc thereto, whereby the weight indicator disc can abut against an exposed side of an innermost weight disc.

6. The dumbbell of claim 5 wherein the weight indicator disc has a split region defined between two facing end portions of the disc that can be manipulated by a user to expand a gap separating the facing end portions so as to enable the handle to pass therethrough and be located in the central aperture , whereby ceasing the manipulation allows the expanded gap to contract and so enable the weight indicator disc to be mounted on the handle.

7. A dumbbell support plate for a dumbbell rack stand, the support plate comprising a generally U-shaped member having a retention wall across an end thereof adapted to be lowermost when the support plate is supported in an inclined position on the rack stand.