U.S. patent application number 15/390394 was filed with the patent office on 2018-06-28 for device to position dumbbells for exercise.
The applicant listed for this patent is Vincent Gabriel Shaw, JR.. Invention is credited to Vincent Gabriel Shaw, JR..
Application Number | 20180178051 15/390394 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62625270 |
Filed Date | 2018-06-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180178051 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shaw, JR.; Vincent Gabriel |
June 28, 2018 |
Device to Position Dumbbells for Exercise
Abstract
An apparatus to hold and position dumbbells with adjustment
through three dimensions (vertical, horizontal and forward and
backward) so as to provide an elevated and precisely positioned
starting and ending position for the dumbbells used in a dumbbell
exercise. The apparatus may be configured as a stand-alone device,
an attachment to another piece of equipment (such as a power rack
or bench press) or integrated into another piece of exercise
equipment such as a lying/incline/seated press apparatus. It
enables adjustment of the dumbbell position by the user while the
user is positioned for the exercise, as well as prior to assuming
the position for the exercise, to provide precise positioning as
desired by each individual user. It features a channeling device
which guides a user's hands, wrists and arms when returning the
dumbbell to the holder.
Inventors: |
Shaw, JR.; Vincent Gabriel;
(Davidsonville, MD) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Shaw, JR.; Vincent Gabriel |
Davidsonville |
MD |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
62625270 |
Appl. No.: |
15/390394 |
Filed: |
December 23, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/4029 20151001;
A63B 21/078 20130101; A63B 21/072 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63B 21/078 20060101
A63B021/078; A63B 21/072 20060101 A63B021/072; A63B 21/00 20060101
A63B021/00 |
Claims
1. A dumbbell support apparatus for positioning dumbbells to be
used in exercise comprising: A dumbbell holder with support and
adjustment mechanisms to position a dumbbell horizontally and
vertically to enable the initiation and completion of dumbbell
exercises with precise positioning through three dimensions as
tailored by each individual user. Dimensions and ranges of
adjustment are claimed which allow a user to position dumbbells
through three dimensions (vertical, horizontal, forward and
backward) prior to assuming the position of the exercise, and to
further adjust the dumbbells while in position for the exercise via
further movement of the dumbbells by rolling or sliding the
dumbbells on the holders or via horizontal or vertical movement of
the holders. Vertical positioning is accomplished via adjustment of
the dumbbell holding apparatus on a vertical support, and
horizontal adjustment is accomplished via a combined swivel and
telescoping holder/support apparatus.
2. An apparatus for positioning dumbbells as recited in claim 1
configured as a free-standing device which can be positioned for
use next to other exercise equipment such as an exercise bench.
3. An apparatus for positioning dumbbells as recited in claim 1
configured so that the dumbbell positioning apparatus is
implemented as an integrated part of another piece of exercise
equipment, such as a bench press or shoulder press type of
apparatus.
4. An apparatus for positioning dumbbells as recited in claim 1
which may include an "attachment style" configuration where the
dumbbell holder and positioning apparatus is attached to a vertical
support such as found in the commonly used "power rack" type of
exercise equipment.
5. An apparatus for positioning dumbbells as recited in claim 1
optionally configured with both upper and lower support racks so
that the dumbbells can either be returned to the upper or lower
position at the end of the exercise, or lowered to the floor at the
conclusion of the exercise.
6. An apparatus for positioning dumbbells as recited in claim 1
configured with independent positioning for each of the upper and
lower racks to allow precise and flexible placement of the
dumbbells at both the beginning and end of an exercise set.
7. An apparatus for positioning dumbbells as recited in claim 1
configured with a horizontal swivel function which enables a
mechanism which retracts the support once the exercise is begun
using the outward swivel function, such as by spring-loading or by
a foot-controlled lever, and optionally returns the support to a
desired position at the end of the exercise set.
8. An apparatus for positioning dumbbells as recited in claim 1
with freedom of vertical travel which enables pin-based vertical
adjustment or enables a mechanical vertical adjustment mechanism,
for example a ratchet mechanism, hydraulic mechanism, or screw
mechanism.
9. An apparatus for positioning dumbbells as recited in claim 1
configured with two support structures for the dumbbell holders
using a brace linking two of the vertical supports and creating a
temporary or permanent attachment between the units, the width
between which can be adjusted such as by means of a telescoping
support attached between the vertical support.
10. A dumbbell holder with two support surfaces for each side of
the dumbbell, an inner "lip" on the surface supporting each side of
the dumbbell which prevents side-to-side slippage of the dumbbell,
and a restraining surface at the rear of the holder above the level
of the dumbbell supports.
11. A dumbbell holder with a channeling device which guides the
user's hands into position when returning the dumbbell to the rack
via angled or curved material which the user's hand, wrist or arm
will contact to guide the return of the dumbbell and to center the
user's hand between the dumbbell supports.
12. A dumbbell holder with protective padding on the surfaces of
the channeling device facing the user when returning the dumbbell
to the holder.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] N/A
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] N/A
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM
LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX
[0003] N/A
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0004] The invention relates to the field of exercise equipment.
Specifically it provides for the flexible positioning of dumbbells
for the start and completion of an exercise, similar in concept to
racks used to position barbells for exercise.
Description of Related Art
[0005] Several patents in the prior art show devices which attempt
to allow dumbbells to be positioned for the start and finish of an
exercise set, specifically U.S. Pat. D495,383 S, and 756,783 B2,
however examples of the many differences between the prior art and
the present invention include that the prior inventions: [0006] Do
not allow for precise movement of the device to position the
dumbbell while the user is in a position to perform an exercise,
unlike the present invention which allows the user to precisely
position the dumbbells using both the horizontal and swivel
functions, and the option to roll the dumbbells forward and back on
the dumbbell holder. [0007] Do not allow for any adjustment to
horizontal positioning except by moving the entire apparatus,
unlike the present invention [0008] Do not allow for the apparatus
or a subset of the apparatus to be attached to other devices
commonly found in a gym such as a power rack or to be integrated
into a specific piece of equipment such as a bench press apparatus,
unlike the present invention. [0009] Do not have an inner "lip" on
the dumbbell holder portion of the apparatus to prevent
side-to-side slippage of the dumbbell [0010] Do not have a
self-centering hand/arm guide to aid in return the dumbbell to the
holder [0011] Do not allow for the dumbbell holder to be optionally
moved further from the field of exercise motion during the exercise
after the dumbbell has been removed from the holder for use in the
exercise, either via mechanical or manual methods.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,198 B1 provides for a degree of
positioning and retraction while I the exercise position, but
through an entirely different mechanism (casters on the base) than
the present invention. It also does not allow for ease of use
without the retraction feature or integration into other equipment
as shown in the embodiments for the present invention.
[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,556 includes a dumbbell holder component
with some similarities however the claimed items for the holder do
not include an inner lip or a self-centering hand guide, and the
rest of the invention is substantially different.
[0014] Other patent which attempt to address a sub-set of the
intent of the present invention include US patent numbers: [0015]
U.S. Pat. No. 9,492,701 B1 [0016] U.S. Pat. No. D755,909 S [0017]
U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,198 B1 [0018] U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,783 B2 [0019]
U.S. Pat. No. 7,112,163 B2 [0020] U.S. Pat. No. 7,022,053 B2 [0021]
U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,314 B1 [0022] U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,728 B2 [0023]
U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,370 B1 [0024] U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,556 [0025]
U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,561 [0026] U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,108 [0027] U.S.
Pat. No. 5,472,397 [0028] U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,459
[0029] Given the lack of practicality of any of the above art, none
of them have been widely adopted and the current common method of
positioning a dumbbell for exercise is overwhelmingly manual, with
the dumbbell being lifted from the floor or from a storage rack and
then moved into position for the exercise solely by one or more
users of the dumbbells. This is a manual, limiting, awkward and
potentially dangerous process which the present invention seeks to
substantially eliminate.
[0030] Additionally, there are numerous devices for positioning a
barbell for the start of exercise, however none of these can be
used to hold or adjust a dumbbell in a manner in which it can be
removed, used for exercise and replaced while the user is in the
exercise position. The present invention seeks to create and
partially exceed for dumbbells the exercise positioning capability
currently available for barbells, which has to this point not been
available through prior art.
[0031] Another critical advance provided by the present invention
is a channeling device which guides the users hands when returning
the dumbbell to the holder: all the prior art subjects the user to
an extreme risk of injury due to the potential for contact between
the user's hand, wrist or arm and the front of the dumbbell holder,
and this deficiency alone makes the prior art commercially
non-viable due to likely liability risk.
[0032] Finally, there are numerous types of devices for storing
dumbbells in a fitness facility, however none of them are intended
or can practically be used to position the dumbbell for the
beginning and end of an actual exercise set. An example of these
storage-only types of devices is shown in U.S. Pat. Des.
262,776.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0033] The present invention comprises a mechanism to position
dumbbells for the start and completion of an exercise set so that
the need to lift the dumbbells from the floor, storage rack or
other location while in position to perform the exercise is
eliminated. This allows dumbbells to be used for strength training
in a way similar to how barbells are currently used. It is
distinguished from prior art by features including, but not limited
to 1) the inclusion of three dimensional positioning (as opposed to
simply vertical positioning) 2) the design of the dumbbell holder
which allows the dumbbells to be rolled forward or backwards by the
user while in position for the exercise for even more precise
positioning, 3) the option to attach the dumbbell holders to an
existing piece of equipment such as the commonly found "power
rack", 4) the option to attach a second holder which allows the
dumbbell to be safely returned to the rack in a case where the user
cannot, perhaps due to fatigue or preference, return the dumbbell
to the top position on the rack, 5) the option to retract and
restore the position of the dumbbell holder during the exercise by
means such as a foot control or spring mechanism, 6) a channeling
design which guides the user's hand when returning the dumbbell to
the holder to reduce risk of injury and the effort required by the
user to replace the dumbbell on the device, and 7) a dumbbell
holder which allows the dumbbell to be held in position prior to
the user assuming the position for the exercise while also allowing
the user to move the dumbbell forward and backward on the holder
and side-to-side by moving the holder through a horizontal arc
while in position for the exercise. Two of the dumbbell holders are
required to allow the user to position a dumbbell for each hand,
and they may either be configured as "stand alone" units which are
positioned on either side of a standing, seated or lying user,
incorporated as fixed components of a weightlifting apparatus such
as a bench-press rack, incorporated as components of a custom
integrated stand, or attached to a separate mounting source such as
a wall or power rack.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0034] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention configured as a
free-standing integrated unit which can serve a user in either a
standing position or when using a another piece of exercise
equipment such as a flat bench positioned near the device.
[0035] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a subset of the invention
configured as an attachment to another vertical support such as
those found on a piece of exercise equipment commonly called a
power rack.
[0036] FIG. 3 shows the hand guide channel which would be affixed
to the bottom of the dumbbell holder to guide a user's hands when
returning the dumbbell to the holder and minimize risk of injury
due to unintentional contact between the user's hand, wrist, or
arms with the front of the dumbbell holder.
[0037] FIG. 4 shows the invention configured as a standalone unit,
one of which would typically be positioned on either side of a
seated or standing exercise position or apparatus for use with
two-handed exercises, or singularly for one-handed exercises.
[0038] FIG. 5 shows the invention integrated into another piece of
exercise equipment, in this embodiment it is integrated into a
lying/incline/seated press apparatus.
REFERENCE NUMBER DESCRIPTIONS
[0039] 1. Vertical adjustable support [0040] 2. Dumbbell Holder
[0041] 3. Example Dumbbell [0042] 4. Horizontal Rotational
Adjustment [0043] 5. Rotating and Forward/Backward Attachment
[0044] 6. Width Adjustment Brace [0045] 7. Vertical Adjustment Pin
[0046] 8. Vertical Adjustment Holes [0047] 9. Floor Stand [0048]
10. Example Power Rack Vertical Support [0049] 11.
Attachment/Vertical Adjustment Pins [0050] 12. Swivel joint [0051]
13. Horizontal Rotation Plane [0052] 14. Support arm (optionally
adjustable, as shown) [0053] 15. Dumbbell Holder [0054] 16.
Horizontal dumbbell rest [0055] 17. Guide apparatus attachment
plates [0056] 18. Hand Guides [0057] 19. Center Support [0058] 20.
Upper swiveling support arm [0059] 21. Lower swiveling support arm
[0060] 22. Base [0061] 23. Wheels [0062] 24. Upper Dumbbell holder
[0063] 25. Lower dumbbell holder [0064] 26. Flat bench press [0065]
27. Dumbbell holders
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0066] FIG. 1 shows the invention configured as a free-standing,
integrated unit comprised of two supports for two dumbbells holders
which would be positioned to deliver dumbbells to each hand of the
user who would typically be in either a standing, seated, lying, or
incline position to perform the exercise and may have positioned
another piece of related equipment nearby such as an incline bench.
For example, the user could be seated or lying on an adjacent
support when the dumbbells are removed from the rack, or the user
could remove them in a standing position, or sit in the type of
seat made for seated dumbbell presses to perform the exercise, and
then return to a standing position to return the dumbbells to the
rack. Any of these would be far easier than lifting the dumbbells
from the floor or using a fixed stand which does not allow for
extensive tailoring and adjustment of the dumbbell position such as
described by the prior art.
[0067] Prior to the exercise, the user would position the dumbbell
holder (2) with the dumbbell in the position desired by the user to
remove the dumbbell from the stand at the start of the exercise,
and to return the dumbbell to when the exercise repetitions are
completed. To accomplish this positioning, the invention would be
positioned in a general location near the position of the exercise
such that further adjustment to achieve the exact location desired
by the user could be achieved by use of the invention's vertical
and horizontal adjustments, both prior to assuming the position of
the exercise, and, for the horizontal rotation shown in arc (4),
while in the position of the exercise. Vertical positioning would
occur by adjusting the Support Arm(s) (5) on the vertical support
member (1) and could be done either prior to or after placing the
dumbbell in the dumbbell holder, especially if a ratchet or similar
mechanism was used to lift and lower the support arm. Horizontal
positioning could occur by swiveling the support arm/dumbbell
holder combination (2, 5) around the center support (within the
range of support provided by the base). Several options exist for
implementing he swivel function such as having the vertical
supports rotate in the base (shown in this example) or having the
support arms (5) swivel around the vertical supports (1). Further
horizontal positioning of the dumbbell holder could occur by
adjusting the length of the support arm (5) using an adjustment
mechanism such as the telescoping arm with adjustment pin and
pin-holes as shown in FIG. 1. Additional positioning of the
dumbbell could occur by rolling the dumbbell forward or backward on
the dumbbell holder supports (2).
[0068] The space between the two horizontal portions of the
dumbbell holder (2) is wide enough to allow the hand of the user to
pass between them when removing or replacing the dumbbells.
Additionally, the user could easily position the dumbbells in a
precise location by rotating the holder horizontally while in the
position required by the exercise allowing precise tailoring of the
dumbbell positions. The dumbbell holder supports have a front angle
to secure the dumbbells from rolling off and to aid in the return
of the dumbbells at the completion of the exercise, and would also
have an inner "lip" as shown to provide additional side-to-side
positioning stability. The rear plate on the dumbbell holder (2)
braces the dumbbell at the rear in the direction away from the
user. All user-facing surfaces which the user's hand or arm could
contact when returning the dumbbell could optionally have padding
to provide further protection against injury. These surfaces would
include the front "lip" of the dumbbell holder (2) and the hand
channel device (18).
[0069] The invention thus provides precise three-dimensional
positioning of the dumbbells which can be tailored to the desired
position for each hand of the user with final adjustment occurring
while the user is in the position of the exercise. Vertical
positioning is accomplished by adjusting the holder arms on the
vertical center stand. In the embodiment shown, pin adjustment (7)
holes in the vertical support (8) is shown for the vertical
adjustment, however other forms of adjustment could optionally be
incorporated (e.g., a ratchet mechanism).
[0070] Wheels or another type of rolling device such as casters or
rollers could be placed on one or both support stand bases (9) to
facilitate moving the device and also to facilitate adjusting the
width between the support and hence the positioning of the dumbbell
support devices. The width between the vertical supports (1) could
be adjusted by means of one or more telescoping braces (6).
[0071] FIG. 2 shows a subset of the invention configured as a
temporary addition to another vertical feature such as the vertical
supports (10) on a common piece of exercise equipment known as a
"power rack". This vertical support is not part of the current
invention but is a common occurrence to which the invention form
shown in FIG. 2 could attach. In this configuration the horizontal
swivel ability (13) for the dumbbell holder arm (14) is obtained
via swivel joints (12) in the support brackets rather than via
swivel around the vertical support (1) shown in FIG. 1. This is
because the vertical supports for a power rack are typically not
round, so the horizontal swivel for the invention is provided via
swivel joints or other rotational support which are included in
this embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the invention
would be a separate add-on to a power rack (or similar device such
as the vertical supports on a bench press rack) which could be
quickly added and removed depending on whether the power rack was
being used for dumbbell exercises or other exercises unrelated to
the present invention. As with the stand-alone version in FIG. 1,
one of the invention embodiments shown in FIG. 2 would be placed on
either side of the user to support the use of a dumbbell in each
hand for the exercise. The vertical adjustment would be
accomplished by moving the device up or down on the external
support (10) via the attachment pins (11) or other attachment
mechanisms such as clamps. A feature such as the oval lower pin
hole (16) shown in FIG. 2 could be used to make the attachment fit
vertical supports with varying pin-hole spacing. The other features
would remain the same as shown in FIG. 1, specifically the dumbbell
holder (15) and support arm(s) (14, 2).
[0072] FIG. 3 shows a close-up of an optional hand guide that could
be used to provide extra precision in guiding the user's hand into
position to return the dumbbell to the rack, thus reducing the risk
of injury. The hand guide would attach to the dumbbell holder by
affixing the hand guide attachment surface (17) to the underside of
the dumbbell holder horizontal supports (16). The angled front
portions of the guide (18) would guide the user's hands to the
center of the dumbbell holder when returning the dumbbell to the
holder. An essential element of any dumbbell holder is minimizing
the risk of injury to the user when returning a heavy weight to the
holder in a highly fatigued state and the combination of the
channeling device (optionally coated with protective padding) with
the dumbbell holder minimizes risk of injury.
[0073] FIG. 4 shows the invention configured as a free-standing,
standalone unit, in this embodiment shown with a single support
member (19) although multiple support members could be used. One of
these units would be placed on either side of the user who would
typically be in either a standing, seated, lying, or incline
position to perform the exercise. For example, the user could be
seated or lying when the dumbbells are removed from the rack or the
user could remove them in a standing position, or sit in the type
of seat made for seated dumbbell presses to perform the exercise,
and then return to a standing position to return the dumbbells to
the rack. Either of these would be a significant advance and far
easier than lifting the dumbbells from the floor or using a fixed
stand which does not allow for adjustment of the dumbbell position
such as described by the prior art.
[0074] The lower of the two dumbbell holder/arms (21, 25) would
allow the user to return the dumbbell to a lower position if they
were unable or did not desire to return the dumbbell to the upper
position on the rack (20, 24). Optional wheels/rollers/casters (23)
on the base of the unit (22) allow the unit to be easily rolled
from one position to another.
[0075] In this example of the base (22) configuration, 180 degrees
of swivel adjustment is allowed for, however the invention could
support 360 degrees of swivel support by use of any base
configuration that provided support stability through 360 degrees
of travel, or any other range desired in manufacture.
[0076] FIG. 5 shows the invention configured as a permanent
integration into a piece of exercise equipment. In the embodiment
shown the invention is integrated with a bench press apparatus (26)
for performing lying, inclined or seated dumbbell press exercises
using the present invention to position the dumbbells for the
starting and finishing position (27) in a way similar to how a
barbell would be positioned for barbell press exercises. All the
features found in the standalone units in FIG. 1 or 4 would apply
for the integrated unit with the exception that the integrated unit
would be temporarily or permanently attached to another piece of
equipment, in this embodiment a unit to support press
movements.
[0077] In this embodiment, the invention is implemented by
attaching the vertical supports (22) similar to those shown in FIG.
1 to a portion of the equipment such that some or all of the
stability for the vertical supports is provided by the
equipment.
[0078] Optionally, any of these embodiments may include the ability
to retract the support via the horizontal and/or vertical planes
via mechanisms such as a foot-controlled lever or a spring
mechanism, after the dumbbell is removed from the support to begin
the exercise.
* * * * *