Rope arrangement

Abstract

An exemplary jump rope arrangement and, more specifically, to a jump rope assembly arrangement including a portion comprising a noise-making instrument is provided. For example, the jump rope arrangement comprises a rope and first and second handle assemblies. The first and second handle assemblies are coupled to first and second ends of the rope respectively. The first and second handle assemblies are configured for generating noise. The first and second handle assemblies may each comprise a handle portion, a shell part, and a cap lock. A plurality of pellets may be provided within the shell part for imparting a noise-making characteristics to the handle assembly.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present invention claims priority from U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/609,013 filed on Sep. 9, 2004, the entire disclosure of which incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates a rope arrangement and, more specifically, to a jump rope assembly arrangement including a portion comprising a noise-making instrument.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Maracas and musical shakers can be used in the rhythm sections of orchestras and other musical groups to establish rhythm in musical performances of all kinds. The maraca generally comprises a spherically shaped dried and hollowed gourd containing dried seeds or other pellets that produces a “rattle” sound when it is shaken. Such maracas are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,808,215 and 2,318,460, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Jump ropes are often used for exercising, athletic training or children's amusement. The ends of the jump ropes are usually plain wooden or plastic handles without including any entertaining features to add interest to the jump rope. In fact, maracas have not been used as handles for any such jump rope arrangements. Accordingly, it is one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide a jump rope that uses one or more shaker instruments as the handles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Such object of the present invention is addressed using an exemplary jumping rope arrangement in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Such exemplary jump rope arrangement may include a portion which comprises one or more noise-making instruments. The noise-making instrument may comprise a shaking instrument having a hollow shell part with pellets enclosed therein, and can be configured to be coupled to the jumping rope. This additional feature can facilitate an amusement quality to the jump rope by providing musical sounds when the jumping rope is m use.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the handles of the shaking instrument are the handles of the jumping rope.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of an exemplary jump rope arrangement which includes two exemplary shaker instruments interconnected via a rope to form a jump rope arrangement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective side view of the exemplary shaker instruments interconnected via the rope in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the shaker instrument connected to a rope in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side cut-away view of the shaker instrument in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the shaker instrument for the jump rope arrangement in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side cut-away view of a first portion of the shaker instrument in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side cut-away view of a first portion of the shaker instrument in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a second portion (e.g., a cap lock part) of a first portion of the shaker instrument in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention to be connected to the first portion;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a second portion of a first portion (e.g., a cap lock part) of the shaker instrument in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention to be connected to the first portion; and

FIG. 10 is a side view of another second portion (a cap lock part) of the shaker instrument in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like features, elements, components, or portions of the illustrated embodiments. Moreover, while the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the Figures, it is done so in connection with the illustrative embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An exemplary embodiment of a jumping rope arrangement according to the present invention may be provided that can include a portion which comprises a noise-making instrument. The noise-making instrument may comprise a shaking instrument having a hollow shell part with pellets enclosed therein, and can be configured to be coupled to the jumping rope.

FIG. 1 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a jump rope arrangement 50 in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The jumping rope arrangement 50 comprises a rope 40 and handle assemblies 60 (e.g., shaker instruments). The rope 40 may be formed of a fabric material, a plastic material, or other suitable material. For example, the rope 40 may comprise a polyester rope, a nylon rope, or a plastic tube. The rope 40 may be configured in any suitable manner, and can have various designs and shapes. Alternatively or in addition, the rope 40 may comprise a hollow extruded piece of plastic and/or can include a braided polyester rope.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the handle assemblies 60 can be coupled to first and second ends of the rope 40. Each handle assembly 60 may comprise a shell part 10, a cap lock 1, and a handle portion 11, as will be described more fully below. Pellets 25 may be provided in the shell part 10 of one or more the handle assemblies 60. The pellets 25 provide a noise-making characteristic to the handle assembly 60 when they impact internal walls of the respective shell part 10. The shell part 10 of the handle assembly 60 can be translucent to allow for at least a partial viewing of pellets 25. For example, one or more of the shell parts 10 may be formed from a translucent plastic material. Further, the cap lock 1 may be translucent to allow for viewing of the rope 40 inserted into the cap lock 1 of one or more of the respective shell parts 10 (as described in further detail below). For example, such cap lock(s) 1 may be formed of a translucent plastic material.

Another exemplary embodiment of the jumping rope arrangement 50′ is shown in FIG. 2. For example, the respective shell part 10 of one or more of the handle assemblies 60 is opaque. In the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, one or more of the handle assemblies 60 may be decorated visually or tactilely. Thus, in such one or more handle assemblies 60, for example, the shell part 10 of the handle assembly 60, may be painted. This exemplary handle assembly 60, and for example the shell part 10 of the handle assembly 60, may be textured for design purposes. Alternately, or additionally, the handle portion 11 of the handle assembly 60 may be textured with a gripping surface.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate side views of an exemplary embodiment of the handle assembly 60 (e.g., the shaker instrument). In this exemplary embodiment, the handle assembly 50 comprises a handle portion 11, a shell part 10, and a cap lock 1.

The handle portion 11 is configured for gripping by a user, and may be substantially planar. However, the handle portion 11 may be formed in any suitable manner, e.g., bent or may include an opening for receiving the hand of a user. The exemplary handle portion 11 may comprise an inner section 22 and an outer section 23. The inner section 22 can be in a form of a rod, and may extend to a top receiving portion 24 of the handle portion 11. The inner section 22 may be formed of a flexible material, such as rubber or flexible plastic so as to allow the jump rope handle 20 to bend in this region. The outer section 23 may be fabricated from a more rigid material. For example, the handle portion 11 (e.g., the outer section 23 of the handle portion 11) may be provided with a texture such as a gripping surface.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the top receiving portion 24 of the handle portion 11 may be coupled to the shell part 1. In particular, the top receiving portion 24 can be coupled to a locking portion 13 of the shell part 1 (also see FIGS. 9 and 10). The coupling of the handle portion 11 to the shell part 1 may be achieved in any suitable manner. For example, the top receiving portion 24 may be threaded and the locking portion 13 may include a corresponding thread. Alternately, the top receiving portion 24 and the locking portion 13 may be configured for a press fit to one another. While coupling of the shell part 1 to the handle portion 11 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 couples the top receiving portion 24 of the handle portion 11 to the locking portion 13 of the shell part 1, any suitable components may be provided for coupling the shell part 1 to the handle portion 11.

As discussed above with reference to FIG. 1, the pellets 25 are preferably provided within the shell part 10 of the handle assembly 60. The pellets 25 impart a noise-making characteristic to the handle assembly 60. Thus, the handle assembly 60 can provide an entertaining and sound-making handle for jumping ropes in contrast to the existing plain handles that are currently used for the jumping ropes. In particular, when a user utilizes the jump rope arrangement 50, the handle assemblies 60 are moved by the user to cause a movement of the rope 40. The movement of the handle assemblies 60 causes the pellets 25 to impact an inner wall of the shell assembly 10, thus causing a rattling noise.

Exemplary embodiments of a first portion (e.g., the cap lock 1) of the handle assembly 60 is shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7. For example, the cap lock 1 comprises a hollow cavity 2, a top bore 5 for receiving the jump rope 40, and a bottom portion 6 for coupling to the shell part 10. The top bore 5 is adapted to receive an end of the rope 40. The rope 40 may be locked in place in any suitable manner. According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the rope 40 may be locked or secured in place by pressure coupling, via complementary locking members provided on the rope 40 and the top bore 5, or via an adhesive. The coupling of the bottom portion 6 to the shell part 10 may be achieved in any suitable manner. For example, the bottom portion 6 may couple to a top locking portion 14 of the shell part 10. Thus, the bottom portion 6 and the top locking portion 14 may be provided with complementary threads.

The cap lock 1 may be formed of any suitable material. For example, the cap lock 1 may be formed of a plastic material. Further, the cap lock 1 may be fabricated in any suitable manner. Thus, for example, the plastic cap lock 1 may be fabricated by blow molding. A plurality of ridges 3 may be provided in the hollow cavity part 2, which can be used to better secure the rope 40 therein.

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 illustrate exemplary embodiments of a second portion (e.g., a shell part 10) of the handle assembly 60. For example, the first portion 1 shown in FIG. 6 is adapted to be connected to the second portion 10 of FIG. 9, and the first portion 1 of FIG. 7 is adapted to be press-fitted with the second portion 10 of FIG. 8. As shown in these figures, the exemplary embodiments of the shell part 10 may include a hollow member 12, a top locking portion 14, a bottom locking portion 13, and a plurality of pellets 25. The shell part 10 may be formed of any suitable material, e.g., a plastic material. Further, the shell part 10 may be fabricated in any suitable manner, e.g., by blow molding. In particular, the top locking portion 14 of the second portion (shell part) 10 couples to the bottom portion 6 of the first portion (cap lock) 1. As described above, the locking portion 13 may be used to couple the shell part 10 to the handle portion 11. In particular, the locking portion 13 may be configured for coupling with the top receiving portion 24 of the handle portion 11. The plurality of pellets 25 are retained inside the hollow member 12, and impart the noise-making characteristic to the handle assembly 60. The pellets 25 may be formed of any suitable material for generating an impact noise or rattle when caused to impact the walls of the hollow member 12. For example, the pellets 25 may comprise plastic beads.

The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous arrangements which, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are thus within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A jump rope arrangement comprising:

a flexible material extending for a predetermined length and having first and second ends; and

at least one assembly adapted to be held by a user, and configured to generate noise,

wherein the at least one assembly is coupled to at least one of the first end or the second end of the flexible material or the second handle assembly.

2. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the flexible material is at least one of a rope or a cord.

3. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one assembly includes a first handle assembly and a second handle assembly, and wherein at least one of the first handle assembly is coupled to the first end of the flexible material, and the second handle assembly is coupled to the second end of the flexible material.

4. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one assembly comprises a handle portion, a hollow part, and a further portion.

5. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the handle portion comprises a flexible inner section and a rigid outer section.

6. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the handle portion is adapted to couple to the hollow part, and wherein the hollow part couples to the further section.

7. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the handle portion comprises a top receiving portion, wherein the further portion comprises a locking portion, and wherein the top receiving portion couples to the locking portion.

8. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 7, wherein each of the top receiving portion and the locking portion are threaded.

9. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the further portion comprises a bottom portion, wherein the shell part comprises a top locking portion, and wherein the bottom portion couples to the top locking portion.

10. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 9, wherein each of the bottom portion and the top locking portion are threaded.

11. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 4, further comprising a plurality of pellets provided within the hollow part.

12. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the cap lock comprises a top bore for receiving an end of the rope.

13. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the hollow part is translucent.

14. A handle assembly adapted to be used with at least one of a rope or a wire, and configured to be held by a user, the handle assembly comprising:

a first handle portion;

a second hollow portion which is adapted to receive therein a plurality of pellets; and

a third portion,

wherein the first portion couples to the second portion, and the second portion couples to the third portion.

15. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the first portion comprises a top receiving portion, wherein the second portion comprises a locking portion, and wherein the top receiving portion couples to the locking portion.

16. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 15, wherein each of the top receiving portion and the locking portion are threaded.

17. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the third portion comprises a bottom portion, wherein the second portion comprises a top locking portion, and wherein the bottom portion couples to the top locking portion.

18. The jump rope arrangement according to claim 17, wherein each of the bottom portion and the top locking portion are threaded.