Exercise weight plate with integral retaining mechanism.

Abstract

A a robust weight plate of a size similar to industry-standard components integrated with a retaining mechanism capable of engaging an industry-standard weight bar to form a barbell or a dumbbell assembly.

Description

The present invention relates to exercise equipment and in particular to bar-mounted weights, in the category of freeweights that includes dumbbells and barbells.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Barbells and dumbbells are devices that are widely used in exercise. They are generally configured as a tubular bar, with a plurality of removable weight plates slidably mounted on both ends of the bar. To configure the device to a particular weight, the user adds or removes a desired number of weight plates.

For safety, it is necessary to secure the installed weights to the bar to prevent them from falling off and potentially causing injury. The most common way to secure the weight plates is with a dedicated clamp or locking collar, one on each end, which is installed after all the desired weight plates are mounted on the bar. Examples of such clamps are taught by Strnad in U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,109, by Whittington, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,268 and others. Torsional spring clamp is another commonly used clamp type. A bar assembly using locking members is taught by Parker in U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,499.

There are several drawbacks to the method of securing weight plates with separate clamps, in particular as it relates to commercial gym operators who must keep and maintain a large number of units for multiple simultaneous users. The individual clamps may get lost, damaged or misplaced. Additionally, due to their generally small size the typical clamps are easily obscured from view by the much larger weight plates, making it difficult for a gym attendant to quickly visually verify that a user has properly installed the clamps, especially from a distance. In a busy gym with many users configuring and reconfiguring equipment as they exercise, it may not be possible to ensure or verify proper clamp use.

Another means of retaining weight plates on a bar is by configuring both the plates and the bar with corresponding interlocking features to secure plates to the bar or to each other. Examples of such systems are taught by Kupferman in U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,413, by Uyeda in U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,337, by Plotz in U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,710, by Colledge, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,298,125 and others.

The disadvantage of specifically configured matching bar and weight plate solution is that such solutions are typically specific to a single vendor and not interchangeable or compatible with others. Commercial gym operators already maintain a large inventory of industry-standard equipment from multiple vendors. It is not practical for most gym operators to change out existing inventory, or to mix industry-standard equipment with proprietary equipment.

What is needed is a weight plate retaining solution that is robust, easy to use, easy to visually verify from a distance and which is compatible with industry-standard bars and weight plates. The exercise weight of the present invention is such a solution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a means of securing industry-standard weight plates to an industry-standard bar in a way that is robust, easy to use and easy to visually verify. The weight plate with integrated retaining mechanism of the present invention achieves this objective by combining a robust weight plate of a size similar to industry-standard components with a retaining mechanism capable of engaging an industry-standard weight bar. The weight plate of the present invention is intended to be placed outermost in a stack of weight plates, retaining both itself and the other plates in the stack and thereby forming a barbell or a dumbbell assembly. By being sized and constructed similarly to standard components, the weight plate of the present invention is not easily obscured from view by other components when installed. Therefore its installation can readily be verified by casual visual inspection which may be made from a distance. High-visibility markings or coloring of the weight plate may be used to further aid in verifying that the plate is installed. The retaining mechanism utilized in the weight plate of the present invention may be of any known or new type without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described herein with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a weight plate that is an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view showing key components of the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates the weight plate of the present invention being grasped with two hands for installation and removal; and

FIG. 6 shows two of the weight plates of the present invention assembled with a stack of industry-standard weight plates onto an industry-standard weight bar to form a barbell.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The weight plate 100 engages slidingly with cylindrical bar 200 by means of bore 110. In the illustrated embodiment, two retaining means 120, in the form of simple clamps, are urged into clamping position by springs 125 which are shown in the exploded view FIG. 2. Apertures 130 are provided in order that the user may grasp the weight plate assembly for easy handling, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the weight plate of the present invention and FIG. 4 is a corresponding side cross-sectional view. In FIG. 4 one clamp 120 is shown engaged which is the default position into which the clamp is urged by spring 125, and a second clamp 120 is shown disengaged, as it would be if actuated by the user during installation or removal.

In the illustrated embodiment, each clamp 120, when engaged, substantially prevents movement of the weight plate 100 relative to cylindrical bar 200 in one axial direction only. Two opposing clamps are illustrated herein, in which configuration all axial movement would be restricted. This is illustrative only and is not a requirement of the present invention. In order to achieve full benefit of the present invention, it is sufficient for the retaining means 120 to limit movement in one direction only, in order to retain the weight plate on the cylindrical bar and prevent it from disengaging from the bar. Variations of the illustrated embodiment, including those having only one clamp, or two clamps mounted on the same side of the weight plate, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The use of the illustrated clamps to implement the retaining means 120 is not limiting. Many other clamping mechanisms can be readily utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention.

A typical barbell assembly utilizing the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6. The assembly consists of an industry-standard weight bar on which a stack of industry-standard weight plates is mounted on each end. The stacks of standard weight plates are each retained by a weight plate 100 of the present invention, utilizing retaining means 120. By being similarly sized to industry-standard components, the weight plate 100 of the present invention facilitates easy visual verification of installation. High-visibility paint or markings may further be utilized on the weight plate of the present invention to aid in visual identification.

The present invention achieves its primary objective by integrating a retaining means 120 into a robust weight plate that is comparable in size to industry-standard components, and which is configured to engage with industry-standard weight bars.

Most industry-standard weight bars are substantially smooth. Some examples can be found having shallow grooves or knurling machined into their surface. While such features may engage in a limited way with some embodiments of retaining means 120 of the present invention, they are not essential within the scope of the present invention. Existence of such features is not relied upon and is not a limitation of the present invention. This is distinct and contrasted from systems such as those taught by Colledge and others, wherein at least a portion of the retaining mechanism is integral to the weight bar. Such systems require the use of a proprietary bar and in most cases correspondingly proprietary plates. The innovation of the present invention eliminates such restrictions, allowing best utilization of existing equipment.

The embodiment disclosed herein is illustrative and not limiting; other embodiments shall be readily apparent to those skilled in the art based upon the disclosures made herein, in particular those utilizing varied clamping means and construction techniques, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An exercise weight plate comprising a bore to slidably engage a substantially smooth cylindrical bar and further comprising a retaining means configurable to prevent motion of said exercise weight plate relative to said cylindrical bar in at least an axial direction.

2. The exercise weight plate of claim 1 further comprising high-visibility markings

3. The exercise weight plate of claim 1 further comprising apertures to facilitate a user grasping said weight plate for installation and removal.

4. The exercise weight plate of claim 1 wherein said retaining means is further configurable to prevent motion of said exercise weight plate relative to said cylindrical bar in at least a second axial direction.