ADJUSTABLE LENGTH JUMP ROPE
A jump rope has a rope rotatably attached to handles. One or both handles has a grip, and a cap on a shaft supported by one or more bearings, to allow the cap to rotate with the shaft relative to the grip. The rope extends through an adjustment hole in the cap. The shaft is moveable relative to the cap to place the handle into a locked configuration where the rope is clamped in place and prevented from moving through the cap, and into an unlocked configuration where the rope is moveable through the cap to adjust the length of the rope.
This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/939,553 filed Feb. 13, 2014, and incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONModern fitness jump ropes generally have handles with bearings, to allow the user to comfortably and securely grip the ends of the rope while avoiding twisting the rope. The rope is typically a small diameter steel, plastic or rubber cable, optionally with a sheath or coating to improve aerodynamics and/or reduce wear. The preferred length of the rope varies with the user's height and the type of jumping performed. The length of a jump rope may of course be adjusted by adjusting the position of the grips, knotting, looping, tying off, etc. However, these techniques have various drawbacks. An improved adjustable length jump rope is needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one aspect, a jump rope has a rope or cable rotatably attached to handles. One or both handles has a grip, and a cap on a shaft supported by one or more bearings, to allow the cap to rotate with the shaft relative to the grip. The rope extends through an adjustment hole in the cap. The shaft is moveable relative to the cap to place the handle into a locked configuration where the rope is clamped in place and prevented from moving through the cap, and into an unlocked configuration where the rope is moveable through the cap to adjust the length of the rope.
In the drawings, the same element number indicates the same element in each of the views.
As shown in
Referring to
A shaft 40 is rotatably supported within the tube 18, or within the grip 16 if no tube 18 is used, on upper and lower bearings 32 and 34. Depending on the type of bearing selected, a single bearing may alternatively be used. A tool fitting 30 may be attached onto or formed on or in the lower end of the shaft 40. The tool fitting 30 may be a screw or bolt head as shown in
Turning to
As shown in
With handles having a tool fitting 30, such as the handle 12A shown in
After the cable 14 is pulled through the adjustment hole 60 to achieve the desired length, the shaft 40 is rotated in the opposite direction. This causes the upper end 44 of the shaft 40 to move further into the cap hole 54 and clamp the lead section 26 of the cable 14 in place within the cap 48.
Of course, during cable length adjustment, the shaft may alternatively be held in place using a tool while rotating the cap 48. With the upper end 44 of the shaft 40 threaded into the cap hole 54 and clamping against the lead section 26 of the cable 14, the handle is in a locked configuration. With the handle in the locked configuration, the cable cannot move relative to the cap, and the length of the cable is fixed. With the upper end 44 of the shaft 40 released from clamping against the lead section 26 of the cable 14, the handle is in an unlocked configuration where the cable can be pulled through the adjustment hole 60, allowing the cable length to be adjusted.
During use the handle is in the locked configuration so that the length of the cable is fixed. The top end of the shaft may be flat or blunt so that it may be forced against the cable 14 without damaging the cable. The cap 48 may also be dimensioned so that, in the locked configuration, a flat bottom surface of the cap bottoms out onto the upper ring 20, to prevent crushing the cable 14.
Thus, a novel jump rope has been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited except to the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A jump rope comprising:
- a rope having a first end attached to a first handle and a second end attached to a second handle;
- the first handle having a shaft rotatable within a grip, with the shaft projecting into a shaft hole in a cap, and an adjustment hole in the cap intersecting with the shaft hole, and with the first end of the rope extending through the adjustment hole, and the first handle having a locked configuration wherein the shaft engages the first end of the rope to prevent movement of the first end of the rope through the adjustment hole, and an unlocked configuration wherein the shaft is disengaged from the first end of the rope to allow movement of the first end of the rope through the adjustment hole, to allow adjustment of the length of the rope between the first and second handles.
2. The jump rope of claim 2 wherein the shaft is threaded into the stud hole.
3. The jump rope of claim 1 with the shaft rotatable about a shaft axis substantially perpendicular to a cap axis extending centrally through the adjustment hole.
4. The jump rope of claim 1 wherein the rope comprises a braided wire cable.
5. The jump rope of claim 1 wherein the cap is round and the shaft extends into a center of the cap, and the adjustment hole is aligned on an axis forming a diameter of the cap.
6. The jump rope of claim 1 with the shaft centrally and rotatably supported within the grip by an upper bearing and a lower bearing.
7. The jump rope of claim 1 wherein the cap is round and has a diameter and further including a loop hole in the cap on a loop hole axis forming a chord of the round cap.
8. The jump rope of claim 1 further including a loop hole in the cap parallel to the adjustment hole, with the adjustment hole passing through a center of the cap and with the loop hole on one side of the adjustment hole.
9. The jump rope of claim 8 with the first end of the cable passing through the adjustment hole and through the loop hole, and forming a loop on one side of the cap.
10. The jump rope of claim 1 wherein the shaft extends substantially entirely through the grip, further including a tool fitting on a lower end of the shaft.
11. The jump rope of claim 10 with the tool fitting comprising a screw head, a bolt head or a socket.
12. The jump rope of claim 1 further including a knob on the lower end of the shaft.
13. The jump rope of claim 1 with the second handle being the same as the first handle.
14. A jump rope comprising:
- a rope having a first end rotatably attached to a first handle and a second end rotatably attached to a second handle;
- the first handle having: a first grip; a first round cap on a first shaft, with the first shaft supported by one or more bearings in the first grip, to allow the first round cap to rotate with the first shaft relative to the first grip; a first adjustment hole on a diameter of the first round cap; a first loop hole in the first round cap on a chord of the first round cap; with the first end of the rope extending through the first adjustment hole and through the first loop hole and forming a loop on one side of the first round cap, and with the first handle having a locked configuration wherein the first end of the rope is prevented from moving through the first adjustment hole, and an unlocked configuration the first end of the rope is moveable through the first adjustment hole.
15. The jump rope of claim 14 with the first end of the rope clamped between the first round cap and a first end of the first shaft when the handle is in the locked configuration.
16. The jump rope of claim 15 with the first round cap threaded onto the first end of the first shaft and with the first round cap rotatable relative to the first shaft to change the first handle from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration.
17. The jump rope of claim 16 further including a tool fitting on a second end of the first shaft.
18. The jump rope of claim 16 further including a knob permanently attached to a second end of the shaft.
19. The jump rope of claim 14 wherein the first loop hole is parallel to and offset to one side of the first adjustment hole, a central longitudinal axis of the first shaft passes through a center of the first round cap, and the first adjustment hole is perpendicular to the first shaft.
20. The jump rope of claim 14 wherein the second handle having:
- a second grip;
- a second round cap on a second shaft, with the second shaft supported by one or more bearings in the second grip, to allow the second round cap to rotate with the second shaft relative to the second grip;
- a second adjustment hole on a diameter of the second round cap;
- a second loop hole in the second round cap on a chord of the second round cap;
- with the second end of the rope extending through the second adjustment hole and through the second loop hole and forming a loop on one side of the second round cap, and with the second handle having a locked configuration wherein the second end of the rope is prevented from moving through the second adjustment hole, and an unlocked configuration where the second end of the rope is moveable through the second adjustment hole.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 13, 2014
Publication Date: Aug 13, 2015
Inventors: Allen Keith Holland (Carlsbad, CA), Kash Oris Bell (Carlsbad, CA)
Application Number: 14/459,225