Exercise devices – User manipulated force resisting apparatus – component... – Utilizing frictional force resistance
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-13
2001-03-06
Donnelly, Jerome W. (Department: 3733)
Exercise devices
User manipulated force resisting apparatus, component...
Utilizing frictional force resistance
C482S118000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196953
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to barbell bars, and in particular multi piece barbell bars designed to be permanently joined into a single bar. The use of barbells with various removable weights is popular as a method of exercise. The barbells typically employed for weight lifting have solid steel bars that are between 60 inches (5 feet) and 86.6 inches (a little over 7 feet) in length. The length of the bars makes transportation potentially difficult, especially for a purchaser who transports a bar in a car. Storage of the barbell bars in retail stores has also been awkward, because the overall length of the bars requires either more shelf space or vertical storage. Multi-piece barbell bars have been developed to ameliorate the problem of transportation and storage. Most of them have been two piece bars, which have either a threaded member and a female receiving member that interlock to join the two bars, or cooperating flanged portions that interengage to form a unitary bar. A problem with these solutions is that the bars tend to rotate with respect to one another, and could potentially come apart, or do not present a smooth, uninterrupted span between their ends. The solid steel bars are also heavy and relatively expensive as compared with a tubular bar.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a multi-piece barbell bar that does not come apart.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-piece barbell bar wherein the pieces do not rotate with respect to one another.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-piece barbell bar that is inexpensive to manufacture, simple to assemble, and relatively light but sturdy in construction.
Other advantages and desirable objects of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art in light of the following description and accompanying drawings.
Briefly stated, a multi-piece tubular barbell bar with a unique connector intermediate the pieces is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment shown and described is a two-piece bar, but it will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art that the teaching of the disclosure is applicable to three or more parts. In the preferred embodiment, the connector has a cylindrical base member and a projecting member that projects from the base member. The base member and the projecting member have aligned openings through which a bolt is passed, so that a threaded portion of the bolt projects above the projecting member. In the preferred embodiment, the bolt has a noncircular head, as for example a hex head, which seats in a socket in the base member. At least one locking washer is mounted on the threaded portion of the bolt, and a lock nut tightened down on the threaded portion of the bolt against the locking washer. In the preferred embodiment, two locking washers are used, with an integral spacer between them, preferably with a threaded bore, which is threaded onto the bolt, but the washer or washers can be spot welded or otherwise secured against movement on the bolt.
The bar is tubular, rather than solid. In the preferred embodiment, an end of a first bar segment is expanded to the extent that, when assembled, a facing end of the other, second, bar segment fits closely within the expanded section, and seats against a shoulder at the inner end of the expanded section. Before it is assembled, the connector is secured in the unexpanded end of the second bar segment, with the projecting member and lock washers projecting from that end, and the bar is staked into the cylindrical base or body portion of the connector, or spot welded or brazed to the body, in any event securing the body against any movement with respect to the segment into which it is mounted. The lock washers are sized to be deflected inwardly as they are forced into the unexpanded part of the first bar segment end, and to dig into the inner surface of the tubular bar, making it virtually impossible to retract the second segment from the first, after the two are assembled. The two segments are shipped to a destination, for example a retail store, where the barbell is displayed for sale. The final stage of assembly is performed either at the retail store, or by a consumer who purchases the barbell. In either case, the two pieces are assembled by inserting the second segment, with the connector in place, into the expanded section of the first segment, and forcefully urging the two segments together until the end of the second section seats on the shoulder of the first section and the locking washers are forced into the unexpanded part of the first section. As has been explained, the locking washers then act to hold the barbell segments together in a permanently fixed relation.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 3231270 (1966-01-01), Winer
patent: 4351348 (1982-09-01), Axton
patent: 4682774 (1987-07-01), Holy
patent: 5441471 (1995-08-01), Passer
patent: 5536107 (1996-07-01), Baker
patent: 5538354 (1996-07-01), Simond
patent: 5697871 (1997-12-01), Landfair
patent: 5803426 (1998-09-01), Hart
patent: 5876147 (1999-03-01), Longo
Donnelly Jerome W.
Polster, Lieder Woodruff & Lucchesi LLC
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