EP4309748A1

EP4309748A1 - Elastic strap

Info

Publication number: EP4309748A1
Application number: EP22770667.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Evaristo Murtra De Anta
Original assignee: Industrias Murtra SA
Current assignee: Industrias Murtra SA
Priority date: 2021-03-18
Filing date: 2022-03-09
Publication date: 2024-01-24
Also published as: ES2924283B2; WO2022195141A1; ES2924283A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an elastic strap that comprises along its entire length a tubular structure (4), a ligature (5), a main resistant elastic (6) and an additional elastic (7); wherein the ligature (5), the main elastic (6) and the additional elastic (7) are three internal elements, each made up of several branches running substantially along the entire length of an inner space (8) delimited by the tubular structure (4), with the particularity that these three internal elements (5, 6, 7) are linked to said tubular structure (4); wherein the elastic strap comprises a succession of corrugated sections (1) and smooth sections (2), both sections affecting all the elements (4, 5, 6, 7) of the elastic strap; and wherein the additional elastic (7) has the function of configuring the corrugated sections (1) due to its permanent elastic tension in said corrugated sections (1).

Description

Object of the invention

The present invention relates to an elastic strap that is used to train a user's strength by manipulating it with their hands and/or feet; wherein the elastic strap comprises a single piece that is obtained by weaving threads and rubber bands in a longitudinal succession of corrugated sections and smooth sections; and wherein the elastic strap includes at its ends handles created from two corrugated sections with a closed loop configuration. If there is a break in a corrugated section, this structure of the strap of the invention allows, on the one hand, for the possible continued use of the strap and, on the other hand, prevents it from causing injury to the user.

Technical field

The technical field that encompasses the present invention is that belonging to apparatuses for practising sports and gymnastics, and more specifically individual apparatuses for exercising a user's strength.

Technical problem to be solved and background of the invention

At present, several devices and apparatuses for practising gymnastics and sports are known, among which it is worth mentioning those apparatuses for individual use, such as elastic straps; wherein a user can train the strength of their limbs and other body parts by manipulating said elastic strap with their hands and/or feet.
These elastic straps comprise a non-woven construction made up of several pieces, such as a rubber core and a wrap-around structure with metallic elements that have a wrap-around configuration running parallel around and along the entire length of the rubber core and that have handles with metallic or plastic assembly elements at the ends.
This described elastic strap is a construction (without alternating corrugated and smooth sections) with an outer fabric (wrap-around structure) lacking elasticity, or in the best-case scenario with less elasticity than the rubber core, such that the breakage of said rubber core or disassembly of the assembly renders the elastic strap useless.
These conventional straps undergo greater wear than the strap of the invention and this causes sudden breakage or disassembly that could cause injury to the user.
There are also straps on the market that do not have a wrap-around structure. In this case, the strap is made up of an elastic rubber band with handles or without handles (closed loop), which may cause harm to the user in the event of breakage.
Furthermore, there are straps in the sports sector called elastic bands that have several rubber branches, but always in the smooth format, never in the corrugated format or a combination of both.
In the security sector, corrugated straps are known but they do not have the same function as the elastic strap of the invention. In this case, the function of the corrugation is to have more centimetres of strap to facilitate its handling without the strap hanging.

Description of the Invention

In order to achieve the objectives and avoid the drawbacks mentioned in the previous sections, the invention proposes an elastic strap that comprises along its entire length a woven tubular structure, made up of a ligature, a main resistant elastic and an additional elastic.
The ligature, the main elastic and the additional elastic are three internal elements, each made up of several branches running substantially along the entire length of an inner space delimited by the tubular structure, with the particularity that these three internal elements are linked and joined to said tubular structure.
Furthermore, the elastic strap comprises a succession of corrugated sections and smooth sections, both sections affecting all the elements of the elastic strap; and wherein the additional elastic has the function of configuring the corrugated sections due to its permanent elastic tension in said sections.
The branches of the main elastic are fastened and guided in the smooth sections; while in the corrugated sections, the branches of the main elastic are guided but not fastened with freedom of linear mobility along the corrugated sections; wherein the branches of the main elastic in said corrugated sections have a greater lengthening or range of elongation and less resistance than in the smooth sections due to the construction.
It should be noted that due to the woven construction of the strap of the invention, the main elastic (rubber) is always protected from reaching the limit or maximum point of stress.
The branches of the ligature, which are guided but not fastened, run along the inner space in the corrugated sections, while in the smooth sections, the branches of said ligature are intertwined and fastened on the tubular structure; wherein said intertwining and fastening branches anchor opposite areas of the tubular structure.
The branches of the additional elastic are intertwined in opposite areas of the tubular structure in the corrugated sections, while in the smooth sections, said additional elastic runs fastened and guided along the inner space of the tubular structure.
The tubular structure in its corrugated section comprises a wave-shaped configuration made up of two opposite areas that have external vertices and internal vertices; wherein the branches of the additional elastic are linked to the internal vertices of the two opposite areas of the wave-shaped configuration.
The several branches of the main elastic element run in parallel along longitudinal channels of the inner space that are delimited between portions of the tubular structure, the branches of the ligature and the branches of the additional elastic.
The several longitudinal channels are delimited in the corrugated sections between portions of the tubular structure, the branches of the additional elastic joining opposite areas of the tubular structure and the branches of the ligature running parallel to the branches of the main elastic; while in the smooth sections, the longitudinal channels are delimited between portions of the tubular structure, the branches of the ligature joining opposite areas of the tubular structure and the branches of the additional elastic running parallel to the branches of the main elastic.
Thus, the strap of the invention comprises a woven construction made of a single piece, which makes it more durable, it cannot be disassembled, and at the same time its breakage does not occur suddenly (as occurs with other elastic straps in the state of the art), which prevents injury to the user and maintains its usability.
It should be noted that conventional elastic straps comprise a single main elastic (rubber) made up of a single branch that ends up breaking or disassembling over time with the use of the strap, making the strap unusable, since the rubber is split into two parts.
On the other hand, in the elastic strap of the invention, the main elastic comprised of several branches can break into one or more of these branches, such that due to the fact that the strap is woven in alternating smooth and corrugated sections that make up a single piece, said section of the elastic strap will only be partially affected (depending on the number of branches that break).
This construction of the elastic strap allows that same branch to continue functioning in the other sections of the elastic strap, exerting the same tensile strength. As a result, the effect of breaking a branch of the main elastic is limited to that single section.
For the purpose of helping to make this specification more readily understandable, a series of figures constituting an integral part of the same has been included below, wherein by way of illustration and nor limitation the object of the invention has been represented.

Brief description of the figures

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the elastic strap, object of the invention. It comprises an alternating succession of corrugated and smooth sections.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a portion of the strap of the invention.
Figure 3 shows another perspective view of the strap of the invention.
Figure 4 represents a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the strap of the invention according to the section A-A of figure 2; wherein the structure of a corrugated section and another smooth section of the strap is shown.
Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a corrugated section of the strap according to the section B-B of figure 2.
Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a smooth section of the strap of the invention according to the section C-C of figure 2.
Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the elastic strap with a closed-loop annular configuration.

Description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention

Considering the numbering adopted in the figures, the elastic strap comprises an alternating succession of corrugated sections 1 and smooth sections 2, which, if there is a break in a corrugated section 1, it allows, on the one hand, for the possible continued use of the strap and, on the other hand, prevents it from causing injury to the user.
The elastic strap of the invention, shown in figures 1 to 6, includes at its opposite ends closed-loop handles 3 that are made up of the material of the strap itself that is sewn by means of a first zigzag seam 9' that joins two smooth sections 2; specifically, for each handle 3, two smooth sections 2 are sewn, separated by a corrugated section 1 that finally performs the function of the handle 3 itself.
The corrugated sections 1 have a higher degree of elasticity and flexibility than the smooth sections 2.
The elastic strap comprises a tubular structure 4 that is flexible, elastic and integrates a ligature 5, a main resistant elastic 6 and an additional elastic 7 that has the function of configuring the corrugated sections 1 due to the tension of said additional elastic 7; wherein all these elements run along the entire length of the strap.
The tubular structure 4 is made up of the combination of a warp 4a and 4b, a weft 4c with the integration of the ligature 5, the main resistant elastic 6 and the additional elastic 7.
The ligature 5, the main elastic 6 and the additional elastic 7 are three internal elements running substantially along the entire length of an inner space 8 delimited by the tubular structure 4, with the particularity that these internal elements are joined and linked in different ways to said tubular structure 4, as will be described later. Furthermore, these three internal elements 5, 6 and 7 each comprise several branches.
The main elastic (rubber) 6 comprises several branches that are fastened and guided in the smooth sections 2 (figure 6) preventing the complete breakage of said main elastic 6, with the advantage that when it undergoes any degradation, it occurs by sections in some of its several branches and not in all of them.
On the other hand, in the corrugated sections 1 (figure 5), the several branches of the main elastic 6 are guided but not fastened, having freedom of linear mobility along the corrugated sections 1, these sections undergoing gradual wear with the use of the strap. Therefore, the main elastic 6 in said corrugated sections 1 has a greater lengthening or range of elongation than in the smooth sections 2.
Thus, as shown more clearly in figures 5 and 6, the several branches of the elastic element 6 run in parallel along longitudinal channels of the inner space 8 that are delimited between portions of the tubular structure 4 (made up of the warp 4a and 4b and the weft 4c), the branches of the ligature 5 and the branches of the additional elastic 7.
As shown more clearly in figures 4, 5 and 6, the ligature 5 comprises several branches running freely without fastening along the inner space 8 of the corrugated sections 1 (figure 5), while in the smooth sections 2 (figure 6), said ligature 5 is intertwined and fastened in the tubular structure 4 and more specifically in opposite areas of the tubular structure 4. In this way, said opposite areas are joined together by said ligature 5.
In turn, the additional elastic 7 is intertwined and fastened in opposite areas of the tubular structure 4 in the corrugated sections 1 (figure 5), while in the smooth sections (figure 6), said additional elastic band 7 runs guided and fastened, but not intertwined, along the inner space 8 of the tubular structure 4.
The several longitudinal channels in which the several branches of the main elastic 6 are located along the entire length of the strap are first delimited in the corrugated sections 1 (figure 5) between portions of the tubular structure 4, the branches of the additional elastic 7 joining opposite areas of the tubular structure 4 and the branches of the ligature 5 running parallel to the branches of the main elastic 6.
Secondly, in the smooth sections 2 (figure 6), the longitudinal channels are delimited between portions of the tubular structure 4, the branches of the ligature 5 joining opposite areas of the tubular structure 4 and the branches of the additional elastic 7 running parallel to the branches of the main elastic 6.
The additional elastic 7, also made up of several branches, is responsible for maintaining the discontinuity of the tubular structure 4 in the corrugated sections 1, configuring a wave formation (figure 4) that has external vertices 1a and internal vertices 1b; wherein said additional elastic 7 is intertwined in the internal vertices 1b that, like the external vertices, make up the tubular structure 4.
As shown in figures 5 and 6, the branches of the main elastic 6, additional elastic 7 and ligature 5 run along the inner space 8 of the tubular structure 4 in repeated cross-sectional sets; so that considering the cross-section of each corrugated section 1 (figure 5), the branches of the main elastic 6 and the branches of the ligature 5 have a longitudinal path following the wave formation in parallel, while the branches of the additional elastic 7 intertwine and link the opposite areas of the tubular structure 4 through the internal vertices 1b of the wave formation.
In view of the preceding paragraph, in the cross-section of each smooth section 2 (figure 6), the branches of the main elastic 6 and the branches of the additional elastic 7 have a longitudinal path along the strap, while the branches of the ligature 5 intertwine and link the opposite areas of the tubular structure 4 in each smooth section 2.
The elastic strap shown in figure 7 shows a closed-loop annular configuration, which is obtained from a linear strap, the smooth end sections 2 of which have been integrally joined together by means of a second zigzag seam 9.
The degree of lengthening or elongation of the components of the strap of the invention is defined as follows: the main elastic 6 is the element that has the most elongation, then the additional elastic 7 and finally the tubular structure 4. The tubular structure 4 marks the maximum degree of lengthening or elongation of the strap.
It should be noted that the tubular structure 4 is the safety element against possible breakage, so that what breaks or can break due to wear are the branches of the main elastic 6.
Furthermore, the comparison of some conventional elastic straps with the strap of the invention in breakage tests is described below.

A first conventional strap. In the case of breakage, the rubber band (main elastic element) would be covered, although the product would be disassembled.
A second conventional strap, with a breakage limit of 53.2 kg; at least one of the two metallic rings included at the ends of the strap is released.
A third conventional long strap has a breakage limit of 262.9 kg; wherein the breakage would affect the cover in this case.
A first strap model of the invention with a breakage limit of 748.1 kg; wherein the breakage occurs in the seam area of the grip or handle.
A second strap model of the invention. The breakage limit is 835 kg; wherein the breakage occurs in the seam area of the grip or handle.
A third strap model of the invention. The breakage limit is 948 kg; wherein the breakage occurs in the seam area of the grip or handle.
A fourth strap model of the invention. The breakage limit is 1061.1 kg; wherein the stitching is partially broken and the strap is completely broken along the seam area of the grip or handle.

The comparison of some conventional elastic straps with the strap of the invention in fatigue tests is described below.

A first conventional strap. In the case of breakage, the rubber band would be covered, although the product would be disassembled. It has a fatigue limit of 254 days with disassembly of the product.
A second conventional strap, with a fatigue limit of 150 days, wherein the rubber band breaks.
A first strap model of the invention. The breakage limit is 835 kg; wherein the breakage occurs in the seam area of the grip or handle. It has a fatigue limit greater than 365 days.

Claims

An elastic strap, characterised in that it comprises along its entire length a woven construction made of a single piece that is made up of a tubular structure (4), a ligature (5), a main resistant elastic (6) and an additional elastic (7); wherein the ligature (5), the main elastic (6) and the additional elastic (7) are three internal elements, each made up of several branches running substantially along the entire length of an inner space (8) delimited by the tubular structure (4), with the particularity that these three internal elements (5, 6, 7) are linked and intertwined with said tubular structure (4); wherein the elastic strap comprises a succession of corrugated sections (1) and smooth sections (2), both sections affecting all the elements (4, 5, 6, 7) of the elastic strap; and wherein the additional elastic (7) has the function of configuring the corrugated sections (1) due to its permanent elastic tension in said corrugated sections (1).
The elastic strap, according to claim 1, characterised in that the branches of the main elastic (6) are fastened and guided in the smooth sections (2); while in the corrugated sections (1), the branches of the main elastic (6) are guided but not fastened with freedom of linear mobility along the corrugated sections (1); wherein the branches of the main elastic (6) in said corrugated sections (1) allow a greater elongation than in the smooth sections (2).
The elastic strap, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the branches of the ligature (5) run freely without joining the inner space (8) in the corrugated sections (1), while in the smooth sections (2), the branches of said ligature (5) join and fasten the opposite areas of the tubular structure (4).
The elastic strap, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the branches of the additional elastic (7) join the opposite areas of the tubular structure (4) in the corrugated sections (1), while in the smooth sections, said additional elastic (7) runs freely along the inner space (8) of the tubular structure (4).
The elastic strap, according to claim 4, characterised in that the tubular structure (4) in its corrugated section comprises a wave-shaped configuration made up of two opposite areas that have external vertices (1a) and internal vertices (1b); wherein the branches of the additional elastic (7) are linked to the internal vertices (1b) of the two opposite areas of the wave-shaped configuration.
The elastic strap, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the several branches of the elastic element (6) run in parallel along longitudinal channels of the inner space (8) that are delimited between portions of the tubular structure (4), the branches of the ligature (5) and the branches of the additional elastic (7).
The elastic strap, according to claim 6, characterised in that the several longitudinal channels are delimited in the corrugated sections (1) between portions of the tubular structure (4), the branches of the additional elastic (7) joining opposite areas of the tubular structure (4) and the branches of the ligature (5) running parallel to the branches of the main elastic (6); while in the smooth sections (2), the longitudinal channels are delimited between portions of the tubular structure (4), the branches of the ligature (5) joining opposite areas of the tubular structure (4) and the branches of the additional elastic (7) running parallel to the branches of the main elastic (6).