GB2159913A

GB2159913A - Safety helical spring exercise device

Info

Publication number: GB2159913A
Application number: GB08414621A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cathay Guo Tai Kong
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-06-08
Filing date: 1984-06-08
Publication date: 1985-12-11
Also published as: GB8414621D0; FR2565832A1; NL8401905A

Abstract

A safety helical spring exercise device including a metal bar or wire (11) coiled into a helical spring (10), is characterized in that one or a plurality of wires (12) are wound on the metal wire (11) in a helical form from one end to the other. If the spring wire (11) breaks in use, the broken parts are prevented from flying apart for more than a short distance, by the action of the wound wires (12), reducing the danger such an event represents to the user.

Description

SPECIFICATION Safety Helical Spring Exercise Device This invention relates to helical spring exercise devices used for strengthening the muscles of the arms, shoulders, breast etc., particularly, to the construction of the helical spring which includes wires properly wound on the metal bar or wire coiled to form a helical spring for safety purposes.

Various construction methods have been proposed for the same purposes. European Application No. 0103057 which is applied by the inventor of this application discloses a dyna-bender having a central cord with proper length provided in the hollow of the helical spring and connected to the handle of the spring through a pair of cup-shaped positioning anchors for preventing the sudden attack of the spring on the player when it breaks unexpectedly. Such construction is advisable for the spring device of the type used for bending but not for extending or compressing. For example, if the helical spring is used as a tension spring, the length of the cord may limit the working length of the helical spring, as shown in Fig. 1. If the helical spring is used as a compression spring, the unexpected breaking of the spring has no effect on the cord.

There is also a recently proposed exercising device which includes a plastic wire coiled around the extension helical spring throughout the length and attached to the handles where the spring ends are attached, as shown in Fig. 2, for restricting the springing action of the broken parts of the helical spring while the spring breaks. Although such construction provides a safety effect when the ends of the spring are pulled away from one another by the action of the two hands of the user, it does not provide an effective safety means when the user does the exercise by pulling on one end of the spring with his two hands awayfrom another end of the spring, which is immobilized by his legs. The unexpectedly breaking of the spring will cause the user to turn down since the plastic wire unwinds to a substantial length.

An object of the invention is to provide a helical spring exercising device with an improved safety device that can protect the player from getting hurt upon failure of the spring.

The foregoing and other objects can be achieved in accordance with the invention through the provision of a safety helical spring exercise device which includes a metal bar or wire coiled into a helical spring and is characterized in that a plurality of wires are arranged in a side by side adjacent relationship and wound on the metal bar or wire in a helical form from one end to another end.

The presently preferred exemplary embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

Fig. lisa helical spring exercise device of the prior art; Fig. 2 is another form of the helical spring exercise device of the prior art; Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a helical spring exercise device according to the invention; Fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the winding operation according to the invention; Fig. 5 is a view taken from the line X-X' of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view illustrating in more detaii how the wires are wound on the metal bar of the spring; and Fig. 7 is a view illustrating the spring after it has been broken.

Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown a helical spring 10 formed by coiling a metal wire 11. There are further provided four wires 12 each of which is continuously wound on the metal wire 11 from one end to another end. The wires 12 may be made of metal or other high strength material. The winding of wires 12 on the metal wire 11 is illustrated in Figs.

4through 6.

As shown in Figs. 4through 6, the metal wire 11 is wound on two rollers 13 for being fed, in the direction shown by P to a winding device which includes a rotating disc 14 having a hole 14a through which the wire 11 is passed. On the disc 14 are mounted four reels 12a of wire 12 at the same distances from the center of the disc 14. The wires 12 from four reels are passed between two guide rollers 15 and then wound on the moving metal wire 11. The disc 14 is rotated, in the angular direction as shown by Q, about an axis which is on the same line as the moving path of the wire 11 by means of a driving means through a transmission belt. Since the disc 14 is rotated in the direction as shown by Q and the wire 11 is moved in the direction as shown by P, four wires 12 are wound on the wire 11 ion a spiral form.

The wire 11 after being wrapped by wires 12 is coiled into a helical form having hook ends by a known method. Figure 7 shows a helical tension spring 20 which breaks because of fatigue fracture or the fracture involved during manufacturing when its two ends are pulled away from one another against its resilient biasing force. It is noted that the broken parts of the spring 20 do not shoot off due to the restriction by the unwinding parts of the wires 12. The ends X and Y of the two broken parts are restricted not to shoot away from one another beyond a distance H which is shorter than the distance within which the restriction wire of the spring exercise device of Fig. 2 may catch the broken parts of the spring, thereby providing more safety effect than the device of Fig. 2.

It is more advantageous to use a multiplicity of wires 12 than a single wire 12 to provide more restriction force for the broken parts of the spring. In addition, the multiplicity of wires 12 render the restriction distance less than that of the single wire 12, since, while four turns of the helical wire 12 unwind at the break point in the single wire system when the spring breaks, only one turn of each helical wire 12 may unwind in the four-wire system.

Since the lead angle of the spring is relatively small, a few turns of the wire 12 will unwind when the spring breaks. Therefore, such construction can restrict the broken parts of the spring within a relatively short distance.

With the invention thus explained, it is apparent that obvious modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be limited only as indicated in the appended claims.

Claims

1.A A safety helical spring exercise device including a metal bar or wire coiled into a helical spring characterized in that a plurality of wires are arranged in a side by side adjacent relationship and wound on the metal bar or wire in a helical form from one end to another end.

2. A safety helical spring exercise device including a metal bar or wire coiled into a helical spring characterized in that a wire is wound on the metal bar or wire in a helical form from one end to another end.

3. A safety helical spring exercise device as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.