GB2298587A - Exercise device - Google Patents

Description

EXERCISE DEVICE Field of the Invention This invention relates to exercise devices.

Background to the Invention As a result of both the high initial joining and subsequent continuation costs associated with modern purpose built gymnasiums and sport and leisure complexes home or office exercise devices are becoming increasingly popular.

Of the plethora of available exercise devices for the home or office that are on the market, simple designs of "chin up" or "pull up" bars are proving to be most popular. This is due to their comparative low cost and relative ease of installation, typically between opposing door jambs. Several types of "chin up" bars and methods of installation are currently known. However, they all suffer from the draw back of not being readily demountable from their supports.

Thus, when the bar is not in use, it is extremely inconvenient for individuals to use the doorway as they typically have to bend down to avoid the bar when passing through. Worse still, in the dark, or in the event of a house/office fire, they must consciously remember to bend down when passing through that particular doorway.

Less serious problems associated with this demountability problem concern the inability to easily use the bar for "sit up" exercises once the "chin ups" have been completed. Usually, only one of these exercises can be performed.

In the past, solutions to this problem have involved the use of a pair of struts that can be fixed to opposing jambs of a door frame, the struts usually possessing a plurality of horizontally aligned recesses to accommodate one or more bars at various heights within the door frame. Not only have these solutions been unsightly, but the problem of a readily demountable bar was not adequately addressed.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a readily demountable exercise bar that allows the user of the exercise device to perform a series of isometric, calisthenic and isotonic exercises.. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an aesthetically pleasing exercise device for use in the home or office.

Summary of the Invention According to the broadest aspect of the invention there is provided an exercise device comprising two struts and a bar, the struts being adapted to be fixedly mounted in parallel relationship to opposing sides of a door frame, each strut having at least one slot so positioned that, once the struts are fixedly mounted to the door jambs, at least one pair of opposing slots are in generally horizontal alignment and are each arranged to demountably receive one respective end of the bar and wherein the bar is then retained in its slots - for use by the exerciser - solely by the shape and orientation of the slots.

Preferably, at least a portion of each of the opposing slots is angled away from the horizontal in the exercise devices normal attitude of operation.

Preferably also,at least one strut is of one piece, integrally formed construction.

Advantageously, one or each of the opposing slots penetrates both the inner and outer faces of its strut.

Possibly at least one of the slots of any one strut is not equispaced relative to two other slots of that strut.

Advantageously there is at least one slot in that edge of the strut which is the top edge in its normal attitude of operation.

Preferably at least one strut is slotted or otherwise adapted to receive a portion or the entire length of the bar when the bar is not in use, for storage.

Preferably one or both of the struts is made of wood.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein: Figure 1 shows an exploded view of the embodiment.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment The present embodiment represents currently the best way known to the applicant of putting the invention into practice. However, this is not the only way in which this can be achieved. It is illustrated and will now be described by way of example only.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a bar 1, and a pair of struts 2, with inner and outer faces 3 and 4 respectively. A series of slots within each strut (three of which are indicated by the reference 5) and a series of holes running up the length of each strut (indicated by the reference 6) are also shown.. The bar, 1, is shown to have a uniform coating of a gripping material 7.

The bar in this particular embodiment has two components. There is an integral central wooden core running through the entire length of the bar.

Preferably the wood is made of dowelling as this has no associated "cross grain" that can weaken the wood. This central core is of essentially uniform cross section and is surrounded along its length by a uniform coating of an appropriate gripping material 7. The gripping material may be made from a high surface energy (i.e slip-resistant) plastics material. In addition, the plastics material may have a correspondingly low glass transition temperature (Tg), either by virtue of its type or through the addition of plasticising materials. In this particular embodiment, the glass transition temperature should be below-5 C. This would be particularly advantageous if, for example the bar were to "snap" in use.The plastics gripping surface in such an event, would absorb the break and prevent wooden shards from breaking through the plastics material and potentially injuring the user.

In another preferred embodiment (not illustrated) the gripping surface need only cover a portion of the bar, that portion being where the users body is likely to come in contact with the bar. In either of the preferred embodiments of the aforementioned bar the wooden core is ideal to allow ease of sawing of the bar so that in use, the bar is simply "cut to fit" the width of the door jamb used. In other preferred embodiments (not illustrated) metal bars employing coated gripping surfaces of the types previously described could be used. Alternatively the bare metal bar could be provided with a knurled surface to provide the gripping surface required.In another preferred embodiment (not illustrated) the bar could also incorporate at least one magnet so that when not in use, the bar could, for example, be stored/held in an upright position by at least one other corresponding magnet fixedly mounted to one of the available surfaces of one of the struts, 2. This form of storage of the bar when not in use, would help prevent the possible loss of the bar through the passage of time.

To use the device, each strut 2 is screwed through the holes 6 to a respective one of the opposite upright faces (the so-called jambs) of a door frame (not illustrated) so that corresponding ones of the slots 5 are in horizontal aligmnent.

In the preferred embodiment of Figure 1 each strut, 2 is of one piece, integrally formed wooden construction, for ease of assembly to the door jamb and for aesthetic reasons. If the door frame is already painted, a similar coat of paint applied to the struts, 2 would enable the struts to blend in with the door frame. Alternatively, many door frames are of stained wooden appearance, therefore, the use of wooden struts of the type indicated in Figure 1 would be particularly advantageous as they could also be stained to blend in with the corresponding door frame. In the applicant's preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, each strut will have a series of slots, 5 penetrating both the inner, 3 and outer 4, faces of each strut.These slots as illustrated are angled downwardly away from the horizontal and are so arranged so that opposing slots can each accept one respective end of the bar when in use. In other embodiments (not illustrated) each strut may be shorter in length than those illustrated in Figure 1 and accommodate progressively fewer slots, one slot per strut being the minimum to define a working invention.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, all of the slots, 5 throughout their length are of similar diameter to that portion of the bar, 1 that they are designed to accommodate. In other preferred embodiments (not illustrated) the following arrangements can be envisaged: 1. Slots, 5 that are tapered, so as to accept that portion of the bar, 1 that they are designed to accommodate more easily during the initial phase of fitting.

2. Slots, 5 where opposing walls are parallel but not straight throughout their length, i.e they may define a curved portion as part of their design.

3. Slots of at least one strut that do not penetrate the outer, 4 face of the strut.

4. Any combination of the arrangements of slots as previously described.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, each strut, 2 is shown to be straight and to have a flat base 8 in its design, for initial mounting against both the door jamb and the floor. In other embodiments (not illustrated) it is envisaged that although the outer surface, 4 of the strut will remain flat (for accommodation against a door jamb), those embodiments defining a strut intended to reach the floor once fixedly mounted to the door jamb, will have a broader outwardly tapered base. The advantage being that there will be a greater load bearing capacity in these embodiments.

Claims (9)

1. EXERCISE DEVICE

   CLAIMS 1. An exercise device comprising two struts and a bar, the struts being adapted to be fixedly mounted in parallel relationship to opposing sides of a door frame, each strut having at least one slot so positioned that, once the struts are fixedly mounted to the door jambs, at least one pair of opposing slots are in generally horizontal alignment and are each arranged to demountably receive one respective end of the bar and wherein the bar is then retained in its slots - for use by the exerciser - solely by the shape and orientation of the slots.
2. 2. An exercise device as claimed in Claim 1 characterised in that at least a portion of each of the opposing slots is angled away from the horizontal in the exercise devices normal attitude of operation.
3. 3. An exercise device as claimed in either Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterised in that at least one strut is of one piece, integrally formed construction.
4. 4. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterised in that one or each of the opposing slots penetrates both the inner and outer faces of its strut.
5. 5. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterised in that at least one of the slots of any one strut is not equi-spaced relative to two other slots of that strut.
6. 6. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterised in that there is at least one slot in that edge of the strut which is the top edge in its normal attitude of operation.
7. 7. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterised in that at least one strut is slotted or otherwise adapted to receive a portion or the entire length of the bar when the bar is not in use, for storage.
8. 8. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterised in that one or both of the struts is made of wood.
9. 9. An exercise device substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying diagram.