GB2475546A

GB2475546A - An exercise device with an extendable pole and 2 elastic ropes

Info

Publication number: GB2475546A
Application number: GB0920489A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Wooldridge
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-11-23
Filing date: 2009-11-23
Publication date: 2011-05-25
Also published as: GB0920489D0

Abstract

A portable gym comprising an extendable pole 101 and two elastic ropes 118 wherein each elastic rope 118 has one end attached to the pole 101 and a stirrup 120 mounted to the other end. The stirrup 120 acts as a handle during use. The pole 101 may have clamps 106 at either end to allow it to be mounted to a door. The elastic ropes 118 may be attached to the pole 101 through the use of clips 114 which sit in corresponding grooves 110. There may be more than two grooves 110 on the pole 101 to allow the ropes 118 to be mounted in different positions. The grooves 110 may be arranged to move along the pole 101 and a variety of ropes 118 may be used for different exercises.

Description

Portable Doorway Gym

Background of the Invention

[1] The present invention relates to portable exercise apparatus and in particular to such apparatus using a doorway.

[2] Doorway training bars requiring permanent fixings to mount them in a doorway are known in the art. For example, GR 2002100341 to Koukoulas discloses a doorway training bar comprising two tubes, a shaft-screw, two nuts and two end fittings having an elastic ring. The two tubes are adapted to rotate freely around the shaft-screw, and the two nuts are interposed between the aforementioned tubes and a support cylinder with its projection positioned between the nuts. The two end fittings of the bar are firmly adapted to the door's jamb and secured thereon through one nut, which is rotatable via a proper key.

[3] Furthermore, US 3738650 to Ossenkop discloses doorway gym bars comprising a pair of telescoped tubes having metallic end fittings for locking the tubes to metallic brackets fastened to a door jamb. One embodiment of the invention comprises spring biased buttons protruding through apertures formed in the end fittings which releasably lock the end fittings into circular holes formed in U-shaped brackets. Another embodiment comprises circularly flared tube ends which nest in a wedge-shaped slot formed in each bracket. A third embodiment comprises wedge-shaped end-fitting blocks having offset tabs which complementarily fit into wedge-shaped bracket blocks having a pair of offset slots.

[4] Exercise means using elastic members to provide resistance are known in the art. For example, US 5662555 to Cloutier discloses a portable body stretching and body building gym, and method of using the same. The gym comprises hooks for suspending the device from a rod or beam, and first and second elongate flexible members. The first elongate flexible members have a first end secured to the hooks and a second end secured to stirrups. The second elongate flexible members have a first end secured to the hooks, a plurality of connectors spaced along the second elongate flexible members, and hand grips removably attached to the connectors. The gym also comprises a chin bar, slant board and knee bar inverted posture devices for being adjustably suspended from the elongate flexible members for working and stretching in an inverted position.

[5] Furthermore, it is known in the art to use a doorway combined with one's own body weight for resistance, to perform exercises. For example, US 2009017996 to Chic discloses an exercise device having a handle assembly movably jointed to a hook assembly having a pivoted foot. In use, the hooks are used to engage two of the devices to a door frame. The user grips both handles and leans forwards or backwards so that their body weight provides a resistive force for repetitive exercise.

Brief SmTlTnary of the Invention [6] It can be seen from the forgoing that there is a prevalent need for flexible home gyms. It would be advantageous to have such a gym which could be quickly and easily removed in order to use it in a variety of locations, for example for those who travel frequently. It would be further advantageous if the gym could be adaptable to exercise all parts of the body, eliminating the need for many types of equipment.

[7] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a portable home gym mounted on a doorway training bar which can be adapted to exercise all parts of the body and further which can be quickly removed and replaced in any doorway.

[8] To this end, a portable gym is disclosed comprising: an extendable pole having two ends; a clamp on each said end; at least two elastic ropes having a first end mounted on said pole and a second end; and a stirrup mounted on each said second end.

Preferably, the gym comprises three grooves; wherein two grooves are adjacent to each other and one groove is distant from the two adjacent grooves. The pole is affixed between the sides of a doorway or similarly shaped walls, and exercises can be performed by holding the stirrups and pulling to stretch the ropes.

[9] An advantage of the present invention is that it exercises all parts of the body with minimal equipment. A further advantage is that it can be attached to any doorway or similarly shaped opening quickly and without screwing into or permanently mounting anything on the doorway. A yet further advantage is that it can be adapted to provide different degrees of resistance.

Brief Description of the Several Views of the Drawing [10] The invention can be better understood with reference to Figure 1 which shows the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[11] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in Figure 1, a portable gym is disclosed comprising: an extendable pole 100 having two ends; a clamp 106 on each said end; at least two elastic ropes 118 having a first end mounted on said pole and a second end; and a stirrup 120 mounted on each said second end.

The pole is affixed between the sides of a doorway or similarly shaped walls, and exercises can be performed by holding the stirrups and pulling to stretch the ropes.

[121 Preferably, the extendable pole is a telescopic pole comprising an inner member 101 sliding telescopically inside an outer member 102. The pole may comprise aluminium, steel, or any metal tube or other material strong enough to support the weight of a user. The pole preferably further comprises a length clamp 108 which may be a push clamp, twist clamp or any tubular clamping mechanism as known in the art, for fixing the length of the pole when telescopically extended to the desired length (that is, the width of the doorway or other location where the gym is to be affixed). An advantage of the pole having an adjustable length is that it can be adjusted to fit a range of sizes of doorways or similar apertures. The ends of the pole may be flat and may comprise rubber or the like to grip the doorway, however, preferably side clamps 106 are disposed to the ends of the pole.

The clamps are toggle clamps having a squared-off U shape, that is, shaped to fit around the sides of the door frame and adjust to the depth of the door frame via the toggles. An advantage of this is that it provides a more secure fit to the door frame.

[13] The elastic ropes are preferably bungee ropes as known in the art although they may be other forms of elastic ropes.

They may be all of the same elasticity or may comprise ropes of a variety of elasticities to provide a user with different resistances with which to exercise. The ropes may be all of the same length or may comprise different lengths to allow a user to perform different exercises with different body parts at different distances from the pole. The ropes may be adjustable in length or of fixed length.

[14] The stirrups are preferably shaped as shown in the figures for ease and comfort of holding in a hand. Alternatively they may be shaped as known in the art for foot stirrups, for ease of exercising using a foot, or may be any shape which can be held. The stirrups may be mounted to the second end of the ropes by screws, glue, or any means known in the art. Preferably, for neatness of design, the ropes are attached to a hollow inside the stirrups as shown in the figures.

{15] Preferably the portable gym further comprises at least two grooves 110 in said pole; and a clip 114 for communicating with said grooves, attached to said first end of said elastic rope; whereby said elastic ropes can be removably connected to said pole. The grooves may be simple hollows in the pole, or may be short cylinders mounted on the pole comprising ridges at each side and a groove between the ridges as shown in the figures. The grooves may be fixed in position on the pole or their position may be adjustable. The clips are preferably C shaped clips having outwardly curved edges as shown in the figures, and preferably comprise aluminium for flexibility and resistance although they may also comprise engineering polymers or other suitable materials. The clips are pushed over the grooves and snap into place on the grooves. Alternatively other forms of clip may be used, such as spring-loaded clips, or other clipping means known in the art. The clips are mounted, preferably via a screw 116 or alternatively via any means known in the art, to the first ends of the elastic ropes.

[16] In a most preferred embodiment, the gym comprises three grooves; wherein two said grooves 112 are adjacent to each other and one said groove 110 is distant from said two adjacent grooves. The grooves are as described above. The distance between the adjacent grooves is preferably of the order of a few centimetres. The distance between the distant grooves is preferably of the order of a human shoulder width apart. An advantage of this arrangement is that exercises can be performed with both hands or both feet using the distant grooves, and for a single hand or foot the resistance can be doubled by using the adjacent grooves and holding both stirrups together. This maximizes the range of exercises while minimizing the amount and weight of equipment, enhancing the portability of the portable gym. Alternatively, the gym may comprise two pairs of adjacent grooves, or two distant grooves. Furthermore the apparatus may comprise a number of grooves which slide along the pole and can be affixed thereon at any point along the pole. An advantage of this is that it can be adjusted for users of different body dimensions.

Claims

Claims 1. A portable gym comprising: an extendable pole having two ends; at least two elastic ropes having a first end mounted on said pole and a second end; and a stirrup mounted on each said second end.
2. The portable gym of claim 1 further comprising a clamp on each said end of said pole whereby said pole can be securely fitted to a doorway.
3. The portable gym of claim 1 further comprising: at least two grooves in said pole; and a clip for communicating with said grooves, attached to said first end of said elastic rope; whereby said elastic ropes can be removably connected to said pole.
4. The portable gym of claim 3 comprising three said grooves; wherein two said grooves are adjacent to each other and one said groove is distant from said two adjacent grooves.