WO2011048370A1

WO2011048370A1 - Skipping rope

Info

Publication number: WO2011048370A1
Application number: PCT/GB2010/001946
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott Robert-Shaw; Lee Collinson-James
Original assignee: Skip-Hop Ltd
Priority date: 2009-10-20
Filing date: 2010-10-20
Publication date: 2011-04-28
Also published as: GB0918352D0; GB2474648A

Abstract

A skipping rope comprises an elongate flexible member including a member end portion and a short handle adapted for use in speed skipping. The handle is coupled to the member end portion in a fashion allowing rotation of the member end portion about its longitudinal axis relative to the handle. A handle extension piece of diameter greater than the diameter over most of its extent of the short handle is adapted for selective coupling to one axial end of the short handle to provide in combination with the short handle an extended handle adapted for use in trick skipping.

Description

SKIPPING ROPE

Background This disclosure relates to skipping ropes, sometimes termed jump ropes in United

States usage.

Skipping ropes are widely used not just for childhood games, but also in exercise regimes and in competitions and displays, and comprise an elongate flexible member. The elongate flexible member is most usually a rope as such, formed of natural and/or artificial fibres, but may sometimes comprise a tape or band, or a solid or tubular plastics member.

The skipping rope is turned so as to pass alternately over the user's head and beneath their feet as the user jumps in time with the moving rope. One end of the rope may be fixed to a fixed point, and the other end turned by the user or a third party; but more usually the two ends will either be held and turned by the user or by two different third parties. When both ends are held by third parties and the rope is long enough, there may be several users simultaneously. Over time, three quite different forms of skipping rope with different handle structures have been developed for serious skipping, that is: for uses other than for children's playground games

• In a Swivel Handle Skipping Rope, a ball race is mounted at one axial end of the handle proper, and a stub projection extends radially outwardly from the outer part of the race, the elongate flexible member, commonly a tubular plastics pipe is fitted to the stub projection, so that in this variant, the elongate flexible member extends radially from the handle end, rather than in the axial direction of the handle;

• In a Speed Skipping Rope, an end portion of the elongate flexible member is either received within a hollow handle which is typically only slightly greater in diameter than the elongate flexible member itself, and is fairly short, typically with an axial length of the order of 10 cm, or is attached to a very small rotating boss at one end of a handle of similar dimensions; • In a Trick Skipping Rope, an end portion of the elongate flexible member is again either received within a hollow handle, or is attached to a very small rotating boss at one end of a handle; but, in either case, the handle is significantly larger than the handle for a Speed Skipping Rope, and may typically have a diameter and axial length up to twice those of a handle of a Speed Skipping Rope.

Skipping ropes with Swivel Handles can only be held by the user themselves and are used for intensive exercise sessions, usually in the setting of a gymnasium. Skipping ropes with Speed Skipping Handles are useful in speed skipping in which the user tries to get in as many turns of the rope in a given time. Trick Skipping Ropes, on the other hand, are useful for displays and competitions in which the user(s) is (are) performing a variety of different jump and other moves which may include changing tempo and/or crossing of the hands. The present disclosure adopts a different approach.

Summary

In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, a skipping rope comprises: an elongate flexible member including a member end portion; a short handle adapted for use in speed skipping, the handle being coupled to said member end portion in a fashion allowing rotation of the member end portion about its longitudinal axis relative to the handle; and a handle extension piece of diameter greater than the diameter over most of its extent of the short handle, and adapted for selective coupling to one axial end of the short handle to provide in combination with the short handle an extended handle adapted for use in trick skipping.

The short handle may have a small boss at one axial end to which the member end portion is attached, the boss being rotatable about the axis of the short handle, the handle extension piece being adapted for selective coupling to the other axial end of the short handle. Alternatively, and preferably, the short handle is hollow, and the member end portion is received within the short handle at one axial end thereof and is terminated by an end stop rotatable within the short handle, the handle extension piece being adapted for selective coupling to the other axial end of the short handle. Accordingly, in a second and alternative aspect of the present disclosure, a skipping rope comprises: an elongate flexible member including a member end portion terminated by an end stop; a short handle adapted for use in speed skipping, within which handle said member end portion is received, the handle being of generally hollow tubular form and comprising a first handle portion and a second handle portion of greater cross- section than the first handle portion joined to, and preferably integral with, one axial end of the first handle portion, the cross-section of the first handle portion being insufficient to accommodate the end stop, whereby the elongate flexible member extends through the entire length of the first handle portion, and the end stop is prevented by the join between the two handle portions from passing into the first handle portion; and a handle extension piece adapted for selective coupling to the second handle portion at its axial end opposite the join with the first handle portion to provide in combination with the short handle an extended handle adapted for use in trick skipping.

While extension pieces have long been used in other sports, for example for snooker cues, it is the Applicant's present belief that extension pieces have never previously been suggested for skipping rope handles. Embodiments of skipping rope constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure enable, without compromising form or function, the same skipping rope to be used for speed skipping without the extension piece, and with the extension piece for trick skipping. A closure stop may be provided for the end of the second handle portion when speed skipping.

Preferably there are identical member end portions and identical handles at both ends of the elongate flexible member.

Preferred embodiments of skipping ropes have one or more of the following features: The end stop comprises a hard plastics piece, preferably moulded in situ to the extreme end of the elongate flexible member, and preferably formed from a self- lubricating plastics material such as Nylon 6 or Nylon 66. The handle is also formed of a self-lubricating plastics material, whereby the member end portion is enabled to spin within the handle with the end stop bearing against internal surfaces of the handle. The internal surface against which the end stop is adapted to bear is provided with a slight conical tapered to provide a self-centring effect with respect to the common axis of the two handle portions. The second handle portion is internally threaded for coupling with the handle extension piece, and alternatively with an optional closure stop.

Brief Description of the Drawings Reference may be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view taken in the plane of the common axis of an end portion and handle of a skipping rope;

Fig. 2 is a similar view for a second embodiment of handle, the elongate flexible member being omitted from the drawing; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view for a third embodiment.

Description of Preferred Embodiments Referring first to Fig. 1, skipping rope 1 comprises an elongate flexible member, here in the form of a rope 2 formed of fibres 3, terminated at its extreme end 4 by a stop 5, here of cylindrical form, moulded to the said extreme end, and an associated handle structure 6. It will be understood that there may an exactly similar stop at the other end portion of the rope, with an exactly similar handle structure.

Handle structure 6 is formed of two components, namely a short handle 7, suitably of around 10-12 cm in length, and a handle extension piece 8. Handle 7 comprises a first handle portion 9, and a second handle portion 10 of greater cross-section than the first handle portion, and here integral with the first handle portion 9. First handle portion 9 tapers slightly along its length from a wider end 1 1 where it joins the second handle portion to its opposite axial end 12 from which the rope 2 extends. It will be seen that even at its narrow axial end 12, first handle portion 9 is of sufficient cross-section internally to accommodate the rope proper. However, even at its wider axial end 1 1, the internal cross-section of first handle portion 9 is insufficient for stop 5, which, as a result, is trapped within the second handle portion 10 by the join between the two handle portions. Axial end 13 of second handle portion 10, opposite its axial end 14 joined to wider axial end 1 1 of the first handle portion 9 by a wall 15 that tapers slightly conically, is open; and the interior of second handle portion 10 is threaded, as shown at 16. Handle extension piece 8 has an externally threaded projection 17 at one axial end adapted to threadedly connect to the thread 16 of second handle portion 10.

In an alternative arrangement, not illustrated, the second handle portion may be externally threaded and cooperate with an internally threaded projection at the axial end of the extension piece 8. A bayonet connection, or any other coupling system could be used in place of a screw connection between the handle 7 and the extension piece 8.

The short handle 7 is adapted for use in speed skipping. By forming the stop 5 and handle 7 of a hard plastics material such as Nylon 6 or Nylon 66, and by tapering wall 15 against which the stop 5 bears, the arrangement is both self lubricating and self centring, and the end portion of rope 2 within the handle may readily spin in use. With the extension piece 8, the combined handle structure has a wider diameter than the diameter of the first handle portion of short handle 7, and it has a combined length of about double that of short handle 7. Thus, with the extension piece, the handle structure is well suited for trick skipping.

A closure stop, not shown, but corresponding in configuration to the axial end portion of the extension piece including projection 17, may be provided for the otherwise open end of the second handle portion when speed skipping.

It is not necessary for the handle end to be closed, either in the speed skipping configuration or in the trick skipping configuration, as shown in Fig. 2, in which like reference numerals are used for like parts to those of the Fig. 1 embodiment. By employing a hollow projection 18 in place of solid projection 17, the arrangement of Fig,. 2 is simpler to mould, uses less material and is less expensive to fabricate.

The teachings of the present disclosure are not necessarily limited to skipping ropes with hollow handles within which the member end portion is received. Fig. 3 shows a rotating boss handle 20 of the kind in which a metal boss 21 rotatable about its axis is received within an axial opening 22 in one end 23 of a short handle suitable for speed skipping. An elongate flexible member, here a plastics tube 24, is terminated with a metal fitting 25 including a ring 26 attachable to distal end 27 of boss 21. The opposite axial end 28 of handle 20 has an internally threaded recess 29 to which a handle extension piece 8 as shown in either Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 may be coupled to provide a combined handle suitable for trick skipping.

Claims

1. A skipping rope comprising: an elongate flexible member including a member end portion; a handle adapted for use in speed skipping, the handle being coupled to said member end portion in a fashion allowing rotation of the member end portion about its longitudinal axis relative to the handle; and a handle extension piece of diameter greater than the diameter over most of its extent of the said handle, and adapted for selective coupling to one axial end of the said handle to provide in combination with the said handle an extended handle adapted for use in trick skipping.

2. A skipping rope according to Claim 1, wherein the said handle has a boss at one axial end to which the member end portion is attached, the boss being rotatable about the axis of the short handle, and the handle extension piece being adapted for selective coupling to the other axial end of the said handle.

3. A skipping rope according to Claim 1, wherein the said handle is hollow, and the member end portion is received within the said handle at one axial end thereof and is terminated by an end stop rotatable within the said handle, and the handle extension piece being adapted for selective coupling to the other axial end of the said handle.

4. A skipping rope according to any of Claim 3, wherein the end stop comprises a hard plastics piece, preferably moulded in situ to the extreme end of the elongate flexible member, and preferably formed from a self-lubricating plastics material such as Nylon 6 or Nylon 66.

5. A skipping rope according to Claim 4, wherein both the end stop and the said handle are formed of a self-lubricating plastics material, whereby the member end portion is enabled to spin within the said handle with the end stop bearing against an internal surface of the handle.

6. A skipping rope according to Claim 5, wherein the internal surface against which the end stop is adapted to bear is provided with a conical taper to provide a self-centring effect with respect to the axis of the said handle.

7. A skipping rope comprising: an elongate flexible member including a member end portion terminated by an end stop; a handle adapted for use in speed skipping, within which handle said member end portion is received, the said handle being of generally hollow tubular form and comprising a first handle portion and a second handle portion of greater cross-section than the first handle portion joined to, and preferably integral with, one axial end of the first handle portion, the cross-section of the first handle portion being insufficient to accommodate the end stop, whereby the elongate flexible member extends through the entire length of the first handle portion, and the end stop is prevented by the join between the two handle portions from passing into the first handle portion; and a handle extension piece adapted for selective coupling to the second handle portion at its axial end opposite the join with the first handle portion to provide in combination with the said handle an extended handle adapted for use in trick skipping.

8. A skipping rope according to Claim 7, wherein a closure is provided for the end of the second handle portion when speed skipping.

9. A skipping rope according to any of Claims 7, wherein the end stop comprises a hard plastics piece, preferably moulded in situ to the extreme end of the elongate flexible member, and preferably formed from a self-lubricating plastics material such as Nylon 6 or Nylon 66.

10. A skipping rope according to Claim 9, wherein both the end stop and the said handle are formed of a self-lubricating plastics material, whereby the member end portion is enabled to spin within the said handle with the end stop bearing against an internal surface of the handle.

1 1. A skipping rope according to Claim 10, wherein the internal surface against which the end stop is adapted to bear is provided with a conical taper to provide a self-centring effect with respect to the axis of the said handle.

12. A skipping rope according to Claim 7, wherein the second handle portion is internally threaded for coupling with the handle extension piece, and alternatively with an optional threaded closure.