WO2023235729A1

WO2023235729A1 - Stackable dumbbell and system for storage and transportation

Info

Publication number: WO2023235729A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/067661
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nathaniel CARRUTHERS; Austin LAURER; Jake STEWART
Original assignee: Clmbr1, Llc
Priority date: 2022-05-31
Filing date: 2023-05-31
Publication date: 2023-12-07

Abstract

A system for storing and using dumbbells is provided. The system may include a dumbbell comprising a body having an opening. The body of one dumbbell may be configured to stack on the body of another dumbbell. The system may also include a storage rack configured to receive the dumbbell. The storage rack may comprise a movable assembly configured to move a corresponding dumbbell between a first position and a second position.

Description

STACKABLE DUMBBELL AND SYSTEM FOR STORAGE AND

TRANSPORTATION

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/347,512, filed on May 31, 2022, entitled “STACKABLE DUMBBELL AND SYSTEM FOR STORAGE AND TRANSPORTAION”, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The present disclosure is generally directed to dumbbells or weights, and relates more particularly to dumbbells configured to nest or stack on each other.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Dumbbells are often used for exercise and weight training and typically come in sets of different weights. Conventional dumbbells sets may be bulky and as a result may be difficult to store or transport and/or may occupy a large volume of space. Further, conventional racks sets are typically transported (whether for shipping or local transportation) separately from the dumbbells and thus may require assembly and/or disassembly by a user.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0004] Example aspects of the present disclosure include:

[0005] A system for storing dumbbells according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a dumbbell comprising a body having an opening, wherein the body of one dumbbell is configured to stack on the body of another dumbbell; and a storage rack configured to receive the dumbbell.

[0006] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the dumbbell comprises a handle positioned in the opening and coupled to the body at at least one end of the handle.

[0007] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the body comprises a midline extending across the opening from a first side to a second side, a U-shaped first portion, and a U- shaped second portion, the first portion and the second portion each extending from the midline at an angle.

[0008] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the handle comprises a bar extending from the first side to the second side along the midline. [0009] Any of the aspects herein, wherein an angle between the first portion and the second portion is an obtuse angle.

[0010] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the storage rack comprises a movable assembly configured to move the dumbbell from a first position to a second position. [0011] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the moveable assembly comprises a first rail fixed to the storage rack and a second rail slidable on the first rail, wherein the second rail is configured to receive the dumbbell and move the dumbbell from the first position to the second position.

[0012] Any of the aspects herein, further comprising a housing configured to receive and store the storage rack and the dumbbell.

[0013] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the body is rectangular when viewed from a top of the dumbbell and is V-shaped when viewed from a side of the dumbbell.

[0014] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the dumbbell comprises a plurality of dumbbells.

[0015] A dumbbell system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a dumbbell comprising a body having an opening, wherein the body of one dumbbell is configured to stack on the body of another dumbbell; and a housing configured to receive the dumbbell, the housing comprises a movable assembly configured to move the dumbbell from a first position to a second position.

[0016] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the dumbbell comprises a bar positioned in the opening and coupled to the body at at least one end of the bar.

[0017] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the body comprises a midline extending across the opening from a first side to a second side, a U-shaped first portion, and a U- shaped second portion, the first portion and the second portion each extending from the midline at an angle.

[0018] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the bar is positioned in the opening and extending from the first side to the second side along the midline.

[0019] Any of the aspects herein, wherein an angle between the first portion and the second portion is an obtuse angle.

[0020] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the body is rectangular when viewed from a top of the dumbbell and is V-shaped when viewed from a side of the dumbbell.

[0021] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the moveable assembly comprises a first rail fixed to the storage rack and a second rail slidable on the first rail, wherein the second rail is configured to receive the dumbbell and move the dumbbell from the first position to the second position.

[0022] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the moveable assembly further comprises a dumbbell support coupled to the second rail and configured to support the dumbbell, wherein the dumbbell support is shaped to receive the dumbbell.

[0023] Any of the aspects herein, wherein the dumbbell support is V-shaped.

[0024] A dumbbell system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a dumbbell comprising a body having an opening, a midline extending across the opening from a first side to a second side, a U-shaped first portion, and a U-shaped second portion, a bar positioned in the opening and extending from the first side to the second side along the midline, the first portion and the second portion each extending from the midline at an angle, wherein the body of one dumbbell is configured to stack on the body of another dumbbell; and a housing configured to receive the dumbbell, the housing comprises a movable assembly configured to move the dumbbell from a first position to a second position, the movable assembly including a first rail fixed to the storage rack and a second rail slidable on the first rail, wherein the second rail is configured to receive the dumbbell and move the dumbbell from the first position to the second position.

[0025] Any aspect in combination with any one or more other aspects.

[0026] Any one or more of the features disclosed herein.

[0027] Any one or more of the features as substantially disclosed herein.

[0028] Any one or more of the features as substantially disclosed herein in combination with any one or more other features as substantially disclosed herein.

[0029] Any one of the aspects/features/embodiments in combination with any one or more other aspects/features/embodiments.

[0030] Use of any one or more of the aspects or features as disclosed herein.

[0031] It is to be appreciated that any feature described herein can be claimed in combination with any other feature(s) as described herein, regardless of whether the features come from the same described embodiment.

[0032] The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, contents, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. [0033] The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at least one of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together. When each one of A, B, and C in the above expressions refers to an element, such as X, Y, and Z, or class of elements, such as Xl-Xn, Yl-Ym, and Zl-Zo, the phrase is intended to refer to a single element selected from X, Y, and Z, a combination of elements selected from the same class (e.g., XI and X2) as well as a combination of elements selected from two or more classes (e.g., Y1 and Zo).

[0034] The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

[0035] The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects, embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

[0036] Numerous additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the embodiment descriptions provided hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS [0037] The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form a part of the specification to illustrate several examples of the present disclosure. These drawings, together with the description, explain the principles of the disclosure. The drawings simply illustrate preferred and alternative examples of how the disclosure can be made and used and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure to only the illustrated and described examples. Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following, more detailed, description of the various aspects, embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure, as illustrated by the drawings referenced below.

[0038] Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a plurality of dumbbells according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a plurality of dumbbells according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Fig. 3 is an isometric view of a dumbbell according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Fig. 4 a cross-sectional front view of a dumbbell taken along line 4-4 shown in

Fig. 5 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] Fig. 5 a top view of a dumbbell according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] Fig. 6 a cross-sectional side view of the dumbbell taken along line 6-6 shown in

Fig. 5 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Fig. 7 illustrates an isometric exploded view and a side, cross-sectional exploded view of the dumbbell according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] Fig. 8 illustrates a pair of dumbbells according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] Fig. 9 is an isometric view of a housing according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] Fig. 10 is an isometric view of a housing and a climbing exercise machine according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] Fig. 11 is an isometric view of a housing according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] Fig. 12 is an isometric view of a housing according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] Fig. 13 is an isometric view of a housing according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] Fig. 14 is an isometric view of a housing according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] Fig. 15 is an isometric view of a housing according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] Fig. 16 is an isometric view of a storage rack according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure; [0054] Fig. 17 is a view of a movable assembly according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Fig. 18 is an exploded view of a movable assembly according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] Fig. 19 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an exemplary computing environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented; and [0057] Fig. 20 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an exemplary computing device in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] It should be understood that various aspects disclosed herein may be combined in different combinations than the combinations specifically presented in the description and accompanying drawings. It should also be understood that, depending on the example or embodiment, certain acts or events of any of the processes or methods described herein may be performed in a different sequence, and/or may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., all described acts or events may not be necessary to carry out the disclosed techniques according to different embodiments of the present disclosure).

[0059] Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Further, the present disclosure may use examples to illustrate one or more aspects thereof. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the use or listing of one or more examples (which may be denoted by “for example,” “by way of example,” “e.g.,” “such as,” or similar language) is not intended to and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0060] Turning to Fig. 1, an isometric view of a plurality of dumbbells 100 is shown. Each dumbbell of the plurality of dumbbells 100 is sized and shaped so as to stack on top of each other, which enables easy storage of the dumbbells 100 with or without a rack. In the illustrated embodiment, each dumbbell 102 is simply placed on top of each other, though as will be described in Figs. 2-7, the dumbbells 100 may be stored on a rack and/or inside of a housing. The plurality of dumbbells 100 may comprise dumbbells of different weights and/or sizes. In other instances, the plurality of dumbbells 100 may comprise dumbbells of the same weights and/or sizes. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of dumbbells 100 comprises twelve dumbbells. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the plurality of dumbbells 100 may comprise less or more than twelve dumbbells. Further, though a plurality of dumbbells 100 is described, in some embodiments the dumbbells 102 may comprise one dumbbell.

[0061] Turning to Fig. 2, an exploded view of the plurality of dumbbells 100 is shown. Each dumbbell 102 comprises a body 104 having an opening 106. The body 104 of one dumbbell 102 is configured to stack on the body 104 of another dumbbell 102. The body 104 comprises a midline 108 (shown in Fig. 4) extending across the opening 106 from a first side 110 to a second side 112 (shown in Fig. 3). The body 104 also comprises a first portion 114 and a second portion 116 each extending from the midline 108 at an angle. In some embodiments, an angle between the first portion 114 and the second portion 116 may be an obtuse angle such that the body 104 forms a V-shape or U-shape when viewed from the side. In other embodiments, the angle between the first portion 114 and the second portion 116 may be any angle.

[0062] In the illustrated embodiment, the first portion 114 and the second portion 116 are V-shaped and form a rectangle when the dumbbell 102 is viewed from above. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the first portion 114 and the second portion 116 may be any shape when viewed from above such as, for example, oval, circular, triangular, or the like. The first portion 114 and the second portion 116 comprise a first base 118 and a second base 120, respectively. Each of the first base 114 and the second base 116 has a width 122. The width 122 may be greater at the first base 118 and/or the second base 120 than a width of the body 104 at the first side 110 and/or the second side 112 as shown in dumbbells 102A, 102B, 102C. In other instances, the width 122 at the first base 118 and the second base 120 may be the same as a width of the body 104 at the first side 110 and/or the second side 112, as shown in the dumbbell 102D. In other words, a width of the body 104 may be the same around an entire perimeter of the body 104. In some embodiments, the width 122 may differ on different dumbbells 102. For example, a first width 122 A of a first dumbbell 102 A may be greater than a second width 122B of a second dumbbell 102B. [0063] Turning to Figs. 3 and 4, an isometric view of the dumbbell 102 and a cross- sectional front view of the dumbbell 102 taken along line 4-4 (shown in Fig. 5) are respectively shown. The dumbbell 102 comprises a handle 124 positioned in the opening 106 and coupled to the body 104 at at least one end of the handle 124. In the illustrated embodiment, the handle 124 comprises a bar extending from the first side 110 to the second side 112 along the midline 108. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the handle 124 may comprise any shape (for example, the handle 124 may be square and/or include finger grooves), and may be offset from the midline 106. For example, the handle 124 may be positioned closer to the first portion 114, the second portion 116, or extend from the first portion 114 to the second portion 116.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 4, the handle 124 is coupled to the body 104 via a spacer 126 and a screw 128 coupling each end of the handle 124 to the body 104. More specifically, each end of the handle 124 may be disposed in a corresponding aperture of the body 104 and the screws 128 may be threaded into corresponding ends of the handle 124. The spacer 126 may be positioned between the handle 124 and the screw 128 and may press against a flange or a surface of the body 104 at the corresponding aperture so as to couple the handle 124 to the body 104. The dumbbell 102 may also comprise a cap 130 to cover the aperture of the body 104. In some embodiments, the cap 130 may be flush with an outer surface 132 of the body 104. It will be appreciated that the handle 124 may be coupled to the body 104 in any manner. For example, the handle 124 and the body 104 may be formed from one piece. In other examples, the handle 124 may be coupled to the body 104 using a press fit and/or adhesion.

[0065] Turning to Figs. 5 and 6, a top view of the dumbbell 102 and a cross-sectional side view taken along line 6-6 (shown in Fig. 5) are respectively shown. As previously described, in some embodiments, the body 104 forms a rectangle when viewed from above as shown in Fig. 5 and a V-shape when viewed from the side, as shown in Fig. 6. It will be appreciated that the body 104 may form any shapes when view from any angle. As further shown in Figs. 5 and 6, an interior surface 134 of the body 104 extends around a perimeter of the opening 106 and extends from a top surface 136 to a bottom surface 138 of the body 104 at an angle. In other words, the interior surface 134 may be at an angle other than 90 degrees relative to the top surface 136 and the bottom surface 138. In other embodiments, the interior surface 134 may be perpendicular to the top surface 136 and/or the bottom surface 138. As also shown, the outer surface 132 is substantially perpendicular to the top surface 136 and the bottom surface 138. In other embodiments, the outer surface 132 may be at any angle relative to the top surface 136 and/or the bottom surface 138.

[0066] Turning to Fig. 7, an isometric exploded and a front, cross-sectional, exploded view of the dumbbell 102 are shown. The dumbbell 102 may include one or more sensors 186 disposed on or otherwise integrated with the dumbbell 102. In embodiments, the one or more sensors 186 or devices are configured for measuring and/or recording at least one parameter (e.g., motion of the dumbbell 102, number of reps, etc.) associated with a use of the dumbbell 102 that corresponds to a parameter of interest to the user. Specifically, many users desire to measure, record, or calculate parameters such as a length of the workout, a number of reps, a quantity of energy expended the workout, and so on. In some cases, these parameters can be measured directly (e.g. by timing the workout), while others may be calculated from parameters associated with the dumbbells 102, e.g., movement of the dumbbells 102. Accordingly, the sensor(s) 186 or device(s) may measure and/or record the parameter associated with the dumbbell 102 and, optionally, convert this parameter to a parameter of interest to the user according to an algorithm. The sensor(s) 186 may transmit data or otherwise interface with a computer system such as a computer system 300 (described in Figs. 19 and 20), a user device, or a climbing machine such as a climbing machine 192 (described in Fig. 10). In some embodiments, data comprising the parameter associated with the dumbbell 102 and/or the parameter of interest to the user may be presented to the user in a graphical user interface of the tablet computer of the climbing machine 192. The sensor 186 may be a force sensor, a position sensor, a proximity sensor, a magnetometer, or an accelerometer. In some embodiments, the sensor 186 may be a linear encoder, a rotary encoder, or an incremental encoder. In still other embodiments, the sensor 186 may be an imaging sensor. Other types of sensors may also be used as the sensor 186.

[0067] Turning to Fig. 8, an example of a pair of dumbbells 102 as used by a user 140 is shown. During use, the user 140 may grip the dumbbells 102 by the handle 124. The opening 106 provides room for a user to grip the handle 124 and to maneuver the dumbbell 102. As shown, the first base 114 and the second base 116 may contact the ground and may also provide a supportive base on which the user 140 may rest or press against the dumbbell 140, as shown. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments not shown, the dumbbells 102 may be used for any other weight-based exercises such as, for example, bicep curls, overhead presses, extensions, etc. [0068] Turning to Fig. 9, an isometric view of an example housing 142A is shown. The housing 142A may comprise a housing body 144 and a lid 146 having a lid handle 152. The housing body 144 may comprise one or more handles 148. In the illustrated embodiment, the handles 148 comprise one or more openings on the housing body 144, though in other embodiments the handles 148 may comprise, for example, a bar coupled to the housing body 144 or a ledge or a depression on the housing body 144. The housing body 144 also comprises a channel 150 that enables the housing 142A to be positioned over, for example, a bar or base of an exercise machine 186 (which may be, for example, the climbing machine 192). The housing 142A may be useful for transporting the dumbbells 102 and/or storing the dumbbells 102. During storage, the housing 142A may prevent dust or debris from accumulating on the dumbbells 102.

[0069] Turning to Fig. 10, another example housing 142B is shown. The housing 142B may be substantially similar to the housing 142A described above and may further include wheels 154. The wheels 154 may enable easy movement of the housing 142B, and thus, the dumbbells 102. As also shown in Fig. 9, the housing 142B may be used for exercising (and in such embodiments, the wheels may lock to enable the housing 142B to be used as a stable box) and may replace conventional exercise boxes. Thus, a system 156 comprising the housing 142B and the dumbbells 102 may be multifunctional and simplify and consolidate the number of components used for certain exercises.

[0070] Also shown is a wearable sensor 188 which may be the same as or similar to the sensor 186, except that the sensor 188 is wearable by the user 140. The wearable sensor 188 may comprise, for example, a watch, a personal device, a cell phone, a sensor coupled with a strap or any other device configured to releasably couple the sensor to the user 140, etc. The sensor(s) 186 and the wearable sensor(s) 188 may transmit data or otherwise interface with the computer system 300 (described in Figs. 19 and 20), a user device, or the climbing machine 192. The climbing machine 192 is described in International Application No. PCT/US21/62814, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0071] Turning to Figs. 11 and 12, the system 156 is shown in which a dumbbell 102 is shown in a first position and a second position, respectively. The housing 142C, as shown, comprises a door 158 configured to swing between an open position and a closed positioned as indicated by the arrow 160. The housing 146C also includes a platform 166 comprising legs for supporting the housing 146C. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the platform 166 may be flat, may include wheels, or may include a combination of wheels and legs. The housing 142C may also comprise a center wall 162 on which one or more movable assemblies 164 may be fixed thereon. The movable assembly 164 (described in more detail in Figs. 15 and 16 below) may be configured to move a corresponding dumbbell 102 from a first position to a second position. The first position - shown in Fig. 10 - may correspond to a stored position in which the dumbbell 102 is stacked or nested on top of and/or below another dumbbell 102. The second position - shown in Fig. 11 - may correspond to an open position in which the dumbbell 102 may be positioned adjacent to another dumbbell such that the dumbbell 102 is easy to reach and remove from the housing 142C. In the illustrated embodiment, the moveable assembly 164 is configured to slide the dumbbell 102 from the first position to the second position, as indicated by the arrow 168. The dumbbell 102 may then be lifted in the direction of the arrow 170 from the moveable assembly 164.

[0072] The moveable assembly 164 combined with the ability to stack or nest the dumbbells 102 on each other provides for a compact storage system of the dumbbells 102 wherein the dumbbells 102 can also be easily accessed from such storage. Due to the shape of conventional dumbbells, conventional dumbbells may be difficult to retrieve from storage and may need to be fully unpacked from storage for use. Thus, the moveable assembly 164 and the dumbbells 102 provide an advantage in which a dumbbell 102 may be simply moved from the first position (in storage) to the second position where the dumbbell 102 is easily retrievable without unpacking the dumbbells 102 from storage. [0073] Turning to Fig. 13, the system 156 comprising an alternative housing 142D is shown. The housing 142D is substantially the same as the housing 142C described above, except that the door 158 is configured to rotate or swing between an open position and a closed position from a center column 184. The door is also a curved shape.

[0074] Turning to Fig. 14, the system 156 comprising an alternative housing 142E is shown. The housing 142E is substantially the same as the housing 142C described above, except that the door 158 is configured to rotate or swing between an open position and a closed position from a wall 190 of the housing 142E. The door is also a planar shape. [0075] Turning to Fig. 15, the system 156 comprising an alternative housing 142F is shown. The housing 142D is substantially the same as the housing 142C described above, except that the door 158 is configured to slide open and closed. As shown, the door 158 may open in the direction of the arrow 172.

[0076] It will be appreciated that a housing may include any combination of components. For example, a housing may include a lid configured to swing open and closed and may include one or more wheels. In another example, a housing may include a lid configured to slide open and closed and may not include one or more wheels.

[0077] Turning to Fig. 16, a system 156 for storing the plurality of dumbbells 100 and comprising a storage rack 174 is shown. The storage rack 174 may comprise a platform 176 and a center pole, wall, or support (not visible) for supporting one or more moveable assemblies 164. The storage rack 174 may be used independently of a housing 142or may be received in a housing 142 for transportation and/or storage.

[0078] Turning to Figs. 17 and 18, a moveable assembly 164 in a first position and a second position are respectively shown. The moveable assembly 164 may comprise a first rail 178 fixed to, for example, the storage rack 174 or the center wall 162 of the housing 142, and a second rail 180 slidable on the first rail 178. In the illustrated embodiment, the first rail 178 comprises a pair of first rails and the second rail 180 comprises a pair of second rails, visible in Fig. 15 (in which a dumbbell support 182 is shown exploded from the second rail 180 for illustrative purposes). In other embodiments, the first rail 178 may comprise one first rail, two first rails, or more than two first rails and the second rail 180 may comprise one second rail, two second rails, or more than two second rails. The second rail 180 may be configured to receive the dumbbell 102 on the dumbbell support 182 and move the dumbbell 102 from the first position to the second position. As shown, the dumbbell support 182 may be coupled to the second rail 180 and shaped similarly to the dumbbell 102 in a V-shape so as to provide sufficient surface area contact and support for the dumbbell 102. It will be appreciated that the dumbbell support 182 may be any shape complimentary to the dumbbell 102.

[0079] The moveable assembly 164 may be configured to lock in the first position or the second position. For example, the moveable assembly 164 may be locked in the first position when the housing 142 or storage rack 174 is being transported (whether locally or shipped). Though not shown, the moveable assembly 164 may also include a bias, such as a spring, to bias the second rail 180 in the second position. In such examples, the second rail 180 may be locked in the first position and when the second rail 180 is unlocked, the second rail 180 may automatically move to the second position.

[0080] Though the moveable assembly 164 is described using a sliding rail system, it will be appreciated that the moveable assembly 164 may comprise any mode of moving a dumbbell 102 between a first position and a second position. For example, the moveable assembly 164 may comprise a first pipe nested in a second pipe and the second pipe configured to slide relative to the first pipe. [0081] The system 156 advantageously provides an easy mode of transportation and storage for one or more dumbbells 102. More specifically, the dumbbells 102 are uniquely shaped so as to nest or stack on each other, which may reduce an overall volume of space that a set of dumbbells occupy. Further, the dumbbells 102 may be easily stored and removed from a storage rack 174 or housing 142 using the moveable assembly 164. As previously described, the moveable assembly 164 and the dumbbells 102 enable the dumbbell 102 to be simply moved from the first position (in storage) to the second position where the dumbbell 102 is easily retrievable without removing the entire set of dumbbells out from storage.

[0082] Fig. 19 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an exemplary computing environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. More specifically, this example illustrates a computing environment 200 that may function as the servers, user computers, or other systems provided and described herein. The environment 200 includes one or more user computers, or computing devices, such as a computing device 204, a communication device 208, and/or more 212. The computing devices 204, 208, 212 may include general purpose personal computers (including, merely by way of example, personal computers, and/or laptop computers running various versions of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows® and/or Apple Corp.’s Macintosh® operating systems) and/or workstation computers running any of a variety of commercially available UNIX® or UNIX-like operating systems. These computing devices 204, 208, 212 may also have any of a variety of applications, including for example, database client and/or server applications, and web browser applications. Alternatively, the computing devices 204, 208, 212 may be any other electronic device, such as a thin-client computer, Internet- enabled mobile telephone, and/or personal digital assistant, capable of communicating via a network 210 and/or displaying and navigating web pages or other types of electronic documents. Although the exemplary computer environment 200 is shown with two computing devices, any number of user computers or computing devices may be supported.

[0083] Environment 200 further includes a network 210. The network 210 may can be any type of network familiar to those skilled in the art that can support data communications using any of a variety of commercially available protocols, including without limitation Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Systems Network Architecture (SNA), Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), AppleTalk, and the like. Merely by way of example, the network 210 maybe a Local Area Network (LAN), such as an Ethernet network, a Token-Ring network and/or the like; a wide-area network; a virtual network, including without limitation a Virtual Private Network (VPN); the Internet; an intranet; an extranet; a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN); an infra-red network; a wireless network (e.g., a network operating under any of the IEEE 802.9 suite of protocols, the Bluetooth® protocol known in the art, and/or any other wireless protocol); and/or any combination of these and/or other networks.

[0084] The system may also include one or more servers 214, 216. In this example, server 214 is shown as a web server and server 216 is shown as an application server. The web server 214, which may be used to process requests for web pages or other electronic documents from computing devices 204, 208, 212. The web server 214 can be running an operating system including any of those discussed above, as well as any commercially available server operating systems. The web server 214 can also run a variety of server applications, including SIP servers, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (secure) (HTTP(s)) servers, FTP servers, CGI servers, database servers, Java servers, and the like. In some instances, the web server 214 may publish operations available operations as one or more web services.

[0085] The environment 200 may also include one or more file and or/application servers 216, which can, in addition to an operating system, include one or more applications accessible by a client running on one or more of the computing devices 204, 208, 212. The server(s) 216 and/or 214 may be one or more general purpose computers capable of executing programs or scripts in response to the computing devices 204, 208, 212. As one example, the server 216, 214 may execute one or more web applications. The web application may be implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in any programming language, such as JavaTM, C, C#®, or C++, and/or any scripting language, such as Perl, Python, or Tool Command Language (TCL), as well as combinations of any programming/scripting languages. The application server(s) 216 may also include database servers, including without limitation those commercially available from Oracle®, Microsoft®, Sybase®, IBM® and the like, which can process requests from database clients running on a computing device 204, 208, 212.

[0086] The web pages created by the server 214 and/or 216 may be forwarded to a computing device 204, 208, 212 via a web (file) server 214, 216. Similarly, the web server 214 may be able to receive web page requests, web services invocations, and/or input data from a computing device 204, 208, 212 (e.g., a user computer, etc.) and can forward the web page requests and/or input data to the web (application) server 216. In further embodiments, the server 216 may function as a file server. Although for ease of description, Figure 13 illustrates a separate web server 214 and file/application server 216, those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described with respect to servers 214, 216 may be performed by a single server and/or a plurality of specialized servers, depending on implementation-specific needs and parameters. The computer systems 204, 208, 212, web (file) server 214 and/or web (application) server 216 may function as the system, devices, or components described herein.

[0087] The environment 200 may also include a database 218. The database 218 may reside in a variety of locations. By way of example, database 218 may reside on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) one or more of the computers 204, 208, 212, 214, 216. Alternatively, it may be remote from any or all of the computers 204, 208, 212, 214, 216, and in communication (e.g., via the network 210) with one or more of these. The database 218 may reside in a Storage- Area Network (SAN) familiar to those skilled in the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functions attributed to the computers 204, 208, 212, 214, 216 may be stored locally on the respective computer and/or remotely, as appropriate. The database 218 may be a relational database, such as Oracle 20i®, that is adapted to store, update, and retrieve data in response to Structured Query Language (SQL) formatted commands.

[0088] Fig. 20 is a block diagram illustrating elements of an exemplary computing device in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. More specifically, this example illustrates one embodiment of the computer system 300 upon which the servers, user computers, computing devices, or other systems or components described above may be deployed or executed. The computer system 300 may interface with the sensor(s) 186, the wearable sensor(s) 188, the climbing machine 192, and/or any other component. The computer system 300 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 304. The hardware elements may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs) 308; one or more input devices 312 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.); and one or more output devices 316 (e.g., a display device, a printer, etc.). The computer system 300 may also include one or more storage devices 320. By way of example, storage device(s) 320 may be disk drives, optical storage devices, solid- state storage devices such as a Random-Access Memory (RAM) and/or a Read-Only Memory (ROM), which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like. [0089] The computer system 300 may additionally include a computer-readable storage media reader 324; a communications system 328 (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device, etc.); and working memory 336, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. The computer system 300 may also include a processing acceleration unit 332, which can include a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a special-purpose processor, and/or the like.

[0090] The computer-readable storage media reader 324 can further be connected to a computer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, in combination with storage device(s) 320) comprehensively representing remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and/or more permanently containing computer-readable information. The communications system 328 may permit data to be exchanged with a network and/or any other computer described above with respect to the computer environments described herein. Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storage medium” may represent one or more devices for storing data, including ROM, RAM, magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/or other machine-readable mediums for storing information.

[0091] The computer system 300 may also comprise software elements, shown as being currently located within a working memory 336, including an operating system 340 and/or other code 344. It should be appreciated that alternate embodiments of a computer system 300 may have numerous variations from that described above. For example, customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. Further, connection to other computing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed.

[0092] Examples of the processors 308 as described herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 620 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing, Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motion coprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family of processors, the Intel® Xeon® family of processors, the Intel® Atom™ family of processors, the Intel Itanium® family of processors, Intel® Core® i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22nm Haswell, Intel® Core® i5-3570K 22nm Ivy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of processors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300, and FX-8350 32nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments® Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments® OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors, ARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ processors, other industry-equivalent processors, and may perform computational functions using any known or future-developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and/or architecture.

[0093] The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description, for example, various features of the disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than those discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure.

[0094] Moreover, though the foregoing has included description of one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A system for storing dumbbells comprising: a dumbbell comprising a body having an opening, wherein the body of one dumbbell is configured to stack on the body of another dumbbell; and a storage rack configured to receive the dumbbell.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dumbbell comprises a handle positioned in the opening and coupled to the body at at least one end of the handle.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the body comprises a midline extending across the opening from a first side to a second side, a U-shaped first portion, and a U-shaped second portion, the first portion and the second portion each extending from the midline at an angle.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the handle comprises a bar extending from the first side to the second side along the midline.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein an angle between the first portion and the second portion is an obtuse angle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage rack comprises a movable assembly configured to move the dumbbell from a first position to a second position.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the moveable assembly comprises a first rail fixed to the storage rack and a second rail slidable on the first rail, wherein the second rail is configured to receive the dumbbell and move the dumbbell from the first position to the second position.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a housing configured to receive and store the storage rack and the dumbbell.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the body is rectangular when viewed from a top of the dumbbell and is v-shaped when viewed from a side of the dumbbell.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the dumbbell comprises a plurality of dumbbells.

11. A dumbbell system comprising: a dumbbell comprising a body having an opening, wherein the body of one dumbbell is configured to stack on the body of another dumbbell; and a housing configured to receive the dumbbell, the housing comprises a movable assembly configured to move the dumbbell from a first position to a second position.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the dumbbell comprises a bar positioned in the opening and coupled to the body at at least one end of the bar.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the body comprises a midline extending across the opening from a first side to a second side, a U-shaped first portion, and a U- shaped second portion, the first portion and the second portion each extending from the midline at an angle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the bar is positioned in the opening and extending from the first side to the second side along the midline.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein an angle between the first portion and the second portion is an obtuse angle.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the body is rectangular when viewed from a top of the dumbbell and is V-shaped when viewed from a side of the dumbbell.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the moveable assembly comprises a first rail fixed to the storage rack and a second rail slidable on the first rail, wherein the second rail is configured to receive the dumbbell and move the dumbbell from the first position to the second position.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the moveable assembly further comprises a dumbbell support coupled to the second rail and configured to support the dumbbell, wherein the dumbbell support is shaped to receive the dumbbell.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the dumbbell support is V-shaped.

20. A dumbbell system comprising: a dumbbell comprising a body having an opening, a midline extending across the opening from a first side to a second side, a U-shaped first portion, and a U-shaped second portion, a bar positioned in the opening and extending from the first side to the second side along the midline, the first portion and the second portion each extending from the midline at an angle, wherein the body of one dumbbell is configured to stack on the body of another dumbbell; and a housing configured to receive the dumbbell, the housing comprises a movable assembly configured to move the dumbbell from a first position to a second position, the movable assembly including a first rail fixed to the storage rack and a second rail slidable on the first rail, wherein the second rail is configured to receive the dumbbell and move the dumbbell from the first position to the second position.