Dumbbell

• US 7,429,235 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2006
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stamina Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stamina Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Lin, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Thanh; LoAn H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANESAN, SUNDHARA M
• Application Number:
  US11/520,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20080070761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 482/8, 482/107, 482/908, 482/93, 482/94, 482/106, 482/109, 482/98, 482/108, 482/92
• US Class Current: 482/108
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00065 by increasing or reducing the number of resistance units
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0728 with means for fixing weights on bars, i.e. fixing olympic discs or bumper plates on bar-bells or dumb-bells
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/075 with variable weights , e.g. weight systems with weight selecting means for bar-bells or dumb-bells

Abstract

A dumbbell includes: a hollow grip bar having a connecting end; a weight adjusting mechanism including a screw rod extending into the grip bar and operable to rotate relative to the grip bar about a rotation axis, and a weight carrier extending into the grip bar and engaging threadedly the screw rod so as to be movable axially upon rotation of the screw rod about the rotation axis, the weight carrier having a weight-supporting part extending outwardly through the connecting end of the grip bar; and a plurality of weights, each of which is formed with an elongate notch having an enlarged central portion for extension of the weight-supporting part of the weight carrier therethrough.

Claims

1. A dumbbell comprising:

a hollow grip bar having a connecting end;

a weight adjusting mechanism disposed at each end of the hollow grip bar and including

a screw rod extending into said grip bar, and operable to rotate relative to said grip bar about a rotation axis, and

a weight carrier extending into said grip bar and engaging threadedly said screw rod so as to be movable axially upon rotation of said screw rod about said rotation axis, said weight carrier having at least a portion thereof capable of extending outwardly through said connecting end of said grip bar;

a rotatable knob at the connecting end of the dumbbell, said rotatable knob being operatively connected with the screw rod such that rotation of the rotatable knob causes rotation of the screw rod which, in turn, generates linear motion of the weight carrier within the receiving portion of the weights as a result of the threaded engagement between the screw rod and the weight carrier; and

a plurality of weights, each of said plurality of weights comprising an elongate notch having a receiving portion for receiving said weight carrier therethrough; and

wherein there is no threaded engagement between the weight carrier and the weights during movement of the weight carrier through the receiving portion,

wherein said weight carrier comprises a tubular member sleeved on said screw rod and formed with an inner thread that threadedly engages said screw rod, and

wherein said weight adjusting mechanism further includes a limiting member secured to said connecting end of said grip bar, disposed outwardly of said grip bar, defining an axially extending central channel for extension of a weight supporting part of said weight carrier thereinto, and formed with an inner limiting groove extending axially and in spatial communication with said central channel, said weight-supporting part of said weight carrier being formed with a limiting protrusion that extends into said inner limiting groove in said limiting member so as to prevent rotation of said weight carrier upon rotation of said screw rod about said rotation axis.

2. The dumbbell of claim 1, wherein said weight adjusting mechanism further includes a fastening unit secured to said connecting end of said grip bar and including a fastening sleeve that has a first annular portion sleeved on said connecting end of said grip bar, and a second annular portion enlarged in diameter from said first annular portion and defining an inner space, said fastening unit further including a fastening ring fitted into said inner space in said second annular portion of said fastening sleeve and sleeved on said connecting end of said grip bar, and fastening screws for fastening one end of said limiting member to said fastening ring.

3. The dumbbell of claim 2, wherein said weight adjusting mechanism further includes a mounting plate secured to the other end of said limiting member, and an operating cap sleeved rotatably on said mounting plate and connected securely to said screw rod for manually driving rotation of said screw rod.

4. The dumbbell of claim 3, wherein said screw rod has a non-threaded segment extending through said central channel, and a reduced end portion that is reduced in diameter from said non-threaded segment to define a shoulder thereat, and that is formed with an inner thread, said weight adjusting mechanism further including a counter bolt, said operating cap being fastened to said reduced end portion of said screw rod through threaded engagement between said counter bolt and said inner thread in said reduced end portion of said screw rod.

5. The dumbbell of claim 4, wherein said mounting plate is formed with a first recess, said operating cap being formed with a second recess, said weight adjusting mechanism further including a coil spring mounted in said second recess, and a ball urged and carried by said coil spring and co-rotatable with said operating cap so as to be received in said first recess when said first and second recesses are axially aligned.

6. The dumbbell of claim 4, wherein said operating cap is formed with a countered bore for extension of said counter bolt therethrough, said countered bore being defined by a bore-defining wall that is formed with a pair of diametrically disposed tongues, said reduced end portion of said screw rod having an end formed with a pair of diametrically disposed guiding notches for extension of said tongues thereinto, respectively.

7. The dumbbell of claim 1, wherein said limiting member includes upper and lower blocks that are spaced apart from each other by a space which defines said central channel,

one of said upper and lower blocks being formed with said inner limiting groove, each of said upper and lower blocks being formed with a plurality of spaced apart partitioning fins that extend outwardly therefrom and that divide the respective one of said upper and lower blocks into fin-free segments,

said elongate notch of each of said weights further having opposite upper and lower portions that are reduced in width from said enlarged central portion,

two adjacent ones of said weights cooperatively defining a gap therebetween, each of said partitioning fins of each of said upper and lower blocks extending into said gap between two adjacent ones of said weights,

each of said fin-free segments of each of said upper and lower blocks being received in a respective one of said upper and lower portions of said elongate notch in a respective one of said weights.