Exercise device

• US 7,922,633 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Escape Fitness Limited
• Original Assignee: Escape Fitness Limited
• Inventors: Januszek, Richard Zdzislaw
• Primary Examiner(s): Rada; Rinaldi I
• Assistant Examiner(s): Long; Robert F
• Application Number:
  US11/678,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20070287611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 482/50, 482 92- 94, 482 97- 98, 482106-109, 482/148
• US Class Current: 482/108
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0063 Shock absorbers
• 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

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an exercise device, includes the steps of providing a bar having an end portion; providing a collar for receiving the end portion; forming a weight section about the collar to form a weight assembly including a weight section and a collar; mounting the weight assembly on the end portion; providing a first securing member; and securing the weight assembly to the bar using the first securing member. The weight section is formed about the collar by casting.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an exercise device, comprising the steps of:

providing a bar, the bar comprising an end portion;

providing a collar for receiving the end portion, the collar having an inner bore and an outer surface;

forming a first surface feature including one of a projection and a recess in the outer surface of the collar;

casting a weight section about the collar to form a weight assembly comprising the weight section and the collar, the weight section having a bore with an inner surface;

forming a second surface feature including the other of a projection and a recess in the inner surface of the weight section when the weight section is formed about the collar during the casting step;

fixing the collar relative to the weight section during the casting step, by engaging one of the first and second surface features into the other of the first and second surface features to interlock the first and second surface features with each other when the weight section is cast about the collar;

mounting the weight assembly on the end portion;

providing a first securing member;

securing the weight assembly to the bar using the first securing member.

2. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the collar has a longitudinal axis, and wherein the collar is axially fixed relative to the weight section.

3. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the first surface feature includes a recess and the second surface feature of the weight section includes a projection which extends inwardly of the recess of the collar to fix the collar relative to the weight section.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming a first surface feature comprises the step of forming at least one channel in the outer surface of the collar as said first surface feature.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one channel extends around at least part of the periphery of the collar.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the at least one channel includes a plurality of channels and at least one said channel extends at least partially along the length of the collar.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first securing member comprises an end plate, and further comprising the step of engaging the end plate with the weight assembly to at least axially secure the weight assembly to the end portion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the end plate comprises a central aperture, and the end portion of the bar comprises a projection, and further comprising the step of locating the projection within the central aperture of the end plate.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of securing the end plate to the end portion by welding the end plate to the projection.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of securing the end plate to the end portion by flaring the projection to retain the end plate against the weight assembly.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of providing a resilient member, and applying a force to the first securing member to compress the resilient member prior to the step of securing the first securing member to the end portion, such that the resilient member remains compressed when the first securing member is secured to the end portion and the force is removed from the first securing member.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the weight assembly further comprises an outer skin, and wherein the resilient member comprises a resilient portion of the outer skin.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a second securing member to further secure the weight assembly to the bar.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second securing member comprises the collar.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of providing a third securing member for securing the weight assembly to the bar, and securing the weight assembly to the bar using the third securing member.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the third securing member comprises a weld.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein an interference fit exists between the collar and the end portion.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight section is cast iron.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the exercise device is a dumbbell.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one surface feature comprises at least one recess formed in the outer surface of the collar, and the step of fixing includes the step of extending the weight section into the at least one recess when the weight section is formed about the collar.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the first surface feature comprises at least one projection extending from the outer surface of the collar, the second surface feature comprises at least one recess in the inner surface of the weight section, and the step of fixing includes the step of extending the projection into at least one recess in the weight section when the weight section is cast about the collar.

22. An exercise device comprising:

a bar, the bar comprising an end portion;

a weight assembly mounted on the end portion and comprising;

a collar, and

a weight section cast about the collar,

the collar having an outer surface and an inner bore adapted to receive the end portion of the bar to mount the weight assembly on the bar, the outer surface of the collar having a first surface feature including one of a projection and a recess;

the weight section having a bore with an inner surface, and the inner surface having a second surface feature including the other of a projection and a recess which is formed when the weight section is cast about the collar;

one of the first and second surface features being engaged within the other of the first and second surface features to interlock the first and second surface features with each other when the weight section is cast about the collar to fix the collar relative to the weight section; and

a first securing member for securing the weight assembly to the bar.

23. The exercise device of claim 22, wherein the collar has a longitudinal axis, and wherein the collar is axially fixed relative to the weight section.

24. The exercise device of claim 22, wherein a portion of the weight section extends inwardly of a portion of the collar to fix the collar relative to the weight section.

25. The exercise device of claim 22, wherein the second surface feature includes at least one projection and the first surface feature includes at least one channel into which the at least one projection of the weight section extends.

26. The exercise device of claim 25, wherein at least one said channel extends around at least part of the periphery of the collar.

27. The exercise device of claim 25 wherein the at least one channel includes a plurality of channels and at least one said channel extends at least partially along the length of the collar.

28. The exercise device of claim 22, wherein the first securing member comprises an end plate for engaging with the weight assembly to at least axially secure the weight assembly to the end portion.

29. The exercise device of claim 28, wherein the end plate comprises a central aperture, and the end portion comprises a projection located within the central aperture of the end plate, and wherein the projection cooperates with the end plate to secure the weight assembly to the end portion.

30. The exercise device of claim 29, wherein the projection is welded to the end plate.

31. The exercise device of claim 29, wherein the projection is flared to retain the end plate against the weight assembly.

32. The exercise device of claim 28, wherein the end plate is rotationally fixed relative to the weight assembly.

33. The exercise device of claim 22, further comprising a resilient member which is compressed when the first securing member is secured to the end portion of the bar to secure the weight assembly to the bar.

34. The exercise device of claim 33, wherein the resilient member comprises an outer skin of the weight assembly.

35. The exercise device of claim 22, further comprising a second securing member for securing the weight assembly to the bar, wherein the second securing member comprises the collar.

36. The exercise device of claim 35, further comprising a third securing member for securing the weight assembly to the bar.

37. The exercise device of claim 36, wherein the third securing member is a weld.

38. The exercise device of claim 22, wherein an interference fit is provided between the collar and the end portion.

39. The exercise device of claim 22, wherein the exercise device is a dumbbell.

40. The exercise device of claim 22 wherein the first surface feature comprises at least one recess formed in the outer surface of the collar, the second surface feature comprises at least one projection extending from the inner surface of the weight section, and the at least one projection of the weight section extends into the at least one recess when the weight section is cast about the collar.

41. The method of claim 22 wherein the first surface feature comprises at least one projection extending from the outer surface of the collar, the second surface feature comprises at least one recess in the inner surface of the weight section, and the at least one projection extending into the at least one recess in the weight section when the weight section is cast about the collar.

42. A method of manufacturing an exercise device, comprising the steps of:

providing a bar comprising an end portion and a locating member;

providing a weight assembly;

providing a resilient member;

mounting the weight assembly on the end portion;

providing an end plate for cooperating with the locating member to secure the weight assembly to the bar;

applying a force to the end plate to cause the end plate to compress the resilient member;

securing the end plate to the end portion while the resilient member is compressed; and

removing the force once the end plate is secured to the end portion;

wherein the compressed resilient member applies a force to urge the weight assembly against the locating member.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the resilient member comprises a resilient portion of an outer skin of the weight assembly.