Convertible barrel exercise apparatus

• US RE43,981 E1
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Balanced Body Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Balanced Body Incorporated
• Inventors: Endelman, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): BAKER, LORI LYNN
• Application Number:
  US13/187,317
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 482/140, 482/23, 482/142, 482/139, 482/907, 482 91- 93, 482 95- 96, 482/148, 446120-122, 446/124, 446/128
• US Class Current: 482/142
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00047 Exercising devices not moving during use benches A63B21/4029; isometric exercising devices A63B21/0023; step exercisers A63B23/0458; walk exercisers A63B23/0464
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4037 Exercise mats for personal use, with or without hand-grips or foot-grips, e.g. for Yoga or supine floor exercises mats for absorbing shocks A63B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0211 moving torso with immobilized lower limbs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0233 Muscles of the back, e.g. by an extension of the body against a resistance, reverse crunch

Abstract

A barrel exercise apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure is a curved, partial barrel shaped body that has an upper curved surface having two portions with different radii of curvature. A removable step block may be included and may be attached to the barrel shaped body.

Claims

1. An exercise apparatus comprising:

a curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body having a bottom surface, an upper curved surface, a first end face, a second end face, and a rear wall between the bottom surface and upper curved surface, said upper curved surface including a first cylindrical surface portion merging with a second cylindrical surface portion forming a continuous smooth curved surface, the first surface portion having a first radius of curvature about a first axis, the second surface portion having a second radius of curvature about a second axis parallel to the first axis, wherein the first radius of curvature is different from the second radius of curvature and the first and second axes together define a plane through a line of intersection of the first and second cylindrical surface portions, and said rear wall having at least one recess to form a tongue and groove configuration;

a removable step block having a bottom surface, a top surface, and an upright front wall between the bottom surface and the top surface, said upright front wall having at least one recess to form a mating complementary tongue and groove configuration to engage the tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body;

said step block removably connected to the partial cylindrical barrel body through engagement of the tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body with the complementary tongue and groove configuration of the upright front wall of the step block; and

wherein the top surface of the step block forms a continuous smooth surface with the upper surface of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body and the first end face and the second end face each has a plurality of parallel spaced recesses extending perpendicular to the bottom surface defining a plurality of vertical ribs therebetween.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tongue and groove configuration removably connecting the upright front wall of the step block to the rear wall of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body is a dovetail configuration.

3. The device apparatus of claim 1 wherein each end face of the body each has a curved rim joining the end face to the upper curved surface of the body.

4. An exercise apparatus comprising:

a curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body having a bottom surface, an upper curved surface, a first end face, a second end face, and a rear wall between the bottom surface and upper curved surface, and said rear wall having at least one recess to form a tongue and groove configuration;

a removable step block having a bottom surface, a top surface, and an upright front wall between the bottom surface and the top surface, said upright front wall having at least one recess to form a mating complementary tongue and groove configuration to engage the tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body;

said step block removably connectable to the partial cylindrical barrel body through engagement of the tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body with the complementary tongue and groove configuration of the upright front wall of the step block; and

wherein the first end face and the second end face each has a plurality of parallel spaced recesses extending perpendicular to the bottom surface defining a plurality of vertical ribs therebetween.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the tongue and groove configuration removably connecting the upright front wall of the step block to the rear wall of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body is a dovetail configuration.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the top surface of the step block forms a continuous smooth surface with the upper surface of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body.

7. The device apparatus of claim 4 wherein each end face of the body each has a curved rim joining the end face to the upper curved surface of the body.

8. An exercise apparatus comprising:

a curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body having a bottom surface, an upper curved surface, a first end face, a second end face, and a rear wall between the bottom surface and upper curved surface, and said rear wall having at least one recess to form a tongue and groove configuration;

a removable step block having a bottom surface, a top surface, and an upright front wall between the bottom surface and the top surface, said upright front wall having at least one recess to form a mating complementary tongue and groove configuration to engage the tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body;

said step block being removably connectable to the partial cylindrical barrel body through engagement of the tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the body with the complementary tongue and groove configuration of the upright front wall of the step block to prevent disengagement of the step block from the body in at least one direction; and

wherein each end face of the body each has a curved rim joining the end face to the upper curved surface of the body and the first end face and the second end face each has a plurality of parallel spaced recesses extending perpendicular to the bottom surface defining a plurality of vertical ribs therebetween.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the tongue and groove configuration removably connecting the upright front wall of the step block to the rear wall of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body is a dovetail configuration.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the top surface of the step block forms a continuous smooth surface with the upper surface of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body.

11. An exercise apparatus comprising:

a curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body having a bottom surface, an upper curved surface, a first end face, a second end face, and a rear wall between the bottom surface and upper curved surface, wherein the first end face and the second end face each define at least two spaced recesses extending perpendicular to the bottom surface defining at least one vertical rib therebetween, and said rear wall having at least one recess to form a portion of a dovetail tongue and groove configuration therein;

a removable step block having a bottom surface, a top surface, and an upright front wall between the bottom surface and the top surface, said upright front wall having at least one mating complementary shaped dovetail tongue and groove portion to engage the at least a portion of the dovetail tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body;

wherein said step block is removably connected to the partial cylindrical barrel body through engagement of the dovetail tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body with the complementary dovetail tongue and groove configuration of the upright front wall of the step block.

12. An exercise apparatus comprising:

a curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body having a bottom surface adapted to be positioned on a flat support surface, an upper curved surface, a first end face, a second end face, and a rear wall between the bottom surface and upper curved surface, and said rear wall having at least one recess to form a tongue and groove configuration;

a removable step block having a bottom surface, a top surface, and an upright front wall between the bottom surface and the top surface, said upright front wall having at least one recess to form a mating complementary tongue and groove configuration engaging the tongue and groove configuration of the rear wall of the curved partial cylindrical barrel shaped body and preventing separation of the step block from the partial cylindrical barrel body by movement in a direction parallel to the flat support surface, wherein the tongue and groove configuration removably connecting the upright front wall of the step block to the rear wall of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body is a dovetail configuration.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein each end face of the body each has a curved rim joining the end face to the upper curved surface of the body.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the upper surface of the step block has a recurve shape forming a continuous smooth surface mating the upper surface of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body when the body and step block are connected.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the engagement precludes disengagement of the step block from the body in at least one direction parallel to the bottom surface of the partial barrel shaped body.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the top surface of the step block forms a continuous smooth surface with the upper surface of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the top surface of the step block forms a continuous smooth recurve surface mating with the upper surface of the partial cylindrical barrel shaped body and the first end face.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the second end face each has a plurality of parallel spaced recesses extending perpendicular to the bottom surface defining a plurality of vertical ribs therebetween.