Safe grip weights

Abstract

This design is placed and or positioned in the periphery of weight creating a semi-protective and semi-recessed area for insertion of a hand or hand like device. The size and shape of the area reduces the potential for unattended and damaging interaction between the hand and its digits or the hand-like devices and the sides of the mass. The curvature of the area along with the width being of sufficient size to facilitate grasping during human interaction of the opening are purposefully designed to ergonomically fit the hand and or hand like device for a plurality of uses. The functionality of the device is to generally distribute the stress and forces applied to the point of interaction between the human user and the contact area of the heavy and or cumbersome object. Substantially increasing the controllability during mass manipulation by purposeful human interaction. The depth of the barbell weight grip must be large enough to accommodate the thickness of the average adult human hand and ranges in most case from 1-3 inches. It may be reduced or enlarged during manufacture as necessary to accommodate non-average size users.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The difficulty of lifting and or working with a heavy object increases proportionately with its size. The difficulty of working with a heavy object is compounded when the object is also round in shape and has a smooth finish. This is the situation facing those familiar with the practice of “lifting weights”. Those experienced in lifting weights normally engage in this practice to build-muscle mass. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,502 ('502) issued to Anastassi and U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,380 ('380) issued to Lien et. al. for further background and discussion on this subject. [0002] Those engaging in this practice that use “free weights” to train as compared to weight resistance machines, find themselves continually loading and unloading barbells or free weight which are heavy and cumbersome. Many times these weights have either no handle or just a simple hand-hole in the weight to be used as a handle to facilitate picking up the weight and to improve grip on t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] The new ergonomic design as described herein shall work well for any human manipulated and controlled mass including free weights. The depth of the opening and the curvature of the area along with the width of the opening are purposefully designed to ergonomically fit the hand and or hand like device for a plurality of uses. This design creates a semi-protective area for insertion of a hand or hand like device. The size and shape of the area reduce the potential for unattended and damaging interaction between the hand and the side edges of the weight plates and the faces of the plates. The design disclosed could be expanded to also protect a hand-like device from interaction with the face or sides of the mass.

[0009] The problem solved by the invention as disclosed is to reduce the potential for the user's hands, after insertion into the barbell weight grip opening to come into contact with the weight plate face as the weight plates are inserted onto the barbell bar. The potential for smashing the user's hand between the edge formed between the face of the plate and the rim of the weight plate is dramatically reduced by the barbell grip while still allowing the practical advantage of barbell grip opening for insertion of the user's hand. Barbell grip 14 is sized so that an average human hand will be protected when the inner face of the weight plate contacts the outer face of the previously inserted weight plate, the inner edges forming the barbell grip to protect the user's hand or a hand like device.

[0010] It is an objective of the invention as described to generally distribute the stress and forces applied to the point of interaction between the human user and the contact area of the heavy and or cumbersome object. It is another objective of the invention as described herein to improve the control of free weights as typically used in physical exercise. It is another object to make the control and manipulation of heavy objects, including free weights, safer. It is another objective of the invention as described to improve the user's control and manipulations of objects. Finally, it is a further object of the invention to improve a weight lifter's control and manipulation of the free weights.

Problems solved by technology

The difficulty of lifting and or working with a heavy object increases proportionately with its size.

The difficulty of working with a heavy object is compounded when the object is also round in shape and has a smooth finish.

Those engaging in this practice that use “free weights” to train as compared to weight resistance machines, find themselves continually loading and unloading barbells or free weight which are heavy and cumbersome.

A frequent injury acquired is when one plate is loaded next to another and the tissue of the hands or fingers is pinched between the weight plates.

Another injury common occurs if the weight plate slips as the plate is unloaded from the bar or placed on the ground and hands or fingers or caught between the weight plate and the ground or floor.

Unfortunately, no one, until now, has taught an apparatus to avoid this type of injury.

In fact, the teachings of the prior art may have compounded the problem.

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