Weight Plate

Abstract

A weight plate for physical fitness is disclosed including a plate body formed with a central through-bore for mounting on a bar to form a barbell set. The body is further formed with upper and lower half-donut shape shells and an annular core which fits tightly into both shells. The weight plate is not integrally cast therefore has high manufacturability and minimized manufacturing costs. Shells and core are integrated by sealing connection into a whole piece of plate having a smooth surface and an aesthetic appearance. The manufacture process is energy economizing and hardly causes pollution to the environment.

Description

[0001]References Cited:7,300,389Nov. 27, 2007Lien; Louis (Bellaire, TX)7,198,591Apr. 3, 2007Lien; Louis (Bellaire, TX)6,746,380Jun. 8, 2004Lien; Louis (Bellaire, TX)6,736,765May 18, 2004Wallace; Richard S. (Thousand Oaks, CA),6,319,176Nov. 20, 2001Landfair; Craig D. (Ventura, CA)5,853,355Dec. 29, 1998Standish; Victor J. (Lancaster, PA)FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates to physical fitness equipment, and more particularly a weight lifting plate manufactured by parts and integrated into a whole weight plate.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Barbell set is a typical choice of physical exercises especially for free-weight lifting. Generally, a barbell set includes an elongated rigid bar for grasping with one or both hands and having removable weight plates at each end. The weight plates are typically included as a collection of plates for selective installation on the bar according to the user's ability. Conventional weight plates are constructed of metallic material. One ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0004]Compared with conventional integrally formed weight plates which require many finishing steps, the present invention provides a novel method to manufacture a kind of weight plate with smooth surface and reduced manufacturing cost. To realize the advantages above, the invention comprises a weight plate including a plate body formed with a central throughbore and having a plate periphery. The body is further formed with upper and lower circular trough shells and an annular core fits tightly into both trough shells. The corresponding edges of the shells are sealing connected and formed a whole piece of weight plate.

[0005]The present invention is not integrally formed. The upper and lower shells are manufactured with metal sheet, which creates a smooth surface and aesthetic appearance. The number of finishing steps necessary to fabricate the plate including deburring rough edges, chroming or coating the plate with a thermoplastic compound may be minimized, and consequently the associated manufacturing costs.

[0006]The core element of the present invention can be constructed of ore powder with appropriate particle diameters and adhesives into shape. The core element is fits tightly into the upper and lower shells, the corresponding edges of which are sealing connected, and are integrated into a whole piece of weight plate. The manufacture process is energy-economizing and hardly causes pollution to the environment. Weights plate of varying weights and specifications are made possible by density calculation of the shell and core material and adjusting the diameter and width of the weight plates. Shells and cores of the disused weight plates can be recycled and directly put to use again.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, the wholly cast weight plate has rough surface and inaesthetic look therefore requires extra finishing steps to place the product in a saleable state such as de-burring operations to finish the edges of the throughbore and the plate periphery.

Further steps often involved in manufacture of metallic plates include chroming the plate to achieve an appealing aesthetic finish, and coating the plate with a thermoplastic compound which increased the manufacturing cost.

The manufacturing process causes pollution to the environment and considerable energy consumption.

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