FASTENING DEVICES FOR KNEE BEND EXERCISES AND METHODS FOR THEIR USE

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under Article (8)(1) PCT of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 735,014 filed September 21, 2018.FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to the exercise industry and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a manually operated exercise apparatus US 5 194 060 A discloses a stand which is pivotable about a pivot axis between a vertical resting configuration for resting the apparatus on a floor, and a use configuration in which the stand is held rotated at an angle to the resting configuration namely parallel to the lever.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided an exercise attachment apparatus comprising the features of claim 1.

[0005] In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus further comprises a main body sized and shaped to mount on the lever arm and wherein at least one of the mounting prong and the stand are connected or form a part of the main body.

[0006] In an embodiment of the invention, the main body has at least one aperture sized and shaped for insertion of a locking pin therethrough, to reversibly secure the main body to the lever arm.

[0007] In an embodiment of the invention, the at least one weight prong is sized and configured for the placement of weight plates thereon.

[0008] In an embodiment of the invention, the at least one weight prong is upturned.

[0009] In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus further comprises an attachment point to connect the apparatus to a user.

[0010] In an embodiment of the invention, the stand includes a handle.

[0011] In an embodiment of the invention, the stand further comprises protective pads located at the bottom of the stand and wherein the protective pads optionally are weighted to influence the pivoting performance of the stand.

[0012] According to an aspect of the present invention there is further provided a method of using an exercise attachment apparatus for squat exercise, comprising the features of claim 9.

[0013] In an embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises attaching a user to the apparatus at an attachment point prior to lifting.

[0014] The stand automatically rotates from a vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration due to counterbalancing of the stand.

[0015] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and / or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0016] Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example, are not necessarily to scale, and are for purposes of illustrative discussion of embodiments of the invention. In this regard, the description taken with the drawings makes apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the invention may be practiced.

[0017] In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise; FIG. 2 is a side view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1 installed on a jammer arm; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1, installed on a jammer arm attached to a weight rack; FIG. 5 is an underside perspective view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1 installed on a jammer arm; FIG. 6 is a side view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1, installed on a jammer arm attached to a weight rack; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1 with weights, installed on a jammer arm attached to a weight rack; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1 with the stand in a rotated configuration; FIG. 9 is a side view of an attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1 with the stand in a rotated configuration; FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the rotating stand in use with weights and a generic lever arm; and, FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method of using the attachment apparatus for squat exercise of FIG. 1. DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The invention relates to the exercise industry and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a manually operated exercise apparatus.

[0019] Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components and / or methods set forth in the following description and / or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

[0020] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and / or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be necessarily limiting.

[0021] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The attachment apparatus 100 comprises at least one of a main body 102, at least one mounting prong 104 and a stand 106, in an embodiment of the invention. In an embodiment of the invention, the main body 102 sized and shaped to mate with a Sorinex ®< Jammer Arm ™< and / or a conventional weight rack (e.g. a Sorinex ®< Base Camp ™< rack). The mounting prong 104 is used to place weights, for example weight plates such as shown in FIG. 7, for performing resistance based exercises with the apparatus 100. In some embodiments a pivoting stand 106 is used to maintain the apparatus 100 off the ground, and / or a lever 300, described in more detail in FIG. 3 (lever 300, also referred to herein as a lever arm or Jammer Arm ™< ).

[0022] The attachment apparatus 100 is optionally a steel add-on component, that with the use of a connector, for example at least one locking pin 108 or bolt, will convert a regular or adjustable "Jammer" pivoting arm 300 to a squat-enabled exercise apparatus. The at least one locking pin 108 is inserted into a hole 302 in the lever arm 300, in some embodiments. In some embodiments of the invention, the apparatus 100 comprises at least one mounting prong 104 and / or the stand 106. Optionally, the at least one mounting prong 104 and / or the stand 106 connects directly to the arm 300, or a lever-like structure, for example using pins, connectors, clips, or the like and / or being securely inserted directly into holes 302 in the lever arm 300 itself. Optionally, at least one of the apparatus components, such as at least one prong 104 and / or the stand 106 are formed / manufactured as a unitary part of the lever arm 300. In some embodiments using the apparatus 100, there is no need for a separate or integrated "deck" usually made of steel, rubber, aluminum or wood. The athlete stands and performs the lifts directly on the ground, although can add step for additional range of motion.

[0023] The apparatus 100 encompasses at least a single mounting prong 104, optionally upturned to reduce possibility of weights 700 falling off during use. It also has an attachment point 404 (shown in more detail in FIG. 4) for a hook, carabiner, handle or strap system to connect the Jammer arm 300 to the athlete using the apparatus 100. As described elsewhere herein, the stand 106 is counterbalanced to fall out of a vertical configuration and into a largely horizontal configuration such as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9) when the apparatus 100 is in use, to allow for full range of motion. In an embodiment of the invention, the stand is reengaged manually, for example by the athlete grabbing a stand handle 110 optionally located at or near the top of the stand 106 (although the handle 110 or handles could conceivably be located anywhere the user could conveniently grasp it during exercise), to an original starting position, which reduces range of motion required to initiate and conclude the exercise, which increases safety and convenience. Jammer Arm 300 can be positioned to adjust the pivot point of the entire apparatus 100.

[0024] It is believed that some of the advantages of the apparatus 100 over conventional solutions in this industry include: a smaller footprint; no deck to step up on, trip on, or be limited by; less expensive; multiple use (re-purposing of Jammer Arms 300 for additional exercises); and, can be easily stored when not in use (e.g. can remove apparatus 100 or components of apparatus, such as weight prongs 104, from the Jammer Arm 300 and placed in storage).

[0025] FIG. 2 is a side view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise of FIG. 1. Shown here also, is an exemplary range of movement 202, either manually or by the counterbalancing, of the stand 106 around a pivot point 204 when the apparatus 100 is used during exercise and lifted off the ground. That is, the rotating pivot point 204 defines a pivot axis 112 (shown in FIG. 1) substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of the lever arm and wherein the stand 106 is rotatable with respect to the lever arm 300 about the pivot axis.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise of FIG. 1 installed on a lever arm 300 with attachment holes 302, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise of FIG. 1, installed on a Jammer Arm (lever arm) 300 attached to a weight rack 400, such as a Sorinex ®< Base Camp ™< rack, optionally using an adjustable rack mount 402, such as the Sorinex ®< Adjustable Rack Attachment Point ™< available at the URL www.sorinex.com / products / jammer-arms. Also shown in FIG. 4 is an attachment point 404 where a user can clip or attach to the apparatus 100 for commencing exercise. While the attachment point 404 is shown as an angled bar, it should be understood the bar could be straight, it doesn't have to fully traverse the gap (e.g. it could be two different parts extending towards each other which have a small gap between them), it could just be a hole or holes, or any other structural configuration which could act as a counterpart to an attachment mechanism between the user and the apparatus 100.

[0028] FIG. 5 is an underside perspective view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise of FIG. 1 installed on a Jammer Arm 300, while also showing optional protective pads 502 for the stand 106, for when the stand 106 hits the ground. In some embodiments, the protective pads 502 can also function as balancing weights (e.g. by using heavier or lighter pads 502) for at least partially controlling the counterbalancing action of the stand 106. Also shown is an optional bumper 504 for serving as a buffer between the floor and the apparatus 100 during exercise, to protect both from impact during use (in case the apparatus 100 hits the floor).

[0029] FIG. 6 is a side view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise of FIG. 1, installed on a Jammer Arm 300 attached to a weight rack 400, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In an embodiment of the invention, exercise with the apparatus 100 is performed by a user moving the lever arm 300 up and down in direction 602 around the pivot point 604 created by the mount 402. It should be understood that in some embodiments of the invention, the stand 106 is in the horizontal configuration during exercise movement (such as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0030] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise of FIG. 1 with weights 700, installed on a Jammer Arm 300 attached to a weight rack 400, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise of FIG. 1 with the stand 106 in a rotated configuration, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Also shown is a hole 302 of the lever arm 300 aligned with an aperture 802 in the apparatus 100, through which the pin 108 is inserted (when the hole 302 and the aperture 802 are aligned) to reversibly secure the apparatus 100 to the lever arm 300. In some embodiments of the invention, there may be an additional, alternative and / or optional aperture on the other side of the apparatus 100, or even on the top or bottom of the apparatus 100.

[0032] FIG. 9 is a side view of an attachment apparatus 100 for squat exercise of FIG. 1 with the stand in a rotated configuration, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the apparatus 1000 including an embodiment of the rotating stand 106 in use with weights 700 and a generic lever arm 1002. It should be understood that the apparatus does not have to include a main body, such as shown in FIG. 1 and may optionally, comprise some components of the apparatus such as the stand 106 and / or at least one weight prong 104, but not others. Further, as described above, apparatus 100 does not have be used with a lever arm 300 with the specific configuration shown in FIGS. 4-9 and could be used with any arm and / or generic mount / connector 1004.

[0034] FIG. 11 is a flowchart 1100 of a method of using the attachment apparatus 100, 1000 for squat exercises. In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 100, 1000 is placed (1102) on a lever arm 300, 1002 such that the lever arm is pivotably / rotatably attached to the rack 400 with respect to the rack. For example, using mount 402 as the connection. Depending on the user's desire for exercise difficulty, the user may optionally place (1104) at least one weight 700 on at least one weight prong 104 of the apparatus 100, 1000.

[0035] While the user of the apparatus could conceivably just grab the apparatus (for example, using the weight prongs 104 as handles), in some embodiments of the invention, the user clips (1106) onto the apparatus 100, or otherwise reversibly connects to the attachment 100, using the attachment point 404, thereby connecting the apparatus to the user, for example where the user is wearing a belt with a clip that clips onto the attachment point 404. In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 100 is located low on the rack 400, such that when the user connects himself to the apparatus, the user is in a squatting bodily position. It should be understood, however, that the mount 402 enables the positioning of the lever arm 300, and therefore the apparatus 100, at almost any vertical position with respect to the user. The user then commences exercise, for example by standing up from the squatting position and lifting (1108) the apparatus in an upwards direction (in relation to the floor). As described elsewhere herein, the stand 106 is counterbalanced such that when the user stands up and lifts the apparatus 100, 1000 sufficiently so that the stand 106 is no longer abutting the floor, the stand 106 rotates (1110) from the substantially vertical positon shown in FIG. 2, inter alia, to the substantially position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Optionally, the user manually rotates the stand to the horizontal position. Optionally, exercise can be performed without the stand 106 rotating (remaining substantially vertical), for example if the mount 402 is moved higher on the rack 400. In an embodiment of the invention, the user continues (1112) exercise, optionally repeating the standing up and squatting down movements (i.e. known as "squats") until the user is satisfied with the amount of exercise performed. In some embodiments of the invention, the user then rotates (1114) the stand 106 from the substantially horizontal position back to the substantially vertical position to allow the lever arm 300 and apparatus 100, 1000 to be supported by the floor through the stand 106.

[0036] The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including", "having" and their conjugates mean "including but not limited to".

[0037] The term "consisting of" means "including and limited to".

[0038] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An exercise attachment apparatus (100, 1000) for attachment to or including a lever arm (300) pivotably connected to an exercise rack (400), comprising at least one mounting prong (104) for mounting at least one weight (700), a counterbalanced stand (106) pivotably attached to the apparatus (100) or lever arm (300) comprising a pivot point (204) defining a pivot axis (112) substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of the lever arm (300), and wherein the stand (106) is rotatable about the pivot axis (112) between a vertical resting configuration for resting the apparatus (100) on a floor, and a use configuration in which the stand (106) is automatically rotated at an angle to the resting configuration.

2. The exercise attachment apparatus (100) according to claim 1, further comprising a main body (102) sized and shaped to mount on the lever arm (300) and wherein at least one of the mounting prong (104) and the stand (106) are connected or form a part of the main body (102).

3. The exercise attachment apparatus (100) according to claim 2, wherein the main body (102) has at least one aperture (802) sized and shaped for insertion of a locking pin (108) therethrough, to reversibly secure the main body (102) to the lever arm (300).

4. The exercise attachment apparatus (100, 1000) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mounting prong (104) is sized and configured for the placement of weight plates (700) thereon.

5. The exercise attachment apparatus (100, 1000)according to claim 4, wherein the at least one mounting prong (104) is upturned.

6. The exercise attachment apparatus (100, 1000) according to claim 1, further comprising an attachment point (404) configured to connect the apparatus (100, 1000) to a user.

7. The exercise attachment apparatus (100, 1000) according to claim 1, wherein the stand (106) includes a handle (110).

8. The exercise attachment apparatus (100, 1000) according to claim 1, wherein the stand (106) further comprises protective pads (502) located at the bottom of the stand (106) and wherein the protective pads (502) optionally are weighted to influence the pivoting performance of the stand (106).

9. A method of using an exercise attachment apparatus according to claim 1 for squat exercise, comprising: placing the apparatus (100, 1000) on a lever arm (300), and, lifting the apparatus (100, 1000), thereby transitioning the stand (106) from the resting configuration to the use configuration, wherein upon lifting, the stand (106) automatically rotates from the resting configuration to the use configuration due to counterbalancing of the stand (106).

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising attaching a user to the apparatus (100) at an attachment point (404) prior to lifting.