US-12623110-B1 - Variable weight exercise equipment

US12623110B1US 12623110 B1US12623110 B1US 12623110B1US-12623110-B1

Abstract

A weight assembly includes a shell having a pair of opposing half sections that cooperatively define an interior enclosure space. The shell houses a set of circumferentially spaced-apart and axially extending partition elements that span between and connect the pair of opposing shell half sections. The partition element includes a pair of opposing radial edges that connect to the pair of shell half sections. A compartment space is defined by each pair of adjacent partition elements. The mass of the weight assembly can be variably adjusted by loading an appropriate amount of fill material such as sand into the set of isolated compartment spaces.

Inventors

Timothy Vinopal

Assignees

Timothy Vinopal

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220831

Claims (13)

1 . An exercise weight assembly, comprising: a hollow shell including a pair of opposing half sections cooperatively defining an interior enclosure space; a central aperture formed in the hollow shell; a plurality of spaced-apart partition elements disposed in the interior enclosure space, each partition element of the plurality of partition elements having a mesh construction; and a plurality of compartment spaces each defined by an adjacent pair of partition elements of the plurality of spaced-apart partition elements, each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces being isolated from an adjacent pair of compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces, wherein each partition element of the plurality of spaced-apart partition elements extends in a radial direction from an inner radial end thereof proximate the central aperture to an outer radial end thereof proximate a radial periphery of the hollow shell, wherein the plurality of spaced-apart partition elements are each equidistant from one another, wherein the plurality of spaced-apart partition elements each extend between the pair of opposing half sections within the enclosure space, wherein opposite sides of each partition element of the plurality of spaced-apart partition elements are attached to the pair of opposing half sections of the hollow shell, respectively, and wherein the plurality of partition elements include a rectangular construction, and wherein the hollow shell and each partition element of the plurality of partition elements has a flexible construction, and wherein the exercise weight assembly has (i) a packed state in which each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces is unloaded and the exercise weight assembly is packaged into a compact structure and (ii) a deployed state in which one or more compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces are loaded with a respective amount of weighted material independently from other compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces for enabling an overall weight of the exercise weight assembly to be variably adjusted.
2 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of slots are provided at the radial periphery of the hollow shell, wherein each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces is associated with a respective slot of the plurality of slots, each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces configured to be loaded with a respective amount of the weighted material through the respective slot.
3 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 2 , wherein each slot of the plurality of slots gives access into the interior enclosure space for emptying a selected amount of the weighted material from the respective compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces.
4 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 1 , wherein each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces is selectively loadable with weighted material.
5 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hollow shell is made out of reinforced material capable of supporting and retaining the weighted material therein.
6 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one handle is disposed proximate the radial periphery of the hollow shell.
7 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 1 , wherein variable loading of the weighted material into each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces creates a weight plate having a weight dependent on the loading of the weighted material.
8 . An exercise weight assembly, comprising: a hollow shell including a pair of opposing half sections cooperatively defining an interior enclosure space; a central aperture formed in the hollow shell; a plurality of radially extending, circumferentially spaced-apart partition elements disposed in the interior enclosure space and extending between the pair of opposing half sections, each partition element of the plurality of partition elements having a mesh construction; a plurality of compartment spaces each defined by a circumferentially adjacent pair of the plurality of partition elements, each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces being isolated from an adjacent pair of compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces; wherein each partition element of the plurality of partition elements extends in a radial direction from an inner radial end thereof proximate the central aperture to an outer radial end thereof proximate a radial periphery of the hollow shell, and wherein the plurality of partition elements include a rectangular construction; and a plurality of slots provided at the radial periphery of the hollow shell, wherein each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces is associated with a respective slot of the plurality of slots, each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces configured to be loaded with a respective amount of weighted material through the respective slot independently from other compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces for enabling an overall weight of the exercise weight assembly to be variably adjusted.
9 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 8 , wherein each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces is selectively loadable with sand independently from other compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces via the respective slot of the plurality of slots.
10 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 8 , wherein variable loading of the weighted material is loadable into each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces to create a weight plate of a certain weight, wherein a weight of the weight plate is dependent on an amount of the weighted material loaded into the plurality of compartment spaces.
11 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 8 , wherein each slot of the plurality of slots gives access into the interior enclosure space for emptying a selected amount of the weighted material from the respective compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces.
12 . The exercise weight assembly of claim 8 , wherein a plurality of handles are circumferentially disposed proximate to the radial periphery of the hollow shell.
13 . An exercise weight assembly, comprising: a disc-shaped, hollow shell including a pair of opposing half sections cooperatively defining an interior enclosure space; a central aperture formed in the hollow shell; a plurality of radially extending, circumferentially spaced-apart partition elements disposed in the interior enclosure space and extending between the pair of opposing half sections; a plurality of compartment spaces each defined by a circumferentially adjacent pair of the plurality of partition elements, each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces being isolated from an adjacent pair of compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces; a plurality of slots provided at a radial periphery of the hollow shell, wherein each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces is associated with a respective slot of the plurality of slots, each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces configured to be loaded with a respective amount of weighted material through the respective slot independently from other compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces for enabling an overall weight of the exercise weight assembly to be variably adjusted; and at least one handle disposed at the radial periphery of the hollow shell, wherein each partition element of the plurality of partition elements has a mesh construction that extends in a radial direction from an inner radial end thereof proximate the central aperture to an outer radial end thereof proximate the radial periphery of the hollow shell, and wherein the plurality of partition elements include a rectangular construction, and wherein the hollow shell and each partition element of the plurality of partition elements has a flexible construction, and wherein the exercise weight assembly has (i) a packed state in which each compartment space of the plurality of compartment spaces is unloaded and the exercise weight assembly is packaged into a compact structure and (ii) a deployed state in which one or more compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces are loaded with a respective amount of the weighted material independently from other compartment spaces of the plurality of compartment spaces for enabling an overall weight of the exercise weight assembly to be variably adjusted.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/242,207, filed on Sep. 9, 2021, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to weight training equipment, and, more particularly, to a free-weight plate designed to accommodate a variable amount of weighted contents to offer different levels of poundage. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Obesity is one of the major health issues that result in numerous diseases, specifically in increasing the risk of certain types of cancer, heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease, diabetes type two, strokes, and other mortality-related ailments, not to mention the economic costs associate with their treatment. Indeed, the United States has a prevailing issue with obesity, with about forty percent of the population falling within the margin. As a result, our healthcare systems are saturated with patients who suffer from ailments derived from a poor diet and lack of exercise. Consequently, the healthcare community has been for years promoting healthier lifestyles to the public. Hospitals, clinics, and the like have served and continue to educate the public about staying healthy year-round to avoid injuries or illnesses derived from preventable behaviors. Many insurance companies have joined the movement too by creating incentive programs for their members. For instance, to reduce deductible payments for individuals, the member can track their healthy eating patterns and catalog their exercise routines. The more the person exercises and eats healthy consistently, the lower their deductible would be in the unfortunate event they have to be hospitalized. Gym memberships in 2019 exceeded more than sixty million members. However, the sudden and unexpected surgence of COVID-19 changed everything. The gyms closed, and home exercise equipment disappeared off the shelves as people wanted to continue to exercise. The lack of equipment available to the public was not the only problem. The costs associated with home gym equipment were astronomical, and many could not afford the equipment to continue their healthy lifestyles. For instance, when performing bench press exercises, the person may want to modulate the weight by adding weight plates or removing weight plates to the bar. However, each plate is expensive, and obtaining a varied set of weight plates to modulate weight when exercising is difficult to do. Accordingly, there is an established need for a weight assembly useful in weightlifting applications that features a variable capacity to adjust the load to a desired weight amount. The weight assembly can be used to perform different exercises at varied weights. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an exercise-type weight assembly including a hollow shell structure having a pair of matching and opposing half-sections that cooperatively define an interior enclosure space. The shell has a generally circular or disc shape. The shell has a central aperture to receive a barbell. The weight assembly includes a plurality of barrier-type partition elements disposed in the enclosure space of the shell and which extend between the pair of shell half sections. The partition elements are circumferentially spaced-apart and extend in a radial direction. In one form, the partition element has a trapezoidal or rectangular construction in which the legs form the connection to the respective pair of shell half sections and in which the bases define an outer radial end and an inner radial end. In another form, the partition element has a rectangular construction. In a preferred form, the partition tapers from its outer radial end to its inner radial end. The outer radial end of the partition element lies proximate the periphery of the shell and the inner radial end lies proximate the central aperture. Each angularly or circumferentially adjacent pair of partition elements defines an intermediate compartment space where weighted contents are loaded, such as sand. Each compartment space is preferably filled with an equal amount of sand to create a loaded weight assembly corresponding to a certain mass and functioning as a weight plate. The weight assembly is equipped with a set of handles around the shell periphery. The weight assembly enables variable loading of the compartment spaces to create different weight levels for the assembly. Each compartment space is preferably associated with a sealable slot formed in the shell periphery. The slot is provided in communication with the compartment space and enables access to the compartment space to fill and empty it as needed. The mass of the weight assembly can be variably adjusted by changing and otherwise modifying the amount of contents loaded into the set of compartment spaces. Introducing a first embodiment of the invention, the present invention consists of an exercise weight assemb