Abstract:
A key with extending wings. The with at least one wing that open when the key is not properly installed and the at least one wing retract into the body of the key when the key has been properly inserted regardless of the viewing angle of the key. The key identifies improper insertion and include a spring-loaded pin and inner shaft that engages into aligned locating holes in an inversion bench. In addition to the visual appearance, a blind user can feel the sides to the key to determine if the key has been properly inserted into the inversion bench.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to improvements in a locating pin. More particularly, the present Safety Key That Identifies Improper Insertion notifies that the pin is not properly inserted to prevent injury when the pin is not completely and properly inserted. 
     Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98: 
     There are several different pieces of equipment that utilize a pole with one or multiple holes and use a pin that fits through one or more holes to retain a position of the pin in the pole. Equipment that uses this type of design is height lifting equipment, seat positioning and inversion equipment. Proper insertion of the pin is often difficult for inexperience people. Even for experienced users with poor vision, proper insertion that makes sure the pin completely and safely inserted is difficult to determine. The most common pin is an elongated shank with an enlarged end that is gripped by the user. Where the pin is not visible on both sides of the hole, proper insertion is difficult to determine. A number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,362 issued on Sep. 17, 1996 to Allen M. Whipps discloses an Automatic Weight Stack pin Selector. The pin is a self-releasing pin for a weight training machine of the type having a vertical stack of weights. The self-releasing pin automatically releases a selected number of weights from engagement with a lifting bar when the selected number of weights is returned to a resting position. The pin does not have a visual indicator that the pin has been properly inserted. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,669 issued on Sep. 7, 2004 to Walter Tsui et al., discloses a Positive Lock Quick Release Pin. The positive lock quick release pin is for locking a plurality of objects together includes an internal shaft connected to an external shaft with a handle portion. The internal pin slides within the outer shaft that elevates to show that the pin is engages. While this provides a visual indicated, a person looking directly at the pin can&#39;t determine that the pin has been properly inserted. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,243 issued on Mar. 22, 2005 to Roger C. Teeter discloses a Cotter Having Indicator [A] Device used in an inversion bench. The cotter is used for locking or latching tubes or extensions together, and includes a shank having a lower end, a handle attached to top of the shank, a ferrule slidably attached onto the shank and arranged between the handle and the lower end of the shank and having a portion applied with an indicating layer. The indicator is visible from the side, but from the perspective of a user, correct insertion of the cotter is not visible. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 8,454,260 issued on Jun. 4, 2013 to Ken Wilcoxson discloses a Weight Selecting Pop-pin. The pop-pin has a spring loaded into an unstable equilibrium position can be inserted into a weight stack to select a weight and vertical guide bar. While this pin uses a spring, the pin does not provide an indicator that the pin has been properly installed. 
     What is needed is a single-sided insertion pin that provides a visual indicator from all sides of the insertion pin that the pin has been properly inserted. The safety key that identifies improper insertion described in this document provides the solution. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the safety key that identifies improper insertion for use with an inversion bench or other product that requires confirmation that a pin has been properly inserted into one or a plurality of concentric holes. The use of inversion benches allows a person to relieve pressure on a back and help align the spine. For many of the inversion benches, a user must temporarily lock their ankles into the bench prior to inversion. If the ankles are not properly locked into the bench, the user can slide or fall out of the bench and cause injury. Many users use the inversion bench without glasses or are older and have poor eyesight. The safety key must provide a clear visual indication that the key has been properly inserted regardless of the viewing angle of the user, or care giver before inversion of the bench begins. 
     It is another object of the safety key that identifies improper insertion to include a spring loaded pin and inner shaft that engages into locating hole in the inversions bench. When the pin is inserted into the bench, the pin must pass through several holes. The final hole enters the structural frame and secures the ankle clamp to the bench. While the pin may appear to be inserted into the bench, it is simple for a new, unskilled or unfamiliar user or care giver to insert the pin without knowing if the pin has been correctly inserted completely through all of the openings to ensure that the pin is extended into the structural member. The pin slides in and through central shaft. 
     It is still another object of the safety key that identifies improper insertion for the key to have wings that extend from the key. There are two wings that fold, extend or tip from the body of key. Because the wings extend outwardly from the key they are visible from all sides of the key. In addition to the visual appearance, a user who is completely blind can also feel the sides to the key to determine if the key has been properly inserted into the inversion bench. 
     Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         FIG. 1  shows an inversion bench with a properly inserted safety key. 
         FIG. 2  shows an improperly inserted safety key in an inversion bench. 
         FIG. 3  shows a safety key as it would appear in a properly inserted condition. 
         FIG. 4  shows a safety key as it would appear when improperly inserted. 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective cross-sectional view from  FIG. 3  of the safety key with the wings retracted. 
         FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of the safety key from  FIG. 3  with the wings retracted. 
         FIG. 7  shows a cross-sectional view of the safety key from  FIG. 4  with the wings extended. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an inversion bench  10  with a properly inserted safety key  20 . The inversion bench  10  allows a user to enter the inversion bench in an approximately vertical orientation. The user stands on the foot peg  15 . The user steps into the inversion bench and places the back of their ankles in the bottom of the bench. The front of their ankles are held under front cushions  16 . The safety key  20  locks the legs of the user in the inversion bench prior to inversion. If the ankles are not properly locked in the inversion bench, as the bench begins to invert a user can slide out the end of the bench  10 . In this figure the safety key  20  is shown properly inserted. 
     When the person is properly secured in the inversion bench  10 , the inversion bench pivots through axle  18  to allow the feet of a person to be elevated over the head of the user. The inversion bench has an elongated telescoping tube  17  that allows the person to adjust their center-of-gravity relative to the pivoting axis  18  of the inversion bench. If the key was not properly inserted into the safety key  20 , the wings of the safety key  20  will extend out the sides of the key where the wings are visible from any top or side viewing angle as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an improperly inserted safety key  20  in an inversion bench  10 . This view is focused in the area of the inversion bench  10  surrounding the safety key  20 . The rear ankle pads  15  and the front ankle pads  16  are visible. The safety key  20  is placed through the horizontal tube into the holes  14  where the ankles of the person are sandwiched between front  16  and rear  15  ankle supports. The physical geometry of each person is different and the dimension between the front  16  and rear ankles  15  can be different. The multiple holes  14  allow for adjustment of the different physical size of each user to ensure that the ankles are securely retained to support a person in the inverted orientation of the inversion bench. 
     From this view the safety key  20  is shown improperly inserted. A user can easily determine that the key is improperly inserted because the wings  30  and  31  are shown extended from the body  21  of the safety key  20 . To insert the safety key  20 , a user or care giver pulls out the handle  45  and pushes the end of the safety key  20  into the ankle retainer of the inversion table. When the safety key  20  is properly inserted the wings  30  and  31  are retracted into the safety key  20  whereby a user can easily see that the safety key  20  is properly installed before the user begins inversion of the bench. 
     While these figures show and describe the safety key  20  being used with an inversion bench, it should be understood that the safety key  20  can be used in all other pieces of equipment that identifies when alignment of two or more holes is achieved. Other pieces of equipment include, but are not limited to strength machines, exercise equipment and benches with multiple angle adjustments. 
       FIG. 3  shows a safety key  20  as it would appear in a properly inserted condition and  FIG. 4  shows a safety key  20  as it would appear when improperly inserted. The safety key  20  has a cylindrical body with a larger outer diameter  21  and a smaller diameter  23 . A handle  45  connects to internal rod components that extend from the handle  45  through the cylindrical body to the tip  40 . The tip  40  has a shoulder  41  that restrains a compression spring  50 . The compression spring  50  pushes against an interior surface of the safety key  20  and against the shoulder of the enlarged portion  41  of the tip  40  to help maintain the internal shaft in the position shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     When the safety key  20  is properly inserted into the inversion bench the tip  40  is extended through the locating holes in the ankle retainer in the inversion bench. If the tip  40  of the safety key  20  does not extend into a hole in the inversions bench the tip  40  is pushed into the body  23  and  21  of the safety key  20 . When the tip  40  is pushed into the body of the safety key  20  internal features of the safety key  20  extend the wings  30  and  31  from the cylindrical body sides of the safety key  20  as shown in  FIG. 4  to provide an obvious visual indicator that the safety key  20  is not properly inserted in the holes in the inversions bench. The wings  30  and  31  pivot from the body  21  through pivot axles  61  and  60  (not shown in this figure). Recess(es)  22  allow the wings  30  and  31  to lay flat against the sides of the safety key  20  to provide a cylindrical appearance when the key is properly positioned to notify a user that the inversion bench is safe to rotate. 
     The user can also pull on handle  45  to pull shaft  46  out of the body of the safety key  20 . Pulling the handle  45  will also extend the wings  30  and  31  from the body of the safety key  20 . If the handle  45  is released the compression spring  50  will return the wings  30  and  31  to the normal retracted position as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a perspective cross-sectional view from  FIG. 3  of the safety key  10  with the wings retracted,  FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of the safety key  10  from  FIG. 3  with the wings retracted and  FIG. 7  shows a cross-sectional view of the safety key  10  from  FIG. 4  with the wings extended. The cylindrical body  21  of the safety key  10  has a larger diameter  21  and a stepped smaller diameter  23 . The smaller stepped diameter  23  approximates the mounting surface in the inversion table. 
     The cylindrical body  21  has a central pin that slides within the cylindrical body  21 . The central pin  40  is biased with a compression spring  50  in the cylindrical body. The shoulder  41  on the central pin  40  provides a surface for the compression spring  50  to push against on one side and the inside of the cylindrical body  23  has a shoulder to push against the opposing side of the compression spring  50 . The central pin further has at least one guide pin  63  and  64  for guiding the deployable wings  30  and  31 . 
     At least one wing  30  and or  31  is pivotally secured to the cylindrical body through pivoting axis  60  and  61  respectively. Each wing  30  and  31  has at least one arm  32  and  33  respectively that slidably are connected to the at least one guide pin  64  and  63  respectively whereby the guide pin(s)  64  and  63  moves the wing  30  and  31  into alignment with the cylindrical body  21  and the wing  30  and  31  extend from the body  21  based upon a position of the central pin. A conical bushing  52  also pushes against the arms  32  and  33  to rotate the wings  30  and  32  from the body  21  of the safety key  20 . A handle  45  is connected to a shaft  46  through the body of the safety key  10  to compress spring  50  and extend the wings  30  and  31 . 
     The safety key  20  has at least one wing  30  that opens out of the cylindrical body  21  when the central pin  40  is not engaged  12  in an inversion table  17 , inversion bench or exercise equipment as shown in  FIG. 7 . The safety key  20  includes a receiver  17  configured to accept said smaller body diameter  23  and said two different cylindrical diameters  40  and  41  of the central pin. The receiver has a fixed tube  17  with at least one hole  13  and a movable tube with at least one hole  14  where the holes  13  and  14  can be concentric and have different diameters. When the central pin  40  is inserted into the at least two concentric holes  13  and  14  (as shown in  FIG. 6 ) at least one wing  31  is recessed in the cylindrical body  21 . The extended wing  31  is a visual indicator that the at least two different  13  and  14  in the two different surfaces are not aligned or concentric (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) and the inversion table  17  or said inversion bench is not safe to invert or exercise equipment is not safe to operate. 
     Thus, specific embodiments of a safety key that identifies improper insertion have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. 
     SEQUENCE LISTING 
     Not Applicable.