Abstract:
An adjustable weight exercise device where the weights nest one inside the other to stack the weights. A handle or bar is provided to lift the weights with. A pin extending through a weight and the handle connects the weights to the handle. Each weight has a separate aperture to connect the handle to the weight. Since the weights are nested the handle will lift the weight it is connected to and all the weights nested inside thereby adjusting the weight of the exercise device. The nested weight system can be used with dumbells, barbells or weight lifting exercise machines to quickly, safely and easily change the weights to be lifted.

Description:
The invention relates to provisional application 60/386,356 filed Jun. 6, 2002, provisional application 60/392,902 filed Jul. 1, 2002 and provisional application 60/443,680 filed Jan. 30, 2003. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to adjustable weight exercise equipment wherein weights are nested inside each other to add up to the desired weight for dumbbells, barbells and other exercise equipment. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In current adjustable weight dumbbells the weight of the dumbbell is varied by adding plates on either side of a handle. The plates are connected to each other by side rails which can be stacked. A pin slides onto selective shelves of various heights on the handle and extend under the side rails to select how many plates are connected to the handle and lifted in the stack to vary the amount of weight lifted in the dumbbell. 
     In standard barbells a bar having weights shaped as discs are added or subtracted to the bar to change the weight of the barbell. The discs have holes in the center which must be aligned on the bar and then secured to the bar by a device on the end to keep the disks from coming off. This can be a difficult and dangerous process. There is also the risk that the discs can come off the ends if not properly secured. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A variable weight exercise device with nested weights fitting inside of each other for adjusting the weight of the device. A handle connected to the outermost selected nested weight and engaging the tops of all intervening weights lifts the nested stack of weights. The nested stack can be used with dumbbells, barbells and any other device desiring use of adjustable weights. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     To provide for easily selecting the weight of the exercise device. 
     To provide for a compact dumbbell or barbell. 
     To provide for easy storage of a dumbbell or barbell and all the weights. 
     To provide for an easy to manufacture lower cost dumbbell, barbell or other adjustable weight device. 
     To provide for ease to changing weights on a dumbbell or barbell. 
     To provide for a safe way of changing weights on a dumbbell or barbell. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a dumbbell with nested weight plates. 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the outermost nested weight plate. 
         FIG. 3  is a top perspective view of the first nested weight plate. 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the second nested weight plate. 
         FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of the third nested weight plate. 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective view of a dumbbell with nested weight plates. 
         FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of a handle with weights on each end. 
         FIG. 8  is a top perspective view of a handle. 
         FIG. 9  is a top perspective view of a dumbbell with nested weight plates and a handle with no weights. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of a barbell embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of an exercise devise embodiment. 
         FIG. 12 . is a front perspective view of the weight bench with a barbell. 
         FIG. 13 . is a front view of the weight bench with a barbell in a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 14  is a top view of a barbell with a circular aperture in the handle. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A variable weight dumbbell assembly  10  is shown generally in  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment the handle  60  and the weights  20 ,  30   40  and  50  are all of the same weight which in the example is 10 pounds. In this embodiment 50 pounds will be raised when the dumbbell is lifted by a person gripping handgrip  68  on handle  60 . 
     The outermost weight  20  of the variable weight dumbbell assembly  10  is shown in  FIG. 2 . The end walls  28  and the side walls  29  may be inclined with a larger perimeter on the top than on the bottom to more easily nest one weight within another. The base of weight  20  may have an indented portion  23  for mating with a tab portion of a larger adjacent nested weight if used. The base of weight  20  has a tab portion  24  on end walls  28  to engage the indented portion  33  of an adjacent nested weight  30 . Using the tab portion  24  and the indented portion  33  the nested weights  20 ,  30  bases will be at the same height. The engaging tabs and indents are particularly important if the end walls  28 ,  38  and the side walls  29 ,  39  of weights  20  and  30  are not tapered. Although the end walls  28  are shown with the indented portion  23  and the tab portion  24  the side walls  29  could have these features separately or in combination with the end walls  28  or alternatively the indents and tabs could be in the corners or formed by continuous ledges. Similarly although one indent portion  23  and tab portion  24  are shown more than one indent portion  23  and tab portion  24  can be used on each end wall  28 . 
     Weight  20  has a raised forked pin engaging portions  25  with apertures  27  therethrough. A trough  26  between the forked pin engaging portion  25  provides space for the tapered end  69 ,  79  of bar portion  66 ,  76  on handle  60  or  70  to fit therein. The handles  60  and  70  can thus have their hand grips  68  and  78  aligned such that they are centered vertically and horizontally in the dumbbell assembly  10 . 
     A pin  80  inserted through the aperture  27  in weight  20  and through aperture  62  or  72  in handle  60  or  70  respectively, locks the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  under the handle  60  or  70  and allows the user to lift the combined weight of the handle  60 , with weights  61 , or handle  70  and the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  which have tabs  24 ,  34  and  44  engaging indent portions  33 ,  43 , and  53  respectively to hold the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  in the dumbbell assembly  10 . 
     Since the outermost weight  20  has the longest end walls  28  and side walls  29  and weighs the same as the inner most weight  50  which has the shortest end walls  58  and side walls  59  there must be apertures in the end walls  28  and or side walls  29  if the weights are made of the same materials and have the same wall thicknesses and heights. Alternatively the different weights can have the same wall thicknesses and be made of different materials or have different wall thicknesses so that the weights  20 ,  30   40  and  50  are of equal mass. In other embodiments the different weights  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  can have different masses. 
       FIG. 3  shows the first nested weight  30 , it has smaller apertures  31  in end walls  38  and smaller apertures  32  in side walls  39  than outer weight  20  since the end walls  38  and side walls  39  are not as long as those in outer weight  20 . The indent portion  33  of first nested weight  30  engages the tab portions  24  of outer weight  20  to support the first nested weight  30  in the outer weight  20 . Tab portion  34  of first nested weight  30  engages indent portion  43  of second nested weight  40  to support second nested weight  40  in first nested weight  30 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the second nested weight  40 , it has smaller apertures  41  in end walls  48  than in the end walls  38  of second nested weight  30  since the end walls  48  are not as long. There are no apertures in side walls  49 . The indent portions  43  of second nested weight  40  engage the tab portions  34  of first nested weight  30  and the tab portion  44  of second nested weight  40  engages third nested weight indent portion  53  to support fourth nested weight  50  in second nested weight  40 . 
       FIG. 5  shows the third nested weight  50 , which has no apertures in the end walls  58  or the side walls  59 . It has an indented portion  53  for engaging the tab portion  44  on second nested weight  40 , which supports the third nested weight  50  in the second nested weight  40 . 
       FIG. 6  shows how the tabs portions  24 ,  34 ,  44  on weights  20 ,  30  and  40  engage and support the indented portions  33 ,  43 , and  53  on weights  30 ,  40  and  50 . 
     Handles  60  and  70  differ in that handle  60  has weights  61  attached at either end. This allows the handle  60  for example 10 pounds to match the weight of the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  whereas handle  70  is lighter and may be only half the weight of handle  60  for example 5 pounds. 
     Both handle  60  and handle  70  have apertures  62 ,  63 ,  64 , and  65  and  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75  respectively for engaging the apertures  27 ,  37 ,  47 , and  57  respectively in the weights such that the handles  60  and  70  can be connected by pin  80  having a stop  82  which may be magnetic for stopping the pin  80  from being removed from the apertures in the weights and the handles. In this manner the handles are secured to the weights and the weights may be lifted. The handles  60  and  70  have hand grips  68  and  78  respectively which may be knurled or have finger grips thereon for better gripping of the hand grips  68 ,  78 . The tappered ends  69 ,  79  of the handles  60 ,  70  help guide the handles into the troughs  26 ,  36 ,  46 ,  56  on the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  and align the hand grips  68 ,  78  in the dumbbell assembly  10 . 
     As best seen in  FIG. 1 , when the handle  60  is attached to outer weight  20  by placing pin  80  though apertures  27  on weight  20  and aperture  62  on handle  60  all of the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  are covered by the bar portion  66  on handle  60  with tapered portion  69  engaging troughs  26 ,  36 ,  46 ,  56  thus preventing the weights  30 ,  40  and  50  from leaving their nested position. Handle  60  will lift all the nested weights  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  since weights  50 ,  40  and  30  are nested in weight  20  and held by their respective tab portions  44 ,  34 ,  24  engaging indent portions  53 ,  43 ,  33 . As best seen in  FIG. 9  when handle  70  has pin  80  through aperture  37  in first nested weight  30  and aperture  73  in handle  70  the handle  70  will lift weights  30 ,  40  and  50  leaving weight  20  behind. Thus the weight of the dumbbell assembly  10  is reduced. Similarly the weight of the dumbbell assembly  10  can be further reduced by having pin  80  engage apertures  47  on weight  40  and  74  on handle  70  for lifting only weights  40  and  50 . For the least weight the dumbbell assembly uses handle  70  to engage only third nested weight  50 . 
     In other embodiments the number of weights and the mass of the weights may vary to provide larger or smaller ranges of weights available in the dumbbell. 
     Although the weights in the embodiments shown have been trapezoidal pyramid sections any shape weights can be used including semicircular sections, cylindroidal sections, triangular pyramid sections, quadrangular pyramid or any number of sided weights with inclined or curved walls for nesting one section inside of another. 
     In another embodiment the weights  20 ,  30   40  and  50  can be engaged by a barbell handle  90  such as for a barbell  100  as shown in  FIG. 10 . In the embodiment shown the nesting weights  20 ,  30   40  and  50  are the same as in the dumbbell assembly. The pins  80  extend through apertures  57 ,  47 ,  37  and  27  in the weights and corresponding apertures  92 ,  93 ,  94 ,  95  in the barbell handle  90 .  FIG. 10  shows the bar  90  having an arm  91  for extending the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  below the bar  90  so that the base of the weights will tend to remain parallel to the floor. Alternatively, the arm  91  can be inverted so that the bar  90 ′ and arms  91 ′ shown by the dashed lines extends between the center of the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  so that the center of gravity is in the center of the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  and the barbell  100  can be rotated easily with the bar  90  as an axis. 
     Similarly for exercise machines, which utilize variable weights such as weights  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50 , can have a handle  110  connected to a cable  112  on the weight machine  115  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The nested weights can be selected by moving pins  80  on the handles  110  to engage different nested weights to add or subtract weight as with the dumbbells. 
       FIG. 12  shows a weight bench  130  having a cushion  135  used by weight lifters using barbells. The barbell  90  may have notches  98  along the length to align the barbell  90  with the weights  20 ,  30 , or  40  inside weight housing  120  or align weight  20  with the weight housing  120 . Notches  95  on barbell  90  when aligned with V shaped trough  126  in the inside wall  122  of housing  120  will align the weights for nesting in the housing  120  or in other weights. The V shape of notch  126  will guide the barbell  90  toward the center of the housing from the front wall  121  to the back wall  123 . The notch  98  in the barbell  90  will in addition to the front to back alignment will provide side to side alignment such that the weights are guided into the housing  120  or into weights  20 ,  30 ,  40 . The outside wall  124  of housing  120  is tapered toward the center of the housing  120  to provide guidance for the weights to focus them on the housing or the other weights to nest therein. The tapered flange  127  in outside wall  124  also guides the weights toward the center of the housing  120 . Similarly rear wall  123  is tapered toward the center of the housing to guide the weights therein. Rear wall  123  is preferably not as high as outer wall  124  to allow for easier placement of the weights into the housing from the rear. Front wall  121  is also tapered toward the center of housing  120 . Front wall  121  is low to facilitate having the weight clear it for placing the weights in the housing and for taking the weights out of the housing to begin exercising. Inside wall  122  may also be tapered toward the center to facilitate centering the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  into the housing  120  or for nesting it in another weight. 
     Alternatively as shown in  FIG. 13 ,  14  the bar  90  can have a circular opening in the center of the hollow interior portion of the weights,  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  such that it can mate with a cone  140  in the center of housing  120  to guide the weights down to perfectly nest with the housing or other weights container therein. 
     The weights and handles as described herein can be made of any material, which is strong and has a high density. The preferred materials are metals such as iron or steel. The apertures  21 ,  22 ,  31 ,  32 ,  41 ,  42 ,  51 ,  52  in the weights  20 ,  30 ,  40 , and  50  can be any size or shape and be located anyplace to make the weights the correct mass. 
     Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.