Abstract:
A heavy bag uses one or more removable canisters placed inside a cover, substantially filling the cover and thereby forming a modular construction for the heavy bag. The cover has a selectively resealable closure which permits the canister or canisters to be inserted into or removed from the cover. The bag is formed from a set of the canisters within the cover. In one embodiment of the invention, the canisters are not all filled with the same stuffing material, causing the densities or hardnesses of the canisters to differ from each other, thereby creating zones of differing hardnesses within the bag. The canisters are preferably filled with stuffing material in the form of sand, pieces of rag, liquid, gel, foam, or egg-crate foam. The invention can include a structure to avoid separation of opposing surfaces of adjacent canisters received in the cover of the bag.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to heavy bags used in boxing, the martial arts, and for other athletic purposes.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Certain punching bags, known as heavy bags, are used in boxing, martial arts and other athletic activity, and are thus subjected to strenuous use. This causes the bags to become worn heavily, thus requiring regular maintenance and repair. Maintenance and repair, in turn, are generally difficult on such punching bags for a variety of reasons. For example, any rips, tears, punctures or other breaches in the outer covering must generally be well sealed to avoid escape of stuffing material.  
           [0003]    The stresses experienced by striking the bag may also reopen previous repairs. As such, any significant rip, tear, or hole in the bag generally compromises the structural integrity of the entire bag and renders it substandard at a minimum, if not unusable in more extreme cases.  
           [0004]    In addition, heavy bags are generally constructed substantially of a unitary outer shell and usually filled with a combination of pieces of cloth or thread, and sand. This makes the bags cumbersome in many respects, including shipping, handling, relocating, and repairing. In particular, since these bags are one piece and usually weigh more than seventy pounds, the bags exceed the weight limits for certain types of shipping, requiring special handling or otherwise limiting shipping options. Warehousing and storage are similarly rendered more cumbersome as suitable personnel and equipment must be present to move the bags as required.  
           [0005]    The sand or other stuffing material of heavy bags presents its own further drawbacks. For example, over time, the sand or other stuffing material tends to settle at the bottom of the bag. This causes the density of the bag to shift, which creates soft spots at the top of the bag and firm spots toward the bottom, both of which are counterproductive to optimum training.  
           [0006]    It is therefore desirable to create a heavy bag that performs better by avoiding the settling effect of the stuffing material, and that is easy to maintain, repair, store and ship. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0007]    The invention will be better understood by reference to the attached drawing. It is understood that the drawing is for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily drawn to scale. In fact, certain features of the drawing are shown in more detail for purposes of explanation and clarification.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an exercise bag according to the present invention, along with a user thereof.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing how the cover is filled with canisters.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one of the canisters of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a top view of the canister of FIG. 3.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a side view of the canister of FIGS. 3 and 4.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a perspective, partial view of one suitable arrangement for reducing separation of adjacent canisters.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a perspective, partial view of an alternate arrangement for reducing separation of adjacent canisters.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of still another arrangement for reducing separation of adjacent canisters.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the bag of FIG. 1.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by a heavy bag that uses one or more removable canisters placed inside a cover, substantially filling the cover and thereby forming a modular construction for the heavy bag. The cover has a selectively resealable closure which permits the canister or canisters to be inserted into or removed from the cover. If the bag is formed from a set of the canisters within the cover, then, in one version of the invention, the canisters are not all filled with the same stuffing material. In this way, the densities or hardnesses of the canisters differ from each other, thereby creating zones of differing hardnesses within the bag. Canisters are preferably filled with stuffing material in the form of sand, pieces of rag, liquid, gel, foam, rubber, particles or pellets of rubber, egg-crate foam, or any other suitable aggregate material.  
         [0019]    The invention optionally includes a structure to avoid separation of opposing surfaces of adjacent canisters received in the cover of the bag. One version of this structure is a VELCRO attachment system at the opposing surfaces of adjacent canisters. In another version, a ring fits at the opposing ends of the adjacent canisters.  
         [0020]    The canisters which fill the bag have cylindrical sidewalls, according to one aspect of the invention, with either flat or cone-shaped top and bottom surfaces. According to another aspect of the invention, the canisters are segments of a cylinder, occupying a selected arc of the 360 degrees of the circular cross section of the cylindrical bag.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]    Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS.  1 - 5 , a heavy bag  19  is suspended from a mount shown schematically at  35  for use in boxing, exercise, martial arts, or for other athletic purposes. Heavy bag  19  is modular by virtue of being constructed of at least two, separable components. Modular heavy bag  19  preferably comprises multiple canisters  25  filled with stuffing material, as described subsequently, and removably received in cover  21 . Although the number of canisters  25  received in cover  21  is variable depending on any number of factors, the illustrated embodiment includes a canister set  18 , which, in turn, comprises five of the canisters  25 , and the canisters  25  of canister set  18  are drum-shaped, and equally sized.  
         [0022]    As best seen in FIG. 2, canisters  25  are inserted through resealable opening  43  into the inner volume  41  of cover  21 . Cylindrical sidewalls  75  of drum-shaped canisters  25  fit generally snugly against opposing inner wall  45 . Otherwise stated, in order to assure that canisters  25  fit fairly tightly within cover  21 , outer diameter D of canisters  25  is substantially equal to the corresponding inner diameter formed by inner wall  45  of cover  21 .  
         [0023]    A representative one of canisters  25  is shown in FIGS.  3 - 5 . Height H1 of canister  25  is selected so that, when the requisite number of canisters has been received into inner volume  41  of cover  21 , the plurality of canisters  25  substantially fills inner volume  41  to form heavy bag  19 . The term “substantially fills” used herein means that heavy bag  19  has sufficient weight, hardness, and size to be used as intended. Top  47  of canister  25  and bottom  49  thereof are substantially flat in this embodiment to allow relatively straightforward stacking of canisters  25  in any order within cover  21 .  
         [0024]    The five canisters  25  are filled with any suitable stuffing material, such as sand, which sand optionally includes thread, cloth or rags intermixed therewith. Substitute or alternative stuffing materials are likewise useful to fill one or more of the canisters  25 . Such stuffing materials preferably include liquid, gel, egg-crate-like foam material, or other types of foam, but such stuffing materials are not so limited, also including any other filling materials which vary in hardness, density, weight, or other characteristics from the more typical sand found in heavy bags.  
         [0025]    Using different stuffing materials in one or more canisters  25  creates variety in the hardness, density, weight, or other characteristics among the canisters of the set of canisters  25 , and thus in heavy bag  19 . Accordingly, the hardness or other characteristics of heavy bag  19  can be customized to specific users or uses by selecting different stuffing materials for all or some of canisters  25 , or by combining one or more canisters  25  filled with one type of stuffing material, with one or more canisters filled with another type or types of stuffing materials. As such, canisters  25  can each be filled with identical stuffing material, each can be of a different stuffing material, or any variation of the foregoing, such as having one or more canisters formed of one stuffing material, and the remaining canisters formed of another stuffing material or materials. It will be appreciated that the numerous combinations and variations to the stuffing materials filling canisters  25 , and the different number of canisters  25  filled with given stuffing material or materials, are all within the scope of the invention.  
         [0026]    By having the canister set  18  comprised of canisters of different stuffing materials, the heavy bag  19  thus created includes one or more zones of different hardness at selected location(s) therein. For example, canister set  18  is optionally provided with a canister  25  of softer stuffing material, and cover  21  is filled with canisters  25  so that the softer canister is at a medial location (that is, in the middle) of cover  21 , with the remaining canisters  25  being filled with denser stuffing material. This creates a softer area at such medial location in heavy bag  19 , which, in a sense, simulates a human stomach.  
         [0027]    It is preferable for outer wall  46  of heavy bag  19  to present uniform resistance to the user, unless, of course, a zone of varying hardness or density has been provided through the use of differing stuffing material as outlined above. Otherwise stated, the user should encounter substantially the same resistance at all points when striking heavy bag  19 , unless a zone of varying hardness or density has been intended. With this goal in mind, it is possible that resistance of heavy bag  19  may vary at horizontal boundaries  48  formed between opposing surfaces  50  of adjacent canisters  25 . This is especially the case if opposing surfaces  50  are forced apart, such as by blows applied at or near horizontal boundaries  48  of canisters  25 . The risk of such inadvertent separation of opposing surfaces  50  is reduced by selecting heights or height H1 of canisters  25  so that the combined height of the stacked canisters is approximately equal to the height of cover  21 .  
         [0028]    In this preferred embodiment, canisters  25  have a height H1 of approximately 8 to 12 inches, making a combined height of about 40 to 60 inches for heavy bag  19 .  
         [0029]    Bag  19  is optionally equipped with a component which avoids unintentional separation at opposing surfaces  50 . For example, bag  19  is equipped with one or more components which secure canisters  25  relative to each other when positioned inside cover  21 . Referring to FIG. 6, opposing canister surfaces  50  are secured relative to each other by a Velcro fastening arrangement  51 . Velcro part  53 , either comprised of the hooks or the eyes, is secured to extend at least partially along the circumference of canister sidewalls near corresponding opposing surfaces  50  thereof. Velcro part  55  preferably comprises a belt with a surface which includes the Velcro fasteners to mate with the first Velcro parts  53  near opposing surfaces  50 . Belt-shaped part  55  is sufficiently wide to be secured simultaneously to both Velcro parts  53  when opposing surfaces  50  are brought against each other.  
         [0030]    Canisters  25  are thus attached and then inserted into inner volume  41  of cover  21 . Velcro part  55  preferably is sufficiently long to wrap around the entire circumference of the canisters  25 , thereby effectively eliminating access to horizontal boundary  48  from blows received against cover  21 .  
         [0031]    Velcro fastening arrangement  51  is not limited to the parts  53  and  55  as described above. Alternately, Velcro parts  53 ,  55  can be directly applied to opposing surfaces  50 , as shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. In such an arrangement, adjacent canisters become secured relative to each other after they are inserted into cover  21  when they are inserted serially into cover  21  with mating Velcro parts  53 ,  55  on opposing surfaces  50 , and resist separation at boundary  48 . Canisters  25  in this embodiment can also be secured before insertion into cover  21 .  
         [0032]    Inadvertent separation at boundary  48  is alternately or further reduced by inserting a ring  29  between opposing surfaces  50  as shown in FIG. 7. Ring  29  is preferably made of polymeric material, foam, rubber or other malleable material and includes flanges  65  extending outwardly from its planar, central portion at the outer diameter of ring  29 . The general structure of ring  29 , then, is for a planar, central portion to extend between its inner and outer perimeters  61 ,  63 , and a thicker portion to be formed by flange  65  located at the outer diameter of ring  29 . A ring seat  57  thus is formed, and flange  65  is located so that canisters  25  sit snugly on ring seat  57  within flange  65 , resisting inadvertent separation by virtue of such fit.  
         [0033]    Flange  65  extends partially along sidewalls  75  of adjacent canisters  25  at the opposing ends of such canisters. As such, horizontal boundary  48  is not as readily subject to separating forces from blows received at such boundary, since such blows strike the outer wall of flange  65 .  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 8 shows still another device for reducing inadvertent separation of opposing surfaces  50  of adjacent canisters  25 , that is, a tie down strap  69  in the cavity defined by inner wall  45  (FIG. 9) of cover  21 . Strap  69  is fastenable relative to one or more canisters  25  to exert inward, compressive force on the canisters to resist separation for the opposing surfaces thereof. In the illustrated example, strap  69  extends from the bottom of the cavity inside cover  21 , up opposing, longitudinal sides of cover  21 , and extends across the inside of the cavity at the top of cover  21 . The strap thus encircles all canisters of the set received in cover  21  and, when cinched, exerts the required compressive force to hold the set of canisters  25  together.  
         [0035]    Although the preceding embodiments have shown drum-shaped canisters substantially filling volume  41  of cover  21 , alternate shapes of canisters are within the scope of the current invention, two examples of which are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. In FIG. 9, canisters  125  have outwardly extending cones  44  formed in respective tops  131  and have corresponding cone-shaped cavities  54  formed in bottoms  132 . In this manner, cones  44  are received into corresponding cavities  54 , thereby making an angled joint or boundary  147  between opposing surfaces  150  of canisters  125 . It will be appreciated that generally horizontal blows applied to boundary  147  will be less prone to separate opposing surfaces  150  by virtue of such an angled boundary or seam.  
         [0036]    The resulting heavy bag  119  includes top and bottom canisters  127 ,  129  which differ in shape from canisters  125 , which have at intermediate positions within cover  21 . Top canister  127  includes a cone-shaped cavity formed in its bottom  132  to mate with a corresponding cone  44 , but is formed with a generally horizontal top surface  128 , to allow an even filling of the volume  41  of cover  21 . Similarly, bottom canister  129  includes an outwardly extending cone  44 , but a generally horizontal bottom  130  to uniformly fill the bottom portion of volume  41 . In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the bottom canister is similar to top canister  127 , that is, a cylindrical canister with a convex cone extending from the top of the cylindrical form and a flat bottom.  
         [0037]    Canisters  225  shown in FIG. 10 comprise a set of six, wedge shapes arranged adjacent to each other. Canisters  225  have outer sidewalls  267  extending through an arc of approximately sixty degrees, and radial walls approximately corresponding to the radius of the volume of cover  21 . In this way, canisters  225  substantially fill the volume  41  of cover  21 , while still allowing resulting heavy bag  219  to be modular. As in the previous embodiments, canisters  225  are filled with stuffing material, and such stuffing material can be varied either by individual canister  225  or by canister sets  218  to meet individual demands of users. When a canister  225  is filled with stuffing material having a different characteristic from that of the other canisters  225 , that variation is preferably present over the entire length of heavy bag  219 , but only along the sixty degree segment of the outer cover  21  corresponding to such different canister  225 . It will, of course, be appreciated that the stuffing materials of canisters  225  can be varied just as with the other canisters  25 ,  125 , discussed previously.  
         [0038]    The canisters  25 ,  125 ,  225  include an outer casing  81  of suitably durable material, such outer casing  81  formed to assume the desired shape of the canister when the casing is filled with stuffing material, such as the drum-like shapes of canisters  25 . The casing is preferably formed to encapsulate the stuffing material, that is, the stuffing material is not readily accessible by the user because the casing has no resealable opening for the user. As such the casing is substantially continuous. Alternately, suitable openings (not shown) can be provided to access stuffing material received in the casing  81 . Canisters  25 ,  125 ,  225  are equipped with suitable handles or loops to assist in inserting or removing them from cover  21 . In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS.  3 - 5 , a nylon strap  26  is secured to casing  81  at top  47 , and strap  24  is secured to casing  81  at bottom  49 .  
         [0039]    Modular heavy bag  19 ,  119 , and  219  is provided with any of the usual means for mounting it to stands or to otherwise allow it to be used as intended. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 5 , suitable nylon straps  23  are secured to outer cover  21 , with suitable clips or rings for receiving chains, cables, S-hooks, or other mounting hardware, as required by the particular application.  
         [0040]    The cover  21  is preferably made of either leather or canvas. All of the seams on the cover  21  are preferably lock stitched four times per seam. Foam is optionally included along the inner wall  45  of the cover to line the inner volume thereof. Such foam lining lessens the accessibility from outside of cover  21  to the opposing surfaces  50  of adjacent canisters  25 , adds some give to the outside of the cover  21 , and causes friction against the canisters, thus further securing them relative to each other.  
         [0041]    The volume  41  of cover  21  is preferably accessed through an opening  83 , which is closed after insertion of the desired canisters into volume  41 . Opening  83  is preferably closed by securing top  85  over it, which substantially corresponds to the top, circular surface of the heavy bag. Top  85  is preferably secured by a zipper  27  which runs substantially around the circumference of top  85 . Alternately, top  85  can be stitched shut in the event the manufacturer does not wish the purchaser to readily access the volume  41  and the canisters contained therein.  
         [0042]    The desired dimensions for the cover  21  preferably correspond to standard sizes for the sport in which the bag is to be used, such as boxing, and thus form heavy bags approximating certain corresponding weights. Typical dimensions in inches include 12×24, 12×60, 12×72, 14×36, 14×36 (horizontal), 14×48, 18×48, and 18×60.  
         [0043]    In addition to the advantages apparent from the foregoing description, the user can rotate the canisters regularly to reduce undesirable settling effects of the stuffing material within the bag.  
         [0044]    As another advantage, the user can also maintain and repair the heavy bag more easily because any one of the modular components can be removed or separated from the heavy bag, and then repaired or replaced.  
         [0045]    Yet another advantage is that, because the heavy bag is modular, its components can be separately packaged and thus shipped and stored more easily.  
         [0046]    The use of multiple, modular canisters of different stuffing material has the still further advantage of permitting the heavy bag to be custom-made with a certain overall hardness, density or weight, or to create custom zones of differing characteristics (such as hardness, density or weight) at selected locations on the heavy bag.  
         [0047]    It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art may vary certain structures and dimensions of the invention, and may otherwise construct variations which skill or fancy may suggest. Such variations are within the scope of the present invention, which is delimited by the following claims, and is not limited by the preferred embodiment.