Segmented elastic cable exerciser bar

An improved bar for elastic cable exercise devices is disclosed, the bar being segmented for disassembly into pieces of a size which may be easily transported in a valise or other small case for the convenience of travelers and commuters, the bar in an assembled state being grooved and bifurcated at the ends for engaging and guiding cable which, when the bar is rotated during use, is wound on the bar.

FIELD 
This invention relates to an exercising device comprising an elastic cable 
and more particularly to such a device comprising a bar which is generally 
held in a substantially horizontal position and is engaged with the cable. 
PRIOR ART 
An exercising device comprising an elastic cable is described in U.S. Pat. 
No. 61,702 issued in 1867 and a horizontal bar engaged with a cable is 
disclosed therein. However, only one run of cable attached to the bar at 
the center of the bar is provided. Many similar devices in which a single 
run of elastic cable is attached to the center of a horizontal bar have 
been subsequently described. Later patents have described exercising 
devices comprising elastic cable in which a bar may be held horizontally 
with both hands of a user and a downward run of cable is provided at each 
end of the bar. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,015. 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,117,781 and 3,785,644 show winding of a rope or cord at 
each end of a bar but the rope or cord is non-elastic. 
No patent is known in which a grooved bar or a bar with the herein 
described finger-like projections at each end is disclosed, either unitary 
or segmented. 
SUMMARY 
As part of an exercising device comprising an elastic cable, a bar is 
provided which may generally be held horizontally in both hands of the 
user and may engage with a cable to provide a downward run of the cable at 
each end of the bar. The bar is provided with a groove, extending from one 
end to the other, to receive the cable and finger-like projecting members 
are provided extending respectively from each side of the groove at each 
end of the bar to cause the cable to be retained in the groove when the 
bar is rotated through 180 degrees and ten to cause the cable to be wound 
on the bar as the bar is further rotated. The finger-like projecting 
members may extend directly longitudinally outward from the end of the bar 
or may extend divergently outward or may extend outwardly and thence 
downwardly (preferred) or extend outwardly and thence upwardly. In a 
preferred embodiment, the bar is segmented to be severable into lengths 
which are conveniently accomodated in a valise or overnight carrying case 
so that the exercise device may be easily transported by a traveler or 
commuter for use when away from home. For providing strength and rigidity 
to a segmented bar, it is preferred to increase the cross sectional area 
of the bar near the joints between segments and to provide bayonet type 
locking pin and sleeve couplings between segments and providing such 
couplings in pairs at each joint to prevent one bar segment from being 
rotated with respect to another around the pin. Spring loaded detents 
positioned to engage a lip or opening in the sleeve member of a coupling 
retains the segments in tightly abutting contact while enabling the 
segments to be separated by pulling axially along the bar with manual 
force to open the joint. 
By suitably securing the cable at one end of the bar, the bar may be 
utilized to simulate the handle of a golf club, canoe paddle, hockey 
stick, tennis racket, baseball bat or a variety of similar motions used 
with devices of the like, and by making motions which simulate the use of 
such objects in the sports with which they are respectively associated, 
muscles used in these sports may be exercised. 
OBJECTS 
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved bar in an 
elastic cable exercising device. 
Another object is to provide such a bar which may be readily engaged and 
disengaged with the elastic cable used in such a device and which at the 
same time may be used in many exercises without disengagement of the cable 
from the bar. 
Other objects will become apparent from the drawings and from the following 
detailed description in which it is intended to illustrate the 
applicability of the invention without thereby limiting its scope to less 
than that of all equivalents which will be apparent to one skilled in the 
art.

DESCRIPTION 
Reference is made herein to an elastic cable. It is understood that that 
term "elastic" may be accurately applied to a steel bar, a wooden board or 
in a broad sense nearly any solid object in referring to the tendency or 
ability of such object to return to its original position (when stress is 
released) after it has been strained by applying a stress to it. Further 
reference is made herein to a bar, and it is understood that the word 
"bar" as used herein means an elongated lever-like means having 
considerable rigidity. However, the term "elastic" is used herein 
throughout in the well known sense of referring to an object typified by a 
rubber band, piece of shock cord or a length of surgical tubing which may 
consist of or comprise either a natural or synthetic elastomer material, 
for example, natural rubber or a copolymer of butadience and styrene. 
Objects referred to herein by use of the term "elastic" are characterized 
by returning to their original shape after having been deformed greatly. 
Thus, an "elastic" (as the term is used herein) cord or cable may be 
stretched to several times it original length by imposition of a suitable 
force and will return almost immediately to its original length when the 
force ceases to be imposed. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, bar 20 may be provided with groove 21 
which may have two upper edges 22 and 23 which together may be said to 
constitute the upper surface of the bar so that groove 21 may be said to 
be a groove in the upper surface of the bar. Elastic cable 24 (FIGS. 4, 5 
and 14) may be received in groove 21, adjacent respective ends of the bar. 
Downwardly extending projections 28 and 29 may be provided at ends of 
groove 21 at points 26 and 27 to provide relatively generally rounded 
extended surfaces over which the cable may pass at each end of groove 21 
rather than passing over a relatively sharp edge. At one end of bar 20 
there may be provided a first pair of finger-like members adjacent point 
26 which may extend longitudinally outward on each side of groove 21 as 
indicated at 30 and 31 and thence may extend downwardly as indicated at 30 
and 31 and thence may extend downwardly as indicated at 32 and 33 and at 
the other end of the bar adjacent point 27 a like pair of finger-like 
members may be provided which may extend longitudinally outward on each 
side of the groove as indicated at 34 and 35 and thence may extend 
downwardly as indicated at 36 and 37. As used herein the term "pairs of 
finger-like member" will be understood to mean a bifurcation with two 
protruding elements as shown in the drawings. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, foot engaging members 40 which may also be used as 
hand grip members are shown engaged with the feet 41 of a user 42 and have 
the ends of cable 24 attached thereto at 43. 
An embodiment of member 40 (as shown in greater detail in FIGS. 6 and 7) 
may comprise a laterally extending "thread" portion 44 which may have two 
side portions 45 extending upwardly therefrom to a cable-attachment 
portion 46. Portion 46 may have holes 47 laterally received therein and 
hole 48 longitudinally received therein, in perpendicular relation to 
tread portion 44. Cable 24 may be attached thereto by first passing the 
cable through any one of three holes and thence through any other but is 
preferably attached by first passing it through hole 48 and thence through 
one of holes 47 as indicated at 43 of FIG. 4. Security of attachment may 
be increased by passing the free end of the cable (after passing it 
through one of holes 47) under the bight then formed between hole 48 and 
that one of holes 47 through which it has been passed. 
In FIG. 14, feet 41 of user 42 may be engaged with modifications 40' of 
members 40. Members 40' may be square in form as shown, having relatively 
straight side portions 45' integrally attached to cable-attachment 
portions 46' and relatively straight tread portions 44'. 
Run 25 of a cable extending downwardly from an end of bar 20 may thus be 
effectively attached to one of feet 41 of user 42 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 
14. When the user's hands are in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 
4 (at 49) or in FIG. 14 the bar is tilted as shown and cable 24 instead of 
slipping loose from one end or the other or both ends of groove 21 as it 
might otherwise do is caught behind one of finger-like members 50. 
Finger-like members 50, as shown, may be either the finger-like members 
comprising portions 30, 31, 32 and 33 or the finger-like members 
comprising portions 34, 35, 36 and 37. 
When user 42's arms are lifted to a position such as shown in dashed lines 
in FIG. 4 (at 49') or in FIG. 14 the bar as may be seen is tilted in the 
opposite direction so that cable 24 is caught by the other one of 
finger-like members 50. 
The effective length of each of runs 25 of cable 24 may be reduced by 
further rotating the bar so that cable 24 having been caught behind one of 
finger-like members 50 is wound several times around the end of bar 20 as 
shown for one end of the bar in FIG. 5, the run of the cable from one end 
of the bar being indicated in this instance by the arrow 25'. 
Referring now to FIG. 8 there is shown an embodiment wherein bar 20' is an 
extruded member of aluminum or polymeric synthetic resinous material 
having three hollow portions 59 and a groove 21' which is let into the 
upper surface of bar 20' but differs from groove 21 in that it does not 
have rounded ends as at points 26 and 27 in FIG. 1. 
Referring now to FIG. 9 there is shown an embodiment wherein bar 20" is 
provided with a groove 21 which may be identical with groove 21 of the 
embodiment of FIG. 1. Extending from each end of the bar alongside the 
edges of the groove there may be provided finger-like members 60 which 
differ from members 50 in that they extend straight out longitudinally and 
are neither turned down nor turned up at the ends. 
Referring now to FIG. 10, bar 20" is shown in a position in which groove 21 
opens upwardly, cable 24 being received in the groove and a run of cable 
25 being extended downwardly from the end of the bar as shown. When bar 
20" is rotated as shown in FIG. 11, cable 24 is caught by the lowermost of 
finger-like members 60 and thus prevented from coming out of groove 21. 
When bar 20" is rotated still further as shown in FIG. 12, the effect of 
the aforementioned one of finger-like members 50 has become more 
pronounced in its action in retaining cable 24 in attached relationship to 
the bar and within groove 21. 
When bar 20" is rotated still further as shown in FIG. 13, the manner in 
which cable 24 continues to be retained within groove 21 and thereby in 
attached relationship to the bar is more clearly shown. Also shown in FIG. 
13 is the manner in which cable 24 thus begins to be wound around the bar 
whereby, by continued rotation of the bar, several windings of the cable 
around the bar can be provided as shown in FIG. 5. 
Referring now to FIG. 15, it may be seen that bar 20'" may be provided 
having a groove 21 corresponding to grooves 21 previously described and 
having finger-like members 70 which extend longitudinally outward on each 
side of the groove at each end of the bar (only one end being shown) and 
then instead of extending downwardly as described for the bar of FIGS. 1 
to 5 instead extend upwardly as indicated at 71. Finger-like members 70 
function in the same manner as described hereinbefore for finger-like 
members 50 and 60. 
Referring now to FIG. 16, bar 20'''' may be provided with a groove 21 which 
may be identical to groove 21 described in connection with previous 
embodiments and may be provided with finger-like members 80 extending 
outward from each end, only one end being shown, respectively alongside 
each side of groove 21. Finger-like members 80 may however extend 
divergently longitudinally outward instead of extending parallelly 
longitudinally outward as described for finger-like members 60. 
Finger-like members 80 are shown as being turned neither upwardly nor 
downwardly near their ends but if desired they could be turned either 
upwardly as described for finger-like members 70 or downwardly as 
described for finger-like members 50. 
Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, bar 20''''' is similar in configuration to 
that of bar 20 of FIGS. 1-5 and 14, but is jointed to be separable into 
sections 90 and 91, the sections being of approximately equal length as 
shown. If desired, the bar could be segmented into a greater number of 
sections. Section 90 as shown is provided with projecting pins 92, 93, 
received, as best shown in FIG. 18, in sleeves 100,101 disposed in blind 
holes 94,95 in section 91, the sleeves and the pins preferably being 
fixedly secured in their bar sections by press-fitting or equivalent 
means. Each of pins 92 and 93 is provided with a detent 96 comprising as 
shown in FIG. 18, ball 98 and loading spring 99 disposed within recess 97 
in operable manner for retaining and resiliently urging ball 98 to 
radially project through the projected interface of the sleeve and the pin 
and beyond the innermost extremity of sleeves 100, 101 within holes 94, 
95. Pins 92, 93 are inserted in sleeves 100, 101 until the end faces of 
bar sections 90, 91 are tightly abutting, in which position balls 98 of 
detents 96 project beyond the end of sleeves 100, 101 lip-like to operably 
secure the bar sections in tight contact. The sections may be separated 
only by manually pulling the bar sections apart longitudinally. 
Groove 21' of bar 20''''' is tapered in depth from relatively more shallow 
depression at faces 102, 103, to relatively greater depression similar to 
that shown for groove 21 in FIGS. 2 and 3 at the ends of bar 20'''''. 
Tapering the depth of groove 21 provides greater cross-sectional area for 
placement of pins 92, 93 and sleeves 100, 101 and enables such means to be 
disposed nearer the upper most portion of the bar than would be possible 
if the groove were not tapered, the combination of pin and sleeve 
placement high in the bar and increased cross-sectional area of the bar at 
the joint being effective to provide optimum strength and resistance to 
bending flexure of the bar and to separation of the bar sections at the 
joint. While bar 20''''' is of equivalent or greater strength than bar 20 
of similar dimension, bar 20''''' may be more conveniently transported and 
stored by disassembling the two sections, 90, and 91, one from the other 
so that the entire exercise device may be conveniently packed in a valise 
or overnight case. 
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that equivalents may be 
utilized. Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in other 
specific forms without departing from the spirit of essential attributes 
thereof and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims 
rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the 
invention.