Abstract:
A portable weight vest pack that is worn like a backpack and capable of carrying a standard weight plate. The weight vest pack is advantageously back-loaded to provide ease of movement and dexterity during workouts. The weight vest pack is made of lightweight sturdy material and collapsible to carry in a gym bag, suitcase or other bags when traveling.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/459,914 filed Dec. 21, 2010 which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention generally relates to body vests used for exercising and workouts. More particularly, the invention relates to a portable exercise weight vest that acts as a carrier for weight plates during weighted workouts. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The use of weight vests with pockets to hold and transport equipment and gear has been popular among athletes and sportsmen for a very long time. Load-bearing vests with specially designed pockets for carrying equipment and armor by military and law enforcement personnel are also well known in the art. 
         [0004]    The gain in popularity of weight training as a method of exercise to shape the contours of specific areas of the body and build muscle mass has evidenced the need for the development of novel weight vests that can be worn over the torso during weighted workouts. Generally, the use of a weight vest with added weights inserted into pockets distributed throughout the vest functions to increase the benefits of resistance training for the wearer of the vest. The weight vests of this kind generally have a front and rear panel and are structured to be worn over a wearer&#39;s torso as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,396 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,270 or secured by some strapping means to the user&#39;s waist as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,699. 
         [0005]    The various exercise weight vests in the prior art and available in the market currently are predominantly customized vests that have individual weights loaded in small pouches through the entirety of the vest making it cumbersome and impractical for transporting the vest during travel because of the excess weight generated from the sum of individual weights and the requirement of extra baggage for transporting them. In addition, a majority of such weight vests worn during weight training exercises are generally both front and back loaded. The carrying of weights on the front of one&#39;s torso restricts range of motion for exercises like push-ups by adding extra bulk to the front of one&#39;s body. These weight vests also require the cumbersome task of periodic removal and exchange of custom weights in the pockets of the vest to achieve the necessary balance in weights for the various workout sessions. 
         [0006]    Exercise weight vests that provide the dual function of back-loading standard weight plates as well as being portable and ideally suited for travel are not well known in the art. The present invention fills the void in the prior art for such a device with a unique design of a collapsible and portable lightweight exercise weight vest capable of carrying weight plates during weighted workout sessions and 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is an improvement over prior art exercise weight vests. More specifically, it provides the dual function of being lightweight and portable as well as being capable of back-loading standard weight plates for use during resistance exercises and weighted workouts. 
         [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight collapsible and easily transportable exercise weight vest. 
         [0009]    In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the weight vest is structured to be worn like a backpack with shoulder straps as well as optional chest and waist straps to secure the vest to the upper torso of the body. In this embodiment of the invention, the weight vest pack is back-loaded with standard plate weights for resistance training. In this embodiment of the invention, any standard free weight can be attached to the carrier by means of two straps with buckles that are routed through loops sewn to the back of the carrier. 
         [0010]    In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the weight vest of the present invention does not require the need for the use of custom weights. A standard weight plate of any size from any gymnasium can be attached to the back of the weight vest carrier. 
         [0011]    In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the weight vest of the present invention is made of lightweight material and is constructed in a manner to be easily collapsible and stored for transport. In this embodiment of the invention the collapsed weight vest can be packed into a suitcase or other bag for transporting while traveling. 
         [0012]    In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the weight vest is strictly back-loaded, providing ease of movement and dexterity for exercises such as push-ups. In this embodiment, the light weight of the vest and its back-loaded feature makes it ideally suited for use by women athletes as there are no front-loaded weights and weight-bearing restrictions to the chest. In some embodiments of the invention, the weight vest pack may be worn with the weight plate carrier facing the front to load a standard weight plate to provide resistance training and workout for the front of the body. 
         [0013]    In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the weight vest of the invention has an approximate dimension of 19″H×4″W×¾″D and is constructed of approximately three 5″H×4″W pieces of closed cell foam sewn into heavy duty fabric allowing it to be tri-folded. The sides of the carrier weight vest are reinforced by the insertion of approximately two collapsible ‘tent poles’ into small pockets along the sides. 
         [0014]    Although various features of the present invention may be described in the context of a single embodiment, the features may also be provided separately or in any suitable combination. Conversely, although the invention may be described herein in the context of separate embodiments for clarity, the invention may also be implemented in a single embodiment. In general, an embodiment is an example or implementation of the invention as conceptualized. The various references to “an exemplary embodiment,” or “yet another exemplary embodiment” do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment(s). Rather, these references mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. 
         [0015]    The features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention as described in this summary of the invention will be further appreciated and become obvious to one skilled in the art when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, detailed description of the invention and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of the portable exercise weight vest pack. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the portable weight vest pack with a standard weight plate attached to the back of the vest. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the back side of the weight vest pack. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective rear view of the weight vest pack loaded with a standard weight plate. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the weight vest pack loaded with a standard weight plate. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is an aerial view of the weight vest pack loaded with a standard weight plate. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    The present invention is a weight vest pack that can be used to attach and carry standard weight plates during weighted exercise sessions. It is constructed of light weight heavy duty material that is capable of carrying standard to custom weights without breaking under stress. When not in use, it is collapsible and can be folded to fit in a small travel sack and carried in a suitcase or other travel bag, making it ideal for the athlete who has to travel. 
         [0023]    Referring now to the figures, more particularly,  FIG. 1  a plan view of the portable weight vest pack  10  is shown with its exemplary features. The weight plate carrier  11  of the weight vest pack  10  has an approximate dimension of 19″H×4″W×¾″D and is constructed of three 5″H×4″W pieces of closed cell foam sewn into heavy duty fabric making it light enough to be tri-folded and packed into a gym or travel bag. The sides of the weight plate carrier  11  are reinforced by the insertion of two collapsible tent poles into narrow pockets running along both sides of the carrier. The weight plate carrier  11  further has a carrier strap  12  running through its center on the outside and has reinforced rectangular rings  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 , and  6  strategically placed throughout the length of carrier strap  12 . These rings also function to hold the weight plate on the weight plate carrier  10 . The carrier strap  12  of carrier  11  through its top end engages with two shoulder straps  13   a  on the right and  13   b  on the left and through its bottom end to a waist strap  15  comprised of two sections  15   a  on the right and  15   b  on the left. The waist strap  15  is held in place in front of the torso of the wearer of the weight vest pack carrier  11  through a waist buckle  16 . The shoulder straps  13   a  and  13   b  have two shorter straps  14   a  and  14   b  that have an inter-locking mechanism that holds the front ends of the two shoulder straps  13   a  and  13   b  in the front of the torso of the wearer of the weight vest pack  10 . This exemplary embodiment of the invention of the portable weight vest pack  10  is meant to be worn like a back pack. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIG. 2  the portable weight vest pack  10  is shown with a standard weight plate  20  loaded onto weight plate carrier  11  of the weight vest pack. The rectangular rings  4 ,  5 , and  6  on the carrier strap  12  can be seen below the weight plate  20 . In this embodiment, an additional strap not shown in the figure helps to hold the weight plate  20  in place over the weight plate carrier  10 . In this embodiment of the invention, any standard free weight can be attached to the carrier by means of two straps with buckles that are routed through loops sewn to the back of the carrier. The shoulder straps  13   a  and  13   b  are brought to the front of the torso of the person wearing the weight vest pack  10  and locked in place in the front through straps  14   a  and  14   b  having buckles at their ends. The waist strap  15  through its sides  15   a  and  15   b  are brought to the front of the torso and locked in place at the waist by the waist buckle  16 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  shows a plan view of the back of the portable weight vest pack  10  with its weight plate carrier  11 , carrier strap  12 , rectangular rings  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 , and  6 , shoulder straps  13   a  and  13   b,  short straps  14   a  and  14   b,  and waist straps  15   a  and  15   b.    
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the weight plate  20  loaded on to an embodiment of the portable weight vest pack  10  of the invention. In this embodiment of the invention, all other basic features of the portable weight vest pack  10  such as weight plate carrier  11 , carrier strap  12 , rectangular rings  4 ,  5 , and  6 , shoulder straps  13   a  and  13   b,  short straps  14   a  and  14   b  and waist straps  15   a  and  15   b  are retained. 
         [0027]      FIG. 5  shows a side view of the portable weight vest pack  10  of the present invention with a loaded weight plate  20 . The weight plate carrier  11 , carrier strap  12 , rectangular rings  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 , shoulder strap set  13 , shorter strap set  14 , and waist strap  15  of the weight vest pack  10  are appropriately labeled and identified in the figure. 
         [0028]      FIG. 6  is an aerial view of the portable weight vest pack  10  of the invention with a weight plate  20  loaded on to the weight plate carrier  11  and additionally showing the carrier strap  12  and rectangular ring  1  holding the weight plate  20  on the weight plate carrier  11 . The shoulder straps  13   a  and  13   b,  short straps  14   a  and  14   b  and the waist belt buckle  16  can be seen in this view. 
         [0029]    The foregoing description of the invention accompanied by the drawings showing the features and use of the weight vest should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention. It should be understood and obvious to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention thus described may be further modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.