Patent Publication Number: US-9427614-B1

Title: Jump rope and music playing combination assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The disclosure relates to jump rope devices and more particularly pertains to a new jump rope device for playing music while a person uses a jump rope. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pair of housings each defining a handle. Each of the housings has a first end, a second end and a perimeter wall extending between the first and second ends. A tether is attached to and extends between the first ends of the housings. A sound emitter is positioned in one of the housings and is configured to play stored audio files. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a broken top perspective view of a jump rope and music playing combination assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an end view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a top broken view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new jump rope device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the jump rope and music playing combination assembly  10  generally comprises a pair of housings  12  each defining a handle to be gripped by a user. Each of the housings  12  has a first end  14 , a second end  16  and a perimeter wall  18  extending between the first  14  and second  16  ends. The perimeter wall  18  has a shoulder  20  therein positioned nearer to the first end  14  than the second end  16 . A portion of the perimeter wall  18  between the shoulder  20  and the first end  14  defines a stop. The housings  12  each have a length from the first end  14  to the associated second end  16  being less than approximately 6.0 inches. The housings  12  may be cylindrically shaped and have a diameter between 0.75 inches and 2.0 inches. 
     A tether  22  is attached to and extends between the first ends  14  of the housings  12 . The tether  22  has a length between 5.0 feet and 12.0 feet. The tether  22  may be comprised of a woven material or a plastic material which is flexible. 
     A sound emitter  24  is positioned in one, or both, of the housings  12  and is configured to play stored audio files. The sound emitter  24  includes a processor  26 , such as a conventional control processing unit, and a speaker  28  that is electrically coupled to the processor  26 . The speaker  28  may be mounted in the second end  16  of the housing  12  and audibly plays audio files. A second speaker  28  may be provided such that each housing  12  includes a speaker  28 . Conduits  30  may extend through the tether  22  to couple the second speaker  28 , mounted on the housing  12  not containing the processor  26 , to the processor  26 . A power supply  32  is electrically coupled to the processor  26 . The power supply  26  may comprise one or more batteries and may more particularly comprise a rechargeable battery. A volume control  34  is electrically operationally coupled to the processor  26 . A port  36  is electrically coupled to the processor  26  and is configured to receive a memory card has at least one audio file thereon. The port  36  may comprise any conventional data port for transfer electronic information by wire. Alternatively, or in addition, an electronic memory may be positioned within the housing  12  and electrically coupled to the processor  26  for retaining audio files thereon which have been transferred thereto by an outside data source. Further, additional means of audio file transfers may be accomplished such as by utilizing a wireless signal from an external storage device to the processor by way of radio transmitters. A power switch  38  is operationally coupled to the processor  24  and is actuated to turn the processor  24  or on off. 
     A plurality of light emitters  40  may be provided. Each of the stops, or areas adjacent to the shoulders  20 , has at least four of the light emitters  40  mounted thereon and each of the light emitters  40  is electrically coupled to the processor  24  to be illuminated when the processor  24  is turned on. The processor  24  may be programmed in a conventional fashion to cause the light emitters  40  to only turn on with the beat of the song being audibly played on the speaker  28 . 
     A pair of coverings  42  is provided. Each of the perimeter walls  18  has one of the coverings  42  positioned thereon. The coverings  42  may each be comprised of a resiliently compressible material such as a foamed elastomeric material. 
     In use, the housings  12  are each gripped and the assembly  10  is used in a conventional manner as would a traditional jump rope be used. The user may turn on the processor  24  as desired so that music is emitted from the speaker. A power light  44  may be positioned on the housing  12  and electrically coupled to the processor to be illuminated when the processor  24  turned as an indication that the assembly  10  has been powered on. The assembly  10  may include selection switches operationally coupled to the processor  24  to select different audio files. Alternatively the processor  24  may be programmed so that the audio files are simply played in order, or randomly selected, without user input. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.