Patent Description:
At all stages of human life, physical exercise at an appropriate intensity is beneficial to health and fitness. Weight and strength training at any age provide many health benefits and become increasingly important in resisting age-related degeneration of lean muscle mass and bone loss.

Weight and strength training are commonly associated with organised fitness centres, such as sports and health clubs, gyms and athletics training facilities. While health clubs and gyms are popular with many people, many others find the facilities offered in such establishments limiting or intimidating. Many people are motivated to replicate the equipment available in gyms and clubs for use in a wider range of settings, both indoors and outdoors. The recent global lockdown due to pandemic Covid-<NUM> has highlighted the importance and convenience of exercise systems that may be deployed out-of-doors and/or in private spaces available to the users.

For the sake of simplicity, a user of exercise equipment of any type, whether a professional gymnast, an amateur or an occasional user will hereafter be referred to as a "exerciser" unless the context requires otherwise. This term is used without limitation as to the age, gender, or ability level and spans occasional home user to the professional gymnast.

Health clubs and gyms often include dedicated equipment that may be used to exercise particular muscle groups. While the more serious exerciser may install such equipment in a home gym, this not a viable option for the majority. Home exercise equipment must be lightweight, portable and capable of being deployed safely with minimal technical expertise.

Bodyweight training devices are a popular class of home exercise equipment: they typically only require a limited area and suitable anchor point(s) in a support structure, such as a ceiling joist or doorframe. Bodyweight training devices use the weight of the user's body to provide a load ("resistance") against which the user performs one or more weight training exercises. The intensity of the exercise may be varied by adjusting anchor points and the angle of the user's body relative to the floor or ground. Examples include suspension trainers (STs) and pull-up bars.

Suspension trainers typically incorporate an anchor mechanism that permits the device to be anchored to a stable support (normally above the head height of the user), a pair of adjustable length straps or ropes extending from the anchor mechanism, and one or more grips at an end of each strap opposite to the anchor mechanism, the grips allowing the hands (or feet) of the user to engage the trainer while performing one of a number of exercises. The straps are usually made of a material that is substantially inelastic but resistant to the range of strain and shear forces to which they might be subjected.

Suspension trainers fall into two categories - those that require a single anchor point and those having two anchor points horizontally spaced apart.

A special case of suspension trainer is the traditional gymnastic rings system (used competitively in "still" and "flying" rings events) invented in the early 19th century. The rings are typically annular handles gripped by the gymnast and suspended by straps from an overhead support while performing various exercises; the strap lengths and the height of the support are standardised in the competitive sport. In a gym setting, the same type of ring may be attached to a pair of adjustable length straps extending from the anchor mechanism in place of the grips.

In addition to a bar, pull-up bars systems invariably require a pair of horizontally spaced-apart anchor points and suspended straps of equal lengths, strap ends opposite to the anchor points are attached at spaced apart attachment points on the bar. The exerciser typically grips the bar between the attachment points so that exercises such as pull-ups may be performed, hence the name. As for the suspension trainers, the strap lengths may be chosen or adjusted to different lengths according to the desired exercise and intensity.

Conventional bodyweight training devices, even those marketed as home exercise equipment are often bulky, inconvenient to transport, and somewhat limiting in the range of exercises they facilitate. In order to permit variation in strap length, these systems often supply an excess of strap material that may become entangled during transport, interfere with the gymnast during exercise and/or requires laborious knotting and unknotting to allow adjustment.

Some systems attempt to address problems with the straps by introducing a strap pulley that incorporates a reel upon which a portion of the strap material of each strap is wound against the bias of a coil spring and a locking mechanism that releasably locks the remaining portion of the straps so that the material is prevented from paying out further, when locked.

Nevertheless, these systems remain bulky and can still intrude into the space where the gymnast may wish to move, limiting their freedom of movement.

<CIT> discloses a lightweight portable device which allows a user to accomplish both the exercises of a functional cable machine and a bodyweight suspension trainer. The device includes at least one non-elastic cord or strap, each retractably attached to a reel. The reel has a locking mechanism and a variable resistance mechanism.

It is an object of the invention to at least ameliorate one or more of the above or other shortcomings of prior art and/or to provide a useful alternative.

The invention is a device as defined in the appended claims.

The device for governing strap length in exercise equipment comprises: a strap having proximal end and a distal end; a housing having an anchor means arranged to be attached to a support at an anchor point, the housing forming a cavity arranged to receive a proximal portion of the strap, the strap extending through an aperture in the housing exposing the distal end of the strap; a reel rotatably mounted in the housing and having the proximal end of the strap attached thereto, the reel being arranged to rotate about an axis; a return mechanism mounted on the housing to bias the reel in a first rotational direction about the axis to wind the strap onto the reel; and a locking means movable between a locked position preventing the reel from rotation and an unlocked position allowing the reel to rotate in the first rotational direction or a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction depending upon a longitudinal force applied to the distal end of the strap.

Exercise equipment including one or more instance of the device of the present disclosure is both compact and portable. The return mechanism and retractable strap mechanism cooperate to reduce the chances that straps become tangled in carriage yet permits easy set-up, adjustment and storage of the equipment.

In certain embodiments, the distal end of the strap incorporates an attachment means such as a carabiner or a buckle loop. The device may thus permit straightforward attachment to a range of handles and foot cradles so that the device may form the core of a modular exercise equipment system with detachable grips, extensions and/or attachment points for further equipment such as a pull-up bar.

The strap may be formed from an inelastic webbing and/or a cable.

In certain embodiments, the return mechanism is a spring means that may be arranged to provide a constant spring bias.

The housing may be formed of a body section and a cover plate. The housing may further comprise a spacer to ensure that there is no contact between the reel or return mechanism and the housing.

In certain embodiments, the device further includes at least one ratchet wheel fixed to the reel and corotating about the axis of rotation of the reel, the ratchet having a plurality of radially extending, axially spaced apart teeth.

Optionally, the device comprises an engaging means formed in the reel or fixed to the reel, and corotating about the axis of rotation of the reel, the engaging means having a plurality of radially extending, axially spaced apart teeth.

The locking means comprises a rocker button arranged to pivot between the locked position and the unlocked position, the rocker button having a lobe arranged to engage at least one of the teeth in the locked position, and a lobe wall arranged to support the lobe without interfering with the rotation of the engaging means.

Optionally, the engaging means is a ratchet wheel.

It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the present disclosure may be combined with other different aspects of the disclosure as appropriate, and not just in the specific illustrative combinations described herein.

The present disclosed subject matter will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which corresponding or like numerals or characters indicate corresponding or like components. Unless indicated otherwise, the drawings provide exemplary embodiments or aspects of the disclosure and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. In the drawings:.

Conventional bodyweight exercise equipment such as the equipment illustrated in <FIG> incorporates lengths of strap material that can be knotted or cinched to accommodate different length requirements. While they may be portable in principle, the lengths of strap material are apt to become entangled in transit so that users often tie the straps for convenience of carriage. Straps, whether knotted for portability or to achieve a desired strap length, must then be disentangled or unknotted to allow adjustment (no matter how slight) of effective strap length for a new exercise or new anchor location.

In <FIG>, the suspension trainer comprises an anchor mechanism <NUM> that permits the device to be anchored to a stable support <NUM>, a pair of straps <NUM> extending from the anchor mechanism <NUM>, and one or more grips <NUM> at an end of each strap opposite to the anchor mechanism <NUM>, the grips <NUM> allowing the hands of the user to engage the trainer while performing one of a number of body weight exercises. Limited adjustment in length of the straps may be achieved by passing more or less of the length of strap through a buckle arrangement.

In alternative prior art arrangements, such as those illustrated in <FIG>, the suspension trainer again comprises a pair of straps <NUM>, <NUM>, each terminating in one or more grips <NUM>'. Here, each strap <NUM>, <NUM> is anchored to a stable support <NUM>' at a respective anchor mechanism <NUM>', the anchor mechanisms <NUM>' being space apart from one another on the support <NUM>'.

In each case, storage, transport and length adjustment entail inconvenience due to the propensity for the straps to become entangled and/or for unused sections of the strap interfering with the desired operation of the equipment.

Furthermore, due to limitations in the range of length adjustment for prior art straps, grips/handles cannot be raised far enough from the ground to allow the exerciser to perform various fully suspended exercises, such as pull-ups, using fixing points they can reach unaided - such as a door frame. Thus, conventional equipment may be configured to allow fully suspended exercises by seeking a higher anchor point but this comes at the expense of having to access that anchor point using a ladder or similar mechanism to access the higher anchor point safely so that the handles suspended from equipment anchored at that point are above head height.

The exercise equipment of the present disclosure is compact, portable and fully adjustable in length (in that the entire length of the strap may be utilised in adjusting strap length. Furthermore, the exercise equipment may be implemented in both single anchor and twin anchor arrangements. The strap mechanism reduces the chances that straps become tangled in carriage yet permits easy set-up, more extensive adjustment range and more convenient storage of the equipment.

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present disclosure may be practised. It is to be understood that the same functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, terms such as "comprises", "comprising", "has", "contains" or any other grammatical variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that module, circuit, device components, structures and method steps that comprises a list of elements or steps does not include only those elements but may include other elements or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such module, circuit, device components or steps. An element or step proceeded by "comprises. a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements or steps that comprise the element or step.

The exercise equipment of the present disclosure incorporates a device for governing strap length.

<FIG> illustrates the main components of a strap length governor device <NUM>. In the <FIG> embodiment, the device for governing strap length in an exercise device comprises a housing <NUM> having an anchor means (not shown) arranged to be attached to a support at an anchor point, a reel <NUM> rotatably mounted on a shaft <NUM> fixed to the housing <NUM> and having proximal end of the strap (not shown) attached thereto, a spring means <NUM> mounted on the shaft <NUM> to bias the reel in a first direction to wind the strap onto the reel <NUM>, and a locking means <NUM>/<NUM> movable between a locked position preventing the reel <NUM> from rotation and an unlocked position allowing the reel <NUM> to rotate in the first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction depending upon a longitudinal force applied to a distal end of the strap.

The spring means <NUM> engages with the reel <NUM> and the shaft <NUM> (and thus the housing <NUM>). In certain embodiments, the spring means <NUM> delivers a substantially constant force that biases the rotation of the reel <NUM> to a retracted state. Longitudinal force applied to a distal end of the strap compresses the spring, storing mechanical potential energy.

The housing is schematically represented by the disk <NUM> in <FIG>. In certain embodiments, the housing may substantially encase the reel and locking means (see <FIG>, for example). The housing may comprise an upper and a lower casing. The housing, or casing components, may be injection moulded. In certain embodiments, upper and lower casings may be arranged to attach to each other through a snap-fit mechanism.

While not illustrated, certain embodiments further include a spacer to ensure that the outer portion of the reel and locking means do not come into contact with any portion of the housing.

<FIG> illustrate aspects of a reel unit <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure. The reel unit may correspond to the reel <NUM> of <FIG>. The reel unit shown in <FIG> comprises a drum portion <NUM> about which a strap (not shown) may be wound sandwiched by a pair of guide wheels <NUM>. The drum portion has a first radius, R<NUM>, about an axis of rotation <NUM> and the guide wheels <NUM> guide the strap onto the drum <NUM>. In certain embodiments, at least one of the guide wheels <NUM> forms part of a locking means, such as the locking means <NUM>/<NUM> of <FIG>.

<FIG> shows the reel unit of <FIG> in a side view. The reel unit <NUM> includes an attachment means <NUM> at which a proximal end of the strap may be attached. In certain embodiments, the attachment means <NUM> is implemented as a pin that extends in an axial direction through the guide wheels <NUM> at a point off set from the axis of rotation of the wheels. In certain embodiments, the drum portion <NUM> incorporates a notch or recess accommodating the attachment means <NUM> so that the proximal end of the strap may attach without significantly distorting the winding of the strap about the drum portion <NUM>. <FIG> shows an embodiment with the proximal end of the strap attached to the attachment means <NUM> and partly wound about the drum portion <NUM> guided by the guide wheels <NUM> at either side.

<FIG> illustrate features of a locking unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The locking unit comprises an actuator <NUM> that cooperates with an engaging means <NUM>. The actuator <NUM> moves between a locked position, in which the engaging means <NUM> is substantially prevented from movement, and an unlocked position, in which the engaging means <NUM> has at least one degree of freedom of movement. In the case illustrated in <FIG>, the actuator <NUM> acts as a rocker button that pivots through an arc about a pivot fixed with respect to a housing. The actuator <NUM> may implement a part of the locking means <NUM>/<NUM> of <FIG>; the engaging means <NUM> may then implement a corresponding part of the locking means <NUM>/<NUM> of <FIG>. In certain embodiments, the engaging means <NUM> corresponds to at least one of the guide wheels <NUM> of <FIG>. The engaging means <NUM> of <FIG> is seen to correspond to a guide wheel having a plurality of spaced apart teeth <NUM>. The actuator <NUM> in <FIG> is provided with at least one lobe <NUM> that extends radially inward. When pivoted into a locked position as shown in <FIG>, the at least one lobe <NUM> engages with the surface of the engaging means <NUM> defined by successive spaced apart teeth <NUM> on the reel unit. The lobed actuator <NUM> therefore acts as a pawl against a ratchet wheel engaging means <NUM>.

The actuator <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> has a pair of lobes <NUM> located at two adjacent corners, engaging teeth <NUM> of the guide wheel at the exterior of each lobe (i.e. at the side of the actuator exposed in the direction of rotation of the wheel). In the illustrated embodiment, the portion of the lobe <NUM> that engages guide wheel teeth <NUM> is reinforced by a lobe wall <NUM> that supports the lobe <NUM> without interfering with the rotation of the guide wheel. The illustrated arrangement minimises sheer on the teeth <NUM> and also serves to reduce crack propagation across the casing. Furthermore, in the operation of flipping the actuator, force is applied to the exterior instead of interior of the design teeth, which allows for force to be spread more evenly, again reducing the chances of teeth shearing making the device safer to use.

<FIG> illustrate diagrammatically the cooperation of the locking unit with the reel unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, an actuator <NUM> (corresponding to the lobed actuator <NUM> of <FIG>, for example) has limited rotational freedom about a pivot <NUM>. A rachet wheel (such as the engaging means <NUM> of <FIG>) is provided having a plurality of ratchet teeth <NUM> with gaps <NUM> provided therebetween. In certain embodiments, the ratchet wheel is formed in the reel unit (e.g. the reel unit <NUM>): in other embodiments, the ratchet wheel is co-rotationally fixed to the reel unit.

In certain embodiments, the teeth on the ratchet wheel are ramped. This is to ensure that, in the locked position, the pull of the strap webbing is locked but also that the return spring is prevented from reeling the strap webbing back in the absence of a contrary force.

<FIG> illustrates the actuator <NUM> in the locked position, a portion of the actuator <NUM> being engaged with a surface in the gap <NUM> between successive ratchet teeth <NUM> of the ratchet wheel thereby preventing further rotation of the rachet wheel (and by extension of the reel unit). An arrow indicates the approximate direction of pressure applied by the would-be exerciser wishing to pivot the actuator into the locked position. In this position, the strap may not be extended further or retracted (under the bias of the spring means <NUM>, say). The exerciser may then proceed to use the strap length governor device incorporating the locking unit and the reel unit as described since the locking means will prevent unwanted changes in the strap length.

<FIG> illustrates the actuator <NUM> in the unlocked position. No part of the actuator <NUM> engages the ratchet wheel. The rachet wheel, and by extension the reel unit, may rotate freely in either rotational direction. An arrow indicates the approximate direction of pressure applied by the user wishing to adjust the length of strap (whether to shorten or lengthen the part of the strap deployed) as they pivot the actuator into the unlocked position. In this unlocked position, the strap may be extended further (by the application of a pull force at a distal end of the strap) or retracted (under the bias of the spring means <NUM>, say) until the desired length is achieved. Once a desired length has been achieved the user would typically wish to lock the strap at that length; they would do this by returning the actuator <NUM> to the locked position.

<FIG> illustrates a strap length governor device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device has a housing <NUM> that encloses a locking unit and a reel unit such as that illustrated in the previous <FIG>. A rocker button (corresponding to the exposed portion of an actuator such as actuator <NUM>) allows the user to control whether the device <NUM> is locked (i.e. ready for use in weightbearing exercises) or unlocked (i.e. ready to retract/extend and/or adjust in strap length).

A portion of strap <NUM> is shown extending from a position diametrically opposite an attachment means <NUM>. While not illustrated, a further length of strap may be attached to the attachment means <NUM>. It is noted that, when the strap <NUM> is not fully extended, the thickness of the strap remaining wound about the drum means that force is offset to one side of the drum creating a lever. In certain embodiments the axis of rotation of the reel unit is offset to compensate for the offset force.

According to the invention, the housing <NUM> includes a tension pin. The portion of strap <NUM> extending from the device passes over the tension pin before meeting the portion of the strap remaining wound about the drum means. The tension pin absorbs the force of the extended strap when under tension, preventing that force from being applied directly to the reel unit by the strap. The presence of the tension pin also results in a reduction in warping, which would otherwise lead to crack propagation. In certain embodiments, the pin diameter is in the range <NUM> to <NUM>, and preferably at least <NUM> ails This pin was reduced in size (from <NUM> to <NUM>) and the impact was drastic - the <NUM> pin completely bent, where as the <NUM> retained its strength when under the same pressure.

In operation, attachment point <NUM> is typically arranged to be closest to the floor or ground. The user attaches the extended portion of the strap <NUM> to an overhead structure, then extends (or shortens) the strap by pushing the button <NUM> and pulling on the housing <NUM> (or allowing the strap to be retracted under bias of a spring means in the reel unit of the device).

In certain embodiments, placing the actuator in the locked position also ensures that a portion of the strap is effectively locked against the housing <NUM>, thereby distributing a portion of the load within the housing. A region of the housing adjacent to the aperture from which the strap extends may be reinforced to resist this distributed load. The housing may be further reinforced by the formation of one or more strengthening pins (or ribs) to optimise ergonomics and resist the maximum load.

<FIG> illustrates an arrangement for two devices in exercise equipment in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. This arrangement is suited to types of exercise where both of the exerciser's hands are engaged simultaneously. By providing two separate devices that can be attached to anchor points an arbitrary distance apart, this arrangement allows the exerciser performing such exercises to finely adjust the configuration of their equipment to their own physique without compromising on stability as would be required with equipment having a single anchor point such as that illustrated in <FIG>.

It will be noted that the strap length governor devices are illustrated as being attached to anchor points on a support beam via fixed length attachment means close to the support. In alternative embodiments, the variable length of strap is attached to the anchor points while a fixed length attachment means is provided to allow the removeable attachment of a grip, handle or foot loop. <FIG> shows the attachment of gym rings as an example.

Claim 1:
A device for governing strap length in a suspension trainer, the device comprising:
a strap (<NUM>) having proximal end and a distal end;
a housing (<NUM>) having an anchor means arranged to be attached to a support at an anchor point, the housing forming a cavity arranged to receive a proximal portion of the strap, the strap extending through an aperture in the housing exposing the distal end of the strap;
a reel (<NUM>) rotatably mounted in the housing and having the proximal end of the strap attached thereto, the reel being arranged to rotate about an axis;
an engaging means (<NUM>) formed in the reel or fixed to the reel, and corotating about the axis of rotation of the reel, the engaging means having a plurality of radially extending, axially spaced apart teeth (<NUM>);
a return mechanism mounted on the housing to bias the reel in a first rotational direction about the axis to wind the strap onto the reel; and
a locking means (<NUM>, <NUM>) movable between a locked position preventing the reel from rotation and an unlocked position allowing the reel to rotate in the first rotational direction or a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction depending upon a longitudinal force applied to the distal end of the strap; wherein
the locking means comprises a rocker button arranged to pivot between the locked position and the unlocked position, the rocker button having:
i) a lobe (<NUM>) arranged to engage at least one of the teeth in the locked position; and
ii) a lobe wall (<NUM>) arranged to support the lobe without interfering with the rotation of the engaging means
characterized in that the housing further comprises a tension pin and the distal portion of strap extending from the device passes over the tension pin before meeting the proximal portion of the strap remaining wound about the drum means such that the tension pin absorbs the force of the extended strap when under tension, preventing that force from being applied directly to the reel unit by the strap.