Patent ID: 7775947

Claim:
A selectorized dumbbell, which comprises: (a) a plurality of individual weights that can be nested together to provide a left stack of nested left weight plates and a right stack of nested right weight plates that are separated by a gap; (b) a handle that may be dropped down into the gap between the stacks of nested left and right weight plates; (c) a selector that connects a desired number of weights to the handle; and (d) wherein each weight comprises: (i) a left weight plate and a right weight plate that are spaced apart but joined to one another by a front rail extending between front sides of the weight plates and a rear rail extending between rear sides of the weight plates, the weight plates and front and rear rails of each weight being separate and distinct from the weight plates and front and rear rails of the other weights and from the handle, wherein the front and rear rails of any given weight are located at a constant vertical elevation relative to one another with the front and rear rails of different weights being located at different vertical elevations relative to one another such that the front and rear rails of all the weights overlie one another in a vertically spread apart array, and wherein the front and rear rails of each weight differ in length from the front and rear rails of the other weights such that the weight plates of different weights are spaced apart at progressively greater distances, wherein the different elevations and different lengths of the front and rear rails on different weights allow the left and right weight plates to be nested with respect to one another in their respective left and right stacks, the left and right weight plates being disposed in their respective stacks with each weight plate disposed in a first, normal, substantially upright orientation; and (ii) wherein each end of each of the front and rear rails is connected to the front and rear sides, respectively, of each left and right weight plate in each individual weight by a flexible and resilient joint, wherein the joints are configured to absorb shock by permitting the weight plates and the rails to twist or pivot relative to one another with the weight plates being able to twist or pivot into a second, more inclined, orientation in response to the shock and with the resiliency of the joints thereafter restoring the weight plates to theft first, normal orientation after the impact of the shock is removed.