Patent ID: 8033962

Claim:
A skipping rope assembly comprising: two handles, one of the handles having a through passage, a rolling element bearing provided in the one handle, the rolling element bearing having an inner race defining a central bearing opening aligned with the through passage in the one handle, the central bearing opening of the inner race alone defining a minimum cross sectional opening of the entire through passage of the one handle, a flexible elongate element having a) a first end which freely passes through the through passage in the one handle except for where the first end passes through the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening of the rolling element bearing, and which first end rotates about the rolling element bearing, b) a second end which is secured to the other handle, and c) a length between the first and second ends which defines an effective skipping length between the two handles, and an interference fit between the first end of the flexible elongate element and the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening, the interference fit a) having a holding strength which secures the first end of the flexible elongate element to the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening and hence to the one handle during skipping, b) being defined by an element cross section of the flexible elongate element, said element cross section i) having a size which is greater than the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening, and ii) being compressible in the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening, the compressibility of the flexible elongate element in the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening determining the holding strength of the interference fit between the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening and the flexible elongate element, c) being operative to adjust the effective length of the flexible elongate element by pulling lengthwise of the flexible elongate element to overcome the holding strength and to move the first end relative to the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening, and d) being operative to maintain the adjusted effective length of the flexible elongate element in use during skipping as the holding strength of the interference fit secures the flexible elongate element to the minimum cross sectional opening of the through passage defined by the central bearing opening in the one handle.