Barbell assembly
AssigneeUSA Sports, Inc.
InventorLouis Lien
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A barbell includes a bar assembly that includes a sleeve rotatably fitted over a rotating-locking mechanism at an end of a shaft; and an end cap attached to an open end of the sleeve to enclose the rotating-locking mechanism and the end of the shaft inside the sleeve, in which the rotating-locking mechanism includes a supporting ring rotatably fitted over the shaft and a joining ring attached to the end of the shaft, in which the supporting ring abuts, on one side, a shoulder on an inner surface of the sleeve and, on the other side, the joining ring.
Claims16
A barbell comprising a bar assembly that comprises:
- a sleeve rotatably fitted over a rotating-locking mechanism at an end of a shaft;
- and
- an end cap attached to an open end of the sleeve to enclose the rotating-locking mechanism and the end of the shaft inside the sleeve,
- wherein the rotating-locking mechanism comprises a supporting ring rotatably fitted over the shaft and a joining ring attached to the end of the shaft,
- wherein the supporting ring abuts, at a first end of the supporting ring, a shoulder on an inner surface of the sleeve and abuts the joining ring at a second end of the supporting ring,
- wherein the joining ring includes threads on an internal surface and is attached to the end of the shaft by thread engagement, and a pin is inserted through an off-center hole in the joining ring and into an off-center hole in the end of the shaft to prevent the joining ring from rotating around the shaft.
A method for producing a barbell, comprising:
- fitting a sleeve over an end portion of a shaft, wherein the sleeve comprises a cylindrical bore, an open end, and a shoulder on its inner surface;
- fitting a supporting ring over the shaft and in the sleeve to abut the shoulder;
- attaching a joining ring to the end portion of the shaft such that it abuts the supporting ring;
- and
- attaching an end cap to the open end of the sleeve to enclose the end portion of the shaft, the supporting ring, and the joining ring inside the sleeve,
- wherein attaching the joining ring to the end portion of the shaft is by threading the joining ring onto a threaded end portion of the shaft and inserting a pin inserted through an off-center hole in the joining ring and into an off-center hole in the end of the shaft to prevent the joining ring from rotating around the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.