Circular Annular Training Equipment

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-086078 filed on May 28, 2024, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to a training equipment used by gripping for strengthening mainly a wrist and a front arm.

Conventionally, a dumbbell has been known as an equipment for strengthening a front arm. From a characteristic of the equipment, the dumbbell can also strengthen a wrist as a side effect. A load of training can be adjusted using dumbbells having different weights.

The wrist is a part having flexibility that allows the wrist to move in a wide range including the rotation in addition to the movement in the front-and-rear direction and in the left-and-right direction. On the other hand, the wrist is an extremely unstable part and hence, when a muscle strength of the wrist is weak, a person cannot manipulate the equipment accurately and vigorously by gripping the equipment.

Accordingly, in many sports including baseball, golf, and badminton where the enhancement of performance can be expected by strengthening a wrist, it is necessary to strengthen the wrist. From this point of view, a large number of types of training equipment are commercially available on a market.

Further, with respect to equipment used in training for strengthening muscle (hereinafter, referred to as “muscle training”) including a dumbbell, many types of equipment are used by gripping the equipment. Accordingly, when muscle training is performed with a large load, there may be a case where a wrist is injured due to the unintended rotation of the wrist thus making it difficult to perform muscle training.

In such circumstances, as an equipment capable of adjusting a load of training, for example, JP-UM-51-078060 discloses a dumbbell where a hollow spherical body into which water can be charged is connected to both sides of a grip of the dumbbell, and a charging port with a plug is formed on an upper portion of the hollow spherical body, and a water amount measurement line is written on an outer surface of the dumbbell.

It is true that the dumbbell described in JP-UM-51-078060 can be used as a dumbbell having a weight that is a load intended by a user by charging an arbitrary amount of water in the dumbbell.

Accordingly, it is unnecessary to perform training by preparing dumbbells having different weights. Further, in a case where a user wants to strengthen a wrist that is particularly likely to be injured, the dumbbell exhibits excellent property that the dumbbell allows a user to adjust a load to a proper load corresponding to a portion to be strengthened by reducing an amount of water.

However, the dumbbell is structurally designed to satisfy a relationship where a heavy weight body having a spherical body shape or the like is disposed on both ends of a grip and hence, the dumbbell is designed such that the dumbbell gives a load that is dependent on a change of a potential energy generated mainly by raising or lowering the dumbbell to a user. Accordingly, with respect to effects that can be obtained by charging water into the spherical bodies, the dumbbell exhibits no other particular or outstanding advantageous effects except for the adjustment of a load by changing the weight of the dumbbell and hence, the dumbbell is insufficient to enable a user to achieve the higher degree of flexibility and the enhancement of a muscle strength of an unstable wrist including the strengthening of a muscle strength of the wrist relevant to the rotation of the wrist.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a training equipment that can be used in a load adjustable manner for strengthening a wrist and a front arm, mainly for strengthening a muscle strength relevant to the rotation of the wrist.

To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides the following configurations.

According to the invention called for in claim, there is provided a circular annular training equipment that includes: an outer peripheral portion having a circular annular shape; and a grip portion that has both ends thereof continuously connected between opposedly facing inner side walls of the outer peripheral portion, wherein the outer peripheral portion is formed in a tubular shape having an internal space into which a fluid body is chargeable, and includes a charging portion provided with a lid that is openable and closable for charging or discharging the fluid body into or from the internal space, the outer peripheral portion includes a plurality of buffer portions each having a back-and-forth communication portion that is an opening formed by narrowing a cross-sectional opening of the internal space, each of the back-and-forth communication portions is provided for allowing the fluid body to be movable in the internal space therethrough, and the outer peripheral portion includes a plurality of partition portions that prevent the fluid body charged into the internal space from moving in the internal space, the partition portions being formed on portions of the outer peripheral portion to which both ends of the grip portion are continuously connected.

According to the invention called for in claim, wherein, in the buffer portion, a left-right-separation portion having a columnar shape that forms the back-and-forth communication portions on both left and right sides thereof is formed in a front-and-rear direction of the outer peripheral portion, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the axis direction of the grip portion.

According to the invention called for in claim, the circular annular training equipment includes: the outer peripheral portion having a circular annular shape; and the grip portion that has both ends thereof continuously connected between opposedly facing inner side walls of the outer peripheral portion, wherein the charging portion is formed in the outer peripheral portion, the charging portion being formed in a tubular shape and having the internal space in which a fluid body is chargeable and has the lid that is openable and closable for charging or discharging the fluid body in the outer peripheral portion. With such a configuration, the outer peripheral portion is positioned on a periphery of a hand that grips the circular annular training equipment and hence, in performing the training in which a wrist is rotated, a centrifugal force can be efficiently utilized. Further, a load can be easily adjusted by an amount of a charged fluid body. Still further, the circular annular training equipment can be used in place of the dumbbell.

Further, by leaving a suitable space in the internal space of the outer peripheral portion without charging a fluid body into the entire internal space, the user can receive a suitable load also at the time of performing a reverse rotating operation while feeling a motion of the fluid body in the internal space generated by a centrifugal force, by rotating the circular annular training equipment about his/her wrist.

The buffer portion is formed in the outer peripheral portion, and the buffer portion has the back-and-forth communication portion that is the opening formed by narrowing a cross-sectional opening of the internal space and is provided for allowing the fluid body to move in the outer peripheral portion therethrough. With such a configuration, by leaving a suitable space in the internal space of the outer peripheral portion without charging a fluid body into the entire internal space, the fluid body that passes through the back-and-forth communication portion when the circular annular training equipment is rotated about the wrist makes the buffer portion become resistance that corresponds to a rotational speed of the circular annular training equipment and an amount of charged fluid body. Accordingly, the circular annular training equipment can give a complicated load to the user.

The partition portion is formed in the outer peripheral portion so as to prevent the fluid body charged into the outer peripheral portion from moving in the outer peripheral portion by closing the internal space. With such a configuration, by leaving a suitable space in the internal space of the outer peripheral portion without charging a fluid body into the entire internal space, when the circular annular training equipment is rotated about the wrist of the user, the fluid body can be moved in the internal space using the partition portions as base points and, further, the circular annular training equipment can give a new load due to impingement of the fluid body to the partition portion including also during the training when the reverse rotation operation is performed.

Further, the plurality of partition portions are formed on the portions of the outer peripheral portion to which both ends of the grip portion are continuously connected respectively. With such a configuration, by leaving a suitable space in the internal space of the outer peripheral portion without charging a fluid body into the entire internal space, the fluid body moves independently between the upper half portion and the lower half portion of the outer peripheral portion when the circular annular training equipment is rotated about the wrist and hence, the circular annular training equipment can give a complicated load to the user.

According to the invention called for in claim, in the buffer portion, the left-right-separation portion having a columnar shape that forms the back-and-forth communication portions on both left and right side thereof is formed in a front-and-rear direction of the outer peripheral portion, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the axis direction of the grip portion. With such a configuration, by leaving a suitable space in the internal space of the outer peripheral portion without charging a fluid body into the entire internal space, the fluid body passes through the back-and-forth communication portion when the circular annular training equipment is rotated about the wrist, and is moved to either one of sides of the left and right separation portion depending on the inclination, a rotational speed and an amount of charged fluid body. Accordingly, the user can perform training while amusing himself/herself by performing the adjustment of training equipment and feeling the motion of the fluid body.

The gist of a circular annular training equipment according to the present invention lies in that the circular annular training equipment includes: an outer peripheral portion having a circular annular shape; and a grip portion having both ends thereof continuously formed between inner side walls of the outer peripheral portion that opposedly face each other, wherein the outer peripheral portion is formed in a tubular shape having an internal space in which a fluid body is chargeable, and a charging portion forming a lid that is openable and closable for charging or discharging the fluid body. That is, the present invention provides the training equipment used by gripping in a state that a load is adjustable for strengthening a wrist and a front arm by mainly aiming at the enhancement of a muscle strength relevant to the rotation of a wrist.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the circular annular training equipment according to the present invention is described with reference to drawings. Further, in the description made hereinafter, with respect to the structures and parts that have the identical configuration or the left-and-right symmetrical configuration, the same symbols are attached in principle, and only the structures and parts on either one side are described and the description is omitted with respect to the structures and parts on the other side.

Further, in the description of this embodiment, the description is made by assuming a side illustrated inas a front side (front) of the circular annular training equipment, a back side of the circular annular training equipmentas a rear side (rear), a direction that the grip portionextends as a horizontal direction, an upper side above the grip portionas an upper half portion, and a lower side below the grip portionas a lower half portion.

In the present invention, a fluid body is not limited to a liquid such as water, and may be a mass of substance with which an internal spaceis charged approximately without forming a gap in the internal spacewhen the internal spaceof the circular annular training equipmentis charged with the fluid body. For example, a powdery material or a granular material that is formed of sands, sand iron or a fine synthetic resin material may also be used as a fluid body.

As illustrated in,,,, the circular annular training equipmentaccording to the embodiment of the present invention includes: the outer peripheral portionhaving a circular annular shape; and the grip portioncontinuously formed with both ends between inner side walls of the outer peripheral portionthat opposedly face each other. The outer peripheral portionis formed in a tubular shape having the internal spacein which a fluid body is chargeable, and includes a charging portionthat has a lidopenable and closable for charging or discharging a fluid body.

Accordingly, when the lid of the charging portionis opened, an arbitrary amount of fluid body is charged into the internal spaceof the outer peripheral portion, and when the lid of the charging portionis closed, as illustrated in, a user M can exercise training by gripping the grip portionwith his/her hand h.

Further, in a case where the internal spaceof the outer peripheral portionis not fully charged with a fluid body thus leaving a proper space in the internal space, when the user M rotates the circular annular training equipmentwith respect to his/her wrist, the user M can apply a proper load to the wrist while feeling the movement of the fluid body in the internal spacegenerated by a centrifugal force.

Hereinafter, the configurations of the respective portions of the circular annular training equipmentare specifically described in detail with reference to drawings.

As illustrated in,,, and, the circular annular training equipmentis constituted of: the outer peripheral portionformed in a circular annular shape by forming a hollow circular tube made of a synthetic resin material in an endless shape; and the solid round-rod-shaped grip portionmade of a synthetic resin material having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the outer peripheral portionin cross section, and having both ends thereof continuously formed between the inner side walls that opposedly face the outer peripheral portion.

The charging portionwhose lidis openable and closable for charging or discharging a fluid body into or from the internal spaceis formed on an upper portion of a front side of the outer peripheral portion. In this embodiment, the charging portionis constituted of: a charging openingthat is formed in the outer peripheral portionand in which female threads are formed; and the lidthat has an outer periphery on which male threads are formed and has a head portion formed in a crucifix shape in a recessed manner. The lidis hermetically closed by making the charging portionthreadedly engage with the charging opening.

The outer peripheral portionis not limited to the configuration that uses a circular tube, and an angular tube or the like may be used. The grip portionmay be also formed of a hollow member. Further, the grip portionmay not be limited to a round rod shape, and may be formed in a shape that allows the user M to easily grip the grip portion.

The shape and the structure of the charging portionare not limited to this embodiment, and any configurations may be adopted provided that a fluid body can be charged and discharged and a fluid does not flow out to the outside in a hermetically plugged state.

Further, the circular annular training equipmentaccording to this embodiment includes, as illustrated into, buffer portionsthat are formed on the outer peripheral portion. In each buffer portion, a back-and-forth communication portionthat is an opening formed by narrowing a cross-sectional opening of the internal spaceis formed. With such a configuration, it is possible to make the fluid move in the internal space through the back-and-forth communication portions.

That is, in the internal spaceof the circular tube that allows the outer peripheral portionto communicate in a donut shape, the back-and-forth communication portionsthat are openings of a size that does not obstruct the communication of a fluid body are formed.describes the configuration where the buffer portionwhere the circular back-and-forth communication portionhaving a circular shape is formed at the center of a buffer plate. The buffer portionsare formed at four places in the internal spaceas illustrated in.

Further, in the buffer portionillustrated in, the buffer platehaving a circular shape that extends in the front-and-rear direction of the outer peripheral portion, that is, in the direction perpendicular to a front-rear side extends in the direction is disposed in such a manner that a left-and-right separation portionis formed in the buffer plate. On left and right sides of the left-and-right separation portion, the back-and-forth communication portionsare formed by boring the circular buffer plate. The buffer portionsare formed in the internal spaceat four places as illustrated in.

The buffer portionillustrated inis configured such that the semicircular buffer platesare formed in the internal spaceof the outer peripheral portionat four places in a radially extending manner as illustrated in, and an opening portion formed in the buffer plateon a front side forms the back-and-forth communication portion.

Further, the buffer portionillustrated inis configured such that the internal spaceis divided in two concentrically, a semicircular buffer plateis formed in an outer diameter side of the internal space, and an opening is formed on an inner diameter side of the internal space. The opening is formed as the back-and-forth communication portions. The buffer portionsare formed in the internal spaceat four places as illustrated in.

Further, the buffer portionillustrated inis configured such that the internal spaceis divided in two concentrically, a semicircular buffer plateis formed in an inner diameter side of the internal space, and an opening is formed on the outer diameter side of the internal space. The opening is formed as the back-and-forth communication portion. The buffer portionsare formed in the internal spaceat four places as illustrated in.

Further, the buffer portionillustrated inis configured such that the internal spaceis divided in three concentrically. That is, an approximately semicircular buffer plateis formed on a radially outer side and a radially inner side of the internal spacerespectively, and an opening that is a gap formed between these approximately semicircular buffer platesis formed as the back-and-forth communication portion. The buffer portionsare formed in the internal spaceat four places as illustrated in.

As described above, the above-described configurations of the buffer portionexemplify one embodiment of the present invention. However, the shape and the configuration of the buffer portionare not limited to the above-mentioned shapes and configurations, and various modifications and changes are conceivable without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The number and the positions of the buffer portionsare not limited to this embodiment and, further, a plurality of buffer portionshaving different shapes may be also formed in mixture.

Further, in the circular annular training equipmentaccording to this embodiment, as illustrated inand, partition portionsthat close a charged fluid body in a non-movable manner in the outer peripheral portioncan be formed on the outer peripheral portion.

That is, in the internal spaceof the circular tube having the outer peripheral portionthat communicates in a donut shape, the circular-disk-shaped partition portionsthat interrupt and close the communication of a fluid body are formed. In this embodiment, as illustrated in, in the internal spaceof the outer peripheral portion, the partition portionare formed at places to which both ends the grip portionare continuously connected respectively.

In this case, it is necessary to charge a fluid body into an upper half portionand a lower half portionof the outer peripheral portionrespectively and hence, a charging portionsubstantially equal to above-mentioned charging portionis also formed on a lower portion of the outer peripheral portionon a rear side.

In the circular annular training equipmenthaving such a configuration as illustrated into, the above-mentioned buffer portioncan be formed also in the internal space.

Further, in the circular annular training equipmentaccording to this embodiment, as illustrated inand, the grip portionmay be formed in a cruciform.

The circular annular training equipmentaccording to the embodiment is configured as described heretofore.

As described above, the circular annular training equipmentincludes: the outer peripheral portionhaving a circular annular shape; and the grip portionthat has both ends thereof continuously formed between the inner side walls that opposedly face each other. The outer peripheral portionis formed into a tubular shape having an internal spacein which a fluid body can be charged, and the charging portionwith the lidopenable and closable to charge and discharge a fluid body is formed. With such a configuration, the outer peripheral portionis positioned on a periphery of a hand h of a user that grasps the circular annular training equipment. Accordingly, in performing the training where the user rotates his/her wrist, a centrifugal force can be efficiently used and, further, a load of training can be easily adjusted by adjusting an amount of fluid body to be charged into the internal space. Further, the circular annular training equipmentcan be used in place of a dumbbell.

Further, by leaving a suitable space in the internal spaceof the outer peripheral portionwithout charging a fluid body into the entire internal space, the user can receive a suitable load also at the time of performing a reverse rotating operation while feeling a motion of the fluid body in the internal spacegenerated by a centrifugal force, by rotating the circular annular training equipment about his/her wrist.

Further, in the outer peripheral portion, the back-and-forth communication portionthat is an opening formed by narrowing a cross-sectional opening of the internal spaceis formed, and the buffer portionwhere a fluid body can move inside the outer peripheral portionthrough the back-and-forth communication portionis formed. With such a configuration, by leaving a suitable space in the internal spaceof the outer peripheral portionwithout charging a fluid body into the entire internal space, a fluid body that passes through the back-and-forth communication portionwhen the circular annular training equipment is rotated about his/her wrist becomes a resistance that differs depending on a rotational speed of the circular annular training equipment or an amount of charged fluid body and hence, the circular annular training equipment can give a complicated load to the user.