Weight plates

Abstract

A weight plate with a contained clamp inside a housing formed from features of the weight plate. The clamp is enclosed by the weight plate features and held in place from coming out of the housing using a fastener. Once the clamp is held, the clamp will not rotate on its own axis of rotation inside the housing. This prevents the clamp from being lost and provides easy clamping of the weight plate to a bar.

Claims

1. A weight plate comprising a disk mass, a pair of bridge sectors extending radially into a center of the disk mass, a pair of collars extending between the pair of bridge sectors forming a housing therein; wherein the weight plate further including at least one access opening; wherein each of the pair of collars comprising a center opening and extend parallel to each other; and, wherein a clamp is contained within the housing, and the clamp including a bar opening and a lever accessible through the at least one access opening; wherein the housing separates the center opening of the pair of collars.

2. The weight plate of claim 1, wherein the clamp further comprising two identical arches stacked back to back; the two identical arches each including a mounting opening; wherein each of the pair of collars further comprising a mounting opening; and wherein a retaining pin is fixed to the mounting opening of both of the two identical arches and the mounting opening of at least one of the pair of collars.

3. The weight plate of claim 2, wherein the clamp further comprising a pair of rubber pads within the bar opening.

4. The weight plate of claim 1, wherein the clamp further comprising two identical arches stacked back to back; the two identical arches each including a mounting opening; wherein each of the pair of collars further comprising a mounting opening; and wherein a retaining pin is fixed to the mounting opening of both of the two identical arches and the mounting opening of both of the pair of collars.

5. The weight plate of claim 4, wherein the clamp further comprising a pair of rubber pads within the bar opening.

6. The weight plate of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes an arched wall and a side opening to allow insertion of the clamp into the housing.

7. The weight plate of claim 1, wherein the lever being rotatable along a central plane of the disk mass.

8. A barbell comprising a pair of weight plates and a bar fitted through the pair of weight plates; wherein each of the weight plates comprising a disk mass, a pair of bridge sectors extending radially into a center of the disk mass, and a pair of collars extending between the pair of bridge sectors forming a housing therein; wherein each of the weight plates further including at least one access opening; wherein each of the pair of collars comprising a center opening and extend parallel to each other; and, wherein a clamp is contained within the housing of each of the weight plates, and the clamp including a bar opening and a lever accessible through the at least one access opening; wherein the clamp, contained within the housing of each of the pair of weight plates, further comprising two identical arches stacked back to back; the two identical arches each including a mounting opening; wherein each of the pair of collars further comprises a mounting opening; and wherein a fastener is fixed to the mounting opening of both of the two identical arches and the mounting opening of at least one of the pair of collars.

9. The barbell of claim 8, wherein the fastener is fixed to the mounting opening of both of the two identical arches and the mounting opening of both of the pair of collars.

10. The barbell of claim 9, wherein the clamp, contained within the housing of each of the pair of weight plates, further comprising a pair of rubber pads within the mass disk.

11. The barbell of claim 8, wherein the housing of each of the pair of weight plates further includes an arched wall and a side opening to allow insertion of the clamp into the housing.

12. The barbell of claim 8, wherein the clamp, contained within the housing of each of the pair of weight plates, further comprising a pair of rubber pads within the bar opening.

13. The barbell of claim 8, wherein the lever of the clamp contained within the housing of each weight plate being rotatable along a central plane of the disk mass.

14. A weight plate comprising a disk mass, a pair of bridge sectors extending radially into a center of the disk mass, a pair of collars extending between the pair of bridge sectors, an arched wall also extending between the pairs of bridge sectors; wherein the pair of collars and the arched wall forming a housing therein; wherein the weight plate further including at least one access opening; wherein each of the pair of collars comprising a center opening and extend parallel to each other; and, wherein a clamp is contained within the housing, and the clamp including a bar opening and a lever accessible through the at least one access opening.

15. The weight plate of claim 14, wherein the clamp further comprising two identical arches stacked back to back; the two identical arches each including a mounting opening; wherein each of the pair of collars further comprising a mounting opening; and wherein a retaining pin is fixed to the mounting opening of both of the two identical arches and the mounting opening of at least one of the pair of collars or the mounting opening of both of the pair of collars.

16. The weight plate of claim 15, wherein the clamp further comprising a pair of rubber pads within the bar opening.

17. The weight plate of claim 14, wherein the housing further includes a side opening to allow insertion of the clamp into the housing.

18. The weight plate of claim 14, wherein the lever being rotatable along a central plane of the disk mass.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a barbell system implementing the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a side view of one of the weight plates shown in FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 shows cross-section view 3-3 of the weight plate as shown in FIG. 2.

(4) FIG. 4 is a front view of one of the weight plates shown in FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 5 shows cross-sectional view 5-5 shown in FIG. 4.

(6) FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the clamp used in the barbell system shown in FIG. 1.

(7) FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the weight plate without its clamp to show details of the weigh plate solely.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) FIG. 1 shows a dumbbell 1 comprising a pair of weight plates 2 and each weight plate 2 including a clamp 4 housed within the weight plates 2. A shown in FIG. 3, each weight plate 2 comprises an ordinary disk mass 2a, at least two bridge sectors 2b projecting radially inwardly from the disk mass 2a towards a center of the weight plate 2 and a housing 50 therein. The weight plate 2 further includes two access openings 2d to act as a handle for carrying the weight plate 2. The housing 50 is formed from a pair parallel collars 2c and an arched wall 2j forming an enclosure having a side opening 2f. Each of the collars 2c includes a retaining hole 2e to receive a retaining pin 4e of the clamp 4 as best shown in FIG. 5. The collars 2c are disc shaped with an opening 2g, resembling a flat washer. The opening 2g is sized to accept the bar 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 50 separates the center openings 2g of the collars 2c.

(9) The clamp 4 is received into the housing 5 through the opening 2f of the housing 50 in which the clamp resides permanently inside the weight plate 2. The clamp 4 as shown in FIG. 6 comprises a pair of identical arches 4a that are stacked back to back with each other forming a circular bar opening 4m. The clamp 4 further includes a linkage 4b pivotally rotatable on one of the arches 4a using an arch pin 4g. A lever 4c is pivotally fixed to an end of the linkage 4b using a link pin 4h. The lever 4c is accessed through one of the access openings 2d of the weight plate 2 so that one can lock and unlock the clamp 4. The lever 4c is also pivotally fixed at the other arch 4a using two pivot pins 4f. It should be noted that the isometric view in FIG. 6 only shows one side but the backside will also have another pivot pin 4f. The retaining pin 4e, previously discussed, pivotally connects the two arches 4a together. The retaining pin 4e is fitted in a retaining hole 4i of each arch 4a, and also the retaining pin 4e is press fitted into the retaining hole 2e of each collar 2c. It is envisioned that the retaining pin 4e can be pressed fitted in only one of the collars 2c instead of both collars 2c. The reason for retaining the clamp 4 inside the housing 50 is so that the clamp 4 does not rotate on its own axis of rotation or come out of the housing 50.

(10) It is envisioned that the clamp 4 is a split type common clamp and that the clamp 4 per se is well known in the art. It is also known that this type of clamp 4 include a pair of rubber pads 4k so as to not damage the bar 3 and provide greater clamping friction. It is envisioned that the clamp 4 can be made entirely from metal except the rubber pads 4k, or a combination of plastic for the entire clamp 4 and metal for the pins 4f, 4g, 4h. It should be noted that the pins 4f, 4g, 4h are pressed fit pins but of course the pins 4f, 4g, 4h can be replaced with rivets or threaded fasteners. It is also within the scope of the invention that the clamp 4 can use a different type of locking and unlocking feature such as having a cam lock lever instead of using a linkage 4b to close the clamp 4. The motion of the lever 4c is parallel to a plane of the weight plate 2.