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Exercise bell device and methods of use thereofRelated Patent Categories: Exercise Devices, User Manipulated Force Resisting Apparatus, Component Thereof, Or Accessory Therefor, Utilizing Weight ResistanceExercise bell device and methods of use thereof description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070087914, Exercise bell device and methods of use thereof. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to exercise devices and methods of use thereof. In particular, the invention relates to exercise bell devices. II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The general population is more knowledgeable today about their fitness and its importance in achieving a superior quality of life than ever before, and the trend is growing. The growing interest in the field of exercise has led to consumers scrambling for new and easy to use machines or devices. As a result, thousands of health conscious consumers are now desperately seeking devices and new exercise programs in order to maintain fit and boost their energy. [0003] A wide variety of weight training and exercise equipments are known, including the fixed or variable weight type of exercise machines, cast dumbbells, and the free weight/bar combination. Exercise machines are easy to use when moving from one exercise to another or when changing weights. These machines, however, are relatively expensive and are not readily useable in the home. [0004] Many body builders or other exercise enthusiasts prefer to use free weights, either alone or to complement a work-out on an exercise machine. Solid dumbbells are easy to use and provide ease in switching from one weight to another. Free weight plates, mounted on a longer barbell or shorter dumbbell bar, overcome many of the problems associated with solid dumbbells. With a single, elongated bar, a single pair of shorter dumbbell bars, and a variety of weights, barbells or dumbbells of any desired weight can be assembled and a change from one weight to another can be easily effected. [0005] Athletes used kettle bells in the late 1800's as a mode of exercise. The kettle bell forced the athlete to grasp an unbalanced weight resembling a bowling ball with a handle. Considerable skill, balance and strength were required to lift a kettle bell, the heaviest of which was in the 200-300 pound range. Early balanced iron dumbbells became available after the turn of the century, with adjustable dumbbells being introduced just before World War II. [0006] Exercising with weight equipment has become a common practice among many people. While gymnasiums and exercise or health clubs offer many types of exercise equipment to use, weight lifting devices such as dumbbells and barbells are still widely used and popular types of exercise equipment. This is especially true within the home where space is more limited. Convenient and easy storage can be very important. In addition, with traveling, it would be convenient to have a dumbbell device which would fold for easier storage and transporting. [0007] Today, dumbbells are generally recognized as the most efficient of strength training devices. They allow extreme flexibility in patterns of movement and allow the athlete to perform a real world training regimen unlike, for example, bungee cord exercises. Therapists like to utilize dumbbells because they reflect everyday movements and their flexibility allows the patient to train around joint and muscle trauma. Athletes that train with dumbbells enjoy productive gains not available with other training modalities because they require balance and involve synergistic muscle groups to contract during the lift. The necessity to balance the dumbbells and coordinate movement of each hand stress the muscular and nervous system unlike any machine exercise. With machines, a portion of the athlete's musculature can actually relax due to the absence of fully balanced coordination, i.e. one side can push harder than the other. [0008] There are two basic forms of dumbbells: fixed or "pro-style", and adjustable dumbbells. Fixed dumbbells are individually compact, but are typically sold in sets which must be stored on a rack that is bulky and cumbersome. Adjustable dumbbells have historically incorporated plates and locking collars secured to the ends of an extended handle. Adjustable dumbbells are space and cost efficient exercise equipments. However, they are not without some drawbacks. One drawback is the time it takes to change and adjust both dumbbells. Also, removing and replacing the locking collars and plates is time consuming, and can be a potential safety hazard if the collars are not securely tightened. Additionally, it is difficult to perform a "kickup" due to the protruding end of the handle. Some exercises such as bench presses, inclines and shoulder work typically begin and end with the dumbbells resting on the knees of the athlete. However, this can be unwise and painful if the ends of the dumbbells are not relatively flat. [0009] Various types of dumbbell and barbell equipment, other than the common bar and plate combination, have been described before offering features that would assist in storage and transporting through easily removable weights, collapsible weight systems, hollow weights or weight chambers, folding bars, mechanisms for retaining weights on the bar, special locking devices, releasing locking devices, etc. For examples, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,199,140; 4,312,506; 4,531,728; 4,529,197; 4,566,690; 4,579,337; and 4,585,367. Various adjustable dumbbells have been developed. A representative example of the prior art in this regard includes, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,948,123; 4,556,690; 4,913,422; 4,900,016; 4,880,229; 4,743,017; and 4,529,198. Each of these references, however, addresses only certain aspects of an adjustable dumbbell, such as releaseability, interlocking of the weights, etc. [0010] The desirability of portable exercise equipment such as "travel dumbbells" has long been recognized and several examples are found in the prior art of exercise apparatus which may be adjusted by filling weight reservoirs with fluid to provide variable resistance to lifting. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,695,051; 4,997,184; 5,445,587; and. 5,857,946. U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,690 discloses a dumbbell and barbell weight training device which can hold the changeable weights in place, yet permit the weights to be quickly and easily changed. [0011] There are several problems with the use of free weight/bar combinations of the prior art. The weights are typically held on the bar by a securing means, typically by a removable collar. The collar, particularly when used on a dumbbell bar, often cannot withstand the stress from the weight. In order to change weights, the collar is released and removed from the bar, the weight is removed from the bar, a new weight is positioned on the bar, and the collar is positioned on the bar against the weight and secured in place. This is a time-consuming process which often interferes with the smooth flow of a weight training session. [0012] There is still a need for weights and dumbbells of improved construction which are not only compact in size, but also comfortable to use, without altering the natural positioning of the body members in contact with the device or resulting in an unbalanced weight distribution on the body of the user. The invention described herein addresses these and other needs by providing novel exercise devices and methods of exercising using these devices. III. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] The invention as described herein provides exercise devices comprising a body and a gripping means. The body contains a flat plate containing a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end of the body comprises a diametrically opposing proximal right side and proximal left side, wherein the proximal end and the distal end define a longitudinal axis. The gripping means comprises two shafts and a handle, the two shafts each comprise an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion of the shafts is connected to the proximal right side and the proximal left side of the body, respectively. The handle is placed horizontally between the two shafts and connects the upper portion of the shafts, wherein positioning of two shafts and the handle creates a hollow space between the body and the gripping means that accommodates gripping of the device by a body member of a user, and wherein the body and gripping means have dimensions that maintain a constant mathematical ratio with respect to each other and in compliance with the golden Phi ratio. [0014] The device of the invention can be gripped by the user's arm, foot, neck, shoulder, waist, ankles, legs, or other members of the body of a user, so long as the different compartments of the device namely the body and the gripping means maintain the constant golden Phi mathematical ratio with respect to each other. [0015] The body of the exercise device of the invention is made of a pliable material that wraps around the users one or more body members (e.g., wrist, ankle, neck) to allow the weight to distribute more evenly around the body member. [0016] In another embodiment, the exercise device of the invention has geometrical configurations comprising rectangular, square, curved, round, triangular, wedged shape, concave, convex, contoured, trapezoid, obtuse, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the body of the device is in a convex shape. [0017] In yet another embodiment, the two shafts of the device are an integral part of the body of the device, or are separately attached to the body of the device. [0018] In another embodiment, the two shafts and the handle of the device are integrally connected to form a single U shape piece. [0019] In yet another embodiment, the shafts are pivotally connected to the body of the device and rotate with respect to the body of the device. [0020] In one embodiment, the gripping means and the body are integrally connected to form a single piece. [0021] The body comprises one, two or more flat plates that are integrally connected or joined together. In one embodiment, the body comprises an upper flat plate and a lower flat plate and a hollow space in between the upper flat plate and the lower flat plate. The flat plates are the same or different sizes or geometrical configurations. Continue reading about Exercise bell device and methods of use thereof... Full patent description for Exercise bell device and methods of use thereof Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Exercise bell device and methods of use thereof patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Exercise bell device and methods of use thereof or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Systems and methods for administering an exercise program Next Patent Application: Exercise machine Industry Class: Exercise devices ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Exercise bell device and methods of use thereof patent info. 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