EXERCISE RACK WITH BUILT-IN BENCH

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001]The present invention relates to exercise equipment and more specifically to an exercise rack with built-in bench.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]Exercise racks can take up considerable floor space. Canadian patent application 3,187,925 for a Folding Exercise Rack describes a squat rack which may be reduced in size and stored but does not include an exercise bench. Canadian Patent Application 3,205,890 for Exercise Apparatus with Integrated Bench Assembly describes a rack with a bench assembly that extends perpendicularly from the rack, or the bench assembly can be stowed perpendicularly under the rack. This bench is on an arm that pivots out and in from the rack so that the bench remains horizontal. This means that the bench length is the same as the rack width, which would result in a short bench. If the rack is made wider to accommodate a longer bench, the rack would take up more floor space. When taking up less floor space is a limiting factor, the bench may be shortened but then it may be too small for various types of exercises. What is needed is an exercise rack with a bench that doesn’t take up floor space when not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003]In an embodiment of the present invention there is an exercise rack with built-in bench comprising a bench with bench legs and a rack with a pair of rack bench bars in a substantially vertical and parallel alignment, the rack bench bars having an upper bench locating crossbar between the rack bench bars, and the bench is pivotably connected to the upper bench locating crossbar so that the bench can pivot from an open position substantially perpendicular to the rack bench bars to a closed position substantially parallel to the rack bench bars.

[0004]The exercise rack with built-in bench additionally comprises a connecting bar for bench legs and a lower bench locating crossbar, and the bench legs are two pairs of legs and each pair of legs is pivotably attached to the bench, and the connecting bar for bench legs is parallel to the bench and connected to each pair of legs and pivotably connected to the lower bench locating crossbar.

[0005]The exercise rack with built-in bench additionally comprises at least one removable exercise pad on the bench.

[0006]The exercise rack with built-in bench additionally comprises at least one locking mechanism to hold the bench in the closed position.

[0007]The exercise rack with built-in bench described above may comprise a bench which additionally comprises a centre bench bar with holes for posts.

[0008]The exercise rack with built-in bench may additionally comprise a removable exercise pad which is at least partially split in the centre to allow access to the holes for posts.

[0009]The exercise rack with built-in bench additionally comprises at least one locking mechanism to hold the bench in the closed position.

[0010]The locking mechanism may comprise a locking bar and a locking pin, which locking bar is pivotably attached to one of the rack bench bars and when the bench is in closed position the locking pin may be pulled and the locking bar may be positioned across the said rack bench bar after which the locking pin may be released to lock the bench in the closed position.

[0011]In a further embodiment of the present invention there is an exercise rack with built-in bench comprising a rack with a pair of rack bench bars in a substantially vertical and parallel alignment, the rack bench bars having an upper bench locating crossbar between the rack bench bars and a lower bench locating crossbar between the rack bench bars, and a bench with an exercise pad pivotably connected to the upper bench locating crossbar and said bench comprising two pairs of legs pivotably connected to the bench and wherein said two pair of legs are each connected to a leg support bar which is pivotably connected to the lower bench locating crossbar so that the bench can move from an open position substantially perpendicular to the rack bench bars to a closed position substantially parallel to the rack bench bars.

[0012]The exercise rack with built-in bench may additionally comprise at least one locking mechanism to hold the bench in the closed position.

[0013]The locking mechanism may comprise a locking bar and a locking pin, which locking bar is pivotably attached to one of the rack bench bars and when the bench is in closed position the locking pin may be pulled and the locking bar may be positioned across the said rack bench bar after which the locking pin may be released to lock the bench in the closed position.

[0014]The bench may additionally comprise a centre bench bar with holes for posts and the exercise pad is partially split to allow access to the holes for posts.

[0015]In a further embodiment of the invention there is use of the exercise rack with built-in bench described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0016]These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the brief description of the drawings and the following detailed description in which:

[0017]FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of an exercise rack with built-in bench in open position without exercise pads.

[0018]FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the exercise rack with built-in bench of FIG. 1 with exercise pads.

[0019]FIG. 3 is a right-side view of the exercise rack with built-in bench of FIG. 1 showing the range of movement from open position to closed position.

[0020]FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the exercise rack with built-in bench of FIG. 1 in closed position.

[0021]FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the exercise rack with built-in bench of FIG. 1 in closed position with a second embodiment of exercise pads.

[0022]FIG. 6 is a front view of a second embodiment of an exercise rack with built-in bench in open position with a third embodiment of exercise pads.

[0023]FIG. 7 is a front view of a third embodiment of an exercise rack with built-in bench in open position with a second embodiment of exercise pads.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024]As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the present invention is an exercise rack with built-in bench 5 which bench 20 may be in open position for use or pulled up and secured in closed position so that it is off the floor and out of the way.

[0025]For the present invention a rack of a standard form with proper stabilization may be used and modified by the addition of a pair of rack bench bars 30. In the embodiment of the exercise rack with built-in bench 5 shown in FIG. 1, the bench 20 is shown in open position with a rack 10. The rack 10 has two parallel vertical rack bench bars 30 that are wider than the width of the bench 20.

[0026]The rack 10 is comprised of outer vertical rack bars 11 connected at the top by an upper horizontal rack bar 12 and connected at the bottom by a lower horizontal rack bar 13. Stability is provided with rack brace bars 14 resting on rack lower extension bars 15 extending perpendicularly from the lower horizontal rack bar 13.

[0027]The bench 20 has a top platform for holding exercise pads (not shown) supported by two pairs of legs 110. The top platform is comprised of outer bench bars 70 and a shorter centre bench bar 75 which runs parallel and between an outer bench cross bar 80 (farthest from the rack 10) and an inner bench cross bar 85 (closer to the rack 10). The centre bench bar 75 has first post hole 90, second post hole 92, third post hole 94 for removably attaching exercise pads (not shown) to the bench 20, and it will be understood that there may be four post holes or more or less post holes in further embodiments. The bench 20 is attached to the rack 10 by an upper bench locating crossbar 40 which passes through the first ends of the outer bench bars 70 and through the rack bench bars 30, and by a lower bench locating crossbar 50 which passes through a connecting bar for bench legs 102 and through the rack bench bars 30.

[0028]FIG. 2 shows the exercise rack with built-in bench 5 with a split flat exercise pad 160 and a chest/back support exercise pad 180 with chest/back support exercise pad post 185 in second post hole 92 (shown in FIG. 1), and chest/back support exercise pad 180 may be moved as desired. The split flat exercise pad 160 is attached to the bench 20 or alternatively is detachable whereby a post (not shown) on the bottom of the split flat exercise pad 160 is inserted into the first post hole 90 (shown in FIG. 1). The chest/back support exercise pad 180 could be permanently attached to the bench but that gives less flexibility to use the bench 20 for different exercises (and if the chest/back support exercise pad 180 is not removable it will stick out when the bench 20 is in a closed position as shown in FIG. 5). The chest/back support exercise pad 180 could be round, square or rectangular shaped etc. and posts for exercise pads could be cylindrical with matching post holes 90, 92, 94.

[0029]In this embodiment there are two pairs of legs 110 that each comprise two vertical leg bars 120 joined by a horizontal leg bar 130. Each vertical leg bar 120 is attached to the corresponding outer bench bar 70 by a leg hinge 125. The horizontal leg bars 130 are attached to the connecting bar for bench legs 102 by leg brackets 140.

[0030]As shown in FIG. 3, when the bench 20 is raised and lowered, the outer bench bars 70 pivot on the upper bench locating crossbar 40 and the connecting bar for bench legs 102 pivots on the lower bench locating crossbar 50. Each vertical leg bar 120 pivots on the leg hinges 125 and the vertical leg bars 120 remain vertical. The bench 20 is pivotably connected to the upper bench locating crossbar 40 so that the bench 20 can pivot from an open position substantially perpendicular to the rack bench bars 30 to a closed position substantially parallel to the rack bench bars 30, and the vertical leg bars 120 are pivotably connected to the bench 20 through the leg hinges 120 so that the vertical leg bars 120 remain vertical as the bench is raised. In this embodiment the connecting bar for bench legs 102 is comprised of an inner connecting bar for bench legs 100 attached to the lower bench locating crossbar 50 and an outer connecting bar for bench legs 105 attached to the leg brackets 140, which outer connecting bar for bench legs 105 is smaller in diameter so that it is hinged or bolted inside the inner connecting bar for bench legs 100 so that the outer connecting bar for bench legs 105 can move when the bench 20 is raised.

[0031]As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the bench 20 is raised fully into closed position, the outer bench bars 70 are within and parallel to the rack bench bars 30. FIG. 4 does not have exercise pads and FIG. 5 has another configuration of exercise pads, namely a first regular flat exercise pad 170 and a second regular flat exercise pad 175 (which may be attached or detachable). The bench 20 may be maintained in this position by a variety of means, such as a form of locking mechanism on one or both rack bench bars 30, or a simple bungie cord etc. In the embodiment shown in the figures the locking mechanism is a locking bar 35 on one of the rack bench bars 30 which pivots across the adjacent outer bench bar 70 when the bench 20 is in closed position and the locking bar 35 is held in place by locking pin 36 which is pulled out and then released to lock the locking bar 35 in place. It will be understood that there could be more than one locking bar 35 used and that the locking bar 35 could be located various places along the rack bench bar 30 between the legs 110, and FIG. 6 demonstrates the locking bar 35 in a higher location.

[0032]In closed position the connecting bar for bench legs 102 rests against the upper bench locating crossbar 40 preventing the bench 20 from flipping over to the back side of the rack 10. It will be understood that the legs 110 could be hinged only to the top platform of the bench 20 without the connecting bar for bench legs 102 and lower bench locating crossbar 50, but this would not provide as much stability and in raised position without connecting bar for bench legs 102 abutting the upper bench locating bench bar 40, the bench would flip through the bench bars 30 and would need a locking bar 35 on each side.

[0033]FIGS. 5 and 7 show a second embodiment of exercise pads to that shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 5, regardless of whether the exercise pads 170, 175 are attached or removable, the bench 20 may be raised into closed position with one or both of the exercise pads 170, 175 remaining on the bench 20, and the same applies for the split flat exercise pad 160 in FIG. 2, as long as the width of the exercise pads 160, 170, 175 does not exceed the width between the rack bench bars 30, and the length of the outer exercise pad is not higher than the upper horizontal rack bar 12. If wider or longer exercise pads are left on the bench 20 when it is raised, a different locking mechanism may be used and the bench 20 will not be fully raised to rest between the rack bench bars 30. The chest/back support exercise pad 180 is shown on the ground in FIG. 5 since if left on the bench 20 it would stick out the back and the rack 10 could not be pushed as close to any wall behind it.

[0034]FIGS. 6 and 7 show further embodiments of the exercise rack with built-in bench 5 of the present invention to demonstrate that a variety of racks and rack attachments may be used for the exercise rack with built-in bench 5 of the present invention, and exercise racks 10 may be modified by adding the rack bench bars 30 and the bench 20 of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a rack 10 with a pulley system 200 and the chest/back exercise pad post 185 is inserted in the first post hole 90 (not shown) and the post (not shown) of the first regular flat exercise pad 170 is inserted in the second post hole 92 (not shown). FIG. 7 shows a rack 10 with weight bar rests 210 to support a weight bar 220 with weights 230. The first regular flat exercise pad 170 shown in FIG. 7 if removable would permit the bench 20 to be raised to fit between the rack bench bars 30.

[0035]The present invention may be shrunken width wise to fit into smaller spaces, for example a closet, and it will be understood that shrinking lengthwise is also part of the invention but will shorten the bench 20. The vertical rack bars 11 may be moved much closer to the rack bench bars 30, or the vertical rack bars 11 may be eliminated and the rack bench bars 30 may additionally include stabilizers such as the rack lower extension bars 15 and rack brace bars 14.

[0036]Alternatively, the present invention of an exercise rack with built-in bench 5 may be larger, and the locking bar 35 can be positioned at a easily reachable height for ease of use.

[0037]While embodiments of the invention have been described in the detailed description, the scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.