Hurdle

Description

PRIORITY STATEMENT

This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/CH2010/000158 which has an International filing date of Jun. 16, 2010, which designated the United States of America, and which claims priority to Swiss patent application number CH 1198/09 filed Jul. 31, 2009, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

An embodiment of the invention generally relates to a hurdle.

BACKGROUND

A hurdle is known from numerous documents, such as the WO 91/12053 or the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,024,022 and/or 3,366,381. With hurdles of this type, different heights can be adjusted without having to provide or store hurdles of different sizes.

SUMMARY

The inventor recognized that disadvantage of known structures include:

• rods or pipes made of iron are extremely heavy materials;
• a specific hurdle would be required for each height;
• when exercising and/or training, anxiety of being injured on the hurdle always develops to a higher or lesser degree;
• the hurdles can damage the floor of an exercise room or gym and are therefore not used in this room or gym;
• hurdles cause a lot of noise when they topple over;
• hurdles cannot be adjusted to a lower height;
• hurdles are difficult to transport and hard to store because of the rigid construction.

An embodiment of the present invention is directed to adjustable hurdles. In at least one embodiment, if mention is made of a transverse component, this element can be embodied in an optionally form, for example as a pipe, profile or bar or the like. The aforementioned holding structure can be a telescoping pipe which, for example, is attached articulated between the legs but is preferably formed by scissor-type two crossbars. Of course, it can also take the form of a lattice grate.

At least one embodiment of the innovation concerns a training equipment for recreational and school sports, especially for training which permits jumping across the equipment without worry of getting injured. The equipment should be easy to transport and should fold up for storage. Additional advantages of embodiments include:

• it is ideal for jumping, coordination and conditioning training;
• the height is individually adjustable, starting at approximately 1 (one) cm;
• high quality materials are used, such as plastic, lightweight metal, wood or the like;
• the optimization of time, location and transport costs;
• the fast setup and breakdown.

In at least one embodiment, it is possible per se to connect the telescoping pipe and/or the crossbars articulated in such a way that they would be hard to move (high friction), thereby already securing the respectively adjusted angle with a frictional connection. However, in at least one embodiment, it is preferable and more reliable to provide per se an optional type of fastening device—e.g. a snap-in type fastening, with holes or with insertable pins or the like—which can simply be a clamping screw or brake discs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in further detail in the following with the aid of an example embodiment shown in the drawings, showing:

FIG. 1a is a perspective view of the hurdle according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1b shows a view from above;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate in a perspective view and at a slant from above two different heights, resulting from different angles between the straddled legs; and

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 5 illustrate that, as a result of the different straddling angles α and β, different heights can be adjusted for the hurdle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1a shows an embodiment of a hurdle comprising a support structure including respectively two legs 1, 1a which are respectively hinged together in a hinge point 2. Between each pair of legs 1 extends a transverse component 3 which is formed integrally with respectively one leg, as shown in the view according to FIG. 1b, wherein this corresponds to a preferred embodiment. A holding structure is advantageously provided between each pair of legs, so as to make it easier and more secure to maintain a straddling angle α or β (FIGS. 2,3).

As shown in particular in FIGS. 2 and 3, an embodiment of the holding structure preferably includes a scissor-type arrangement with a pair of crossbars (5), even though a lattice grate would theoretically also be possible. As mentioned before, an articulated telescopic rod can also be used, meaning the type of holding structure can be an optional structure as disclosed in the prior art. The crossbars (5) are are hinged with one end (8) to the legs (1) and in the center, at the sides facing each other, are connected articulated to each other at a hinge point (7). A fixing screw (6) can be provided at this hinge point (7) which reinforces the hinge point (7) through clamping, thereby securely preventing an unintended spreading of the legs 1. Alternatively, the joint (7) (and/or the joints 8 provided on the legs) can also be embodied such that it is hard to move with the aid of a frictional connection, thus making it possible to achieve the holding effect at the point (2) without the fixing screw (6), e.g. with the aid of braking discs, as shown in FIG. 4a, 4b as well as FIG. 5.

It is understood that other types of fastening devices are possible as well, for example by providing catches or holes for inserting bolts on the aforementioned telescoping rod.

A fastening device can thus be embodied in the same way for the crossbars (5), or at the hinge point (2) for the connected legs 1, 1a for example with the aid of braking discs (10 and 11) in such a way that they are extremely hard to move (high friction) and such that the respectively adjusted angle is already frictionally secured.

To improve the stability of the hurdle on a smooth floor, for example the floor of an exercise room or a gym, it is advantageous if the underside of the legs (1) is respectively provided with a flexible covering (9), which can be made of felt but is preferably made of a rubber-elastic material that increases the friction. To improve the hold of a tarpaulin covering the device during the storage—as shown in Figure (1b)—such a coating (9) can also be provided on the top of the leg (1a) that is connected only via the joint (2) to the transverse component (3).

The legs (1, 1a) and/or the transverse component (3) preferably include pipes, in particular made of a lightweight material such as plastic, aluminum or lightweight metal. This has the advantage that the legs can be rendered more stable, if applicable, by filling them with a bulk material during the use, wherein the the bulk material can be removed for the transport.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4a, 4b and 5 show that as a result of the different straddling angles α and β, different heights h and H can be adjusted for the hurdle according to embodiments of the invention.

Example embodiments being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.