Punching aid

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a punching aid, and more particularly to a punching aid for home use.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,016 to Rubin discloses a typical punching bag support including a flexible support rod having a lower portion engaged into a base support and detachably secured to the base support with fasteners. The support rod may not be easily bent during punching operations.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,403 to Kuo discloses another punching device including a support rod having a lower portion squeezed and engaged into a base support, and a spring engaged on the squeezed portion of the support rod for forming a flexible punching device. The spring may not be coupled between the support rod and the base without the squeezed portion of the support rod, and the squeezed portion of the support rod may be easily broken while or after punching.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,358 to Hestilow discloses a further punching device including a column extended upward from a pedestal and formed integral as an integral one piece unit. The column is solidly secured to or extended from the pedestal such that the column may not be easily bent while punching. In addition, the punching device occupies a great volume which is adverse for transportation and carrying purposes.

[0008] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional punching or boxing aids.

[0009] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a punching aid including a flexible structure for facilitating the punching or boxing exercises and including a detachable structure for allowing the punching aid to be disassembled and packaged to a compact configuration.

[0010] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a punching aid comprising a base, a column provided above the base, a pad attached onto the column, a flexible device, means for securing the flexible device between the base and the column to provide a flexibility to the column relative to the base, and means for shielding the flexible device.

[0011] The flexible device includes a lower portion and an upper portion, the securing means includes means for fastening the lower portion of the flexible device to the base and means for fastening the upper portion of the flexible device to the column.

[0012] The flexible device includes a first end, the securing means includes a first coupler provided on the first end of the flexible device, a second coupler provided on the base, and means for locking the second coupler and the first coupler together. The first coupler includes a protrusion engaged into the first end of the flexible device, and includes a disc secured on the protrusion and engaged in the first end of the flexible device.

[0013] Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of a detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to accompanying drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a punching aid in accordance with the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the punching aid, in which a portion of the cover is cut off;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 3—3 of FIG. 2;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a plane view of the punching aid;

[0018] FIG. 5 is an exploded view illustrating the other application of the punching aid;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the punching aid as shown in FIG. 5; and

[0020] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view illustrating the application of the punching aid as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0021] A co-pending U.S. patent application was filed on Oct. 27, 1999, with the Ser. No. 09/432,065, and is taken as a reference to the present invention.

[0022] Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a punching aid in accordance with the present invention comprises a base 10 including a chamber 11 formed therein for receiving fluids and including a mouth 12 formed in the upper middle portion thereof (FIGS. 1, 3, 5) and communicating with the chamber 11 of the base 10 for receiving the fluids, such as the water, any suitable liquid, or other particulate materials, such as sand, gravel, coated or uncoated metallic shot and the like, to give the punching aid stability. A cap 13 is detachably secured onto the mouth 12 of the base 10 for enclosing the chamber 11 of the base 10 and for confining the fluids within the base 10. The mouth and the cap 13 may also be formed in the upper side portion of the base 10 for filing the weight materials into the chamber 11 of the base 10. The base 10 includes a coupler, such as a stud 14 extended upward therefrom and having one or more, preferably two, grooves 16 formed therein. The grooves 16 have an open upper end and is preferably vertical and have a lock slot 17 formed in the lower portion thereof. The stud 14 includes an aperture 18 formed therein for threading a fastener or a pin 50. The base 10 may also be made to a solid structure having a suitable stability.

[0023] A column 20 is to be secured vertically on top of the base 10 and includes a coupler, such as a stud 21 provided on the lower portion thereof. The stud 21 is similar to the stud 14 of the base 10 and includes one or more, preferably two, grooves 22 formed therein. The grooves 22 have an open lower end and is preferably vertical and have a lock slot 23 formed in the upper portion thereof. The stud 21 includes an aperture 27 formed therein for threading a fastener or a pin 50. The column 20 includes one or more longitudinal channels 24 formed therein and having one or more lock slots 25 communicating with the respective channels 24. A striking pad 30 includes a bore 31 formed therein for receiving the column 20 and includes one or more projections 32 extended inward of the bore 31 thereof for engaging into the channels 24 and/or the lock slots 25 of the column 20 and for setting the pad 30 to various heights. The pad 30 is preferably made of spongy or rubber materials for striking purposes, and may be formed into various kinds of shapes, such as a human body shape (FIG. 4) or a cylindrical shape (FIGS. 1-3). The pad 30 preferably may include an enclosed (FIGS. 1-3) or open (FIGS. 5-7) upper portion. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a barrel 33 is preferably engaged in and secured in the inner portion of the pad 30 for defining the bore 31 of the pad 30 and is made of harder or stronger materials than that for the pad 30. such as plastic materials, and has the projections 32 extended therefrom. The projections 32 are also made of the stronger materials and thus have a suitable strength for engaging into the channels 24 and the lock slots 25 of the column 20 and for supporting the pad 30 on the column 20 at the required height.

[0024] A flexible device 40 includes two couplers 42 secured to the ends thereof, such as the upper and the lower ends thereof for securing or fastening or locking onto the studs 14, 21 of the base 10 and the column 20 and for providing a flexibility to the column 20 relative to the base 10. The couplers 42 each includes a hole 43 formed therein for receiving the respective stud 14, 21 and each includes a projection 44 extended inward of the hole 43 thereof for engaging into the grooves 16, 22 and the lock slots 17, 23 of the studs 14, 21 and for securing the flexible device 40 between the base 10 and the column 20. The pins 50 may be engaged through the couplers 42 and the studs 14, 21 for further solidly securing the flexible device 40 between the base 10 and the column 20. The flexible device 40 is preferably made of synthetic or rubber materials and may be made to a size or a diameter no less than that of the column 20. However, if the material is strong enough, the flexible device 40 may be made to a smaller size than that of the column 20. The flexible device 40 may further include one or more peripheral or annular grooves 41 formed therein for defining one or more peripheral ribs 48 and for increasing the flexibility to the flexible device 40, and may include one or more fins 49 formed in the annular grooves 41 and coupled between the ribs 48 for increasing the strength of the flexible device 40.

[0025] As best shown in FIG. 3, the couplers 42 each includes a protrusion 45 extended inward of the flexible device 40 and a disc 46 formed or provided on the end portion of the protrusion 45. The protrusion 45 and the disc 46 of each coupler 42 may be engaged in the flexible device 40 when molding the flexible device 40 onto the couplers 42 such that the flexible device 40 may be solidly secured to the couplers 42. The discs 46 may each further include one or more openings 47 formed therein. The material for forming the flexible device 40 may be engaged into the openings 47 of the discs 46 while molding the flexible device 40 onto the couplers 42 such that the flexible device 40 may further be solidly secured to the couplers 42.

[0026] The most important characteristic for the punching aid is that the flexible device 40 has the upper and the lower portions coupled to the column 20 and the base 10 respectively. None of the arts may provide a flexible device 40 directly coupled to the base 10 and the column 20. Although the flexible device 40 is shown to be coupled to the base 10 and the column 20 with the engagement between the stud and the coupler, the flexible device 40 may also be directly coupled to the base and the column with fasteners without the studs and the couplers. The column 20 and the pad 30 and/or the flexible device 40 may be detached or disengaged from the base 10 such that the column of the punching aid may be greatly decreased for facilitating the storing and the transportation thereof.

[0027] Referring next to FIGS. 5 and 6, one of the couplers 420 secured to the flexible device 40 may be a stud-shaped coupler 420 (FIG. 5) similar to that (14, 21) of the base 10 and the column 20. The column 20 or the base 10 may include a socket 100 similar to the couplers 42 as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and having a hole 19 formed therein for receiving the stud-shaped coupler 420 which may also be secured to the socket 100 with a projection-lock slot engagement and/or a locking pin. As shown in FIG. 7, the socket or the stud 21 of the column 20 may be directly secured to the stud or the socket 15 of the base 10 without the flexible device 40 for decreasing the height of the punching aid and for being easily stricken by the children.

[0028] The above described structure has been described in the co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/432,065, filed on Oct. 27, 1999, which is taken as a reference to the present invention.

[0029] As best shown in FIG. 3, a flexible or protective sleeve 70, such as a bellows type sleeve, is further provided and engaged onto the flexible device 40 for shielding and protecting the flexible device 40. For example, the grooves 41 and/or the peripheral ribs 48 of the flexible device 40 may be forced toward each other when the flexible device 40 is bent during punching operations, and thus may clamp and hurt the users, particularly the children's fingers. The flexible device 40 will not hurt the people when the flexible device 40 is covered or shielded by the protective sleeve 70. The protective sleeve 70 may include the upper and the lower portions secured to the couplers 42 with the fastener pins 50, for example.

[0030] Accordingly, the punching aid in accordance with the present invention includes a flexible structure for facilitating the punching or boxing exercises, and includes a detachable structure for allowing the punching aid to be disassembled and packaged to a compact configuration.

[0031] Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.