초록 ▼

A hurdle has a crossbar and a pair of vertical legs. The hurdle is designed to give way or collapse when the crossbar is struck by a user to minimize the risk of injury and thereby decrease the user's fear of injury. This is done either by splitting the crossbar into separate left and right sections

A hurdle has a crossbar and a pair of vertical legs. The hurdle is designed to give way or collapse when the crossbar is struck by a user to minimize the risk of injury and thereby decrease the user's fear of injury. This is done either by splitting the crossbar into separate left and right sections, or by splitting each of the legs into separate top and bottom sections. This permits the separate sections to break apart from an aligned, end-to-end orientation which they possess in an operative position of the hurdle into a nonaligned orientation after the hurdle has given way or collapsed. An elastic member connects the separate sections and urges the sections back into their aligned, end-to-end orientation when a user picks the sections of the hurdle up and resets the hurdle.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. A hurdle, which comprises: a) a plurality of elongated members, which comprise: i) a substantially horizontal crossbar; and ii) a plurality of substantially vertical legs having upper ends that support the crossbar at all times in a stationary manner at a constant height above the groun

I claim: 1. A hurdle, which comprises: a) a plurality of elongated members, which comprise: i) a substantially horizontal crossbar; and ii) a plurality of substantially vertical legs having upper ends that support the crossbar at all times in a stationary manner at a constant height above the ground when the hurdle is being used by a user to perform athletic activities; b) at least one of the elongated members being split into separate sections that are disposed in an aligned, end-to-end orientation extending in a straight line along a single common axis of elongation when the hurdle is in an operative position and that are disposed in a nonaligned, end-to-end orientation extending along a plurality of different axes of elongation when the hurdle is in an inoperative position such that the separate sections no longer extend in a straight line relative to each other when the hurdle is in the inoperative position, wherein the separate sections are movable from the operative position thereof to the inoperative position thereof during use of the hurdle by inadvertent impact of a foot or other body portion of the user with the crossbar as the user attempts to clear the crossbar by hurdling or jumping over the crossbar; and c) an elastic member connecting and bridging between the separate sections of the split elongated member, the elastic member applying a force to the separate sections that biases the separate sections inwardly towards each other along the common axis of elongation for urging the separate sections back into their aligned, end-to-end orientation. 2. The hurdle of claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a bungee cord. 3. The hurdle of claim 1, wherein the separate sections have ends that abut another in the aligned, end-to-end orientation of the separate sections. 4. A hurdle, which comprises: (a) a plurality of elongated members, which comprise: (i) a substantially horizontal crossbar; and (ii) a plurality of substantially vertical legs that support the crossbar; (b) at least one of the elongated members being split into separate sections that are disposed in an aligned, end-to-end orientation when the hurdle is in an operative position and that are disposed in a nonaligned, end-to-end orientation when the hurdle is in an inoperative position, wherein the separate sections are movable from the operative position thereof to the inoperative position thereof during use of the hurdle by impact of a user with the crossbar as the user attempts to clear the crossbar; and (c) an elastic member connecting and bridging between the separate sections of the split elongated member, the elastic member applying a force to the separate sections that biases the separate sections in a direction urging the separate sections back into their aligned, end-to-end orientation; (d) wherein the separate sections have ends that abut another in the aligned, end-to-end orientation of the separate sections; and (e) a guide located at the abutting ends of the separate sections to help guide the sections back into their aligned, end-to-end orientation under the influence of the force provided by the elastic member, wherein the guide has a tapered or chamfered guide section that is inserted into a portion of one of the sections as the sections approach their aligned, end-to-end orientation. 5. The hurdle of claim 4, wherein the abutting ends of the sections comprise hollow tubes, and wherein the guide has a body carried inside the hollow tube comprising the abutting end of one section with the guide section of the guide being inserted into the hollow tube comprising the abutting end of the other section as the sections finish their movement to their aligned, end-to-end orientation. 6. The hurdle of claim 5, wherein the guide includes an enlarged, washer like flange with the body of the guide projecting in one direction from one side of the flange and the guide section projecting in an opposite direction from an opposite side of the flange, and wherein the flange is sandwiched between the abutting ends of the sections when the sections are disposed in their aligned, end-to-end orientation. 7. The hurdle of claim 5, wherein the elastic member passes through the guide. 8. The hurdle of claim 7, wherein the elastic member has opposite ends which are anchored to the sections of the split elongated member on opposite sides of the guide. 9. The hurdle of claim 1, wherein each of the vertical legs comprises a split elongated member as recited in claim 1, wherein the separate sections of each split vertical leg comprises a top section and a bottom section, and wherein an elastic member as recited in claim 1 is provided on at least one of the split vertical legs. 10. The hurdle of claim 9, wherein an elastic member as recited in claim 1 is provided on each of the split vertical legs. 11. The hurdle of claim 9, wherein the bottom sections of the split vertical legs carry ground engaging feet that make the hurdle self supporting on the ground, the ground engaging feet extending substantially perpendicularly relative to the crossbar in the operative position of the hurdle. 12. The hurdle of claim 11, wherein the ground engaging feet can be disposed in a storage position in which the ground engaging feet are parallel to the crossbar. 13. The hurdle of claim 12, wherein the vertical legs can be folded into a storage position by pivoting the top sections of the vertical legs into an overlying position relative to the bottom sections of the vertical legs. 14. The hurdle of claim 9, wherein the vertical legs have a variable length to adjust the constant height at which the crossbar can be positioned above the ground. 15. The hurdle of claim 1, wherein the at least one split elongated member comprises the crossbar. 16. A hurdle, which comprises: a) a substantially horizontal crossbar supported by a pair of laterally spaced substantially vertical legs; b) wherein each of the legs physically separates and breaks apart into separate disassembled sections when the crossbar is struck by a user who is attempting to clear the crossbar to permit the hurdle to at least partially give way or collapse downwardly to minimize the risk of injury to the user; and c) wherein a flexible member is provided on each of the legs to keep the separate sections of each of the legs loosely joined together after the hurdle has given way or collapsed to prevent the user from having to collect completely disconnected sections from the ground to reset the hurdle, and wherein the flexible member applies a biasing force to the separate sections that moves the separate sections of the legs vertically towards one another to reassemble the separate sections of the legs together when the separate sections are at least partially manually vertically realigned with one another by the user as the user resets the hurdle.