Patent Application
20080070756
Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s):
The above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and its method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it must be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as a limitation in the scope of the present apparatus and method of use.
Described now in detail, in a first embodiment, is a folding treadmill apparatus, as shown in
A motor frame 20 is pivotally engaged with the treadmill frame 10 by pivots 55 as best shown in
An upright frame 40 preferably has first and a second spaced apart essentially vertically oriented struts 42 joined with upper 44 and a lower 46 spaced apart essentially horizontally oriented struts, the struts 42, 44 and 46 forming a simple rectangular shape, the struts 42 being preferably pivotally engaged with the motor frame 20 by pivots 55; the lower one of the lateral struts 46 positioned below the motor frame 20 and may be in a position for resting on the supporting surface 5 or may have feet or bumpers for resting on the supporting surface 5. The upright frame 40 defines an upright frame plane 40′, i.e., the plane of the upright frame 40.
Preferably, first and second support struts 50 are pivotally engaged, each with one of the side struts 42 by pivots 55. One sleeve 60 pivotally engages with each one of the side walls 12 of the treadmill frame 10 and are slidingly engaged with the support struts 50.
An extender 70, preferably a linear pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, or a linear drive such as those using a linear gear, is positioned and pivotally engaged within the apparatus as shown in
The major components of the apparatus, i.e., the treadmill frame 10, the motor frame 20, the upright frame 40 and the support struts 50 are all interconnected and rotatable about pivots 55 so as to position the treadmill frame 10 over a range of angles relative to the supporting surface for exercising and for folding the apparatus as will be described below.
Preferably, a control panel 80 and a handle 90 are engaged with the apparatus in a position above the treadmill frame 10 and each may be mounted on the upright frame 40, as shown, or on the support struts 50.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the apparatus and its method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.
The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.
Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.
The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that each named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.
