Patent Application
20130157812
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus, and more particularly to an exercise apparatus including a structure adjustable for being selectively and adjustably operated as a stepping or walking or jogging or striding exercise and adjustable for being selectively and adjustably operated as a sidewise moving exercise.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various kinds of typical stepping or walking or jogging or striding exercise apparatuses have been developed and provided for conducting or operating various exercises, and comprise a pair of foot pedals or foot supports movably disposed or attached or mounted or secured on a supporting base and capable of moving forwardly and rearwardly for simulating the stepping or walking or jogging or striding exercises.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,141 to Vittone, U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,430 to Stearns et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,485 to Maresh, U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,476 to Eschenbach, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,485,072 to Chuang et al. disclose several of the typical exercise apparatuses each comprising a pair of foot pedals or foot supports movably disposed or attached or mounted or secured on a supporting base for supporting the user thereon, and the foot pedals or foot supports movable elliptically relative to the supporting base for allowing the user to conduct or actuate or operate the typical exercise apparatuses to simulate the stepping or walking or jogging or striding exercises.
However, the foot pedals or foot supports are normally attached or mounted or secured or supported on the supporting base with the lateral pivot pins or shafts and may only be moved forwardly and rearwardly for simulating the stepping or walking or jogging or striding exercises, but the lateral pivot pins or shafts may not be pivoted or rotated or adjusted relative to the supporting base and may not be adjusted and moved sidewise selectively.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional exercise apparatuses.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an exercise apparatus including a structure adjustable for being selectively and adjustably operated as a stepping or walking or jogging or striding exercise and adjustable for being selectively and adjustably operated as a sidewise moving exercise.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an exercise apparatus comprising a base including an upright support extended upwardly therefrom, two brackets attached to the upright support and adjustable relative to upright support between a first and forwardly directed position and a second and sidewise directed position, and two foot supports pivotally attached to the brackets respectively for allowing the foot supports to be pivoted and swung relative to the brackets respectively, and the foot supports are allowed to be pivoted and swung forwardly and rearwardly relative to the brackets and the upright support when the brackets are attached to the upright support at the first and forwardly directed position, and the foot supports are allowed to be pivoted and swung sidewise relative to the brackets and the upright support when the brackets are attached to the upright support at the second and sidewise directed position.
The upright support includes a supporting lever extended therefrom for supporting the brackets. The upright support includes two anchor devices attached or mounted or secured to the supporting lever for engaging with the brackets respectively and for anchoring the brackets to the upright support either at the first and forwardly directed position or at the second and sidewise directed position.
The anchor devices each include a bore formed therein, and the brackets each include a stem extended therefrom for pivotally or rotatably engaging with or into the bore of the anchor device and for allowing the brackets to be pivoted or rotated and adjusted relative to upright support and the anchor device between the first and forwardly directed position and the second and sidewise directed position.
A first of the brackets includes two engaging notches formed therein and ninety (90) degrees apart from each other, and a first of the anchor devices includes a spring-biased projection for selectively engaging with either of the engaging notches of the first bracket and for anchoring and retaining the first bracket to the first anchor device either at the first and forwardly directed position or at the second and sidewise directed position.
The first bracket includes a knob engaged with or attached or mounted or secured to the stem of the first bracket for anchoring or retaining the stem of the first bracket to the first anchor device and for rotating the first bracket relative to the first anchor device either to the first and forwardly directed position or to the second and sidewise directed position.
The foot supports each include a beam, a foot pedal disposed on the beam, and a link coupled between the beam and the bracket for pivotally or rotatably coupling the front portion of the beam to the upright support with the bracket. The base includes an upright column extended upwardly from the rear portion thereof, and the foot supports each include a rod coupled between the beam and the upright column for pivotally or rotatably coupling the rear portion of the beam to the upright column.
The base includes a supporting shaft extended from the upright column, and two barrels rotatably attached to the supporting shaft and pivotally attached to the rod with a pivot pin for allowing the rod and the beam and thus the foot pedals of the foot support to be pivoted or rotated or swung relative to the supporting shaft and the upright column and the supporting base either forwardly and rearwardly with the barrels or sidewise with the pivot pin. The link is coupled to the beam with a coupler which is pivotable or rotateable or adjustable relative to the beam when the link and the respective bracket are pivoted or rotated or adjusted relative to the supporting lever and/or the upright support between the first or forwardly directed position and the second or sidewise directed position.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings, and initially to
The supporting base 10 further includes a supporting arm or beam or lever 17 laterally extended from the upright support 11, such as laterally extended from the upper portion of the upright support 11, and preferably, but not necessarily that the supporting lever 17 is perpendicular to the upright support 11, and further includes a supporting axle or shaft 18 laterally extended from the upright column 13, such as laterally extended from the upper portion of the upright column 13, and preferably, but not necessarily that the supporting axle or shaft 18 is perpendicular to the upright column 13. A display or screen or control device 19 may further be provided and attached or mounted or secured to the upright support 11 or the upright column 13 for showing or displaying various data or information of the exercise apparatus and/or the user.
Two anchor devices 20 are attached or mounted or secured to the supporting lever 17, such as attached or mounted or secured to the end portions 171 of the supporting lever 17 respectively, and each include a cylindrical shape or structure having a bore 21 formed therein (
Two brackets 30, such as U-shaped brackets 30 each include a stem 31 extended therefrom and extended or engaged through the bore 21 of the respective anchor device 20 for allowing the stem 31 of the bracket 30 to be pivoted or rotated relative to the anchor device 20 and the supporting lever 17 of the upright support 11, and each include one or more (such as two) engaging notches 32, 33 formed therein and ninety (90) degrees apart from each other for selectively engaging with the spring-biased projection 24 which may be engaged with either of the engaging notches 32, 33 of the stem 31 of the respective bracket 30, for selectively anchoring or securing or positioning or retaining the stem 31 of the bracket 30 to the anchor device 20 and the supporting lever 17 of the upright support 11 at different or required or predetermined angular positions.
A sleeve 34 and/or a hand grip or knob 35 may further be provided and attached or mounted or secured or engaged with the stem 31 for pivotally or rotatably anchoring or securing or retaining the stem 31 of the bracket 30 to the anchor device 20 and the supporting lever 17 of the upright support 11 and/or for pivotally or rotatably anchoring or securing or retaining the anchor device 20 between the bracket 30 and the sleeve 34, and for rotating the stem 31 of the bracket 30 relative to the anchor device 20 to the different or required or predetermined angular positions. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4-10, the bracket 30 may be pivoted or rotated relative to the supporting lever 17 and/or the upright support 11 between a first or forwardly directed position (
Two foot supports 50 each include a beam 51 having a foot pedal 52 provided and disposed or attached or mounted or secured thereon for supporting the user thereon, a link 53 having a lower portion 54 pivotally or rotatably and adjustably attached or mounted or secured to the front portion 55 of each of the beams 51 with another bracket or coupler 56, and having an upper portion 57 pivotally or rotatably attached or mounted or secured to the respective bracket 30 with a pivot shaft or axle 58 for allowing the beam 51 and the link 53 to be pivoted or rotated or swung relative to the bracket 30 and the supporting lever 17 and the supporting base 10 (
The foot supports 50 each further include a rod 60 having a lower portion 61 pivotally or rotatably attached or mounted or secured to the rear portion 59 of the beam 51 and having an upper portion 62 pivotally or rotatably attached or mounted or secured to the supporting shaft 18. For example, two barrels 63 are pivotally or rotatably attached or mounted or secured to the supporting shaft 18, and the upper portion 62 of the rod 60 is pivotally or rotatably attached or mounted or secured to the respective barrel 63 with a pivot pin 64 which is perpendicular to the barrel 63 for allowing the rod 60 and the beam 51 and thus the foot pedals 52 of the foot support 50 to be pivoted or rotated or swung relative to the supporting shaft 18 and the upright column 13 and the supporting base 10 either forwardly and rearwardly with the barrel 63 or sidewise with the pivot pin 64.
In operation, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6-7, when the bracket 30 is attached or mounted or secured to the anchor device 20 and the supporting lever 17 at the first or forwardly directed position (
It is to be noted that the links 53 and the beams 51 may be pivotally or rotatably and adjustably attached or mounted or secured together with the brackets 56 for allowing the brackets 56 and the links 53 to be pivoted or rotated or adjusted relative to the beam 51, and the rod 60 and the beam 51 and thus the foot pedals 52 of the foot support 50 may be pivoted or rotated or swung relative to the supporting shaft 18 and the upright column 13 and the supporting base 10 either forwardly and rearwardly with the barrel 63 or sidewise with the pivot pin 64.
Accordingly, the exercise apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a structure adjustable for being selectively and adjustably operated as a stepping or walking or jogging or striding exercise and adjustable for being selectively and adjustably operated as a sidewise moving exercise.
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.
