This invention relates to the field of exercise equipment, employing the exercise method developed by Joseph H. Pilates generally, as well as to exercise equipment that is not restricted to use with traditional Pilates exercise methods.
Developed in 1926 by Joseph Pilates, The Pilates Method is a non-impact exercise technique incorporating principles of yoga. Pilates and his followers developed numerous exercises, most of which require specially designed equipment that typically use coiled springs as a resistance element.
One of the Pilates-designed exercise devices became known as the WUNDA CHAIR® or “Pilates chair.” In its original form, the Pilates chair was constructed of two plywood sides, a foot pedal between the sides and hinged at the base, with a plurality of long coil springs between the rear of the chair and the foot pedal to provide resistance. The position of these springs is changed at either the rear of the chair or the foot pedal to vary the resistance of the foot pedal. What prior art Pilates chairs lack, however, are independent foot bars that can be adjusted and the ability to fold into a compact shape for portability and storage.
One embodiment of the present invention is an improved exercise chair with independent, adjustable foot bars. In another embodiment, the foot bars may be used independently or locked together to be used in tandem. The seat is supported by a plurality of support elements, but the seat top itself is preferably at least as wide as the bottommost portions of those support elements. In another embodiment, the support elements are hingeably connected with the seat, so that when not in use, the support elements can be moved closer together and the chair can be folded into a compact shape for portability or storage. In one such embodiment, at least one of the support elements is connected with a platform, which rests at or near the floor during use. The platform provides stability as well as comfort when the user stands or kneels on the platform when using the chair, and can also be made to fold along with the rest of the chair for storage or portability. The independent foot bars may be each attached to extensions that allow the position of the foot bars to be adjusted, and the extensions may be coupled with a lever that is hingeably connected with one or more of the support elements, preferably the rear support elements opposite the foot bars. In another embodiment, one or more resistance elements may be attached at a location beneath the seat, and connected with the lever of the foot bar in one of several pre-set mounting locations along the lever to provide variable resistance.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently-preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. However, it is to be understood that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.
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In yet another alternative embodiment, the handles 26 may form a “U” shape with straight sides and right angles rather than the gentle curve depicted in the Figures. Such configuration would allow the handles 26 to be mounted with the parallel elements of the “U” shape inserted into openings in the seat 14, so that the handles 26 may be pushed into the openings and out of the way when not in use, and pulled out of the openings for use. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the openings may be equipped with structures that provide either slight resistance or full locking so that the handles 26 may remain in place unless moved by the user. The openings may be further equipped with hinges to allow the handles 26 to be placed in any position desired by the user, as well as locking mechanisms for the hinges.
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A preferred embodiment of the exercise chair 10 allows for the foot bars 12 to be locked together and used as a single solid bar, or unlocked and used independently. Although single solid foot bars are useful and may be necessary for certain exercises, independent foot bars have certain advantages. Among those advantages is the ability to have identical resistance on both appendages being exercised. For example, with a single foot bar acted upon by both of a user's feet, the user's dominant leg will often supply more force to the foot bar than the non-dominant leg. Such uneven forces applied by each leg result in an uneven workout and the perpetuation of one leg and all of the tendons and muscles connected with that leg being stronger than the corresponding muscles and tendons on the other side. In contrast, the present invention allows the use of independent foot bars to assure that equal resistance is applied to each leg. Alternatively, if a user has special needs, such as one appendage being significantly weaker due to a physical condition, the amount of resistance of each lever/foot bar may be tailored to individually suit these appendages. During exercise, the independent foot bars may be pushed down and raised at the same time, as in the original Pilates chair, or may be used alternately to provide a different style of workout.
In a preferred embodiment, the levers 20 connected to the foot bars 12 may be connected at their other end to a cross bar 30 that runs between the two rear support elements 16b. The cross bar 30 may be located at the bottom of the rear support elements 16b, such as shown in
In yet another alternative embodiment, the cross bar 30 may be coupled with the front support elements 16a, rather than the rear support elements 16b. Such configuration will change the angle of the lever(s) 20 relative to the seat 14 and the user, and may provide advantageous leverage on the foot bar(s) 12. In alternative embodiments, the platform 18 may be located between the front support elements 16a, or the rear support elements 16b, or both. In yet another alternative embodiment, an additional brace may be added between the rear support elements 16b to stabilize them.
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Alternatively, a simple lock button mechanism may be used as a resistance varying mechanism, similar to those found on two-piece kayak paddles, which comprise an inner shaft with a single hole, through which a spring-loaded button protrudes, and an outer shaft that closely fits over the inner shaft is equipped with holes. The spring-loaded button is pushed down, allowing the outer shaft to be slipped over the inner shaft, until the button pops up though one of the outer shaft holes, locking the shafts together. In such an embodiment the resistance element may be coupled with a sleeve that closely fits and slides on the lever, a plurality of holes in the sleeve, and a spring-loaded button protruding from the lever, said button adapted to fit the holes in the sleeve.
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In another embodiment that is not depicted in the drawings, the eyelet members 40 may be used with eye bolts (eyebolts). In such an embodiment, the threaded portion of an eye bolt is inserted into an eyelet 42 and secured onto the eyelet member 40 by threading a nut onto the eye bolt. The user would then attach the resistance element 22, either directly or with the use of a hook 38, onto the eye portion of the eye bolt. One eye bolt per eyelet member 40 could be used, or one eye bolt for every eyelet 42, or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the eyelet member 40 could be comprised of one or more eye bolts installed substantially perpendicularly through the lever 20, or attached to the outside of the lever 20 via any suitable attachment mechanism, such as welding.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in yet another alternative embodiment, the resistance varying mechanism, in the form of an adjusting assembly 24, could be infinitely adjustable. Such an embodiment may use a lever 20 without holes and a clamp on the adjusting assembly 24, which may comprise a tightening screw or other suitable device to tighten and secure the adjusting assembly 24 in any desired position on the lever 20.
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Although the lever 20 is preferably constructed of tubing that surrounds the extension member 44, alternative embodiments may reverse that assembly, using an extension member 44 that surrounds the lever 20. In such embodiments, the adjusting assembly 24 could be fixed to the extension member 44 and resistance could be adjusted by moving the extension member 44, or the adjusting assembly 24 could be made to adjust via the same types of structures disclosed above. Similarly, although the preferable construction materials for the levers 20 and extension members 44 are cylindrical or square tubing, one of which one slides within the other, various other materials could be used, such as tubing with cross sections of other shapes, interlocking channels, channels used with tubing, or any other suitable construction with the requisite strength.
In yet another embodiment, the extension member 44 may be integrated into the lever 20 such that neither could move relative to the other, but rather comprise one long structure. In such an embodiment, the foot bar 12 could simply be moved to and secured at any point along the structure.
The extendable foot bars 12 have several advantages over non-extendable bars. Among these advantages is the ability of the chair 10 to adapt to users of various sizes. In addition, the use of independent foot bars 12 in the present invention, coupled with the ability of these foot bars 12 to extend, presents further advantages. For example, if a user suffers from physical limitations, such as one leg shorter than the other or an appendage with a limited range of motion, which require each foot bar 12 to be in a different position, the position of the foot bars 12 may be individually tailored to the user's needs. Yet another advantage to the extendable foot bars 12 is the ability of the chair 10 to fold more compactly by either retracting the extension member 44 fully for folding, or removing one or both extension members 44 and their associated foot bars 12 altogether prior to folding.
In a preferred embodiment, a resistance element 22 of one coil spring may be used with each lever, as shown in
Certain resistance elements 22, such as elastic cords, may be routed in a variety of configurations to provide resistance. For example, one end of an elastic cord may be attached to a point near the bottom of the chair 10, such as to the support element 16 or a crossbar 30 between the support elements 16, routed through an eye bolt or over a bar under the seat 14, and the other end attached to the lever 20. Continuous loops of elastic cord may be similarly routed.
In another embodiment not depicted in the drawings, for resistance elements 22 such as springs and elastic cords whose resistance varies with the amount they are stretched, the tension on the resistance element 22 may be varied by use of a turnbuckle. This turnbuckle may be coupled with either end of a resistance element 22 or in the middle of two lengths of resistance element. For example, one end of the turnbuckle may be coupled with the lever 20 and the other end to the resistance element 22, and the resistance element 22 could then be coupled with the underside of the seat 14. The reverse configuration may also be used, with the turnbuckle coupled with the seat 14. In addition, more than one turnbuckle may be used, such as one coupled with the lever 20 and another coupled with the seat 14, with the resistance element 22 coupled between the two turnbuckles. Lengthening the turnbuckle(s) would reduce the resistance, whereas shortening the turnbuckle(s) would increase the resistance.
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In an alternative embodiment of the folding and restraining mechanisms, the first strut member 48 may be eliminated, and one of the support elements may be affixed to the seat such that the seat 14 is held in the proper position when the support elements 16 are unfolded for use. In such an embodiment, the pivot pin 52 in the second strut member 50 may be pulled against the top stop surface 57 of the structure defining a slot 54 to lock the support members and the seat in place during use. In such an embodiment, the pivot pin 52 may alternatively be affixed to either support element 16, and the structure defining a slot 54 could be located in the second strut member 50, such that the pivot pin 52 simply acts as a stop for the second strut member 50 to prevent the support elements 16 from spreading beyond their design limits.
In other embodiments of the folding and restraining mechanisms, the strut members 48, 50, structures defining slots 54 and pivot pins 52 may be replaced by other structures. In such embodiments, the seat 14 may fold at the common pivot point 46 in either direction or both directions. To fold the chair, the support elements 16 may simply be moved towards each other. When unfolded, the front and rear support elements 16a, 16b may be restricted from opening wider than desired by standard mechanical elements known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, the seat 14 may be held in the proper position by standard mechanical elements located in either the pivot 46 or the support elements 16 when the support elements 16 are spread to their fully opened position. For example, as shown in
Although the embodiments discussed above and depicted in the figures use a common pivot point or hinge 46 for the opposing support elements 16a, 16b, the support elements 16 may be located at independent positions on the seat, and use independent pivot points or hinges to accomplish a similar folding structure. Similarly, the hinge point for one of the support elements 16 may be located somewhere on the opposing support element 16 rather than the seat 14. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the folding and restraining mechanisms depicted in
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As those skilled in the art will appreciate, although the exercise chair 10 is preferably constructed of cylindrical or square metal tubing, the various parts may be constructed of any material in any configuration that offers suitable strength. Examples of such configurations may include tubing with oval, square, rectangular, triangular, or polygonal cross sections, open or closed channel, solid materials of any configuration where an open or hollow design is not required, or any other suitable shape. Regardless of their shape, however, such materials should be light enough to maintain the portability of the exercise chair 10, examples of which may include light gauge steel, lighter metals such as aluminum, titanium, or magnesium, plastic, fiberglass, composites such as carbon fiber, or any other suitable materials. Given that the exercise chair 10 is likely to be exposed to the perspiration of the user, preferably, although not necessarily, such materials would either be inherently resistant to corrosion, or coated or treated with suitable materials to prevent corrosion, examples of which may include plastic coatings, powder coatings, durable paint, galvanizing, or anodizing.
Accordingly, an improved exercise chair is disclosed. Although embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
This patent application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/706,983, filed Aug. 10, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
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