The present invention relates generally to an exercise device that facilitates strengthening of hand, wrist, and forearm muscles.
As shown in
Exercise of the hand, wrist, and forearm muscles can prevent or treat conditions of the hand, wrist, and forearm. Such conditions may include, for example, tendonitis, stroke rehabilitation, golfer's elbow, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, sprain/strain/fracture rehabilitation, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, DeQuervain's Syndrome, RSI's (repetitive stress injuries) and neuropathies.
The present invention relates to an exercise device that facilitates strengthening of hand, wrist, and forearm muscles.
Disclosed herein is an exercise device for exercising at least one of a human hand, wrist, and forearm. Generally, the exercise device may include a pair of handles that rotatably mounted within sockets by exerting a force that can be adjusted. Further, levers may be pivotably mounted relative to handles to facilitate developing grip strength. Further, a vibrational force may be delivered to at least one of the handles to promote bone and muscle generation and inhibit their loss.
The exercise device may include a mount which may be placed atop a table or other surface such that a user may use the device while in a seated position.
The exercise device may facilitate exercise of the wrist muscles. In particular, handles operably connected to the mount may be gripped by a user and the user may rotate the handles relative to the mount such that the wrist muscles may be exercised. For example, the mount be operably coupled or connected to a first and a second socket which may be positioned such that they are co-linear to one another. The first and second sockets may be rotatable relative to one another. Each of the sockets may receive a ball that coupled to the end of a handle such that the handles may be rotated relative to one another. Each of the sockets may include a cut-out portion or groove which may permit the the handle to be rotated a greater extent in the area of the groove than in the portions of the socket that do not include the groove. A tensioning knob may be configured to frictionally engage the ball and/or deform the socket such that the socket itself resists rotation of the ball secured within the socket. Rotation of the knob in a first direction may resist rotation of the ball within the socket, whereas rotation of the knob in a second direction opposite that of the first direction may make relative rotation of the ball and the socket easier.
Levers that are rotatably coupled to each handle may facilitate exercise of flexor muscles controlling the four fingers (i.e., index, ring, middle, and pinky fingers) of the hands. In particular, the device may include: a first lever being pivotably secured to the first handle, a first cable tensioning the first lever toward an uncompressed condition, the first cable being tensioned by a spring having an adjustable tension force; and a second lever being pivotably secured to the second handle, a second cable tensioning the second lever toward an uncompressed condition, the second lever being tensioned by a spring having an adjustable tension force.
2. The first and second cables may be operatively coupled to at least one tension spring, wherein the tension spring can be adjusted such that a tensioning force exerted by the at least one tension spring upon the first and second cables is correspondingly adjusted. The at least one tension spring may be secured at a first end to the mount and at a second end to an adjustable tensioning member, the adjustable tensioning member including a screw that is rotatable to adjust a pulling force exerted on the at least one tension spring, an increase in the pulling force causing a corresponding increase in the tensioning force. The at least one vibrator may be mounted to each of the first and second handles. At least one vibrator may be mounted to the mount. At least vibrator may be mounted to each of the sockets. A vibrator may be configured to selectively deliver a vibrational force to at least one of the first and second handles. The vibrator may include an oscillating weight. The vibrator may be electrically coupled to a power source which may be an internal battery or an external power source. The system may further comprise a computer and a memory as would be understood in the art such that a vibrational force may be delivered in accordance with a predetermined pattern or intervals.
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.
A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reference to a preferred embodiment set forth in the illustrations of the accompanying drawings. Although the illustrated preferred embodiment is merely exemplary of methods, structures and compositions for carrying out the present invention, both the organization and method of the invention, in general, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to the drawings and the following description. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of this invention, which is set forth with particularity in the claims as appended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplify the invention.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following drawings in which:
As required, a detailed illustrative embodiment of the present invention is disclosed herein. However, techniques, systems, compositions and operating structures in accordance with the present invention may be embodied in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, forms and modes, some of which may be quite different from those in the disclosed embodiment. Consequently, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative, yet in that regard, they are deemed to afford the best embodiment for purposes of disclosure and to provide a basis for the claims herein, which define the scope of the present invention.
As shown in
Reference to the hand and its structures is made herein to further facilitate an understanding of an exercise device 100 described hereinbelow.
Referring to
The ball 110 and the socket 108 form a ball joint such that each of the handles 102 may be rotatable relative to a socket 108 which is configured to receive a ball or sphere 110 fitted or secured to an end of the handle 102. The socket may include a groove or a cut 108a (
Mount 114 is a securing base element and is positionable in different locations to secure the support 116. For example, mount 114 may include weights (not shown), a suction-cup-system arrangement (allowing securment to a glass surface, wall, window, or door) with the suction cup-system including at least one suction cup and a suction cup release mechanism, a magnetic fixing securing arrangement (magnetic features in base 114 securing to a ferrous support member (e.g., metal desk or wall), or a clamping arrangement for fixing to a secure base (base can be horizontal, vertical, or slanted). The clamping arrangement may include toggle clamps, threaded clamps, elastomeric clamps, and other clamping means.
Referring to
It is to be understood that although springs S are shown and described herein, that other means of generating resistive forces that may be additionally or alternatively used may include, for example, magnets and magnetic resistance means and are thus also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Also, although the springs S are shown as being manually adjusted, it is to be understood that electric motors, for example, may be operatively coupled to the springs to effect an automatic adjustment of the tensioning forces of the springs S.
During use, a user may grip the opposing handles 102 by making a fist around the handles 102 with the palm of the hand resting on each handle 102. The user may extend the fingers (i.e., the index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers) toward levers 104 and may squeeze the levers 104 toward the handles 102. This squeezing motion may be particularly useful for exercising the flexor and lumbrical muscles of controlling the index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers. The squeezing of the levers 104 toward the handles 102 may be opposed by the cables 106c which are tensioned by springs S having a resistance which may be set by the user.
In addition, the user may rotate the handles 102 to exercise the wrist muscles including for example the flexor longus, flexor carpi radials, flexor carpi ulnaris, and flexor retinaculum muscles. The extent by which the handles 102 may rotate may be set or varied the relative positioning of the socket 108 with respect to the ball 110 such that the handle 102. In particular, the handle 102 may be able to rotate a greater extent where the cutout or groove 108a is positioned in the socket 108. The grooves 108a of the sockets 108 may be positioned such that the handles 102 may rotate to the greatest extent when the hands are rotated in opposing directions.
Further, during use, a user may rotate tensioning knob 112 to cause rotation of the handles 102 to be resisted such that the user needs to exert a greater force to cause the handles 102 to rotate. The handles 102 may be rotated relative to the sockets 108 such that they can be angled relative to one another relative to the axis extending lengthwise along the sockets 108 in any radial relative to the circumference of the socket 108 until the interaction of the socket 108 and the handle 102 inhibit further relative rotation.
As shown best in
During use, the user may place the exercise device 100 on a table top or counter (not shown) such that the user may be seated while exercising his hand and wrist muscles.
In addition, at least one vibrating means may be provided to facilitate vibration, which may facilitate further exercising of the hands. In the figures, vibrational markings indicate the vibrational movement of the components of the system when the vibrational means are actuated. During use, a vibrational force may be delivered to at least one of the first and second handles. Small vibrations can help inhibit bone and muscle loss and are therefore beneficial to users who may be suffering from bone loss and/or muscle atrophy and may also promote muscle and bone generation.
As shown in
Operation of the vibrators 200, 102S, and 108S may be controlled via one or more computers. For example, the vibrators 200, 102S, and 108S may perform a sequence of operations according to a predetermined instruction such as for example, vibrating for a predetermined duration of time and/or intensities. Also for example, the duration of intensities may be based on a predetermined pattern, e.g., faster vibration for 10 seconds, followed by slower vibration for 5 seconds, and the like. Moreover, various sensors (not shown) operatively coupled to the handles 102, levers 104, as well as the vibrators 200, 102S, and 108S, for example, may monitor and/or record the user's use of the system 100 such that progress may be tracked and/or recorded. Further, the system 100 and its various components may be coupled to one or more external apps or accessories, including, for example a smartphone application. Such an operative coupling may be facilitated via a Bluetooth or WiFi connection and may facilitate the user setting the intensity of vibrations, for example. The system 100 may include a computer and/or communication devices/interfaces as would be understood in the art.
Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of the invention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps. The drawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale. For purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms, such as top, bottom, up, down, over, above, below, etc., or motional terms, such as forward, back, sideways, transverse, etc. may be used with respect to the drawings. These and similar directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.
Having described at least one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely exemplary and that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes, modifications, and adaptations may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The scope of the invention, therefore, shall be defined solely by the following claims. Further, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and the principles of the invention. It should be appreciated that the present invention is capable of being embodied in other forms without departing from its essential characteristics.
This application relates to and claims priority from U.S. Prov. App. Ser. No. 62/474,801 which was filed on Mar. 22, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62474801 | Mar 2017 | US |