Patent Application
20230310259
The disclosed technology relates generally to a exercise rollers, and more specifically to a roller with rigid transverse handles.
Therapeutic foam rollers are used as a part of exercise. One rolls their body over the roller, moving their torso, usually along the back, of the roller. One must tighten their core and back muscles in order to transfer kinetic energy from their legs to the roller. Thus, a drawback to such rollers is that one cannot relax their muscles, especially back muscles, while moving over the roller. This forces the spine to be put under compression forces and disfavors pressure in the legs/feet against the ground.
In the disclosed technology herein, the roller can be pulled by way of arm handles allowing the user's torso to pass over the roller even in a relaxed muscle state of the torso. Traction is created along the vertebrae of the spine. This spinal decompression therapy relieves pressure on the spinal discs by separating the vertebrae rather than compressing them.
A foam roller of embodiments of the disclosed technology has an uncompressible (rigid) interior section. A compressible (resilient) foam section surrounds some, at least a majority of, or substantially all of the rigid section. The “foam” can be any material which is compressible and resilient including rubber, plastic, and other materials. A portal on either side of the foam section (extending there-through or closer to an extreme end than) extends into the interior section. These portals, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, are equi-distant from respective extreme ends of the foam roller and/or rigid interior section. An end cap is on each end of the interior section and is removably or fixedly placed there-on the interior section and/or forms a unitary structure therewith. A portal of each end cap extends inline with a respective portal on either side of the foam section. The portals can be threaded within the interior section and/or within the end caps. As such, respective portals can be adapted to removably attach the foam roller to the arms, the arms being perpendicular to the foam roller and/or rigid interior section. The arms or handles have a longest linear length being transverse to a longest linear length of the interior section when attached thereto.
Described another way, a foam roller has a cylindrical main body with a first portal and a second portal extending into the cylindrical main body and inline with each other (at a same circumferential location on the exterior of the main body, albeit at a different position along the longest length of the cylinder, the length being perpendicular to a circular circumference of the cylinder). A first arm is sized to fit within the first portal and a second arm, within the second portal.
The first arm and the second arm can be substantially equally, or equally, sized to each other and equidistant from respective first and second ends of the foam roller and/or cylindrical main body. The first arm and the second arm prevent the cylindrical main body from completely revolving on a planar surface where such planar surface is one which is fully below the foam roller (such as where a shortest length of the planar surface is at least a length of the cylindrical body). Thus, with the arms attached transverse to the main body, the main body/foam roller can roll only less than 180 degrees on the planar surface.
The cylindrical main body, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, has a hollow interior where the first and second portals extend therein. Caps can be used to close/cover each end of the hollow interior. Such caps can have an open circular region into an interior cylindrical portion sized to fit within, or exterior to, the cylindrical main body and seal/cover ends of the interior of the main body. A threaded portal, such as a single or two portals which is/are transverse to an end of respective caps and/or main body can extend there-into the respective main body/cap. That is, a cap may only have two openings: a first circular opening inline with the cylindrical opening and a second opening transverse thereto. The main body may only have four openings: two circular openings at either end into a cylinder and two which are transverse thereto. The respective transverse portals of the caps and main body can be inline with each other when the cap is fully secured onto the main body such that the first arm and/or second arm can be inserted through the cap and main body and be secured to the cap and main body, such as by way of threading on the first arm and/or second arm as well as one or both of the main body and cap.
The cylindrical body, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, is surrounded by compressible foam which, in some embodiments, surrounds the caps and in other embodiments the caps are devoid of such surrounding foam.
One can use the foam roller by attaching the arms to respective portals of the caps and/or cylindrical main body and then rotating the foam roller using one's back against the foam and/or own arms grasping the arms of the foam roller.
Any device or step to a method described in this disclosure can comprise or consist of that which it is a part of, or the parts which make up the device or step. The term “and/or” is inclusive of the items which it joins linguistically and each item by itself.
A foam roller with handles in embodiments of the disclosed technology has rigid handles which extend elongated into a pole structure. There are two such handles/poles which attach to either side of a foam roller, which is another elongated pole structure which at it's longest length is perpendicular to the longest lengths of the handles in embodiments of the disclosed technology. End caps of the foam roller, a rigid cylindrical member with foam covering at least a majority thereof, attach to the longitudinal ends (most extreme ends) and are cylindrical themselves. These end caps can have a portal extending in parallel to the arms and/or transverse/perpendicular to the most elongated length of the roller, also called the cylindrical main body. “Longitudinal” of the cylindrical main body and/or arms is defined along the length of the circular cross-sections from end to end which make up the cylinder. The arms (of the roller) have connection mechanisms (such as male or female ends of a screw) which attach to and/or through the end caps and/or portal of the cylindrical main body. “Arms”, unless otherwise specified, refers to the arms of the foam roller which are attached to the main cylindrical body (rather than “arms” of a person using the device).
Embodiments of the disclosed technology will become clearer in view of the following description of the figures.
Within each end 36 and 30 of the cylindrical main body is a portal 32 and 34, respectively, where respective arms 50 and 52 attach there-into. The arms 50 and 52 are used for grasping with one's hands and “roll” with the foam 20 portion of the roller and cylindrical main body. End caps 46 and another end cap 46 on an opposite side of the cylindrical main body are used in embodiments of the disclosed technology which cover the ends of the cylindrical main body 32 and 30, respectively. The “extreme ends” of the cylindrical main body, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, is defined as portions thereof which are covered by caps, such as cap 46. Portals within the respective caps 46 extend into portals 34 and 44 of the ends of the cylindrical main body 21 of the roller. The portals 32 and 44, as well as the portals 34 and 44, are inline with each other forming a single portal, when the caps are on the main body 21. Thus, poles (or arms) 50 and 52 can be attached through respective end caps and into the ends of the cylindrical main body of the roller. The poles (or arms) 50 and 52 can be fictionally held, removably attached, and/or fixedly attached within/to the portals of the end caps and/or cylindrical main body such as by way of threaded screws with male and female parts in any of the afore-described connected elements.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “substantially” is defined as “at least 95% of” the term which it modifies.
Any device or aspect of the technology can “comprise” or “consist of” the item it modifies, whether explicitly written as such or otherwise.
When the term “or” is used, it creates a group which has within either term being connected by the conjunction as well as both terms being connected by the conjunction.
While the disclosed technology has been disclosed with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods and apparatuses described hereinabove are also contemplated and within the scope of the invention.
