Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6258016
-
Patent Number
6,258,016
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, November 9, 199924 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, July 10, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Donnelly; Jerome W.
- Amerson; Lori Baker
Agents
- Varndell & Varndell, PLLC
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 482 142
- 482 130
- 482 131
- 482 133
- 482 129
- 482 96
- 482 121
- 482 140
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A folding collapsible exercising apparatus including a wheeled front frame, a tubular bearing bracket, a back frame unit, a wheeled seat, a coupling, a damping device, and two handlebars. The wheeled front frame unit has a backwardly extending longitudinal shaft, and the tubular bearing bracket is slidably sleeved onto the longitudinal shaft of the wheeled front frame unit. The back frame unit is pivoted to the tubular bearing bracket and turned by the user between vertical and horizontal positions. The wheeled seat pivots to the back frame unit and is slidably supported on the tubular bearing bracket. The coupling moves along the longitudinal shaft of the wheeled front frame unit and is locked by a lock screw. The dampening device coupled between the coupling and the bearing bracket, and the two handlebars are pivoted to the back frame unit at two opposite sides and locked by a respective lock screw.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a physical exercising apparatus, and more particularly to a folding collapsible exercising apparatus, which is functional for exercising the legs, the waist, the back, and the feet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,731 shows an exercising apparatus. This exercising apparatus (see
FIG. 1
) enables the user to exercise the body in a lying or any of a variety of exercising postures. However, the parts of the exercising apparatus are not movable with the motion of the user.
It is one object of the present invention to provide an exercising apparatus, which is folding collapsible. It is another object of the present invention to provide a folding collapsible exercising apparatus, which can be conveniently adjusted subject to the body height of the user. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a folding collapsible exercising apparatus, which is functional for exercising the legs, the waist, the back, and the feet. According to one aspect of the present invention, the folding collapsible exercising apparatus comprises a wheeled front frame unit having a backwardly extended longitudinal shaft, a tubular bearing bracket slidably sleeved onto the longitudinal shaft of the wheeled front frame unit, a back frame unit pivoted to the tubular bearing bracket and turned by the user between a vertical position and a horizontal position, a wheeled seat pivoted to the back frame unit and slidably supported on the tubular bearing bracket, a coupling moved along the longitudinal shaft of the wheeled front frame unit and locked by a lock screw, a damping device coupled between the coupling and the bearing bracket, and two handlebars pivoted to the back frame unit at two opposite sides by locked by a respective lock screw. According to another aspect of the present invention, the back frame unit comprises two smoothly arched frame tubes for supporting the back frame unit on the floor, enabling the back frame unit to be turned by the user between the horizontal position and the vertical position, and two foot members respectively provided at the smoothly arched frame tubes for stopping at the floor to limit the turning angle of the back frame unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is an elevational view of an exercising apparatus according to the prior art.
FIG. 2
is an exploded view of a folding collapsible exercising apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3
is a sectional view of a part of the present invention, showing the connection between the coupling tube at the back frame unit and the corresponding stub axle at the bearing bracket.
FIG. 4
is an elevational view of the multipurpose exercising apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 5
is another elevational view of the folding collapible exercising apparatus according to the present invention when viewed from another angle.
FIG. 6
is an applied view of the present invention, showing the back frame unit turned at the horizontal position.
FIG. 7
shows the folding collapsible exercising apparatus collapsed according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Figures from
2
through
7
, a multipurpose exercising apparatus in accordance with the present invention is practical for exercising the back, the waist, the legs, and the feet. The multipurpose exercising apparatus is comprised of a front frame unit
1
, a bearing bracket
2
, a back frame unit
3
, two handlebars
4
, and a seat
5
, a damping device
6
, and a coupling
8
.
The front frame unit
1
comprises a transverse front bar
11
, two wheels
111
at two distal ends of the transverse front bar
11
, a longitudinal shaft
12
perpendicularly extended from a middle part of the transverse front bar
11
, the longitudinal shaft
12
having a vertical front section
121
fixedly connected to the transverse front bar
11
, a horizontal rear section
122
inserted through the coupling
8
into the bearing bracket
2
, two foot bars
1211
bilaterally connected to the vertical front section
121
of the longitudinal shaft
12
, and a series of positioning holes
1221
longitudinally spaced on the horizontal rear section
122
of the longitudinal shaft
12
and selectively fastened to the coupling
8
by a lock screw
20
.
The bearing bracket
2
comprises a longitudinal main tube
21
, which receives the rear end of the horizontal rear section
122
of the longitudinal shaft
12
, two stub axles
22
formed integral with one end, namely, the rear end of the longitudinal main tube
21
at two opposite sides and respectively coupled to two coupling tubes
312
of the back frame unit
3
(see FIGS.
2
and
3
), and a vertical bottom rod
23
perpendicularly extended from the longitudinal main tube
21
and coupled to the rear end
62
of the damping device
6
.
The coupling
8
is a tubular member sleeved onto the horizontal rear section
122
of the longitudinal shaft
12
, having a top screw hole
81
selectively fastened to one of the positioning holes
1221
on the horizontal rear section
122
of the longitudinal shaft
12
by the lock screw
20
, and a vertical bottom rod
83
coupled to the front end
61
of the damping device
6
.
The back frame unit
3
comprises two parallel back support bars
31
, a back mattress
30
supported on the back support bars
31
, two coupling tubes
312
respectively perpendicularly extended from the back support bars
31
toward each other near the bottom end respective main tube
21
of the bearing bracket
2
(see FIG.
3
), two lugs
33
respectively provided at the back support bars
31
above the coupling tubes
312
, the lugs
33
each having a mounting hole
331
, a pivot pin
35
inserted through the mounting hole
331
on each lug
33
to secure the seat
5
to be back frame unit
3
, and two smoothly arched frame tubes
36
respectively connected to the back support bars
31
and arranged in parallel. When set up, one end
361
of each smoothly arched frame tube
36
is disposed in contact with the floor to support the rear part of the multipurpsoe exercising apparatus stably on the floor.
The two handlebars
4
are respectively pivoted to the back support bars
31
, and locked in the operative position by a respectively lock screw
7
, each having a -shaped coupling frame
41
and two parallel lugs
411
raised from the -shaped coupling frame
41
at two opposite sides. The parallel lugs
411
of the -shaped coupling frame
41
of one handlebar
4
are pivotablly conected to two opposite side walls of the corresponding back support bar
31
by a pivot bolt
34
.
The seat
5
comprises two bottom lugs
51
bilaterally disposed at the rear side thereof and respectively pivoted to the pivot pin
35
, the bottom lugs
51
each having a pivot hole
511
, which receives the pivot pin
35
, and a bottom roller
52
disposed at the front side thereof for supporting the seat
5
on the main tube
21
of the bearing bracket
2
.
The damping device
6
comprises a first coupling hole
611
disposed on the front end
61
thereof and coupled to the vertical bottom rod
83
of the coupling
8
, a second coupling hole
621
disposed on the rear end
62
thereof and coupled to the vertical bottom rod
23
of the bearing bracket
2
, and two springy retainers
63
respectively fastened to the vertical bottom rod
83
of the coupling
8
and the vertical bottom rod
23
of the bearing bracket
2
to secure the damping device
6
, the coupling
8
and the bearing bracket
2
together.
When in use, the user sits on the seat
5
with the back supported on the back mattress
30
, the feet stepped on the foot bars
1211
, and the hands, grasped at the handlebars
4
, then the user pushes the legs forwards and bends the trunk backwards and then releases the legs and bends the trunk forwards, and then the action is repeated again and again. When the user pushes the legs forwards and bends the trunk backwards, the back frame unit
3
is turned backwards from the vertical position shown in
FIG. 4
to the horizontal position shown in
FIG. 6
, the seat
5
is moved backwards with the back frame unit
3
along the main tube
21
of the bearing bracket
2
, the front frame unit
1
is pushed forwards relative to the bearing bracket
2
, and the main tube
21
is moved with the bearing bracket
2
backwards to stretch the damping device
6
, causing the damping device
6
to impart to resisting force.
When not in use, the pivot pin
35
is removed from the lugs
33
at the back frame unit
3
and the rear lugs
51
at the seat
5
, enabling the seat
5
to be taken away, and the back frame unit
3
to be turned backwards and closely attached to the front frame unit
1
, and then the lock screws
7
are respectively removed from back support board
31
and the handlebars
4
, enabling the handlebars
4
to be turned about the respective pivot bolts
34
upwardly and closely attached to the back support bars
31
(see FIG.
7
). When collapsed, the detached seat
5
is placed on the bearing bracket
2
between the smoothed arched frame tubes
36
of the back frame unit
3
.
The back frame unit
3
further comprises two foot members
362
respectively provided at the smoothly arched frame tubes
36
. When the back frame unit
3
is turned backwards to the horizontal position shown in
FIG. 6
, the foot members
362
are stopped at the floor to limit the turning angle of the back frame unit
3
. Further, according to the present preferred embodiment of the present invention, the damping device
6
is a rubber element. Alternatively, a spring member may be used to take the place of the dampling device
6
.
As indicated above, the present invention provide a collapsible exercising apparatus, which achieves the advantages outlined hereinafter.
1. The exercising apparatus is effective to exercise the back, the waist, the legs, and the feet.
2. After removal of the pivot pin
35
, the back frame unit
3
can be turned backwards to the collapsed position and closely attached to the front frame unit
1
to minimize the dimension of the exercising apparatus.
3. Because the front frame unit
1
has a series of longitudinally spaced positioning holes
1221
selectively fastened to the top screw hole
81
on the coupling
8
by the lock screw
20
, the user can adjsut the connection between the longitudinal shaft
12
of the front frame unit
1
and the coupling
8
subject to one's body height.
4. Because the back frame unit
3
comprises two foot members
362
at the smoothly arched frame tubes
36
, the turning angle of the back frame unit
3
is limited to the range between the horizontal position and the vertical position.
Claims
- 1. A folding collapsible exercising apparatus comprising:a front frame unit, said front frame unit comprising a transverse front bar, two wheels at two distal ends of said transverse front bar, a longitudinal shaft perpendicularly extended from a middle part of said transverse front bar, said longitudinal shaft having a vertical front section fixedly connected to said transverse front bar, a horizontal rear section, a series of positioning holes longitudinally spaced on said horizontal rear section of said longitudinal shaft, and two foot bars bilaterally connected to said vertical front section of said longitudinal shaft; a bearing bracket, said bearing bracket comprising a longitudinal main tube sleeved onto the horizontal rear section of said longitudinal shaft of said front frame unit, two stub axles formed integral with one end of said longitudinal main tube at two opposite sides remote from said front frame unit, and a vertical bottom rod perpendicularly extended from said longitudinal main tube; a coupling sleeved onto the horizontal rear section of said longitudinal shaft of said front frame unit, said coupling comprising a top screw hole fastened to one of the positioning holes on the horizontal rear section of said longitudinal shaft of said front frame unit, and a vertical bottom rod; a first lock screw selectively mounted in one of the positioning holes on the horizontal rear section of said longitudinal shaft of said front frame unit and threaded into the top screw hole on said coupling to secure said coupling to said front frame unit; a back frame unit pivoted to said bearing bracket and turned between a vertical position and a horizontal position, said back frame unit comprising two parallel back support bars, a back mattress supported on said back support bars, two coupling tubes respectively perpendicularly extended from said back support bars at a bottom side and respectively pivoted to the two stub axles at the longitudinal main tube of said bearing bracket, two lugs respectively provided at said back support bars above said coupling tubes, and two smoothly arched frame tubes respectively connected to said back support bars and arranged in parallel for supporting said back frame unit on the floor; two handlebars respectively pivoted to the back support bars of said back frame unit, said handlebars each comprising a -shaped coupling frame respectively pivoted to the back support bars of said back frame unit by a respective pivot bolt; two second lock screws respectively fastened to the back support bars of said back frame unit and said handlebars to lock said handlebars; a seat pivoted to said back frame unit and moved with said back frame unit along the main tube of said bearing bracket, said seat comprising two bottom lugs bilaterally disposed at a rear side thereof and respectively pivoted to the lugs at the back support bars of said back frame unit by a pivot pin, and a bottom roller disposed at a front side thereof for supporting said seat on the main tube of said bearing bracket; and a damping device coupled between said coupling and said bearing bracket, said damping device comprising a first coupling hole disposed on a front end thereof and coupled to the vertical bottom rod of said coupling, a second coupling hole disposed on a rear end thereof and coupled to the vertical bottom rod of said bearing bracket, and two springy retainers respectively fastened to the vertical bottom rod of said coupling and the vertical bottom rod of said bearing bracket to secure said damping device, said coupling and said bearing bracket together.
- 2. The folding collapsible exercising apparatus of claim 1 wherein said back frame unit further comprises two foot members respectively provided at said smoothly arched frame tubes for supporting said back frame unit on the floor when said back frame unit is turned to said horizontal position.
- 3. The folding collapsible exercising apparatus of claim 1 wherein said springy retainers are made of rubber.
US Referenced Citations (3)