1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gymnastic machine. In particular, the present invention relates to a gymnastic machine provided with a signaling device. In more detail, the present invention relates to a gymnastic machine provided with a signaling device effectively usable for giving information on the use status thereof. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a signaling device and to a method for signaling the use status of a gymnastic machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of gymnastic machines there are well-known display devices for providing the users with various kinds of information. These display devices may be of different kinds according to the type of gymnastic machine with which they are associated. In the case of gymnastic machines for cardiovascular/aerobic training, such as those of the Applicant's Excite line, the display devices are grouped in a console carried by the machine itself in such a position as to be maintained constantly in front of the face of the training user, in order constantly to update him/her on the real manner in which an exercise is perform instant by instant and hence on the actual progress of the exercise. Therefore, from the observation of the data provided by the instruments it is possible to obtain information on the activity performed and on what still remains to be performed. Also in the case of machines for anaerobic muscular training, such as those of the Applicant's Selection line, one frequently observes the presence of a console carried in such a position that it faces the training user to provide information on the correct way of performing the movement, on the repetitions completed, on the dynamics of the exercise and on the repetitions still to be executed.
It should be noted that positioning and sizing of the consoles, and naturally of the display devices carried by these consoles, are so designed as to be viewable exclusively by the training user or by a trainer in the user's trust, essentially for reasons of confidentiality of the user's personal data, both in terms of setting and of the result of the training session. On the other hand, in this way it is impossible to predict after how long the machine will be freely accessible by another user for those who would like to employ a given machine after the user currently training. The need to have this information available is particularly important especially in the case of users who have reduced time margins to frequent a gym for performing physical activities. It frequently occurs that persons with this problem give up frequenting a gym, or simply discard a priori the possibility of exercising in the nearest gym, simply because there is a high risk of not being able to complete the training sessions within reasonable estimated times. On the other hand, it is considered absolutely inappropriate to propose to the users of a gym to query the other training users to optimize the waiting time on the machines to be used to complete one's training session, since this could annoyingly distract the concentration of these users from the activity they are performing.
In view of the above description, the problem of knowing a user's training time still remaining on a machine is currently unsolved and represents an interesting challenge for the applicant, who has self-imposed the goal of broaden the ranks of those who regularly frequent gyms even to those who have little tolerance for prolonged interruptions of their physical activity in the shift from one machine to the other.
In view of the above description, it would be desirable to have available a gymnastic machine which, in addition to enabling to limit and possibly to overcome the typical drawbacks of the art illustrated above, could define a new standard for these types of machines. Consequently, these innovative gymnastic machines would be particularly indicated to be installed in public gyms or wherever groups of users have to share gymnastic machines. Clearly, the availability of machines of this kind would enable gym operators to maximize the degree of saturation of their fleet of machines, due to the reduction of idle times between two successive uses of each machine.
An object of the present invention is to provide a gymnastic machine that allows the disadvantages described above to be solved, and which is suitable to satisfy a plurality of requirements that to date have still not been addressed, and therefore, suitable to represent a new and original source of economic interest and capable of modifying the current market of gymnastic machines but also of gym users, thanks to the possibility of enhancing customer loyalty even among users who have fewer resources of free time to dedicate to physical training.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a control unit for a gymnastic machine that is provided with a signaling device effectively usable to give information on the respective use status.
Another object of the resent invention is to provide a signaling method for signaling the use status of a gymnastic machine.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method for signaling the use status of a gymnastic machine.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide, a method is for signaling the use status of a gymnastic machine.
These and other objects of the present invention which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by providing a gymnastic machine, including a frame provided with a base, an exercise station associated with the frame, at least a gymnastic implement usable within said exercise station for the execution of a training session, load means supported by the frame and coupled to each gymnastic implement; and a signaling device so predisposed as to give information on the use status of said implement outside the exercise station, in such a way as to reduce the waiting times between two successive uses of the exercise station.
Further characteristics and advantages of the gymnastic machine and of the method for signaling the use status of a gymnastic machine according to the present invention will be more apparent from the description below, set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate at least one non-limiting example of embodiment, in which identical or corresponding parts of the device are identified by the same reference numbers.
In the drawings:
In
Again with reference to
The signaling device 50 is part of an electronic control unit 60 which comprises, in turn, a calculating device 62 usable to manage the various each implement 30 starting from a given instant in time. This instant normally coincides with the instant in which the training session on the machine 1 started. Alternatively, this given time instant can coincide with the instant when power is applied to the load group, regardless of the source of this power. It should be kept in mind, in fact, that in the case of stationary bikes, of skating simulators and in the case of machines for anaerobic training, the power is produced by the user, but in the case of treadmills the power is supplied by an electric supply network.
Furthermore, it should be specified that it was decided to represent each connection between the components of the control unit 60 with a single branch for the sake of drawing economy, implying that each individual branch can be traveled electronically in the two directions and hence it is indifferently suitable for unidirectional or bi-directional information exchange.
Furthermore, the control unit 60 is interfaced with each implement 30 by means of the interposition of a respective transducer 63 able to detect the current use status of each implement 30. This transducer is connected, at the opposite side from each implement 30, to a logical unit 65, which is, in turn, electronically connected to an information storage device 64 associated to the control unit 60 and connected to the calculating device 62 to exchange information. The logical unit 65 is programmed to assign a given logical value to the current use status of each implement 30; in particular, this given logical value is synthesized in an indicator 80 allocable in an information block which, for the sake of convenience, is denoted by the same reference number 80 and indicates the current use status of the implement 30. Therefore, the control unit 60 is able to update in real time the display unit 52 based on the value of the indicator 80. It may be advisable to specify that in the case of the stationary bike of
It should be specified that the information storage device 64 is arranged to contain, in addition to the indicator 80, a plurality of information blocks, among which an information block 66 able to store a data item corresponding to a duration time of the training session, an information block 68 for storing a data item corresponding to a starting time of the use of each implement 30 and an information block 70 able to store a data item corresponding to a residual time duration of use of each implement 30. These information blocks 66, 68, 70 incorporated in the storage device 64 can be updated by means of a keyboard 74 incorporated in a console 75, shown in
With particular reference to
As it is well known, the LEDs are light sources able to emit a light beam whose color can be determined by values of electrical parameters of current and voltage of the related power supply 51 or it can emit light of a given color, similarly to commonly used incandescent light bulbs or fluorescent lamps.
Therefore, the different chromatism of the light emitted by the led 55 can be obtained simply by varying the parameters of the supply current; in the case of the traffic light 54, instead, the supply current will be selectively sent to one of the light bulbs 56, 57 and 58, also through the calculating device 62. Naturally, the LED 55 and the traffic light 54 are powered by a supply network 51 by means of a switch 61 remotely controlled by the control device 62 and contained inside the control unit 60.
It may be advisable to prescribe that the colors selected for each light source 53, and in particular for the bulbs 56, 57, and 58 respectively are green, red and amber, whilst if the choice were for the LED 55, it would be possible to have a broader range of colors available. In addition, it may be advantageous, in analogy with the convention of road signs, to associate to a use status in which the machine 1 is awaiting a user, and hence inactive, the lighting of the light bulb 56 in such a way as to emit exclusively green light; when the machine 1 is active, to cause the lighting of the light bulb 57 in such a way as to emit exclusively red light; and when the machine 1 is active but in a final stage of the exercise, to cause the lighting of the light bulb 58 in such a way as to emit exclusively amber colored light.
On the other hand, it should be specified that the amber colored light could be obtained using even only two light sources 53, one red and the other one green and arranging for their simultaneous activation, since the amber color can be obtained from mixing these two elementary chromatisms. Naturally, this result is independent of the fact that the two light sources are constituted by LEDs or by light bulbs, but it is linked exclusively by the simultaneity of the switching of the sources. With reference to the duration of the final stage of the exercise, it should be specified that this stage could have variable or standard duration, e.g. from 3 to 5 minutes, based on the prescriptions of a trainer or on the free decisions of a user.
If notifying waiting users the waiting time with approximation is not deemed sufficient, but it is preferred to provide precise indications, the light sources 53 of each unit 52 may comprise at least an eight-segment LED 90, shown only in
Use of the machine 1 and of its respective signaling device 50 is easily understood from the above description and requires no further explanation.
In any case, it may be advisable to specify that the machine 1 is one of the possible embodiments of gymnastic machine through which it is possible to implement a method for signaling the use status of the gymnastic machine. In view of the above description, this method comprises a step of providing information on the use status of the implement 30 outside the station 20; this step is preceded by a step of informing the control unit 60 on the duration of the exercise and is followed by a step of calculating a residual time of use of each implement 30 starting from a given instant in time. This step of calculating the residual time can be achieved through the calculating device 62 and enables to carry out a step of assigning a given value to the indicator 80, signifying the use status of each implement 30; naturally, this step is followed by a step of providing the signaling device 50 with information on the use status of the implement 30 outside the station 20, followed by the step of displaying the given value of the indicator 80 by means of at least the LED 55 or by means of one of the bulbs 56, 57, 58.
Finally, it is clear that modifications and variants can be made to the gymnastic machine 1 described and illustrated herein without however departing from the protective scope of the present invention.
For example, in the simplest embodiment, the calculating device 62 for calculating the residual time can be accomplished very simply through a simple timer, which is indicated in
According to a further embodiment, the sole light bulb 59 can be activated in such a way as to produce intermittent flashes with a different frequency according to the different current use status of the machine 1. In this case, with the bulb 59 an intermitter device 78 can be associated, electronically connected to the calculating device 62 to condition the light bulb 59 to emit light in different manners according to the use status of the implement 30. For example, the light emitted by the light bulb 59 could have intermittence variable with a frequency that is the higher, the closer the end of the exercise, or vice versa. On the other hand, to the continuous emission of light, and hence to the constantly on condition of the light bulb 59, could correspond the indefinite operation of the machine 1; whilst with the machine 1 idle, the light bulb 59 could be maintained conveniently off.
Alternatively to the stationary bike shown in
Naturally, the presence of the LEDs 55 or of the light bulbs 59 can be simultaneous on the treadmill 100 or also alternative, according to the type of set-up selected by the customer or according to other requirements.
In view of the above description, it is easily understood that the device 50 and the control unit 60 of the gymnastic machine 1 described above, in both versions of the stationary bike of
It is clear that a gymnastic machine structured like the machine 1 enables gym operators to maximize the degree of saturation of the fleet of machines, to have the opportunity of reducing idle times between two successive uses of each individual gymnastic machine installed.
Though the present invention was shown and described with references to the preferred embodiment, such is merely illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as a limitation thereof and various modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is therefore not intended that the present invention be limited to the disclosed embodiment or details thereof, and the present invention includes all variations and/or alternative embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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RA2006A000041 | Jul 2006 | IT | national |