1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gymnastic machine. In particular, the present invention relates to a gymnastic machine for performing skating training exercises. In more detail, the present invention relates to a gymnastic machine comprising a pair of footrests for simulating the skating movement wherein each footrest is constrained to an arm rotatably supported by a frame with respect to two axes substantially orthogonal to each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of gymnastic machines there are well-known skating simulators for training of the lower limbs particularly suitable for cardiovascular training sessions. Some machines of this type are produced in implementation of patents whose teachings have already been described and discussed in the text attached to the Italian invention patent application no. RA2004A000044 filed on 16 Sep. 2004, which corresponds to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/908,316 filed May 6, 2005 by the applicant herein, and which should be referred to for brevity. Furthermore, the teachings that can be drawn from this patent application have enabled the construction of a machine called “Cardio Wave”, in which a pair of footrests, each of which supported by a single arm hinged to the frame, is movable along an open trajectory according to a composite movement when each arm is moved outward. This composite movement is governed for each arm by an articulated mechanism, which connects the frame to the respective footrest. The arms of the two footrests are positioned crossing over each other and therefore have a considerable extension and, to avoid coming into reciprocal contact or, even worse, knocking against each other during movement, they are shaped asymmetrically. Therefore, both the arms and the relative articulated mechanisms are constructed in a different manner, making the bill of materials of the gymnastic machine particularly intricate and complex. This peculiarity greatly increases the number of pieces of different shapes and dimensions, even if for identical functions, and thus also the amount of equipment required to produce the machine, with a negative impact on production costs.
To limit these problems, the applicant has varied the machine concept to make it symmetrical and has described it in a further Italian invention patent application, assigned the number RA2005A000029, and filed on 29 Jul. 2005 which corresponds to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/494,994 filed Jul. 28, 2006. In this case, the machine is symmetrical and each footrest is supported by the connecting rod of an articulated quadrilateral, and is movable with respect to this connecting rod according to the aforesaid composite movement through a lever carried by the connecting rod. It must be observed that in this case the pivot axis of the footrest is not positioned on the centre line of the connecting rod eyes. Therefore, the pivot axes of the connecting rod and the axis of the footrest on the connecting rod are arranged in a triangle on a triangular-shaped connecting rod. This connecting rod must be produced as a box-shaped body so that it has the necessary rigidity and a reasonable weight. Therefore, each footrest must have a corresponding support with a considerable cost in order to have a particularly compact mechanism in which the respective components frequently overlap one another.
In view of the above description, both in the case of the application RA2004A000044 and in the case of the application RA2004A000029, the complexity of the mechanisms corresponding to the footrests makes the corresponding machines intrinsically rather unsafe due to the overlaps that occur in the plane between the levers supporting the footrests. The intrinsic lack of safety could cause serious injuries in the event of the user losing his/her balance and placing a foot or limb in general in the space swept by the footrests and/or by the quadrilateral components.
The U.S. published patent application US 2005/0014613 provides teachings to considerably simplify the control mechanism of the movement of the footrests and to make it much safer in a skating simulator. According to these teachings, a machine is constructed, wherein each footrest has two degrees of freedom of rotation in the space about axes of rotation orthogonal to each other, one of which is limited unilaterally by a rigid shaped element that reproduces a plane inclined with respect to a longitudinal median plane of the machine. In particular, each footrest is rigidly connected to a first lever carried movable in a rotating manner by a vertical upright by means of the interposition of a second lever, which is articulated with respect to the first lever about a horizontal axis; finally, each footrest is supported by a rigid shaped element, delimited at the top by an inclined plane by means of the interposition of a wheel.
According to a variant of the machine described above, the supporting action of the shaped element on each footrest is obtained by means of a tie rod connecting the first lever and supported, for this purpose, in a spherically articulated manner by a fixed turret. In view of the above description, each tie rod allows lowering of the footrest from a raised idle position in which the footrest is positioned close to the longitudinal median plane of the machine corresponding to movement of the footrest towards the outside. Furthermore, simplification of the mechanism that constrains each footrest does not allow the footrests to be moved so that they follow a correct movement of the articulation of each foot.
The object of the present invention is to construct 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, capable of modifying the current market of skating simulators.
According to the present invention, there is provided a gymnastic machine a frame and a pair of footrests, each of which is movable on a shaped element designed in a given fashion along an arched trajectory (P). Each footrest is connected to the frame in open chain by means of at least an arm rotating with respect to a first axis. Each arm is provided, at a respective footrest, with a rotatable member suitable to roll on the shaped element. The gymnastic machine includes controlling means associated with each footrest for varying, in use, the orientation of the footrest so as to make the footrest capable to rotate with respect to a respective arm in the opposite direction to a rotation imposed on the arm.
Further characteristics and advantages of the 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 a non-limiting example of embodiment. The drawings show:
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In view of the above description, it should be specified that each pin 56 is coupled at the bottom in a freely rotatable manner to the corresponding footrest 20 in a neighborhood of the respective axis 24.
Operation of the machine 1 is easily understood from the description above and requires no further explanations. Furthermore, it may be worthwhile to specify that each machine 1 allows each foot of a user to be guided along an arched trajectory P faithfully reproducing the movement of the foot of a skater.
Finally, it is clear that modifications and variants can be made to the machine 1 described and illustrated herein without however departing from the protective scope of the present invention.
Based on the above description, it is easy to understand that the teachings provided above with reference to the gymnastic machine 1 allow the construction of gymnastic machines for training users to perform the skating movement wherein each footrest is supported by a mechanism which, although being particularly simple, is such as to ensure correct movement of the articulation of the foot supported by said footrest.
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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RA2006A000017 | Mar 2006 | IT | national |