Patent Application
20210046352
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to treadmill devices and more particularly pertains to a new treadmill device for facilitating a child to exercise indoors.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a treadmill that has a track portion pivotally coupled to a motor portion. The track portion is urgeable into a selected incline with respect to a horizontal plane wherein the track portion is configured to increase or decrease a level of difficulty for a user. The track is rollable at an average speed of approximately 3.5 km/hr to accommodate the average walking speed of a child. A plurality of light emitters is each coupled to the track portion to emit light outwardly from the track portion. An actuator is coupled to the motor portion and the actuator tilts the motor portion and the track portion into a selected incline. A remote control is in wireless electrical communication with the actuator to remotely actuate the actuator to tilt the track portion into the selected incline.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The motor portion 16 has a bottom wall 18, a rear wall 20 and a top wall 22. The bottom wall 18 has an actuator opening 24 extending into an interior of the motor portion 16. The rear wall 20 has a track opening 26 extending into the interior of the motor portion 16. The track portion 14 of the treadmill 12 extends into the track opening 26. The bottom wall 18 is pivotally coupled to a frame 28 of the treadmill 12 such that the bottom wall 18 is positionable at a selected angle with respect to the frame 28. In this way the track opening 26 can be spaced a selected distance upwardly from the frame 28. The track portion 14 has a first lateral surface 30 and a second lateral surface 32.
A motor 34 is positioned in the motor portion 16. The motor 34 is in mechanical communication with the track portion 14 such that the motor 34 rotates the track portion 14 when the motor 34 is turned on. The motor 34 may be an electric motor or the like. Additionally, the motor 34 may in mechanical communication with the track portion 14 by employing belts and pulleys, gears, a drive shaft or any other conventional means of rotating a track with an electric motor.
A control circuit 36 is provided and the control circuit 36 is coupled to the treadmill 12. The control circuit 36 receives a lift input, a lower input, a speed increase input, a speed decrease input, a light on input, a light off input, a motor on input and a motor off input. The motor 34 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 36. The motor 34 is turned on when the control circuit 36 receives the motor on input and the motor 34 is turned off when the control circuit 36 receives the motor off input. The motor 34 increases in rotational speed toward a maximum speed when the control circuit 36 receives the speed increase input. Additionally, the motor 34 decreases in rotational speed toward a minimum speed when the control circuit 36 receives the speed decrease input.
A plurality of light emitters 38 is each coupled to the track portion 14 to emit light outwardly from the track portion 14. Each of the light emitters 38 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 36. Additionally, each of the light emitters 38 is positioned on a respective one of the first lateral surface 30 or the second lateral surface 32 of the track portion 14. The light emitters 38 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed along a length of the track portion 14. Each of the light emitters 38 is turned on when the control circuit 36 receives the light on input and each of light emitters 38 is turned off when the control circuit 36 receives the light off input. Moreover, each of the light emitters 38 may comprise an LED or the like.
The treadmill 12 may include a control panel 40 and a pair of handles 42. The control panel 40 may comprise a touch screen or the like and the control panel 40 may be electrically coupled to the control circuit 36. Each of the handles 42 may be positioned on opposite sides of the control panel 40. Respective ones of the light emitters 38 may be positioned on each of the handles 42.
An actuator 44 is coupled to the motor portion 16 and the actuator 44 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 36. The actuator 44 tilts the motor portion 16 and the track portion 14 into a selected incline. The actuator 44 has a lower end 46 and an upper end 48. The lower end 46 is pivotally coupled to the frame 28 having the actuator 44 extending into the actuator opening 24 in the bottom wall 18 of the motor portion 16. The upper end 48 is pivotally coupled to an inside surface 49 of the top wall 22 of the motor portion 16.
The actuator 44 elongates between the upper end 48 and the lower end 46 when the actuator 44 is turned on to extend. Conversely, the actuator 44 shortens between the upper end 48 and the lower end 46 when the actuator 44 is turned on to retract. The track portion 14 is tilted into the selected angle of inclination when the actuator 44 is lengthened. The track portion 14 is lowered toward a horizontal plane when the actuator 44 is shortened. The actuator 44 is actuated to elongate when the control circuit 36 receives the lift input and the actuator 44 is actuated to shorten when the control circuit 36 receive the lower input. The actuator 44 may comprise a hydraulic actuator, a linear electro-mechanical actuator or any other actuator that can lengthen and shorten on command.
A receiver 50 is coupled to the treadmill 12 and the receiver 50 is in electrical communication with the control circuit 36. The receiver 50 may be a radio frequency receiver 50 or the like. A remote control 52 is provided and the remote control 52 is in wireless electrical communication with the actuator 44. The remote control 52 remotely actuates the actuator 44 to tilt the track portion 14 into the selected incline.
The remote control 52 comprises a transmitter 54 that is positioned within the remote control 52. The transmitter 54 is in wireless electrical communication with the receiver 50. Additionally, the transmitter 54 may comprise a radio frequency transmitter or the like. An angle up button 56 is movably coupled to the remote control 52 and the angle up button 56 is electrically coupled to the transmitter 54. The transmitter 54 broadcasts a lift command to the receiver 50 when the angle up button 56 is depressed and the control circuit 36 receives the lift input when the angle up button 56 is depressed.
An angle down button 58 is movably coupled to the remote control 52 and the angle down button 58 is electrically coupled to the transmitter 54. The transmitter 54 broadcasts a lower command to the receiver 50 when the angle down button 58 is depressed. Additionally, the control circuit 36 receives the lower input when the angle down button 58 is depressed. A speed increase button 60 is movably coupled to the remote control 52 and the speed increase button 60 is electrically coupled to the transmitter 54. The transmitter 54 broadcasts a speed up command to the receiver 50 when the speed increase button 60 is depressed. The control circuit 36 receiving the speed increase input when the speed increase button 60 is depressed. A speed decrease button 62 is movably coupled to the remote control 52 and the speed decrease button 62 is electrically coupled to the transmitter 54. The transmitter 54 broadcasts a slow down command to the receiver 50 when the speed decrease button 62 is depressed. The control circuit 36 receives the speed decrease input when the speed decrease button 62 is depressed.
An on button 64 is movably coupled to the remote control 52 and the on button 64 is electrically coupled to the transmitter 54. The transmitter 54 broadcasts a power on command to the receiver 50 when the on button 64 is depressed. The control circuit 36 receives the motor on input when the on button 64 is depressed. An off button 66 is movably coupled to the remote control 52 and the off button 66 is electrically coupled to the transmitter 54. The transmitter 54 broadcasts a power off command to the receiver 50 when the off button 66 is depressed. The control circuit 36 receives the motor off input when the off button 66 is depressed.
In use, the child mounts the track portion 14 of the treadmill 12 for the purposes of exercise. The remote control 52 can be manipulated to a parent or other individual. In this way the inclination of the track portion 14 can be adjusted, the speed of the motor 34 can be adjusted and the light emitters 38 can be turned on and off. The inclination of the track portion 14 can be increased to increase the level of difficulty for the child. The inclination of the track portion 14 can be decreased to decrease the level of difficulty for the child. Additionally, the motor 34 can be turned on and off with the remote control 52.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
