The invention relates to exercise treadmills. In particular, it relates to motorless treadmills—that is, treadmills powered by the user. Handle and other attachments of different designs are provided so the user can exercise in various positions with various resistance levels for developing specific leg, core, arm and other muscles. A large flywheel of a particular design is arranged to provide a fluid motion for the belt when the brake system is engaged and smooth transition through increasing or decreasing speeds. Inclination of the treadmill is fixed.
Generally, treadmills are powered by a motor and are used mainly for aerobic (cardiac) exercise such as walking and running, but provide little or no possibility of simultaneous specific or varied muscle strengthening regimes with resistance training. Some elliptical machines are designed to strengthen leg muscles, but must be further equipped if they are to exercise the arms, upper body and other muscles. Equipping an exercise machine of any kind with a motor adds significant cost, operating expense, liability, and limited mobility. The art is in need of an affordable highly versatile exercise machine.
The present invention is a manually powered inclined treadmill with various levels of resistance. The conventional motor is replaced with a large heavy weighted flywheel, obviating the expense and maintenance necessitated by a motor. The motor is replaced with a 40-60 pound flywheel having a large diameter and other attributes explained below, which captures the energy of the belt motion. The flywheel keeps the belt in motion, and maintains a fluid motion through transitions of resistance and speed. A brake effect may be applied to the flywheel at the discretion of the user. The brake system when applied creates resistance on the flywheel, enabling the user to enhance a strength profile. The resistance to the flywheel is applied incrementally, affording the user with a wide range of resistance levels. In order to generate the desired moment of inertia, the large diameter flywheel must contain a high percentage of its mass, or weight, toward its outer edge. Since the user must use muscle power entirely to move the inclined belt and the treadmill can have various levels of resistance applied, he or she simulates actual incline climbing more effectively than when the belt is powered by a motor, burning more calories and effecting greater muscle stimulation.
The motorless, inclined treadmill is designed to be a crossover between (that is, to incorporate the benefits of) an inclined treadmill and an elliptical. It offers the cardio benefits of a treadmill motion with the muscle stimulation of elliptical, while enabling variable resistance levels and facilitating arm, shoulder and upper body muscle development as well as providing significant leg muscle challenges. It is equipped with multiple vertical and horizontal hand stations so the user can position himself or herself into various postures simulating an elliptical motion, a football sled, or other regimes not readily available with other types of exercise machines.
Solidly attached to the frame of my treadmill is an elongated socket adapted to receive elongated stems or shafts for a variety of handles and pressure surfaces which may be used at different heights and with a wide variety of speed and resistance.
a to 8f illustrate the treadmill with separated attachments.
Referring now to
Flywheel 12 is a perimeter weighted flywheel fixed to rotate with front roller 3, the flywheel 12 having a radius of 7 to 10 inches and a mass of 40 to 60 pounds; in this case, it has a radius of 8inches and a mass of 55 pounds.
For a flat disc of any thickness and even weight distribution, there is a constant relationship between the peripheral weight and the total weight. In Table 1, the relationship is laid out:
Table 1—percent of weight in the periphery of a disc flywheel of evenly distributed weight, measured at various distances from the center, where r is the radius:
Outside 0.6r: 64%
Outside 0.7r: 51%
Outside 0.8r: 36%
Outside 0.9r: 19%
These percentages are true for a flywheel having evenly distributed weight of any radius, but my invention calls for a radius of 7 to 10 inches. This means, for example, that a plain, evenly distributed mass flywheel of my minimum radius 7 will have 51% of its weight in the area outside 4.9 inches radius (0.7r). At my maximum radius of 10 inches (as with a 7 inch disc), all of the above percentages apply. My criteria also call for a mass of 40 to 60 pounds for the flywheel as a whole. Thus a 55 pound, 8 inch flywheel will have 0.36×55, or 19.8, pounds in the area defined by the outside (near the edge) 1.6 inches of radius; of course it will satisfy all the other percentages of Table 1 also. A flywheel of less than 7 inches radius will not have any mass at all that far from its rotation center.
Persons skilled in the art will recognize that flywheels need not be plain, evenly distributed discs. For example, they may be hollowed out in the center or thin in various patterns, or may be completely open in certain areas to define spokes or spoke-like members. Such types of construction which may tend to reduce the amount of weight near the center of the flywheel relative to that near the perimeter are useful in my invention, so long as the total weight and radius criteria are met. The flywheel should not be of a shape or construction which distributes weight with an uneven bias toward the center of the flywheel; it must be at least evenly distributed or perimeter weighted. By “perimeter weighted” is meant that the average of the centers of gravity for all radii is located farther toward the perimeter than 0.5r, where r is the radius—that is, the flywheel may have an uneven bias of weight toward the periphery.
Persons skilled in the art will also recognize that the rollers or spindles on which the belt turns also have a modest flywheel effect. As discussed above, flywheel 12 is attached or fixed directly onto front roller 3 so they turn together. Although the roller 3 has a modest flywheel effect, my criteria for the flywheel do not consider it, nor do they consider that the center of the flywheel may be open—that is, completely absent—so the end of front roller 3 can be inserted into it as shown. Thus, a flywheel meeting my criteria of 40 to 60 pounds and having a radius of 7 to 10 inches will include such a flywheel.
The flywheel 12 may be in the form and placement illustrated or may be split into two perimeter weighted flywheel parts, one on each end of front roller 3, each having a radius of 7 to 10 inches and each having half of a total of 40 to 60 pounds. I consider this arrangement a single flywheel. In either case—whether the flywheel 12 is on one end of the roller or two, as shown or split, with one part on each end of front roller 3, its large diameter is accommodated by the overall inclination of the treadmill. As indicated by the difference in length between front legs 18 and rear legs 19, frame 5 and treadmill surface 2 are maintained at an angle from 9 to 20 degrees. In the case of
In
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The user in
Since it is an object of the invention to eliminate the expense of a motor, it is important to understand the effect of the fixed, rather steep, inclination of the treadmill. Not having a motor, there is no way to change the inclination of the treadmill using external power. Of course, one can simply prop up the front of the treadmill by placing a temporary platform under front legs 18 if additional slope is desired. The invention does not require a variable slope, but if for some reason one would want to incorporate a motor to vary the slope, it could be accommodated without changing the basic relationship between the size of the flywheel and the slope of the treadmill.
As indicated elsewhere herein, the flywheel should have an outside diameter of 14 to 20 inches, and therefore the front of the treadmill must be high enough for it to turn freely. As also indicated elsewhere, its mass should be within a range of 40 to 60 pounds. Some of the effects of the heavy large-diameter, perimeter weighted, flywheel are shown in the graphs in
The exponential effect of the deliberately chosen long radius of the flywheel results in an aggressive inertia. The inertia created by the large perimeter weighted flywheel allows the tread belt to move smoothly under heavy resistance by the braking system. If such inertia is not created then the user would experience a stop and start action of the tread belt while under resistance by the braking system.
In a sense, all treadmills have fly wheels, motorized and non motorized. Even where there is no device called a flywheel, the rollers or spindles on which the belt turns store a certain amount of energy as they are turned. It is a natural function of moving the tread belt. But the previous designs of the flywheels have been much smaller and weights are typically in the range of 10 to 18 pounds in wheels of smaller dimensions. My design is much different. The size and weight differs but the function is the key. My flywheel is designed to distribute a significant weight at longer distances from the center and generally more than half way to the edge, a technique which may be called “perimeter weighting.” The perimeter weighting, size of the OD (outside diameter) and heavy weight all contribute to the principle of aggressive inertia which I employ. The aggressive inertia drives the tread belt in a way similar to a motorized driven unit. No other treadmill employs my principle of aggressive inertia and perimeter weighting.
In
The effect of the aggressive inertia is graphically illustrated in
The data for
The versatility of the invention is illustrated in
This unit is eco-friendly, requires no external power and is made of recycled steel. The incline is fixed at an optimal position for cardio and muscle development. It has a wide range of resistance, features a raised textured belt surface, and includes various front hand stations (attachments) that are adjustable to suit the user, particularly as to height.
Thus it is seen that my invention includes a motorless treadmill comprising (a) a frame, (b) a high front roller and a low rear roller held by the frame, (c) a continuous treadmill belt in contact with the front and rear rollers, the treadmill belt having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface in contact with the rollers, the rollers and the treadmill belt defining an exercise surface inclined at a fixed angle of 9 to 20 degrees from the low rear roller to the high front roller, (d) a flywheel fixed to the front roller, the flywheel having a radius of 7 to 10 inches and a perimeter weighted mass of 40 to 60 pounds.
My invention also includes a motorless treadmill comprising (a) a treadmill frame including a front end and a rear end, the frame including a treadmill belt, a front roller on the front end, and a rear roller on the rear end, the front and rear rollers for enabling the treadmill belt to turn, the treadmill frame including at least one front support member fixedly elevating the front roller at an angle of 9 to 20 degrees from the rear roller, (b) an elongate socket fixed to the front end of the frame, the socket being adapted to receive and fix a shaft of one or more interchangeable handles for grasping by a user to assume a variety of positions and apply a variety of muscles by a user, and (c) a perimeter weighted flywheel fixed to the front roller, the perimeter weighted flywheel having a mass of 40 to 60 pounds.
And, in another aspect, my invention includes a motorless treadmill having a fixed inclination of 9 to 20 degrees comprising (a) a frame including a socket for receiving an accessory shaft, and (b) a plurality of accessory shafts adapted to fit securely in said socket and having handles deployed in various orientations.
This application claims the full benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61/782,998 filed Mar. 14, 2013 and U.S. Provisional Application 61/858,854 filed Jul. 26, 2013, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61782998 | Mar 2013 | US | |
61858854 | Jul 2013 | US |