The present invention relates to an exercise system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a portable, low-profile exercise machine that provides a genuine elliptical exercise within the confined space of a seated work space.
Exercise equipment has a long history of development. There have been many proposed machines for simulating physical activities—such as running, cycling, and skiing—or otherwise providing a means for exercising on a stationary apparatus, both for fitness and rehabilitation purposes. Correspondingly, there have been proposed systems for integrating computer technology to these machines for improved exercise programming and performance tracking.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,898 describes an exercise machine for legs and hips.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,261 describes a foot exercise machine for bedridden patients.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,580,337 and 5,904,638 describe a recumbent cycling machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,804 describes a standing exercise machine that simulates walking jogging, and cross-country skiing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,941 describes an active and continuous passive motion (CPM) device for cycling upper and lower extremities for rehabilitation purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,868 describe a recumbent cycling machine with an interface to a computer and/or video game player.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,514 describe a spring-loaded foot pedaling machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,351 describes a stationary cycling machine with an onboard computer and an interface for communicating with external computers and networks.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,485,073 describes a sliding foot/hand exerciser.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0219059 describes a technique for tracking exercises through the use of a mobile monitoring device.
Recent research has suggested that moderate exercise throughout the day can provide additional benefits over merely exercising at the gym for 30 to 60 minutes daily. And in order to address the health concerns presented by the modern sedentary lifestyle, there have been proposed apparatuses for improving the ease and effectiveness of increased exercise throughout a busy work day. In particular, there have been proposed workstations that incorporate elements of an exercise machine and machines dedicated to providing an opportunity for exercise while seated at a work desk.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,497,807 and 7,497,812 describe a stationary cycling assembly for attachment to an underside of a desk and a computer for displaying a virtual exercise environment on the desk.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,695,410 describes a cycling apparatus that is mountable to a work chair at a desk.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,901,331 describes an elliptical exercise machine that is usable while seated on a chair.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,485,945 describes an exercise workstation that includes a table assembly having a working surface, and an elliptical trainer.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0179411 describes a portable sliding, stepping, and pedaling machine for seated exercise.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0036462 describes an active/passive foot pedaling machine that is usable while seated on a chair.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0009848 describes a portable cycling device that is usable while seated at a desk.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0014609 describes a stationary cycling assembly for attachment to an underside of a desk.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0274622 describes a connector for coupling an exercise device to a five-leg chair.
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved exercise apparatus that is portable and conveniently usable while being seated at a desk. It is an additional object of the invention to provide a portable machine that is non-intrusive to a workspace and that, nevertheless, enables a smooth and genuinely elliptical motion, with optimal foot angles to prevent any distraction from regular work. With this in mind, the present invention is directed to an exercise apparatus that comprises a pulley; a pair of stabilizing assemblies each configured to couple a respective front portion of a pedal element to each side of said pulley; a looped belt configured to couple the pulley to a resistance assembly; a tension stabilizer configured to maintain a tension of the looped belt on the pulley; and the resistance assembly configured to assert an adjustable resistance to the pedal elements by adjusting a magnetic force on the looped belt, wherein the magnetic force is adjusted by changing a distance between the flywheel and magnetic plate of the resistance assembly.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an exercise system incorporates an exercise device, mobile device, central system and a user engagement platform for monitoring user exercise activity.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an exercise system comprises an exercise device including a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate data associated with exercise activity to a mobile device.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the exercise system comprises a central system configured to receive exercise activity from the mobile device.
An exercise system including an exercise device having memory and a processor and computer program steps stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, the computer program steps comprising: sensing rotations of a mechanical component of exercise device; transmitting data associated with the rotations of the mechanical component; and calculating data associated with exercise activity of the user.
Mobile devices 102, 104 and personal computer 112 are connected to central system 118 and social networks 120 (any content provider) via a communication network such as Internet 122 as known to those skilled in the art. Users may use mobile devices 102, 104 or personal computer 112 to access applications and information locally within the devices and personal computer, respectively or remotely from central system 118 (or any content provider) via a web browser or stand alone application on mobile devices 108, 110 or personal computer 112 as known to those skilled in the art (as described in more detail below).
Each exercise device 102, 104, 106 is used by a user to address the problem of sedentary behavior in the workplace. As disclosed in more detail below, each exercise devices 102, 104, 106 is an elliptical trainer that is configured for use under a desk. Specifically, the elliptical trainer is positioned on the floor under a user's desk. The user will pedal the footpads while working at his/her desk. Details of this elliptical trainer are described below. While an elliptical trainer is disclosed, those skilled in the art know that other exercise devices may be used to achieve the same results. Exercise devices 102, 104 may communicate with mobile devices 102, 104 wirelessly or by wired connection. In a wireless configuration, an exercise device may connect to mobile device by way of Bluetooth or other wireless communication protocols known to those skilled in the art. In a wired configuration, a mobile device may connect by wire to respective ports on the devices. This is described in more detail below.
Examples of mobile devices 108, 110 as described herein include smartphones (e.g., iPhones, Android phones), cell phones, tablets (e.g. iPads), laptop, PDAs and other devices. Personal computer is a desktop computer as known to those skilled in the art. Mobile devices 108, 110 will enable a user to communicate wirelessly with and access content from central system 118 or other systems if desired, over Internet 120 through mobile networks 114 (e.g., Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T) or available WIFI networks 116). Personal computer 112 also enables a user to communicate with central system 118 (or other system) over Internet 120 via cable, ISDN, WIFI or wireless carrier. (Two mobile devices and one personal computer are shown for illustrative purposes, but those skilled in the art know that any number of mobile devices or personal computers may be used for any number of clients and counselors (users). Central system 118 is configured to facilitate the provision of targeted content from content providers such as social networking systems 120 to users via mobile devices 108, 110 and/or personal computer 112. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, exercise devices 102-106 may directly communicate with a network—for example, WIFI networks 116.
As described in more detail below, central system 118 includes one or more servers including a web server. Each server includes several internal components, databases, software modules and applications as known to those skilled in the art. This is described in more detail below. System 10 is used to implement the application processes discussed herein.
Reference is now made to
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pulley 102-1b may have a diameter of approximately 196 mm (thus also defining a rotational diameter), thickness of approximately 20 mm, and mass of approximately 314 g. And as shown in
The Exercise device further comprises resistive components, which may embody a magnetic flywheel 102-1e, that provide resistance to the pulley 102-1b. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the resistive components may include a magnetic system that controls a resistance of the pulley 102-1b—and thus, the pedals 102-1a—by controlling a distance between a magnetic plate 102-1m and the flywheel element 102-1e. The flywheel element 102-1e may have a magnetic property so that a decreased distance from the magnetic plate 102-1m would increase resistance (by a magnetic force asserted by the magnetic plate 102-1m over the adjustable distance on the flywheel 102-1e) and, thus, the inertia needed to rotate the flywheel 102-1e. And the looped belt 102-1k loops around a co-rotating extension 102-1n from the flywheel 102-1e such that the resistance on the flywheel 102-1e is translated to the looped belt 102-1k, which is, in turn, translated to pulley 102-1b on the other end of looped belt 102-1k. The distance between the flywheel 102-1e and its corresponding magnetic plate 102-1m may be set and altered between approximately 3 mm (maximum resistance) and approximately 17 mm (minimum resistance). A tension adjuster/control dial 102-1i may be provided for the user to adjust this distance and, hence, to control the resistive components 102-1e and 102-1m in order to alter the resistance of the exercise device. In addition, a tension component (e.g., roller 102-11) may also be provided to maintain tension of the belt 102-1k around the pulley 102-1b and the extension 102-1n from flywheel 102-1e, especially during changes in resistance, to maintain smooth motion of the exercise device. As shown in
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the flywheel element of the resistive components 102-1e may have a diameter of approximately 95 mm, thickness of approximately 50 mm, and mass of approximately 2.5 kg. The tension spring component 102-10 coupled to the roller 102-11 may have an adjustable length between approximately 65 and 76 mm. And the roller 102-11 may have a diameter of approximately 34 mm, thickness of approximately 25 mm, and mass of approximately 50 g.
The mechanical components 102-1 may optionally include vibration mechanical components within the pedals/footpads 102-1a. These footpads may also include electronic components for the vibration components and heating as well as described below.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention, control dial 102-1i may be replaced by or augmented with on-board electronic display and/or controls (not shown) and/or wireless electronic components that provide remote control of the exercise device—for example, on/off, activity tracking, resistance, pre-programmed activities/intervals, etc.
Processor 102-2a processes for executing commands and for storing and retrieving data from memory 102-2b as well as storage device 102-2d.
Memory 102-2b is used for retaining and information on a short-term basis when memory 102-2b is powered. Memory 102-2b may be RAM, but it may be any other volatile storage unit. The contents of memory 102-2b are accessible to processor 102-2a. The memory 102-2b may also include instructions for execution by processor 102-2a (it will run an operating system and possibly one or more application platforms including a part of a the user engagement platform for monitoring user exercise activity disclosed herein.)
Sensor assembly 102-2c incorporates one or more sensors that are used to sense rotational movement of the pulley 102-1b. In one embodiment, processor 102-2a calculates frequency based on the sensed signals and subsequently stores and transmits such frequency to a mobile device or personal computer. In another embodiment, the frequency may be calculated in the mobile device or personal computer.
Storage device 102-2d is used for storing data and applications including the operating system and a part of the user engagement platform for monitoring user exercise activity disclosed herein.
Electrical generator 102-2e generates current (i.e., power/energy) from the movement of the mechanical components (pedals, pulley etc.). A Dynamo is an example of such an electrical generator. The dynamo converts mechanical energy into electricity that is stored in battery 102-2g. A wire may connect battery 102-2g with a mobile device by way of a USB port on the elliptical trainer. The ability to charge a mobile device is an incentive for users to exercise. According to an embodiment of the invention, electrical generator 102-2e may be integrated with the resistive components 102-1e so that energy from added resistance may be utilized in charging battery 102-2g and/or a mobile device.
Wireless transmitter/receiver 102-2f (transceiver) is used to enable the elliptical trainer to communicate wirelessly with a mobile device, a personal computer, or a wireless gateway to a network. Wireless transmitter/receiver 102-2f enables two-way communication. As indicated above, the elliptical trainer may communicate wirelessly by means of Bluetooth or other wireless protocol. Data associated with user exercise activity may be transmitted to a mobile device. Alternatively, data and instructions may be transmitted from the mobile device to the elliptical trainer. For example, the mobile device may be configured to transmit electronic control instructions to the elliptical trainer to control the resistance of the pulley (and hence pedals) to increase the resistance for the user. Mobile device may transmit preprogrammed workouts to the elliptical trainer.
Battery 102-2g is an energy storage device for storing the current (i.e., power/energy) generated by mechanical components 102-1 (e.g., pedals and pulley). In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, control instructions with respect to the battery 102-2g may also be received by the transceiver 102-2f from a mobile device, computer, network, or the like.
One or more hardware ports 102-2h may be provided for interfacing with external devices. For example, one or more ports are used to enable wired connection between the elliptical trainer and a mobile device and/or a personal computer. A USB is an example of one such port.
The operating system (OS) may be a Windows based or a variant of another operating system, such as Apple OS, Linux, and the like.
Some or all of the electronic components 102-2 may be embedded on a PC board. Further, an Arduino with Bluetooth 4.0 controller board is an example of a PC board that performs the functions of many of the components including the sensor assembly and wireless transmitter/receiver 102-2f. The Arduino typically also includes a microcontroller. In this embodiment, the Arduino with Bluetooth enables the elliptical trainer to sense and transmit the number of rotations (signals) directly to other Bluetooth enabled devices such as a mobile device or personal computer. In this respect, a separate processor, memory storage and OS may not be needed.
Electronic components 102-2 may optionally include a heating assembly 102-2j and/or vibration assembly 102-2k. Heating assembly 102-2j may include the proper wiring and heating elements to heat the footpad/pedals 102-1 a while a user exercises. Vibration assembly 102-2k may incorporate the proper wiring and electronics to cause the vibration (mechanical) components to vibrate in the footpad/pedals 102-1a of the elliptical trainer.
In particular, execution begins at steps 500 and 502 wherein pedal rotations are sensed (rotation is monitored) by sensing assembly 102-2c and then transmitted along with time elapsed by wireless transmitter/receiver 102-2h to a mobile device (or personal computer) by Bluetooth or other wireless protocols. In addition, resistance level of the pulley is also sensed and transmitted. As part of these steps, the sensed signals may be stored in memory 102-2b and processed locally by processor 102-2a or transmitted immediately (real time) or periodically, per interval (without processing) to a mobile device or personal computer. (Processing may involve calculating distance and other parameters as described below.) Regardless whether the data is stored and processed locally or remotely, the data is transmitted in real time to enable a user to monitor or track his/her exercise activity.
Execution then moves to step 504 wherein a mobile device 108 (for example) receives the rotation data. (In this embodiment, the data is raw data and it is stored.) A user may establish an account, wherein the user can access his/her exercise activity in accordance with this embodiment.
Execution then moves to steps 506, 508, 510 wherein exercise data parameters (also called exercise activity) are calculated such as distance, calories burned and amount of energy produced by the user. In addition, other exercise data parameters may be calculated and displayed including calories per unit distance and per rotation as well as energy generated per unit distance and per rotation. At step 512, the calculated parameters are presented (displayed) to the user, automatically or upon request through a standalone application or browser on a mobile device 108 or personal computer 112 and subsequently stored on the mobile device 108 or personal computer 112. Execution then moves to step (also called cloud) wherein the calculated data parameters are transmitted to central system 118 for storage, historical tracking and viewing.
Execution may move to step 516 wherein the calculated exercise activity is transmitted and posted, at the user's request, to a social networking website such as Facebook and/or transmitted to gaming consoles such as Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox, Kinect or Oculus Rift. In this case, the user can share and compare stats within a community of authorized users. (Data from other known fitness tracking apps such as Fitbit, Jawbone, etc. may be captured here as well.) The exercise activity posted via Facebook or gaming consoles provides greater motivation for a user to continue exercise activity.
Execution then moves to step 518 wherein the exercise activity is stored. Execution then moves to step 520 wherein single or multiple user exercise activity (current or historical) is presented for viewing by an administrator or other user at their request. In this respect, a user can track performance on individual accounts (or in aggregate as described below) and update and message all users directly.
A cloud database within central system 118 aggregates user data such as calories burned, distance traveled and elapsed time from multiple individual accounts to form larger pools of data categorized by population factors such as organization (e.g. corporate employer, student clubs, interest groups, universities), cities, countries, continents and other demographic indicators. A mobile interface displays rankings between different populations based on collective sums of data including calories burned, distance traveled and elapsed time. For example, Facebook employees could compare their own company-wide stats with Google, Amazon and Yahoo and use as a friendly competition if desired.
While the process steps are described in the order above, those skilled in the art know that the order may be changed or steps may be added or deleted to achieve the desired outcome as described.
Mobile device 600 may communicate by wire or wireless means. Wireless communication is achieved by way of radio unit 600-6. Radio unit 600-6 is configured to communicate using radio frequency transmission. Radio unit 600-6 incorporates cellular, WIFI and Bluetooth transceivers for communication. Mobile device 600 may include a global positioning system (GPS) or such services may be performed using an application for GPS. Mobile device 600 also includes display adapter 600-8 and it is configured to control a display for conveying application process and various activity information, alerts, notifications and the like. Display adapter 600-8 communicates with a display 600-10 and camera 600-12. Mobile device 600 also includes storage 600-14 for storing data and programs, and light sensor 600-16 used to determine a level of brightness for the display for viewing. Mobile device 600 may optionally include input/output adapters 600-18. Mobile device 600 also includes a charging unit 600-20 for powering device 600. An accelerometer may optionally be incorporated for detecting movement of mobile device 600. Mobile device 600 may include other sensors. Mobile device 600 also includes an operating system 600-22 such as iOS, Android or Microsoft Windows Mobile along with other applications including Java etc.
It is to be understood that the disclosure teaches examples of the illustrative embodiments and that many variations of the invention can easily be devised by those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure and that the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the claims below.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 120 from U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/077,170 filed on Nov. 7, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3316898 | Brown | May 1967 | A |
3831942 | Del Mar | Aug 1974 | A |
3917261 | Small et al. | Nov 1975 | A |
5199931 | Easley et al. | Apr 1993 | A |
5529554 | Eschenbach | Jun 1996 | A |
5549526 | Rodgers, Jr. | Aug 1996 | A |
5580337 | Habing et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
5685804 | Whan-Tong | Nov 1997 | A |
5860941 | Saringer et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
5904638 | Habing et al. | May 1999 | A |
5947868 | Dugan | Sep 1999 | A |
6019710 | Dalebout | Feb 2000 | A |
6572514 | Calafato | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6921351 | Hickman et al. | Jul 2005 | B1 |
7153238 | Anderson et al. | Dec 2006 | B2 |
7214168 | Rodgers, Jr. | May 2007 | B2 |
7244217 | Rodgers, Jr. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
7385324 | Lin | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7402915 | Hutchinson et al. | Jul 2008 | B2 |
7485073 | Chang | Feb 2009 | B2 |
7497807 | Neff et al. | Mar 2009 | B2 |
7497808 | Eschenbach | Mar 2009 | B2 |
7497812 | Neff et al. | Mar 2009 | B2 |
7695410 | Kim et al. | Apr 2010 | B2 |
7901331 | Stoll | Mar 2011 | B1 |
8485945 | Leonhard | Jul 2013 | B2 |
9713739 | Dalmia | Jul 2017 | B2 |
20030036462 | Ravikumar et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
20040009848 | Lee | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20050009668 | Savettiere et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050014609 | Neff | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20070179411 | Galvez Campos | Aug 2007 | A1 |
20070219059 | Schwartz et al. | Sep 2007 | A1 |
20110143884 | Chu | Jun 2011 | A1 |
20130190139 | Piaget et al. | Jul 2013 | A1 |
20130310225 | Johnson | Nov 2013 | A1 |
20140274622 | Leonhard | Sep 2014 | A1 |
20150141200 | Murray et al. | May 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
103537056 | Jan 2014 | CN |
204380094 | Jun 2015 | CN |
Entry |
---|
International Search Report and Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority dated Feb. 4, 2016 from corresponding Application No. PCT/US2015/059476. |
International Search Report and Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority dated Feb. 4, 2016, from Corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2015/059476. |
U.S. Office Action dated Sep. 8, 2016 from corresponding application No. 15/108,077. |
U.S. Notice of Allowance dated Mar. 21, 2017 from corresponding application No. 15/108,077. |
Chinese Office Action dated Dec. 4, 2017 for the Corresponding Chinese Patent Application No. 201580006492.8. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20170319898 A1 | Nov 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62077170 | Nov 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 15108077 | US | |
Child | 15657911 | US |