Patent Application
20130040785
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stationary exercise device including an arrangement having a center of gravity located closer to the middle or intermediate portion of the exercise device for allowing the exercise device to be to be stably actuated or worked or operated by the users.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical exercise devices, such as stepping exercisers comprise a pair of handles pivotally attached to an upwardly extending frame member of a base support device, and a pair of foot supports pivotally coupled to the handles and arranged for allowing the foot supports to be stepped or moved up and down relative to the base support device. The applicant has also developed various kinds of stepping or striding or elliptical exercisers.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,485,072 to Chuang et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,811,206 to Chuang et al. disclose two of the typical exercise devices each comprising a pair of handles pivotally attached to an upwardly extending frame member of a base support device, and a pair of foot supports pivotally coupled to the handles, and a pair of force resisting device pivotally coupling the foot supports to the upwardly extending frame member for allowing the foot supports to be stepped or moved up and down relative to the base support device.
However, the front portions of the typical exercise devices include a large number of parts and elements that may greatly increase the size or volume or dimension and the weight of the front portions of the typical exercise devices, such that the center of gravity of the typical exercise devices will be located in the front portion of the typical exercise devices and may not be stably actuated or worked by the users.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional elliptical exercise devices.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an exercise device including an arrangement having a center of gravity located closer to the middle or intermediate portion of the exercise device for allowing the exercise device to be to be stably actuated or worked or operated by the users.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an exercise device comprising a base including an upright support extended upwardly from the base, and each including a rear portion having an upright post, a spindle disposed on the upright support, two first cranks rotatably coupled to the upright support with a shaft, the first cranks each including a pivot rod attached to the first crank and spaced away from the shaft, a wheel rotatably attached to the upright support with the shaft, a rotary member rotatably attached to the upright support with an axle and coupled to the wheel with a coupling device, two handles including a middle portion attached to the spindle for allowing the handles to be pivotally coupled to the upright support with the spindle and for allowing the handles to be pivoted and swung relative to the upright support of the base, the handles each including a hand grip provided on an upper portion for being grasped or held by a user and each including a lower portion, two foot supports each including a front portion pivotally coupled to the pivot rod of the first cranks with a link for allowing the front portions of the foot supports to be moved cyclically relative to the upright support of the base by the first cranks, and each including a rear portion pivotally coupled to the upright post of the base with a connecting member for allowing the rear portions of the foot supports to be swung relative to the upright post of the base, a foot pedal pivotally supported on each of the foot supports with a pivot rod for supporting the user, the lower portions of the handles each being pivotally coupled to the foot pedals of the foot supports with a connecting lever, and the connecting lever being pivotally coupled to the foot pedal with a first pivot pole, two second cranks rotatably coupled to the upright post with a second pivot pole, and each including a pivot rod attached to the second crank and spaced away from the second pivot pole, and a pair of coupling levers coupled between the second pivot rods of the second cranks and the connecting members respectively for pivotally coupling the connecting members together, the second cranks are attached to the upright post or the rear portion of the base for allowing the center of gravity to be located closer to the middle or intermediate portion of the exercise device.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings, and initially to
For example, the coupling device 25 may be selected from such as a sprocket-and-chain coupling device or a gearing coupling device (not shown), or a belt 25 for allowing the rotary member 22 to be rotated or driven by the wheel 20. The rotary member 22, the wheel 20 and the shaft 21 are coupled together to form a resistive means or device for resisting the rotational movement of the wheel 20 and the shaft 21, however, the other resistive device, such as the hydraulic or pneumatic resistive devices (not shown), or the magnetic retarding devices (not shown) may also be used to apply the resistive force against the wheel 20 and the shaft 21.
A pair of or two cranks 30 are secured to the shaft 21 such that the cranks 30 may be rotatably coupled to the middle portion 14 of the upright support 11 with the shaft 21, the cranks 30 each include a pivot rod 31 provided or attached thereto or extended outwardly therefrom and spaced away from or distal to the shaft 21, a pair of or two handles 40 include an upper or middle portion 41 attached or secured to the spindle 12 for allowing the handles 40 to be pivotally coupled to the rear portion 13 of the upright support 11 with the spindle 12 and for allowing the handles 40 to be pivoted or swung relative to the upright support 11 of the base 10. The handles 40 each include a hand grip 42 formed or provided on the upper portion thereof for being grasped or held or operated by the users.
A pair of or two foot supports 50 each include a front portion 51 pivotally coupled to the pivot rod 31 of the cranks 30 with a link 52 for allowing the front portions 51 of the foot supports 50 to be moved cyclically relative to the upright support 11 of the base 10 by the cranks 30, and each include a rear portion 53 pivotally coupled to or supported on the rear portion 15 of the base 10. For example, the base 10 includes an upright post 16 extended upwardly from the rear portion 15 of the base 10 for supporting an axle 17 thereon, and the rear portions 53 of the foot supports 50 are pivotally coupled to or supported on the rear portion 15 of the base 10 with the post 16 and the axle 17 and a connecting member 19 for allowing the rear portions 53 of the foot supports 50 to be swung relative to the upright post 16 of the base 10.
The foot supports 50 each include a pivot rod 54 disposed or provided on the middle portion 55 thereof for pivotally coupling or supporting a foot pedal 56 thereon and for supporting the feet of the users and for allowing the foot pedal 56 to be rotated or pivoted relative to the foot supports 50. The lower portions 44 of the handles 40 are pivotally coupled to the foot supports 50 respectively for allowing the foot supports 50 and the handles 40 to be pivotally coupled together. For example, the lower portions 44 of the handles 40 are pivotally coupled to the foot supports 50 or the foot pedals 56 with a connecting lever 57 respectively, and the connecting lever 57 may be pivotally coupled to the pivot rod 54 or pivotally coupled to the foot pedal 56 with a pivot pole 58 (
In operation, the handles 40 may be pivoted or swung relative to the upright support 11 of the base 10 with the spindle 12 of the upright support 11, and the rear portions 53 of the foot supports 50 may be pivoted or swung relative to the upright post 16 of the base 10 with the axle 17, and the front portions 51 of the foot supports 50 may be moved cyclically relative to the upright support 11 of the base 10 by the cranks 30, such that the foot pedals 56 of the foot supports 50 may be moved elliptically relative to the base 10. It is to be noted that the swinging movement of the handles 40 may be controlled and actuated by the users in order to control and to operate or actuate or move the foot supports 50, as shown in
A coupling means or device 60 is further provided for coupling the handles 40 together, and the coupling device 60 includes a pivot pole 61 rotatably attached to the upright post 16, and a pair of or two cranks 62 are secured to the pivot pole 61 such that the cranks 62 may be rotatably coupled to the upright post 16 with the pivot pole 61, the cranks 62 each include a pivot rod 63 provided or attached thereto or extended outwardly therefrom and spaced away from or distal to the pivot pole 61, and a pair of or two arms or coupling levers 64 may further be provided and coupled between the pivot rods 63 of the cranks 62 and the connecting members 19 respectively.
For example, the coupling levers 64 each include one end or first end or rear portion 65 pivotally coupled to the pivot rod 63 of the cranks 62, and each include the other end or second end or front portion 66 pivotally coupled to the connecting member 19 with a fastener or securing device or pivot pin 67 which is spaced away from the axle 17, for allowing the connecting members 19 to be coupled together. In operation, the connecting members 19 may be pivoted or swung relative to the upright post 16 of the base 10 with the axle 17, and the coupling levers 64 and the pivot rod 63 of the cranks 62 may be moved forwardly and rearwardly in reciprocating action and in a curved moving path only, i.e., the cranks 62 will not be rotated relative to the pivot rod 63, but may only be moved forwardly and rearwardly relative to the upright post 16 of the base 10, and the swinging movement of the connecting members 19 will not be interfered by the coupling levers 64 and the pivot rod 63 of the cranks 62.
The provision and the coupling of the wheel 20, and the rotary member 22 may be formed or acted as a resisting means or device for applying a resistive force or a retarding force against the wheel 20 and the shaft 21 and thus the cranks 30 and the link 52 and the foot supports 50 and the handles 40, and thus for resisting the rotational movement of the wheel 20 and the shaft 21 and the cranks 30 and also for resisting the swinging movement of the link 52 and the handles 40. A magnetic retarding device (not shown) may further be provided and coupled to the wheel 20 and/or the rotary member 22 for further applying a resistive force against the wheel 20 and/or the rotary member 22 for further resisting the swinging movement of the link 52 and the handles 40.
It is to be noted that the handles 40 each include a lower portion 44 pivotally coupled to the foot pedals 56 and/or the foot supports 50 with the connecting levers 57 for allowing the movement of the foot supports 50 and/or the moving stroke of the foot supports 50 to be controlled by the users with the handles 40. It is further to be noted that the coupling device 60 is attached to the upright post 16 and the rear portion 15 of the base 10 for coupling the rear portions 53 of the foot supports 50 and the connecting members 19 together and for allowing the center of gravity to be located closer to the middle portion of the exercise device and for allowing the exercise device to be to be stably actuated or worked by the users.
Accordingly, the exercise device in accordance with the present invention includes an arrangement having a center of gravity located closer to the middle or intermediate portion of the exercise device for allowing the exercise device to be to be stably actuated or worked or operated by the users.
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
