Patent Application
20230226427
The present disclosure relates to exercise apparatuses for use in Pilates-type exercises and other exercises. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a frameless and rail-less rolling apparatus used to perform various muscle strengthening exercises including, but not limited to, Pilates-type exercises.
Various exercise machines exist from treadmills to rowing devices to Pilates reformers (herein “reformers”). In Pilates, exercises are performed by an exerciser by moving a slidable carriage moveably connected to an elevated frame that along rails of a generally rectangular reformer having two ends. The slidable carriage slides along two side rails, extending from a first end to a second end, to translate the slidable carriage from the first end to the second end. One or more springs create a workload against which therapeutic or fitness exercises can be safely and beneficially performed.
The frame and rail system serve as the foundation for the reformer. However, reformers are expensive, elaborate, large, heavy, and difficult to transport and store. The major reason for this deficiency is the dependency on the frame and rail system. The frame and associated rails typically are at least six feet (1.8288 m) in length, where most are in the seven to ten foot range, which makes it difficult to create a portable version of a reformer.
In a first aspect, an exercise system is described, comprising: a storage apparatus having an interior area; a reformer pivotably coupled to the storage apparatus to transition between an in-use position for use as exercise equipment in a horizontal orientation and a stowed position where the reformer is stored in the storage apparatus in a vertical orientation, wherein the reformer comprises: at least one rail having a first end and a second end; at least one ground support apparatus configured to support the at least one rail and raise the at least one rail from a ground surface; and a carriage movably engaged with the at least one rail to translate between the first end and the second end of the at least one rail; and a variable resistance system comprising a plurality of tension members, a plurality of latches, and a plurality of movement devices disposed in the storage apparatus, wherein each of the tension members has a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to a top member of a supporting frame, and the second end being configured to become engaged or disengaged via a respective one of the plurality of latches, wherein the supporting frame is secured to the storage apparatus. Each of the plurality of latches is configured to move when engaged or disengaged, respectively about a pivot point to engage and couple to a respective one of the plurality of tension members, and movement of the latch about the pivot point is controlled by a corresponding one of the plurality of movement devices, and the plurality of latches and the plurality of movement devices are mounted to a sled, the sled being configured to slide vertically up and down on a rail, a cable being attached to the rail such that the rail implements a guide system that allows for transfer of tension from the plurality of tension members via a cable through a plurality of pulleys into a device rail and to an operator on the carriage.
The movement of the latch engages a single one of the plurality of tension members based on a first resistance level selection, two ones of the plurality of tension members based on a second resistance level selection, and three ones of the plurality of tension members based on a third resistance level selection, and each of the plurality of movement devices is selected from a group consisting of: a pneumatic pump, servo motor, electromechanical device, and actuator device.
In a second aspect, an exercise system is disclosed, comprising: a storage apparatus having an interior area; and a reformer pivotably coupled to the storage apparatus to transition between an in-use position for use as exercise equipment in a horizontal orientation and a stowed position where the reformer is stored in the storage apparatus in a vertical orientation, wherein the reformer comprises: at least one telescoping rail having a first end and a second end; at least one ground support apparatus configured to support the at least one telescoping rail and raise the at least one telescoping rail from a ground surface; and a carriage movably engaged with the at least one telescoping rail to translate between the first end and the second end of the at least one telescoping rail when fully elongated.
A variable resistance system is disposed in at least one of the carriage and the storage apparatus, the variable resistance system comprising at least one tension member. The at least one tension member has a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to a top member of a supporting frame, and the second end being configured to become engaged or disengaged via a respective one of a plurality of latches, wherein the supporting frame is secured to the interior area of the storage apparatus.
Each of the plurality of latches is configured to push and pull when engaged or disengaged, respectively. The push and the pull of the latch is controlled by a corresponding one of a plurality of movement devices, each of the plurality of movement devices being selected from a group consisting of: a pneumatic pump, servo motor, electromechanical device, and actuator device. The at least one tension member is a plurality of tension members, and the push and the pull is a motion that moves a respective one of the latches via a pivot point to select or deselect one or more of the plurality of tension members.
The push or the pull of the latch engages a single one of the plurality of tension members based on a first resistance level selection, two ones of the plurality of tension members based on a second resistance level selection, and three ones of the plurality of tension members based on a third resistance level selection. The latches and the movement devices are mounted to a sled, the sled being configured to slide vertically up and down on a rail.
A cable is attached to a bottom running along the rail such that the rail implements a guide system that allows for transfer of tension from the tension members via a cable through a plurality of pulleys into a device rail and to an operator on the carriage. A selector is provided for selecting the first resistance level selection, the second resistance level selection, and the third resistance level selection.
The at least one telescoping rail is a first telescoping rail and a second telescoping rail in a set of rails. The storage apparatus comprises a set of recesses configured to receive the set of rails and nest the set of rails therein. A first retractable cable extends from a first side of the reformer and a second retractable cable extends from a second side of the reformer. A U-shaped handle is coupled to a platform that projects upwards from a surface of the platform. A door is movably coupled to the storage apparatus, wherein the door comprises a transparent reflective portion and the storage apparatus comprises a display device positioned behind the transparent reflective portion. At least one computing device is provided that is configured to display workout information in the display device. At least one sensor is provided that is configured to collect a measurement associated with an exercise performed using the exercise system and provide the measurement to the at least one computing device.
In a third aspect, a method for providing the foregoing exercise systems is provided.
Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
A stowable exercise system is disclosed having a reformer movably coupled to one or more rails, and a variable resistance system. The exercise system is stowable in a storage apparatus, such as a cabinet. Generally, the reformer includes a frame having a first end, a second end, and a rail system that supports a carriage which slidably engages the rail system to move along the rails alternatively between the first end and second end of the frame. The variable resistance system may selectively connect the carriage to the frame to provide varying levels of resistance as selected or otherwise defined by an operator or user. In some implementations, the variable resistance system is vertically-oriented and housed in the accompanying storage apparatus.
As the reformer (and associated components) of the exercise system may be stowable, in some implementations, the reformer may fold into the storage apparatus, for instance, when the storage apparatus is a cabinet may be positioned against a wall. In some implementations, the one or more rails of the exercise system may be telescoping so as to reduce the size of the reformer when in the stowed position. When not in use, the reformer may tuck against the wall inside the storage apparatus. When in use, the reformer may be positioned such that it extends along a floor or other suitable surface.
The example embodiments described below provide an exercise system that may include functions of a conventional Pilates reformer, such as moving or translating along rail(s) from a first end to a second end, and vice versa. The exercise system may include a wall unit (e.g., a storage apparatus) and a floor unit (e.g., a reformer), where the floor unit is lowerable relative to the wall unit to be used to exercise and raiseable relative to the floor when it is desirable to stow the unit away. As will be described, the wall unit may include a variable resistance system including various tension members to perform select exercise moves, and the floor unit may include a frame and rail system and a sliding platform (referred to herein as a carriage) that allow a user to move the platform against resistance.
When the floor unit is raised to a storage position, the reformer may be configured to reside in a position off of the floor and stowed in the accompanying storage apparatus, making the space taken up by the floor unit when in the down position available for other uses. The storage apparatus may have a reflective interactive mirrored monitor in some implementations, which may measure data associated with use of the system through various sensors 153 and/or may display virtual classes and the like.
It is important to note that even though the present disclosure is ideal for doing many Pilates type exercises, it is also ideal for doing a wide variety of other muscle strengthening exercises that may or may not be considered Pilates exercises. As such, a stowable exercise system is described that allows a person to do Pilates type exercises in a space that might otherwise not be large enough to support such a cumbersome apparatus. The exercise system may be easily and compactly stored.
There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction or to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Turning now to
Beginning with the storage apparatus 103, in some embodiments, the storage apparatus 103 includes a storage apparatus having a vertically-oriented body or, in other words, a storage apparatus with a height greater than its width. As such, the storage apparatus 103 may be rectangular-shaped in some embodiments. However, the disclosure is not limited to these dimensions. Similarly, in some embodiments, the storage apparatus 103 may include an arched top portion, as shown in
The reformer 106 may be pivotably coupled to the storage apparatus 103 or, more specifically, the interior area 112. For instance, the reformer 106 may transition between a stowed position (in a vertical orientation), shown in
Generally, the reformer 106 may include a first rail 115a, a second rail 115b, a first ground support apparatus 118, a second ground support apparatus 121, a carriage 124, and/or a platform 127. The first rail 115a and the second rail 115b may collectively be referred to as a set of rails 115 although it is understood that a number of rails may vary based on a particular embodiment. For instance, the reformer 106 may include one rail, two rails, three rails, and so forth.
In any event, each of the rails 115 may include elongated telescoping members made up of a multitude of telescoping segments 117a, 117b having varying diameters, as may be appreciated. As such, in these implementations, the rails 115, when telescoped or fully extended, may have a length greater than a height of the storage apparatus 103. However, when telescoped, the rails 115 may have a height less than the height of the storage apparatus 103. Again, while two telescoping rails 115 are shown, in alternative embodiments, a single, central telescoping rail 115 may be employed, or three or more telescoping rails 115 may be employed. The telescoping rails 115 may allow the unit to fold into a much smaller storage apparatus 103 and fit into a standard home. The rails 115 may telescope towards the storage apparatus 103, for example, as the system 100 and/or reformer 106 is being stowed. In some embodiments, the rails 115 may use gravity as well as a gas spring to regulate telescoping speed and force. The gas spring (not shown) may control a speed of the telescoping, and a spring (not shown) may control feel of the telescoping. Alternatively, in some embodiments, each of the rails 115 is a rigid non-telescoping member having a height less than a height of the storage apparatus 103 or other storage apparatus.
The first ground support apparatus 118 may be configured to support the set of rails 115, for instance, at a distal end of the set of rails 115, whereas the second ground support apparatus 121 may be positioned between the storage apparatus 103 and the first ground support apparatus 118 to support a portion of the set of rails 115, such as a central or intermediary portion of the set of rails 115. The first ground support apparatus 118 and the second ground support apparatus 121 may include each one or more legs or like support structures. For instance, in the various embodiments described herein, a pair of legs is shown. Additionally, the first ground support apparatus 118 and the second ground support apparatus 121 may include a cross-member that couples the pair of legs and provides additional structure and support, thereby forming an “H” shaped support apparatus.
The carriage 124 may be configured to receive a body of an operator to perform Pilates-type movements or other exercise movements. As such, the carriage 124 may be slidably engaged with the set of rails 115. For instance, the carriage 124 may slidably engage the set of rails 115 to move along the set of rails 115 alternatively between the first end and second end of the reformer 106. The movement of the carriage 124 may be generally parallel to a ground surface, as may be appreciated, especially when the ground is level and the rails 115 are parallel to the ground surface. In some embodiments, to facilitate movement of the carriage 124 along the set of rails 115, the carriage 124 may include one or more wheels positioned on each rail 115 in the set of rails 115. It is understood, however, that other ways of movably engaging the carriage 124 to the rails 115 may be employed.
The components of the carriage 124 and other components of the reformer 106 may include those described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/064,104 filed Dec. 9, 2022 entitled “PORTABLE RESISTANCE-BASED EXERCISE MACHINE AND SYSTEM,” to Pilata, Inc., the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
The platform 127 may include a platform configured to receive a body of an operator to perform Pilates-type movements, and may be stationary in various implementations. In some embodiments, the platform 127 may include a handle 130 that may assist with movements performed with or without the carriage 124, as can be appreciated. In various embodiments, the handle 130 is a U-shaped handle, although other shapes and sizes of handles may be employed.
Referring again to the storage apparatus 103, in some embodiments, the storage apparatus 103 includes a set of recesses 133. The set of recesses 133 may be vertically-oriented in the interior area 112 and may be sized and positioned, or otherwise configured, to receive the set of rails 115 and nest the set of rails 115 therein when the reformer 106 is in the pivoted and stowed position, shown in
Referring specifically to
In various embodiments, the reformer 106 further includes retractable cables and like accessories or exercise equipment. For instance, as shown in
Moving along to
Referring to the rear views of
The tension members 148 include a first end 151 that is attached to a top member 154 of a supporting frame 157, where the supporting frame 157 is secured to an inside of the storage apparatus 103 (e.g., using bolts, nuts, or like connection mechanisms). A second end 160 of the tension member 148 is a tension member end 163 that is able to be latched and unlatched to engage various levels of tension for exercise. To this end, the variable resistance system 145 may include a latch 167 that is controllable by a movement device 170. The movement device 170 may include a pneumatic pump, servo motor, electromechanical device, actuator, and so forth. The movement device 170 pushes or pulls when engaged or disengaged. This push or pull motion moves the latch 167 via a pivot point to select or deselect an individual or a series of tension member ends 163. In other words, the push or pull motion of the latch 167 engages one of the tension members 148 based on a first resistance level selection, two of the tension members 148 based on a second resistance level selection, three of the tension members 148 based on a third resistance level selection, and so on.
In various embodiments, the latches 167 and the movement devices 170 may be mounted to a sled 173. The sled 173 is configured to slide vertically up and down on a rail 176. A cable 179 is attached to a bottom running along the rail 176. The rail 176 thus implements a guide system that allows for the fluid transfer of tension from the tension members 148 via a cable 179 through the pulleys 182 into a device rail 185 and to an operator (e.g., a person exercising) on the carriage 124. An opposite rail 188 does not have a cable running through it. Notably,
In various embodiments, the exercise system 100 and/or the reformer 106 may further include at least one tension member attached to the carriage 124, and at least one tensioning knob (not shown) configured to adjust a tension of the at least one tension member. In some embodiments, there are three tension members, although other suitable number of tension members may be employed, such as one, two, three, four, five, and so forth. The tension members can be springs, elastic cords, or bands, and the like.
Referring now to
In some embodiments, the exercise system 100 includes at least one sensor 153 (see
Turning now to
Referring to
As noted above, the second end 160 of individual ones of the tension members 148 may be a tension member end 163 that is able to be latched and unlatched to engage various levels of tension for exercise. The tension member end 163 may include a projection 190 extending downward from a base plate 192 of the tension member 148, where the base plate 192 is coupled to a body portion 194 (e.g., a spring body portion). The base plate 192 may have a diameter greater than that of the projection 190 and/or the body portion 194.
The variable resistance system 145 may further include a plurality of latches 167, where each latch 167 is movably coupled to a corresponding one of a multitude of movement devices 170. The movement devices 170 may each include a pneumatic pump, servo motor, electromechanical device, actuator, and so forth. For example, the movement device 170 may push or pull a latch 167 coupled thereto when engaged or disengaged, for instance, through rotation or other movement.
The push or pull motion causes the latch 167 to rotate about a pivot point 196 to engage and couple to one or more tension member ends 163 of the tension members 148 (as well as disengage and decouple from one or more tension members 148). For instance, in some embodiments, the push or pull motion of the latch 167 may engage one of the tension members 148 based on a first resistance level selection, two of the tension members 148 based on a second resistance level selection, three of the tension members 148 based on a third resistance level selection, and so on.
The latches 167 and the movement devices 170 may be mounted to a sled 173. The sled 173 is configured to slide vertically up and down on a rail 176, where the vertical movement has tension imposed by the engaged one or more tension members 148. A movement of the sled 173 along the rail 176 is shown in the variations of views of
Referring again to
In various embodiments, the exercise system 100 may further include at least one tensioning knob (not shown) configured to adjust a tension the exercise system 100 through engagement with one or more of the tension members 148. In some embodiments, there are three tension members 148, although other suitable number of tension members 148 may be employed, such as one, two, three, four, five, and so forth. While various implementations show the variable resistance system 145 stored in the storage apparatus 103, in other implementations, the variable resistance system 145 may be stored in the carriage 124, as may be appreciated.
Based on the foregoing, in some embodiments, an exercise system 100 is disclosed for use in a room having a floor and a wall, the system comprising: a wall unit (e.g., storage apparatus 103) configured to be connected to and extend parallel to the wall, wherein the wall unit further comprises spaced apart wall unit side supports that extend outward from the wall; a floor unit (e.g., reformer 106) pivotally connected to the wall unit and being rotatable between a raised position substantially parallel to the spaced apart wall unit side supports and a lowered position extending outward from the wall and being adjacent or above and substantially parallel to the floor, the floor unit further comprising: a pair of spaced apart floor unit side supports (e.g., rails 115) having a predetermined length; a carriage 124 being movable between and along the length of the pair of spaced apart floor unit side supports; at least one tension member coupled to the carriage platform to bias the carriage platform in a selected direction; at least one accessory coupled to the carriage platform and usable to move the carriage platform in a direction opposite the selected direction; and a removable filler platform (e.g., platform 127) positioned to extend between the pair of spaced apart floor unit side supports and adjacent to the carriage 124, with the filler platform further includes a rounded convex component (e.g., exercise board 136) protruding from a lower surface of the filler platform such that when the filler platform is removed from the floor unit the filler platform is configured for use as a balancing platform on the floor; and wherein while the floor unit remains in the lowered position, the carriage 124 is slidable toward and away from the wall unit, and the selected direction is either toward or away from the wall unit; and wherein when the floor unit is rotated to the raised position, the floor unit maintains the length of the pair of spaced apart floor unit side supports over which the carriage platform is movable.
The reformer 106 may be used by an operator for performing resistance-based exercises in prone, reclined, sitting, and/or standing positions, particularly useful in performing muscle strengthening exercises including, but not limited to, Pilates-type exercises.
Each computing device 152 may include at least one processor circuit, for example, having a processor (e.g., a hardware processor) and a memory, both of which are coupled to a local interface. To this end, each computing device 152 may comprise, for example, at least one microcontroller or like device. The local interface may comprise, for example, a data bus with an accompanying address/control bus or other bus structure as can be appreciated.
Stored in the memory are both data and several components that are executable by the processor. In particular, stored in the memory and executable by the processor are data measurement applications, data analysis applications, subscription-based applications, virtual class applications, and potentially other applications. Also stored in the memory may be a data store and other data. In addition, an operating system may be stored in the memory and executable by the processor.
The features, structures, or characteristics described above may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner, and the features discussed in the various embodiments are interchangeable, if possible. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided in order to fully understand the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solution of the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, materials, and the like may be employed. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure.
Although the relative terms such as “on,” “below,” “upper,” and “lower” are used in the specification to describe the relative relationship of one component to another component, these terms are used in this specification for convenience only, for example, as a direction in an example shown in the drawings. It should be understood that if the device is turned upside down, the “upper” component described above will become a “lower” component. When a structure is “on” or “positioned on” another structure, the structure may be integrally formed on another structure, or that the structure is “directly” disposed on another structure, or that the structure is “indirectly” disposed on the other structure through other structures.
In this specification, the terms such as “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements and components. The terms “comprise,” “include,” “have,” “contain,” and their variants are used to be open ended, and are meant to include additional elements, components, etc., in addition to the listed elements, components, etc. unless otherwise specified in the appended claims.
The terms “first,” “second,” etc. are used only as labels, rather than a limitation for a number of the objects. It is understood that if multiple components are shown, the components may be referred to as a “first” component, a “second” component, and so forth, to the extent applicable.
The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/299,845 filed Jan. 14, 2022 entitled “STOWABLE EXERCISE STUDIO APPARATUS,” the contents of which being hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63299845 | Jan 2022 | US |
