Patent Application
20220401813
The present invention relates generally to the field of exercise equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a safety system for treadmills and other indoor running-based exercise equipment. The fail-safe safety system includes a sensor and a small switch installed at the base of the treadmill unit. Users can select an amount of weight on the treadmill dashboard, and the treadmill is only activated when a user having a weight equal to or more than the selected weight steps onto the running surface/belt of the treadmill. The system prevents children from inadvertently stepping or crawling on the treadmill and getting injured. The switch and sensor can communicate to prevent activation of the treadmill when nobody is on the surface actively running. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices and methods of manufacture.
Keeping agile, fit and active has become an important part of people's lifestyles. Some of the preferred forms of exercise for keeping fit include running, cycling and rowing, as they are aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercise is a popular form of exercise that improves one's cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure and providing other benefits to the human body. However, with increasing demands being placed on people's lives due to work and family, it is often difficult to find the time to exercise regularly. To meet the demand for increased exercise in a busy and unscheduled lifestyle, a wide range of exercise apparatus has been developed that allows people to exercise in indoor environments, such as in the office and at home. The most popular of these exercise apparatuses are the treadmills.
By way of background, treadmills are aerobic exercise equipment that people use for walking or running in an indoor environment. Treadmills are mostly used as exercise machines for running or walking in one place, and provide a moving platform with a wide conveyor belt driven by an electric motor or a flywheel. Treadmills offer a plurality of controls allowing people to modify speed, incline, resistance, et. al., as per their preferences. Usually, people press a start button on the treadmill for activating the treadmill and press a speed button for adjusting the speed of the conveyer belt. People can also adjust the inclination of the treadmills as per their preferences.
The problem with conventional treadmills, irrespective of how advanced they are, is that they are potentially dangerous for children and infants. Children can accidentally climb on a running or turning treadmill. This situation is particularly acute when a person who is using the treadmill leaves the treadmill belt running/turning when they step off. Also, a child or infant can climb on a treadmill and mistakenly or accidently turn on the treadmill. Running treadmills are dangerous for children and infants as they can cause serious injury and death. This problem is further exacerbated when an adult is not supervising children near the exercise equipment, especially treadmills or similar exercise equipment. Therefore, people desire a safety system for treadmills that makes the treadmills safe for children especially in homes where the children are frequently in and around the home gym area or a general exercise area.
Typically, the speed and activation/deactivation of treadmills are manually controlled by the person who is running on the treadmill. No automatic activation/deactivation of the treadmill is available in the currently available treadmills. Also, a treadmill generally automatically turns off after a predetermined time has elapsed, wherein the predetermined time can be configured by a user. However, within such predetermined time, a person, child or infant can accidently climb on the running treadmill, which can result in serious injury or death.
Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that prevents children from accidentally getting on top of a moving treadmill. There is also a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that provides automatic activation and deactivation features on the treadmill. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that eliminates the activation of the treadmill by a child climbing onto the treadmill. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that improves and maintains the overall safety of the treadmill exercise equipment. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that can be installed in newly manufactured treadmills, and also retrofitted to existing treadmills. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that prevents activation of the treadmill when a minimum weight has not been detected, or when a child/infant has climbed onto the running surface of the treadmill.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a safety system for treadmills. The safety system automatically starts and stops a treadmill based on a predeterminable weight of a user standing on the treadmill, thereby prohibiting children and infants from becoming injured or worse. More specifically, the safety system includes: a load sensor disposed on a base of the treadmill for measuring or sensing a weight/load on the treadmill or treadmill belt; an input or predeterminable weight control for inputting a specific weight to a controller of the treadmill; a comparator for comparing the weight sensed by the load sensor and input weight control by the user; the comparator further determining if the weight sensed by the load sensor is more than the input weight control; a switch for activating a running surface or belt of the treadmill, if it is determined that the weight sensed by the load sensor is more than the input weight control; and deactivating the running surface, and/or prohibiting activation of the running surface, if it is determined that the weight sensed by the load sensor is less than the input weight control.
In this manner, the novel safety system for a treadmill of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and provides a relatively safe and convenient treadmill to allow people to use the treadmill for maintaining fitness, without worry of injuries to their children or pets. The treadmill exercising device can be retrofitted to existing and previously purchased treadmills and can be activated for running the treadmill when a measurable or predeterminable weight has been sensed and exceeded on the running surface of the treadmill.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a safety system for treadmills. The safety system is configured to automatically start and stop a treadmill, and/or prohibit activation of the treadmill, based on weight of the user standing on the treadmill. More specifically, the safety system comprises: one or more load sensors disposed on the base of the treadmill for measuring a weight/load of a user, person or pet standing on the treadmill; an input weight control for inputting a specific weight criteria threshold for activation of the treadmill; a comparator for comparing the weight sensed by the one or more load sensors and input weight by the user, person or pet; the comparator further determining if the weight sensed by the load sensors is more than the input weight control; a switch for activating a running surface or belt of the treadmill, if it is determined that the weight sensed by the load sensors is more than the input weight control; and deactivating the running surface or belt, or prohibiting activation of the running surface, if it is determined that the weight sensed by the load sensors is less than the input weight control.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, one or more load sensors can be coupled to the switch through a first wired circuit and the input weight control can be connected to the switch through a second wired circuit.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, one or more load sensors can be located near the pivot end of the treadmill and the switch can be disposed near an inclination actuator of the treadmill.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a novel treadmill with an integrated or retrofitted safety system is disclosed. The treadmill includes: a running surface or belt for a user to walk or run on using a rotor; a dashboard having a display that displays a plurality of weight options for selection by a user; a safety system that includes at least one load sensor positioned under the running surface or belt; the load sensor measures the weight of a user, individual or pet standing on the running surface; a switch disposed near an inclination actuator connected to the load sensor and the dashboard; a comparator for comparing the selected weight option and weight measured by one or more load sensors; and a processor for activating or deactivating the running surface based on the comparison. In yet another embodiment, the switch actuates and controls speed, inclination and time for which the running surface runs.
In yet another embodiment, a method activating a treadmill when a user having weight equal or more than a specified value climbs on the treadmill is described. The method includes: initially inputting by a user a desired, or control, weight in a dashboard of the treadmill; measuring the weight of the user standing on the treadmill by a load sensor; comparing the input or control weight to a weight experienced by the load sensor by a comparator; determining if the input weight is more or less than the weight measured by the load sensor, and if the measured weight is more than the input weight, activating the running surface of the treadmill; and, if the measured weight is not more than the input weight, not activating the running surface of the treadmill.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that prevents children from accidentally getting on top of a moving treadmill. There is also a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that provides automatic activation and deactivation features to the treadmill. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that eliminates activation of the treadmill by a child climbing on the treadmill. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that improves and maintains the overall safety of the treadmill exercise equipment. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that can be installed in newly manufactured treadmills and also retrofitted to existing treadmills. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a safety system for a treadmill that prevents activation of the treadmill when a minimum weight has not been detected or when a child/infant has climbed onto the running surface of the treadmill.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, includes a novel treadmill with an integrated or retrofitted safety system. The treadmill features a running surface or belt for a user to walk or run on using a rotor, a dashboard having a display that displays a plurality of weight options for selection by a user, a safety system that includes at least one load sensor positioned under the running surface or belt, the load sensor measures a weight of a user, individual, or pet standing on the running surface, a switch disposed near an inclination actuator that can be connected to the load sensor and the dashboard, a comparator for comparing the selected weight option and an actual weight measured by one or more load sensors and a processor for activating or deactivating the running surface based on the comparison.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The safety system 100 includes a comparator 104 in the form of a chip and can be connected to the load sensor 102. The comparator 104 compares the load or weight value received from the load sensor 102 to the weight value, input weight control or input weight parameter incorporated in weight parameter 108 of the dashboard of a treadmill 200. The system 100 can receive the input weight parameter 108 on a user interface or dashboard prior to using the treadmill 200. The input weight control by the user is compared with the weight measured by the load sensor 102 for automatically activating or prohibiting activation of the treadmill. This comparison is advantageous, as the comparison and matching (at least equal) of the weight sensed by the load sensor 102 and the input weight parameter 108 can be established as a necessary condition for the running surface of the treadmill to activate. In this way, children, infants, and/or pets cannot activate the treadmill, and as soon as a person steps off from the running treadmill, the treadmill automatically shuts off. As stated, the weight sensed by the load sensor 102 needs to be more than the weight parameter 108 input by the user on the dashboard for the running surface 202 of the treadmill 200 to activate and/or to continue activating.
The safety system 100 includes a switch 106 that closes or opens the circuit of the rotor of the treadmill 200. The switch can either open the wired circuit to the rotor directly without requiring the processor of the treadmill, or alternatively can transmit an instruction signal to the processor of the treadmill for activating or deactivating the treadmill, based on the comparison of the weight sensed by the weight sensor 102, and the weight parameter 108. An additional speaker 110 can be included in the safety system 100 for audible alerts of the difference in weight between that sensed by the weight sensor 102 and that which has been established as the weight parameter 108 input by the user into the dashboard control.
The treadmill 200 includes a switch 106 on the safety system installed near the inclination actuator 212 of the treadmill 200. The switch 106 can be connected through a first wired circuit 204 disposed under the belt 202 within the base 210. The electrical signal from the sensor 102 can be received by the switch 106. A comparator (shown as 104 in
The exemplary treadmill 200 includes a display 208 on which a user can view the weight to be inputted 108 for comparison with the weight detected by the load sensor 102. A speaker 110 can also be retrofitted in the dashboard 214 for audible signals, indicating the difference between the weight sensed by the weight sensor 102 and the weight input by the user on the dashboard 214 using the weight parameter control 108.
It should be appreciated that the processor 302 instructs the rotor 304 to activate only after receiving an instruction signal from the switch 106, based on the comparison result of the comparator 104. Thus, if a child accidently or inadvertently tries to start the treadmill, the rotor 304 will not be activated, as the processor 302 does not receive an instruction signal from the switch 106. Alternatively, in one potential implementation, the switch 106 can directly instruct the rotor to activate or deactivate based on comparison of weight values by the comparator 104.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “treadmill multi-purpose safety system”, “multi-purpose safety system”, “safety system”, and “system” are interchangeable and refer to the treadmill multi-purpose safety system 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the treadmill multi-purpose safety system 100 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration, and material of the treadmill multi-purpose safety system 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the treadmill multi-purpose safety system 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the treadmill multi-purpose safety system 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the treadmill multi-purpose safety system 100 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/211,453, which was filed on Jun. 16, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63211453 | Jun 2021 | US |
