Patent Application
20120238411
The present disclosure relates to the field of exercise equipment, and more in particular to an exercise device configured to provide a workout for the extremities of a user.
In order to promote good health and physical well being, many individuals engage in physical exercise. It is common for individuals who are engaging in physical activities to employ the use of exercise devices to assist in performing exercises. One type of exercise device is a cycling device, such as a stationary “bicycle” which provides pedals on a crank subject to a resistive force, such that a user may cyclically move their feet to turn the pedals against the resistive force, to provide the workout. Some cycling devices are designed to be portable, and to be placed on either a floor or a tabletop such that a user may engage the pedals with their legs or arms.
According to an embodiment, an exercise device is disclosed that includes a support frame configured to contact a support surface. The exercise device also includes a cycler coupled to the frame, the cycler constructed and arranged to be selectively positioned with respect to the frame at a first position so as to be engaged by hands of a user of the exercise device, and a second position so as to be engaged by feet of the user. The exercise device further includes a lock configured to lock the cycler relative to the frame in the first position or the second position.
According to another embodiment, a method of exercising is disclosed that uses an exercise device having a support frame configured to contact a support surface and a cycler coupled to the frame. The cycler is configured to move with respect to the frame, to alternatively place the cycler in positions to be engaged by hands or feet of a user of the exercise device. The method includes locking the cycler in a position to be engaged by a selected one of the hands or the feet of the user. The method further includes engaging the cycler by the selected one of the hands or feet, to exercise the selected one of the hands or feet.
According to another embodiment, an exercise device includes a support frame that includes ground support members. The exercise device additionally includes an exercise assembly coupled to the support frame. The exercise assembly includes a stationary appendage support disposed towards a first portion of the exercise assembly and a cycler disposed towards a second portion of the exercise assembly, the first portion being spaced from the second portion. The exercise assembly is movable relative to the support frame between a first configuration wherein the stationary appendage support is disposed at a position to be engaged by the hands of a user and the cycler is disposed at a position to be engaged by the feet of the user, and a second configuration wherein the stationary appendage support is disposed at a position to be engaged by the feet of the user and the cycler is positioned to be engaged by the hands of the user. The exercise device further includes a lock configured to selectively lock the exercise assembly in the first configuration or the second configuration.
These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. In one embodiment, the structural components illustrated herein can be considered drawn to scale. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not a limitation. In addition, it should be appreciated that structural features shown or described in any one embodiment herein can be used in other embodiments as well. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Features of the disclosure are shown in the drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like elements. The drawings form part of this original disclosure in which:
The support frame 20 may be made out of any suitable material or combination of materials. For example, the first ground support 30, the second ground support 40, the connector bar 50, and the upright member 60 may selectively be made of metal, wood, hard plastic, composite materials (such as epoxy coated carbon fiber material), or other material having sufficient durability to permit exercises while maintaining structural stability of the exercise device 10. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the first ground support 30, the second ground support 40, the connector bar 50, and the upright member 60 are made of hollow metal tubes, having connecting apertures therein to receive connecting fasteners, such as screws, bolts, or other connecting members. Although in some embodiments the pieces and members are connected by removable fasteners such that the pieces and members are detachable for ease of packaging or other space-saving storage, in other embodiments the unit may be solid, or the pieces or members may be permanently fastened to one another, through welding, one-way fasteners, or so on. Although the use of shaped tubes is desirable due to their structural strength and ease of manufacture, other configurations of the pieces and members may be used to form the pieces and members of the exercise device 10. Furthermore, although in some embodiments various members such as ground supports 30 and 40, and a movable frame (described below) have a curved or circular cross section, while other members such as connector bar 50 and upright member 60 have a rectangular cross section, other combinations of different shaped parts can be used.
Each of the first ground support 30 and the second ground support 40 are configured to support the upright member 60 at an elevation above the support surface for the exercise device 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the first ground support 30 and the second ground support 40 are generally oriented transverse to the connector bar 50, with the upright member 60 supported by the connector bar 50 generally centered above and between the first ground support 30 and the second ground support 40. In an embodiment, each of the first ground support 30 and the second ground support 40 may include end-caps, foot-pads 36, or other materials that may prevent scratching of the support surface, or increase friction on the support surface to prevent shifting or sliding of the exercise device 10 while performing the exercise operation. In an embodiment, the end caps or foot pads 36 may comprise rubber, felt, cloth, plastic, or any other material. In an embodiment, such material may be used to cover hollow openings at the ends of the support frame 20, such as at the non-connected ends of the first ground support 30, the second ground support 40, and the upright member 60.
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, a second end of the movable frame 70 is coupled to or otherwise contains a cycler 90. The cycler 90 may be any appropriate cycling device, including, for example, comprising a crankset 100 coupled to a pair of pedals 110. In an embodiment, the crankset 100 has a rotational axis A, about which the pair of pedals 110 rotate. The pair of pedals 110 may be assembled into the cycler 90 by any appropriate mechanism, including, for example, being threadedly fastened onto the crankset 100, being bolted or clipped onto the crankset 100, or so on. As shown, the pedals 110 may be offset from the rotational axis A by a pair of crank arms 115, such that the pedals 110 have their own associated axes spaced from rotational axis A, each of which rotate about the rotational axis A as the cycler 90 is cycled. In an embodiment, each pedal 110 may also rotate about their own associated axes, so that a user of the exercise device 10 may angle his or her arms or feet with respect to the cycler 90 when cycling the cycler 90, as described in greater detail below.
The cycler 90 may be configured to have an intrinsic resistance to being cycled, which may be generated in any appropriate fashion. For example, in some embodiments, the crankset 100 may include therein ball bearing, fluid, magnetic, mechanical or other resistance generating elements. In an embodiment, the cycler 90 may include a variable resistance enhancer configured to increase an amount of force required to cycle the cycler 90. The resistance enhancer may be of any suitable construction or configuration, including in some embodiments being configured to increase friction against the cycler 90. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, a hand screw 120 is configured to be manually screwed into or out of the cycler 90, wherein a head of the hand screw 120 increases friction within the crankset 100, such as by contacting and pressing against the crankset 100. In some embodiments, the resistance enhancer may comprise a friction belt and/or flywheel arrangement. In other embodiments, other resistance enhancers may be utilized, including but not limited to fluid, electrical, magnetic, mechanical or other mechanisms configured to vary the resistance against rotation of the cycler 90.
As indicated above, the movement of the movable frame 70 may vary across embodiments. Such movement may generally be configured to reposition the cycler 90 from a first position that facilitates engagement by feet of a user of the exercise device 10, to a second position that facilitates engagement by hands of a user of the exercise device 10. In the illustrated embodiment of
To prevent unwanted movement of the cycler 90 with respect to the support frame 20 during use of the exercise device 10, a lock 150 is provided to lock the cycler 90 relative to the support frame 10. In the illustrated embodiment, wherein the cycler 90 is supported on the movable frame 70, the lock 150 is configured to prevent movement of the movable frame 70 with respect to the support frame 20. The lock 150 may be of any suitable construction or configuration. In an embodiment, the lock 150 comprises a threaded fastener 160 configured to pass through at least a portion of both the movable frame 70 and the support frame 20. In the illustrated embodiment, a first lock aperture 170, associated with the cycler 90 being in the first position so as to be engageable by the feet of the user, is provided in the movable frame 70. The threaded fastener 160 may be configured to pass through the first lock aperture 170, and be received in a lock receiver 180 in the upright member 60, such that the movable frame 70 is tightened and secured to the upright member 60, locking the cycler 90 in the first position. The threaded fastener 160 may comprise a user-graspable head, configured for easy removal to unlock the cycler 90, or insertion to lock the cycler 90. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, a second lock aperture 190 may also be provided on the movable frame 70, positioned to allow locking the cycler 90 in the second position, so as to be engageable by the hands of the user, as described in greater detail below. In embodiments where there are a plurality of pivot receptacles in the upright member 60, there may likewise be a plurality of first lock apertures 170 and second lock apertures 190, so that the movable frame 70 may be locked and secured to the upright member 60 regardless of which pivot receptacle is receiving the pivot pin 130.
In other embodiments, the lock 150 may be of any other suitable configuration to prevent movement of the cycler 90 relative to the support frame 20. For example, in an embodiment a user-graspable pin, which may include one or more spring biased detents therein, may be provided instead of the threaded fastener 160, to allow for a quicker release and re-engagement of the lock 150 when moving the cycler 90 between the first and second positions. In an embodiment, a lock aperture may be provided in the support frame 20, while a pair of lock receivers 180 are provided in the movable frame 70, such that the threaded fastener 160, the user-graspable pin, or any other locking member may be configured to pass through a portion of the support frame 20, and be received in the movable frame 70. In other embodiments, the lock 150 may comprise a latch configured to interfere with the pivoting or other movement of the movable frame 70 with respect to the support frame 20. In some such embodiments, the latch may be a hook and eye latch, with the hook and eye on different ones of the movable frame 70 and the support frame 20. In some embodiments, the lock 150 may comprise a hinged or pivotable fork latch coupled to either the support frame 20 or the movable frame 70, and configured to be movable into and out of the plane of movement for the movable frame 70, such that the fork latch surrounds either side of the other of the support frame 20 or the movable frame 70, to prevent movement of the movable frame 70 with respect to the support frame 20. In some embodiments, the user-graspable pin may be mounted to the support frame 20, and may be spring-loaded into an engagement position with a lock receiver 180 in the movable frame 70. In other embodiments, a pair of spring-loaded user graspable pins may be mounted to the movable frame 70, such that one of them is biased into an engagement position with a lock receiver 180 provided on the support frame 20. In yet other embodiments, a single spring-loaded user graspable pin may be mounted to the movable frame 70, where the upright member 60 extends above the pivot pin 130 and contains lock receivers 180 on either side, such that the spring loaded user-graspable pin on the movable frame 70 may engage a different lock receiver 180 on the upright member 60 that corresponds with the cycler 90 being in either the first or second position.
As indicated above, the mechanism to reposition the cycler 90 between the first position for engagement by the feet and the second position for engagement by the hands may vary across embodiments. In the embodiment of
The view of
In
The support leg 210 may be of any suitable construction or configuration, including in the illustrated embodiment having a support bar 240 that couples to the pivot flange 220 at one end, and couples to or otherwise contains a ground support 250 at an opposing end. In some embodiments, the ground support 250 may be similar to the first ground support 30 or the second ground support 40 described above. In some embodiments the support leg 210 may comprise one or more metal tubes, wherein extremities thereof are capped in plastic, rubber, or similar material, so as to reduce incidence of scratching, cutting, or other harm from metalwork in forming the metal tubes, for example. In some embodiments, such as that illustrated, the extremities of the ground support 250 may contain end caps or foot pads 36, which may be similar to those found on first and second ground supports 30 and 40 described above.
In some embodiments, exercise assembly 66′ may be similar to the exercise assembly 66 described above. For example, the movable frame 70′ may contain at one end the stationary appendage supports 80, which may include hand or foot supports that are configured to be engaged by a user of the exercise device 10″. As above, the stationary appendage supports 80 may be of any suitable shape or configuration, and in some embodiments may be wrapped in a relatively soft material compared to the remainder of the exercise device 10″, so as to facilitate user comfort. As in the previous embodiments, the cycler 90 is mounted to the movable frame 70′, however as shown in the illustrated embodiment, a cycler support 260 may extend from the cycler 90 so as to cooperate with the support leg 210 to raise the cycler 90 off of the ground at a sufficient height to be engaged and cycled by the feet of a user. In an embodiment, the cycler support 260 may form a part of the movable frame 70′, whereby the cycler 90 is mounted to an intermediate portion of the movable frame 70′ as opposed to the extremity of the movable frame 70′ distal from the stationary appendage supports 80. In an embodiment, where the cycler 90 is mounted to the extremity of the movable frame 70′, the cycler support 260 may extend from the cycler 90. In the illustrated embodiment, the cycler support 260 comprises an extension bar 270. In some embodiments the extension bar 270 may merely terminate with an end cap, such that the combination of the ground support 250 and the extension bar 270 define a plane on the support surface for the exercise device 10″ to create tripod-like stability. In the illustrated embodiment, however, a second ground support 280 is coupled to or otherwise formed on the end of the extension bar 270 distal from the stationary appendage supports 80. In an embodiment, the second ground support 280 may be smaller than the ground support 250 of the support leg 210. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the second ground support 280 is smaller than the width of the crankset 100.
The conversion of the exercise device 10″ from a position to be engaged by the feet of a user to a position to be engaged by the hands of a user is depicted in
In
As shown in the exercise device 10*, the stationary appendage supports 80 may be provided at the top of the upright member 330, distal from the support surface. As such, the upright member 330 may raise to a sufficient height above the support surface such that the stationary appendage supports 80 may be readily grasped by the hands of a user of the exercise device 10*, as described in greater detail below. In some embodiments, such as in the illustrated embodiment, the upright member 330 of the exercise device 10* may include a plurality of locking positions 340, which may extend from a position on the upright member 330 that is proximal to the support frame 290 to a position on the upright member 330 that is proximal to the stationary appendage supports 80. The locking positions 340 may be of any construction or configuration, including but not limited to holes, gaps, slits, grooves, saw teeth, or so on that are formed in or coupled to the upright member 330. Slidable or otherwise laterally moveable along the upright member 330 is a movable member 350 that supports the cycler 90. The movable member 350 may be of any suitable construction or configuration, including but not limited to comprising an enveloping member that may at least partially surround the upright member 330, so as to be raised or lowered along the upright member 330. In an embodiment, the movable member 350 may be formed in or otherwise coupled to the cycler 90.
In an embodiment, the movable member 350 may also contain or be configured to receive a lock 360. In some embodiments where the exercise device 10* includes the plurality of locking positions 340, the lock 360 may be received in or otherwise associate with the plurality of locking positions 340, to hold the cycler 90 in one of the plurality of locking positions 340. In an embodiment, the position proximal to the support surface may be characterized as the first position so that the cycler 90 may be engaged by feet of a user of the exercise device 10*, while the position proximal to the stationary appendage supports 80 may be characterized as the second position so the cycler 90 may be engaged by the hands of the user. In an embodiment, one or more lips, flanges, or other bodies coupled to or otherwise formed on the upright member 330 may be configured to prevent the movable member 350 from sliding beyond the first position and/or the second position. In an embodiment, intermediate ones of the locking positions 340 may be provided such that the cycler 90 may be held in a number of discrete positions along the upright member 330 that may be more suitable for a number of users of differing heights or torso/leg lengths. In some embodiments, the lock 360 may be configured to engage the upright member 330 itself (as opposed to the locking positions 340). In such embodiments, the movable member 350 may engage any number of places along the upright member 330, such that discrete locking positions 340 may be superfluous. For example, in an embodiment where the movable member 350 at least partially surrounds the upright member 330, the lock 360 may be configured to tighten the movable member 350 around the upright member 330, so as to increase friction therebetween, and prevent slidable movement of the movable member 350. In some such embodiments, the discrete locking positions 340 may be omitted from the upright member 330. In other such embodiments, the discrete locking positions 340 may be present on the upright member 330 as guide points, but intermediate locking of the movable member 350 between the locking positions 340 may also be possible.
Turning to
In
Although this disclosure describes in detail what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for the purpose of illustration, and that the scope of protection sought is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.
