CA1051474A

CA1051474A - Exercise device with frame and interwoven strip surface

Info

Publication number: CA1051474A
Application number: CA230,606A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Laurent R. Fortin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1975-07-02
Filing date: 1975-07-02
Publication date: 1979-03-27

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An exercising device for use to achieve and maintain physical fitness is disclosed. The device consists of a peri-pheral frame and an exercising surface resiliently supported cen-trally within the peripheral frame by springs extending from the frame inwardly to peripheral edges of the exercising surface.
The exercising surface consists of uniformly interwoven ribbons or strips of flexible non-elastic material, and both ends of all of the strips which are interwoven are hemmed and receive support-ing rods. The inner ends of the springs are formed in the shape of hooks and these engage around the support rods between adja-cent and parallel strips.

Description

An exercising device primarily intended for in-home or in-apartment use to enable the user to simulate running or jogging and to otherwise maintain the body in a state of fitness is described.
Specifically, the invention relates to an exercising structure consisting of a resiliently suspended running or bouncing surface, hereinafter called a surface or exercising surface, and to a novel and improved means for resiliently suspending the sur-face to a supporting peripheral frame.
Resiliently supported exercising surfaces have been known in the past, but to applicant's experience none provide a unique-ness of feel and resiliency enabling them to be comfortably and beneficially used to simulate the exercise of running and jogging and other twisting movements which result in benefits not only to the wind and legs of the user, but also provides a suppleness to the remaining muscular body frame of the user not possible with prior devices.
The unique advantages possessed by the present invention reside completely in the nature of the exact exercising surface employed, and also a new and novel method of resiliently support-ing the bouncing surface in a manner not before contemplated.
Applicant has for years been working to develop an exer-cising surface which can be used by people of any age and by executives to enable in-home or in-office simulated running or jogging to maintain the user in a state of physical fitness. In applicant's first attempt, a unitary sheet of flexible plastics material such as nylon, or of canvas material suspended around the periphery by suspension springs was attempted. However, such structures in addition to providing difficulties in suitably securing the surface to the spring mounting means, and which will provide suitable springing as well as longevity, also did not impart a proper feel to the user inasmuch as such a unitary sur-face reacted too severely to a bouncing motion and rather than .~l)S~
experiencing a smooth and continuous graceful undulating motion, the user was "struck back" by the surface with a reactive force equal to that of a jogging step.
The problem which presented itself to the applicant then was to provide an exercising surface enabling the user to exercise by jogging or to exercise by utilizing any number of body twisting sequences and which gave the user a feeling of continued graceful motion without encompassing severe impact from the surface which was due to a reaction from a surface to each jogging step. In addition to problems in providing a unitary surface with suitable means for securing the surface to resilient spring supporting means, the unitary surface has not provided the answer of smooth continuous flowing motion which would invite~the user to look forward to using the structure rather than to have a feeling of having to use it to achieve physical fitness.
Applicant has now solved the above problems by providing a bouncing surface consisting of a plurality of uniformly inter-woven ribbons of flexible material to provide an exercising sur-face of long life while providing for excellent use characteristics.
By providing the plurality of interwoven ribbons of resilient material and the use of peripheral insertions of sup-porting rods through the hems provided at each end of the ribbons and to which the resilient spring means are hooked, applicant has achieved superior fastening means not contemplated herebefore.
The present invention will now be more specifically describPd with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates the exercising device in top view;
Figure 2 illustrates the exercising device in side view;
Figure 3 illustrates the inventive device in end view;
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of one corner of the exer-cising surface illustrating the method of attaching resilient spring means thereto;

'7~
Figure 5 illustrates a suitable rod used in the secure-ment of the exercising surface to an outer peripheral frame; and Figure 6 illustrates in perspective view a single strip or ribbon of resilient material hemmed at both ends to receive the rods of Figure 5, and which ribbons are interwoven together to provide the complete exercising surface as shown in Figures 1 and 4.
Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals indicate like parts.
The exercising device is shown in various views in Fig-ures 1, 2, and 3, as consisting of an outer peripheral frame 2 which may be tubular in configuration, and which is provided at each of its four corners, with V-shaped downwardly depending legs 4 having lower floor or ground engaging flat surfaces 6. Preferably, the legs 4 project downwardly and outwardly with respect to the peri-: pheral frame 2 thus enabling the stacking of a number of iden-tical exercising units in compact configuration to facilitate transportation and storage.
; The peripheral frame 2 is provided with a plurality of apertures 8 to receive the outer hooked ends 10 of cylindrical or helical support spring members 12. All of the spring members 12 utilized are of identical construction to provide uniform resilient support for the exercising surface generally indicated by numeral 14 in Figure 1.. The exercising surface 14 consists of a plurality of uniformly interwoven ribbons or strips of resilient material 16 specifically shown in Figure 6. The ribbons 16 are preferably webbing material woven from a flexible high tensile strength ,~r iil ~ n y /G n material such as Ny~e~ ~rcgistcr~d tradc mark).
The ribbons 14 are hemmed at each end as at 18 by suit-able stitching shown at 20. The openings 22 are adapted to receive rods 24 as specifically shown in Figure 5. The rods 24 are slid through the openings 22 of adjacen-t ribbons 16 with the ends of the rods which contact each other at right angles being provided with loops 26 which overlie each other as shown clearly in Figure 4.
In the rectangular construction of the exercising surface as shown in Figure 1, four such rods 24 will be utilized with the ends of touching rods being secured together by means of the inner hooks 28 provided on the associated spring means 12.
Between ends of each side of the bouncing surfaces, the inner hooks 28 engage around the rods 24 between adjacent strips 16. In this manner, the strips 16 are supported solely and completely by the rods 24, and they are not penetrated at all by the inner hooks 28 of the springs 12. This results in superior construction inasmuch as any fabric material such as ribbons 16 are weakened by any provision of apertures or grommets passing therethrough.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. An exercising device comprising a peripheral frame, and an exercising surface resiliently supported centrally within the frame by springs extending from the frame inwardly to peripheral edges of the exercising surface, the exercising surface consisting of uniformly interwoven ribbons or strips of flexible non-elastic material, both ends of the strips being hemmed and receiving support rods, inner ends of the springs engaging around the support rods between adjacent and parallel strips, the ends of the support rods being in the form of loops, the loops of adjacent supporting rods overlying and being engaged by inner ends of associated springs.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the exer-cising surface is rectangular, and positioned centrally within the peripheral frame which is directly proportionally larger.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, the strips or ribbons being webs of woven nylon cord.