EP0205018A2

EP0205018A2 - Leg exerciser

Info

Publication number: EP0205018A2
Application number: EP86107086A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Samuel Heaton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-06-14
Filing date: 1986-05-24
Publication date: 1986-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 2006-05-24
Also published as: DE3677261D1; EP0205018A3; EP0205018B1

Abstract

The invention provides a leg exerciser which comprises basically a pair of pedals mounted for rocking movement about a common axis. A drive transmission involving an electric motor and cranks and connecting rods effects the rocking movement of the pedals. The user whilst sitting on a chair places his feet on the respective pedal and the driving of same effects exercise of the calf muslces and improves blood circulation.

Description

This invention relates to leg exercisers, and has particular although not exclusive application for use by persons who suffer from circulatory ailments in legs, but as the description of the invention proceeds, it will be seen that the device can be used for any person wishing to maintain a good physical condition, particularly in the legs.
The invention was conceived resulting from the medical complaint of poor circulation in the legs. Good circulation of the body and the legs is maintained by regular exercise, in particular the exercise of walking, because the muscles in the calf during the act of walking act as what is known as a "muscle pump" or "blood pump" maintaining good circulation of blood in the veins in the leg, especially maintaining good circulation of blood to the foot. In a person who however takes little exercise during his life and in particular if he has a job which does not involve any physical movement, there is a danger that such a person in later life will develop severe leg circulatory problems leading to decay of the tissue of the legs, particularly in the feet area or in extreme cases gangrene in the legs.
Western society has developed modes of life and work which tend to promote a way of life which does not involve much physical exercise, and indeed the most common pastime certainly in the United Kingdom is probably watching television. As a result more and more cases of leg ailments resulting in poor circulation are being reported, and therapy units in hospitals are becoming larger or at least are receiving more patients.
The difficulty with taking walking exercise for older persons is that they must inevitably go out of doors which means that they must go out in all weathers, or in the alternative they would have to purchase an exercise machine such as a treadmill machine which is rather expensive on the one hand, and on the other hand is somewhat strenuous to operate.
There is therefore a need for a new form of leg exerciser which can be used at home, but which is not strenuous to operate, and in a preferred arrangement can be used by the user whilst he or she is still in a relatively comfortable position, for example in a seated position, and watching television.
The leg exerciser according to the present invention at least in its preferred form meets these requirements, and in accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a leg exerciser comprising at least one foot board, platform or the like on which a foot of the user is placed, said board, platform or the like being mounted for rocking movement, characterised by drive means for driving the board, platform or the like in a rocking motion to move the ankle in simulated walking motion. According to another aspect there is provided a leg exerciser comprising a pair of feet boards, platforms of the like which are mounted for movement anti-phase back and forth for exercising legs, the exerciser including drive means for driving the feet boards, platforms or the like anti-phase and under power.
In a particularly suitable arrangement, the drive means may be adapted to drive the feet boards, platforms or the like at a frequency in the region of 60-80 cycles per minute and in one specific arrangement, a pair of cranks on a common drive shaft and connecting rods connected to the cranks and boards, platforms or the like are used to drive the boards, platforms or the like in anti-phase.
The drive means may for example be an electric motor with gear box and pulley and belt or chain transmission connected to the drive shaft, whilst in an alternative arrangement the drive means may include a fly wheel mounted on said common shaft, but in each case, because the drive is applied to maintain the rocking of the board(s), platform(s) or the like the user has to apply little or no effort to maintain the exercise, which means that the user will tend to use the exerciser more diligently than he would were he required to apply effort, as in the case of the known exercisers.
It is preferred that feet boards, platforms or the like are mounted for back and forth rocking movement about a common axis and specifically the boards, platforms or the like may comprise two rectangular feet pedals of equal length and said common axis is transverse to the length of the pedals but is spaced closer to the heel end of the pedals than the toe end so that the said axis will be under the hollows of the feet and the rocking simulates walking as close as possible.
The pedals are preferably adapted to rock between two positions when the exerciser is in use, said positions being 150 and 500 to the horizontal.
The exerciser is preferably adapted to be used by a person whilst sitting in a conventional chair and the pedals will be mounted on the exerciser from a safety point of view to prevent the trapping of fingers by the pedals.
General advantages of the invention in its preferred form are that the walking movement of the foot is carried out, working the muscle blood pump without the weight of the body on the ankle joints, giving nature's lubrication of the working of the ankle ball joints without the body weight, which in my case removed stabbing pains, thought to be a form of arthritis, in the ankle.
Also, the strain of making walking movements during exercise periods, without the use of assisted force, twice a day, would require too much strain, and therefore the use of power to give assistance for blood-circulation of the lower limbs is a benefit.
Another advantage of the invention in its preferred form is, that the forces in use while the foot is being exercised are compensating from one foot board to the other. This makes the cost of operating the machine through the use of electricity a very minor consideration.
The exerciser according to the invention causes the users' legs to be exercised, preferably simulated walking exercise, whilst the user is not required to put in strenuous effort.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an exerciser according to an embodiment of the invention, when in the in-use position;
Fig. 2 shows the essential components of the drive mechanism of the exerciser as shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is an end view. of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2; and
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the exerciser shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, an exerciser as shown in Fig. 1 comprises a casing 10 housing a pair of boards,' platforms or the like and specifically in the form of two foot pedals 12 and 14 which are mounted for rocking movement about the common axis 16. The pedals 12, 14 as shown in Fig. 4 are arranged to be the bases of cavities 18 and 20 into which the user places his feet respectively as shown in Fig. 1, whilst for example seated in a conventional chair 22.
The pedals 12 and 14 are of rectangular construction and the axis 16 extends transversely of the length direction of each of the pedals, but is located closer to the heel ends 12A, 14A of the pedals and the toe ends 12B, 14B so that the axis will be located under the hollows of the feet and the rocking back and forth of the pedala 12 and 14 will cause the feet to articulate and simulate as closely as possible the action of walking. Arrow 24 indicates how the toe ends of the pedals 12 and 14 rock, and during this rocking movement the user's legs 26 (full lines) and 27 (chain dotted lines) will be exercised in that the feet 28 and 30 will be rocked back and forth hinging the leg at the ankle region whereby the calf muscles indicated by numeral 32 will be alternately contracted (leg 27 in Fig. 1) constricting internal blood vessels and pumping blood to the body and relaxed (leg 26 in Fig. 1) to improve circulation throughout the leg. At the bottom of the casing to the rear thereof, are provided wheels 34 and inside the casing is a handle 36 which can be pulled out of the front of the casing as shown in Fig. 4 and by gripping the handle 36 and tipping the casing on its wheels 34 it can be rendered highly manipulable and mobile and therefore it can be moved around a room easily and can also be stored easily.
The pedals 12 and 14 are arranged in the casing 10 to prevent any trapping of the fingers between the pedals and the casing, and to this end the toe ends 12B and 14B sweep close to a curved guide 38, whilst the heel ends 12A are provided with curtain members 40 which overlap the front of the casing. The sides of the pedals as shown in Fig. 4 lie close to the walls of the cavities 18 and 20. The exerciser is therefore rendered safe for use by such features.
Figs. 2 and 3 show the drive mechanism for the exerciser, and referring to these Figs, it will be seen that the drive mechanism is an electric motor 42 whose output shaft 44 forms the input of a gearbox 46. On the output shaft of the gear box is a pulley or sprocket 48 around which is trained a chain or belt 50. The chain or belt 50 is trained round a pulley on a main crank shaft 52 which carries at the ends thereof a pair of cranks 54 and 56. The drive shaft 52 is mounted on the casing by means of mountings illustrated at 58 in Fig. 3.
The cranks 54 and 56 carry crank pins 60 and 62 on which are mounted connecting rods 64 and 66. At the outer ends the connecting rods are bifurcated to provide two bearings receiving the pivot shafts 68 and 70 which are mounted on the underside of the respective pedals 12 and 14 at the toe ends 12B and 14B thereof.
The cranks 54 and 56 are arranged anti-phase, and it will be clearly understood that upon rotation of the motor 42 which receives electrical power through a lead and plug 72 shown in Fig. 1, for example by throwing an on/off switch 55 at the front of the machine, the output pulley 48 is driven which in turn drives the chain belt 50, which in turn rotates the main crank shaft 52 turning the cranks 54 and 56 which in turn drives the connecting rods 64 and 66, resulting in anti-phase rocking of the pedals 12 and 14.
As the pedals move anti-phase the drive system is in substantial balance, making the requirement for power low. In fact the motor in use draws as little as 0.3 of an amp.
All of the bearings used in the drive mechanism are preferably of Nylon and require no oiling or greasing and the mechanism may include rubber isolating bushes to cut down noise during operation.
The transmission may be,made adjustable so that the frequency of operation of the pedals can be adjusted and all electrical connections will be earthed.
The machine may have a steel frame or the like supporting the drive mechanism and pedals, and the casing is defined simply by side and rear panels which are screwed or otherwise secured to the frame so that the panels can be removed easily for examination and repair of the mechanism. One of the panels, say the rear panel, may co-operate with a switch which is included in the electrical supply circuit so that if the said panel is removed, the switch automatically breaks the circuit and the motor cannot be started, which adds to the safety of the machine.
In alternative arrangement instead of using the motor 42, gearbox 46 and drive chain or belt 50, there may be a fly wheel 74 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 mounted on the main crank shaft 52. The initial motor power for rocking the pedals is supplied by the user, but the fly wheel maintains the kinetic energy of the system whereby the user is not required to apply any more energy than is necessary to keep the pedals rocking.
The transmission system is typically designed to give a rocking frequency of the pedals 12 and 14 of the order of 60 to 80 cycles per minute and more specifically 64 to 72 cycles per minute.
It is possible to arrange for the drive system to be of variable speed if it is required to have different frequencies of rocking, and this may be done by making the motor 42 a variable speed unit.
Although the invention has been described in the example as providing that the pedals rock about a common axis, in other embodiments they may be arranged to move linearly or in a complex movement involving linear and rocking movement.
Any suitable materials may be used for the fabrication of the exerciser such as plastics, metal or wood. The surfaces of the pedals are preferably covered with non- slip material such as rubber having a ribbed or other embossed pattern.
The apparatus of the embodiment described has a considerable advantage in that the user may use same whilst in a seated position, and therefore it is usable whilst working at a desk or watching television, and therefore it will require little discipline or effort on the part of the user to make regular use of the exerciser. Regular use is of course most desired in order to keep the muscle pump well exercised to improve the blood circulation.
The expression anti-phase as used herein is intended to mean at some time during use of the exerciser one pedal is moving in one direction whilst the other pedal is moving in the opposite direction rather than the specific operational meaning that one pedal is 180₀ out of phase with the other at all times although this meaning clearly is to be included
Also, in modified forms of the invention where the pedals rock the pedals can be in phase or indeed the exerciser may only have one pedal, the user exercising one leg at a time.

Claims

1. A leg exerciser comprising at least one foot board, platform or the like on which a foot of the user is placed. said board, platform or the like being mounted for rocking movement, characterised by drive means for driving the board, platform or the like in a rocking notion to move the ankle in simulated walking motion. A leg exerciser according to claim 1, wherein there are two of said boards, platforms or the like for receiving the respective feet of a user.

3. A leg exerciser comprising a pair of feet boards, platforms or the like which are mounted for movement anti-phase back and forth for exercising the legs, charcterised by drive means for driving the feet boards, platforms or the like anti-phase and

4. A leg exerciser according to claim 3, wherein the drive means includes a pair of cranks on a common drive shaft and connecting rods connected to the cranks and boards, platforms or the like to drive same anti-phase.

5. A leg exerciser according to claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein the drive means is adapted to drive the feet boards, platforms or the like at a frequency in the region of 60 to 80 cycles per minute.

6. A leg exerciser according to claims 2 to 5, wherein the feet boards, platforms or the like are mounted for back and forth rocking movement about a common axis.

7. A leg excerciser according to claim 6, wherein the boards, platforms or the like comprise two rectangular feet pedals of equal length, and the said common axis is transverse to the length of the pedals but is spaced closer to the heel end of the paddles than the toe ends so that the said rocking simulates natural walking as close a possible.

8. A leg exerciser according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the boards, platforms or the like are adapted to rock between two positions, when the exerciser is in use, said positions being 15⁰ and 50⁰ to the horizontal.

9. A leg exerciser according to any preceding claim, wherein the exerciser can be used by a person whilst sitting on a chair.

10. A leg exerciser according to claims 2 to 9, wherein the exerciser comprises a casing having two cavities in the top thereof, the bases of which are defined by said boards, platforms or the like.

11. A leg exerciser according to claim 10, wherein the boards, platforms or the like have curtain members at the heel ends thereof which overlap at the front of the casing to prevent trapping of the fingers between the heel ends of the boards, platforms or the like and the casing.

12. A leg exerciser according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the toe ends of the boards, platforms or the like sweep closely to a surface defining the ends of the cavities preventing trapping of the fingers between the two ends of the boards, platforms or the like and the casing.

13. A leg exerciser according to any preceding claim, wherein the casing has wheels and a manipulating handle whereby it can be manipulated and wheeled over the ground.

14. A leg exerciser according to any preceding claim, wherein the drive means includes an electric motor, gearbox and pulley and belt or chain transmission.

15. A leg exerciser according to any of claims 1 to 13, where the drive means includes a fly wheel.

16. A leg exerciser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A leg exerciser comprising at least one foot board, platform or the like, means mounting the board, platform or the like for pivotal movement about an axis lying between a front end and a rear end of the board, but closer to the rear end than to the front end so that the user can place his foot on the board with said pivot axis lying under the hollow of the foot.

18. A leg exerciser according to claim 17, wherein there are two similar boards arranged side by side and pivotable about the same axis.

19. A leg exerciser according to claim 18, wherein the two boards, platforms or the like are interconnected by a mechanism ensuring that the boards, platforms or the like pivot anti-phase.