EP1433503A1

EP1433503A1 - Static bicycle for water cycling

Info

Publication number: EP1433503A1
Application number: EP02380272A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Manuel Quiros Granados; Miguel Ortiz Gimenez
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-12-27
Filing date: 2002-12-27
Publication date: 2004-06-30

Abstract

A static bicycle mechanism for cycling in water, which enables it to be lowered into and raised from the water from the edge of the swimming pool, provided with a swivel support (1), suspension means (2) and cushioning means (3), besides means for regulating pedalling effort. This support enables the bicycle assembly to be turned once it has been raised so that it is not left suspended over the free surface of the water, with the option of being turned in 90° steps. Further, it is fitted with a swivel head that offers the option of hand pedalling, where said head unit can be tilted backwards to a position that does not interfere with foot pedalling.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a static bicycle for water cycling of the type of static bicycles which are positioned at the bottom of the swimming pool and are used for cycling in a medium such as water, with the advantages represented thereby of muscle strengthening and the massaging effect of water.
The present invention is characterised by its special configuration and design that enable the bicycle that is the object of the invention to be lowered into place in the swimming pool easily, quickly and safely. It also ensures that the bicycle assembly may be raised out and turned in such a way that it does not represent any impediment to the normal use of the swimming pool.
The object of the present invention includes not only the structural features of the bicycle itself, but also the means of placement, removal and suspension of the bicycle from the edge of the pool.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention lies within the field of static bicycles and more specifically of those used in water cycling.

PRIOR ART

Hitherto static bicycles for exercise in water have presented a series of drawbacks, such as the fact of not having any means for suspending then from the edge of a swimming pool, with the result that, in order to use the bicycle, it is necessary to put it into the pool and lift it out afterwards, which considerably increases the time involved in lowering it in, setting it in position, and removing it afterwards.
Furthermore, some static bicycles have no means of exercise for the arms, that is to say arrangements in order to be able to turn pedals positioned at the height of the handlebars and moved by the hands themselves, where said means for exercising the arms may be set to one side with a simple turn if not required for use. On other occasions, they have no means for adjusting the pedalling effort of the hands and the feet in accordance with the degree of intensity with which you wish to perform the exercise.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to overcome the previous drawbacks,.developing for this purpose a static bicycle for use in water which will make it easy for it to be lowered into the water, without anyone having to get into the water in order to set it in place, whilst also being provided with means for suspending it from the edge or side of the pool and with means so that, after it has been taken out, the bicycle may be turned and positioned in such a way that it is not left hanging over the free surface of the pool. Further, our intention is also that it should have means for exercising the arms. Said means may be set to one side so that they do not interfere with normal exercise with the feet. Lastly, it should also have means for regulating the effort involved. All this assembled in such a way that it is covered by embellishers that enclose both sides of the bicycle completely.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The proposed static bicycle invention for water cycling that is the object of the present invention has means of suspension from the edge or side of the pool, which enable it to be set in place quickly in the water and assist its subsequent removal. It is also equipped with means for turning the bicycle assembly so that after it has been raised out it is not left hanging over the free surface of the water. Further, it is provided with means for exercising the arms, where said means may either be used or not, at your discretion, by simply turning or folding them away, besides means for adjusting the effort to be put in during the exercise.
The suspension means and the support arranged at the edge of the pool consist of a channel plate fixed to the edge of the pool itself by the arms of the channel. Said plate is jointed at the ends of the arms so that it may be raised or lowered. It has bearing points which act together with regulating heads to improve its support on the ground, as the edge of the swimming pool may have an irregular profile.
Running down from the centre, the channel plate has a support bar to which the bicycle itself is attached. This support bar is provided with means for cushioning or stabilising its position against the walls of the swimming pool.
At the top above the plate the suspension bar has a block which engages with the rest of the bar and by means of a lever it is allowed to turn in 90° steps in order to prevent the bicycle getting in the way at the perimeter of the pool when the bicycle has been taken out of the water.
The top part of the bicycle is provided with handlebars and means for adjusting the effort to be put into both arm and foot pedalling. For this purpose the turn of these controls is transmitted to cylinders or regulating elements which are equipped on the inside with a spring that tensions the drive pulley to a plate, so that the greater the tension of the cylinder or regulating element, the harder it is for the plate to turn.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complete the description that is going to be made below and in order to assist the understanding of its features, this descriptive report is accompanied by a set of drawings with figures representing the most significant details of the invention for informative but not restrictive purposes.
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the bicycle on the inside of the swimming pool, suspended from the edge thereof, where one of the sides has been removed in order to be able to observe all the internal mechanisms.
Figure 2 shows the version with a swivel head for hand-pedalling which may be adopted at the top of the bicycle. The two positions that can be adopted may be observed.
Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the hand-pedalling head.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

A means of preferred embodiment of the invention and the explanation of the drawings are described below in the light of the afore-mentioned figures.
In figure 1 we observe how the bicycle is arranged on the side or edge of the swimming pool, for which purpose it makes use of a swivel support (1), which is secured to the edge of the pool with fasteners (6) inserted into the actual edge of the pool. This swivel support (1) consists of a channel plate (4) which turns on its ends in the joints (5). The inner side of the arms of the plate (4) is fitted with lugs (9) that act as stops in the descent of the support assembly (1). In addition, it has means for adjusting its support on the ground, based on bearing points (7) regulated by means of adjustable heads (8).
A support bar (2) is attached firmly to the aforesaid plate (4) with rivets or fixing screws (11). Projecting from the upper end of this support bar (2), there is a block (10) with an internal system that causes the bar (2) to turn every time the rotation lever (26) is pressed. The purpose of the foregoing means is to permit that, once the bicycle is removed from the water and placed vertically, when the lever (26) is pressed, the bicycle assembly turns in 90 steps every time the lever is pressed. In this way, the bicycle does not get in the way at the perimeter of the pool when it is removed from the water and may be tilted backwards or positioned parallel to the edge of the pool.
At the bottom, the support bar (2) is fitted with a stabiliser (3) provided with a rail (12), which has cushioning blocks (13) that are pressed up against the walls, at the ends on the rear side opposite the rail.
At the top of the bicycle, next to the handlebars (24), there are effort adjusting controls (14) and (15) to regulate the pedalling effort of the arms and legs, respectively. The regulator (15) is connected by means of a rod (16) or some other drive system and a swivel triangle (17) to a cylinder (18) or effort tensioner, which has a spring inside it that adjusts the tension of the pulley (20), which is made to turn by means of the plate (19).
At the centre of the plate (19) there is a shaft with a square stem (21) projecting where the ends of the pedals are housed. Similarly, the regulator (14) is connected to a cylinder or element (22) for tensioning the effort to be made with the hands. Said cylinder tensions a pulley which drives a plate (23) that has a shaft projecting from the middle with a square stem (29) where the hand-pedalling means are connected.
Figure 2 shows the swivel head unit (27) for hand-pedalling which may be built into the bicycle or be an attachment to it. This head rotates around its point of attachment (32) to the top part of the bicycle and is fitted with hand-operated pedals (28). This head may be turned in relation to the swivel point (32), so that it can be tilted backwards in case it gets in the way or hand-pedalling is not required. In this case the head is referenced as (27a). For rotating around the swivel point (32) the head unit (27) has handles (31) that assist its turning (27).
The whole assembly is finished with embellishers (25) on both sides of the bicycle, which act not only as protection but also as a covering for the mechanical parts making up the bicycle.
Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the swivel head unit (27) where we observe the pedalling effort regulator (14), the effort tensioning cylinder (22), connected by means of a pulley to the plate (23), which has a shaft (28) fitted at its ends with bushes (29) and all enclosed on both sides by means of a housing module (34) composed of covers (30) attached to the head of the bicycle, so that said head unit is fully enclosed by embellishers (33).
It is not considered necessary to make this description more extensive for any expert on the matter to be able to understand the scope of the invention and the advantages stemming from it.
The materials and the shape, size and arrangement of the elements will be open to modification providing that the essence of the invention is not altered.
The terms in which this report has been couched should be construed in their broadest and non-restrictive sense at all times.

Claims

A static bicycle for water cycling, characterised in that it is provided with means for fixing and suspending the bicycle from the edge of the swimming pool, where said means are jointed so that the bicycle may be lowered into and raised out of the water from the edge of the pool, whilst it is also equipped with means that enable the bicycle assembly to be turned once it is removed from the water.
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to claim 1, characterised in that the means for fixing and suspending the bicycle from the edge of the swimming pool consist of a swivel support (1), a support bar (2) and stabilising means (3).
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to claim 2, characterised in that the swivel support (2) is fixed at the edge of the pool by means of fastenings (6), which are inserted into the edge itself. Said swivel support (1) consists of a channel plate (4) which rotates on its end in the joints (5). The inner side of the arms of the plate (4) are fitted with lugs (9) that act as stops in the descent of the support assembly (1), which has means for regulating its support on the ground, based on support points (7) regulated by means of adjustable heads (6).
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to claim 2, characterised in that the stabilising means (3) consist of a rail (12), fixed to the support bar (2) and provided with damping means (13) that cushion the impacts against the edges of the swimming pool.
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to claims 2 and 3, characterised in that the suspension bar (2) is secured firmly by fastenings (11) to the channel plate (4) of the swivel support (1).
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to the preceding claims, characterised in that the plate (4) is attached firmly to a support bar (2) by means of rivets or fixing screws (1), whilst protruding from the upper end of said support bar (2) there is a block (10) with an internal system that turns the bar (2) every time the rotation lever (26) is pressed, thereby allowing the bicycle assembly to turn in 90° steps, whereby the bicycle does not get in the way at the perimeter of the pool when it has been removed from the water, with the option of being tilted backwards or placed parallel to the edge of the pool.
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to claim 1, characterised in that it is provided with means for regulating the pedalling effort (14) and (15) of the arms and legs, respectively, arranged at the top of the bicycle, where the regulator (15) is connected by means of a rod (16) or some other drive system and a swivel triangle with a cylinder (18) or effort tensioner containing a spring that regulates the tension of the pulley (20), which is turned by means of the plate (19). Protruding from the centre of the plate (19), there is a square stem (21) where the ends of the pedals are seated. The regulator (14) is also connected to a cylinder (22) or tensioner for graduating the effort to be put in by the hands. This cylinder or tensioner tightens a pulley that drives a plate (23), which has a shaft in the middle from which a square stem (29) projects, whereon the hand-pedalling means are attached.
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to claim 1, characterised in that it is fitted with a swivel head unit (27) for hand-pedalling, where said head unit swivels round a point (32) and is fitted with handles (11) for turning the assembly and pedals (28) for the hands.
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to claim 1, characterised in that the swivel head unit (27) has means for adjusting (14) the effort to be put into pedalling, connected to a cylinder or effort tensioner (22) that is connected in turn by means of a pulley to the plate (23), which has a shaft (28) fitted with bushes (29) at its ends and all enclosed on both sides by means of a housing module (34) composed of covers (30) attached to the head of the bicycle, so that said head unit is fully enclosed by embellishers (33).
A static bicycle for water cycling, according to claim 1, characterised in that the sides of the bicycle are enclosed with an embellishing cover (25) that envelopes all the means arranged inside the bicycle.