FR3088012A1 - STATIC RUNNING BOARD - Google Patents

Abstract

This static running board comprises: a plate carrying, on the same face, at least one front foot and at least one rear foot, the front and rear feet being positioned substantially near two opposite edges of the plate, said plate being resiliently deformable and the free end of the feet has a shape which decreases as it moves away from the plate.

Description

The present invention relates to a static running board intended to be placed on the ground.

There are static running devices comprising at least one elastic which connects a runner, waist or limb, with a fixed point (closed door or other).

The invention thus relates to a device intended for use by athletes who wish to train at home independently of the weather conditions and more comfortable than the devices of the known prior art.

An original idea at the genesis of the invention described here is to use a static running board which would be elastically deformable and would make it possible to train for running while staying in one place.

A technical problem which then arises is having a stable device on the ground when the user comes to exert a force while running on the board. Indeed, under the impact of the user's foot during the race, the force is not perfectly vertical and then slides the board on the ground. One solution could then be to have a link used to hold it in place, but it is not always easy to find a fixed point, preferably at ground level, to which to connect the running board to hold it in position.

We could also consider providing the running board with non-slip pads. Tests have shown that these skates are rarely effective for the intended use here. We could also consider other solutions such as fixing on anchoring means to the ground for example by a screw jaw or a clamping system.

Such systems are certainly possible but would require an installation which can be tedious and long. Such devices would also be troublesome by leaving permanent anchors on the ground when the board is removed.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a static running board of simple design, removable, and which can remain well positioned on the ground during use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a light and space-saving device so as to be transportable and / or easily stowable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a static running board which can be installed without tools and preferably without any particular anchoring device in the ground.

To this end, the present invention provides a static running board comprising:

- A plate carrying, on the same face, at least one front foot and at least one rear foot, the front and rear feet being placed substantially near two opposite edges of the plate, said plate being elastically deformable.

According to the present invention, the free end of the feet has a shape which tapers away from the plate, and each foot said rear foot has a height greater than that of each foot said front foot.

Thus, the proposed board is easy to set up. It can simply stand on the ground. The proposed structure is very simple. The static running board as defined here allows users, whether or not provided with elastic restraints, to run on the said board which has the particularity of being slightly rebounding and of not sliding backwards under the effect of the rider's propulsion. In addition, this board can also be used as a rebounding support in order to make the race on site without elastic resistance more playful by offering a slight rebound on the ground surface.

In such a running board, one can for example provide that at least one foot is of substantially conical shape by being connected to the plate by its base and having a rounded top.

As a variant, at least one foot may have a shape of a paraboloid of revolution. We could have feet of different shapes but preferably all the feet, along the same edge of the plate, have the same shape.

On one edge of the plate, one could also have a foot having a profiled shape of triangular cross section, with a possibly rounded top (or flattened, that is to say then having a trapezoidal shape). Here we have for example a single foot extending over most of the length of an edge of the plate.

According to another embodiment, the static running board proposed here comprises at least two front feet and / or at least two rear feet.

The feet are preferably made of an elastic material, such as rubber (natural or synthetic).

For ergonomic and bio-mechanical reasons, it is advantageously provided that each front foot has a height H1 and each rear foot has a height H2, and that the heights H1 and H2 verify the relationship: H2> Hlx3 / 2.

To achieve a better flexibility of the rebound during the impact made by the user, the board includes for example a curvature between the at least one front foot and the at least rear foot, said feet extending on the underside of the plate. .

The shape of the plate can be chosen from many shapes: circular, polygonal, or any other shape, for example a shape of an animal, an object, etc. However, in a preferred embodiment, the plate as described above is substantially square, with a side of between 50 cm and 90 cm and the front and rear legs are between 2 cm and 10 cm high. This shape is in fact more particularly adapted to the shape of the feet of a user of the board. Even more preferably, the plate is made of glued laminated wood.

Details and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description which follows, given with reference to the appended schematic drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a static running board,

FIG. 2 is a schematic elevation view of the static running board of FIG. 1 in use,

FIG. 3 shows the static running board of the preceding figures in elevation on an enlarged scale, the board being in its state of equilibrium,

Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3 with a runner's foot,

FIG. 5 is a similar view of the board only when the runner's foot has left the board (suspension time during a race), and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of the running board illustrated in the preceding figures, and

Figures 7 to 9 illustrate other alternative embodiments of a static running board.

In its illustrated embodiment, corresponding to a preferred embodiment, the static running board 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 comprises a plate 10 carrying, on the same face, two front feet 24 of height H1 and two rear feet 25 of height H2.

The plate 10 is in the embodiment shown substantially square and has a bearing surface 12 which is intended to receive the strides of a user.

The bearing surface 12 is shown here as a curved surface, having a slight convexity in order to limit its deformation in a direction transverse to a running direction of a runner. It also constitutes the upper face of the plate 10 and a top / bottom orientation is thus defined which corresponds to a natural orientation when the static running board 1 is in place on the ground.

It should be noted that this bearing surface 12 is not necessarily curved and can be shaped to have a substantially flat shape intended to offer a plate 10 of less rigidity, depending on the material used. A person skilled in the art can then intuitively adapt the degree of curvature that the plate 10 defined here must have to such an alternative embodiment, in particular as a function of the coefficient of elasticity of the plate 10, depending in particular on the thickness of the latter. ci and the material constituting it.

As illustrated in particular in FIGS. 1 to 5, the plate 10 has an edge, hereinafter called the front edge 14. This defines a front / rear orientation which also corresponds to a natural orientation when the static running board 1 is placed on the ready to use soil. The front / rear orientation here also defines a so-called longitudinal orientation. Opposite the front edge 14, the plate has a rear edge 15.

For fixing the front feet 24 and rear feet 25, the plate 10 has for example two through holes near its front edge and two through holes near its rear edge. The screws used are for example pan-type screws and the feet are each provided with an insert (nut) to allow the screwing of each foot under the plate 10 using the through holes. Other fixing means could be envisaged, in particular by means of an adhesive. In the latter case, it is then not necessary to make holes in the plate 10 for fixing the feet.

In a particularly advantageous manner, the plate 10 has a side with a length of between 50 cm and 90 cm and even more advantageously between 55 cm and 65 cm. The thickness of said plate 10 is preferably between 0.5 cm and 2 cm. For example, two thicknesses of plates are chosen depending on the weight of the user: a 7-ply glued laminate, about 8 mm thick, intended for users weighing less than 60 kg and an 11-ply glued laminate, about 10 mm thick, intended for users over 60 kg.

In another embodiment, not shown here, the plate 10 may have an oblong orifice on one of its edges and whose dimensions are between 10 cm and 15 cm long and between 3 cm and 5 cm wide suitable to serve as a carrying handle for the static running board.

The plate 10 is advantageously made of glued laminated wood but can of course be made of another material that is elastically deformable, such as for example a polymer, a composite material, chosen for its properties by a person skilled in the art. Preferably, however, the plate is made of beech wood because it is a "nervous" wood. For better user comfort, it can for example be coated on its upper face (opposite the feet) with a non-slip coating.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the static running board 1 therefore has four feet, two front feet 24 of which are placed in the immediate vicinity of its front edge and two rear legs 25 placed in the immediate vicinity of its rear edge .

The front 24 and rear 25 feet here have a substantially conical shape, possibly flattened or rounded at their top. According to a preferred embodiment (and not limiting), the feet each have a shape of paraboloid of revolution and have an elasticity with respect to their axis of revolution. Said feet have a base opposite the top, said base being attached to the lower surface 12b of the plate 10 and the top being intended to be placed on the ground. They are preferably placed in the immediate vicinity of the four corners of the plate 10.

Those skilled in the art will understand here that feet of another shape, for example in the shape of a pyramid, possibly truncated or rounded at the top, are also suitable here.

The front feet 24 have a height H1 preferably less than that of the rear feet H2 25. More preferably, we have H2> 1.5 HL This configuration is ergonomic because it relieves the calves of the runner. Feet all having the same height can of course also be envisaged. You can even have front feet higher than rear feet to simulate a climb.

The feet are preferably made of an elastic material. For example, the feet are made of rubber, natural or synthetic, or elastomer. The material chosen will preferably be quite hard. Those skilled in the art will be able to choose a material that is strong enough to allow said front feet 24 and rear feet 25 to withstand the impacts of a user's stroke on the plate 10. Preferably, the feet have a surface having a coefficient of high friction to be non-slip. The front legs 24 and rear legs 25 are between 2 cm minimum and 10 cm maximum. Preferably the front legs 24 are of a height H1 between 2 cm and 5 cm. Preferably the rear legs are of a height H2 of between 5 cm and 10 cm, more preferably between 5 cm and 7 cm. In one embodiment, there are for example two front legs 24 of conical or frustoconical shape, with a disc of diameter 3 cm and a height of 3 cm as a base. The two rear legs 25 of conical (or frustoconical) shape have as a base a disc with a diameter of 5 cm and a height of 6 cm.

In a particularly advantageous manner, the rounded or flattened tops of the cones of the feet 24, 25 have a non-slip surface with a surface which can be, for example, grooved or textured to offer better grip on the ground.

Figure 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which there is a plate 10 with feet.

Compared to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5, the rear legs are replaced by a single rear leg 25 ′ which extends over at least 50%, preferably at least 80%, of the width of the plate 10, under it. The rear foot 25 ’has a wedge shape, delimited by a dihedral. In other words, the rear leg 25 ′ has a profiled shape of triangular section, possibly trapezoidal. A base of the triangle rests against the underside of the plate along its front edge, or a short distance from it, for example less than 5 cm from this front edge, preferably less than 2 cm from this front edge.

Similarly at the rear, the front feet 24 of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5 are replaced by two front feet 24 'which have generally the same shape as the rear foot 25' but with smaller dimensions.

While the rear foot 25 ′ has a height H2 (distance between the “tip” of the foot and the plate 10), each front foot 24 ′ has a height Hl. The indications concerning Hl and H2 given above also apply here.

The fixing of the feet in this alternative embodiment can also be done by screwing, gluing, embedding, or ....

FIG. 7 illustrates in an alternative embodiment a static running board, the plate having a longitudinal slot 50.

Figure 8 is another variant. It corresponds to the variant of Figure 7 when the slot is through. Here we actually make a running board for each foot of a runner. Thus there are two boards, each of which has an elongated generally rectangular shape.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment which also has a longitudinal slot in the plate 10. The slot 60 illustrated here opens into a front edge or a rear edge of the plate 10.

We can "mix" the characteristics of the two embodiments shown. It is thus also possible to have a central stand for the second embodiment shown. You can have on the same board at least one conical foot and “linear” feet (wedge shape). At the front, or at the rear, it is possible to have at least one conical foot with a linear foot at the same time. In the embodiments the plate 10 can be flat or preferably curved, etc. .

The presence of a non-slip surface as described above, at the top of the feet, ensures good stability of the support.

Indeed, thanks to the proposed structure, it is therefore possible to avoid inadvertent movement of the running board 1 during its use. The force exerted by the runner on the running board 1 tends to move the running board backwards. During the impact of the runner's feet on the plate 10 with each stride, the plate 10 is deformed and induces a displacement of the front feet 24 and rear feet 25 relative to the ground on which the board rests. Because of this structure, the movement of the front and rear feet is not the same and tends to move the treadmill forward. This movement therefore comes to oppose and cancel the movement induced by the run of the runner on the running board, so that said board remains static, without requiring the use of a link to connect it to a fixed point. This is illustrated in particular in FIGS. 3 to 5.

In FIG. 3, the board is in its state of equilibrium, at rest. The front and rear of the board are defined with respect to the placement of the runner as illustrated in FIG. 2. The front / rear orientation of FIG. 2 is preserved in FIGS. 3 to

5.

In figure 2, a runner is held from behind, thanks to an elastic band. A runner's foot is pressing against the board, backward, because it opposes the retaining force of the elastic.

Under the weight of the runner, the plate 10 deforms and flattens. The plate 10 in turn deforms the four feet as shown in Figure 4.

Thanks to their elasticity, the front feet 24 and the rear feet 25 bend relative to their axis of revolution. The tips of the feet are deformed. Thanks to their shape of paraboloid of revolution, the ends of the feet are crushed against the ground by bending along their curvatures.

Thanks to their tip-shaped end, the ends of the feet are locally subjected to high pressures (this is due to the fact that the contact surface is small). Under the effect of this pressure, the material heats up in contact with the ground. The grip on the ground is increased: the compressed, deformed and heated feet resist slipping. However, if the board barely slides, it is a very short distance, noted dl.

In FIG. 5, the runner's foot has left the plate 10.

The plate 10 returns to its initial shape and, thanks to its rebound, takes off slightly from the ground. The feet of the board, hitherto crushed to the ground also regain their shape and release their energy by propelling the entire board forward, from a distance denoted d2, such that dl and d2 verify the relationship:

d2> = dl.

Therefore, the "static running board" does not move back, although the runner retained by the elastic or elastic (s) is supported.

These explanations also apply to the embodiments in which the feet are not "points" (cone, truncated cone, paraboloid, pyramid, etc.) but also for the feet of profiled shape (FIG. 6 for example).

Due to the difference in height of the feet of the board, it is generally tilted when placed on a floor. This inclination increases the movement, reminiscent of a crawling movement, of the board under the effect of the pressure of the feet of a runner during its use and thus promotes the holding in place of the board ("static" board).

The static running board described above in its various variants allows users, whether or not fitted with elastic restraints, to run in abutment on said board which has the particularity of being slightly rebounding and of not sliding backwards under the effect of the runner's propulsion.

In addition, this board can also serve as a rebounding support in order to make the race on the spot without elastic resistance more playful by offering the surface of the ground a slight rebound.

This static running board consists of an elastic (preferably slightly convex) plate under which, close to its edges, are fixed 5 feet, the ends of which have a shape whose section is tapering, for example a substantially conical shape or a tapered blade shape. Such a board has the particularity of offering a slight rebound and of remaining in the location given to it without sliding backwards while it is not anchored to the ground, despite the pressure of the supports exerted by the runner's feet.

You can consider using it in gyms, retirement homes, at home or in the office, to run on the spot, and thus strengthen your muscles, without having to use a lot of space.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above by way of nonlimiting examples and to the variant embodiments mentioned, but it also relates to any embodiment within the reach of the skilled person. in the context of the claims below.

Claims (10)

1. Static running board (1) comprising a plate (10) carrying, on the same face, at least one front foot (24) and at least one rear foot (25), the front (24) and rear (25) feet. ) being positioned substantially close to two opposite edges of the plate (10), said plate (10) being elastically deformable, characterized in that the free end of the feet has a shape which decreases in s' away from the plate, and in that each foot said rear foot (25; 25 ') has a height greater than that of each foot said front foot (24; 24'). 2. Static running board according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one foot is of substantially conical shape by being connected to the plate by its base and having a rounded top. 3. Static running board according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one foot has the shape of a paraboloid of revolution. 4. Static running board according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one foot (24 ’, 25’) has a profiled shape of triangular cross section, with a possibly rounded top. 5. Static running board according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises at least two front feet (24) and / or at least two rear feet (25). 6. Static running board according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the feet are made of an elastic material. 7. Static running board according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each front foot has a height H1 and each rear foot has a height H2, and in that the heights H1 and H2 verify the relationship: H2 > Hlx3 / 2. 8. Static running board according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plate (10) has a curvature between the at least one front foot (24) and the at least rear foot (25), said feet extending on the lower side (12b) of the plate (10). 9. Static running board according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the plate (10) is substantially square, side 5 between 50 cm and 90 cm and the front feet (24) and rear (25 ) are between 2 cm and 10 cm high. 10. Static running board according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the plate (10) is made of glued laminated wood.