GB2486414A

GB2486414A - A belt with means to provide periodic tactile reminders to a user

Info

Publication number: GB2486414A
Application number: GB201021070A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mara Victoria Menzies
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-12-13
Filing date: 2010-12-13
Publication date: 2012-06-20
Also published as: GB201021070D0

Abstract

A belt 1 to be worn around the waist of a user which includes means 2 to provide a tactile reminder to a user. The device 2 may be designed to provide reminders at periodic intervals. The device 2 may have a microprocessor, a vibrating mechanism and a control arrangement for changing the intervals between the reminders. A stop button may have a cover to prevent it accidently being switched off. A waist measurement scale 4 may run along the belt 1 and it may be made of breathable, easily cleaned material. Hook and loop or magnetic fasteners may be used to secure the belt 1 in position. The device is designed to remind a user to tense their abdominal muscles as part of a stomach exercise regime.

Description

BELT WITH TACTILE REMINDER DEVICE

CONTENTS: Page 1

Background of the invention: Page 1

Summary of the invention: Page 2

Scope of the invention: Page 3

Description of the Drawings: Page 4

Detailed description of the invention: Page 5

Claims: Page 6 Abstract: Page 7

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention:

This invention relates to a belt that is worn around the waist of a user and provides a vibrating reminder for the user to tense the stomach muscles.

2. Background discussion:

A wide variety of devices have been suggested that will exercise the abdominal muscles of a user. These exercise belts often include features that perform a particular function related to fitness and health for instance -massage the muscles, heat the muscles, etc. Belts that do have tactile devices are specifically designed for users who anticipate performing a physically exerting activity e.g. the gym, with personal trainer, training for a sporting event, etc. Belts have also been suggested that are worn about the waist of the user that require the user to hold in his/her stomach, preventing the expansion of the waist beyond a predetermined width. If the user fails to keep his/her waist from expanding beyond this predetermined width, an audible alarm is turned on. This is disadvantageous in that it disturbs others in the vicinity of the user. Tactile alarms have been suggested to alert only the user when the waist has expanded beyond the predetermined width, however the user is unable to set the interval at which the device goes off. These belts tend to be bulky and therefore cannot be worn at any point during the day.

There are belts, which have a sensor built into them so when the wearer relaxes, an alarm is triggered to sound, however this requires the belt be worn at a particular tightness around the body, which for many wearers of a larger build is not an option as this cuts' into the body creating an unsightly excess roll.

These inventions have all been created as exercise belts', whose use may be limited to an hour or so every day. We live in an age when many people have little time to devote to exercise. This invention aims to use a tactile reminder device, which can be worn the whole day and is desirable for quietly calling the attention of the everyday individual to remember to tighten their core stomach muscles throughout the course of the day, whether they be at work in the office, walking home, an evening out or at the gym.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the objective of this invention to provide a thin and discreet belt that can be used by both males and females that allows them to continuously tone and strengthen their core muscle group throughout the day through the use of a tactile reminder device worn discreetly around their waist.

This invention has several features, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. The more prominent features of this design will now be discussed and detailed further in the claims section.

The first feature of this invention is that the belt is adapted to be worn directly around the waist of the user, preferably as close to the skin as possible and can be worn throughout the day. Its thin nature conceals a housing on the inside wall which rests against the users front and can be configured to follow the shape of this central stomach area. The housing contains a tactile reminder device, which consists of a microprocessor, a display, a vibrating mechanism, a vibration interval selection dial/switch, a stop and start button and a battery.

The second feature is the ability to control the regularity of the vibration. The vibration can be programmed to remain off permanently or to vibrate discreetly at regular intervals throughout the day. As many users tend to relax their muscles as they get on with other work, the vibration will remind them to keep their muscles as tight as possible.

The third feature of the invention is its discreet nature and wearability. It is constructed using breathable materials so the belt can be kept as close as possible to the body of the user. This allows continuous air flow yet a component will also grip the skin ensuring that it stays in place and does not ride' up the stomach. The fastening will be snug so as to avoid drawing attention to a bulky object and this will be achieved using various methods where the two ends of the belt join in an inconspicuous manner, such as sold under the Velcro trademark, magnets, etc. The belt is designed to be invisible under garments so it can be worn throughout the day with nobody suspecting the user of having anything under the outer wear.

The user will also be able to adjust the length of the belt to accommodate their own body size and so have it fitting snugly against their own form, yet loose enough to avoid cutting' into the body for those with a larger build, The case housing the tactile reminder device will be worn against the stomach of the user and therefore, will again be undetectable from the outside.

The fourth feature of the invention is it's practical nature. A series of measurements runs along the outside of the belt to enable the wearer to see at a glance exactly how many inches or centimetres their waist measures.

It is easy to clean by simply wiping with a damp cloth.

SCOPE OF THE INVENTION

The above presents a description of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the present invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make use and use this invention. This invention is, however, susceptible to modifications and alternate constructions from that discussed above which are fully equivalent. Consequently it is not the intention to limit this invention to the particular embodiment disclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications and alternate constructions coming within the spirit and scope of the invention as generally expressed by the following claims, which particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter of the invention

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

All the features of this invention will now be depicted in the following drawings.

This drawing includes the following figures (FIG) with like numerals indicating like parts.

FIG 1: A perspective view of the belt of this invention.

P1/i -The breathable belt P1/2 -The housing P1/3 -The curvature F1/4 -Scale (inches and centimetres) FIG 2: A perspective view of a user wearing the belt of this invention.

F2/i -Scale F2/2 -Outer garments FIG 3: A top plan view of the belt of this invention.

P3/i -Its thin nature P3/2 -Housing P3/3 -Fastening magnets undetectable to eye but built into the belt.

FIG 4: An enlarged perspective view of a user wearing the belt of this invention.

P4/i -Scale P4/2 -Invisible housing P4/3 -fastens closely and discreetly P4/4 -Outer garments FIG 5: The tactile reminder device with all components (cover removed) PS/i -Belt P5/2 -Housing case (flipped open to reveal contents) P5/3 -Microprocessor (underneath control buttons and display) P5/4 -Display PS/S -Vibrating mechanism (underneath control buttons) P5/6 -Vibrating selection pad (mode) P5/7 -Vibrating settings pad (up/down) P5/S -Start button P5/9 -Stop button P5/10 -Battery and cover (which slides off) P5/li -Magnets hidden in belt but running ilongside inside of belt to provide invisible closure.

Naturally, this is an example and will differ in production, however it will retain all the features.

FIG 6: Adjusting the length of the belt P6/i -Magnets within belt (invisible to the eye but alongside the belt) P6/2 -Scale F6/3 -Housing F6/4 -Head F6/S -Body/Waist

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As FIG 1 and FIG 6 demonstrate, the belt is remarkably simple to use. There are no complicated knobs and once the desired length is chosen, the belt simply fastens round the waist and is easily adjustable.

FIG 2 best demonstrates the discretionary nature of the invention with the user able to wear the belt under their outer garments and it remains undetected.

As shown in FIG 5, the belt of this invention includes a housing [FS/2), which contains in its interior, a microprocessor [F5/3), a display (F5/4), a vibrating mechanism (F5/5), a vibration interval selection dial (F5/6) with ability to select any frequency, a start button (FS/8), a stop button (F5/9J, a cover for the start and stop buttons to prevent accidental selection (F5/1O), battery and cover (F5/ii).

The exact set up of this tactile device is subject to manufacture.

As in FIG 1, the housing (F1/2) is attached to the belt [Fl/i) and the inner side of the housing [F1/3) has a curvature to accommodate the curved nature of the central stomach area where it will lie on the users body.

The two ends of the belt as seen in FiG 2 and FIG 4 connect seamlessly with an invisible connection to minimize detection. The two sides can connect anywhere around the waist as long as the case that houses the tactile reminder device [F5/2) which would normally be situated at the front of the body. (See FIG 6) Proper placement of the connecting ends of the belt can be adjusted by the user until a comfortable position is reached by the user and the belt fits snugly around the waist. (FIG 6) To use this invention, the user first chooses the frequency of vibration s/he wishes by entering this into the vibrating selection (FS/7). Then the user presses start (F5/8). Next the user places the belt around the waist, adjusting the length of the belt as s/he wishes to a comfortable fit and ensuring the housing case is positioned at the front of the body (F4). The tactile reminder device will vibrate at the chosen frequency until the user decides to stop it by simply pressing the stop button (F5/9).

Should the battery lose power, then the user can simply replace it with another by opening up the battery cover (F5/lO), removing the old one and inserting a new one.

How does it work? It works by focusing on the mind rather than a particular muscle group. The belt' simply makes us conscious of our physicality and posture at any given time and ensures that our core muscles are continuously working, any time of day. There is no need to have the belt attached tightly as the tactile device will work regardless and therefore this eliminates the fear of an unattractive cutting' of the body for those of larger proportions.

S

Claims

CLAIMS1. A belt adapted to be worn around the waist of a user including: A tactile reminder device curved to fit the curvature of the body.
2. A tactile reminder device as in claim 1 comprising: a housing, a microprocessor enclosed within said housing, a display connected to said microprocessor, display contained within said housing, display visible from the outside of housing, a vibrating mechanism electrically connected to said microprocessor and contained within said housing, a vibration interval selection dial/switch connected to the back of said housing, said vibration interval selection dial/switch electrically connected to said microprocessor for selecting time interval of said tactile reminder.
3. The tactile reminder device of claim 2 further comprising: a start button attached to said housing and electrically connected to said vibrating mechanism for activating the tactile reminder sequence.
4. The tactile reminder device of claim 2 further comprising: a stop button attached to said housing and electrically connected to said vibrating mechanism for deactivating the tactile reminder sequence.
5. The tactile reminder device of claim 2 further comprising: a stop button cover attached to said housing for keeping the stop button from being accidentally pushed and deactivating the tactile reminder sequence.
6. The tactile reminder device of claim 2 further comprising: a 15 minute interval contact attached to said housing and electrically selectable by said vibration interval selection dial, a 20 minute contact attached to said housing and electrically selectable by said vibration interval selection dial and a 30 minute contact attached to said housing and electrically selectable by said vibration interval selection dial/switch.
7. The tactile reminder device of claim 2 further comprising: an opening for a battery and battery cover allowing easy change of battery by user.
8. The belt in claim 1 consisting of: a scale running along the outside of the belt to allow instant visual of waist measurements by user.
9. The belt in claim 1 consisting of: a light breathable material designed to adhere to the body preventing it from riding' up the waist line.
10. The belt in claim 1 consisting of: an easy to clean material.
11. The belt in claim 1 consisting of: aesthetically pleasing connectors, such as the Velcro trademark and magnets allowing for ease of fastening and adjustability.