JP5610496B2 - Improved abdominal exercise device with rotating seat and pulley mechanism located in tandem - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to the field of exercise devices, and more particularly to a new and useful abdominal exercise device with a seat and a structure for supporting the back.

  Various exercise devices and techniques are known for exercise of the abdominal and back muscles. Of these, the most common is sit-up or crunch, but it is also known to put reverse pressure on the muscles of the back and neck.

  Patent documents 1 and 2 are both included in this specification by reference, but disclose an abdominal exercise device jointly invented by the inventors of the present application. The present application discloses improvements discovered as a result of the inventor's prior understanding of the use and mechanics of the device while being effective for abdominal and back muscle exercises.

US Pat. No. 7,381,171 US Design No. 581,471

  There remains a need for further improvements in abdominal exercise devices that improve abdominal and back muscle exercise and do not apply reverse pressure to the back and neck muscles.

  An object of the present invention is to support a user's back by connecting to the base frame, a back frame pivotally mounted near the rear of the base frame and moving between an upright position and a recumbent position. Providing an abdominal exercise device comprising at least one back cushion, a seat frame mounted for rotation on a base frame, and a seat cushion secured to the seat frame on which a user sits It is. A low-friction journal bush mounted inside the journal post so as to be rotatable is operatively connected between the base frame and the seat frame to support the weight of the user. The bush and post are about 30% to about 42% of the length from the back of the seat cushion to the front of the seat cushion so that the user can sit on the seat cushion and lean his back against the back cushion The tailbone of the user aligns with the bush and post substantially vertically. The arms on each side of the base frame have a pair of extensions connected to the base frame or seat frame. Each arm has a U-shaped grip portion located on a plane extending at an acute angle of about 30 degrees to about 80 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. The pair of pulleys are rotatably attached to the rear portion of the base frame, and engage a spring covered with an elastic sleeve. The spring is coupled between the base frame and the back frame so as to bias the back frame toward the upright position.

  A further object of the present invention is to provide a base frame placed on a horizontal surface above the floor, having a pair of side members and a cross member connected between the side members of the base frame, and each side member of the base frame. Near each rear, there is a pair of pivotally attached side members, connected between a back frame that moves between an upright position at the front and a recumbent position at the back, and a side member of the back frame And an H-shaped seat having a plurality of back cushions arranged at intervals along the side member, a front member, a rear member, and a cross member connected between the front member and the rear member. A frame, a seat frame fixed to the seat frame, positioned on the front member, the rear member, and the cross member of the seat frame, having a front portion and a rear portion, and a vertically extending shaft hole. A low friction journal bush connected to one cross member of the base frame and the seat frame, and a low friction journal bush connected to the other cross member of the base frame and the seat frame so as to rotate into the low friction journal bush. A journal post housed so that the seat cushion rotates relative to the base frame, connected to the support portion of the cross member near the journal post and in contact with the low friction journal bushing to support weight. The low-friction journal bushing and the journal post housed therein support about the weight of the user sitting on the seat cushion, and are about 30% to about 30% of the length from the back of the seat cushion to the front of the seat cushion. At 42% position, the user sits on the seat cushion and leans back against the back cushion When caulked, the user's tailbone is aligned with the low-friction journal bushing and the journal post housed in the journal post, and arms on each side of the base frame. Each arm has a pair of extension portions connected to one of a base frame and a seat frame, and each arm extends at an acute angle of about 30 degrees to about 80 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane. The arm grips on both sides of the base frame increase the space available to the user sitting on the seat cushion, making it easier for the user to grip the grip Therefore, an arm extending in the outward direction, a pulley mounted to rotate near the rear of each side of the base frame, the base frame side member and the back frame side An abdominal exercise device comprising: a tension spring coupled between the members and biasing the back frame toward the forward upright position; and an elastic sleeve covering each tension spring and engaging each one of the pulleys. Is to provide.

  Various features of the novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims appended hereto and form a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the present invention and the operational advantages and specific objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and description in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

In a side view, front view, and top perspective view of an abdominal exercise device embodying the present invention upright and viewed from the front, ready for use by the user for exercise of the abdominal and back muscles is there. FIG. 1 is an apparatus similar to FIG. 1, but with the back frame and cushion moved from a front upright position to a rear lying position for exercise of back muscles of a user (not shown) sitting on the apparatus. It is a figure which shows an apparatus. 2 is the same device as in FIG. 2, but the back frame and cushion are moved to the recumbent position and the seat frame and cushion of the device are rotated to the leftmost position so that the muscles of the user's flank can be exercised. FIG. FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the device in a state in which the seat frame and the cushion are rotated to the rightmost position and the user's flank muscles can be exercised. A device that shows that the extension of the U-shaped grip on the arm of the device is angled rather than vertical to ensure more space on the seat cushion and to make the grip easier to grip It is a front view and a schematic perspective view. Side view and schematic perspective view of the device showing the user sitting on a seat cushion to show that the low friction, weight bearing journal and its position are aligned perpendicular to the bottom of the user's spine FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view from the top of the device showing better the position of the journal relative to the front and rear of the seat cushion. It is a disassembled perspective view of the abdominal exercise device of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of the device with arms fixed to the seat frame rather than the base frame. It is an enlarged side view of a lock pin that holds the seat frame at a position where the base frame does not rotate. It is an expansion exploded sectional view of the journal part of an apparatus. FIG. 6 is a partial rear perspective view of a further embodiment of the present invention showing a pulley arranged in tandem, a spring covered by an elastic sleeve on each side of the base frame and back frame, and a safety band covering the pulley and spring.

  Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals are used for the same or similar elements, FIGS. 1 and 8 show an abdominal exercise device 10 comprising a base frame 12 in a horizontal plane on the floor. The base frame includes a pair of side members 12a and 12b and a cross member 12c connected by welding, for example, between the side members of the base frame. The members 12a, 12b, and 12c are preferably quadrilateral and rectangular metal tubes. The back frame 14 has a pair of side members 14a, 14b and is pivotally mounted on a pair of ears 13 near the top of the base frame side members 12a, 12b and the rear of each of the side members. It moves between a front upright position shown in FIG. 1 and a rear lying position shown in FIG. The bolt 15 passes through the alignment holes of the pair of ears 13 on each side of the base frame 12, holds the back frame side members 14a and 14b on the base frame, and is attached to rotate on each side of the base frame 12. It becomes an axis of one or two pulleys 60 that are formed. Each of the plurality of back cushions 20 has a shape of a rotatable foam rubber roller, and is connected between the side members 14a and 14b of the back frame 14 and is disposed along the side members at intervals. The roller cushion 20 at the lowermost part is mounted so as to rotate on the same shaft on which the bolts 15 facing each other extend.

  The H-shaped seat frame 16 having the front member and the rear members 16a and 16b has a cross member 16c connected by welding, for example, between the front member and the rear member. The seat cushion 30 that is filled is fixed to the seat frame 16 and is positioned on the front member, the rear member, and the cross member of the seat frame. The seat cushion has a front portion 30a and a rear portion 30b.

  A low friction journal bush 40 also shown in FIG. 11 is made of low friction nylon or the like, and has a shaft hole 40a extending vertically. The low friction journal bush 40 is fixed to the cross member 12c by, for example, passing through the shaft hole of the cross member, or having a small diameter flange ring 40c at the lower part and a large diameter flange ring 40b at the upper part. The upper flange ring 40b has a wide and flat bearing surface having an annular upper portion. The journal post 42 is welded, for example, and connected to the cross member 16 c of the seat frame 16. Further, the journal post 42 is housed so as to rotate in the low friction journal bushing shaft hole 40 a so that the seat cushion 30 can rotate with respect to the base frame 12.

  The support portion of the seat frame cross member 16c adjacent to the journal post 42 is in contact with the upper surface of the flange 14b of the upper portion of the low friction journal bush 40 so as to support the body weight, and sits on the seat cushion as shown in FIG. Supports the overall weight of the user 100. As shown in FIG. 7, the low friction journal bush 40 and the journal post 42 housed therein are at a position C from the rear portion 30 b of the seat cushion 30. That is, it is about 30% to about 42% (preferably about 33% to 39%) of the total length B of the rear portion 30b of the seat cushion to the front portion 30a of the seat cushion 30. With this important arrangement of the rotating journal relative to the seat frame 16 and its seat cushion 30, when a user 100 sitting on the seat cushion 30 leans his back against the back cushion 20, as indicated by the mark X in FIG. The tailbone below the user's spine 102 aligns substantially vertically with the low friction journal bushing 40 and the journal post 42 housed therein. In this way, substantially all of the user's weight is concentrated on the upper surface of the bushing flange 40b, thus supporting the weight necessary for free and easy rotation of the seat cushion 30 on the base frame 12. Therefore, the other structure is not necessary. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the total length B from the front to the rear of the seat cushion 30 is about 11 inches (about 27.94 cm), while the length C is about 4 inches (about 10 inches). .16 cm).

  A similar weight support function can be obtained in another embodiment of the present invention in which the bush 40 is attached to the cross member 16c of the seat frame 16 and the post 42 is attached to the cross member 12c of the base frame 12. .

  The arm 50 is provided on each side of the base frame 12. Each arm has a pair of extension portions 50a and 50b removably connected to the side tubes 12d and 12e. The side tubes 12d and 12e extend from the side members 12a and 12b of the base frame 12. As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the side tube 12e is a metal tube having a circular cross section welded to the outer surfaces of the side members 12a and 12b. The side tube 12d is actually a metal tube having a circular cross section of the base frame 12, which is an extended portion on the opposite side of the front member, and is welded so as to cross the front portions of the side members 12a and 12b. .

  Each arm 50 includes a U-shaped grip 50c best shown in FIG. The U-shaped grip 50c is located on a surface extending at an acute angle A of about 30 degrees to about 80 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. The grip portions 50c of the arms 50 on both sides of the base frame increase the space that can be used by the user sitting on the seat cushion 30 and make it easier for the user to grip the grip portion by hand. Exist. An even more preferred range of angle A is about 50 to 70 degrees. The diameter of the tube having the circular cross section as the arm extension portions 50a and 50b is smaller than that of the circular tube having the cross section as the base frame extension portions 12d and 12e, so that the arm tube is fitted into the tube of the base frame. 50 and the base frame 12 can be removed. The locking of the position of the arms 50 on both sides of the base frame 12 is the opposite side where the pair of outer spring-loaded hemispheres 50d near the inner end of the front extension 50a is near the end of the base frame extension 12d. This is done by fitting in the hole 12h. No further locking is required for the rear extension 50b.

  In this embodiment, the arm 50 is fixed to the base frame 12, and the user can rotate the user's waist by grasping the grip portion 50c of the arm, so that the back frame 14 can be rotated between the upright position and the recumbent position. While changing, the seat cushion 30 on the base frame can be rotated to focus on the user's flank muscles. In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9, the arm extensions 50a, 50b are arranged on the front and rear of the seat frame 16 so that the arm 50 rotates with the seat cushion 30 for another series of movements. Removably connected to the opposite tubular ends of the members 16a, 16b.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in order to lock the seat frame 16 and its cushion 30 in a central non-rotating position, the seat frame member 16b has one tubular end 16d protruding from the seat cushion 30; And a vertical lock hole aligned with the vertical lock hole 12j disposed in the rear arm extension 50b. The lock hole 12j may be arranged in the rear base frame extension 12 in the embodiment of FIG. 8, and in particular in the embodiment of FIG. 9 where the arm is connected to the seat frame. The lock pin 70 has a shaft 70b and a ball handle 70a, and inserts the shaft 70b into a matching lock hole to fix the seat frame in a fixed position. As best shown in FIG. 10, the annular groove 70 c near the upper end of the shaft 70 b allows the user to move by catching the sheet metal material of the hollow tube constituting the seat frame and the base frame with a lock hole. At this time, the lock pin 70 is prevented from being accidentally removed. Due to the gravitational action and the extra weight of the ball handle 70a, the pin 70 is irregularly returned to its locked position and does not come out of the lock hole during movement. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in a state where the lock pin is removed from the lock hole, when the user rotates the waist, the seat cushion 30 can rotate left and right to increase the routine of exercise.

  The pulley 60 is mounted to rotate around the bolt 15 near the rear of the base frame 12 on each side. One end of the tension spring 80 has an eye 84 engaged with a spring post 14c extending from the back frame side member 14a, and the other end is a spring extending from the base frame side member 12a. It has an eye 85 that engages with the post 12f, and urges the back frame 14 toward the forward upright position, as shown in FIGS. A threaded knob 86 is screwed into the threaded ends of the spring posts 14c, 12f to secure the spring 80 in place. An elastic sleeve such as a foam rubber sleeve 82 covers each spring 80, and each spring covered by the elastic sleeve engages with a groove of one pulley 60.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG. 12, a pair of tandem pulleys 60, 60 are mounted on each side of the base frame to rotate about the longer bolt 15. Yes. Further, each tension spring 80 covered with the elastic sleeve 82 is connected between the base frame side member and the back frame side member, engages with each pulley 60, and moves the back frame toward the front upright position. Energize with double power. This increases resistance to movement to the recumbent position and accommodates more powerful training. The pulley arranged in tandem can be used in the conventional abdominal exercise apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,171 and U.S. Design No. 581,471 and is used with the improvements of FIGS. can do. As shown in FIG. 12, one pulley 60 or two pulleys 60, 60 have a width that can sufficiently cover the circumference, and the circumference thereof is around the spring 80 covered with the pulley 60, the spring post, and the sleeve 82. An elastic fabric band 90, slightly smaller than the path, can also be used with pulleys arranged in tandem and / or with the improvements shown in FIGS. In use, the band 90 extends over the pulley to engage a sleeve-covered spring and is held in place by a pair of hook-and-loop cover straps 92 passing behind one or two springs 80. . The held position is above where the sleeve 82 and pulley 60 grooves engage, and above and below where two straps are used when engaged. The strap then engages itself at the bottom and returns to a state where it is held on the contact surface by the action of the surface fastener. The use of the elastic band 90 has the following two purposes. First, as a safety measure when the spring or its accessories are broken, all parts are confined in a stretchable fabric band to prevent entry into the device. The stretch fabric band then silences or reduces the sound produced by the springs and pulleys as the device moves between the upright and recumbent positions during training.

  While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown in detail to illustrate the basic principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise in a manner that does not depart from the basic principles. I want.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Abdominal exercise apparatus 12 Base frame 12a, 12b Base frame side member 12c Base frame cross member 12d, 12e Side tube (side extension part) 12f, 14c Spring post 12j Lock hole 13 Ear 14 Back frame 14a, 14b Back frame Side member 15 Bolt 16 Seat frame 16a Front member 16b of seat frame Rear member 16c of seat frame Cross member 16d of seat frame End (seat frame extension) 20 Back cushion 30 Seat cushion 40 Low friction journal bush 40a Shaft hole 40b Large diameter flange ring 40c Small diameter flange ring 42 Journal post 50 Arm 50a, 50b Arm extension 50c Grip 50d Hemisphere 60 Pulley 70 Lock pin 7 a ball handle 70b shaft 70c annular groove 80 a tension spring 82 resilient sleeve 84, 85 I 86 threaded knob 90 stretching the fabric band 92 covering the strap

Claims (2)

A base frame,
A back frame pivotally mounted near the rear of the base frame and moving between an upright position and a recumbent position;
At least one back cushion coupled to the back frame and supporting the back of the user;
A seat frame rotatably attached to the base frame;
A seat cushion fixed to the seat frame and on which a user sits;
A low-friction journal bush connected to the base frame that supports the weight of a user sitting on the seat cushion;
A journal post coupled to the seat frame and mounted for rotation in the low friction journal bushing for rotating the seat frame and the seat cushion on the base frame, the seat Located at about 30% to about 42% of the length from the back of the cushion to the front of the seat cushion, the user's tailbone sitting on the seat cushion is connected to the low friction journal bush and the journal post. Journal posts that are aligned substantially vertically,
Arms connected to each side of the base frame, each extending to an acute angle of about 30 degrees to about 80 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane on which the base frame is placed, and a pair of extension parts connected to the base frame An arm including a U-shaped grip positioned on a surface to be
A pair of pulleys rotatably mounted on the rear of the base frame and on both sides of the base frame;
A tension spring covered with an elastic sleeve that engages with each pulley, the tension spring being connected between the base frame and the back frame and biasing the back frame toward the upright position; An abdominal exercise device comprising: The abdominal exercise device according to claim 1,
The side member of the base frame includes a tubular side extension;
The extension of each arm is removably attached to the tubular side extension on each side of the base frame, and the arm is secured to the base frame as the seat frame rotates. And
The grip portion is located on a surface extending at an acute angle of about 50 degrees to about 70 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane;
The low friction journal bushing and the journal post housed therein are located from about 33% to about 39% of the length from the rear of the seat cushion to the front of the seat cushion;
The rear member of the seat frame is
A seat frame extension extending beyond the seat cushion;
A locking hole positioned on the seat frame extension and one of the extension portions of the base frame or the arm and aligned when the seat cushion rotates to a central position;
A lock pin that is inserted into the aligned lock hole and fixes the seat cushion in the center position, and the lock pin includes:
An upper handle having at least one dimension larger than the lock hole;
An abdominal exercise device comprising a shaft having an annular groove near the upper handle and having a smaller diameter than the lock hole and extending into the matching lock hole.

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