US20060217238A1

US20060217238A1 - Horseback riding fitness machine

Info

Publication number: US20060217238A1
Application number: US11/088,819
Authority: US
Inventors: Hsueh - Sen Liao
Original assignee: Hsin Lung Accessories Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hsin Lung Accessories Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-03-25
Filing date: 2005-03-25
Publication date: 2006-09-28

Abstract

The present invention describes a fitness machine that comes with a seat installed on a base for a user to sit on, an arm, a swinging member pivotally coupled to a rear end of the arm, a handle disposed on the swinging member at a section above the pivotal connection point for the user to grab with both hands, a pedal disposed at a section below the pivotal connection point for the user to press by both feet, and at least one force balancing member installed between the swinging member and the arm, such that a user can work out as if the user is riding a horse.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to fitness equipments, and more particularly to a horseback riding fitness machine that effectively simulates a horseback riding sport and the machine can be folded to an appropriate extent.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, working people usually cannot spare much time for outdoor activities and sports in their busy life, and thus they usually make use of their time during break, lunch, or after work to do some simple exercises or stretches of their body, or work out with related fitness equipments indoors to improve the metabolism of their bodies. Therefore, indoor equipments should have the basic functions for simulating related sports to meet the exerciser's requirements, and the indoor equipment should also be folded appropriately to save its storage space, when the equipment is not in use.
Indoor fitness equipments are designed preferably with a function of simulating outdoor sports such as boating and horseback riding, of which ordinary people can do regularly, so as to enhance the add-on value of the equipments and fulfill user's satisfaction with better fun. Among these equipments, the horseback riding machine has a smaller size, a simpler structure, and thus is extensively accepted by consumers. However, the conventional horseback riding fitness machine has a handle protruded from the front of the machine, and the protruded handle constitutes a hindrance to people walking around, when the machine is not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The horseback riding fitness machine in accordance with the present invention comes with a seat installed on a base for a user to sit on it, an arm extended to a predetermined distance from the base at a position corresponding to the middle section of the seat, a swinging member pivotally coupled to the rear end of the arm, a handle disposed above the swinging member in a section corresponding to the pivotal connection point for a user to grab with both hands, and a pedal disposed in a section below the pivotal connection point for the user to step on.
At least one force balancing member is installed between the swinging member and the arm, such that when the user steps on the pedal with both feet and sits on the seat while grabbing the handle with both hands, the user has to drive the force balancing member by pulling both hands backward and pressing both legs forward to move the pedal. If the user releases both hands or both legs, or both hands push forward, the force balancing member as well as the pedal are pulled backward and get ready for the user to repeat the movement of pulling both hands backward and pressing both legs forward, so as to constitute a simulated horseback riding.
Particularly, a folding rod connects the handle and the swinging member, so that when the horseback riding fitness machine is not in use, the handle can be folded backward in a direction towards the seat to greatly reduce the hindrance to the people around and improve the convenience of its storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an operating horseback riding fitness machine in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an operating horseback riding fitness machine when the handle is folded in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of adjusting the height for a seat and a handle according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the movements of a force balancing member according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the operation of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an operating horseback riding fitness machine in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the structure a drag accessory according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

To make it easier for our examiner to understand the present invention, the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings of an embodiment are given for example, but such preferred embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a basic structure of the accessories in a horseback riding fitness machine in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. The horseback riding fitness machine of the invention comprises a base 10, a seat 20 installed on the base 10, an arm 30, a swinging member 40, and at least one force balancing member 50.
The base 10 is the main mechanical structure of the whole horseback riding fitness machine, which is placed on a floor to maintain a basic stable gravitational effect. The base 10 has a joint pipe 11 disposed at the central position of the base and slanted backward for installing the seat 20, and a lock knob 12 disposed at a position where the joint pipe 11 and the seat 20 are installed for adjusting the height of the seat 20 as shown in FIG. 3.
The arm 30 is installed on the base 10 at a position corresponding to a middle section of the seat 20. In this embodiment, a base section of the arm 30 is coupled to a side of the joint pipe 11, such that a rear end of the arm 30 is extended to a predetermined length towards the front end of the base 10. The swinging member 40 is pivotally coupled to the rear end of the arm 30, and the swinging member 40 has a handle 41 disposed at a section above its corresponding pivotal connection point for a user to grab with both hands and a pedal 42 disposed at a section below said pivotal connection point for the user to step on with both feet, and the force balancing member 50 is installed between the swinging member 40 and the arm 30.
In a practical application of this embodiment, the force balance member 50 is comprised of a resilient member, and an end of the force balancing member 50 is directly and pivotally coupled with the arm 30, and the other end is pivotally coupled with the swinging member 40 through a link rod 43, such that the handle 41 in front of the swinging member 40 is swung to the front of the base 10 under normal conditions. The swinging member 40 produces an effect of balancing the force applied by the user (which is regarded as an effect of slowing down the speed of the swinging member 40) while the swinging member 40 is swinging. Of course, both ends of the force balancing member 50 as shown in FIG. 4 could be pivotally coupled to the arm 30 and a hydraulic cylinder of the swinging member 40 respectively to achieve the same effect as described above for balancing the force applied by the user while the swinging member 40 is swinging.
Referring to FIG. 5 for a user stepping on the pedal 42 with both feet and grabbing the handle 41 with both hands while sitting on the seat 20, the user has to pull both hands back and press both feet forward to drive the force balancing member 50 to move, so that the pedal 42 can move forward. If the user releases the force of both hands or both legs, or push both hands forward, the force balancing member 50 as well as the pedal 42 will be pulled backward to get ready for the user to pull both hands or press both feet forward again, so as to work out as if the user is riding a horse.
Further, the handle 41 provided for the user to grab by both hands is connected to the swinging member 40 through a folding rod 44, and the folding rod 44 and the swinging member 40 are pivotally coupled with a rear end of the arm 30 concurrently by a pivot 45, such that the folding rod 44 has an effect of being folded in a direction towards the seat 20 with the pivot 45 as the center (as shown in FIG. 2) or being folded towards the front of the base 10 (as shown in FIG. 1). A movable pin 46 is installed at an overlapped position where the folding rod 44 is folded towards the front of the base 10 and inserted between the folding rod 44 and the swinging member 40, and a stop rod 47 is installed on the swinging member 40 at a position corresponding to a front side of the overlapped position for restricting the movement of the folding rod 44 and facilitating an insertion of the movable pin 46 between the folding rod 44 and the swinging member 40. Therefore, the folding rod 44 can be folded towards the front of the base 10 and fixed in position, and thus achieving the effect of linking the handle 41 and the swinging member 40.
On the other hand, if the horseback riding fitness machine is not in use, the user just needs to pull out the movable pin 46, so that the handle 41 can be folded in a direction towards the seat 20 as shown in FIG. 2 to greatly reduce the hindrance to the people around and improve the convenience of the storage of the fitness machine.
Similarly, the folding rod 44 can be in the form of a joint pipe as shown in FIG. 3, so as to facilitate the installation of the main body of the handle 41. A lock knob 12 is installed at an overlapped position of the main body of the handle 41 and the folding rod 44, such that the whole horseback riding fitness machine has the function of adjusting the height of the handle 41.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the present invention further comprises a set of drag accessories 60 pivotally coupled at a position where the swinging member 40 and the arm are pivotally coupled for appropriately adjusting the mobility between the swinging member 40 and the arm 30 and further achieving the effect of adjusting the level of applying force for exercises.
In a practical application of this embodiment, the drag accessory 60 has a main body comprised of a drag wheel 61 linked to the swinging member 40, and the drag wheel 61 has a flexible binder 62 disposed around the periphery of the drag wheel 61. One end of the flexible binder 62 is fixed directly to the arm 30 and the other end is coupled with the arm 30 through a rigid slab 63. The rigid slab 63 has an adjusting bolt 64 disposed on the rigid slab 63 at a section proximate to the flexible binder 62 for adjusting the level of attachment between the rigid slab 63 and the arm 30 to drag the binding capability of the rigid slab 63 to the drag wheel 61. Thus, the invention achieves the effect of adjusting the level of applying force for exercises as well as enhancing the functions and add-on values of the whole horseback riding fitness machine.
In summation of the description above, the present invention provides an operable horseback riding fitness machine that complies with the patent application requirements. The description and its accompanied drawings are used for describing preferred embodiments of the present invention, and it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.

Claims

1. A horseback riding fitness machine, comprising:

a base, being a main mechanical construction of said horseback riding fitness machine and placed on a floor for maintaining a basic stable gravitational effect;

a seat, installed on said base for a user to sit on;

an arm, installed on said base at a position corresponding to a middle section of said seat;

a swinging member, pivotally coupled to a rear end of said arm, and having a handle disposed at a section above its corresponding pivotal connection point for said user to grab with both hands and a pedal disposed at a section below said pivotal connection point for users to step on with both feet; and

at least one force balancing member, for balancing a force applied by said user while said swinging member is swinging.

2. The horseback riding fitness machine of claim 1, wherein said base comprises a joint pipe disposed at the central position of said base and slanted backward for installing said seat, and a lock knob disposed at a position where said joint pipe and said seat are installed for adjusting the height of said seat.

3. The horseback riding fitness machine of claim 2, wherein said arm has a base section coupled to a side of said joint pipe, such that a rear end of said arm is extended to a predetermined length towards a front end of said base.

4. The horseback riding fitness machine of claim 1, wherein said handle is coupled with said swinging member through a folding rod.

5. The horseback riding fitness machine of claim 4, wherein said folding rod and said swinging member are pivotally coupled with a rear end of said arm concurrently by a pivot, such that said folding rod has an effect of being folded towards said seat with said pivot as the center or being folded towards the front of said base, and a movable pin is installed at an overlapped position of said folding rod that is folded towards the front of said base to be inserted between said folding rod and said swinging member, and a stop rod is installed on said swinging member at a position corresponding to a front side of said overlapped position for restricting the.movement of said folding rod and facilitating an insertion of said movable pin between said folding rod and said swinging member.

6. The horseback riding fitness machine of claim 1, wherein said force balancing member is comprised of a resilient member, and an end of said force balancing member is directly and pivotally coupled with said arm, and the other end is pivotally coupled with said swinging member through a link rod.

7. The horseback riding fitness machine of claim 1, wherein said force balancing member is produced by pivotally coupling both ends of force balancing member with said arm and a hydraulic cylinder of said swinging member respectively.

8. The horseback riding fitness machine of claim 1, wherein said swinging member and said arm have a set of dray accessories disposed at a pivotal connection position of said swinging member and said arm for adjusting the mobility between said swinging member and said arm and achieve an effect of changing the level of applying force for exercises.

9. The horseback riding fitness machine of claim 8, wherein said drag accessory is comprised of a drag wheel linked to said swinging member, said drag wheel has a flexible binder disposed around the periphery of said drag wheel, and one end of said flexible binder is fixed directly to said arm and the other end is coupled with said arm through a rigid slab, and said rigid slab has an adjusting bolt disposed on said rigid slab at a section proximate to said flexible binder for adjusting the level of attachment between said flexible binder and said drag wheel on said arm to generate the binding capability of said binder to said drag wheel and achieve the effect of adjusting the level of applying force for exercises.