Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B22/00—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements
  • A63B22/16—Platforms for rocking motion about a horizontal axis, e.g. axis through the middle of the platform; Balancing drums; Balancing boards or the like
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
  • A61H2209/00—Devices for avoiding blood stagnation, e.g. Deep Vein Thrombosis [DVT] devices
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B22/00—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements
  • A63B22/0025—Particular aspects relating to the orientation of movement paths of the limbs relative to the body; Relative relationship between the movements of the limbs
  • A63B2022/0033—Lower limbs performing together the same movement, e.g. on a single support element

Definitions

• the present invention relates to devices for facilitating exercise of the lower leg, calf- muscle, ankle, foot, and toe in order to help to reduce the risks of deep vein thrombosis, for example during long commercial airline flights.
• Deep Vein Thrombosis is a medical problem which is related to lack of exercise of certain vital muscles in the legs which aid pumping blood back up the body from the feet and the lower legs to the heart, and can be associated with periods of prolonged stasis or inactivity, for example as a result of immobility after medical treatment, during long car journeys and also when travelling on long-haul flights, during which passengers typically remain seated for long periods of time, when the muscles of the lower legs and feet are not worked.
• Another device which has a pair of foot pedals pivotally mounted on a base with a rocking arm extending therebetween so as to constrain the pedals to move in opposite directions in a stepping motion. Furthermore, the rocking arm is removable and the base foldable so as to enable the device to be collapsed for compact storage.
• this device is again bulky when in its erect configuration, making it difficult to use effectively within the confines of an aircraft cabin, and is also very difficult to erect and collapse.
• An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an effective device which permits individual exercise of the lower leg and feet within a restricted area. It is also an object to provide a device which requires minimal storage space when in its collapsed state.
• an exercise device which is free standing and foldable with at least a convex lower, and preferably also a convex upper surface. More particularly, the present invention provides a lower leg exercise device comprising a first and a second panel which are hingedly connected together along one pair of opposing edges, and at least one forming panel which is movable between a first position in which said first and second panels lie substantially flat against each other, and a second position in which at least one of said first and second panels adopts a convexly curved shape.
• a lower leg exercise device in accordance with the invention has the advantage that it provides a simple and effective means for exercising the lower legs and feet within a confined space which is light weight, enabling a rocking motion to be executed which has been found to provide effective exercise for the lower leg, calf-muscle, ankle, foot and toes for reducing the risk of DVT, and can easily be folded flat for compact storage and carriage in a bag or in the pocket of a seat. It is also quick and easy to erect for use and is cheap and simple to manufacture.
• the or each forming panel takes the form of a hinged internal shaping former which is placed between the upper and lower surfaces, which, in the second position, applies a load to the first and second panels which deforms at least one thereof into a convexly curved shaped, which deformed panel then provides a rocking surface for executing the design exercise.
• the device advantageously includes a pair of longitudinally spaced forming panels which are realised as rib members that, in the second position, engage between inner surfaces of the first and second panels substantially perpendicularly thereto so as to maintain said panels in spaced apart relationship. This arrangement has the advantage that a particularly effective support system for the erect device is produced.
• the forming panels are preferably pivotally connected to one of the first and second panels by means of a suitable hinge system and are pivotally moveable about said hinge between said first and second positions.
• connection between the fo ⁇ ning panels and the main panels may be particularly effectively achieved by providing integrally formed actuating flaps and associated access openings in the first panel.
• Each said actuating flap then has attached thereto one of the forming panels and is pivotally moveable about a hinge line between a first position in which it engages in its associated opening and the attached forming panel lies substantially flat against the inner surface of first panel and a second position in which it extends towards the inner surface of the second panel, the attached fo ⁇ ning panel engaging said second panel and retaining the device in its erect configuration.
• the access openings enable the forming panels easily to be moved manually from the first to the second positions and the open ends of the device then facilitate the return movement to the collapsed configuration when the exercise is completed.
• a forming panel may be pivotally attached to the end edges of one or possibly both of the first and second panels for engagement, in their second positions, in the open ends of the device, which arrangement is particularly cheap and simple to manufacture.
• the fo ⁇ ning panels may be shaped with at least one convexly curving edge which engages with said at least one first or second panel and distorts it into a convexly curved shape.
• the forming panels may be elliptically shaped resulting in both the first and second panels adopted a convexly curving shape. This has the advantage that in addition to the floor engagement surface being curved for enabling rocking motion to be executed, the foot engagement surface is also curved, which has been found to further increase the effectiveness of the exercises.
• Correct assembly of the device from the collapsed configuration may be further simplified by provision of stops on the inner surface of one of the first and second panels which prevent the forming panels being pivotally moved beyond the correct second positions.
• the device may be constructed from a variety of different materials including, but not limited to plastic, card, corrugated card or plastic or the like. It is also advantageous for the material to be non-slip or have reduced slip properties so as to prevent sliding movement between the device and the operating surface and also between the device and the operator's feet. Alternatively, a reduced or non-slip finish could be applied to the outer surfaces of the first and second panels.
• Figure 1 is a bottom perspective view of a device according to the invention in an erect configuration
• Figure 2 is a top perspective view of the device of Figure 1 in an erect configuration showing the forming panels in phantom;
• Figure 3 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 in its erect configuration
• Figure 4 is an end view of the device of Figure 1 in its erect configuration
• Figure 5 is a bottom view of the device of Figure 1 in its erect configuration
• Figure 6 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 in a collapsed configuration
• Figure 7 is a bottom view of the device of Figure 1 in its collapsed configuration
• Figure 8 is an end view of the device of Figure 1 in a collapsed configuration
• Figure 9 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a device according to the invention in a semi-erect configuration
• Figure 10 is a top view of the embodiment of Figure 9 in a collapsed configuration
• Figure 11 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 9 in a collapsed configuration.
• FIGs 12 to 14 are top, side and end views, respectively, of the second embodiment in an erect configuration.
• a lower leg exercise device 1 which comprises an upper panel 2 and a lower panel 3 joined together along opposing longitudinal edges 4, 5 by means of hinges 7, which, in the illustrated embodiment, take the form of flexible webs of material. These webs may be integrally formed with the upper and/or lower panels or may be separately attached thereto.
• the device is illustrated in an erect position in which a pair of fo ⁇ ning panels 8 are engaged transversely between the upper and lower panels 2, 3 and at opposite ends of the device so as to maintain the panels 2, 3 in spaced apart relationship.
• the forming panels 8 are elliptical in shape and take the form of ribs which engage with an upper curved edge 9 against the upper panel 2 and a lower curved edge 10 against the lower panel 3 so that said upper and lower panels 2, 3 arc urged into a convex shape, the hinges 7 allowing the panels 2, 3 to move apart to form the device into an elliptical cross-section as shown in Figure 4.
• the forming panels 8 are, themselves, pivotally connected to the lower panel 3 by means of hinged operating panels 12.
• the operating panels 12 are integrally formed with the lower panel 3, and, by means of a fold line 13, are each foldable between a first position in which they are substantially co-planar with the lower panel 3, engaging in access openings 14 formed therein, and a second position in which they extend substantially perpendicularly from the lower panel 3 towards the upper panel 2, each said operating panel 12 having attached to it one of said forming panels 8.
• the operating panels 12 are manually pressed from the first position towards the upper panel using access opening 14 formed in the lower panel 3. This results in their pivoting about fold lines 13 towards their second positions shown in Figure 2, during which movement the upper and lower panels 2, 3 are urged apart into convexly curved shapes, resulting in the device assuming an elliptical shape shown in Figures 1 and 2.
• Retaining stops 15 are provided on the inner surface of the upper panel which prevent the forming panels being moved beyond their perpendicular positions.
• the device is positioned with the lower panel 3 on any working surface.
• the operator places the feet on the curved upper surface of the upper panel 2 and exercises by using the toes and heels to rock the device back and forth.
• the device Upon completion of exercises, the device is returned to its flat configuration by the operator inserting their fingers through the open ends of the device and manually pivotally moving the forming panels 8 away from the retaining stops 15 and back into flat engagement with the lower panel 3.
• the described embodiment includes two forming panels which are spaced longitudinally along the device, preferably at positions which coincide with the points at which the feet of the operator will be applied to the upper panel 2 so as to ensure that maximum support is provided for the loading which will be applied by the operator to the upper surface during use, it is also possible to use just a single former located centrally of the device in order to maintain the device in the necessary shape for operation.
• the or each forming panel may also be connected to the upper panel instead of the lower panel.
• the forming panels may instead of being located part way along the device as in the device illustrated in Figures 1 to 8, the forming panels may instead be pivotally attached to the end edges of the upper and/or lower panels.
• the device 101 includes four forming panels 108 attached to each end of the upper panel 102 and the lower panel 103 along fold lines 104.
• the longitudinal sides 105, 106 of the device are pressed towards each other, which, due to the flexibility of the upper and lower panels, causes said panels to bow convexly away from each and hence the device 101 to adopt an elliptical shape.
• the forming panels 108 carried on each end of the device are then folded along the now convexly curved fold lines 104 into the elliptical mouth at each end of the device so as to overlap each other, each said panel extending across the whole of the open mouth of the device, whereupon the device will be held in the erect configuration.
• Secondary flaps 109 as shown in Figures 10 - 14, may also be provided on the forming panels 108 to assist in fixing them in place, although other methods may also be used such as locating studs or grooves.
• cutout portions 1 10 are provided on the fo ⁇ ning panels to facilitate their removal from the ends of the device 101.
• the cut-out portions may be replaced by other means for facilitating withdrawal of the panels such as tags for the like.
• actuating tags may be provided on the forming panels so as to facilitate their movement between the first and second positions by the operator.
• hinged forming panels of the above described embodiments may be replaced by panels which are detactable from the device and simply inserted into the device and removed therefrom through the mouth formed at each end by the spaced apart transverse edges of the upper and lower panels.
• the transversely extending rib type forming panels are replaced by a single forming panel which is located midway between the hinged edges of the upper and lower panels and which extends longitudinally along the device so as to engage the upper and lower panels along their longitudinal centre lines only, the rigidity of the material of the upper and lower panels then resulting in said panels adopting convexly curving shapes.
• the fo ⁇ ning panel in this case may again be pivotally attached, by means of a suitable hinge, to the upper or lower panel or may instead be formed as a separate component which is inserted through the end of the device in a flat orientation and then rotated through 90 degrees so as to urge the longitudinal centre lines of the upper and lower panels apart.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Cardiology (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Rehabilitation Tools (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)
• Massaging Devices (AREA)
• Medicines Containing Material From Animals Or Micro-Organisms (AREA)
• External Artificial Organs (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9911998

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Families Citing this family (12)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2001
  • 2001-03-30 GB GBGB0108123.1A patent/GB0108123D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2002
  • 2002-03-22 MY MYPI20021022A patent/MY134076A/en unknown
  • 2002-03-26 SG SG200201726A patent/SG94872A1/en unknown
  • 2002-03-27 AU AU27757/02A patent/AU758247B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-03-28 AT AT02252342T patent/ATE250962T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-03-28 ES ES02252342T patent/ES2208625T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-03-28 DE DE60200044T patent/DE60200044T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-03-28 CN CN02120126A patent/CN1381289A/zh active Pending
  • 2002-03-28 WO PCT/GB2002/001492 patent/WO2002078792A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-03-28 EP EP02252342A patent/EP1245252B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-03-28 GB GB0207497A patent/GB2370998B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-04-01 JP JP2002098908A patent/JP3437564B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-04-01 US US10/113,195 patent/US20020142894A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-08-20 HK HK02106078.0A patent/HK1044727B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (5)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events