WO2011099835A1

WO2011099835A1 - Portable leg exercising apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2011099835A1
Application number: PCT/MX2010/000121
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fernando Armando PÉREZ PALACIOS ARIAS
Original assignee: Perez Palacios Arias Fernando Armando
Priority date: 2010-02-10
Filing date: 2010-11-03
Publication date: 2011-08-18
Also published as: MX2010001606A

Abstract

Portable leg and cardiovascular exercising apparatus comprising two parallel rails, supported on four legs each having rubber nonslip devices on their lower part to prevent the apparatus from moving. Said rails may be independent or joined by hinges. On each rail runs a skid comprising a pedal; a channel; lubricated plastic elements or upper and lower rollers; braking assembly to increase friction that comprises a handle; a part for holding the brake lining; a brake lining and a spring; and a system for counteracting the force of the brake.

Description

PORTABLE LEG EXERCISE APPARATUS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to exercise equipment, and particularly to a portable cardiovascular exercise device, which involves the muscles of the legs for its operation and allows physical activity while the person is sitting.

Background of the invention

Currently, the exercise equipment industry is becoming very important, because people have more health problems and are overweight because of the lifestyle we are currently subject to. Many alternatives have been presented to solve this problem, but none of them has proven to be highly effective, because the percentage of sedentary people continues to grow.

Gyms do not provide a solution for many people, since most people do not have time to regularly attend one, or cannot pay their fees.

The personal exercise equipment that currently exists in the market is also not a good alternative for many people, since there are some such as treadmills, stationary bicycles and elliptical machines that have a high price and people who can afford these equipment, often not they have time to use them, because they spend almost all day at work.

There are other types of alternatives that promise great results, such as belts of electrical impulses and vibrating machines, but that do not represent a significant physical activity for health in general, nor a solution for overweight problems. This is the same case of other miracle products, such as creams and pills, which people turn to for lack of alternatives that meet their needs, with little time and money.

In the market some compact equipment, such as bicycles, are sold at a low cost, but which are not designed to be portable and so people are limited to using them in their homes.

US 2004043876 describes an apparatus for exercising the legs or arms, which is portable. It consists of a rectangular base and a carriage that moves through said base, adjusting the friction by means of spring loading. The recommended use is therapeutic, however, it is not intended for use in an office environment, since both feet are placed in the same car and work in the same direction, creating a force in the opposite direction to the movement of the legs in the user, which causes a displacement if he uses it in chairs that have wheels, such as those commonly found in offices. The apparatus disclosed in US 2004043876 has a piece in which the user's foot is placed, which was designed to support the foot or hand, unlike the present invention, which is a design that allows the exercise to be performed with different types of footwear, including heels. Another difference lies in the base, although this document describes a rectangular base that supports the entire structure, the This invention consists of independent rails with four legs each, making it lighter and easier to transport.

Another document that describes a portable exercise device is GB 2276828, it is an exerciser that does allow the independent movement of each foot, it consists of two platforms where the feet are placed, said platforms are subject to cables, which pass through a arrangement of pulleys, where friction is applied by means of a knob to one of the cables. The platforms run through rails, which are joined by two bars. Like other devices, the foot platforms are flat, making it difficult to use with heels. This apparatus also has the disadvantage against the present invention of space and weight of transportation, since it has a greater number of pieces so it is more complex and since the rails are fixed to the horizontal bars, the space it occupies to be transported is older.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention aims to provide a portable exercise apparatus characterized in that it comprises: a first rail having a first axis horizontal axis element and a first axis vertical axis element located below the element in horizontal axis of first rail and a first slide slidably mounted on the horizontal axis element of first rail through a first sliding assembly that is in contact with the horizontal axis element of first rail, the first skate is formed by a first channel on which a first pedal is mounted, the first channel has in its internal part, a first braking assembly to provide resistance to the Pedal sliding, the first braking assembly has a first braking adjustment means.

In addition, the apparatus may have a second rail having a horizontal axis element of second rail and a vertical axis element of second rail located below the horizontal axis element of second rail and a second skate slidably mounted on the element in horizontal axis of second rail through a second sliding assembly that is in contact with the element in horizontal axis of second rail, the second skate is formed by a second channel on which a second pedal is mounted, the second channel has, internally, a second brake assembly to provide resistance to pedal slippage, the second brake assembly includes a second brake adjustment means.

Each of the first rail and the second rail has legs mounted on each of its ends, each leg has, attached to its lower face, a rubber to prevent the device from sliding.

The first rail and the second rail can be joined together by hinges and the first pedal and the second pedal have, in their upper part, a non-skid material bonded.

Each of the first rail and the second rail further comprises an additional horizontal axis element located below each vertical axis element and each of the first and second adjustment means includes a knob that presses a spring and a bullet against the rail. correspondent.

Sliding assemblies include plastics lubricated or as an embodiment the sliding assemblies include upper rollers that rest on an upper face of the first rail horizontal axis element, and lower rollers that are in contact with a lower face of the first rail horizontal axis element.

Likewise, the invention provides in one embodiment a portable exercise apparatus characterized in that it comprises: a rail assembly having two parallel tubular elements and a first slide slidably mounted on the rail assembly through a sliding assembly which is in contact with the rail assembly, the skate is formed by a channel on which a pedal is mounted, the channel has in its internal part, a first braking assembly to provide resistance to the sliding of the pedal, the braking assembly has a means of brake adjustment.

Brief description of the figures

To give a better understanding of the invention, a description of it is provided below, together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the skate of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of the pedal of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the magnet rail of the apparatus of figure 1;

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the sensor channel of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the skate with electronic device of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 7 s a side view of the skate with electronic device of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a front view of the channel and internal components with a roller system;

Figure 9 is a bottom view of the rail with the channel of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a view of the apparatus with a hinge joint system of one embodiment of the invention; Y

Figure 1 1 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.

Description of the invention

Based on the aforementioned, a low-cost and portable exercise device is presented, which allows people to perform a significant activity for their health, while performing other activities, such as office duties, watching television or using a computer; thus solving the problems of time and money of the current population.

According to the figures, the operation is based on the frictional resistance that exists between a rail (1) and a skate that runs through it, opposing resistance in both directions. The apparatus consists of at least one rail-skate, and may be one for each leg of the user. The user places each foot on a pedal (4), and performs a forward and backward movement on the rails (1) with each leg alternately. The rails (1) have legs (2), which in turn have rubber bands on the bottom to prevent the device from sliding when using it. The legs (2) are pieces in the form of an angle at 90 degrees, which allow easy assembly to the rail (1). The skate is made up of a channel (3), which is the piece to which the rest of the components of each skate are fixed; a pedal (4), which is the piece that transfers the force made by the user to the skate; a braking assembly to adjust the level of difficulty, which regulates friction by means of a knob (5) which, when rotated, presses a spring which in turn presses a bullet (6) against the rail (1); a sliding assembly consisting of lubricated plastics (7), which are in direct contact with the face or upper part of the rail (1); a clamping piece of the balata (8); and an opposite brake (9), which counteracts the force made by the braking assembly to prevent wear of the lubricated plastics (17). The pedal has in its upper section non-skid material, which together with the angle (a) of its shape allows adequate traction, as well as a natural movement of the foot on the corner (10) of the pedal. This piece also has an angle (β) on one side, which allows this movement of the foot, even with heels. The angle α is in a range of 90 ° to 10 °, preferably 100 °. The angle β is in a range of 85 ° to 65 ° preferably 75 °.

The device has an electronic data acquisition assembly, which uses a magnet (1 1) placed on the rail (1), which activates a magnetic sensor (12) each time the skate passes over it. Said sensor (12) sends a signal to a module that amplifies and converts the analog signal to digital to be fed to a microprocessor, which through a UART interface sends a warning (bit or boolean) to a wireless module (bluetooth) the which transmits to a computer or cell phone, the notice of a change of magnetic flux (movement on the rail), to calculate and visualize the work, speed and time of each training that the user performs. The microprocessor and the wireless module are in a card (13) located on the channel (3).

The device can work with some variants depending on its use. The rails (1) shown in the figures have a "T" shape, but can also work with †, "H" shaped rails or the like.

The lubricated plastics can also be replaced by rollers, to reduce the coefficient of friction or avoid excessive wear of the rails as shown in Figures 8 and 9. Two upper rollers (14), rest and can slide on the upper face of the rail (1); and lower rollers (15) that are in contact with the bottom face of the rail (1). A combination of an upper roller and a lower roller or a pair of upper rollers and a pair of lower rollers can be used. As an embodiment of the invention, the channel 3 can be used without the brake 9 or the wall where said brake 9 is mounted, that is, the channel 3 becomes an angular profile.

If the device is used on a surface with a low coefficient of friction, the rails (1) can be joined by a hinge system (16), which will eliminate the tendency of the apparatus to move forward and backward, due to the alternating movement of the user's legs since the hinges (16) open in the opposite direction by means of stops (17). Said hinges (16), in addition to helping to prevent movement of the apparatus on very smooth surfaces, also allow the apparatus to be folded for ease of transport.

With reference to Figure 1 1, another embodiment of the present invention is shown, where tubular rails 18 are used, on which the channel (3) and the pedal (4) are mounted, but with a plastic sliding assembly lubricated (19), which covers the periphery of the rails (18). The braking assembly (not illustrated) also adapts to the periphery of the rails (18), so that an adapted ballast manages to brake, according to an adjustment, the sliding assembly. Similarly, channel 3 can be exchanged for an angular profile.

The present invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that a multiplicity of changes and modifications of this invention can be made, without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1 .- A portable exercise apparatus characterized in that it comprises: a first rail having a horizontal axis element of first rail and a vertical axis element of first rail located below the horizontal axis element of first rail and a first mounted skate slidably on the first rail horizontal axis element through a first slide assembly that is in contact with the first rail horizontal axis element, the first skate is formed by a first profile on which a first rail is mounted pedal, the first profile has in its internal part, a first braking assembly to provide resistance to the sliding of the pedal, the first braking assembly has a first braking adjustment means.

2 - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a second rail having a second axis horizontal axis element and a second axis vertical axis element located below the second horizontal axis element rail and a second skate slidably mounted on the second axis horizontal axis element through a second sliding assembly that is in contact with the second axis horizontal axis element, the second skate is formed by a second profile on which is mounted on a second pedal, the second profile has, in its internal part, a second brake assembly to provide resistance to the sliding of the pedal, the second brake assembly includes a second brake adjustment means.

3.- The portable exercise device in accordance with the claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the first rail and the second rail has legs mounted at each of its ends.

4. - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the first rail and the second rail are joined together by hinges.

5. - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first pedal and the second pedal have, in their upper part, an adhered non-skid material.

6. - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that each leg has, attached to its lower face, a rubber to prevent sliding of the apparatus.

7. - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the first rail and the second rail further comprises an additional horizontal axis element located below each vertical axis element.

8. - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the first and second adjustment means includes a knob that presses a spring and a bullet against the corresponding rail.

9. The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the first and second sliding assemblies includes lubricated plastics.

10. The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first sliding assembly includes upper rollers resting on an upper face of the first horizontal rail element, and rollers bottoms that are in contact with a bottom face of the first horizontal rail element.

eleven . - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the second sliding assembly includes upper rollers resting on an upper face of the horizontal axis element of the second rail, and lower rollers that are in contact with a lower part are in contact with a lower face of the horizontal axis element of the second rail.

12. - A portable exercise apparatus characterized in that it comprises: at least one rail assembly having two parallel tubular elements and a first slide slidably mounted on the rail assembly through a sliding assembly that is in contact with the rail assembly, the skate is formed by a profile on which a pedal is mounted, the profile has in its internal part, a first braking assembly to provide resistance to the sliding of the pedal, the braking assembly has a means of adjusting braking.

13. - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the pedal has, in its upper part, an adhered non-skid material.

14. - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the adjustment means includes a knob that presses a spring and a bullet against the rail assembly.

15. - The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the sliding assembly includes lubricated plastics adapted to the periphery of the rail assembly.

16. The portable exercise apparatus according to claim 1 or 12, characterized in that it also includes an electronic acquisition assembly placed on the rail to send data to a computer or cell phone.