ZA200610823B

ZA200610823B - Exercise Treadmill

Info

Publication number: ZA200610823B
Application number: ZA200610823A
Authority: ZA
Inventors: Lee Kuo-Lung
Original assignee: Most Perfectly Entpr Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-12-21
Filing date: 2006-12-21
Publication date: 2008-05-28

Description

EXERCISE TREADMILL

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an exercising machine and more particularly, to an exercise treadmill, which has two stretching exercisers for operation by hands when the user is walking or running on the endless running surface of the tread assembly. 2. Description of the Related Art

Various exercise treadmills are commercially available for performing walking or running aerobic-type exercise. These exercise treadmills commonly have an endless running surface used for performing walking or running aerobic-type exercise to exercise the muscles of the legs and the waist. However, these exercise treadmills are simply designed for performing walking or running exercise, not practical for other exercise purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. According to one aspect of the present invention, the exercise treadmill comprises two stretching exercisers bilaterally provided at the rear side of the tread assembly thereof, each stretching exercisers having a pull rope and a handle at one end of the pull rope such that when walking/running on the endless running surface of the tread assembly, the user can hold the handles with the hands and alternatively stretch the pull ropes of the stretching exercisers to exercise the muscles of the feet, the legs, the waist, the chest and the hands.

According to another aspect of the present invention, two support frames are pivotally provided at the rear side of the tread assembly to support the stretching exercisers respectively such that the user can adjust the angular position of the stretching exercisers relative to the tread assembly.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the stretching exercisers can be installed in any of a variety of conventional exercise treadmills.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side view of an exercise treadmill according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of the present invention, showing the stretching exercisers operated.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of the present invention, showing the tread assembly in operation and the stretching exercisers not in use.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of the present invention, showing the tread assembly in operation and the pull rope of one stretching exerciser hung on a hanging device at one handrail.

FIG. 5 is a plain view of a part of the present invention, showing the assembly of one stretching exerciser and the associating support frame.

FIG 6 is an exploded view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of one stretching exerciser according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an oblique elevation of a spool for the stretching exerciser according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an elevational assembly view of one stretching exerciser and the associating connecting tube according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an oblique bottom elevation of a part of one stretching exerciser according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an assembly plain view of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is similar to FIG. 11but showing the rotary knob rotated.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of a part of the present invention, showing the connection structure between the support frame and the associating locating tube.

FIG. 14 is an elevational assembly view of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is an elevational view of a part of the present invention, showing the positioning of the locating tube at the rear side of the tread assembly and the relationship between the support frame and the locating tube.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a part of the present invention, showing the connection structure between the support frame and the associating locating tube.

FIG. 17 corresponds to FIG. 16, showing the press block pressed.

FIG. 18 is a top plain view of the exercise treadmill according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 corresponds to FIG. 18, showing the movable bars respectively turned outwards relative to the exercise treadmill.

FIG 20 is a sectional view of a part of one stretching exerciser, showing the structure of the spool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-20, an exercise treadmill in accordance with the present invention is shown comprising a base frame 1 and a tread assembly 2 supported on the base frame 1. The base frame 1 has two uprights 11 and a handraill2 mounted on the uprights 11. The tread assembly 2 has an endless running surface used for performing walking or running aerobic-type exercise (see FIGS. 3 and 4) to 75 exercise the muscles of the legs and the waist.

The main features of the present invention are described hereinafter. Two stretching exercisers 3 are bilaterally provided at the rear side of the tread assembly 2, each having a pull rope 32 and a handle 31 at one end of the pull rope 32. When walking or running on the endless running surface of the tread assembly 2, the user can hold the handles 31 with the hands and alternatively stretch the pull ropes 32 of the stretching exercisers 3 (see FIG. 2) to exercise the muscles of the feet, the legs, the waist, the chest and the hands.

Referring to FIGS. 7~10, each stretching exerciser 3 comprises a spool 33, a wheel 34, a top cover shell 35, and a bottom cover shell 36.

The spool 33 has a one-way axle bearing 331 provided at the center of one side thereof, a recess 330 formed on the center of the other side thereof, a locating block 332 provided at the center within the recess 330, a center tube 3321 fixedly provided at the center of the locating block 332 and pivotally coupled to the top cover shell 35, a rod 3322 fixedly provided at the locating block 332, and a spiral spring 333 mounted in the recess 330 around the center tube 3321 and having one end 3331 fastened to the rod 3322 and the other end 3332 hooked in a notch 3301 at the peripheral wall of the recess 330. Further, the associating pull rope 32 is fixedly connected to and wound round the periphery of the spool 33. The pull rope 32 is inserted through a through hole 371 on a positioning block 37 inside the top cover shell 35 and fastened to a stopper 380 outside the top cover shell 35 and then connected to the associating handle 31. When operating the handle 31 to pull the pull rope 32, the spool 33 is rotated to let off the pull rope 32 and to simultaneously pull tight the spiral spring 33. When releasing the force from the handle 31, the spiral spring 33 releases the spring power to reverse the spool 33 and to further roll up the pull rope 32. Further, the spool 33 has one side covered with a side cover 334, which has a center opening

3341 corresponding the recess 330.

The wheel 34 has a wheel axle 341 fixedly provided at the center and extending out of the two opposite sides thereof. One end 3411 of the wheel axle 341 1s supported in the one-way axle bearing 331 of the spool 33.

The top cover shell 35 has a fixed hub 352, which has an axial coupling hole 3521 coupled to the center tube 3321 of the spool 33 for guiding rotation of the spool 33 relative to the first cover shell 35, a plurality of mounting rods 351 fastened to the bottom cover shell 36 with fastening members, for example, screws (not shown), a locating notch 353 formed on the bottom edge at one side and engaged into a locating groove 372 around the periphery of the positioning block 37, a smoothly arched lug 354 perpendicularly extending fro the periphery adapted to accommodate a connecting tube 30, and a positioning rod 3541 perpendicularly downwardly extending from the bottom wall of the smoothly arched lug 354 and inserted into a locating hole 301 on the connecting tube 30.

The bottom cover shell 36 (see FIG 10) has a center hub 361, an axle bearing 360 mounted in the center hub 361 to receive the other end 3412 of the wheel axle 341 of the wheel 34, a plurality of mounting rods 39 respectively fastened to the mounting rods 351 of the first cover shell 35, a locating notch 363 formed on the top edge at one side and engaged into the locating groove 372 of the positioning block 37 to hold the positioning block 37 between the top cover shell 35 and the bottom cover shell 36, a smoothly arched lug 364 perpendicularly extending fro the periphery adapted to accommodate the connecting tube 30, a positioning rod 3641 perpendicularly upwardly extending from the inwardly curved top wall of the smoothly arched lug 364 (see FIG 11) and inserted into a locating hole (not shown) of the connecting tube 30, and a locating hole 3631, which receives one end of a locating rod

S

38 that is fastened to the connecting tube 30. When the top cover shell 35 and the bottom cover shell 36 are fastened together, the connecting tube 30 and the locating block 37 are affixed to the cover shells 35 and 36.

Referring to FIGS. 7~12, a damping resistance adjustment mechanism 1s mounted in the bottom cover shell 36. The damping resistance adjustment mechanism comprises a screw 367 pivotally mounted between a holder block 365 and a partition board 366 inside the bottom cover shell 36, a rotary knob 368 fixedly fastened to one end of the screw 367 and disposed outside the bottom cover shell 36, a slide 369 mounted on the screw 367 and adapted to move along the screw 367 upon rotation of the rotary knob 368, and a friction belt 4, which has one end 41 connected to one end 402 of a spring 40 and the other end 42 connected to the slide 369. Further, the other end 401 of the spring 40 is connected to one end of the screw 367. The friction belt 4 is kept in contact with the periphery of the wheel 34 to impart a damping resistance to the wheel 34 and the spool 33. When rotating the rotary knob 368 clockwise or counter-clockwise (see FIGS. 11 and 12), the slide 369 is moved along the screw 367 to adjust the friction resistance between the friction belt 4 and the wheel 34, and therefore the damping resistance to the associating pull rope 32 is relatively adjusted.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the connecting tube 30 of each stretching exerciser 3 has a locating hole 303 fastened to a respective support frame 5 at the rear side of the tread assembly 2 by a spring-supported pin 51.

Referring to FIGS. 13~18, the support frame 5 has a bottom coupling tube 53 pivotally coupled to a locating tube 211 at the rear side 21 of the tread assembly 2 (see

FIGS. 15~17). The bottom coupling tube 53 has a transversely extending locating rod 531 selectively engaged into equiangularly spaced locating notches 2111 at one end, namely, the outer end of the Jocating tube 211. The bottom coupling tube 53 has one end 532 inserted into the outer end of the locating tube 211 and stopped against one side, namely, the outer side 2121 of an inside annular flange 212 inside the locating tube 211. A spring 54 is mounted inside the locating tube 211 and stopped against the other side, namely, the inner side 2122 of the inside annular flange 212 of the locating tube 211. A press block 55 is partially inserted into one end of the locating tube 211 opposite to the bottom coupling tube 53 of the support frame § and stopped at the spring 54 against the inner side 2122 of the inside annular flange 212 of the locating tube 211, having a screw rod 553 axially extended from one end thereof and threaded into a fixed nut 533 inside the bottom coupling tube 53. Further, ornamental caps 56 and 57 are capped on the bottom coupling tube 53 of the support frame S for decoration. When pressed the press block 55 to compress the spring 54, the bottom coupling tube 53 is moved backwards relative to the locating tube 211 to disengage the locating rod 531 from the locating notches 2111. At this time, the user can bias the support frame 5 relative to the locating tube 211 to adjust the angular position of the support frame 5 and the associating stretching exerciser 3 relative to the tread assembly 2 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

Further, two polygonal foot blocks 24 are symmetrically and eccentrically affixed to an axle 210, which is pivotally mounted on the bottom wall of the tread assembly 2 near the rear side 21 in transverse direction. By means of adjusting the angular position of the polygonal foot blocks 24 relative to the tread assembly 2, the elevation of the rear side 21 of the tread assembly 2 is relatively changed.

Further, the endless running surface of the tread assembly 2 can be made rotatable by the user. Alternatively, a motor drive may be used in the tread assembly 2 to rotate the endless running surface.

Further, the handrail 12 on the uprights 11 of the base frame 1 has two movable bars 121 and a hanging device 1211 at one end of each movable bar 121 for the handing of the pull ropes 32 of the stretching exercisers 3 respectively (see FIGS. 4, 18 and 19).

As indicated above, the invention provides an exercise treadmill, which has the following characteristics: 1. Two stretching exercisers 3 are bilaterally provided at the rear side of the tread assembly 2 so that the user can operate the stretching exercisers 3 alternatively with both hands when walking or running on the endless running surface of the tread assembly 2, thereby exercising the muscles of the feet, the legs, the waist and the hands. 2. A damping resistance adjustment mechanism is provided to the stretching exercisers 3 to adjustably impart a damping resistance to the pull ropes 32 subject to the user’s requirement. 3. The stretching exercisers 3 are respectively mounted on a respective support frame 5 that is angularly adjustable relative to the tread assembly 2 to fit different exercise requirements. 4. The stretching exercisers 3 can be selected from commercially available designs.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An exercise treadmill comprising: a base frame and a tread assembly supported on the base frame, said base frame having two uprights and a handrail mounted on said uprights, said tread assembly having an endless running surface used for performing walking/running aerobic-type exercise; wherein two stretching exercisers are respectively provided at a rear side of said tread assembly, said stretching exercisers each having a pull rope and a handle at one end of said pull rope such that when walking/running on said endless running surface of said tread assembly, the user can hold said handles with the hands and alternatively stretch said pull ropes of said stretching exercisers to exercise the muscles of the feet, the legs, the waist, the chest and the hands.

2. The exercise treadmill as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stretching exercisers each comprise: a spool, said spool having a one-way axle bearing provided at the center of one side thereof, a recess formed on the center of an opposite side thereof, a locating block provided at the center within said recess, a center tube fixedly provided at the center of said locating block, a rod fixedly provided at said locating block, and a spiral spring mounted in said recess around said center tube and having one end fastened to said rod and an opposite end hooked in a notch at the peripheral wall of said recess , wherein the associating pull rope is fixedly connected to and wound round the periphery of said spool and fastened to a stopper and then connected to the associating handle such that when operating the handle to pull the associating pull rope, the associating spool is rotated to let off the associating pull rope and to simultaneously pull tight the associating spiral spring; when releasing the force from the handle, the associating spiral spring releases the spring power to reverse the associating spool and to further roll up the associating pull rope; a wheel, said wheel having a wheel axle fixedly provided at the center and extending out of the two opposite sides thereof, the wheel axle of said wheel having a first end supported in said one-way axle bearing of said spool; a top cover shell, said top cover shell having a fixed hub, which has an axial coupling hole coupled to the center tube of said spool, and a smoothly arched lug perpendicularly extending from the periphery thereof; a bottom cover shell fixedly covered on said top cover shell to hold said spool and said wheel on the inside, said bottom cover shell having an axle bearing mounted In a center hub thereof to receive the second end of said wheel axle of said wheel, and a smoothly arched lug perpendicularly extending from the periphery thereof, and a connecting tube mounted in between and fixedly connected to the smoothly arched lugs of said top cover shell and said bottom cover shell for connecting the respective stretching exerciser to said tread assembly.

3. The exercise treadmill as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stretching exercisers each further comprises a damping resistance adjustment mechanism mounted in said bottom cover shell, said damping resistance adjustment mechanism comprising a screw pivotally mounted between a fixed holder block and a fixed partition board inside the associating bottom cover shell, a rotary knob fixedly fastened to one end of said screw and disposed outside said bottom cover shell, a slide mounted on said screw and adapted to move along said screw upon rotation of said rotary knob, and a friction belt, which has one end connected to one end of said screw through a spring and an opposite end connected to said slide, said friction belt being kept in contact with the periphery of the associating wheel to impart a damping resistance to the associating wheel and the associating spool.

4. The exercise treadmill as claimed in claim 1, wherein connecting tube of each of said stretching exercisers has a locating hole fastened to a respective support frame at the rear side of said tread assembly by a spring-supported pin.

5. The exercise treadmill as claimed in claim 4, wherein said support frame has a bottom coupling tube pivotally coupled to a locating tube at the rear side of said tread assembly, said bottom coupling tube having a transversely extending locating rod selectively engaged into equiangularly spaced locating notches at an outer end of said locating tube, said bottom coupling tube having one end inserted into said locating tube and stopped against an outer side of an inside annular flange inside said locating tube; and a press block is partially inserted into one end of said locating tube opposite to said bottom coupling tube of said support frame and stopped at a spring against an inner side of said inside annular flange of said locating tube, said press block having a screw rod axially extended from one end thereof and threaded into a fixed nut inside said bottom coupling tube.

6. An exercise treadmill comprising: a base frame and a tread assembly supported on the base frame, said base frame having two uprights and a handrail mounted on said uprights, said tread assembly having an endless running surface used for performing walking/running aerobic-type exercise; wherein two stretching exercisers are respectively supported on a respective support frame being pivotally provided at a rear side of said tread assembly, said stretching exercisers each having a pull rope and a handle at one end of said pull rope such that when walking/running on said endless running surface of said tread assembly, the user can hold said handles with the hands and alternatively stretch said pull ropes of said stretching exercisers to exercise the muscles of the feet, the legs, the waist, the chest and the hands.

7. An exercise treadmill substantially as herein described and illustrated. DATED THIS 21°" DAY OF DECEMBER 2006 [abet SPOOR & FISHER APPLICANT'S PATENT ATTORNEYS