U.S. patent application number 10/627529 was filed with the patent office on 2005-01-27 for power unit for jumping rope-with timer circuit.
Invention is credited to Cernansky, Joseph, Foster, George T., Rudell, Elliot A..
Application Number | 20050020413 10/627529 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34080664 |
Filed Date | 2005-01-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050020413 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rudell, Elliot A. ; et
al. |
January 27, 2005 |
Power unit for jumping rope-with timer circuit
Abstract
An apparatus that moves a jumping element. The apparatus
includes a motorized hub that is attached to a housing. The hub can
rotate a jumping element, such as a jump rope, about a horizontal
axis and/or a vertical axis. The hub is connected to a motor that
is controlled by a timer. A player can select a time interval that
establishes the activation time of the motor. The apparatus
includes an indicator that may provide an indication of the time
interval. The indicator may be an LED that indicates the numerical
value of the time interval. The apparatus may also have an
indicator that provides an indication of when the motor is to be
activated, so that the player can be in position when the hub
begins to rotate the rope.
Inventors: |
Rudell, Elliot A.;
(Torrance, CA) ; Foster, George T.; (Long Beach,
CA) ; Cernansky, Joseph; (Palos Verdes Estates,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
IRELL & MANELLA LLP
840 NEWPORT CENTER DRIVE
SUITE 400
NEWPORT BEACH
CA
92660
US
|
Family ID: |
34080664 |
Appl. No.: |
10/627529 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/81 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 5/20 20130101; A63B
5/205 20130101; A63B 5/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/081 |
International
Class: |
A63B 005/22 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus that moves a jumping element, comprising: a
housing; a motor attached to said housing; a hub coupled to said
motor and adapted to be coupled to the jumping element; a timer
coupled to said motor; and, an indicator coupled to said timer.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said indicator includes a
light emitting diode.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said indicator includes a
speaker.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said timer activates said
motor for a selected time interval and said indicator indicates
said selected time interval.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said indicator generates an
indication of when said motor is to be activated.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a crank arm that is
coupled to said hub and the jumping element.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said hub includes a spring
that exerts a force onto said crank arm.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said timer has a mechanical
input.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hub rotates the jumping
element about a horizontal axis.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hub rotates the jumping
element about a vertical axis.
11. An apparatus that moves a jumping element, comprising: a
housing; a motor attached to said housing; a hub coupled to said
motor and adapted to be coupled to the jumping element; a timer
that is coupled to said motor; and, indicator means for indicating
a time characteristic of said timer.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said indicator means
includes a light emitting diode.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said indicator means
includes a speaker.
14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said timer activates said
motor for a selected time interval and said indicator
characteristic is said time interval.
15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said indicator means
generates an indication of when said motor is to be activated.
16. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a crank arm that
is coupled to said hub and the jumping element.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said hub includes a spring
that exerts a force onto said crank arm.
18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said timer has a mechanical
input.
19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said hub rotates the jumping
element about a horizontal axis.
20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said hub rotates the jumping
element about a vertical axis.
21. A method for operating an apparatus that moves a jumping
element, comprising: activating an apparatus that includes a motor
coupled to a jumping element; indicating a count down until the
motor is activated; and, activating the motor to move the jumping
element.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the motor is deactivated at an
end of a selected time interval.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein the indication is an auditory
signal.
24. The method of claim 21, wherein the jumping element is rotated
about a horizontal axis.
25. The method of claim 21, wherein the jumping element is rotated
about a vertical axis.
26. The method of claim 21, further comprising detaching the
jumping element from a hub coupled to the motor.
27. A method for operating an apparatus that moves a jumping
element, comprising: selecting a time interval of a timer that is
coupled to a motor, the motor being coupled to the jumping element;
indicating the time interval selected; activating the motor to move
the jumping element; and, deactivating the motor at an end of the
time interval.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the indication is an
illuminated device.
29. The method of claim 27, wherein the jumping element is rotated
about a horizontal axis.
30. The method of claim 27, wherein the jumping element is rotated
about a vertical axis.
31. The method of claim 27, further comprising detaching the
jumping element from a hub coupled to the motor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus that can
automatically rotate a jump rope.
[0003] 2. Prior Art
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,985 issued to Rudell et al., discloses a
motorized unit that can automatically rotate a jump rope. The
motorized unit includes a motorized rotating hub that can be
coupled to one end of a jump rope. The hub can be coupled to a
pedestal so that the jump rope can rotate about a horizontal axis.
The other end of the jump rope can be attached to a post or other
stationary object. The apparatus allows the players to "jump rope"
without manually swinging the rope. The apparatus also has a
vertical mode wherein a hub platform is laid on the ground and the
rope swings about a vertical axis. A player(s) then jumps over the
swinging rope.
[0005] The Rudell motorized unit has an on/off switch located on
the hub platform. Unfortunately, it is difficult to reach the
platform and turn off the switch while jumping rope. Additionally,
when in the vertical mode, it is difficult to turn on the motorized
hub without getting whipped by the rope and adjoining crank arm.
The patent addresses this issue by describing a wireless
transmitter that can be worn by the user to turn the motorized hub
on and off. Wireless transmitters add to the cost of the product
and are susceptible to damage, thereby rending the apparatus
inoperative. The patent also describes the use of a pull string,
but the string may become entangled with the rope.
[0006] The owner of the '985 patent had developed a product that
included a timer. The timer would control the time interval at
which the motorized hub would be active. Unfortunately, the user
had no indication of when the motor was to start or end.
[0007] There have been marketed a number of jump rope games such as
SKIP-IT, TWIRL N JUMP, SKIP STICK and STICK-N-ROPE that all
required manual activation of the rope.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An apparatus that can move a jumping element. The apparatus
includes a motor that is attached to a housing and coupled to a
hub. The hub is adapted to be coupled to the jumping element. The
apparatus also includes a timer that is coupled to the motor. An
indicator is coupled to the timer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing players using an
apparatus that swings a jump rope;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a motorized rotating
hub of the apparatus;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a side view showing the coupling of a jump rope to
a crank arm;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a side view of a spring biased hub;
[0013] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the spring biased hub;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a motor and gear assembly
of the apparatus;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a schematic of an electrical system of the
apparatus;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
the apparatus;
[0017] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
an apparatus that operates in a vertical mode;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
an apparatus that can operate in both a horizontal mode and a
vertical mode;
[0019] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a hub platform being
coupled to a vertical mode base.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Disclosed is an apparatus that moves a jumping element. The
apparatus includes a motorized hub that is attached to a housing.
The hub can rotate a jumping element, such as a jump rope, about a
horizontal axis and/or a vertical axis. The hub is connected to a
motor that is controlled by a timer. A player can select a time
interval that establishes the activation time of the motor. The
apparatus includes an indicator that may provide an indication of
the time interval. The indicator may be an LED that indicates the
numerical value of the time interval. The apparatus may also have
an indicator that provides an indication of when the motor is to be
activated, so that the player can be in position when the hub
begins to rotate the rope.
[0021] Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference
numbers, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an apparatus 10 that can swing a
jumping element 12. The jumping element 12 may be constructed as a
jump rope. The apparatus 10 includes a hub platform 14 that is
coupled to a horizontal base 16 by a pedestal 18. The horizontal
base 16 may have a port 20 that allows the base 16 to be filled
with water or sand to weigh down the apparatus 10.
[0022] The apparatus 10 may further include a crank arm 22 that is
coupled to a rotating hub 24. The crank arm 22 may be attached to
one end of the jump rope 12. The other end of the rope 12 may be
attached to a post 26 or other stationary structure. The crank arm
22 may have a protective sleeve 28 constructed from an impact
absorbing material such as a soft foam.
[0023] The hub 24 may rotate about a horizontal axis 30 to swing
the rope 12 in an automated manner. The hub platform 14 may include
buttons 32, 34, 36 and 38 that can be depressed by a user to set
the time interval for rotation of the hub 24. Each button 32, 34,
36 and 38 has a corresponding indicator 40, 42, 44 and 46 that
provides an indication of the time interval selected by the user.
The indicators 40, 42, 44 and 46 may be light emitting diodes
(LEDs).
[0024] By way of example, button 32 and indicator 40 may be
associated with a 1 minute interval, button 34 and indicator 42 may
correspond to a 3 minute interval, button 36 and indicator 44 a 5
minute interval, and button 38 and indicator 46 a 10 minute
interval. The platform surface may have indicia adjacent to the
indicators that provide the corresponding numerical value. By way
of example, depressing button 36 will cause the hub 24 to rotate
for 5 minutes. Illumination of the indicator 46 will allow the user
to determine which interval was selected. Alternatively, one of the
buttons may be an on/off switch and the other buttons may be used
to select the speed of hub rotation.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 3 the jump rope 12 may have a ball 50 that
can snap into a corresponding slot 52 in the crank arm 22. This
allows the user to easily attach and detach the rope 12 form the
arm 22. Likewise, as shown in FIG. 4, the hub 24 may have a
corresponding slot 54 that receives the crank arm 22. As shown in
FIG. 5, the hub 24 may be assembled from two half pieces 56 coupled
together by springs 58. The springs 58 may bias the pieces 56 into
a closed position and exert a spring force that retains the crank
arm 22 within the hub slot 54.
[0026] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a hub platform 14 that
contains a motor 60 coupled to the hub 22 by a gear assembly 62.
FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of an electrical circuit for the
apparatus. The circuit may include a timer 64 that controls
activation of the motor 60. The timer 64 may be a controller
circuit that receives input from buttons 32, 34, 36 or 38 and can
illuminate indicators 40, 42, 44 or 46. The timer 64 may also drive
a speaker 66 or other sound generating device (see also FIG. 2).
All of the electrical circuits and devices may be powered by a
battery 68.
[0027] In operation, the user depresses one of the buttons 32, 34,
36 or 38 to set the time interval of operation. Alternatively, the
buttons 32, 34, 36 or 38 may set the speed of the motor 60. Upon
selecting a button the timer 64 begins a count until the motor 60
is activated. The timer 64 may drive the speaker 66 to emit a sound
such as a beeping sound to indicate that the motor 60 is about to
be activated. The timer 64 also illuminates an indicator that
corresponds to the selected button.
[0028] At the end of the count the timer 64 activates the motor 60.
The timer 64 may begin another count that corresponds to the
selected time interval. At the end of the time interval the timer
64 deactivates the motor 60. The timer 64 may cause the indicator
to flash to indicate to the user that the motor is about to be
deactivated.
[0029] FIG. 8 shows an alternate embodiment of an apparatus that
has a mechanical switch 70 for setting the time interval of the
motor. The switch 70 may have discrete settings with corresponding
light indicators 72 that are illuminated to indicate the selected
time interval. The apparatus may also have a separate on/off switch
74.
[0030] FIG. 9 is an alternate embodiment of an apparatus that can
be operated in a vertical mode. A hub platform 76 is placed on a
surface so that a hub 78 rotates a crank arm 80 and a jumping
element 82 about a vertical axis 84. In operation the user can
select a time interval or speed by depressing one of the buttons
88, 90, 92 or 94, which causes an illumination of an indicator 96,
98, 100 or 102. An internal timer counts down a certain time
interval, providing an audible indication of the impending
activation of the motor. This allows the user to position
themselves to jump over the rope when the motor is activated. The
motor is then activated for the selected time interval. The
automatic deactivation of the motor at the end of the time
intervals allows the player to discontinue play without having to
reach the hub platform 76. Ball 86, attached to jumping element 82,
provides both a visual indication as to the position of the
rotating jumping element, and also provides a weight mass to
stabilize the jumping element as it rotates.
[0031] FIGS. 10 and 11 show an embodiment wherein the hub platform
14 can be located in a horizontal mode or placed in a horizontal
position for use in a vertical mode. The base 16' may have a cavity
104 that receives the hub platform 14 for use in the vertical
mode.
[0032] While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and
shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that
such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on
the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the
specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since
various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled
in the art.
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