U.S. patent application number 11/323777 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-05 for inflatable exercise device.
Invention is credited to William J. Cameron, Brenda S. Dykgraaf.
Application Number | 20070155601 11/323777 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37852884 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070155601 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dykgraaf; Brenda S. ; et
al. |
July 5, 2007 |
Inflatable exercise device
Abstract
An inflatable unitary construction hemispherical or dome-shaped
flat-bottomed exercise device analogous to an exercise ball having
a flat and relatively stable surface to improve its usefulness to
people who cannot control fully round prior art exercise balls.
Inventors: |
Dykgraaf; Brenda S.;
(Orlando, FL) ; Cameron; William J.; (Windermere,
FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LADAS & PARRY LLP
224 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
SUITE 1600
CHICAGO
IL
60604
US
|
Family ID: |
37852884 |
Appl. No.: |
11/323777 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/140 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/0004 20130101;
A63B 22/18 20130101; A63B 2022/0033 20130101; A63B 2225/62
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/140 |
International
Class: |
A63B 26/00 20060101
A63B026/00; A63B 71/00 20060101 A63B071/00 |
Claims
1. An exercise device comprised of: a flexible bladder, sized,
shaped and arranged to take the form of a hemisphere when the
flexible bladder is at least partially filled with air, the
substantially hemispheric bladder having a substantially flat
surface for placement onto a floor or other flat surface.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible bladder is further
comprised of at least one inflation valve for filling the bladder
with air or other gas.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible bladder is made of a
polymeric substance or a vulcanized rubber material.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible bladder is poly
vinyl chloride (PVC).
5. The device of claim 4, wherein the PVC is approximately 2 mm
thick.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device weighs less than 1200
g.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the interior radius of the
inflated and unloaded hemisphere is less than 6 inches.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the flat surface
of the device is less than 17 inches.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to exercise equipment. More
particularly, this invention relates to air-filled exercise devices
that are used to work various muscle groups and to promote core
stability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Prior exercise balls are relatively large-diameter (12-42
inches) air-filled balls that are sufficiently strong to support a
person's body weight retaining a generally spherical shape.
[0003] Exercise balls are useful to target specific muscle groups.
Sit-ups and other abdominal exercises can be much more effective
when they're done using an exercise ball. Limited research in the
scientific literature suggests that exercise training on an
unstable surface results in increased muscle activity, as a means
to provide stability to the system (human body) during an
exercise.
[0004] A problem with prior art exercise balls is that they tend to
roll and wobble during exercise. Indeed, the prior art exercise
ball's tendency to pitch and roll makes exercises that are
performed with an exercise ball more challenging because the ball's
tendency to pitch and roll requires the person using the ball to
provide more muscle control (to control the ball's movement as well
as the exercise being performed) than would be required to perform
the same exercise on a flat surface. For people who need or who
want the more focused muscle work provided by an exercise ball, but
who are unable to control the pitching and rolling of a prior art
exercise bal, there exists a need to provide an exercise device
that reduces or eliminates roll.
[0005] Prior dome-shaped inflatable balance trainers, such as the
BOSU.RTM. balance trainer, have hard plastic bases and tend to be
large and heavy, weighing upward of 14 lbs. These devices are not
designed to fit comfortably between the user and the floor when the
user is in a substantially supine position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] There is provided an air-filled, hemi-spherically shaped
exercise device that reduces or eliminates pitching and rolling of
prior art round exercise balls. Because the device is
hemispherical, the flat surface of the device that is placed on the
floor, reduces or even eliminates excessive pitching and rolling
that some prior art devices cause. In addition, the unitary
construction of the present invention provide the limited
additional instability of a distended base under load, while
maintaining a low profile for ease of use and storage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] For the sake of brevity, like elements are denoted by the
same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of the preferred
embodiment of an exercise apparatus according to the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the device shown in FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side view;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a side view of the device showing its deformation
under load by a person using the device for exercise and the
resultant partial deformation of the flat surface;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exercise apparatus
according to the present invention with a user shown in a first
exercise position;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a view of the preferred embodiment of an exercise
apparatus according to the present invention with a user shown in a
second exercise position;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a view of the preferred embodiment of an exercise
apparatus according to the present invention with a user shown in a
third exercise position; and
[0015] FIG. 8 is a view of the preferred embodiment of an exercise
apparatus according to the present invention with a user shown in a
fourth exercise position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] FIG. 1 shows an exercise device 10 made from a flexible
bladder, which takes the shape of a hemisphere when filled with air
or other gas. As is well known, a hemisphere is a half sphere,
thus, the exercise device 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a
substantially planar or flat bottom 12 surface that is placed
against a floor, table, mat or other flat surface on which
exercises can be performed using the device 10 but the flat surface
12 prevents the device 10 from rolling or pitching as prior art
round exercise balls are known to do.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the flat bottom 12 of the exercise
device 10 includes an air inflation port or valve 14 through which
well-known prior art "needles" can be inserted so as to allow the
bladder to be inflated. Because the device is made from a
relatively pliable material, those of ordinary skill in the art
will appreciate that the firmness of the device 10 will be directly
related to the amount of gas or air pumped into the device 10.
[0018] In one embodiment, the flexible bladder is made from a
flexible polymer or vulcanized rubber. In another embodiment, the
flexible bladder is made from a relatively thin poly vinyl chloride
or "PVC." A preferred embodiment uses PVC, the thickness of which
is approximately 2-3 mm.
[0019] By using thin, lightweight flexible materials, the exercise
device's weight can be kept to less than approximately 1200 g. (1.2
Kg.) thereby allowing the device to be easily moved and stored.
[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the hemisphere-shaped exercise
device 10 shown in FIG. 1 should be sized to allow the device 10 to
comfortably support a person relatively close to the floor or other
supporting surface under the small of the user's back, buttocks or
feet as he or she performs various exercises using the device 10 in
a substantially supine position. In the preferred embodiment, the
device has an interior radius of approximately five inches and a
flat bottom diameter of approximately fifteen inches. As used
herein the term "interior radius" is considered to be the distance
from the geometric center of the flat bottom 12, extending away
from the center of the bottom 12 to the inner surface of the
bladder when the device 10 is both fully inflated and not
supporting a load.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 3 there is shown a side view of the
device 10 and the flat bottom 12 having a diameter "D" as shown.
Also shown in FIG. 3 is a body part 16 of a user, just above the
device 10.
[0022] In FIG. 4, the device 10 is shown to be under a load
presented as the body weight of a person using the device 10. When
a user's body weight is impressed on the device 10 by the body part
16 being placed directly atop the hemisphere-shaped bladder
thereby, the person's body weight causes the device to deform,
i.e., become non-hemispherical.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, when a load is impressed on the top of
device 10, the resulting increased internal pressure causes the
flexible base of the device to distend. The circumferential edge 18
of the bottom 12 rolls or curls upwardly, thereby reducing the
device's stability. Stated alternatively, the exercise device 10
becomes mildly unstable when it is supporting a load, slightly
increasing the difficulty for exercises performed using the device
10.
[0024] FIGS. 5 and 6 depict the device 10 being used to perform
abdominal "crunch" exercises. As those of ordinary skill in the art
will appreciate, placement of the exercise device 10 beneath the
spine reduces the likelihood of injury. By reducing the air
pressure in the device 10, its deformation for exercises like
abdominal crunch can be increased thereby improving its comfort
level.
[0025] FIG. 7 and 8 depict the device 10 being used to support the
lower back during "crunches." By positioning the device in small of
the lower back, the user can more effectively exercise abdominal
muscle groups.
[0026] A goal of muscle strengthening is to move freely through a
full range of motion, and the present invention allows for a
greater range of motion at the trunk, with subsequent greater
muscle activity during a repetition. Use of this device resulted in
an exercise that required greater trunk range of motion and greater
muscle activity in the rectus abdominus (upper portion) and
external oblique muscle. Several factors appear to contribute to
the greater muscle activity measured with this device compared with
a traditional floor exercise.
[0027] The device allows a user to work through a greater range of
motion. Thus, the muscles of the motion are required to work over a
greater range of muscle action. Because of this greater range of
motion, the muscles of the anterior trunk are engaged with the
trunk in an extended position (beginning of crunch exercise) as
well as a flexed position (end of crunch exercise; i.e., the
curled-up position). The extended position is performed with the
center of mass of the upper body at a greater distance from the
axis of rotation (the pelvis); hence the external effort arm is
greater during the early phase of the crunch exercise. As the
crunch motion continues, the center of mass of the upper body moves
closer to the axis of rotation (pelvis), resulting in a decrease in
the external effort arm. The device positions the trunk in a more
extended position, lengthening the overall external moment arm more
so than the traditional floor exercise.
[0028] It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art
that various modifications can be made to the device 10 described
above without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
The scope of the invention is as recited in the appended
claims.
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