U.S. patent application number 11/649375 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-26 for impact absorbing gymnastic mat.
This patent application is currently assigned to NGC CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Atsushi Harinishi, Katsuo Kita.
Application Number | 20070173379 11/649375 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35783582 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070173379 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Harinishi; Atsushi ; et
al. |
July 26, 2007 |
Impact absorbing gymnastic mat
Abstract
In some preferred embodiments, an impact absorbing gymnastic mat
1 includes a mat body 10 having an air-tight space 14 therein, and
an openable and closable air supply and discharge port 22 for
supplying and discharging air into and from the air-tight space 14
of the mat body 10. The air supply and discharge port 22 is
provided at a prescribed portion of the mat body 1. The mat body 1
includes a joined member 11 and an air impermeable external sheet
20 and 21 encasing the joined member 11 so as to form the air-tight
space 14. The joined member 11 includes a pair of internal sheets
12a and 12b opposed at a prescribed distance and a plurality of
connecting threads 13 connecting opposed surfaces of the internal
sheets 12a and 12b.
Inventors: |
Harinishi; Atsushi; (Osaka,
JP) ; Kita; Katsuo; (Osaka, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ARMSTRONG, KRATZ, QUINTOS, HANSON & BROOKS, LLP
1725 K STREET, NW
SUITE 1000
WASHINGTON
DC
20006
US
|
Assignee: |
NGC CORPORATION
Izumisano-shi
JP
ASHIMORI INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Osaka-shi
JP
|
Family ID: |
35783582 |
Appl. No.: |
11/649375 |
Filed: |
January 4, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/JP04/09824 |
Jul 9, 2004 |
|
|
|
11649375 |
Jan 4, 2007 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
482/23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 6/00 20130101; A63B
6/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/023 |
International
Class: |
A63B 26/00 20060101
A63B026/00 |
Claims
1. An impact absorbing gymnastic mat, comprising: a mat body having
an air-tight space therein; and an openable and closable air supply
and discharge port for supplying and discharging air into and from
the air-tight space of the mat body, the air supply and discharge
port being provided at a prescribed portion of the mat body,
wherein the mat body includes a joined member and an air
impermeable external sheet encasing the joined member so as form
the air-tight space; and wherein the joined member includes a pair
of internal sheets opposed at a prescribed distance and a plurality
of connecting threads connecting opposed surfaces of the internal
sheets.
2. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 1,
wherein the internal sheet is a woven fabric.
3. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 2,
wherein the connecting thread is weaved into the fabric.
4. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 1,
wherein a density of the connecting threads is 1 to 5
pieces/cm.sup.2.
5. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 2,
wherein a density of the connecting threads is 1 to 5
pieces/cm.sup.2.
6. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 3,
wherein a density of the connecting threads 1 to 5
pieces/cm.sup.2.
7. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 1,
wherein the external sheet is made of urethane series resin.
8. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 1,
wherein the external sheet is adhered to a surface of the mat
body.
9. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 2,
wherein the external sheet is adhered to a surface of the mat
body.
10. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 3,
wherein the external sheet is adhered to a surface of the mat
body.
11. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 4,
wherein the external sheet is adhered to a surface of the mat
body.
12. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 5,
wherein the external sheet is adhered to a surface of the mat
body.
13. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 6,
wherein the external sheet is adhered to a surface of the mat
body.
14. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 7,
wherein the external sheet is adhered to a surface of the mat
body.
15. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 8,
wherein the external sheet is adhered to a surface of the mat body
via an auxiliary sheet.
16. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 8,
wherein the external sheet is a raised sheet.
17. An impact absorbing gymnastic mat, comprising: a mat body
having an air-tight space therein; and an openable and closable air
supply and discharge port for supplying and discharging air into
and from the air-tight space of the mat body, the air supply and
discharge port being provided at a prescribed portion of the mat
body, wherein the mat body includes a pair of opposed upper and
lower sheets disposed at a prescribed distance, and a plurality of
connecting members connecting opposed surfaces of the upper and
lower sheets, and wherein a density of the connecting members is 1
to 5 pieces/cm.sup.2.
18. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 17,
wherein the upper and lower sheet are woven fabrics, and wherein
the connecting threads are weaved into the fabrics.
19. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 18,
further comprising an external raised sheet adhered to an upper
surface of the main body.
20. The impact absorbing gymnastic mat as recited in claim 17,
wherein the density of the connecting threads is 2 to 3
pieces/cm.sup.2.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of
PCT/JP2004/009824, filed on Jul. 9, 2004. The entire disclosure of
the application is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety. This application claims the benefit pursuant to 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.120 of the filing date of International Patent Application
No. PCT/JP2004/009824, filed on Jul. 9, 2004.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an impact absorbing
gymnastic mat preferably used for gymnastic practices of, e.g.,
tumbling, a horizontal bar, floor exercise, a vaulting horse,
rings, a pummel horse, parallel bars, uneven parallel bars, a
balance beam, or skipping rope, and also used for school gymnastic
activities.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] The following description sets forth the inventor's
knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be
construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
[0006] At the time of performing gymnastic activities, in order to
absorb the impact due to, e.g., landing, or unexpected falling or
dropping of a gymnast, an impact absorbing gymnastic mat is laid on
a floor. In recent gymnastics, especially in the case of a
horizontal bar, etc., the impact of landing, etc., tends to
increase with the advance of skills. In order to enhance the safety
of gymnasts by sufficiently absorbing the impact in a balanced
manner, technology of an impact absorbing gymnastic mat is being
currently developed.
[0007] In an impact absorbing gymnastic mat used at the time of
practicing tumbling or skipping rope, in order to absorb the impact
to a body of a gymnast, it is required that the impact resilience
is higher than that of the aforementioned landing impact absorbing
mat.
[0008] As a conventional impact absorbing gymnastic mat, a mat in
which shock absorbing material of foamed synthetic resin is filled
in a cover seat of tarpaulin or canvas is generally used (For
example, see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2595468, Japanese
Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publication No. H11-76452, Japanese
Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publication No. H11-244412).
[0009] In such a conventional impact absorbing gymnastic mat,
although the impact absorbing material is foamed synthetic resin,
it is still heavy because of its large size having an area that can
safely receives a body of a gymnast. This requires assistance in
carrying and disposing it on a floor. Furthermore, since the
restoring force against the folding is high, the mat cannot be
folded at the time of the storage, thereby requiring a large
storage space.
[0010] Furthermore, in practicing tumbling, if a mat is
insufficient in impact resilience, a large burden/fatigue will be
imposed on the gymnast. As a result, the gymnast has no other
choice to limit the amount of practice.
[0011] Furthermore, proper impact resilience of a gymnastic mat
differs depending on the user's age and/or the activities. In a
conventional mat, however, the impact resilience cannot be adjusted
and that the elastic force can be inevitably deteriorated by the
aged deterioration of the impact absorbing material.
[0012] The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of
various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in
other publications is in no way intended to limit the present
invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable
of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or
all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed
therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been
developed in view of the above-mentioned and/or other problems in
the related art. The preferred embodiments of the present invention
can significantly improve upon existing methods and/or
apparatuses.
[0014] Among other potential advantages, some embodiments can
provide an impact absorbing gymnastic mat having sufficient impact
absorption to decrease a burden to a body of a gymnast.
[0015] Among other potential advantages, some embodiments can
provide an impact absorbing gymnastic mat which is light in weight,
easy in storage, and adjustable in impact resilience.
[0016] According to a first aspect of a preferred embodiment of the
present invention, an impact absorbing gymnastic mat, comprising:
[0017] a mat body having an air-tight space therein; and [0018] an
openable and closable air supply and discharge port for supplying
and discharging air into and from the air-tight space of the mat
body, the air supply and discharge port being provided at a
prescribed portion of the mat body, [0019] wherein the mat body
includes a joined member and an air impermeable external sheet
encasing the joined member so as form the air-tight space; and
[0020] wherein the joined member includes a pair of internal sheets
opposed at a prescribed distance and a plurality of connecting
threads connecting opposed surfaces of the internal sheets.
[0021] With this impact absorbing gymnastic mat, the impact
resilience can be controlled by adjusting the air pressure within
the mat body, so that impact resilience suitable for the user's age
and the content of the sport can be obtained and that desired
impact resilience can be reproduced any number of times.
Furthermore, since the mat is light in weight and can be freely
fold up by discharging the air to dissipate the impact resilience,
the mat can be easily carried and stored in a small space.
[0022] In the aforementioned impact absorbing gymnastic mat, the
internal sheet is preferably a woven fabric. In this case, the
stretch of the external sheet can be controlled to thereby maintain
the flatness of the mat, and weaving of the connecting threads into
the internal sheets can be advantageously performed.
[0023] In the aforementioned impact absorbing gymnastic mat, the
connecting threads are preferably weaved into the fabric. In this
case, strong connecting strength can be attained.
[0024] In the aforementioned impact absorbing gymnastic mat, it is
preferable that a density of the connecting threads is 1 to 5
pieces/cm.sup.2. In this case, suitable strength can be
secured.
[0025] The external sheet is preferably made of urethane series
resin. In this case, it becomes possible to obtain a mat excellent
in various characteristics, such as, e.g., elastic modulus, load
bearing, mechanical strength, oil resistance, chemical resistance,
and wear-resistant.
[0026] The external sheet preferably is adhered to a surface of the
mat body. In this case, by selecting the material of the external
sheet, the surface characteristics of the mat can be changed
arbitrarily.
[0027] The external sheet is preferably a raised sheet. In this
case, a mat having a pleasant texture can be obtained.
[0028] The external sheet is preferably adhered to a surface of the
mat body via an auxiliary sheet. In this case, any external sheet
poor in adhesiveness to the mat body can also be used.
[0029] According to a second aspect of a preferred embodiment of
the present invention, an impact absorbing gymnastic mat,
comprising: [0030] a mat body having an air-tight space therein;
and [0031] an openable and closable air supply and discharge port
for supplying and discharging air into and from the air-tight space
of the mat body, the air supply and discharge port being provided
at a prescribed portion of the mat body, [0032] wherein the mat
body includes a pair of opposed upper and lower sheets disposed at
a prescribed distance, and a plurality of connecting members
connecting opposed surfaces of the upper and lower sheets, and
[0033] wherein a density of the connecting members is 1 to 5
pieces/cm.sup.2.
[0034] In this impact absorbing gymnastic mat, it is preferable
that the upper and lower sheet are woven fabrics and that the
connecting threads are weaved into the fabrics.
[0035] It is also preferable that the mat is further provided with
an external raised sheet adhered to the upper surface of the main
body.
[0036] The above and/or other aspects, features and/or advantages
of various embodiments will be further appreciated in view of the
following description in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
Various embodiments can include and/or exclude different aspects,
features and/or advantages where applicable. In addition, various
embodiments can combine one or more aspect or feature of other
embodiments where applicable. The descriptions of aspects, features
and/or advantages of particular embodiments should not be construed
as limiting other embodiments or the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0037] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown
by way of example, and not limitation, in the accompanying figures,
in which:
[0038] FIG. 1A is an entire perspective view showing an embodiment
of an impact absorbing gymnastic mat according to the present
invention;
[0039] FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the
line 1B-1B in FIG. 1A;
[0040] FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing
another airtight sealing method for sealing a peripheral edge of
the impact absorbing gymnastic mat; and
[0041] FIG. 3 is an enlarge partial cross-sectional view showing a
principal portion of another embodiment of an impact absorbing
gymnastic mat according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0042] In the following paragraphs, some preferred embodiments of
the invention will be described by way of example and not
limitation. It should be understood based on this disclosure that
various other modifications can be made by those in the art based
on these illustrated embodiments.
[0043] An embodiment of an impact absorbing gymnastic mat according
to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B.
[0044] This impact absorbing gymnastic mat 1 is configured to
absorb impact by impact resilience obtained by introducing
compressed air in the mat body 10.
[0045] The mat body 10 is constituted by a joined member 11
defining the planar dimension and thickness of the mat 1, and an
external sheet 20 covering the joined member 11 to secure
airtightness and strength.
[0046] The joined member 11 is constituted by two internal sheets
12a and 12b each consisting of a rectangular fabric corresponding
to the planar dimension of the mat 1, and a number of connecting
threads 13 of a predetermined length connecting the opposed
surfaces of the inner sheets 12a and 12b. The connecting threads 13
are constituted by some weaving threads forming one of the internal
sheets 12a and pulled out therefrom and weaved into the other
internal sheet 12b as its weaving threads and some weaving threads
forming the other internal sheet 12b pulled out therefrom and
weaved into the one of the internal sheet 12a as its weaving
threads. Weaving of the weaving threads pulled out of and weaved
into the sheets 12a and 12b is repeated over the entire surfaces of
the internal sheets 12a and 12b to thereby connect the two internal
sheets 12a and 12b at a distance corresponding to the length of the
weaving thread 13. Thus, a space 14 is formed between the opposed
internal sheets 12a and 12b. That is, the length of the connecting
thread 13 defines the thickness of the space 14, or the thickness
of the mat body 10.
[0047] The internal sheets 12a and 12b define the planar dimension
of the mat 1 while holding the connecting threads 13, and can be
any members so long as it has the aforementioned functions. Each of
the internal sheets 12a and 12b is covered by an external sheet 20,
which will be mentioned later, to be reinforced by the external
sheet 20. Therefore, each of the internal sheets 12a and 12b itself
is required to have strength and/or connecting thread holding force
capable of bearing the internal pressure of the mat 1. Therefore,
the fabric constituting each of the internal sheets 12a and 12b can
be thin and coarse. Such a fabric can be, e.g., a kint fabric, and
a nonwoven fabric, as well as various woven fabrics. Among other
things, a woven fabric, which is capable of keeping the flatness of
the mat 1 by regulating the stretch of the external sheet 20 due to
the internal pressure of the mat body 10 and has an advantageous in
weaving a number of connecting threads 13, can be preferably
used.
[0048] The connecting thread 13 defines the thickness of the space
14 which is a distance between the two internal sheets 12a and 12b,
or the thickness of the mat body 10, in a state in which tension is
given to the connecting thread 13 by the internal pressure.
Therefore, it is preferable that the connecting threads 13 exist
evenly on the entire surfaces of the internal sheets 12a and 12b to
secure the uniform thickness. The density of the connecting threads
13 is preferably 1 to 5 pieces/cm.sup.2. If it is less than the
aforementioned lower limit, it becomes difficult to equalize the
thickness of the mat 1 and maintain the strength against the
internal pressure. On the other hand, even if the density exceeds
the aforementioned upper limit, the number of manufacturing steps
merely increases without producing specific effects. It is more
preferable that the density of the connecting threads 13 falls
within the range of from 2 to 3 pieces/cm.sup.2. In this
embodiment, the internal sheets 12a and 12a and the connecting
threads 13 are strongly connected at a distance by weaving the
joining threads 13 constituting one of the internal sheets into the
other internal sheet 12a(12b). In the present invention, however,
the two internal sheets 12a and 12b can be connected by simply
stitching threads or yarns. The length of the joining thread 12 can
be arbitrarily set in accordance with a desired mat thickness. In
this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1B, the connecting threads 13 are
disposed in parallel between the internal sheets 12a and 12b.
However, the connecting threads 13 can be disposed crossways for
example.
[0049] In the aforementioned joined member 11, the material of the
internal sheets 12a and 12b and that of the connecting thread 13
are not specifically limited, and can be natural or synthetic
fibers, such as, e.g., cotton, rayon, nylon, polyester, or
polypropylene. Furthermore, the internal sheets 12a and 12b and the
connecting threads 13 can be made of the same or different
fibers.
[0050] The joined member 11 is covered by upper and lower air
impermeable external sheets 20 and 20 and a side external sheet 21
in an air-tightly sealed manner to thereby form the mat body 10
having an air-tightly sealed space.
[0051] Each external sheet 20 has the same size as that of the
sheet 12a, and is joined to the entire external surface of the
internal sheet 12a. On the other hand, the side external sheet 21
is formed into a tape-like shape having a width wider than the
thickness of the joined member 11, and covers the four side
surfaces of the joined member 11 with its widthwise end portions
overlapped on the peripheral edge portion of the upper and lower
external sheets 20 and 20. Thus, all of the upper, lower, and four
side surfaces of the joined member 11 are covered in an air-tight
manner, and a space 14 is formed in the mat body 10.
[0052] It is not always required that the internal sheets 12a and
12b and the upper and lower external sheets 20 and 20 are in
agreement with the planar dimension of the mat 1. For example, as
shown in FIG. 2, the dimension thereof can be set to be slightly
larger than the planar dimension of the mat 1 so that the
peripheral edge 20a extends to the side surface of the mat 1. This
reinforces the side surface portion of the mat 1.
[0053] The upper and lower surface external sheets 20 and 20 and
the side surface external sheet 21 are air impermeable, and are
made of materials having strength capable of bearing impact of
gymnast's landing and internal pressure and having such flexibility
that can be bent freely. Concrete examples of such sheets include
synthetic resin sheets made of, e.g., vinyl chloride series resin,
olefin series resin, or urethane series resin. Among other things,
it is preferable to use a sheet made of urethane series resin in
view of its various excellent characteristics, such as, e.g.,
modulus of elasticity, load bearings, mechanical strength, oil
resistance, chemical resistance, and wear resistance. As urethane
series resin, polyurethane elastomer excellent in modulus of
elasticity can be especially recommended. For the purpose of
improving various characteristics, such as, e.g., strength of the
sheet, various fillers can be blended. Each of the sheets 20 and 21
is preferably 0.3 to 1.5 mm in thickness, from the viewpoint of
reconciling the strength and the lightweight.
[0054] Joining of the upper and lower surface external sheets 20
and 20 and the side surface external sheet 21 is performed by a
method capable of securing the airtightness, such as, e.g.,
pressure bonding, welding, and adhering with adhesive. In the case
of joining the sheet 20 to the internal sheet 12a (12b), after
applying synthetic resin to which fluidity is given onto the
internal sheet 12a (12b), and then sheet forming is performed by
curing and solidifying the resin. Moreover, since the joint portion
15 of the two internal sheets 12a and 12b tends to loose the
airtightness, it is preferable to secure the airtightness by doubly
adhering external sheets as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates an
example in which a narrow auxiliary external sheet 21'is adhered
onto the joint portion 15 and a wide side surface external sheet 21
is further adhered thereon.
[0055] At the vicinity of the corner portion of the upper surface
of the mat body 10, an air supply and discharge port 22 is
provided. The air supply and discharge portion 22 penetrates the
external sheet 20 and the internal sheet 12a, and is openable and
closable in an airtight manner with a valve or the like (not
illustrated). The air supply and discharge port 22 is detachably
connected by an air supplying pump (not illustrated) to supply air
into the space 14 of the mat body 10 therethrough. Although it is
sufficient to provide one air supply and discharge port 22, two or
more air supply and discharge ports can be provided to enhance the
air supply/discharge operation. Furthermore, the position of the
supply and discharge port 22 is not specifically limited, and can
be arbitrarily set on the upper surface, the lower surface, or the
side surface of the mat body 1.
[0056] In the impact absorbing gymnastic mat according to the
present invention, in view of the necessity of the airtightness of
the mat body 10, as the external sheets 20 and 21, material with a
minute and smooth surface, such as, e.g., a synthetic resin sheet
mentioned above, is often used. However, such synthetic resin sheet
is slippery, and therefore it does not always give a gymnast a good
feeling at the time of landing. Surface characteristics, such as,
e.g., textures, or frictional resistance, of such a gymnastic mat
can be changed by adhering an exterior sheet with a predetermined
surface characteristics on the surface of the mat body 10.
[0057] In the impact absorbing gymnastic mat 2 shown in FIG. 3, an
exterior sheet 30 is adhered to the upper and lower surfaces of the
mat body 10, respectively. The exterior sheet 30 is a carpet-like
sheet having one side surface 30a with a pleasant texture formed by
raising one surface side 30a of a woven sheet made of synthetic
fibers and the other side surface 30b with exposed irregularities
of the texture. The exterior sheet 30 is joined to the mat body 10
such that the other side surface 30b of the exterior sheet 30
stitched on an auxiliary sheet 31 which is the same in material as
the upper and lower surface external sheets 20 is adhered to the
upper (lower) external sheet 20 via the auxiliary sheet 31. The
reason for adhering the exterior sheet 30 to the mat body 10 via
the auxiliary sheet 31 is that directly stitching on the external
sheet 20 looses the airtightness of the external sheet 20 due to
the needle holes formed by the stitching and that the surface
irregularities on the other side surface 30b of the exterior sheet
30 cause deteriorated adhesive force to the external sheet 20. The
method of joining the auxiliary sheet 31 to the external sheet 20
is not specifically limited unless it does not hurt the
airtightness of the external sheet 20, and can be a pressure
bonding method or a welding method. In cases where the exterior
sheet 30 has high adhesion to the upper (lower) surface external
sheet 20, the exterior sheet 30 can be directly adhered to the mat
body 10 without being intervened by the auxiliary sheet 31.
[0058] In the aforementioned impact absorbing gymnastic mat 12,
when air is supplied to the space 14 of the mat body 10 via the air
supply and discharge port 22, the two internal sheets 12a and 12b
will be moved away from each other so that the distance
therebetween coincides with the length of the connecting thread 13.
Thus, the mat body 10 has a predetermined thickness. When air is
further supplied, since the clearance of the internal sheets 12a
and 12b is regulated by the connecting threads 13, the air pressure
rises while increasing the tension to the connecting threads 13 in
a state in which a thickness is kept constant. Since the impact
resilience is reflected in the air pressure, the impact resilience
of the mat 1 can be freely controlled by setting the air pressure.
Furthermore, so long as the mat 1 does not loose the airtightness,
desired impact resilience can be reproduced any number of
times.
[0059] The proper impact resilience of the mat differs depending on
the age of the gymnast and the contents of activities. Proper
values of impact resilience can be expressed with air pressure as
follows: 10.3 kPa(s) (1.5 psi) for young children gymnastics; 12.4
kPa(s) (1.8 psi) for elementary school gymnastics; 13.8 kPa(s) (2.0
psi) for a woman's junior player's tumbling practice; 27.6 kPa(s)
(4.0 psi) for a male player's tumbling practice. In practicing
tumbling, when the mat 1 has impact resilience of the
above-mentioned level, excessive load will not be imposed on the
body of the gymnast, which in turn enable the gymnast to perform
sufficient amount of practices. In cases where the mat 1 is used as
a hopping mat for rope skipping practice or runways, it is
preferable to adjust the air pressure depending on the weight of
the gymnast. The following pressures can be set as a target: 13.8
kPa (2.0 psi) when the weight of the gymnast is 25 to 35 kg; 20.7
kPa (3.0 psi) when the weight is 45 kg; 24.1 kPa (3.5 psi) when the
weight is 54 kg; and 27.6 kPa (4.0 psi) when the weight is 65
kg.
[0060] On the other hand, when the air in the mat body 10 is
discharged, the tension to the connecting thread 13 is lost to
release the restraint of the clearance between the internal sheets
12a and 12b, which in turn causes the impact resilience to
disappear. Accordingly, the mat 1 (2) can be folded freely. In this
mat 1 (2), since no shock absorbing material of foamed synthetic
resin, which is normally used in a conventional mat, is used, the
substantial weight is caused only by the mat body, and therefore it
is light in weight. For this reason, the carrying operation can be
easily performed and the storage space can be decreased.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0061] The impact absorbing gymnastic mat according to the present
invention can be used in, for example, performing or practicing
various gymnastics.
[0062] While the present invention may be embodied in many
different forms, a number of illustrative embodiments are described
herein with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be
considered as providing examples of the principles of the invention
and such examples are not intended to limit the invention to
preferred embodiments described herein and/or illustrated
herein.
[0063] While illustrative embodiments of the invention have been
described herein, the present invention is not limited to the
various preferred embodiments described herein, but includes any
and all embodiments having equivalent elements, modifications,
omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across various
embodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be
appreciated by those in the art based on the present disclosure.
The limitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based
on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examples
described in the present specification or during the prosecution of
the application, which examples are to be construed as
non-exclusive. For example, in the present disclosure, the term
"preferably" is non-exclusive and means "preferably, but not
limited to." In this disclosure and during the prosecution of this
application, means-plus-function or step-plus-function limitations
will only be employed where for a specific claim limitation all of
the following conditions are present in that limitation: a) "means
for" or "step for" is expressly recited; b) a corresponding
function is expressly recited; and c) structure, material or acts
that support that structure are not recited. In this disclosure and
during the prosecution of this application, the terminology
"present invention" or "invention" may be used as a reference to
one or more aspect within the present disclosure. The language
present invention or invention should not be improperly interpreted
as an identification of criticality, should not be improperly
interpreted as applying across all aspects or embodiments (i.e., it
should be understood that the present invention has a number of
aspects and embodiments), and should not be improperly interpreted
as limiting the scope of the application or claims. In this
disclosure and during the prosecution of this application, the
terminology "embodiment" can be used to describe any aspect,
feature, process or step, any combination thereof, and/or any
portion thereof, etc. In some examples, various embodiments may
include overlapping features. In this disclosure and during the
prosecution of this case, the following abbreviated terminology may
be employed: "e.g." which means "for example;" and "NB" which means
"note well."
* * * * *