U.S. patent application number 11/736019 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-23 for method and apparatus for core toning.
Invention is credited to Russell W. Smith.
Application Number | 20080261787 11/736019 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39872833 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080261787 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Smith; Russell W. |
October 23, 2008 |
Method and Apparatus for Core Toning
Abstract
A core toning method and apparatus allows the core muscles of
the torso to be actively engaged during work day activities. The
present invention recognizes that, in typical work posture, a
worker leans from their chair towards a computer terminal; the
mechanism of the present invention provides a resistance against
the natural lean of the worker, resulting in a constant engagement
of the abdominal core in order to maintain the desired posture. As
will be seen from the description of various embodiments below, the
concepts of the present invention may be realized in many different
forms.
Inventors: |
Smith; Russell W.; (Essex,
MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Anderson Gorecki & Manaras LLP
33 NAGOG PARK
ACTON
MA
01720
US
|
Family ID: |
39872833 |
Appl. No.: |
11/736019 |
Filed: |
April 17, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/130 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/62 20130101; A63B
23/0211 20130101; A63B 2225/093 20130101; A63B 21/1609 20151001;
A63B 2208/0233 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/130 |
International
Class: |
A63B 21/04 20060101
A63B021/04 |
Claims
1. A core toning apparatus comprising: a mounting device for
mounting the core toning apparatus to a chair; and an arm coupled
to the at least one mounting device an positioned to extend around
a user seated at the chair to contact the front of the user to
engage the core of the user while the user is seated at the
chair.
2. The core toning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arms are
comprised of flexible members and are position to provide
resistance against the user when the user is in a work posture.
3. The core toning apparatus of claim 2 wherein the arms are
pivotable.
4. The core toning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mounting device
comprises a first portion integrated in the chair and a second
portion configured to mate with the first portion.
5. The core toning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising
adjustable resistance, coupled to the arm, for controlling the
resistance delivered to the user.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to the field of
conditioning and more particularly to a method and apparatus for
performing core toning.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The ranks of the obese have increased dramatically during
the past decade and a half across the country; in Massachusetts, in
particular, a recent study has found that nearly one in five adults
are now dangerously overweight.
[0003] It is recognized that there are two fundamental elements to
a successful weight control program; eating low calorie food with
high nutritional content and increasing exercise. However, as
evidenced by the increasing number of obese in society, many people
find it difficult to fulfill either or both of the fundamental
weight control elements. In a world where jobs and their associated
workers are increasingly becoming defined by computer interaction,
work by its nature is becoming a sedentary task. Many work related
injuries have resulted from the poor posture of the computer
worker; workers who hunch over a desk fail have a high number of
back and neck injuries resulting from their poor posture. As well,
from a resulting slack and expanding stomach area, they have a poor
self image. Because workers who sit at a desk all day have little
opportunity to expend energy, they generally need to schedule some
sort of exercise into their day. However, the time constrained
society in which we live leaves little time for scheduled exercise
routines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0004] FIG. 1 is a side view illustration of several components of
a core toning device of the present invention;
[0005] FIGS. 2A-2C are side view illustrations of various mounting
devices and arm configurations that may be provided as part of the
core toning device of FIG. 1;
[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates a sliding tube arm configuration for the
core toning device of the present invention;
[0007] FIGS. 4A-4E illustrate one embodiment of the invention which
includes height adjustable spring arms that may be mounted on an
existing slot in the chair and augmented with tension bars to
increase tension of the core toning device;
[0008] FIGS. 5A-5E are perspective views which illustrate different
mounting devices and arms designs that may be included in the core
toning device of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 6A-6F illustrate various embodiments of arm mounting
devices that may be used to mount the arms of the present invention
to chairs;
[0010] FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a hinged T arm mounting configuration
for the core toning system of the present invention;
[0011] FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate different mechanisms for affixing the
core toning system of the present invention to a chair, and also
illustrates adjustment mechanisms;
[0012] FIGS. 9A-9C illustrate further embodiments of arms for the
present invention;
[0013] FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate a sliding spring mounting
device that may be used to control tension delivered by the arms of
the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 11 illustrates an alternate embodiment that includes a
hinge and spring arrangement;
[0015] FIG. 12 illustrates the motion of a hinge and spring
arrangement of FIG. 11, as it rotates forward based on an
individuals movement in the chair;
[0016] FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment of a hinge and spring
mounting mechanism; and
[0017] FIG. 14 illustrates several blocks which may be used in one
embodiment of the core toning device to increase tension by
changing the angle of positioning of the arm 40 with regard to the
chair.
DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0018] According to one aspect of the invention, a method and
apparatus is provided which allows the core muscles of the torso to
be actively engaged during work day activities. The present
invention recognizes that, in typical work posture, a worker leans
from their chair towards a computer terminal; the mechanism of the
present invention provides a resistance against the natural lean of
the worker, resulting in a constant engagement of the abdominal
core in order to maintain the desired posture. As will be seen from
the description of various embodiments below, the concepts of the
present invention may be realized in many different forms. It
should be noted that the disclosed embodiments are representative
only; the present invention is not limited to any of these
particular embodiments, but rather includes any device which
provides resistance against a seated individual attempting to
maintain a specific posture.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a first exemplary
embodiment of a seated core training mechanism 10 of the present
invention. The mechanism 10 is shown to include a mounting device
14 for mounting an arm 12 to a chair 11. Various embodiment of each
of the mounting device 14 and arm 12 components are shown and
described in more detail below, followed by a description as to how
a resistance provided by the mechanism may be increased by various
adaptations to the mounting device and/or arm mechanism.
[0020] Mounting Device
[0021] The mounting device 14 comprises two portions; a first
portion for affixing the mounting device 14 to a chair, and a
second portion for receiving an arm 12 of the mechanism. The first
portion of the mounting device 14 will be referred to herein as the
chair mounting device 15a, while the second portion of the mounting
device 14 shall be referred to as the arm mounting device 15b. As
will be seen in various illustrations described later below, the
chair mounting device 15a may take many different forms; for
example, it may comprise a partial sleeve, such as that shown in
FIG. 1, to allow the mounting device 14 to slide over a top of a
chair. Alternatively, it may comprise a clamp as shown in FIGS. 2
and 3, or any other affixation device that can securely mounts the
mechanism 10 to the chair. For example, in a simplest design, the
chair mounting device may be a rubber band, as shown in FIG. 8A.
The chair mounting device 15a advantageously permits removable
mounting of the mechanism 10 on the chair 11, although this is not
a requirement of the invention; as the use of the present invention
increases chairs may be molded in a form that incorporates a chair
mounting device 15a in its design; such modifications are within
the scope of the present invention. For example, as shown in FIGS.
4D and 4E, a chair may be molded with a slot 20 for accepting an
arm/arm mount mechanism combination 21.
[0022] The mounting device 14 also includes an arm mounting device
15b. The arm mounting device is a device that affixes a first side
of the arm to the chair device. The arm mounting may be integrated
with the chair mounting device, as will be seen in various
embodiment described below, or may be integrated with the arm, as
shown in FIGS. 4D and 4E. In several embodiments the arm mounting
device is adapted to allow for movement of the arm along the
y-axis, to enable height adjustment of the arm 12. For example,
line c in FIG. 1 illustrates how an arm may be adjusted along the y
axis with via the arm mounting device. The arm may be manually slid
through the arm device, and tightened into place, or the arm
mounting device may include a dial or other similar control for
sliding the arm up and down in the y-axis position. In one
embodiment, the control may be programmable to adjust for the
different heights of different users of the mechanism in the chair.
It should be noted that it is not requirement that the arm mounting
device include height adjustment features, and such features may
either be included in the arm itself, as described below. In
addition, models may be provided which do not include any height
adjustment mechanism, and the inclusion of such is not a
requirement of the invention.
[0023] The arm mounting mechanism advantageously is pivotable, to
enable the arms to move along the Z axis, from a position in front
of a user of the mechanism to a position lateral to or behind the
user. The pivoting characteristic of the arm mounting mechanism
allows the user to easily engage or disengage from the use of the
mechanism. Such a pivotable capability for the arm mounting
mechanism is shown in FIGS. 5A and FIGS. 6A-6E. However, it is not
required that the pivoting capability be included in the arm
mounting mechanism, but rather, as will be seen in more detail
below, the pivoting capability may be provided within the arm
itself.
[0024] FIGS. 2A-2C are side view illustrations of the use of an
axle as an arm mounting device. FIG. 3 is a side view illustration
of the mechanism 10 that illustrates the use of a positioning
clamp. Although FIGS. 1-3 have shown a side view of the mechanism,
illustrating only one arm, preferred embodiments of the invention
will generally include two arms. As such, arm mounting devices 15b
are generally capable of mounting two arms. FIGS. 4 and 6
illustrate such arm mounting device. FIGS. 4A-C are rear view
illustrations of one embodiment of a mechanism that illustrates the
use of a clamp which holds a pair of flexible arms, or
alternatively the use of a slot which accepts a rigid arm mounting
device connector 22. FIGS. 6A-6E illustrate various embodiments of
arm mounting devices, each located at different mounting locations
at the chair, or mounting one or more arms. FIGS. 7A-7C illustrated
different hinge designs that may be used in the arm mounting
devices of any of the Figures.
[0025] Arm
[0026] Referring back briefly to FIG. 1, according to one aspect of
the invention, the arm 12 is a flexible member which, during
operation, is positionable to extend over the shoulder or back of a
user at a terminal to engage the user in the upper chest. As a user
leans towards their work, be it either a computer terminal, desk,
manufacturing assembly table or other work station, the user
contacts the arm. The arm provides resistance against the users
shoulder, causing the user to have to resist the force of the arm
in order to maintain his desired work posture. In one embodiment
the resistance of the arm is subtle, causing no discomfort to the
user, but rather causing the user to unconsciously expend energy to
maintain their position. As a result, a user can virtually
unconsciously tone their midsection, all while performing their
work. The user no longer needs to schedule time for this task, and
many work related neck and back injuries may be minimized as a
result of the strengthening of the core abdominal, oblique, and
spine-positioning muscles by the present invention.
[0027] The arm is preferably formed from a rigid material that
provides at least a base level of resistance to a user (although
this is not a requirement, as resistance may be added in other
manners as described below). Such materials include, but are not
limited to, wood, polyethylene and other plastics. The arm may take
many forms; for example, FIG. 1 illustrates an arm which is
generally `C` shaped, but includes a lower lip that facilitates
slidable attachment of the arm to the arm mounting device. FIGS.
2A-2C illustrate other arm shapes; in FIG. 2A, the arm is a springy
3/4 circle coupled to an arm mounting device clamp. In FIG. 2B, the
arm is generally peak shaped, with one end being slidably mounted
in a tube clamp of an arm mounting device. In FIG. 2C, the arm is
shown to include multiple portions; a first portion that affixes to
the arm mounting device, and a second portion that extends over a
users' shoulder.
[0028] It is not necessary that the arm's are curved in shape. For
example, FIG. 3 illustrates arms that include a number of slidable,
telescoping tubes. FIGS. 5A-5E illustrate various embodiments of
arms having hinged, pivoting axes in the arms. A similar structure
is shown in FIG. 8B. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8C, the `arm`
may actually be comprised of a number of straps or elastic bands,
which provide resistance to the user. Accordingly it is seen that
the arm of the present invention may be embodied in a variety of
forms similar to those explicitly disclosed herein, and the present
invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.
[0029] For arm embodiments which are semi-rigid, such as that of
FIGS. 1-8B, it may be desirable to include a pad 17. The pad 17
advantageously disperses the pressure provided by the resistance of
the arm across the surface area of the pad, reducing any discomfort
to the user of the mechanism. The pad may be made of any material,
but is preferably soft and breathable. The pad is advantageously
made of a material which will allow comfort for extended period of
time; examples of such materials include various foams such as
Visco-elastic memory foam and the like. In one embodiment, the pad
is coated with a material which will protect a user's clothing from
wear.
[0030] As mentioned above, the mechanism of the present invention
preferably includes two arms, however it is not a requirement that
two arms always be included and/or used at any given time. Rather,
benefits have been shown in the toning of oblique abdominal muscles
through the use of one arm at a time.
[0031] Incorporating Resistance in the Core Toning Mechanism
[0032] There are a variety of manners by which resistance may be
included and increased in the core toning mechanism of the present
invention. Several examples of how this could be done will be
provided below.
[0033] As described above there are basic components to the core
toning mechanism of the present invention; the mounting device 14
and the arm 12. Resistance may be added to either or both of these
elements, or through external means. For example, in the embodiment
of FIG. 1, a system may be provided with numerous arms, of varying
rigidity; the arms with less flexibility will provide greater
resistance. Alternatively, external resistance may be added in the
form of spacer blocks of varying density, placed in the area shown
by dashed lines in FIG. 1. In such embodiments, the blocks may be
swapped in or out depending upon the desired resistance for the
user.
[0034] FIG. 2C illustrates an arm having two portions; a flexible
arm portion 30 and the arm 12. It is envisioned that resistance may
be changed in such a structure by swapping out the flexible arm
portion 30 to provide systems of varying resistance. FIG. 3
illustrates an arm embodiment having telescoping tubes. It is
envisioned that the resistance to a user may be altered in such
embodiments though the use of a spring, mounted in the tubes,
having a controllable tension. Users who want to increase the
resistance of the core mechanism 10 would increase the tension of
the spring.
[0035] FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate arms 12 which include height
adjustable spring arms. Tension may be increased in such an
embodiment through the provision of snap on tension bars, which may
be snapped on the spring arms at desired tension levels. In FIG.
5B, a system is shown where weight may be added to one end of a
telescoping tube arrangement, to increase the resistance to the
user. In the embodiment of FIG. 8C, straps having different
resistance could be added or removed depending upon the desired
toning for the user.
[0036] In essence, resistance may be provided within any portion of
the arm. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A-9C, resistance may even
be added at the pad. In FIG. 9A an internal spring is provided in
the pad. In FIG. 9B, springs are provided both in a telescoping
arm, as well as in the portion of the arm coupling the pad to the
arm. In FIG. 9C external springs are used.
[0037] Resistance may also be added using the mounting mechanism.
For example, FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate the use of a spring
mounted slide used on the mounting device 14. As the tension of the
spring is increased, the resistance in the lateral motion of the
arm will concomitantly increase. FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 each
illustrate different embodiment that use a spring in the mounting
device to control resistance to a user.
[0038] FIG. 14 illustrates the use of adjustable, rigid blocks to
increase tension of a core training mechanism of the invention. In
FIG. 14, the arm is held away from the chair mounting device by
pivot axis 40. Blocks 41 are provided with differently spaced
orifices, which change the angle of the arm as it pivots along axis
40, thereby providing different levels of resistance to the
user.
[0039] Accordingly numerous embodiments of a core training
mechanism of the present invention have been shown and described.
The use of any of the described embodiments will allow abdominal
core muscles to be actively engaged while a user is seated. In a
broad sense, the inventive concept lies in recognizing the ability
to engage the core in a posture in which heretofore it was largely
inactive. The described embodiments are illustrative of exemplary
systems that may be used to achieve the goal of core torso
engagement, but are by no mean exhaustive. The concepts of the
present invention therefore should not be limited to any of these
particular embodiments, but rather cover any device which provides
resistance against a seated individual attempting to maintain a
specific posture.
[0040] The above description and figures have included various
process steps and components that are illustrative of operations
that are performed by the present invention. However, although
certain components and steps have been described, it is understood
that the descriptions are representative only, other functional
delineations or additional steps and components can be added by one
of skill in the art, and thus the present invention should not be
limited to the specific embodiments disclosed. In addition it is
understood that the various representational elements may be
implemented in hardware, software running on a computer, or a
combination thereof.
[0041] While the invention is described through the above exemplary
embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in
the art that modification to and variation of the illustrated
embodiments may be made without departing from the inventive
concepts herein disclosed. Accordingly, the invention should not be
viewed as limited except by the scope and spirit of the appended
claims.
* * * * *