U.S. patent application number 12/185091 was filed with the patent office on 2010-02-04 for foldable support frame for treadmill.
Invention is credited to Chiu Hsiang LO.
Application Number | 20100029444 12/185091 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41608948 |
Filed Date | 2010-02-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100029444 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LO; Chiu Hsiang |
February 4, 2010 |
FOLDABLE SUPPORT FRAME FOR TREADMILL
Abstract
A foldable support frame for a treadmill includes a bottom
bracket, two pivot seats mounted on the bottom bracket, two limit
protrusions mounted on the bottom bracket, and two support arms
mounted on the bottom bracket and each having a lower end which is
pivotally mounted on a respective one of the pivot seats and is
detachably mounted on a respective one of the limit protrusions.
Thus, each of the support arms is pivotable relative to the
respective pivot seat to be parallel with the bottom bracket, and
the lower end of each of the two support arms is movable to detach
from the respective limit protrusion to facilitate a user mounting
electric wires from the lower end of each of the support arms.
Inventors: |
LO; Chiu Hsiang; (Taichung
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Dr. BANGER SHIA;Int''l Patent Office of Bang Shia
102 Lindencrest Ct
Sugar Land
TX
77479-5201
US
|
Family ID: |
41608948 |
Appl. No.: |
12/185091 |
Filed: |
August 2, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/54 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2210/50 20130101;
A63B 22/0257 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/54 |
International
Class: |
A63B 22/02 20060101
A63B022/02 |
Claims
1. A foldable support frame for a treadmill, comprising: a bottom
bracket; two opposite pivot seats mounted on the bottom bracket;
two opposite limit protrusions mounted on the bottom bracket and
each spaced from a respective one of the two pivot seats; two
opposite support arms mounted on the bottom bracket and each having
a lower end which is pivotally mounted on a respective one of the
two pivot seats and is detachably mounted on a respective one of
the two limit protrusions.
2. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein the lower end of each of the two support arms is
pivotally mounted on the respective pivot seat by a pivot unit.
3. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 2, wherein each of the two pivot seats has a top provided
with two protruding pivot ears; the lower end of each of the two
support arms has a rear side provided with a pivot portion which is
pivotally mounted between the two pivot ears of the respective
pivot seat by the pivot unit.
4. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 3, wherein the pivot portion of each of the two support arms
is a shaft tube.
5. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 3, wherein each of the two pivot ears of each of the two
pivot seats has a pivot hole; the pivot unit includes: a fastening
bolt having a first portion abutting one of the two pivot ears of
the respective pivot seat and a second portion extending through
the pivot hole of each of the two pivot ears of the respective
pivot seat and the pivot portion of the respective support arm; a
fastening nut screwed onto the second portion of the fastening bolt
and abutting the other one of the two pivot ears of the respective
pivot seat.
6. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein each of the two limit protrusions is a
substantially arcuate bent plate.
7. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein each of the two limit protrusions has a
substantially U-shaped cross-sectional profile.
8. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein each of the two limit protrusions has a height
that is changed and reduced gradually toward the respective pivot
seat.
9. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein a gap is defined between each of the two limit
protrusions and the respective pivot seat to receive the lower end
of a respective one of the two support arms.
10. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, further comprising: two locking brackets each mounted on
the lower end of a respective one of the two support arms and each
detachably secured on the bottom bracket.
11. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 10, wherein each of the two locking brackets has a
substantially L-shaped profile.
12. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 10, wherein each of the two locking brackets is mounted on a
front side of the lower end of the respective support arm to move
with the respective support arm.
13. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 12, wherein each of the two locking brackets has a bottom
that is movable to abut the bottom bracket when the lower end of
the respective support arm is mounted on the respective limit
protrusion.
14. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 13, wherein the bottom bracket has a top face provided with
two opposite screw bores; the bottom of each of the two locking
brackets is provided with a fixing hole; the foldable support frame
further comprises two locking screws each extending through fixing
hole of a respective one of the two locking brackets and each
screwed into a respective one of the two screw bores of the bottom
bracket to fix the respective locking bracket to the bottom
bracket.
15. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 14, wherein each of the two support arms and the respective
locking bracket are secured on the bottom bracket by the respective
locking screw.
16. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 9, wherein each of the two support arms is pivotable relative
to the respective pivot seat from a first position where each of
the two support arms is disposed at an upright state relative to
the respective pivot seat to a second position where each of the
two support arms is parallel with the bottom bracket, and the lower
end of each of the two support arms is movable to detach from the
respective limit protrusion and align with the respective gap of
the bottom bracket.
17. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein each of the two support arms is a hollow pipe.
18. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein the bottom bracket has a substantially U-shaped
profile.
19. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein the bottom bracket is mounted on a front end of a
platform; the two pivot seats are located at two opposite sides of
the platform.
20. The foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with
claim 1, wherein each of the two pivot seats has a substantially
triangular profile.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a treadmill or jogging
machine, and more particularly to a foldable support frame for a
treadmill.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A conventional support frame for a treadmill comprises a
bottom bracket mounted on two opposite sides of a platform of the
treadmill, a substantially inverted U-shaped handle support mounted
on the bottom bracket and located at the front end of the platform,
and an instrument panel mounted on the top of the handle support.
In practice, the support frame is used to support the platform. A
control circuit (not shown) is mounted on the bottom of the
platform and is connected electrically to the instrument panel by
electric wires. The electric wires in turn extends through the
bottom of the platform, the bottom bracket and the handle support
to connect the instrument panel. The bottom bracket has a bottom
provided with two through holes aligning with the handle support to
allow passage of the electric wires.
[0005] However, a worker has to hold the handle support, and
another worker has to extend the electric wires through the through
holes of the bottom bracket and the handle support to connect the
electric wires to the instrument panel, so that assembly of the
support frame needs two workers aid, and the support frame cannot
be assembled easily and quickly. In addition, the handle support is
soldered on the bottom bracket after assembly of the electric wires
and the instrument panel, thereby causing inconvenience in
maintenance of the electric wires and the instrument panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is to mitigate and/or obviate the
disadvantage of the conventional foldable support frame for a
treadmill.
[0007] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
a foldable support frame for a treadmill, wherein the support frame
is assembled easily and quickly.
[0008] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
foldable support frame for a treadmill, wherein each of the two
support arms is pivotable relative to the respective pivot seat to
be parallel with the bottom bracket, and the lower end of each of
the two support arms is movable to detach from the respective limit
protrusion and align with the respective gap of the bottom bracket
to facilitate the user mounting the electric wires from the lower
end of each of the two support arms and the respective gap of the
bottom bracket.
[0009] A further objective of the present invention is to provide a
foldable support frame for a treadmill, wherein the user only needs
to unscrew each of the two locking screws from the respective screw
bore of the bottom bracket to release the respective locking
bracket and the respective support arm from the bottom bracket so
as to move each of the two support arms to the parallel state for
maintenance of the electric wires and the instrument panel, so that
the user can mount and repair the electric wires and the instrument
panel by himself without needing other person& help.
[0010] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided
a foldable support frame for a treadmill, comprising a bottom
bracket, two opposite pivot seats mounted on the bottom bracket,
two opposite limit protrusions mounted on the bottom bracket and
each spaced from a respective one of the two pivot seats, and two
opposite support arms mounted on the bottom bracket and each having
a lower end which is pivotally mounted on a respective one of the
two pivot seats and is detachably mounted on a respective one of
the two limit protrusions.
[0011] Further benefits and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed
description with appropriate reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable support frame for
a treadmill in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the
foldable support frame for a treadmill as shown in FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the
foldable support frame for a treadmill as shown in FIG. 1; and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic operational view of the foldable
support frame for a treadmill as shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a
foldable support frame for a treadmill in accordance with the
preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a bottom
bracket 20, two opposite pivot seats 21 mounted on the bottom
bracket 20, two opposite limit protrusions 23 mounted on the bottom
bracket 20 and each spaced from a respective one of the two pivot
seats 21, two opposite support arms 30 mounted on the bottom
bracket 20 and each having a lower end 33 which is pivotally
mounted on a respective one of the two pivot seats 21 and is
detachably mounted on a respective one of the two limit protrusions
23, and two locking brackets 25 each mounted on the lower end 33 of
a respective one of the two support arms 30 and each detachably
secured on the bottom bracket 20.
[0017] The bottom bracket 20 has a substantially U-shaped profile
and is mounted on a front end of a platform 10. The bottom bracket
20 has a top face provided with two opposite screw bores 27.
[0018] The two pivot seats 21 are located at two opposite sides of
the platform 10. Each of the two pivot seats 21 has a substantially
triangular profile and has a top provided with two protruding pivot
ears 22 each having a pivot hole 221.
[0019] Each of the two limit protrusions 23 is a substantially
arcuate bent plate and has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional
profile. Each of the two limit protrusions 23 has a height that is
changed and reduced gradually toward the respective pivot seat
21.
[0020] A gap 24 is defined between each of the two limit
protrusions 23 and the respective pivot seat 21 to receive the
lower end 33 of a respective one of the two support arms 30.
[0021] Each of the two support arms 30 is a hollow pipe. The lower
end 33 of each of the two support arms 30 is pivotally mounted on
the respective pivot seat 21 by a pivot unit 40. The lower end 33
of each of the two support arms 30 has a rear side provided with a
pivot portion 31 which is pivotally mounted between the two pivot
ears 22 of the respective pivot seat 21 by the pivot unit 40.
[0022] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
pivot portion 31 of each of the two support arms 30 is a shaft
tube, and the pivot unit 40 includes a fastening bolt 41 having a
first portion abutting one of the two pivot ears 22 of the
respective pivot seat 21 and a second portion extending through the
pivot hole 221 of each of the two pivot ears 22 of the respective
pivot seat 21 and the pivot portion 31 of the respective support
arm 30, and a fastening nut 42 screwed onto the second portion of
the fastening bolt 41 and abutting the other one of the two pivot
ears 22 of the respective pivot seat 21.
[0023] Each of the two locking brackets 25 has a substantially
L-shaped profile. Each of the two locking brackets 25 is mounted on
a front side of the lower end 33 of the respective support arm 30
to move with the respective support arm 30 and has a bottom 250
that is movable to abut the bottom bracket 20 when the lower end 33
of the respective support arm 30 is mounted on the respective limit
protrusion 23. The bottom 250 of each of the two locking brackets
25 is provided with a fixing hole 251, and the foldable support
frame further comprises two locking screws 26 each extending
through fixing hole 251 of a respective one of the two locking
brackets 25 and each screwed into a respective one of the two screw
bores 27 of the bottom bracket 20 to fix the respective locking
bracket 25 to the bottom bracket 20. Thus, each of the two support
arms 30 and the respective locking bracket 25 are secured on the
bottom bracket 20 by the respective locking screw 26.
[0024] In practice, the foldable support frame is used to support
the platform 10. An instrument panel (not shown) is mounted on top
portions of the two support arms 30. A control circuit (not shown)
is mounted on the bottom of the platform 10 and is connected
electrically to the instrument panel by electric wires (not shown).
The electric wires in turn extends through the bottom of the
platform 10, the bottom bracket 20 and the two support arms 30 to
connect the instrument panel.
[0025] In assembly, referring to FIGS. 1-4, when a user wishes to
mount the electric wires to the instrument panel, each of the two
locking screws 26 is unscrewed from the respective screw bore 27 of
the bottom bracket 20 to release the respective locking bracket 25
and the respective support arm 30 from the bottom bracket 20, so
that each of the two support arms 30 is pivotable relative to the
respective pivot seat 21 from a first position as shown in FIG. 1
where each of the two support arms 30 is disposed at an upright
state relative to the respective pivot seat 21 to a second position
as shown in FIG. 4 where each of the two support arms 30 is
parallel with the bottom bracket 20, and the lower end 33 of each
of the two support arms 30 is movable to detach from the respective
limit protrusion 23 and align with the respective gap 24 of the
bottom bracket 20 to facilitate the user mounting the electric
wires from the lower end 33 of each of the two support arms 30 and
the respective gap 24 of the bottom bracket 20.
[0026] Accordingly, each of the two support arms 30 is pivotable
relative to the respective pivot seat 21 to be parallel with the
bottom bracket 20, and the lower end 33 of each of the two support
arms 30 is movable to detach from the respective limit protrusion
23 and align with the respective gap 24 of the bottom bracket 20 to
facilitate the user mounting the electric wires from the lower end
33 of each of the two support arms 30 and the respective gap 24 of
the bottom bracket 20. In addition, the user only needs to unscrew
each of the two locking screws 26 from the respective screw bore 27
of the bottom bracket 20 to release the respective locking bracket
25 and the respective support arm 30 from the bottom bracket 20 so
as to move each of the two support arms 30 to the parallel state
for maintenance of the electric wires and the instrument panel, so
that the user can mount and repair the electric wires and the
instrument panel by himself without needing other persons help.
[0027] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its
preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood
that many other possible modifications and variations can be made
without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is,
therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will
cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true
scope of the invention.
* * * * *