U.S. patent application number 12/522483 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-26 for exercise apparatus.
Invention is credited to Karl Mueller.
Application Number | 20100216607 12/522483 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40351890 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100216607 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mueller; Karl |
August 26, 2010 |
Exercise Apparatus
Abstract
An exercise apparatus for exercising the muscles of the human
body required for running on a running surface, comprising a belt
continuously circling over two deflection rollers rotatable about
two mutually parallel axes in one direction, the running surface
for exercising being allocated to the carrying side of the belt on
the upper surface of the same facing away from the deflection
rollers, is characterized in that at least one of the two
deflection rollers has a drive controlled via a controller, that a
load pick-up stationary with respect to the exercising apparatus is
allocated to the lower surface of the carrying side of the belt
facing the return side, that the belt has a thick, flexibly
resilient, soft layer on its upper surface facing away from the
deflection rollers, and that the running surface is allocated to
the free outside thereof.
Inventors: |
Mueller; Karl; (Roggwil,
CH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CROWELL & MORING LLP;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY GROUP
P.O. BOX 14300
WASHINGTON
DC
20044-4300
US
|
Family ID: |
40351890 |
Appl. No.: |
12/522483 |
Filed: |
October 30, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
October 30, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP08/09182 |
371 Date: |
March 23, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/54 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 22/0207 20151001;
A63B 22/0285 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/54 |
International
Class: |
A63B 22/02 20060101
A63B022/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 8, 2007 |
DE |
10 2007 053 655.2 |
Sep 8, 2008 |
DE |
10 2008 046 090.7 |
Claims
1. An exercise apparatus for exercising the muscles of the human
body required for running on a running surface comprising a belt
continuously circling over two deflection rollers rotatable about
two mutually parallel axes in one direction, the running surface
for exercising being allocated to the carrying side of the belt on
the upper surface of the same facing away from the deflection
rollers, wherein: at least one of the two deflection rollers has a
drive controlled via a controller, a load pick-up stationary with
respect to the exercising apparatus is allocated to the lower
surface of the carrying side of the belt facing the return side,
the belt has a thick, flexibly resilient, soft layer on its upper
surface facing away from the deflection rollers, and the running
surface is allocated to the free outside thereof.
2. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the layer has a
flexibly resilient, soft plastic material.
3. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plastic material
is formed as foamed plastic material.
4. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foamed plastic
material is formed with open and (partly)/or closed pores.
5. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foamed plastic
material is polyurethane.
6. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the layer has a
thickness of 2 to 10 cm, preferably 2.5 to 8 cm and particularly
preferably 1.5 to 6 cm.
7. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the
layer, upon being loaded with the human body, is compressible by
40% to 95%, preferably by 50% to 90% and particularly preferably by
60% to 80%.
8. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the entire layer is
completely made of the plastic material while forming a belt
layer.
9. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the layer has valleys
extending from the free outside thereof in the direction of the
upper surface of the belt while leaving bars.
10. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the valleys are
narrow in contrast to the width of the bars measured in the
direction of the circling belt.
11. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the valleys are
narrower in contrast to the width of the bars measured in the
direction of the circling belt by a factor of 3 to 15, preferably 6
to 14 and particularly preferably 8 to 13.
12. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the valleys extend
parallel to the two axes of the rotatable deflection rollers.
13. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the valleys extend
at an angle with respect to the upper surface of the belt.
14. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the valleys extend
at a right angle with respect to the upper surface of the belt.
15. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the valleys end at a
distance from the two outer edges of the upper surface of the belt
which are arranged in a spaced manner in extension of the axes of
the deflection rollers.
16. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein a skin serving as
the actual running surface is allocated to the free outside of the
plastic material.
17. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the skin is made to
be viscoplastic.
18. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the skin is bonded
substance-to-substance to the free outside of the plastic material
or is formed as a separate running surface belt overlying the free
outside and circling together with the same, which running surface
belt is deflected via separate deflection rollers.
19. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the
axis of the two deflection rollers is formed such that it can be
lifted or lowered perpendicular to its extension.
20. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller
drives the drive in individually adjustable, alternating exercising
micro intervals of various durations and subsequent recovery micro
intervals in a manner that is faster or slower in comparison
thereto.
21. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the exercising micro
intervals are between 8 and 40 s, preferably between 9 and 35 s and
particularly preferably between 10 and 30 s.
22. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the recovery micro
intervals are between 13 and 90 s, preferably between 14 and 75 s
and particularly preferably between 15 and 60 s.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a known exercise apparatus of the
generic kind according to the preamble of the main claim, that is,
an exercise apparatus for exercising the muscles of the human body
required for running on a running surface, comprising a belt
continuously circling over two deflection rollers rotatable about
two mutually parallel axes in one direction, the running surface
for exercising being allocated to the carrying side on the upper
surface of the belt facing away from the deflection rollers.
[0002] Exercise apparatuses are known in a variety of embodiments.
However, mostly they have an electric drive such as, for example, a
treadmill driven by an electric motor or an apparatus driven by
muscular power.
[0003] A known exercise apparatus (DE 199 22 822 B4) comprises a
belt divided in lamellae formed as cross struts which, although
supposed to be flexibly deformable, nevertheless have to pick up
the whole weight of the human body. Therefore, the known exercise
apparatus is not able to simulate the sinking into sand or the like
natural surfaces.
[0004] Therefore, the invention is based on the object of providing
an exercise apparatus of the generic kind by means of which the
sinking into sand or the like natural surfaces may be simulated in
a simple manner.
[0005] Thus, according to the invention, this object is achieved by
an exercise apparatus of the generic kind according to the preamble
of the main claim by the characterizing features thereof in that at
least one of the two deflection rollers has a drive controlled via
a controller, that a load pick-up stationary with respect to the
exercising apparatus is allocated to the lower surface of the
carrying side of the belt facing the return side, that the belt has
a thick, flexibly resilient, softlayer on its upper surface facing
away from the deflection rollers, and that the running surface is
allocated to the free outside of the belt.
[0006] Therefore, due to this inventive design of the exercise
apparatus, the weight of the human body of the exercising person is
accommodated by the load pick-up and deflected to the exercise
apparatus. This, in turn, makes it possible to simulate a natural
surface into which one may sink quickly and deeply by means of the
continuously circling belt comprising the thick, flexibly
resilient, soft layer which may be formed either as an air-filled
volume or a flexibly soft plastic material so that at the beginning
of the next step with this foot it will be necessary to firstly
lift the same by the sunk-in degree to be even back at the level of
the free outside. After that, the foot will have to be further
lifted and put forward to complete the next step. During this
process, by controlling the drive it is possible to adapt to the
respective degree of fitness of the exercising person and/or the
exercising goal.
[0007] The exercise apparatus according to the invention not only
simulates the sinking into sand or the like natural surface but
also requires a higher expenditure of power on the same track in
the direction of the belt and/or exercises other muscle parts by
the deep sinking and thus achieves a better exercising result.
[0008] It has been proven preferable if the thickness of the layer
and/or the resilience of the layer of the exercise apparatus are
dimensioned such that its thickness may be compressed by 40% to
95%, preferably 50% to 90% and particularly preferably by 60% to
80% upon being loaded with the human body.
[0009] According to a first embodiment of the exercise apparatus,
which is not prone to failure and is inexpensive, the entire layer
may be completely made of the plastic material while forming a
belt. However, in an alternative embodiment thereto, it is also
possible to allow higher speeds of the drive without annoying noise
and excessive walking efforts if the layer has valleys or V-shaped
grooves extending from the free outside of the drive in the
direction of the upper surface of the belt while leaving bars
extending parallel to the two axes of the rotatable deflection
rollers and at an angle, preferably at an acute angle, to the
direction with respect to the upper surface of the belt.
[0010] In order to protect at least the outside of the layer from
damage or sweat, a preferably viscoplastic skin, which serves as
the actual running surface, is allocated to the free outside of the
plastic material.
[0011] Here, this skin may either be bonded substance-to-substance
to the free outside of the plastic material or be a separate
running surface belt overlying the free outside and circling
together with the same.
[0012] In order to also simulate inclines as an exercising effect,
at least one of the axes of the two deflection rollers may
advantageously be formed such that it may be lifted or lowered
perpendicular to its extension, for example, by means of an
electrically driven threaded rod or the like.
[0013] Furthermore, the inventive controller of the exercise
apparatus makes it conveniently possible to drive the drive in
individually adjustable, alternating exercising micro intervals of
various durations and subsequent recovery micro intervals in a
manner that is faster or slower in comparison thereto, wherein the
exercising micro intervals may be between 8 and 40 s, preferably
between 9 and 35 s and particularly preferably between 10 and 30 s
and the recovery micro intervals may be between 13 and 90 s,
preferably between 14 and 75 s and particularly preferably between
15 and 60 s.
[0014] If the thick, flexibly resilient, soft layer is an
air-filled volume, it is also possible to adjust its compression by
the drive in a controlled manner, optionally in a changing way, so
that it is also possible to artificially imitate the surface, for
example, a hard, wet sandy soil like on the beach or a soft fir
needle ground in the forest.
[0015] Thus, by using the inventive controller of the exercise
apparatus it is possible to practically imitate any exercising
ground including ascents and descents, exercising and recovery
tracks and optionally comprising hard or soft grounds.
[0016] Further advantageous embodiments and developments of the
invention are characterized in the remaining subclaims.
[0017] Below, an embodiment of the invention will be explained in
more detail with reference to the drawing, wherein:
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a first embodiment of the
exercise apparatus;
[0019] FIG. 2 shows a schematic section of the exercise apparatus
of FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a side view of a second embodiment of the
exercise apparatus;
[0021] FIG. 4 shows a schematic section of the exercise apparatus
of FIG. 3;
[0022] FIG. 5 shows a side view of a third embodiment of the
exercise apparatus; and
[0023] FIG. 6 shows a schematic section of the exercise apparatus
of FIG. 5.
[0024] All three embodiments 10 of the invention are exercise
apparatuses for exercising the muscles of the human body required
for running on a running surface and comprise a belt 16
continuously circling in a direction 11 over two deflection rollers
14, 15 rotatable about two mutually parallel axes 12, 13 in the
direction 11, the running surface 30 for exercising being allocated
to the carrying side 161 of the belt 16 on the upper surface 163 of
the same facing away from the deflection rollers 14, 15. This
design is the same in all embodiments and therefore described in
FIG. 1 only, just like a drive 18 controlled by a controller 17 is
likewise only shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity. For the
rest, the same reference numerals are intended to denote the same
parts.
[0025] A load pick-up 19 fixed to the housing and stationary with
respect to the exercising apparatus 10, on which the carrying side
161 may rest and via which the force due to the weight of the human
body in the form of the exercising person may be deflected, is
allocated to the lower surface 164 of the carrying side 161 of the
belt 16 facing the return side 162.
[0026] In order to also simulate inclines as an exercising effect,
the one axis 13 of the deflection roller 15 is formed such that it
may be lifted or lowered perpendicular to the extension of the axis
by means of, for example, an electrically driven (40) threaded rod
41 or the like in accordance with the directional double arrow
42.
[0027] On its upper surface 163 facing away from the deflection
rollers 14, 15, the belt 16 has a thick, flexibly resilient, soft
layer 20, to the free outside of which the running surface 30 is
allocated and which in all embodiments comprises a flexibly
resilient, soft plastic material formed as foamed plastic material
with open and (partly)/or closed pores in the form of polyurethane
(PU), the layer having a thickness of 2 to 10 cm, preferably 2.5 to
8 cm and particularly preferably 1.5 to 6 cm, which, upon being
loaded with the human body, is compressible by 40% to 95%,
preferably by 50% to 90% and particularly preferably by 60% to
80%.
[0028] In this case, a skin 31 made to be viscoplastic and serving
as the actual running surface 30 is allocated to the free outside
of the layer 20 of the plastic material.
[0029] In the first embodiment the entire layer 20 is continuously
and completely made of the plastic material while forming a belt
(FIG. 2), the thickness of which is reduced in the region of the
deflection rollers due to the reversal of direction. The skin 31 is
bonded substance-to-substance to the free outside of the layer 20
of the plastic material, for example, by gluing or heat sealing or
welding.
[0030] In the two other embodiments (second--FIG. 3--and
third--FIG. 5--) of the exercise apparatus 10 the layer 20 has
valleys 21 extending from the free outside thereof in the direction
of the upper surface 163 of the belt 16 while leaving bars 22, the
valleys 21 being narrow in contrast to the width of the bars 22
measured in the direction 10 of the circling belt 16, preferably
narrower in contrast to the width of the bars measured in the
direction of the circling belt 16 by a factor of 3 to 15,
preferably 6 to 14 and particularly preferably 8 to 13. The valleys
21 extend parallel to the two axes 12, 13 of the rotatable
deflection rollers 14, 15. Furthermore, in the embodiment as shown
the valleys 21 extend at a right angle with respect to the upper
surface 163 of the belt 16.
[0031] In the second embodiment (FIGS. 3 and 4) the skin 31
encloses each bar 22 and is also bonded substance-to-substance to
the plastic material on each side of the valley 21 as in the first
embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0032] In the third embodiment (FIGS. 5 and 6) a separate running
surface belt 32 overlying the free outside of the layer 20 and
circling together with the same is formed which is deflected via
separate deflection rollers 33.
[0033] Using the exercise apparatus, it is possible to practically
reproduce any exercising ground including ascents and descents as
well as exercising and recovery tracks, optionally having hard and
soft grounds, by means of the exercise apparatus according to the
invention via the inventive controller 17 of the drive 18 and the
possibility to lift or lower at least one of the axes 13 of the one
deflection roller 15 perpendicular to its extension by means of the
threaded rod 41 electrically driven by the control drive 40.
* * * * *