Multifunctional Sitting Type Elliptical Trainer

Abstract

A multifunctional elliptical trainer includes a frame, a seat, a leg training apparatus, and a hand training apparatus. The frame has at least roller rail. The seat is provided on the frame. The leg training apparatus includes a flywheel provided on the frame, two pedal bars, on each of which a pedal is provided, having ends pivotally connected to the flywheel, and having rollers to be engaged with the roller rail of the frame that the pedal bars slide along the roller rail. The hand training apparatus has two handles, each of which has a holding portion, pivoted on the frame and two linkages having opposite ends pivotally connected to the handles and the pedal bars respectively. User may sit on the seat, holds the handles, and steps on pedals of the pedal bars to train his/her legs and arms in an easy way.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to a training machine, and more particularly to a multifunctional sitting type elliptical trainer.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] There are various types of training machine in the market to train different muscles. Typically, a specific training machine mainly trains a specific group of user's muscles. However, if the path of motion does not meet the natural motion of human when user gets train on the training machine, it might hurt the user.

[0005] For a conventional training machine with two pedals and two handles, the pedals are connected to the handles through linkages. The handles are moved by the pedals that user may train his/her legs and arms when user holds the handles and steps on the pedals. The pedals of such training machine only provides a curved path of motion that user only may step on the machine, not walk on the machine, so that the loading is concentrating on fewer muscles of legs when the user steps on the pedals. It will quickly overloads the muscles that user may not take exercise on the machine for a long time.

[0006] Another conventional elliptical training machine provides an elliptical path of motion for feet. However, user has to stand on the machine to take exercise. Some elliptical training machines are provided with a seat that user may sit on it to take exercise. However, the path of motion when user sits to take exercise does not meet the natural motion that such training machine still has above drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional elliptical trainer, on which user may sit to take exercise in a path of motion close to natural motion.

[0008] According to the primary objective of the present invention, a multifunctional elliptical trainer includes a frame, a seat, a leg training apparatus, and a hand training apparatus. The frame has at least roller rail. The seat is provided on the frame. The leg training apparatus includes a flywheel provided on the frame, two pedal bars, on each of which a pedal is provided, having ends pivotally connected to the flywheel, and having rollers to be engaged with the roller rail of the frame that the pedal bars slide along the roller rail. The hand training apparatus has two handles, each of which has a holding portion, pivoted on the frame and two linkages having opposite ends pivotally connected to the handles and the pedal bars respectively.

[0009] User may sit on the seat, holds the handles, and steps on pedals of the pedal bars to train his/her legs and arms in the same time. The paths of motions of arms and legs are similar to the natural paths that user may take exercise for a long time in an easy way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 are front views of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing how the trainer works;

[0012] FIG. 6 is a front view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the springs under the pedal;

[0013] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

[0014] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are sketch diagrams of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the rotary holding bar on the handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] As shown in FIG. 5, an elliptical trainer 100 of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention provides user to sit on the trainer to train hands and legs. The path of motion of the present invention is close to the natural path.

[0016] The elliptical trainer 100 includes a frame 10, a seat 20, a leg training apparatus 30, and a hand training apparatus 40.

[0017] The frame 10 has several tubes connected together to stand on the ground. The frame 10 includes two roller rails 12, a seat rail 14 and a vertical tube 16. The wheel rails are parallel to each other. The seat rail 14 is inclined. The vertical tube 16 is in front of the seat rail 14 to mount a panel or other device thereon.

[0018] The seat 20 is slidably connected to the seat rail 14 of the frame 10 for reciprocation that user may move the seat 20 to change a distance between the seat 20 and the vertical tube 16 according to his/her body size.

[0019] The leg training apparatus 30 includes a flywheel 32, two pedal bars 34 and two rollers 36. The flywheel 32 is under the seat 20 to be pivoted on the frame 10. The pedal bars 34 are at opposite sides of the vertical tube 16, each of which has a straight section 34a and a bent section 34b.

[0020] The straight sections 34a of the pedal bars 34 are connected to the flywheel 32 through cranks 38. Each of the pedal bars 34 is provided with a roller 36 on the straight section 34a to be engaged with the roller rail 12 respectively that the pedal bars 34 may move forward (FIG. 3) or backward (FIG. 5) along the roller rails 12. It will move the bent sections 34b of the pedal bars 34 in elliptical paths when the straight sections 34a reciprocate on the roller rails 12. Each of the pedal bars 34 is provided with a pedal 35 on the bent section 34b.

[0021] An angle between the straight section 34a and the bent section 34b is an obtuse angle, a preferred angle is in a range between 100 degrees and 160 degrees that user may have an east posture to sit on the seat 20 and step on the pedals 35 to take exercise on the elliptical trainer 100 of the present invention.

[0022] The hand training apparatus 40 includes two handles 42 and two linkages 44. The handles 42 have several bent portions and are pivoted on the vertical tube 16 of the frame 10. Each of the handles 42 has a holding portion 42a at an upper section and a lower end pivotally connected to the bent section 34b of the pedal bar 34 through the linkage 44 that a movement of the pedal bars 34 of the leg training apparatus 30 may drive the handles 42 of the hand training apparatus 40 to swing. In other words, user may have a curved path of motion of hands and an elliptical path of motion of legs in the same time when he/she sits on the seat 20, holds the holding portions 42a of the handles 42, and steps on pedals 35 of the pedal bars 34.

[0023] When user sits on the seat 20, holds the holding portions 42a of the handles 42, and steps on pedals 35 of the pedal bars 34, he/she may have paths of leg and hand motions similar to the natural paths that user may not get hurt when he/she takes exercise on the trainer 100 of the present invention, and furthermore, user may take exercise for a long time.

[0024] FIG. 6 shows an elliptical trainer of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to the elliptical trainer 1 of the first preferred embodiment, except that a pedal 50 is pivoted on the pedal bar 34 and two springs 52 are provided between the pedal 50 and the pedal bar 34. The springs 52 urge the pedal 50 to contact user's foot all the time when the steps on the pedal 50.

[0025] FIG. 7 shows an elliptical trainer of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to the elliptical trainer 1 of the first preferred embodiment, except that a handle 60 has an operating bar 62, a holding bar 64, and a knob 66. The operating bar 62 has a vertical section 62a to be the holding portion. The holding bar 64 is pivoted on the operating bar 62, and the knob 66 may be turned to fasten or to loose the holding bar 64. User may choose to hold the vertical sections 62a of the operating bars 62 in a vertical posture or hold the holding bars 64 (FIG. 7) in a horizontal posture (FIG. 8), and he/she may turn the knob 66 to loose the holding bars 64 for rotation (FIG. 9) or to fasten the holding bar 64 (FIG. 8).

[0026] The description above is a few preferred embodiments of the present invention. These equivalences of the present invention are still in the scope of claim construction of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multifunctional elliptical trainer, comprising: a frame having at least roller rail; a seat provided on the frame; a leg training apparatus including a flywheel provided on the frame, two pedal bars, on each of which a pedal is provided, having ends pivotally connected to the flywheel, and having rollers to be engaged with the roller rail of the frame that the pedal bars slide along the roller rail; and a hand training apparatus having two handles, each of which has a holding portion, pivoted on the frame and two linkages having opposite ends pivotally connected to the handles and the pedal bars respectively.

2. The multifunctional elliptical trainer as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the pedal bars has a straight section and a bent section, on which the pedal is provided, and between the straight section and the bent section is an obtuse angle.

3. The multifunctional elliptical trainer as defined in claim 2, wherein the pedal is pivotally connected to the bent section of the pedal bar, and a biasing means is provided between the pedal bar and the pedal.

4. The multifunctional elliptical trainer as defined in claim 2, wherein the leg training apparatus further includes a crank with opposite ends pivotally connected to the pedal bar and the flywheel.

5. The multifunctional elliptical trainer as defined in claim 2, wherein the roller rail is straight, and the roller is provided at the straight section of the pedal bar.

6. The multifunctional elliptical trainer as defined in claim 1, wherein the handle has an operating bar and a holding bar pivotally connected to the operating bar.

7. The multifunctional elliptical trainer as defined in claim 6, wherein the handle further has a knob to fasten and loose the holding bar.

8. The multifunctional elliptical trainer as defined in claim 6, wherein the frame is provided with a seat rail, and the seat is engaged with the seat rail to be slid along the seat rail.