Patents Examined by Victor K. Hwang
  • Patent number: 8550964
    Abstract: Resistance training apparatus and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an exercise assembly includes an exercise station having a support portion and at least one user interface operatively coupled to the support portion by an anchor assembly. The anchor assembly includes a housing attached to the support portion, and a coupling device pivotably attached to the housing and moveable throughout an angular range, the coupling device being coupled to the at least one user interface and configured to move through at least a portion of the angular range during use of the at least one user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Vectra Fitness, Inc.
    Inventors: A. Buell Ish, III, L. Kent Lines, Robert A. Rasmussen, Mark Tollison
  • Patent number: 8550965
    Abstract: An exercise device that allows a user to strengthen the entire anatomical core muscles with a lightweight, compact, and portable design. A device includes a housing that is substantially spherical in shape with a hollow portion therein. The housing has at least one protrusion. A ball that is substantially spherical in shape is positioned within said hollow portion such that said housing at least partially encloses the ball therein. A plurality of bearings are disposed between said housing and said ball. The bearings contact the housing and the ball, thereby allowing said housing to rotate about said ball. A plurality of handles detachably connect to the at least one protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Inventors: Elizabeth A Candela, Ronald J Hedenberg
  • Patent number: 8545373
    Abstract: A human shoulder stretcher and method of use for gradual, progressive posterior capsular stretching to rehabilitate the shoulder, in particular to address tightness of the posterior capsule of the glenohumeral joint through use of a lever arm and ratcheting mechanism that permits a patient to stretch his or her shoulder without the need for a therapist present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Inventor: Peter Scott Borden
  • Patent number: 8529418
    Abstract: A balance board including a standing platform connected to a pivot ball. The standing platform provides an area for a subject to stand and can be moved by a set of deflector actuators. The deflector actuators can move the platform in both the lateral and vertical directions. A braking assembly is connected to the ball and the braking assembly increases or decreases rotation resistance to the ball. When resistance is increased to the ball, resistance to rotation for the platform is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Falconworks
    Inventors: Duncan Stewart, Thomas D. Meyer, Travis J. Miller, Holden D. Leute, Christopher M. Schroer
  • Patent number: 8523743
    Abstract: The present invention includes a user-operated stretching machine for stretching limbs and other body parts of a user. The machine includes a cable system extending from a user operated double reel cable drum to pulleys located at the end of a pair of arms extending angularly from a carriage. The carriage is attached to a curved upright in such a way as to be movably attached to the upright enabling stretching to take place at various angles relative to the upright and user's body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: The Blue Rooster Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin J. Miles, Charles J. Kron
  • Patent number: 8506461
    Abstract: A multifunction dumbbell includes a handle having two projections on both ends respectively; two hollow weight members each having a protrusion extending toward the handle; two spacer sleeves each having a closed flange fixedly secured to a joining portion of the handle and either projection, with the spacer sleeves fixedly fastened between the protrusions and the projections; two rings each having an inner diameter less than an outer diameter of the weight member so that the rings can be put on the weight members and retained thereon respectively; two half-spherical members each fixedly secured to the ring and complimentarily engaged with the weight member; and two truncated conic springs each put on the protrusion and a portion of the weight member to be retained between the spacer sleeve and the ring. The rings and the half-spherical members together are adapted to rotate about the weight members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Inventors: Ming-Hsiung Huang, Wei-Chen Wang
  • Patent number: 8500609
    Abstract: An attachable weight assembly having separable sections for attachment to a pole used in exercising. The weight assembly includes a elongated main body having a first end and a second end and a bore running through the first end, second end and elongated main body. The bore is sized to fit over a shaft. The first and second ends each have a storage area for secure storage of a molded weight. The elongated main body is separable into at least two main body sections. The main body sections are attached together using an attachment mechanism. A user attaches the weight assembly to the shaft for use during exercise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Inventor: Andrea Williams
  • Patent number: 8485951
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounted multi-position pulley-based resistance tube exercise apparatus having resistance tube length effectively doubled for increased range of consistent resistance, and having a height adjustable pulley assembly providing a user with the ability to set multiple exercise initiation points so as to provide exercise options for a full body workout at a single exercise station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Inventor: Frederick R. Adams
  • Patent number: 8485950
    Abstract: A wall-mounted multi-position pulley-based resistance tube exercise apparatus having resistance tube length effectively doubled for increased range of consistent resistance, and having a height adjustable pulley assembly providing a user with the ability to set multiple exercise initiation points so as to provide exercise options for a full body workout at a single exercise station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Inventor: Frederick R. Adams
  • Patent number: 8475345
    Abstract: An exercise-cord anchored device is used to detachably secure an anchoring end of an elastic cord, and includes an anchored mount, a biasing member, and a tubular insert. The anchored mount has an inner tubular wall defining an insert opening and having an inserting route, a seat, and a rest wall. The biasing member is disposed in the insert opening. The tubular insert is coupled to the elastic cord, is insertable into the insert opening and is manually movable against the biasing force of the biasing member, and has a protuberance configured to be guided along the inserting route. When the mounting end is pushed manually to permit the protuberance to extend beyond the seat, the protuberance is turned angularly over the seat so as to abut against the rest wall, thereby retaining the tubular insert to the anchored mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Inventor: Wen-Ching Wang
  • Patent number: 8419599
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an underwater exercise and physical therapy device for joint release and spinal adjustment wherein a tube is worn on a user's upper body and weights are worn on the user's feet in a water tank having a predetermined depth wherein his feet are spaced apart from the bottom surface thereof to carry out underwater exercise and physical therapy by using the buoyant force of the tube and the gravity of the weights, thereby enabling his joints to be released, making his muscles reformed, and further adjusting and preventing his spinal diseases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Inventor: Gye-Hyun Seol
  • Patent number: 8394005
    Abstract: An exercise table which finds use in Pilates exercising includes an outer framework, a slidably movable support platform, and a foot bar against which a user's feet can be engaged while sliding the support platform against the bias of springs by extending and retracting the user's legs. The frame has supporting legs which are tapered inwardly and downwardly so that one exercise table can be nestably stacked on another by inserting the tapered legs of an overlying exercise table through an opening in the frame of an underlying table until the frames themselves are closely adjacent. The foot bar, shoulder blocks, and pulleys used in operation of the table are also movable between elevated use positions and lowered storage positions to facilitate closely adjacent nestable stacking of identical exercise tables. Various systems are disclosed for accommodating different sized individuals while retaining desired resistance from resilient elements incorporated into the table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc.
    Inventors: Howard Jay Solow, Julie Lobdell, Nicholas D. Smith, Chad Follmar, Jeffery T. Samson, Nicholas Aldo Nespeca
  • Patent number: 8376916
    Abstract: A heavy bag for use by martial arts practitioners to practice the martial arts, the heavy bag adapted to receive a sheath about its circumferential periphery, the sheath having a plurality of vertically longitudinal sleeves or pockets for the slidable receipt of semi-rigid tubes, rods, or pellets which would therefore be disposed about the circumference of the heavy bag and when struck by a martial arts practitioner with a select anatomical body part would toughen and desensitize the particular anatomical body part. In the preferred embodiment, the sheathing would be in two parts, a lower sheathing secured about the lower portion of the heavy bag by means of hook and loop fastener means, and an upper sheathing which would depend from the four point linkage used for hanging the heavy bag, the lower portion of the upper sheathing being secured by hook and loop fasteners about the circumference of the heavy bag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Inventor: Peter Tsakiris
  • Patent number: 8376915
    Abstract: An exercise bicycle is provided with a planar four bar linkage with cranks. The bicycle frame (5) is used as the machine frame of the planar four bar linkage, the seat (2) of the bicycle is fixed on a connecting rod (8) of the planar four bar linkage, and the connecting rod (8) is not directly connected with the bicycle frame (5). A middle axle (10) is used as the crank shaft, and one end of the connecting rod (8) is rotationally connected with a crank pin journal of the crank shaft (10), the other end thereof is connected with the member of the bicycle frame (5). The seat of the bicycle can do periodic movement with translation and rotation while a person rides the bicycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Inventor: Liqun Hu
  • Patent number: 8353808
    Abstract: Exercise devices for exercising the abdominal muscles and other muscle groups are disclosed. Each of the exercise devices has a housing from which opposing interconnected ends of an axle extend and a support ball that is captured within and partially extends from the housing. The housing has a cavity defining a partial sphere for receiving the support ball. Each of the exercise devices also comprises a plurality of strips which are attached to the surface of the cavity. Each of the strips includes a plurality of bearings each of which is captured within a bearing race. The strips are positioned upon the cavity surface so as to engage the support ball surface and to provide free-rolling support of the housing on the support ball in any direction when the exercise device is in use. Methods of using the exercise devices are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Inventor: Edwin Michael Barney
  • Patent number: 8337372
    Abstract: The invention relates to an exercise device for use by a user on a selected surface material comprising a grasping member having a first end and a second end, a first tool head mounted to the first end of the grasping member and a second tool head mounted to the second end of the grasping member. Each of the first tool head and the second tool head has sufficient structural rigidity to be interacted with the surface material without significant deformation whereby a user can perform exercises upon the selected surface material by physically interacting the first tool head and second tool head with the surface material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: BeachFit, LLC
    Inventor: Brenda Boterenbrood
  • Patent number: 8328695
    Abstract: A trampoline and cage ball game device includes a trampoline frame structure with a spring supported flexible trampoline bed attached thereto and a plurality of support legs for supporting the trampoline frame and flexible bed. A single continuous open ended sheet of flexible material that is folded into four reinforced corners defining a pair of end wall panel sections and a pair of side wall end sections forming an enclosed cage structure. A plurality of elongated corner pipes are attached to inner corners of the trampoline extending beyond the top of the enclosed cage structure, the corner pipes having spring attachments secured to the four corner folds to stretch enclosed cage structure at the end wall sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Inventors: Devin J. Ronan, John S. Ronan
  • Patent number: 8323159
    Abstract: An apparatus to store and facilitate the safe simultaneous use of dumbbells by multiple individuals. The apparatus includes first and second staging stations. The first staging station includes a first side, a second side, and first and second spaced apart towers. An individual can walk from the first side of the staging station to a position between the first and second towers with the individual's entire body in a space intermediate the towers. The second staging station includes a primary side, a secondary side, and spaced apart third tower and fourth towers. The second staging station is positioned normal to the first staging station such that a first individual in the first staging station can grasp dumbbells on an outwardly facing tier of the fourth tower of the second staging station at the same time a second individual is standing between the third and fourth towers of the second staging station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Mesacor, Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Perry, Paul M. Picciano
  • Patent number: 8323156
    Abstract: A leg training equipment has a base fixed in place, a support portion configured to support a part of a user's body, and a coupling mechanism provided between the base and the support portion. The coupling mechanism movably couples the support portion to the base such that a load applied to a leg of the user by the user's own weight changes by a relative positional displacement between a foot position and a position of center of gravity of the user. In addition, the coupling mechanism limits a movable direction of the support portion such that at least when the load applied to the leg increases, a direction of the relative positional displacement between the foot position and the position of center of gravity is substantially limited to a direction of flexion and extension of knee joint. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently provide the user with an exercise that applies less load on the knee joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takahisa Ozawa, Youichi Shinomiya, Kazuhiro Ochi, Yuritsugu Toyomi, Kouichi Ishino, Minoru Kawamoto
  • Patent number: 8323157
    Abstract: A method of using an adjustably inclinable exercise device using guidelines from a selected strength table, hypertrophy table, power table, or endurance table. The exercise device includes a vertical support member, an adjustable incline having a first end and a second end and adjustably supported by the vertical support member for adjusting the incline of the adjustable incline, and a user support platform for engagement by a user movably attached to the adjustable incline and configured for movement along the incline. A user selects parameters including a loading parameter from the selected table, adjusts the incline to an inclination corresponding to the selected loading parameter, and mounts the support platform and engages the exercise device for performance of exercise training according to the selected parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Total Gym Global Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas J. Campanaro, Joy L. Campanaro, Dan McCutcheon, Douglas Dale McMurray