FIELD OF THE INVENTION 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 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.
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 FIG. 1 is a side view illustration of several components of a core toning device of the present invention;
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;
FIG. 3 illustrates a sliding tube arm configuration for the core toning device of the present invention;
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;
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;
FIG. 6A-6F illustrate various embodiments of arm mounting devices that may be used to mount the arms of the present invention to chairs;
FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a hinged T arm mounting configuration for the core toning system of the present invention;
FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate different mechanisms for affixing the core toning system of the present invention to a chair, and also illustrates adjustment mechanisms;
FIGS. 9A-9C illustrate further embodiments of arms for the present invention;
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;
FIG. 11 illustrates an alternate embodiment that includes a hinge and spring arrangement;
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;
FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment of a hinge and spring mounting mechanism; and
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 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.
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.
Mounting Device
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.
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.
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.
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.
Arm
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.
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 ¾ 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.
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.
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.
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.
Incorporating Resistance in the Core Toning Mechanism
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
