Tilting inversion exerciser

Abstract

A tilting inversion exerciser includes a supporting stand for supporting a table and having a front frame and a rear frame pivotally coupled and foldable between an opened working position and a folded storing position, the front frame includes two side posts and a lower beam disposed between the side posts for forming a U-shaped structure, the lower beam includes a hand grip for being grasped by the user to sustain the user at a downwardly headed position and for allowing hands of the users to be located below a head of the user. The supporting stand includes one or more pads attached to each of the frames for stably supporting the frames at the opened working position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tilting inversion exerciser, and more particularly to a tilting inversion exerciser including a support device or mechanism or hand grip for supporting the user and for giving some security to the user while conducting the inversion exercises, and particularly at the downwardly headed or up-side-down or inverted position, and for providing a perch from which the invertee can apply additional stretching loads to the body while in the inverted position, for example actually pulling on the hand grip to add a decompression load in addition to the one supplied by gravity.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various kinds of typical inversion suspension exercisers, rotational exercisers, tilting inversion exercisers etc. have been developed and comprise a table rotatably or pivotally attached to an upper portion of a lower or base support with a pivot axle, and rotatable relative to the base support for conducting various inversion or suspension exercises.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,372 to Teeter et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,507,192 to Teeter et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,585,264 to Wang et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,625,327 to Teeter et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,867,154 to Teeter et al. disclose several of the typical inversion suspension exercisers each comprising a table rotatably or pivotally attached to a base support and arranged for allowing the users to rotate the table relative to the base support, and to do various inversion or suspension exercises.

However, when the table of the typical inversion suspension exerciser is rotated relative to the base support to an up-side-down position and to have the user headed downwardly, the user may feel unsafe and may be afraid that his head may have a good chance to strike onto the ground, but the typical inversion suspension exercisers do not have any support devices or hand grips to support the user at the downwardly headed or up-side-down or inverted position.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional tilting inversion exercisers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a tilting inversion exerciser including a support device or mechanism or hand grip for supporting the user and for giving some security to the user while conducting the inversion exercises, and particularly at the downwardly headed or up-side-down or inverted position.

The other objective of the present invention is to provide a tilting inversion exerciser including a hand grip to provide a perch from which the invertee can apply additional stretching loads to the body while in the inverted position, for example actually pulling on the hand grip to add a decompression load in addition to the one supplied by gravity.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a tilting inversion exerciser comprising a supporting stand for attaching and supporting a supporting table and for supporting a user on the supporting table, the supporting stand including a front frame, and a rear frame pivotally coupled to the front frame and foldable relative to the front frame between an opened working position and a folded storing position, the front frame includes two side posts and a lower beam provided between the side posts for forming a U-shaped structure, the lower beam includes a hand grip provided thereon for being grasped by the user to sustain the user at a downwardly headed position and for allowing hands of the users to be located below a head of the user.

The supporting stand includes at least one pad attached to each of the front frame and the rear frame for frictionally supporting the front frame and the rear frame at the opened working position.

A hand grip may further be provided and provided on a middle portion of the lower beam for being grasped by the user. The hand grip is curved from the lower beam and spaced from a longitudinal axis of the lower beam for forming a space between the hand grip and the longitudinal axis of the lower beam.

The rear frame includes two side posts and a lower beam provided between the side posts for forming a U-shaped structure, and a reinforcing bar mounted between the side posts of the rear frame.

Two apex members may further be provided and attached to upper portions of the side posts of the front frame respectively, and the side posts of the rear frame are pivotally coupled to the apex members with pivot axles respectively.

A carrier may further be provided and pivotally attached to the apex members with bearing supports for supporting the supporting table. Two foldable links may further be provided and coupled between the front frame and the rear frame for stably supporting the front frame and the rear frame at the opened working position.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tilting inversion exerciser in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a lower supporting stand of the tilting inversion exerciser; and

FIG. 3 is a front plan schematic view of the lower supporting stand of the tilting inversion exerciser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, a tilting inversion exerciser in accordance with the present invention comprises a lower supporting stand 1 for pivotally or rotatably supporting a base or table 50 thereon, and for supporting a user 8 on the supporting table 50, the lower supporting stand 1 includes two U-shaped frames 10, 20, such as a front U-shaped frame 10 and a rear U-shaped frame 20 having upper ends pivotally coupled together with two apex members 30 so as to form a substantially inverted V-shaped structure (FIGS. 1 and 2), and for allowing the frames 10, 20 of the supporting stand 1 to be folded and supported between an opened working position and a folded or compact storing position.

The front U-shaped frame 10 of the lower supporting stand 1 includes two side posts 11, 12 and a lower beam 13 formed or provided or coupled between the side posts 11, 12 for forming or defining the U-shaped structure of the front frame 10, the apex members 30 are each disposed or attached or mounted or secured to the upper portion 14 of the side post 11, 12 of the front frame 10 respectively with one or more latches or fasteners 31, and a bracket or carrier 32 is pivotally or rotatably attached or mounted or secured or coupled to the apex members 30 with latches or fasteners or pivot joints or bearing supports 33, and located between the apex members 30 and the side posts 11, 12 for supporting or carrying the supporting table 50 and for pivotally or rotatably attaching or mounting or securing or coupling the supporting table 50 to the lower supporting stand 1.

The lower supporting stand 1 includes one or more, such as two hand grips 34 formed or provided thereon, such as formed or provided on the side posts 11, 12 or the apex members 30 respectively for being held or grasped or gripped by the user 8. The supporting table 50 or the carrier 32 includes an extension 35, such as an adjustable extension 35 attached or coupled or extended from the lower portion thereof for supporting an ankle holder or foot retaining device 36 and for holding or retaining or positioning the feet of the users 8 to the carrier 32 and the supporting table 50. The extension 35 may be extended or adjusted relative to the supporting table 50 for moving or adjusting the foot retaining device 36 toward or away from the supporting table 50, according to the height of the users, for example.

The rear U-shaped frame 20 also includes two side posts 21, 22 and a lower beam 23 formed or provided or coupled between the side posts 21, 22 for forming or defining the U-shaped structure of the rear frame 20, the upper portions 24 of the side posts 21, 22 of the rear frame 20 are pivotally or rotatably attached or mounted or secured or coupled to the upper portions of the side posts 11, 12 of the front frame 10 or to the apex members 30 with pivot axles 25 respectively (FIG. 2) for allowing the rear frame 20 to be folded or moved toward the front frame 10 to the folded or compact storing position, and to be opened or moved away from the front frame 10 to the opened working position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The rear frame 20 further include a reinforcing bar 26 disposed or attached or mounted or secured between the side posts 21, 22 of the rear frame 20 for reinforcing the rear frame 20.

One or more (such as two) foldable links 27 may further be provided and attached or mounted or secured or coupled between the side posts 11, 21; 12, 22 of the frames 10, 20 respectively for solidly and stably anchoring or securing or retaining the frames 10, 20 at the opened working position. The above-described structure or configuration for the tilting inversion exerciser, including the carrier 32 and the hand grips 34 and the foot retaining device 36 and the supporting table 50 is typical and is not related to the present invention and will not be described in further details. The lower supporting stand 1 may further include one or more (such as two) cushions or pads 15, 28 attached or mounted or secured to the bottom portions of the side posts 11, 21; 12, 22 or the lower beam 13, 23 of the frames 10, 20 respectively for cushioning or frictionally supporting the frames 10, 20 at the opened working position.

The front frame 10 of the lower supporting stand 1 includes an upwardly folded or extended or curved portion or segment or hand grip 16 formed or provided or extended on or in the middle or central portion 19 of the lower beam 13 and curved or offset or spaced from a longitudinal axis 17 of the lower beam 13 for forming a compartment or space 18 between the hand grip 16 and the longitudinal axis 17 of the lower beam 13 or the supporting ground or surface 70 (FIG. 3), and thus for allowing the hand grip 16 to be suitably held or grasped or gripped by the user 8 (FIG. 1), particularly while conducting or operating the rotational or tilting inversion exercises and when the user is headed downwardly.

In operation, as shown in FIG. 1, the supporting table 50 and the user 8 may be pivoted or rotated relative to the lower supporting stand 1 to the up-side-down position where the user 8 is headed downwardly, at this moment, the user 8 may feel unsafe and may be afraid that his head 88 may have a good chance to strike onto the supporting ground or surface 70. The user 8 may hold or grasp or grip the hand grip 16 to solidly and stably support and maintain or sustain or retain the user 8 at the downwardly headed or up-side-down position where the hands 80 of the user 8 are located below the head 88 of the user 8, such that the user 8 may feel much more safely to conduct the inversion exercises.

It is to be noted that the user 8 may hold or grasp or grip the hand grip 16 that is formed or provided or extended on or in the middle or central portion 19 of the lower beam 13 such that the hands 80 of the user 8 may be located below the head 88 of the user 8 and such that the user 8 may feel much more safely and may give some security to the user when at the downwardly headed or up-side-down position. In addition, another function of the hand grip 16 of the invention is to provide a perch from which the invertee can apply additional stretching loads to the body while in the inverted position, for example actually pulling on the hand grip 16 to add a decompression load in addition to the one supplied by gravity. Furthermore, the hand grip 16 may be directly curved or folded or formed on the lower beam 13 such that the hand grip 16 may be easily and quickly formed or manufactured without additional manufacturing procedures.

Accordingly, the tilting inversion exerciser in accordance with the present invention includes a support device or mechanism or hand grip for supporting the user and for giving some security to the user while conducting the inversion exercises, and particularly at the downwardly headed or up-side-down or inverted position, and the hand grip may provide a perch from which the invertee can apply additional stretching loads to the body while in the inverted position, for example actually pulling on the hand grip to add a decompression load in addition to the one supplied by gravity.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A tilting inversion exerciser comprising:

a supporting stand for attaching and supporting a supporting table and for supporting a user on said supporting table, said supporting stand including a front frame, and a rear frame pivotally coupled to said front frame and foldable relative to said front frame between an opened working position and a folded storing position,

wherein said front frame includes two side posts and a lower beam provided between said side posts for forming a U-shaped structure, said lower beam includes a hand grip provided thereon for being grasped by the user to sustain the user at a downwardly headed position and for allowing hands of the users to be located below a head of the user.

2. The tilting inversion exerciser as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supporting stand includes at least one pad attached to each of said front frame and said rear frame for frictionally supporting said front frame and said rear frame at the opened working position.

3. The tilting inversion exerciser as claimed in claim 1, wherein said a hand grip is provided on a middle portion of said lower beam for being grasped by the user.

4. The tilting inversion exerciser as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hand grip is curved from said lower beam and spaced from a longitudinal axis of said lower beam for forming a space between said hand grip and the longitudinal axis of said lower beam.

5. The tilting inversion exerciser as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear frame includes two side posts and a lower beam provided between said side posts for forming a U-shaped structure, and a reinforcing bar mounted between said side posts of said rear frame.

6. The tilting inversion exerciser as claimed in claim 5, wherein two apex members are attached to upper portions of said side posts of the front frame respectively, and said side posts of said rear frame are pivotally coupled to said apex members with pivot axles respectively.

7. The tilting inversion exerciser as claimed in claim 6, wherein a carrier is pivotally attached to said apex members with bearing supports for supporting said supporting table.

8. The tilting inversion exerciser as claimed in claim 1, wherein two foldable links are coupled between said front frame and said rear frame for stably supporting said front frame and said rear frame at the opened working position.