Exercise discs

Abstract

A pair of exercise discs which will allow the wearer to engage in cardiovascular type exercises. The discs have a smooth, slippery surface on the bottom and a rough, textured surface on the top. In addition, the bottom has a pair of “wings” to prevent sidewise drifting of the discs.

Description

[0001] This is a CIP of Ser. No. 09/262,330, filed Mar. 9, 1998, now pending.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates, in general, to exercise equipment, and, in particular, to elliptical discs which can be used by a person in order to engage in an exercise program.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0003] In the prior art various types of exercise devices have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,883 to Dassler discloses discs used for the sport of curling which have a sole surface with a sliding area with a low coefficient of friction with respect to ice.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,453 to Tifre discloses a shoe which has spherical steel balls rotatively mounted in the sole to allow the wearer to roll in any direction.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,282 to Maclean discloses an exercise glide board which has a smooth surface on it top surface in order to allow a user to exercise by sliding on the top surface.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,350 to Parker, Jr. discloses a roller shoe having a plurality of projecting lugs mounted on the sole of the shoe.

[0007] While the prior art devices work for their intended purposes none of them provide a disc which can be worn in order to allow the user to engage in cardiovascular type exercises and at the same time provide a compact, easy to carry and easy to put on and take off type device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention is directed to a pair of discs which will allow the user to engage in cardiovascular type exercises. The discs have a smooth, slippery surface on the bottom and a rough, textured surface on the top. In addition, the bottom has a pair of “wings” to prevent sidewise drifting of the discs.

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved exercise discs which will allow the wearer to engage in cardiovascular type exercises.

[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved exercise discs which are easy to put on and take off.

[0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved exercise discs which are portable and can be easily transported.

[0012] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a top view of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows a side view of one of the exercise discs 1 of the present invention. It should be understood that a pair of discs will be used, however, since both discs are identical only one is shown in the figures. The discs will be formed from a relatively soft compressible material such as, but not limited to, PVC or nylon. The front and back edges 5 of the discs will be curved slightly upward as shown at 6. This upward curve at the front and back will allow the discs to adjust to different heights in floor coverings and prevent the user's feet from snagging as he/she moves from one type of floor covering to another. That is, if a user moves from a lower pile carpet to a higher pile carpeted surface, the leading edge of the discs will not snag on the carpet and cause the user to stumble or fall.

[0017] The curve should start at approximately 1½inches to 2 inches from the front or back edge and should be curved upwardly at about 20° to provide enough clearance to avoid tripping. Obviously, these dimensions are merely given for illustrational purposes and they may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the top 2 of the discs will have a rough surface 7 which will cover almost the entire top surface of the discs, within ½to 1 inch of the edges. The rough surface could be produced in a variety of ways. For example, a paint having a grit, such as sand, could be applied to the top surface. Other means of providing a rough surface include rubber, scoring or knurling of the top surface. The exact method of providing a rough top surface is not critical as long as the surface will allow a person's feet to remain on the top surface without sliding off as the person moves his/her feet.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom surface of each disc 1 will have a pair of downwardly projecting wings or projections 4 which will be attached to the bottom side edges of the discs. The wings 4 should be made of the same compressible material as the main body of the discs and will prevent the user's feet from drifting apart while in use. The wings will depend approximately ½inch from the bottom 3 of the discs.

[0020] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom 3 of the discs will be provided with a slippery surface as shown at 8 covering almost the entire bottom surface, approximately ½to 1 inch from all edges, with a material such as, but not limited to, Teflon, which will allow the bottom of the discs to slide over a variety of floor coverings due to the reduction of the coefficient of friction between the bottom of the discs and the floor.

[0021] Each disc would measure approximately 18 inches long and 10 inches wide in order to fit almost any person's foot size. Therefore, there would be no need to produce different size discs for different size feet. It should be noted that these dimensions are merely given for illustrational purposes and they may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0022] In use, a person would place their feet on top of the discs where the rough surface 7 would cause their feet to remain without the need for ties or other restraining straps. When a user places his/her weight on the top of the discs, the discs would compress. Since the wings 4 are made from the same compressible material as the discs, the wings would also compress until they are approximately even with the bottom of the discs. Then, the user would shuffle his/her feet similar to a person using cross country skies, but without lifting their feet from the top surface 2 of the discs. Since the bottom surface 3 of the discs is slippery, the user would be able to “slide” on almost any type of carpet, thus enabling them to engage in cardiovascular exercise in almost any location. For example, the user would be able to use the present invention while walking from one area in a building, such as a house, office or gym, to another. In addition, since the discs are easily transportable, a user could take them along while traveling on business or vacation and engage in a simple, low impact form of exercise.

[0023] The wings 4 on the bottom 3 of the discs would prevent the user's feet from drifting apart, because the wings are not covered with the slippery tape 8. The thickness of the wings would be small enough, when compressed by the user's weight, to provide very little drag when the discs are being moved in a forward direction. However, the length of the wings would provide a greater surface area and, therefore, provide enough of a drag to prevent unwanted sideways movement of the discs. The bottom surface, that is more slippery than the top surface, extends only across a width of the bottom surface between the two projections.

[0024] Although the Exercise Discs and the method of using the same according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification with considerable details, it is to be understood that modifications may be made to the invention which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims and modified forms of the present invention done by others skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be considered infringements of this invention when those modified forms fall within the claimed scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An exercise device adapted to be worn on a user's feet, said exercise device comprising:

a platform made from a compressible material which compresses when a user stands on said platform, and

said platform having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front, back and sides,

said top surface being relatively flat and having a roughened texture,

said bottom surface being relatively flat and having a texture that is more slippery than said top surface,

said exercise device adapted to be placed on a user's feet,

said exercise device being secured solely by said roughen ed texture on said top surface, and

wherein said bottom surface has at least two projections depending downwardly from said bottom surface,

said at least two projections being unitary with said bottom surface, and

said at least two projections being positioned only on opposite sides of said bottom surface, and

said bottom surface that is more slippery than said top surface extending only across a width of said bottom surface between said at least two projections.

2. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 1, wherein said front of said platform is curved upwardly from said bottom surface toward said top surface.

3. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 1, wherein said back of said platform is curved upwardly from said bottom surface toward said top surface.

4. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 1, wherein said roughened texture on said top surface is a paint having sand dispersed therein.

5. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 1, wherein said roughened texture on said top surface is a knurled surface.

6. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 1, wherein said roughened texture on said top surface is a plurality of score lines placed along said top surface.

7. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 1, wherein said bottom surface has at least one projection depending downwardly from said bottom surface.

8. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 1, wherein said slippery texture on said bottom surface is a coating having a low coefficient of friction.

9. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 8, wherein said coating is Teflon.

10. The exercise device as claimed in

claim 1, wherein said exercise device comprises two platforms,

one of said two platforms being used on one of a user's feet, and

another of said two platforms being used on another of said user's feet.