Compact office exercise unit
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compact exercise unit, which comprises a body attachable to a standard swivel chair leg in a removable manner. The body has at least one internal cavity and at least one exercise element. The exercise element has a first and a second end, the first end being fixed to the body. The element is extendable between a non-extended position and an extended position in which the second end of the element protrudes from the body. The cavity being adapted at least for storage of said element at least in said non-extended position.
This invention relates to a portable full body exercise apparatus, and in particular, to a compact exercise unit attachable to the leg of a standard swivel chair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONRecent medical studies have shown that lack of physical activity and exercise may cause a significant decrease in both physical and mental state of the human body and mind, as severe as causing heart attack and cancer. In today's modern day environment, due to considerable lack of time, mainly among office workers, it is difficult to get even the minimum amount of such exercise. In order to take part in physical activity, a worker is either forced to move to a certain designated location within the office compound, specifically adapted for physical activity, or commute to a gym or country club outside his work place. Both options take too much time, as a result of which most people remain in constant lack of physical activity.
In the last few years, increasing awareness and concern for people's health and need of physical exercise have spawned up numerous devices whose sole purpose was to increase “results to time” ratio. However, despite obvious advantages, such devices, much like the devices found in gyms, are usually too big and robust, and take up much space, making them unsuitable for standard size offices. Furthermore, most such devices require a great amount of time for construction and maintenance and are not only space consuming but also hardly transportable in their dismantled form, let alone once assembled.
A number of compact, portable devices have been developed, providing in office and indoor physical activity, usually by attachment of the device to either a desk or a chair. Some examples of such devices are presented below.
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- U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,445 discloses an exercise device mounted onto a swivel chair, which comprises a back mechanism of variable height, and a horizontal bar at chair seat height, both for exercising upper body using elastic resistance means, and a front mechanism for training of the legs, using the same kind of resistance.
- US20040053756 discloses an exercise device attached to a swivel chair, consisting of a set of extendable rod housings encompassing a set of cords and pulleys, for exercising of upper and lower body, allowing variable resistance levels.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,243 discloses an exercise apparatus mounted on the back rest of a standard chair, which comprises a bar located in a rotatable hub, and elastic resistance means attached to said bar, for training user's arms.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,260 an exercise device mounted onto the leg of a swivel chair, consisting of a set of pulleys, where ends of said pulleys are attached to elastic resistance means to exercise the arms. In addition, said pulleys comprise a foot brace and are adapted for rolling motion along the floor to exercise the legs.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compact exercise unit, which comprises a body attachable to a standard swivel chair leg in a removable manner, and having at least one internal cavity and at least one exercise element having a first and a second end, said first end being fixed to the body, said element being extendable between a non-extended position and an extended position in which the second end of the element protrudes from the body, said cavity being adapted at least for storage of said element at least in said non-extended position.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a compact exercise unit attachable to a standard swivel chair leg in a removable manner, which comprises at least one exercise element with a first and a second end, said first end being fixed to the unit, said element being extendable between a non-extended position and an extended position in which a portion thereof including said second end is adapted for rotation about a horizontal rotation axis perpendicular to said chair leg, when said unit is mounted thereon.
The unit according to the second aspect of the invention may have a body as described with respect to the first aspect of the invention. The body in both cases may further comprise one or more compartments adapted for storage of additional exercise elements or any other articles.
The body is designed to at least partially surround the leg, when the unit is mounted thereon. The internal cavity may occupy the majority of the body and may be adapted for mounting the first end of the exercise element therein.
The exercise unit may include more than one exercise element and its internal cavity may be adapted for storing at least two of such elements. The internal cavity may comprise more than one storage compartment, in particular for storing exercise elements therein, and their location may be on the sides of the leg, in front of the leg or behind the leg, when the unit is mounted thereon.
The exercise element in the exercise unit of the first and second aspects of the invention may be of variable length and/or capable of taking different positions, to bring it into at least two different operative states.
The variable length of the exercise element may be achieved by the element being rigid and having a telescopic design, or being elastic, or due to any appropriate design. Different positions of the exercise element may be achieved by its horizontal rotation about a vertical axis parallel to the chair leg, and/or vertical rotation about a horizontal axis perpendicular to said leg. The element may also be designed to allow adjustment of its height and/or distance of its second end from the chair seat, and it may be adapted for at least upper or lower body exercise in sitting position.
The second end of the exercise element may be adapted for mounting further components thereon, which may be in the form of an additional exercise device, a part thereof or a supplement to said exercise element. The supplement may be, for example, in the form of a resistance means such as a spring, elastic cord or the like. The additional element may be adapted for storage within the cavity of said body.
The body of the exercise unit may have a surface area large enough to enable mounting of additional exercise elements thereon. The exercise elements may be of the previously mentioned type, and/or may include handle bars for exercising hands, a stepper, etc. The unit may be further adapted to function as a foot rest and be so mounted on the chair leg as not to interfere with the performance of regular office activity when said element is in its non-extendable position.
The unit may also be adapted to be connected to a computer equipped with appropriate software and programs, allowing the use of features such as a personal trainer, exercise reminder, exercise games and more, in conjunction with said unit, through an interactive computer interface. For that purpose, the unit may also be equipped with sensors being in communication with said interactive computer interface allowing automatic adjustment of personal, per user, settings such as resistance, angle of arms etc. through said computer interface.
The unit may be mounted on said chair leg using various means such as a snapping mechanism, screws, clamping mechanism or the like.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a compact exercise unit attachable to a standard swivel chair leg in a removable manner, the leg having a predetermined diameter, said unit having a body formed with a longitudinal slot extending perpendicularly to said swivel chair leg, when the unit is mounted thereon, and having a first open end at the circumference of the body, and a second closed end spaced inwardly from said circumference, the width of said slot being not smaller than said predetermined diameter, to allow said slot to receive said leg therein.
The unit further comprises a clamping mechanism for the fixation of the position of the unit relative to said chair leg, in which the leg is located at the closed end of the slot and clamped thereagainst. The clamping mechanism may comprise a first element adapted for horizontal movement along said slot towards said second end of the slot, and a second element adapted for vertical movement, within said slot.
The unit according to the current aspect of the invention may have any feature of the unit according to first and/or second aspects of the invention.
The exercise unit according to any of the above described aspect of the invention may have a design which will advantageously occupy the majority of the vacant space below the seat of a chair corresponding to the area of the chair, with a minimal height along the chair's leg, and will provide a vast variety of exercise opportunities.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSIn order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, several embodiments according to various aspects of the present invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The exercise unit 10 comprises a body 50, two extendable front arms 20, two extendable rear arms 30, an extendable upper bar 40 and four spools 60 mounted on the arms and the bar.
The body 50 comprises a base plate 51 and a top cover 52 with a cavity 53 defined therebetween. The body has an axis of symmetry 100 and has a dimension in a plane perpendicular to the axis of symmetry 100, essentially greater than the distance between the upper and lower plates.
The base plate 51 and top cover 52 both have aligned narrow longitudinal slots 54, extending from the center of the body 50 towards its circumference. Housed therebetween is a clamping mechanism 55 adapted for mounting the exercise unit 10 onto a leg of the swivel chair (
The two front arms 20 are connected to the back of the body 50, each arm 20 having a hinge 25 allowing it to rotate horizontally and thereby to protrude from the body 50. Each arm has a telescopic design allowing its longitudinal extension. Each arm 20 is comprised of three segments: a first internal 22a, an intermediate 22b, and an external 22c. The first internal segment 22a is formed with a compartment 23 of a third partially circular form, adapted to be flush against the rims 51′ and 52′ of the base plate 51 and top cover 52 when the arms 20 are in a position parallel to each other. The third external segment 22c of each arm 20 may be adapted for mounting thereon a resistance means in the form of a spool 60 or the like, which will be defined in more detail later with reference to
The two rear telescopic arms 30 each comprises one internal segment 31 fixed to the body 5, one intermediate segment 32 horizontally movable with respect to the internal segment 31, and three segments 33a; 33b; 33c, constituting a telescopic end section 33 connected to the segment 32 by means of a joint 35. The joint 35 is adapted to allow vertical rotation of the end section 33 of each arm about a horizontal axis 36 and is capable of sliding in and out of the segment 32 along with the end section 33.
The upper bar 40 is attached to the segments 32c of the rear arms 30 and it comprises a longitudinal horizontal bridge 42 accommodating two horizontal back bars 44 adapted to be laterally extended outside the bridge, along its longitudinal direction. Each of the back bars 42 is adapted for mounting thereon a resistance means in the form of a spool 60 similar to the one mounted on the front arms 20.
In operation, the chair occupant is seated on the seat 74 and may use each one of the four spools 60 to perform either upper or lower body exercise by pulling on the straps 64 using the hand grips 69 with either hands or legs. The structure of the exercise unit 10 allows the user a wide variety of exercises, for example, pulling on the straps 64 either above the back rest 76 or from its sides, with the exercise elements being either in.
The exercise elements of the unit 10 are easily retractable into their inoperative, non-extended position as shown in
In particular, the back bars 44 are adapted to be retracted into the bridge 42, whereas the rear arms 30 including the upper bar 40, and the front arms 20 are adapted to be retracted into the cavity 53 of the body 50 with the circular portion of the compartment 23 of each of the front arms 20 being flush against the circumference of the base plate 51 and top cover 52. The spools 60 are removed from the front arms 20 to be stored in the front storage compartment 56. The spools 60 connected to the back bars 44 may be left slightly protruding from the body 50 of the exercise unit 10, or alternatively they may also be removed and stored away, e.g. in the side storage compartments 57.
It should be noted that the unit 10 may be used for exercise in a non-extended position since the spools 60 may be available to the user, if not removed from the arms, even when the front arms 20 and the back arms 30 are retracted into the cavity 53.
During assembly, in order to mount the body 50 on the chair leg 72, the front storage 65, and the clamping mechanism 55 are first removed. The chair leg 72 is inserted into the slot 54 at its open end and is moved towards the closed end of the slot 54 until it abuts it. The moving jaw 55a is then inserted between the base plate 51 and the top cover 52 and is driven along the slot 54 until it engages the chair leg 72. Once the moving jaw 55a has engaged the leg, the fixed jaw 55b is inserted between the base plate 51 and the top cover, and is driven along the slot 54 until it enters vertically into the recesses of the base plate 51 in a direction perpendicular to the slot 54. The lead bolt 55c is then driven through the threaded hole of the fixed jaw 55b. When the bolt 55c is turned, it moves forward, and since the jaw 55b is fixed, the end result is displacement of the moving jaw 55a towards the chair leg 72. The bolt 55c is turned until the unit 10 is secured to the chair leg 72.
Thus, after assembly, the clamping mechanism 55 is located between the base plate 51 and the top cover 25 of the unit 10 (shown here with the front storage space 56 removed) securely clamping the chair leg 72, and the fixed jaw 55b is positioned in recesses 59 in the base plate 51.
The stepper 80 comprises two bars 82 connected to a stepper bridge 84, to which levers 86 are connected on each side. Each lever 86 is connected to the bridge 84 on one end of the lever 86 and supports a stepper pad 88 located at the other end of the lever 86.
In operation, the chair occupant is seated on the seat 72 and places his feet on the stepper pads 88. In this position it is then possible to perform several exercises for the leg, which may, among other things, simulate riding a bicycle.
In operation, the user seated in the chair 70, may exercise his upper body by moving the ski bars with his hands, simulating various sport activities, mainly skiing and rowing.
With reference to
Chest and shoulder exercises (as shown in
Arms and Biceps exercises (as shown in FIGS. 9D and 9E);
Diagonal muscle exercises (as shown in
Shoulder and back exercises (as shown in
Back arm and shoulder exercises (as shown in
Arm, shoulder and chest exercises (as shown in FIGS. 9I and 9J);
Back, stomach and shoulder exercises (as shown in FIGS. 9K and 9L);
Side and hips exercises (as shown in
Stomach exercises (as shown in
FIGS. 10 to 13 illustrate a compact exercise unit 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is adapted for mounting on a leg of a swivel chair.
The exercise unit 101 comprises a body 500, two extendable arms 200, and spools 60 mounted on the arms. The body 500 comprises a base plate 510 and a top cover 520 with a cavity 530 defined therebetween. The body has an axis of symmetry 1000 and has a dimension in a plane perpendicular to the axis of symmetry, essentially greater than the distance between the upper and lower plates.
The exercise unit 101 is essentially similar to the exercise unit 10 according to the previously described embodiment, with the exception that it comprises only two arms 200, as opposed to two front arms 20 and two back arms 30 in the previous embodiment.
Each arm 200 is connected to a wing element 300 of partially circular form, which is connected in turn to the back of the body 500 via a hinge defining a vertical axis 350 allowing it to rotate horizontally and thereby to protrude from the body 500. The wing element 300 is formed with a side compartment 310 of a partially circular form, adapted to be flush against the rims 312 and 314 of the wing element 300 when in a closed position. The side compartment 310 may be used for storage of various artifacts.
Each arm 200 is connected to the wing element 300 through a hinge defining a horizontal axis 250, allowing the arm 200 to rotate vertically about the axis. Each arm 200 has a telescopic design allowing its longitudinal extension and is comprised of three segments: a first internal 210, connected to the wing 300, an intermediate 220, and an external 230. The third external segment 230 of each arm 200 may be adapted for mounting thereon a resistance means in the form of a spool 60 or the like, as previously defined in more detail with reference to
Referring to
Referring to
The discs 420 are fixed by pins 436, preventing them from rotating, thus keeping the arms 200 at a fixed position. The lever 430 is now at a raised position, supporting the pins 436.
With reference to
Referring now to
When the cover 438 is in an open position (
It should be appreciated that mounting of the unit, as well as all the additional exercise elements, and exercises as specified for the exercise unit 10 as described according to the previous embodiment of the present invention apply to the exercise unit 101 as described with regards to the present embodiment as well.
Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention mutatis mutandis.
Claims
1. A compact exercise unit which comprises a body attachable to a standard swivel chair leg in a removable manner, and having at least one internal cavity and at least one exercise element having a first and a second end, said first end being fixed to the unit, said element being extendable between a non-extended position and an extended position in which the second end of the element protrudes from the body, said cavity being adapted at least for storage of said element at least in said non-extended position.
2. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said element is extendable into at least two different extended positions defining two different operative states of said unit.
3. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said body has an external surface and said cavity comprises at least a first compartment adapted for the storage of said exercise element, and wherein at least one of said external surface and said cavity further comprises a second compartment adapted for storage of at least one additional object.
4. A unit according to claim 3, wherein said additional object is an additional exercise unit, a part thereof, or a supplement to said exercise element.
5. A unit according claim 1, wherein said element is of variable length.
6. A unit according to claim 5, wherein said element is telescopic.
7. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said element, when said unit is mounted on said chair leg, is adapted for rotation about a vertical rotation axis, which is parallel to said swivel chair leg.
8. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said element has, when extended, a protruding portion including said second end, which is adapted for rotation about a horizontal rotation axis, perpendicular to said leg when said unit is mounted thereon.
9. A unit according to claim 8, wherein said protruding portion has an adjustable height and length.
10. A unit according to claim 1, wherein the second end of said element is adapted for mounting thereon an additional exercise device, a part thereof, or a supplement to said exercise element.
11. A unit according to claim 10, wherein said supplement is a resistance means.
12. A unit according to claim 1, further adapted to function as a foot rest.
13. A unit according to claim 1, further adapted to be so mounted on said leg as not to interfere with the performance of regular office activity, when said element is in its non-extended position.
14. A unit according to claim 1, allowing the use of said element for at least one of upper and lower body exercises by chair occupant in sitting position.
15. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said chair leg has a predetermined diameter and said body is formed with a longitudinal slot extending perpendicularly to said swivel chair leg, when the unit is mounted thereon, and having a first open end at the circumference of the body, and a second closed end spaced inwardly from said circumference, the width of said slot being not smaller than said predetermined diameter.
16. A unit according to claim 15, further comprising a clamping mechanism for the fixation of the position of said unit relative to said leg, with the leg being located at said closed end of the slot, by clamping said leg against second, closed end of said unit.
17. A unit according to claim 16, wherein said clamping mechanism comprises a first element adapted for horizontal movement along said slot towards said second end of the slot, and a second element adapted for vertical movement, within said slot.
18. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said chair leg has a non-rotational part and said unit is adapted for mounting to said part to avoid rotation of said unit when the chair is rotated.
19. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said unit has an external surface and is of such dimension as to allow mounting thereon of an additional exercise device, a part thereof, or a supplement to said exercise element.
20. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said unit is adapted for connection to a computer equipped with appropriate software and programs, allowing the use of features such as a personal trainer, exercise reminder, exercise games or the like, in conjunction with said unit, through an interactive computer interface.
21. A compact exercise unit attachable to a standard swivel chair leg in a removable manner, the leg having a predetermined diameter, said unit having a body formed with a longitudinal slot extending perpendicularly to said swivel chair leg, when the unit is mounted thereon, and having a first open end at the circumference of the body, and a second closed end spaced inwardly from said circumference, the width of said slot being not smaller than said predetermined diameter.
22. A unit according to claim 21, further comprising a clamping mechanism for the fixation of the position of said unit relative to said leg, with the leg being located at said closed end of the slot, by clamping said leg against second, closed end of said unit.
23. A unit according to claim 22, wherein said clamping mechanism comprises a first element adapted for horizontal movement along said slot towards said second end of the slot, and a second element adapted for vertical movement, within said slot.
24. A unit according to claim 21, wherein said unit is adapted for connection to a computer equipped with appropriate software and programs, allowing the use of features such as a personal trainer, exercise reminder, exercise games or the like, in conjunction with said unit, through an interactive computer interface.
25. A compact exercise unit attachable to a standard swivel chair leg in a removable manner, which comprises at least one exercise element with a first and a second end, said first end being fixed to the unit, said element being extendable between a non-extended position and an extended position in which a portion thereof including said second end is adapted for rotation about a horizontal rotation axis perpendicular to said leg when said unit is mounted thereon.
26. A unit according to claim 25, wherein said element is of variable length.
27. A unit according to claim 26, wherein said element is telescopic.
28. A unit according to claim 25, wherein said element has, when extended, a protruding portion including said second end, which is adapted for rotation about a horizontal rotation axis, perpendicular to said leg when said unit is mounted thereon.
29. A unit according to claim 28, wherein said protruding portion has an adjustable height and length.
30. A unit according to claim 25, wherein the second end of said element is adapted for mounting thereon an additional exercise device, a part thereof, or a supplement to said exercise element.
31. A unit according to claim 25, wherein said unit is adapted for connection to a computer equipped with appropriate software and programs, allowing the use of features such as a personal trainer, exercise reminder, exercise games or the like, in conjunction with said unit, through an interactive computer interface.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 30, 2007
Publication Date: Jan 3, 2008
Inventors: Yarom Oren (Ramat Hasharon), Ron Reisman (Beer Yaacob)
Application Number: 11/797,090
International Classification: A63B 21/00 (20060101);