Folding mechanism for a treadmill
A folding mechanism for a treadmill including a handrail assembly pivotally attached by a coupling shaft to both sides of the front end of a base frame of a treadmill. Meanwhile, a positioning unit with an engaging element is provided such that the handrail assembly can be downwardly moved toward the base frame in an initial storage position. Moreover, an n-shaped foot rest is swivelably disposed at the center of the coupling shaft by a connecting arm. In this way, the n-shaped foot rest can be extended from a front crossbar of the base frame by the synchronic swiveling action of the coupling shaft when the handrail assembly is moved in the initial storage position. In match with an n-shaped supporting frame, the base frame can be brought into an upright position to achieve a vertical and stable folding state.
1. Fields of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding mechanism for a treadmill, and more particularly to a treadmill with a hidden and subsidiary foot rest.
2. Description of the Related Art
As we all know, the volume of all kinds of the treadmills is very large. Meanwhile, the treadmill is provided with a folding mechanism for folding it in a storage position so as to facilitate the transportation and storage.
In other words, the above-mentioned basic accessories of the treadmill include protruding folding components and related elements that will, however, affect the appearance of the treadmill very much and give us a poor visual impression.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally invented and developed a folding mechanism for a treadmill that employs a hidden and subsidiary foot rest to effectively resolve the above-mentioned problems.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a folding mechanism for a treadmill including a handrail assembly pivotally attached by a coupling shaft to both sides of the front end of a base frame of a treadmill. Meanwhile, a positioning unit with an engaging element is provided such that the handrail assembly can be downwardly moved toward the base frame in an initial storage position. Moreover, an n-shaped foot rest is swivelably disposed at the center of the coupling shaft by a connecting arm. In this way, the n-shaped foot rest can be extended from a front crossbar of the base frame by the synchronic swiveling action of the coupling shaft when the handrail assembly is moved in the initial storage position. In match with an n-shaped supporting frame, the base frame can be brought into an upright position to achieve a vertical and stable folding state.
The accomplishment of this and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and its accompanying drawings of which:
The present invention will now be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings that show various embodiments of the invention.
Firstly, referring to
As shown in
In bringing the treadmill 10 in an operation position, the base frame 12 has to be pushed downward in contact to the ground. Thereafter, the engaging element 41 is pushed back to the original operation position. Accordingly, a practical operation is achieved.
Of course, the n-shaped supporting frame 16 includes auxiliary rollers 18 at both sides thereof for facilitating the pushing displacement of the treadmill 10. This is a common art and not the features of the invention. Therefore, no further descriptions thereto are given hereinafter.
Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiments of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A folding mechanism for a treadmill, comprising a handrail assembly being pivotally attached by a coupling shaft to both sides of the front end of a base frame of a treadmill, a positioning unit with an engaging element being provided such that the handrail assembly can be downwardly moved toward the base frame in an initial storage position, a n-shaped foot rest being swivelably disposed at the center of the coupling shaft by a connecting arm,
- whereby the n-shaped foot rest can be extended from a front crossbar of the base frame by the synchronic swiveling action of the coupling shaft when the handrail assembly is moved in the initial storage position; in match with an n-shaped supporting frame, the base frame can be brought into an upright position to achieve a vertical and stable folding state.
2. The folding mechanism for a treadmill as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning unit includes an engaging element, a coupling shaft hidden within the handrail assembly, an elastic element and a positioning bar, and wherein the positioning bar has a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole at the end surface thereof.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 6, 2007
Publication Date: Feb 12, 2009
Inventor: Leao Wang (Taiping)
Application Number: 11/890,254
International Classification: A63B 22/02 (20060101);