Exercise furniture device
An exercise device adapted for use with a chair includes a handle arm mounted to an armrest portion by a first connector including a first axis and a second axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the first axis. A resistance element is used with a first end attached to the armrest portion by a second connecter including a third axis and a fourth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the third axis and a second end attached to the handle arm by a third connector including a fifth axis and a sixth axis disposed substantially perpendicular to the fifth axis. A foot frame is included with at least one frame band receiver, the foot frame being mounted to the base portion. A foot support is moveably mounted to the foot frame and includes at least one support band receiver. A resistance band is adapted to be received by the frame band receiver and the support band receiver to provide resistance to displacement by the user. This provides a method of upper and lower body exercise for a user without the necessity of getting out of the chair.
The present invention generally relates to exercise devices and, more particularly, to exercise devices adapted to be used with furniture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAs our population ages it is important that the quality of life is maintained for the more mature population. Part of the formula to achieve that is providing exercise. Many are not ambulatory and therefore even walking is not an exercise option. For this and other sedentary populations, a device is needed that allows the user to exercise while in a comfortable and safe surrounding. In addition, when the exercise capability is readily available, the likelihood of use in greatly increased. This is analogous to someone living in close proximity to a health club. The excuse of long commute times is not valid given the potential patron has fewer excuses to avoid the gym. Providing an exercise device in a comfortable chair has a similar benefit. By minimizing the potential for avoidance, the potential for use increases. Any exercise device is only beneficial if it is used.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there is a need for fitness equipment that is adapted for home use. The present invention fulfills this need and others.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention includes a chair with a base portion, a backrest portion and at least one arm portion, the chair incorporating an exercise device. This exercise device includes a handle arm with a handle arm base mounted to the armrest portion by a first connector. This first connector includes a first axis and a second axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the first axis. The device also includes a resistance element with a first end attached to the armrest portion by a second connector that has a third axis and a fourth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the third axis. A second end of the resistance element is attached to the handle arm by a third connector that includes a fifth axis and a sixth axis being disposed substantially orthogonal to the fifth axis. Multiple axis joints may include a two axis universal joint or a three degree of freedom joint such as a ball and socket joint.
The resistance element can take on a variety of forms. This includes a two-way hydraulic damper, a one-way hydraulic damper, a pneumatic cylinder, an elastic spring or any of a number of other devices common in the art.
The invention may also include a handle end that is received by the handle arm. A handle resistance band may be mounted to the handle end and the handle arm thereby offering resistance to movement of the handle relative to the handle arm. This resistance mechanism may be releasably engaged with handle arm base by a band clip, thereby selectively engaging one or more resistance mechanisms to alter the resistance to the user.
In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the exercise device includes a foot frame that is mounted to the base portion and includes at least one frame band receiver, a resistance band adapted to be received by the frame band receiver. The foot frame includes a foot support that is moveably mounted to the foot frame and includes at least one support band receiver adapted to receive the resistance band. The resistance band enables resistance to movement of the foot support relative to the foot frame.
An exemplary method for exercise is provided including the elements of the chair as listed above and including the handle arm mounted to the armrest portion with the resistance element providing resistance to movement of the handle arm relative to the armrest portion. The multi axis joint enables multiple degrees of freedom to accommodate a variety of user types and builds but a great exercise variety. The device may also include the foot support adapted for engagement by the feet of the user and moveably mounted to the foot frame as noted. The method further includes positioning a user in the chair, grasping the handle arm and displacing it relative to the armrest portion, thereby actuating the resistance element and exercising the muscles of the user. The method may also include the user placing one or more feet on the foot support and extending the foot support relative to the foot frame and thereby extending the resistance band and exercising the leg muscles of the user.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein above. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages can be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments and drawings, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiments disclosed.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:
With reference to the illustrative drawings, and particularly to
A foot frame 36 is provided that is movably mounted to the base portion 24 by a pair of support rails 38. In this form, the support rails 38 allow the foot frame 36 to be stored under the seat portion 26 when not in use. A pair of casters 40 may be used to aid in the support of the foot frame 36.
With reference to
The handle arms 34 are shown extended from the right armrest portion 30 and the left armrest portion 32. The handle arms 34 are moveably mounted to the respective armrest portions (30 and 32) with a joint that allows two degrees of freedom. This can be done by use of a first connector 48 which in this case is a two-axis universal joint. This joint 48 allows movement of the handle arm 34 toward and away from the foot support 42 as well as in toward the user. The combination enables easy storage in the armrest portions (30 and 32) and access by the user there from. Also, the freedom of movement provides a variety of exercises to be performed and allows for a more functional adaptation to the various body types attributed to different sizes, shapes and physical capabilities of individuals. In doing so, the multi-degree of freedom joints 40 help provide much needed versatility.
Referring to
In
An alternative foot support storage and retrieval system is illustrated in
The foot frame 36 and foot support 42 are shown alone in
A more detailed view of the foot frame 36 and foot support 42 is shown in
With reference to
The resistance band 70 can take a variety of forms. Any device that provides resistance will work. The most common would be any elastic material such as rubber, polyurethane or any metal spring or any other elastic spring device. In addition, a pneumatic cylinder such as a gas spring will also work in this application.
The back side of the assembly of
Referring to
The movement of some of the connectors of the handle arm 34 is shown by arrows to illustrate the degrees of freedom of some of the connectors. The handle end 90 is moveably mounted to the handle base 88 allowing axial rotation 92 and linear displacement 94. As noted, this linear displacement 94 can be under load in one or more directions. For example, an elastic spring mechanism can be used to provide resistance to extension of the handle end 90 relative to the handle base 88. A gas spring, pneumatic cylinder, one-way hydraulic damper or any other resistance means could be used to accomplish a uni-directional resistance. In a similar manner, a two-way hydraulic damper, or comparable system could be used to provide resistance in two directions, offering resistance to push and pull the handle end 90 relative to the handle base 88.
To optimize the capability of the handle arm 34, movement is important. Therefore the ability to position the grip 96 of the handle end 90 in a variety of positions relative to a user is necessary. This has been accomplished by the use of more than one connector comprised of multi-axis joints. The first connector 48 mounts the handle base 88 to the arm frame 98. A second connector 100, in this embodiment, also a two-axis universal joint mounts one end of the resistance element 102 to the arm frame 98. The opposite end of the resistance element 102 is mounted to the handle arm 34 by a third multi-axis joint. Each two-axis universal joint has two axes that are substantially orthogonal to each other. The first connector 48 allows a first axial rotation 104 and a second axial rotation 106 about a corresponding first and second axis. The second connector 100 provides a third axial rotation 108 and a fourth axial rotation 110 about a respective third axis and a fourth axis. The resistance element 102 is shown here as a cylinder provides directional 112 resistance to movement in one or more directions. The resistance element 102 can be of the form of a one-way hydraulic damper, a pneumatic cylinder, an elastic spring or any other form of resistance. In addition, a two-way hydraulic damper or other system that provides resistance in extension and compression of the element 102 can also be used.
The handle arm 34 is shown in more detail in
The second connector 100 has a third shaft 132 that provides a third axis and a fourth shaft 134 that provides a fourth axis. The second coupling 100 mounts one end of the resistance element 102 to the arm frame 98, in this case by use of an arm bracket 136. The specific details of this bracket 136 are subject to design variation and are not intended to be limiting.
With reference to
In this embodiment, the resistance element 102 is a two-way hydraulic damper. This element 102 is comprised of a cylinder rod 154 and a cylinder body 156. Attached to the cylinder rod 154 is a piston (not shown) and the balance of the cylinder body 156 is filled with a non-compressible fluid such as oil. Friction, and therefore resistance to movement, is created by forcing the fluid to travel through one or more openings or orifices in the piston. Some dampers 102 allow the size or number of holes to be altered by rotation of the cylinder body 156 relative to the cylinder rod 154. In this embodiment the cylinder rod 154 is not allowed to rotate about the axis defined by arrow 152. By using a ball and socket joint for the third connector the freedom of movement of the cylinder body 156 is provided about the axis defined by the arrow 152, thereby allowing the resistance in the cylinder to be changed by the user without the need to remove the cylinder from the frame 98. This provides greater versatility to exercise resistance for the user with ease of adjustment to enable the user to get a better exercise session and change the resistance to better suit more individuals with different strength capabilities.
The foregoing detailed description of the present invention is provided for purposes of illustration and it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiment shown. The embodiments may provide different capabilities and benefits, depending on the configuration used to implement key features of the invention.
Claims
1. An exercise device comprising:
- a chair including a base portion, a seat portion, a backrest portion and at least one armrest portion; and
- an exercise system including: a handle arm mounted to the at least one armrest portion by a first connector including a first axis and a second axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the first axis; and a resistance element with a first end attached to the at least one armrest portion by a second connector including a third axis and a fourth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the third axis and a second end attached to the handle arm by a third connector including a fifth axis and a sixth axis disposed substantially perpendicular to the fifth axis.
2. The exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the handle arm includes a handle end received by the handle arm base.
3. The exercise device according to claim 2, further comprising a handle resistance mechanism mounted to the handle end and the handle arm, thereby offering resistance to movement of the handle end relative to the handle arm base.
4. The exercise device according to claim 3, further comprising a clip that is adapted to receive the handle resistance mechanism and be releasably engaged with the handle arm, thereby enabling selective engagement of one or more handle resistance mechanisms.
5. The exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance element is a device selected from the group consisting of a two-way hydraulic damper, a one-way hydraulic damper, a pneumatic cylinder and an elastic spring device.
6. The exercise device according to claim 1, further comprising a foot frame including at least one frame band receiver, the foot frame mounted to the base portion;
- a foot support moveably mounted to the foot frame and including at least one support band receiver; and
- at least one resistance band adapted to be received by the frame band receiver and the support band receiver.
7. The exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the first connector is a two axis universal joint.
8. The exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the third connector includes a joint with three degrees of freedom.
9. An exercise system for use in combination with furniture, of the type comprising a chair including a base portion, a seat portion, a backrest portion and at least one armrest portion, the device further comprising:
- a handle arm pivotally mounted to the at least one armrest portion about a first axis and a second axis, the second axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the first axis; and
- a resistance element with a first end pivotally mounted to the at least one armrest portion about a third axis and a fourth axis, the fourth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the third axis and a second end pivotally mounted to the handle arm about a fifth axis and a sixth axis, the sixth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the fifth axis.
10. The exercise system according to claim 9, wherein the handle arm includes a handle end received by the handle arm base.
11. The exercise system according to claim 10, further comprising a handle resistance mechanism mounted to the handle end and the handle arm, thereby offering resistance to movement of the handle end relative to the handle arm base.
12. The exercise system according to claim 11, further comprising a band clip that is adapted to receive the handle resistance mechanism and be releasably engaged with the handle arm, thereby enabling selective engagement of one or more handle resistance mechanisms.
13. The exercise system according to claim 9, wherein the resistance element is a device selected from the group consisting of a two-way hydraulic damper, a one-way hydraulic damper, a pneumatic cylinder and an elastic spring device.
14. The exercise system according to claim 9, further comprising a foot frame including at least one frame band receiver, the foot frame mounted to the base portion;
- a foot support moveably mounted to the foot frame and including at least one support band receiver; and
- at least one resistance band adapted to be received by the frame band receiver and the support band receiver.
15. The exercise system according to claim 14, wherein said at least one resistance band is a device selected from the group consisting of an elastic spring, a pneumatic cylinder and a hydraulic damper.
16. The exercise system according to claim 9, wherein the first axis and the second axis are adjacently spaced pivoting joints.
17. The exercise system according to claim 9, wherein the fifth axis and the sixth axis include a ball and socket joint including a seventh axis.
18. An exercise system for use in combination with furniture, of the type comprising a chair including a base portion, a seat portion, a backrest portion and at least one armrest portion, the device further comprising:
- a foot frame including at least one frame band receiver, the foot frame mounted to the base portion;
- a foot support including at least one support band receiver, the foot support moveably mounted to the foot frame; and
- at least one resistance band with a first end adapted to be attached to the frame band receiver and a second end adapted to be attached to the support band receiver allowing movement in at least one degree of freedom.
19. The exercise system according to claim 18, further comprising a handle arm pivotally mounted to the at least one armrest portion about a first axis and a second axis, the second axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the first axis.
20. The exercise system according to claim 19, further comprising a resistance element with a first end pivotally mounted to the at least one armrest portion about a third axis and a fourth axis, the fourth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the third axis and a second end pivotally mounted to the handle arm about a fifth axis and a sixth axis, the sixth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the fifth axis.
21. The exercise system according to claim 19, wherein the handle arm includes a handle end received by the handle arm.
22. The exercise system according to claim 21, further comprising a handle resistance mechanism mounted to the handle end and the handle arm, thereby offering resistance to movement of the handle end relative to the handle arm.
23. A method of exercise including the steps of:
- providing a chair including a base portion, a seat portion, a backrest portion and at least one armrest portion;
- providing an exercise device incorporated into the chair, the device including: a handle arm pivotally mounted to the at least one armrest portion about a first axis and a second axis, the second axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the first axis; and a resistance element with a first end pivotally mounted to the at least one armrest portion about a third axis and a fourth axis, the fourth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the third axis and a second end pivotally mounted to the handle arm about a fifth axis and a sixth axis, the sixth axis disposed substantially orthogonal to the fifth axis; and
- positioning a user in the chair, grasping the handle arm and displacing it relative to the armrest portion, thereby actuating the resistance element and exercising the muscles of the user.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 29, 2007
Publication Date: Apr 30, 2009
Applicant: NSEC Corporation (Springfield, IL)
Inventors: Kevin D. Biggs (Springfield, IL), Danial E. Julian (Athens, IL), David M. Kniffin (Brownsburg, IN)
Application Number: 11/978,307
International Classification: A63B 21/00 (20060101);