Carriage sit box for reformer exercise apparatus

• US 10,245,462 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Balanced Body Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Balanced Body Incorporated
• Inventors: Endelman, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Urbiel Goldner, Gary D
• Application Number:
  US15/434,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20180229071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 9/002 with exercising means or having special therapeutic or ergonomic effects
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4027 Specific exercise interfaces chairs or stools with exercising means A47C9/002
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4037 Exercise mats for personal use, with or without hand-grips or foot-grips, e.g. for Yoga or supine floor exercises mats for absorbing shocks A63B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0087 with a seat or torso support moving during the exercise, e.g. reformers A63B22/0076 takes precedence

Abstract

A sit box for use on a reformer exercise apparatus carriage is a unitary body having a rectangular flat top surface portion joining four curved portions. Each curved portion merges with one of an upright front wall, an upright back wall, an upright left side wall, and an upright right side wall. The walls terminate at a generally flat rectangular bottom parallel to the top surface portion. Each wall curves to merge with an adjacent wall. Each of the left and right side walls has an outwardly open vertical recess therein adjacent the front wall to receive within each recess one of a pair of shoulder stops projecting from the carriage.

Claims

1. A sit box for use on a carriage of a reformer exercise apparatus, the sit box comprising:

a unitary block shaped body having a rectangular flat top surface portion merging via curved wall portions into an upright front wall, an upright back wall, an upright left side wall, and an upright right side wall, wherein the upright front wall, the upright back wall, the upright left side wall and the upright right side wall terminate at a flat bottom parallel to the rectangular flat top surface portion, the rectangular flat top surface portion having a plurality of features providing a gripping surface for contact with a user'"'"'s body, wherein the flat bottom has a plurality of spaced recesses including at least two spaced vertical recesses therein adjacent to the upright front wall, each of the at least two spaced vertical recesses adapted to receive therein one shoulder stop of a pair of shoulder stops projecting from the carriage of the reformer exercise apparatus, and wherein a vertical height of each of the at least two spaced vertical recesses, as measured along the respective upright left and upright right side walls and from the flat bottom upward toward the rectangular flat top surface portion, is greater than a horizontal width of each of the respective at least two spaced vertical recesses.

2. The sit box according to claim 1 wherein each of the at least two spaced vertical recesses is outwardly open through one of the upright left and right side walls adjacent to the upright front wall.

3. The sit box according to claim 1 wherein the at least two spaced vertical recesses are spaced from each other by at least one support rib extending from the flat bottom toward the rectangular flat top surface portion.

4. The sit box according to claim 1 wherein the at least two spaced vertical recesses are spaced from each other by two spaced support ribs extending from the flat bottom toward the rectangular flat top surface portion defining one of the at least two spaced vertical recesses.

5. The sit box according to claim 1 wherein the upright front wall and the upright back wall each has a cutaway portion forming a hand hold adjacent to the flat bottom of the unitary block shaped body.

6. The sit box according to claim 5 wherein each cutaway portion of the upright front wall and the upright back wall merges into one of the one of the plurality of spaced recesses different from the at, least two spaced vertical recesses, wherein the one of the plurality of s aced recesses extends from the flat bottom upward toward the rectangular flat top surface portion.

7. The sit box according to claim 6 wherein the plurality of spaced recesses of the flat bottom, including the at least two spaced vertical recesses are located between the upright front and back walls, and wherein each of the plurality of spaced recesses, including the at least two spaced vertical recesses, extends upward toward the rectangular flat top surface portion.

8. The sit box according to claim 2 wherein each of the at least two spaced vertical recesses in the upright left and right side walls is tapered.

9. The sit box according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of features of the rectangular flat top surface portion include a first plurality of spaced grooves therein parallel to the upright left and right side walls and a second plurality of spaced grooves crossing the first plurality of spaced grooves parallel to the upright front and upright back walls.

10. The sit box according to claim 1 wherein each of the upright front wall, the upright back wall, the upright left side wall, and the upright right side wall has one of the curved wall portions merging with the rectangular flat top surface portion.

11. A sit box for use on a reformer exercise apparatus carriage, the sit box comprising:

a single polymer body having a rectangular flat top surface portion and four curved portions each merging with one of an upright front wall, an upright back wall, an upright left side wall, and an upright right side wall, wherein the walls each terminate at a generally flat bottom parallel to the rectangular flat top surface portion, the rectangular flat top surface portion having a plurality of features providing a gripping surface for contact with a user'"'"'s body, wherein the upright left and right side walls each has a vertical recess therein adjacent to the upright front wall adapted to receive within each vertical recess one of a pair of shoulder stops extending upward from the reformer exercise apparatus carriage when the sit box is positioned on the reformer exercise apparatus carriage thereby capturing the sit box on the reformer exercise apparatus carriage, and wherein a vertical height of each vertical recess, as measured along the respective upright left and upright right side walls and from the generally flat bottom upward toward the rectangular flat top surface portion, is greater than a horizontal width of each respective vertical recess.

12. The sit box according to claim 11 wherein the generally flat bottom has a plurality of recesses which includes the vertical recesses, and wherein each of the plurality of recesses, including the vertical recesses, extends upward toward the rectangular flat top surface portion.

13. The sit box according to claim 11 wherein the vertical recesses are spaced from each other by at least one support rib extending from the generally flat bottom toward the rectangular flat top surface portion.

14. The sit box according to claim 12 wherein the vertical recesses are spaced from each other by two spaced support ribs extending from the generally flat bottom toward the rectangular flat top surface portion, wherein the two spaced support ribs define the vertical recesses, and wherein the vertical recesses are tapered.

15. The sit box according to claim 14 wherein the upright front wall and the upright back wall each has a cutaway portion forming a hand hold in the upright front wall and the upright back wall, respectively, adjacent to the generally flat bottom of the single polymer body.

16. The sit box according to claim 15 wherein the cutaway portion of the upright front wall and the upright back wall each merges into one of the plurality of recesses, different from the vertical recesses, between the two spaced support ribs.

17. A sit box for use on a reformer exercise apparatus carriage, the sit box comprising:

a single solid body having a rectangular flat top surface portion joining four curved portions each merging with one of an upright front wall, an upright back wall, a left side wall, and a right side wall, wherein the walls terminate at a generally flat rectangular bottom parallel to the rectangular flat top surface portion, the rectangular flat top surface portion having a plurality of features providing a gripping surface for contact with a user'"'"'s body, wherein each wall curves to merge with an adjacent wall, wherein the left and right side walls each has an outwardly open upright vertical recess therein adjacent to the upright front wall adapted to receive within each outwardly open upright vertical recess one of a pair of shoulder stops projecting from the reformer exercise apparatus carriage, and wherein a vertical height of each outwardly open upright vertical recess, as measured along the respective left and right side walls and from the generally flat rectangular bottom upward toward the rectangular flat top surface portion, is greater than a horizontal width of each respective outwardly open upright vertical recess.

18. The sit box according to claim 17 wherein the outwardly open upright vertical recesses are spaced from each other by at least one support rib extending from the generally flat rectangular bottom toward the rectangular flat top surface portion.

19. The sit box according to claim 18 wherein the outwardly open upright vertical recesses are spaced from each other by two spaced support ribs extending from the generally flat rectangular bottom toward the rectangular flat top surface portion.

20. The sit box according to claim 19 wherein the generally flat rectangular bottom has a plurality of recesses different from the outwardly open upright vertical recesses, wherein each of the plurality of recesses extends upward toward the rectangular flat top surface portion forming a grid of vertical ribs, different from the at least one support rib and the two spaced support ribs, therebetween and wherein each of the upright front and back walls has a cutout adjacent to the generally flat rectangular bottom merging into one of the plurality of recesses different from the outwardly open upright vertical recesses, wherein each cutout forms a hand hold.