Compliant body-pressing exerciser

• US 20040142801A1
• Filed: 01/07/2004
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Asia Regent Limited
• Original Assignee: Asia Regent Limited
• Inventors: Lin, William
• Application Number:
  US10/754,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20040142801A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/142
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2022/0033 Lower limbs performing together the same movement, e.g. on a single support element
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/027 using player's own weight, e.g. on a platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0004 Exercising devices moving as a whole during exercise bar bells or dumb bells A63B21/072; on wheels A63B22/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0442 Anchored at one end only, the other end being manipulated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0552 Elastic ropes or bands
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0555 Details of the rope or band, e.g. shape or colour coding
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0557 Details of attachments, e.g. clips or clamps
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/18 with elements, i.e. platforms, having a circulating, nutating or rotating movement, generated by oscillating movement of the user, e.g. platforms wobbling on a centrally arranged spherical supporthoop exercising apparatus A63B19/00; eccentric weights put into orbital motion by nutating movement of the user A63B21/0608; pots rotating or rocking by moving the whole body A63G23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0214 Kneeling
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0233 in 90/90 position, like on a chair
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/62 Inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0211 moving torso with immobilized lower limbs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0227 moving torso or lower limbs laterally, i.e. substantially in the frontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0233 Muscles of the back, e.g. by an extension of the body against a resistance, reverse crunch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 26/003 for improving balance or equilibrium balance beams A63B4/00; apparatus for rope dancing A63B7/08; balancing drums, balancing boards or the like A63B22/16

Abstract

A compliant body-pressing exerciser, which may constitute an inflatable, compliant structure, is adapted to be mounted to a seat or rigid frame, and includes a bowl-shaped lower member and a dome-shaped upper member formed respectively with upper and lower surrounding edge portions that engage each other and adapted to contact the ground and compliantly press against a user'"'"'s body. A height of the upper member is larger than that of the lower member. Exercising assemblies that comprise elastic or bungee cords may be coupled to the frame.

Claims

1. An exerciser comprising:

a rigid frame having a downwardly-facing surface for engaging a horizontally-extending support surface;

an inflatable compliant structure being fixedly mountable on said frame, said inflatable structure when inflated having an upper portion with exterior and interior convexo-concave wall surfaces and a lower portion with exterior and interior wall surfaces, said upper portion being peripherally joined at a peripheral junction with said lower portion so that interior wall surfaces of each are disposed generally facing one another, an exterior convex surface of the upper portion providing a user-engageable exercise surface when said inflatable structure is mounted on said frame, the vertical spacing between an uppermost extent of said upper portion and a horizontal reference plane passing through said peripheral junction being greater than the vertical spacing between said reference plane and the downwardly-facing surface of the frame;

affixing structure projecting from said inflatable structure and being used for fixing said inflatable structure to said frame; and

bungee cord exercising assemblies connected to said frame and constructed to enable a user to extend one or more of said assemblies while in engagement with said convex surface of the upper portion.

2. The exerciser of claim 1, wherein said interior and exterior wall surfaces of said lower portion are convexo-concave.

3. The exerciser of claim 2, wherein said peripheral junction includes interengaging upper and lower surrounding edge portions on said upper and lower portions, respectively.

4. The exerciser of claim 3, wherein said upper portion is dome-shaped and includes an apical spot constituting said uppermost extent.

5. The exerciser of claim 4, wherein said lower portion is bowl-shaped and includes a lowermost spot that establishes a line with said apical spot that intersects said reference plane at a central point.

6. The exerciser of claim 5, wherein the vertical spacing along said line between the apical spot and the central point is larger than the vertical spacing between the lowermost spot and the central point.

7. The exerciser of claim 6, wherein a radial distance between the central point and the peripheral junction is not larger than ⅔

of the vertical spacing between the lowermost spot and the central point.

8. The exerciser of claim 1, wherein said affixing structure comprises annularly spaced lugs projecting integrally from said inflatable structure adjacent said peripheral junction.

9. The exerciser of claim 8, further comprising annularly spaced anchoring members on the frame that are used with the lugs for fixing said inflatable structure to said frame.

10. The exerciser of claim 9, wherein said lugs have pre-formed openings therein.

11. The exerciser of claim 10, further comprising a fastening cord extending through said pre-formed openings and fixedly engaged with said anchoring members in such a way as to allow the inflatable structure to be selectively used separate from said frame as an exerciser.

12. The exerciser of claim 8, wherein a plurality of surface protrusions are integrally formed on the exterior convex surface of said inflatable structure.

13. The exerciser of claim 12, wherein said protrusions are configured as parallel ring formations.

14. The exerciser of claim 13, wherein each of said protrusions is of knob-like configuration and each of said ring formations includes a series of annularly spaced knob-like protrusions.

15. The exerciser of claim 1, wherein a plurality of surface protrusions are integrally formed on the exterior convex surface of said inflatable structure.

16. The exerciser of claim 15, wherein said protrusions are configured as parallel ring formations.

17. The exerciser of claim 16, wherein each of said protrusions is of knob-like configuration and each of said ring formations includes a series of annularly spaced knob-like protrusions.

18. The exerciser of claim 1, wherein said peripheral junction includes interengaging upper and lower surrounding edge portions on said upper and lower portions, respectively.

19. The exerciser of claim 1, wherein said upper portion is dome-shaped and includes an apical spot constituting said uppermost extent.

20. The exerciser of claim 1, wherein said lower portion is bowl-shaped and includes a lowermost spot that establishes a line with said apical spot that intersects said reference plane at a central point.