Methods and apparatus for testing abdominal strength and exercising abdominal muscles
First Claim
1. An abdominal exercising and strength testing device comprising:
- a support having a raised section for supporting a lumbar portion of a user'"'"'s back, the raised section comprising an inflatable bladder;
a sensor associated with the raised section of the support for producing a signal representative of a magnitude of a force applied to the raised section;
a pump in fluid communication with the bladder, the pump connected to receive the signal from the sensor and automatically pressurize the bladder to a desired pressure based on the signal;
a feedback device adapted to receive the signal from the sensor for providing the user with feedback based on the magnitude of the force applied to the raised section, the feedback comprising a strength level measured on a non-linear scale;
a user interface for receiving;
a user-selected operation mode from among a plurality of operation modes comprising a threshold mode and a target mode;
a user-selected force threshold; and
a user selected target force range;
a processor coupled to the sensor and to the user interface; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;
if the user-selected operation mode is the threshold mode, operate the feedback device to provide feedback when the force applied to the raised section exceeds the user-selected force threshold; and
,if the user-selected operation mode is the target mode, operate the feedback device to provide feedback when the force applied to the raised section is outside of the user-selected target force range.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An abdominal mat has a raised section which may be positioned to support the lumbar region of the user'"'"'s back. At least one sensor is associated with the raised section for producing a signal in response to force applied to the raised section by the user. A feedback device is coupled to the sensor for providing feedback to the user based on the force applied to the raised section. A user may use the device to test the strength of his or her abdominal muscles, and/or to monitor the force applied to the raised section of the mat when the user is exercising his or her abdominal muscles. The raised section may comprise an inflatable bladder connected to be automatically inflated and deflated by an electronic pump to accommodate different body types, therefore establishing a consistent starting point.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. An abdominal exercising and strength testing device comprising:
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a support having a raised section for supporting a lumbar portion of a user'"'"'s back, the raised section comprising an inflatable bladder; a sensor associated with the raised section of the support for producing a signal representative of a magnitude of a force applied to the raised section; a pump in fluid communication with the bladder, the pump connected to receive the signal from the sensor and automatically pressurize the bladder to a desired pressure based on the signal; a feedback device adapted to receive the signal from the sensor for providing the user with feedback based on the magnitude of the force applied to the raised section, the feedback comprising a strength level measured on a non-linear scale; a user interface for receiving;
a user-selected operation mode from among a plurality of operation modes comprising a threshold mode and a target mode;
a user-selected force threshold; and
a user selected target force range;a processor coupled to the sensor and to the user interface; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to; if the user-selected operation mode is the threshold mode, operate the feedback device to provide feedback when the force applied to the raised section exceeds the user-selected force threshold; and
,if the user-selected operation mode is the target mode, operate the feedback device to provide feedback when the force applied to the raised section is outside of the user-selected target force range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25)
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21. A method of testing a user'"'"'s abdominal muscle strength and exercising the user'"'"'s abdominal muscles, the method comprising:
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providing a support having a raised section for supporting a lumbar portion of a user'"'"'s back; receiving a user-selected operation mode, the operation mode comprising one of a threshold mode and a target mode; if the user-selected operation mode is the threshold mode; receiving a user-selected force threshold; determining a force dependent value indicative of a force applied to the raised section; and providing feedback to the user if the force dependent value indicates that the force applied to the raised section is at least as strong as the user-selected threshold; and if the user-selected operation mode is the target mode; receiving a user-selected target force range; determining the force dependent value indicative of the force applied to the raised section; and providing feedback to the user if the force dependent value indicates that the force applied to the raised section is outside the user-selected target force range. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification