Step platform for slow step exercises

• US 9,022,912 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juken Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Junken Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsuno, Keishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhisma
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANESAN, SUNDHARA M
• Application Number:
  US13/581,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20120316044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 482/52, 482/51, 482/74, 482/142, D21/662, D21/670, D21/671
• US Class Current: 482/142
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/80 Special sensors, transducers or devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0458 Step exercisers without moving parts with movable steps A63B22/04
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user

Abstract

A step platform for slow step exercises is provided and has a basic structural block which is formed as a solid block made of a lightweight styrene foam material and includes a plurality of first concave portions formed in a bottom surface of styrene foam by using a plurality of first hollow holes formed in a predetermined shape which includes a penetrating hole perpendicularly penetrating the styrene foam from the bottom surface toward the upper surface or which includes a non-penetrating portion formed inside the penetrating hole; and predetermined single or plural step plates for distributing a load and ensuring a load bearing performance, bonded or adhered to the upper surface of the basic structural block.

Claims

1. A step platform for slow step exercises comprising:

a basic structural block of lightweight styrene foam material having a predetermined generally rectangular outer peripheral configuration and including opposite sides that extend along a length of the basic structural block and opposite ends that extend along a width of the basic structural block, and upper and lower surfaces between which the sides and ends vertically extend;

a plurality of upper openings formed in the upper surface of the basic structural block that are arranged to be aligned in at least one row extending in a lengthwise direction along the upper surface of the basic structural block;

solid portions of the basic structural block disposed between each of the upper openings and the opposite sides of the basic structural block with the openings and solid portions being sized relative to each other so that sufficient surface area is provided along the upper surface of the basic structural block for bearing and distributing the load thereon generated during use thereof; and

at least one flat step plate bonded or adhered to the upper surface of the basic structural block to cover the upper openings thereof with the flat step plate lacking projecting portions that are received in the upper openings so that the upper openings remain empty with the flat step plate bonded or adhered to the upper surface to allow for the step plate to flex when impacted during use,

wherein the basic structural block includes lower openings formed in the lower surface to be vertically aligned with corresponding ones of the upper openings, and vertically extending portions of the styrene foam material of the basic structural block are disposed in vertical alignment with and between the upper and lower openings, and further comprising;

a height adjusting block with a height adjusting function which is made of a material similar to the styrene foam material of the basic structural block and includes;

a plurality of convex portions formed on the upper surface thereof so as to be respectively inserted and coupled to corresponding ones of the lower openings of the basic structural block; and

a plurality of second concave portions formed on the bottom surface thereof by a plurality of second hollow holes formed at a position corresponding to a position directly below the plurality of convex portions so as to have a predetermined depth from the bottom surface.

2. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 1,

wherein a step platform for slow step exercises having a different height is configured by inserting and coupling the plurality of convex portions, provided in single or plural height adjusting blocks and formed so as to be coupled to corresponding ones of the lower openings of the basic structural block or to the plurality of corresponding second concave portions so that the single or plural height adjusting blocks are coupled to the basic structural block in multiple levels, to the plurality of corresponding lower openings or second concave portions.

3. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 2,

wherein in a structure in which single or plural load detecting sensors are disposed on a bottom surface of the step plate or a structure in which other single or plural step plates are provided on an upper surface of the step plate and single or plural load detecting sensors are disposed between the step plate and the other single or plural step plates, a display device with a display unit is provided which displays the count of mounting and dismounting of slow step exercises by an electric signal process of the output of the single or plural load detecting sensors.

4. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 3,

wherein the basic structural block or the height adjusting block has an anti-slip function by bonding or adhering an anti-slip rubber sheet or anti-slip mat to a the lower surface of the basic structural block or a bottom surface of the height adjusting block.

5. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 2,

wherein the basic structural block or the height adjusting block has an anti-slip function by bonding or adhering an anti-slip rubber sheet or an anti-slip mat to the lower surface of the basic structural block or bottom surface of the height adjusting block.

6. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 1,

wherein a step platform for slow step exercises having a different height is configured by inserting and coupling the plurality of convex portions, provided in single or plural height adjusting blocks and formed so as to be coupled to the corresponding lower openings or the plurality of second concave portions so that the single or plural height adjusting blocks are coupled to the basic structural block in multiple levels, to the corresponding lower openings or the plurality of corresponding second concave portions.

7. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 6,

wherein in a structure in which single or plural load detecting sensors are disposed on a bottom surface of the step plate or a structure in which other single or plural step plates are provided on an upper surface of the step plate and single or plural load detecting sensors are disposed between the step plate and the other single or plural step plates, a display device with a display unit is provided which displays the count of mounting and dismounting of slow step exercises by an electric signal process of the output of the single or plural load detecting sensors.

8. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 7,

wherein the basic structural block or the height adjusting block has an anti-slip function by bonding or adhering an anti-slip rubber sheet or a anti-slip mat to a bottom surface of the basic structural block or a bottom surface of the height adjusting block.

9. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 6,

wherein the basic structural block or the height adjusting block has an anti-slip function by bonding or adhering an anti-slip rubber sheet or an anti-slip mat to the lower surface of the basic structural block or a bottom surface of the height adjusting block.

10. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 1,

wherein in a structure in which single or plural load detecting sensors are disposed on a bottom surface of the step plate or a structure in which other single or plural step plates are provided on an upper surface of the step plate and single or plural load detecting sensors are disposed between the step plate and the other single or plural step plates, a display device with a display unit is provided which displays the count of mounting and dismounting of slow step exercises by an electric signal process of the output of the single or plural load detecting sensors.

11. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 10,

wherein the basic structural block or the height adjusting block has an anti-slip function by bonding or adhering an anti-slip rubber sheet or an anti-slip mat to a bottom surface of the basic structural block or a bottom surface of the height adjusting block.

12. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 1,

wherein the basic structural block or the height adjusting block has an anti-slip function by bonding or adhering an anti-slip rubber sheet or an anti-slip mat to the lower surface of the basic structural block or a bottom surface of the height adjusting block.

13. A step platform for slow step exercises comprising:

a basic structural block of lightweight styrene foam material having a predetermined generally rectangular outer peripheral configuration and including opposite sides that extend along a length of the basic structural block and opposite ends that extend along a width of the basic structural block, and upper and lower surfaces between which the sides and ends vertically extend;

a plurality of upper openings formed in the upper surface of the basic structural block that are arranged to be aligned in at least one row extending in a lengthwise direction along the upper surface of the basic structural block;

solid portions of the basic structural block disposed between each of the upper openings and the opposite sides of the basic structural block with the openings and solid portions being sized relative to each other so that sufficient surface area is provided along the upper surface of the basic structural block for bearing and distributing the load thereon generated during use thereof; and

at least one flat step plate bonded or adhered to the upper surface of the basic structural block to cover the upper openings thereof with the flat step plate lacking projecting portions that are received in the upper openings so that the upper openings remain empty with the flat step plate bonded or adhered to the upper surface to allow for the step plate to flex when impacted during use,

wherein the basic structural block includes lower openings formed in the lower surface to be vertically aligned with corresponding ones of the upper openings, and vertically extending portions of the styrene foam material of the basic structural block are disposed in vertical alignment with and between the upper and lower openings.

14. A step platform for slow step exercises comprising:

a basic structural block of lightweight styrene foam material having a predetermined generally rectangular outer peripheral configuration and including opposite sides that extend along a length of the basic structural block and opposite ends that extend along a width of the basic structural block, and upper and lower surfaces between which the sides and ends vertically extend;

a plurality of upper openings formed in the upper surface of the basic structural block that are arranged to be aligned in at least one row extending in a lengthwise direction along the upper surface of the basic structural block;

solid portions of the basic structural block disposed between each of the upper openings and the opposite sides of the basic structural block with the openings and solid portions being sized relative to each other so that sufficient surface area is provided along the upper surface of the basic structural block for bearing and distributing the load thereon generated during use thereof; and

at least one flat step plate bonded or adhered to the upper surface of the basic structural block to cover the upper openings thereof with the flat step plate lacking projecting portions that are received in the upper openings so that the upper openings remain empty with the flat step plate bonded or adhered to the upper surface to allow for the step plate to flex when impacted during use,

wherein the at least one row of openings comprises a plurality of rows of openings extending in the lengthwise direction along the upper surface so that there are openings in different rows that are adjacent to each other in a widthwise direction across the upper surface, and the solid portions include a first side solid portion between one of the sides and one of the adjacent openings, an intermediate solid portion between the adjacent openings, and a second side solid portion between the other one of the sides and the other one of the adjacent openings.

15. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 14,

wherein in a structure in which single or plural load detecting sensors are disposed on a bottom surface of the step plate or a structure in which other single or plural step plates are provided on an upper surface of the step plate and single or plural load detecting sensors are disposed between the step plate and the other single or plural step plates, a display device with a display unit is provided which displays the count of mounting and dismounting of slow step exercises by an electric signal process of the output of the single or plural load detecting sensors.

16. The step platform for slow step exercises according to claim 14,

wherein the basic structural block has an anti-slip function by bonding or adhering an anti-slip rubber sheet or an anti-slip mat to the lower surface thereof.

17. The step platform of claim 14 wherein the basic structural block includes a plurality of through holes extending between the upper and lower surfaces with each through hole opening at the upper surface to corresponding ones of the upper openings, and each through hole opening at the lower surface to corresponding ones of lower openings formed in the lower surface.