Exercise device

• US 9,833,650 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coulter Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: Coulter Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Jones, Dylan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/276,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20140342885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 482132
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2023/006 for stretching exercises
• 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 21/00185 using resistance provided by the user, e.g. exercising one body part against a resistance provided by another body part A63B21/068 takes precedence; isometric exercise A63B21/0023
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0046 Details of the support elements or their connection to the exercising apparatus, e.g. adjustment of size or orientation attachments of resisters or weights to the body of the user A63B21/4001; using rollers, wheels, castors or gliding means to be moved over the floor or guide tracks A63B22/20
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29

Abstract

A exercise ball device can include a ball and one or more panels supported by the ball. The ball can be substantially rigid and the at least one panel can be soft or resiliently deformable. The exercise ball can include a belt for guiding and positioning the one or more panels on the ball.

Claims

1. An exercise ball device configured for physical exercise use, the exercise ball device comprising:

a hard rigid ball;

a belt connected to the ball and located on an outer surface of the ball; and

one or more panels connected to the ball and located on the outer surface of the ball, the one or more panels comprising one or more edges abutting one or more edges of the belt, wherein the one or more panels comprise an inner support panel and an outer cover panel, wherein the inner support panel is made of rigid plastic material and the outer cover panel is made of resilient or deformable material,

wherein the belt and the one or more panels define an outer surface of the exercise ball device,

wherein the belt and the one or more panels are securely connected to the ball in a manner to prevent disconnection from the ball; and

wherein the exercise ball device is configured to withstand the physical exercise use.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the exercise device is a sphere-shaped exercise device.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt is configured to guide or align the one or more panels.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more panels are multiple panels.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein two or more of the multiple panels are of different size and shape.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the belt and the multiple panels fit together edge-to-edge on the outer surface of the ball.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein an edge shape of the belt matches an edge shape of the one or more panels.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more panels are multiple panels, and an edge shape of the belt matches an edge shape of the multiple panels when the exercise ball device is assembled.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the belt defines unique shaped regions on an outer surface of the ball, and each panel fits a particular region on the outer surface of the ball.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the belt is less than a thickness of the one or more panels.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the belt is the same as a thickness of the one or more panels.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the belt is more than a thickness of the one or more panels.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt comprises multiple belt elements connected together at one or more belt nodes.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the belt comprises multiple narrow belt elements connected together at multiple belt nodes configured to envelope the ball within the belt.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the hard rigid ball is made of rigid plastic material.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the plastic material is one selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, acrylic, fiberglass, carbon fiber, boron fiber, and composite material.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein the rigid ball is a solid rigid ball.

18. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt and one or more panels are adhered to the outer surface of the ball.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt and one or more panels are overmolded onto the outer surface of the ball.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt and one or more panels are injection molded and adhered onto the outer surface of the ball.

21. The device according to claim 1, wherein each outer cover panel is overmolded onto each respective inner support panel.

22. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt and the one or more panels are connected to the ball using an adhesive suitable to prevent disconnection from the ball during the physical exercise use.

23. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt and one or more panels are overmolded onto the outer surface of the ball in a manner to prevent removal from the ball during the physical exercise use.

24. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt is a continuous belt.

25. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt comprises one or more narrow belt elements having a width less than the width of the one or more panels.

26. The device according to claim 1, wherein the belt is a plastic injection molded belt.

27. A method of making an exercise ball comprising:

providing a hard rigid ball;

applying a belt to a surface of the ball to define multiple unique-shaped regions on the surface of the ball; and

fitting multiple unique-shaped panels into the multiple unique-shaped regions on the surface of the ball edge-to-edge with the belt, wherein the panels comprise an inner support panel and an outer cover panel, wherein the inner support panel is made of rigid plastic material and the outer cover panel is made of resilient or deformable material.

28. An exercise ball device, comprising:

a hard rigid ball;

a preformed belt adhered to an outer surface of the ball; and

one or more preformed panels adhered to the outer surface of the ball adjacent to the performed belt, the one or more performed panels comprising one or more edges abutting one or more edges of the performed belt, wherein the one or more preformed panels comprise an inner support panel and an outer cover panel, wherein the inner support panel is made of rigid plastic material and the outer cover panel is made of resilient or deformable material,

wherein the performed belt and the one or more performed panels define an outer surface of the exercise ball device.

29. An exercise ball device, comprising:

a rigid ball;

a belt connected to the ball and located on an outer surface of the ball; and

one or more panels connected to the ball and located on the outer surface of the ball, the one or more panels comprising one or more edges abutting one or more edges of the belt, and the belt and the one or more panels providing an outer surface of the exercise ball device,

wherein the one or more panels comprise an inner support panel and an outer cover panel, and

wherein the inner support panel is made of rigid plastic material and the outer cover panel is made of resilient or deformable material.