Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
An exercising device primarily intended for in-home
or in-apartment use to enable the user to simulate running or
jogging and to otherwise maintain the body in a state of fitness
is described.
Specifically, the invention relates to an exercising
structure consisting of a resiliently suspended running or bouncing
surface, hereinafter called a surface or exercising surface, and
to a novel and improved means for resiliently suspending the sur-
face to a supporting peripheral frame.
Resiliently supported exercising surfaces have been known
in the past, but to applicant's experience none provide a unique-
ness of feel and resiliency enabling them to be comfortably and
beneficially used to simulate the exercise of running and jogging
and other twisting movements which result in benefits not only to
the wind and legs of the user, but also provides a suppleness to
the remaining muscular body frame of the user not possible with
prior devices.
The unique advantages possessed by the present invention
reside completely in the nature of the exact exercising surface
employed, and also a new and novel method of resiliently support-
ing the bouncing surface in a manner not before contemplated.
Applicant has for years been working to develop an exer-
cising surface which can be used by people of any age and by
executives to enable in-home or in-office simulated running or
jogging to maintain the user in a state of physical fitness. In
applicant's first attempt, a unitary sheet of flexible plastics
material such as nylon, or of canvas material suspended
around the periphery by suspension springs was attempted. However,
such structures in addition to providing difficulties in suitably
securing the surface to the spring mounting means, and which will
provide suitable springing as well as longevity, also did not
impart a proper feel to the user inasmuch as such a unitary sur-
face reacted too severely to a bouncing motion and rather than
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experiencing a smooth and continuous graceful undulating motion,
the user was "struck back" by the surface with a reactive force
equal to that of a jogging step.
The problem which presented itself to the applicant then
was to provide an exercising surface enabling the user to exercise
by jogging or to exercise by utilizing any number of body twisting
sequences and which gave the user a feeling of continued graceful
motion without encompassing severe impact from the surface which
was due to a reaction from a surface to each jogging step. In
addition to problems in providing a unitary surface with suitable
means for securing the surface to resilient spring supporting
means, the unitary surface has not provided the answer of smooth
continuous flowing motion which would invite~the user to look
forward to using the structure rather than to have a feeling of
having to use it to achieve physical fitness.
Applicant has now solved the above problems by providing
a bouncing surface consisting of a plurality of uniformly inter-
woven ribbons of flexible material to provide an exercising sur-
face of long life while providing for excellent use characteristics.
By providing the plurality of interwoven ribbons of
resilient material and the use of peripheral insertions of sup-
porting rods through the hems provided at each end of the ribbons
and to which the resilient spring means are hooked, applicant has
achieved superior fastening means not contemplated herebefore.
The present invention will now be more specifically
describPd with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates the exercising device in top view;
Figure 2 illustrates the exercising device in side
view;
Figure 3 illustrates the inventive device in end view;
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of one corner of the exer-
cising surface illustrating the method of attaching resilient
spring means thereto;
'7~
Figure 5 illustrates a suitable rod used in the secure-
ment of the exercising surface to an outer peripheral frame; and
Figure 6 illustrates in perspective view a single strip
or ribbon of resilient material hemmed at both ends to receive the
rods of Figure 5, and which ribbons are interwoven together to
provide the complete exercising surface as shown in Figures 1 and
4.
Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings
wherein like numerals indicate like parts.
The exercising device is shown in various views in Fig-
ures 1, 2, and 3, as consisting of an outer peripheral frame 2 which
may be tubular in configuration, and which is provided at each of
its four corners, with V-shaped downwardly depending legs 4 having
lower floor or ground engaging flat surfaces 6. Preferably, the
legs 4 project downwardly and outwardly with respect to the peri-
: pheral frame 2 thus enabling the stacking of a number of iden-
tical exercising units in compact configuration to facilitate
transportation and storage.
; The peripheral frame 2 is provided with a plurality of
apertures 8 to receive the outer hooked ends 10 of cylindrical or
helical support spring members 12. All of the spring members 12
utilized are of identical construction to provide uniform resilient
support for the exercising surface generally indicated by numeral
14 in Figure 1.. The exercising surface 14 consists of a plurality
of uniformly interwoven ribbons or strips of resilient material
16 specifically shown in Figure 6. The ribbons 16 are preferably
webbing material woven from a flexible high tensile strength
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material such as Ny~e~ ~rcgistcr~d tradc mark).
The ribbons 14 are hemmed at each end as at 18 by suit-
able stitching shown at 20. The openings 22 are adapted to receive
rods 24 as specifically shown in Figure 5. The rods 24 are slid
through the openings 22 of adjacen-t ribbons 16 with the ends of the
rods which contact each other at right angles being provided with
loops 26 which overlie each other as shown clearly in Figure 4.
In the rectangular construction of the exercising surface as shown
in Figure 1, four such rods 24 will be utilized with the ends of
touching rods being secured together by means of the inner hooks
28 provided on the associated spring means 12.
Between ends of each side of the bouncing surfaces,
the inner hooks 28 engage around the rods 24 between adjacent
strips 16. In this manner, the strips 16 are supported solely
and completely by the rods 24, and they are not penetrated at
all by the inner hooks 28 of the springs 12. This results in
superior construction inasmuch as any fabric material such as
ribbons 16 are weakened by any provision of apertures or grommets
passing therethrough.
