Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ 131~192
TITLE: WAIST REDUCING EXERCISER
1 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years exercising has become quite
popular and with advanced technology reducin~ our
normal ever~day physical activity, exercise is also
necessary for good health.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a waist reducing
exerciser in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the
exerciser of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the exerciser
of Fig. 1; and
Fi~. 4 is a side view of a person using a waist
reducing exerciser in accordance with the present
invention, showing both the fully upright positior. and
~O the fully bent-over position.
Many types of exercise machines and equipment are
being developed to meet the needs oP the people to be
fit. Most of these machines and equipment are large,
complicated and often expensive apparatus. However,
for those who are economically minded, there are also
many inexpensive devices to be had.
~ `
1316192
This particular device relates to waist reduction.
This waist reducing exerciser is directed to an area of
exercise which has not seen much activity in the way of
development of new and innovative devices to reduce a
person's waist. Past endeavors in this area have
centered around modifications to beds or tables used
for reclining on while doing sit-ups. Such methods as
inclining the table so that more effort is required or
adding foot holds to steady oneself while doing sit-ups
are typical examples of aids for enhancing sit-up
exercises.
Another common waist reducin~ exercise is the
simple waist bend or "touch your toes" exercise. This
lS is typicall~ done without the aid of sny equipment
whatsoever and can not offer any enhancement or method
for improving the performance of the exercise. The
present invention does however offer a unique
alternative to the unaided waist bending exercise.
With the waist reducin~ exerciser a person can
additionally apply force to the handles and thereby
also develop upper body muscles. The exerciser also
acts as a lever to which a person can exert more effort
and thus tighten the stomach and abdominal muscles.
Thus, the effectiveness of exercising with the present
nvention over unaided waist bends is ~reatly
ncreased .
-
13:1~192
1 Further, this invention offers uniformity and
conformity in the exercise method as well as providing
a stabilizing function for the user.
And, from Fi~. 4, it can be seen that the
exerciser is quite compact and conveniently designed to
make it both economical and easy to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to
provide an exerciser for the purpose of tightening
stomach and abdominal muscles and thereby reducing a
person's waistline.
Another object oP the present invention is to
provide an exerciser as mentioned above which is easy
and convenient to use.
A further object of the present invention i9 to
provide an exerciser which also can aid in the
development of a person's upper body muscles.
An additional object of the present invention is
to provide In exerciser which is easily manufactured
and economical for the user.
These and other objects and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent to those Ykilled
in the art upon reading the description hereinbelow and
viewing the accompanying drawings.
1316192
Referring to the drawings, and in particular ~o
Fig. 1 in which a waist reducing exerciser in
accordance with the present invention is shown. The
waist reducing exerciser consisting of a handlebar ~0
05 with hand grips ~1, an upper tube 20, a lower tube 10
and a foo-t bar 60 with foot straps 61 attached thereto
is shown in a perspective ~riew.
Fig. 2 shows an eYpioded view of the waisl
reducing e~erciser which further discloses the inner
assembly of the waist reducing exerciser. In Fig. 2, it
can be seen that within the upper tube 20 is disposed a
spring 30 with a respective cap ~0 and 40' at each end.
A foot bar securing means 62 is disposed adjacent to
the lower end of the spring 30.
Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the waist
reducing exerciser. As can be seen in this figure, the
cap 40- is firstly secured by means of a pin ~0' to the
foot bar securing means 62 which is then fixedly
secured by a screw 66 to the foot bar 60.
More specifically, the spring 30 is of such
diameter to fit and compress freely within the upper
tube 20. The upper tube 20 is inserted into and
slidable within the lower tube 10. When assembled,
the spring 30 is of such length so as to cause the
1316192
upper tube 20 to protrude from the upper end (as
seen from Fig. 1) of the lower tube 10 for about one
third of its total length. Further, it should be noted
that the upper tube 20 and lower tube 10 ~re
05 approximately the same length.
Securing of the spring 30 within the upper tube
and lower tube 10 is accomplished by means of the
cap 40 and the combination of the cap 40' and the foot
bar securing means 62. The caps 40 and 40' are
cylindrical in shape and disposed at each end of the
spring 30. The cap 40 is disposed with a pair of
circular holes 41 in the side walls of the cap
opposite each other. Similar pairs of holes 21 and 63
are disposed on the upper tube 20 and handle bar
securing means 52 respectively. To assemble the
above mentioned components, the pin 70 is passed
through the holes 21, 41 and 53 and between the coils
of the spring 30.
The cap 40' has a pair of holes 41' similar to
those in the upper cap 40. The foot bar securing
means 62 also has a pair of holes 63 similar to those
in the handle bar securing means 52. Unlike the
engagement between the handle bar 50 and the handle bar
securing means 52, the foot bar securing means 62 has
alternate pair of screw holes 63' ~or fixing to the
foot bar 60 by the screw 65. In addition, the foot bar
1 316~92
securing means 62 is fitted with a pair of large cut-
outs 64 which correspond in diameter to the diameter
of the foot bar 60. When the foot bar securing means
62 engages with the foot bar 60 and is assembled,
05 then the pin 70' passes through a pair of holes 11
at the lower end of the lower tube 10, through the
holes 41' and 63 and between the coil of the spring
30. It is noted that the pin 70' functions as 8 stop
for the downward movement of the upper tube 20.
As mentioned earlier, the foot bar 60,
essentially a steel tube, is provided with the pair of
foot straps 61. The foot straps 61 are preferably
injection molded of plastic or rubber-like material,
and secured to the foot bar 60 by press fitting or
some other convenient conventional means that the foot
straps 61 can be rotatable about the foot bar 60. The
lower tube 10 has a first cut-outs 12 and a wider
second cut-outs 14 formed thereon. The first cut-outs
12 has a diameter which corresponds to the diameter of
the foot bar 60. The second cut-outs 14 is disposed to
facilitate a swinging movement of the lower tube 10
relative to the foot bar 60, so that the lower tube 10
will not touch the ground when in swinging operation.
Further, the handle bar 50, also a steel tube, is
inserted through a corresponding circular passa~e of
the handle bar securing means 52 perpendicular to the
axis formed by the upper tube 20 and lower tube 10
1316~92
and secured therein by a set-screw or some other
conventional means. The hand grips 51, disposed at
each end of the handle bar 50, are typically injection
molded from plastic or rubber-like material and of a
05 conventional design.
As a safety device, a string 80 made from a
heavy cord or light wire is disposed within the coils
of the spring 30 and secured to the pin 70, 65 at
either end of the spring 30 by any convenient
conventional means.
~ eferring now to Fig. 4, a silhouetted figure is
shown demonstrating the waist reducing exerciser in
operation. To use the exerciser, the user's feet are
inserted to the foot straps 61 and the user's hands
are positioned on the hand grips 51. As the figure
bends forward, the hands apply a force to the hand
grips 51 and thereby compress the spring 30 and
slide the upper tube 20 within the lower tube 10.
At this moment, the lower tube 10 can swing about the
foot bar 60 to effect a smooth operation of the
exerciser of this invention. As the figure returns to
the upright position the force applied to the hand
grips 51 is decreased and the upper tube 20 re-
extends fro~ the lower tube 10.
It is easily understandable that through the
aforementioned action, the typical performance and
1~16~92
eYercise benefit achieved from waist bends is still
realized. `Also, above and beyond this benefit further
strengthening of upper body muscles and tightening of
stomach and abdominal muscles is derived from the
05 efforts devoted to compressing the spring 30. It
should also be noted that the waist reducing e.Yerciser
offers stability and balance to the user while in use.
-
The above-mentioned embodiment of this invention
is provided for illustrating the usage and structure of
the invention. As various embodiments might be made of
the above invention, it is to be understood that all
matter herein described or shown in the accompanying
drawings is to be interpreted as i~lustrative and not
in a limiting sense. Thus it will be appreciated that
the drawings are only exemplary of a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
