Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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EXERCISE DEVICE AND METHOD
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to exercise devices. More
particularly, the
disclosure is directed to an exercise device and method in which the exercise
device is easily
attached to a door, cross beam, pole, tree or other support to facilitate a
wide variety of exercises.
Background of the Invention
[0002] Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, and
repetitive for the purpose
of conditioning any part of the body. Exercise is utilized to improve health
and maintain fitness
and is also important as a means of physical rehabilitation.
[0003] Exercise is useful in preventing or treating coronary heart disease,
osteoporosis,
weakness, diabetes, obesity and depression. Range of motion is one aspect of
exercise, which is
important for increasing or maintaining joint function. Strengthening
exercises impart resistance
to the muscles, increasing endurance and strength. Cardiac rehabilitation
exercises may be
developed and individualized for rehabilitation purposes or to prevent cardiac
disorders and
diseases. A well-balanced exercise program can improve general health, build
endurance and
delay many of the effects of aging. The benefits of exercise include not only
improvement in
physical health but also enhancement of an exerciser's emotional well being.
[0004] Exercise further helps improve symptoms related to fatigue,
distress, cognitive
problems and mental health functioning. The American Heart Association has
released a
statement, which indicates that exercise is beneficial even for patients
awaiting heart transplants.
A recent study has shown that women who participate in strenuous physical
activity over a
number of years may reduce their risk of breast cancer. Additionally, research
has shown that
men and women aged 40 to 50 who exercise moderately for 60 to 90 minutes a day
are less
likely to catch a cold than their more sedentary counterparts.
[0005] Resistance training is a form of strength training exercise in which
effort is exerted
against resistance (i.e. resistance to being pushed, squeezed, stretched or
bent). Resistance to
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movement may be exerted against a muscle or a muscle group by an opposing
muscle or muscle
group, by gravity or by an elastic band or bands. There are two basic types of
resistance
exercises: isotonic resistance exercises and isometric resistance exercises.
Isotonic resistance
exercises are those in which a body part moves against resistance, whereas
isometric resistance
exercises are those in which a body part remains still as it maintains static
force against
resistance. Both isotonic and isometric resistance exercises may be used to
develop the strength
and size of skeletal muscles. Properly performed, resistance training can
provide significant
functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well being.
[0006] A variety of exercise devices, which include straps and hand grips
and can be secured
to a structure such as a door or pole for use are known in the art. One
conventional exercise
device of this type includes an inelastic adjustable length member with two
arms and a grip at
both ends. A centrally located anchor facilitates distribution of the length
between the arms. In
one embodiment, the exercise device is compact and can be removably attached
to a doorframe.
When user grabs the grips and uniformly pulls away from the anchor, the arms
of the device
center on the anchor. However, since the device includes a single, elongated
strap that extends
through the anchor, unexpected movements of the strap may occur while the user
is holding his
or her body weight with the straps during an exercise. These unexpected
movements of the strap
may potentially result in muscle tear.
[0007] Also known is an exercise device for use with a door, comprising a
flat, flexible strap,
a pair of hand grips attached to opposite ends of the fiat, flexible strap,
and an anchor attached to
the flat, flexible strap midway between the hand grips and extending laterally
from opposite
sides of the strap for engagement with the door with the flat, flexible strap
passing between an
edge of the door and the adjacent jamb, and the anchor and the hand grips
being positioned on
opposite sides of the door.
[0008] Another conventional exercise device includes a pair of handles that
are connected to
an elastic cord. A loop strap is provided at the approximate midpoint of the
length of the elastic
cord. The loop strap is interposed between a door and a doorjamb with the loop
strap being
mounted on the doorknob of the door. A user grips the handles and applies
resistance against the
elastic cord to strengthen the muscles in the user's arms.
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100091 Another conventional exercise device is adapted for connection to at
least one
structural component of a building to provide a framework for kinesthetic
exercises. The
structural component defines multiple fixable locations for connection of
various kinesthetic
exercising apparatuses in arrangements, which are suitable for a variety of
kinesthetic exercises.
The device further includes mechanisms for quick releasable and replaceable
coupling of an
exercise apparatus in a freely rotatable manner to accommodate a wide range of
body motions.
[0010] Another conventional exercise device is portable and includes hand
gips attached to
opposite ends of a cable, which is trained over a pulley for reciprocation
during an exercise.
Straps are attached to opposite ends of a second cable trained over a pulley
and are adapted to
receive the feet of a user for reciprocation during exercise.
[0011] Another conventional exercise device includes several
interchangeable parts and
facilitates stretching and strengthening of the upper and lower torso. The
exercise device also
utilizes a common door and doorframe, allowing for simplicity and generality
of use. The device
includes an adjustable hook and loop strap for ease of attachment to the
ankle, wrist, or foot of
the user as well as configurable handles to accommodate double or single-
handed use. In use,
the device is anchored to a common door and doorframe using a rod and cloth
strap. The rod is
fixedly and removably placed behind the closed door. A variety of upper and
lower torso-
stretching exercises can be carried out by wrapping the strap around the
user's ankle, wrist or
foot and guiding or stretching the body portion with a free hand or hands
which is/axe attached to
the strap via a rope. Similarly, strengthening exercises can be carried out by
using elastic tubing
to provide resistance for the appropriate body portion.
[0012] Another conventional exercise device includes a chest expander
having a first handle
at one end, second and third handles at an opposite end and multiple elastic
cord members
detachably connected between the first handle and the second and third
handles. A coupling belt
is secured to the first handle using hook and loop fasteners. A transverse bar
is inserted through
respective loops at the two distal ends of the coupling belt. The transverse
bar is adapted to
secure the exercise device to a top or bottom door gap and enables the user to
pull the second and
third handles to exercise the muscles of the arms.
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[0013] Although the above-described exercise devices and methods address
some of the
needs of the exercise device market, an exercise device including inextensible
straps attached
through rings to a single holder is still desired.
Summary of the Invention
[0014] This disclosure is generally directed to an exercise device
including inelastic strap
members with which a user may perform several different types of exercises in
a portable and
safe manner.
[00151 In one aspect, an exercise device has at least one inelastic strap
assembly that
includes an inelastic portion with a first end and a second end. The first end
includes a first loop,
a foot strap, and a hand grip attached to the first loop. An attachment
mechanism interfaces the
first loop and foot strap to permit selectively attaching and removing the
foot strap from the first
loop.
[00161 In another aspect, an exercise device has at least one inelastic
strap assembly that
includes an inelastic portion with a first end and a second end. The first end
includes a first loop,
a foot strap, and a hand grip attached to the first loop. The foot strap is
discontinuous has two
ends and an attachment mechanism at each end for selectively attaching and
removing the foot
strap from said first loop. An anchor is affixed to the second end of the
inelastic portion of the
inelastic strap assembly.
[0017] According to a further aspect, an exercise device has two inelastic
strap assemblies
wherein each strap assembly includes an inelastic portion with a first end and
a second end. The
first end includes a first loop, a foot strap, and a hand grip attached to the
first loop. The foot
strap at the end of each inelastic strap assembly is discontinuous having two
ends and an
attachment mechanism at each end for selectively attaching and removing the
foot strap from the
first loop. The second end of each inelastic strap assembly includes a rigid
ring defining a central
aperture. An anchor comprises an inelastic anchor strap having a buckle at a
first end thereof for
securely receiving a second end of the anchor strap to form an anchoring loop
wherein the
anchor strap extends through the aperture of each rigid ring.
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[0018] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention
will be further
understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the
following written
specification, claims and appended drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0001] The invention will now be described, by way of example, with
reference to the
accompanying drawings, where like numerals denote like elements and in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 presents a general perspective view of an illustrative
embodiment of the
exercise device;
[0020] FIG. 2 presents an enlarged sectional view showing in detail the
attachment of the
inelastic strap assemblies to the anchor strap;
[0021] FIG. 3 presents another perspective view of the attachment of the
inelastic strap
assemblies to the anchor strap;
[0022] FIG. 4 presents a front elevation view of the handle grip and the
foot grip portion of
the inelastic strap assembly;
[0023] FIG. 5 presents a perspective view of a buckle for use in regulating
the length of each
strap;
[0024] FIG. 6 presents a general perspective view of the exercise device
attached to a gym
crossbeam and a user performing an exercise utilizing the hand grips;
[0025] FIG. 7 presents a general perspective view of the exercise device in
accordance with
the present disclosure, in its initial configuration;
[00261 FIG. 8 presents a perspective view of a user using the present
exercise device for
doing push-ups wherein the user's feet are engaged in the foot grips;
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[0027] FIG. 9 presents a perspective view of an alternate embodiment
attachment of the foot
grip to the hand grip;
[0028] FIG. 10 presents a perspective view of the alternate embodiment foot
grip detached
from the hand grip;
[0029] FIG. 11 presents a perspective view of an alternate embodiment foot
grip detached
from the hand grip with a heel strap attached to the foot grip;
[0030] FIG. 12 presents a perspective view of the alternate embodiment foot
grip illustrated
in FIG. 11 with a user's foot extending through the foot grip and supported by
the heel strap;
[0031] FIG. 13 presents a perspective view of the alternate embodiment foot
grip illustrated
in FIG. 11 with a user's feet extending through the respective foot grips of
the exercise device in
performance of an exercise;
[0032] FIG. 14 presents a perspective view of the alternate embodiment foot
grip illustrated
in FIG. 11 illustrating initial insertion of a user's hand between the heel
strap and the foot strap of
the foot grip in gripping of the grip handle preparatory to performing arm
exercises using the
exercise device;
[0033] FIG. 15 presents a perspective view of the alternate embodiment foot
grip illustrated
in FIG. 11 illustrating complete insertion of the user's hand between the heel
strap and the foot
strap of the foot grip in gipping of the grip handle;
[0034] FIG. 16 presents a perspective view of the alternate embodiment foot
grip illustrated
in FIG. 11 illustrating wrapping of the foot strap around the wrist of the
user; and
100351 FIG. 17 presents a perspective view of the alternate embodiment foot
grip illustrated
in FIG. 11 illustrating gipping of the grip handle with the user's hand in
performance of arm
exercises using the exercise device.
[0036] Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various
views of the
drawings.
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Detailed Description of the Embodiments
[0037] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and
is not intended
to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the
described embodiments.
As used herein, the word "exemplary" or "illustrative" means "serving as an
example, instance,
or illustration." Any implementation described herein as "exemplary" or
"illustrative" is not
necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other
implementations. All of the
implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to
enable persons
skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are
not intended to limit
the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of
description herein,
the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "rear", "right", "front", "vertical",
"horizontal", and
derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1.
Furthermore, there is no
intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the
preceding technical
field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. It is
also to be
understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached
drawings, and
described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of
the inventive
concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other
physical
characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be
considered as limiting,
unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
[0038] Turning to the drawings, Figure 1 shows an exercise device that is
one of the
preferred embodiments of the present invention and illustrates its various
components. As
shown in the various figures, the exercise device is easily attached to a
door, cross beam, pole,
tree or other support to facilitate a wide variety of exercises. Exercise
device 120 may include a
generally elongated inelastic strap assembly 132 and in a preferable
embodiment, includes two
generally elongated inelastic strap assemblies 132. An anchor end 136 of each
of the inelastic
strap assemblies 132 is attached to an anchor 122. A grip end ISO is at an
opposite end of
inelastic strap assembly 132.
[0039] The grip end 150 of each inelastic strap assembly 132 includes a
hand grip 152 and a
foot grip 166. Hand grip 152 includes a hand strap 154 that extends from the
corresponding
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inelastic strap assembly 132. Hand grip 152 further includes a grip handle 156
formed of a grip
cylinder 158 (FIG. 4) that may be externally covered with a cushioned layer
160. Grip cylinder
158 has a generally elongated, cylindrical shape wherein hand strap 154
extends through the
interior of grip cylinder 158.
[0040] Foot grip 166 is provided on the end of hand grip 152. In some
embodiments, foot
grip 166 comprises a foot strap 168 formed as a loop, which extends through
the interior of grip
cylinder 158. Foot grip 166 generally defines a flexible stirrup-like
structure through which a
user 102 (Figure 8) may insert his/her foot to perform various exercises in
use of the exercise
device 120, as described in further detail below.
100411 As illustrated in Figure 4, each inelastic strap assembly 132 is
constructed of an
inelastic strap 134 which, at grip end 150 is doubled back upon itself to form
first loop 154 of
hand grip 152 and has stitching portion 140 to permanently affix portions of
strap 134 one to the
other and define hand strap 154. Adjacent portions of inelastic strap 134
extend from stitching
portion 140 to an anchor end 136 of the inelastic strap 134 and form a loop at
the anchor end
136. Hand strap 154 can also include a grip handle 156 comprising a gip
cylinder 158 having
an outer cushioned layer 160 to provide comfortable gripping for a user's
hands. Grip handle
156 is retained on hand strap 154 by passing hand strap 154 through an
interior of grip cylinder
158. As further illustrated in Figure 4, foot strap 168 can also be formed in
a loop and be
retained on inelastic strap assembly 132 by passing through the interior of
grip cylinder 158.
[0042] Optionally, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 5, continuous inelastic
strap 134 can
include a buckle 142 positioned along inelastic strap 134 thereby providing
user 102 with the
ability to adjust the length of inelastic strap assembly 132. Buckle 142 can
be of any
conventional buckle design that is suitable to facilitate selective adjustment
of the length of
inelastic strap assembly 132.
100431 An end of inelastic strap 134 is secured around a cross pin 144 of
buckle 142 such as
via the stitching portion 140. An opposite free end 138 of inelastic strap 134
can be secured
around a second retaining pin (not illustrated) on buckle 142 and is engaged
and retained by a
tongue grip 146 which is pivotally attached to the buckle 142. Accordingly, by
pivoting tongue
grip 146 about arc "A" (Figure 5) to closed/engaged position on buckle 142,
the tongue grip 146
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engages free end 138 of inelastic strap 134 and prevents inelastic strap
assembly 132 from
inadvertently shortening or lengthening. By pivoting of the tongue grip 146 to
an
open/disengaged position on buckle 142, tongue grip 146 disengages free end
138 of inelastic
strap 134 such that a user may adjust the length of inelastic strap assembly
132 as desired by
freely pulling free end 138.
[0044] Hand strap 154 of each hand grip 152 may be attached to the
corresponding buckle 15
via stitching portion 140 and/or other suitable attachment technique.
Accordingly, the length of
each inelastic strap assemblies 132 may be selectively adjusted through the
adjusting action of
one or both of buckles 142. In some embodiments, a sleeve 148 may retain the
free end 138 of
inelastic strap 134 in a conventional manner.
[0045] Referring now to Figures 1-3, anchor 122 generally comprises an
anchor strap 124
having two ends with an anchor buckle 126 attached to one end and having an
opposite free end
for engagement in buckle 126. Anchor ends 136 of inelastic strap assemblies
132 are engaged
with anchor strap 124 and are slidable along a length of anchor strap 124.
Anchor strap 124 with
buckle 126 can be secured in a looped configuration and with which anchor
strap 124 is secured
and adjusted during the attaching procedure. Optionally, inelastic strap
assembly 132 can
include a rigid anchor ring 128 at anchor end 136. Rigid anchor ring 128
defines a central
aperture for receiving strap 134 and anchor strap 124 therethrough in a manner
to permit
inelastic strap assembly 132 to slide along the length of anchor strap 124.
Accordingly, anchor
strap 124 with buckle 126 may facilitate attachment of the exercise device 120
to any of various
structures (not illustrated) such as a house door, a gym pole or a cross beam,
for example and
without limitation, in use of the exercise device 120 which will be
hereinafter described.
[0046] Strap 134, anchor strap 124, the hand strap 154 forming hand grip
152 and foot strap
168 forming foot grip 166 are typically formed of materials that include but
are not limited to
straps of natural or synthetic webbing materials having a strength sufficient
to support the weight
of a user of the exercise device 120. Exemplary webbing materials include but
are not limited to
nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene and other polymeric fibers. Moreover, in
some
embodiments, stitching portions 140 may attach the looped portions of hand
strap 154 of hand
grip 152 to one another. Those practiced in the art will understand that the
length of each
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inelastic strap assemblies 132 may vary depending on the height of user 102 to
facilitate the
effective use of exercise device 120.
[0047] Referring next to Figures 6-8, exemplary application of exercise
device 120 is
illustrated. FIG. 6 illustrates a user 102 gripping grip handles 156 of the
respective hand grips
152 and exercising the user's arms with exercise device 120. In this
application, anchor 122 of
exercise device 120 is secured to a crossbeam 106, which spans a pair of poles
104, as illustrated
in Figure 7. Figure 8 illustrates an alternative application in which user 102
secure his or her feet
using the foot grips 166 while performing push-ups.
[0048] As further illustrated in Figure 6, the inelastic strap assemblies
132 are connected to
the anchor 122 via respective rigid rings 128. The lengths of inelastic strap
assemblies 132 are
fixed by manipulation of the respective buckles 142 wherein the lengths of
inelastic strap
assemblies 132 remain the same throughout exercise. Therefore, injuries to
user 102 which may
otherwise occur in the event that the length of one or both inelastic strap
assemblies 132 was to
change unexpectedly during exercise are prevented.
[0049] Referring now to Figures 9-10, an alternate embodiment exercise
device 220 is shown
wherein features thereof corresponding to features of exercise device 120 end
in like reference
numerals preceded by the numeral "2". Exercise device 220 is constructed of a
webbed inelastic
strap 234 which has at one end thereof a hand grip 252 formed by the doubling
back of inelastic
strap 234 upon itself and affixed one to the other by stitching portion 240.
Hand grip 252 is
formed as a continuous hand strap 254. A cylindrical grip handle 256 has an
axial passageway
therethrough in which is received a portion of hand strap 254. Hand strap 254
includes at least
one, and preferably a plurality of snap portions, such as male snap portions
274 (Figure 10)
affixed external to and at each end of cylindrical grip handle 256. A
discontinuous foot strap 268
is preferably formed of webbed strap material identical to inelastic strap 234
and includes at each
end thereof one and preferably a plurality of mating snap portions such as
female snap portions
272 (FIG. 10).
[0050] Female snap portion 272 (Figure 10) when engaged with male snap
portion 274 forms
snap 270 (FIG. 9) for retaining foot strap 268 on hand strap 254 of hand grip
252 and thereby
forming foot grip 266. Snaps 270 form an attachment mechanism to permit the
selective
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removal and attachment of foot strap 268 from exercise device 220. Further, in
embodiments in
which one or both hand grip 252 and foot strap 268 include a plurality of
respective snap
portions 272, 274, female snap portions 272 can be engaged with different male
snap portions to
adjust the size of foot grip 266 to accommodate different foot sizes and
comfort of a user of
exercise device 220.
[0051] Those practiced in the art will understand that any detachable
engaging interface can
be alternately provided replacing the female snap portion 272 and the male
snap portion 274. The
detachable engaging interface should be selected from any form factor capable
of supporting the
desired load when in use, while ensuring ease of separation when desired.
Several examples of
potential detachable engaging interfaces include a buckle, a dense hook and
loop fastener, a
button and buttonhole, a hook and eye, and the like.
[0052] In another embodiment, one end of the foot strap 268 can be attached
to a respective
end of the hand strap 254 using stitching and a second end of the foot strap
268 can be adjustably
attached to a respective second end of the hand strap 254 using any detachable
engaging
interface, such as those listed above.
10053] For extreme loading conditions, both ends of the foot strap 268 can
be secured to the
hand strap 254 using stitching. By affixing the foot strap 268 to the hand
strap 254, the foot strap
268 remains stationary.
[0054] Referring now to Figures 11-17, an alternate embodiment exercise
device 320 is
shown wherein features thereof corresponding to features of exercise device
120 end in like
reference numerals preceded by the numeral "3". The exercise device 320
includes an ankle
strap 380 which is attached to opposite sides of the foot strap 368 of the
foot grip 366 such as by
stitching portions 382, for example and without limitation. The ankle strap
380 may be generally
curved and oriented in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of the foot
strap 368. The ankle
strap 380 may be disposed generally between the grip handle 356 and the looped
terminus or end
370 of the foot strap 368.
[0055] As illustrated in Figure 12, in some applications the exercise
device 320 can be used
to exercise a leg of the user 302. The user 302 inserts his or her foot
through the foot strap 368
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of the foot grip 366. The bottom of the user's heel rests on the heel strap
380. The user 302 can
pull against the resistance that is imparted by the inelastic straps 334 of
the inelastic strap
assemblies 332 to exercise and strengthen the muscles in the legs of the user
302. The heel strap
380 stabilizes the foot of the user 302 in the foot grip 366 to prevent the
foot of the user 302
from inadvertently slipping too far into the foot grip 366.
[0056] As illustrated in Figure 13, in some applications the exercise
device 320 can be used
to hold the feet of a user 302 as the user 302 performs push-ups. The user 302
inserts both of his
or her feet through the respective foot grips 366. The foot strap 368 of each
foot grip 366
engages the instep portion whereas the heel strap 380 engages the heel portion
of the user's foot.
Therefore, the exercise device 320 suspends the feet of the user 302 as the
user performs push-
ups with one or both arms.
[0057] As illustrated in Figures 14-17, in some applications the exercise
device 320 can be
used to exercise one or both arms of a user 302. As illustrated in FIG. 14,
the user 302 initially
extends his or her fingers between the foot strap 368 and the heel strap 380
of the foot grip 366.
As illustrated in FIG. 15, the user 302 continues to extend his or her hand
between the foot strap
368 and the heel strap 380 until the heel strap 380 engages the rear portion
of the user's wrist. As
illustrated in FIG. 16, the user 302 wraps the foot strap 368 around his or
her wrist and then grips
the grip handle 356, as illustrated in FIG. 17. The user 302 can then pull
against the resistance,
which is imparted by the inelastic strap assembly 332 to exercise the arm or
arms of the user 302.
[0058] Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be
made to the
described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all
matters in the foregoing
description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as
illustrative and not in a
limiting sense. This, the scope of the invention should be determined by the
appended claims
and their legal equivalence.
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