US20070004568A1
2007-01-04
11/160,483
2005-06-27
This invention relates to a portable and effective device for exercising extremities of individuals who have suffered from debility. The device is comprised of a rectangular base with a similar rectangular extremity support surface attached to said base. The support surface is attached to said base by mechanical glide hardware. The mechanical glide hardware is comprised such that an individual can place their affected extremity on the support surface and move their extremity with minimal or trace muscle power through a linear, rotating, or arc range of motion.
Get notified when new applications in this technology area are published.
A63B21/0618 » CPC main
Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices; User-manipulated weights moving in a horizontal plane without substantial friction, i.e. using inertial forces
A63B23/0355 » CPC further
Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body for limbs, i.e. upper or lower limbs, e.g. simultaneously A single apparatus used for either upper or lower limbs, i.e. with a set of support elements driven either by the upper or the lower limb or limbs
A63B22/203 » CPC further
Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements using rollers, wheels, castors or the like, to be moved over the floor or other surface, during exercising for moving a support element in reciprocating translation, i.e. for sliding back and forth on a guide track in a horizontal plane
A63B22/205 » CPC further
Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements using rollers, wheels, castors or the like, to be moved over the floor or other surface, during exercising for moving a support element in reciprocating translation, i.e. for sliding back and forth on a guide track in a substantially vertical plane, e.g. for exercising against gravity
A63B21/00 IPC
Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable and effective device for exercising extremities of individuals who have suffered from debility. The components of the device are comprised such that an individual can place their affected extremity on the device and move their extremity with minimal or trace muscle power through a frictionless or near-frictionless linear, rotating, or arc range of motion. The device may be used to exercise the upper portion of the body including hands, arms, shoulders, and upper torso while in a seated, supine, prone, or side-lying position. Additionally, the device can be used to exercise the lower portion of the body including feet, ankles, knees, hips, and lower torso while in a seated, supine, kneeling, or side-lying position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is an abundance of exercise devices available on the market today. Whether large or small, the majority of these devices are designed to create a form of resistance for the purpose of strength training. These devices use metal weights, plastic weights, elastic bands, springs, and gravity to create a resistive force in which an individual works against. These devices are useful for individuals who have ample strength in their upper or lower extremities. However, for those individuals who have suffered from some process of disease or dysfunction (ie, stroke, trauma), a device designed to maximize poor muscle strength has not been found in the prior art. In other words, a device that provides a non-resistant form of exercise.
1. An exercise device comprising a low-profile base of generally rectangular shape.
2. An exercise device comprising a low-profile base of generally rectangular shape with a non-slip substance underneath. The non-slip surface of said base, in contact with the surface on which it is placed, will prevent the device from moving undesirably during use of the device.
3. An exercise device comprising a low-profile base of generally rectangular shape with attached mechanical glide hardware.
4. An exercise device comprising a low-profile support platform of generally rectangular shape attached to said base by said mechanical glide hardware.
5. Said mechanical glide hardware is engineered to provide a frictionless or near-frictionless glide of said support platform on said base.
6. Said mechanical glide hardware is engineered with a mechanism to provide either fixed linear gliding of said support platform on said base or linear gliding in combination with rotational glide of said support platform on said base.
7. Said mechanical glide hardware is engineered with a component to convert from fixed mode to rotational mode or from rotational mode to fixed mode.
8. Said mechanical glide hardware, in fixed and rotational mode, is engineered to provide additional linear glide of said support platform on top of the rotational component of said mechanical glide hardware. The said additional linear glide of said support platform on top of the rotational component of said mechanical glide hardware will compensate for additional linear movement required of said support platform on said base during arc range of motion of an individuals upper or lower extremity on this claimed exercise device. The said additional linear glide is engineered with a separate component to engage or disengage said additional linear glide.
9. An exercise device comprising a low-profile support platform of generally rectangular shape to provide a stable surface for the user's extremity to rest. Said support platform will have a non-slip, padded substance on which the user's extremity will rest. The non-slip, padded surface, on which the user's extremity is placed, will prevent the user's extremity from moving undesirably during use of the device.
10. An exercise device with said low-profile base of generally rectangular shape may include additional attachments to provide increased stability, additional glide, and vertical incline at varying degrees.
11. An exercise device with said low-profile support platform of generally rectangular shape may include additional attachments to provide handles, cuffs, straps, and molded and contoured positioning and comfort padding.