US 2012/0058867 A1Published application

Abdominal exerciser with rotatable seat and tandem pulley features

OwnerEdward I. Mishan, Steven Mishaninventors

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Abstract

An abdominal exerciser has base and back frames pivotally mounted for movement between upright and recumbent positions, and a seat frame with cushion rotatable on the base frame. A low friction journal between the base and seat frames supports a user's weight. The journal is about 30 to 42% the distance from a rear end of the cushion to its front end so the user's coccyx is vertically aligned with the journal. Arms at each side of the base frame have a pair of extensions connected to either the base or seat frame, each with a U-shaped handhold lying in a plane at an acute angle of about 30 to 80 degrees to the horizontal. A pair of single pulleys or a pair of tandem pulleys are mounted near the rear of the base frame and are engaged by sleeve-covered springs for biasing the back frame toward the upright position.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An abdominal exercise device (10) comprising:

a base frame (12) for lying in a horizontal plane on the floor, the base frame having a pair of side members (12a, 12b) and a cross member (12c) connected between the side members of the base frame;
a back frame (14) having a pair of side members (14a, 14b) pivotally mounted near respective rear ends of the respective side members (12a, 12b) of the base frame for movement between a forward upright position and a rearward recumbent position;
a plurality of back cushions (20) connected between and spaced along the side members (14a, 14b) of the back frame (14);
an H-shaped seat frame (16) having front and rear members (16a, 16b) and a cross member (16c) connected between the front and rear members;
a seat cushion (30) fixed to the seat frame (16) and resting on the front, rear and cross members of the seat frame, the seat cushion having a front end and a rear end;
a low friction journal bushing (40) having a vertically extending bore and being connected to the cross member (12c, 16c) of one of the base and seat frames (12, 16);
a journal post (42) connected to the cross member (12c, 16c) of the other of the base and seat frames (12, 16) and received for rotation in the low friction journal bushing (40) so that the seat cushion (30) may rotate with respect to the base frame (12), a support area of the cross member around the journal post and to which the journal post is connected, being in weight-bearing contact with the low friction journal bushing (40) for supporting the weight of a user sitting on the seat cushion, the location of the low friction journal bushing (40) and the journal post (42) received therein, being from about 30% to about 42% of the distance from the rear end of the seat cushion to the front end of the seat cushion so that when a user is sitting on the seat cushion (30) with the users back against the back cushions (20), the coccyx of the user is substantially vertically aligned with the low friction journal bushing (40) and journal post (42) received therein;
an arm (50) at each side of the base frame, each arm having a pair of extensions (50a, 50b) connected to one of the base frame and the seat frame, each arm including a U-shaped handhold (50c) lying in a plane that extends at an acute angle of about 30 degrees to about 80 degrees to the horizontal plane with the handholds (50c) of the arms (50) on opposite sides of the base frame extending outwardly from each other for increasing available room for a user sitting on the seat cushion, and access to the handholds by the user;
a pulley mounted for rotation at each side of the base frame near a rear end of the base frame;
a tension spring connected between the base frame and the back frame side members for biasing the back frame toward the forward upright position;
and
a resilient sleeve covering each spring, each resilient sleeve engaged with one of the pulleys.

9 more elements

An abdominal exerciser comprising:

a base frame;
a back frame pivotally mounted near a rear end of the base frame for movement between upright and recumbent positions;
at least one back cushion connected to the back frame for supporting a user's back;
a seat frame mounted for rotation on the base frame;
a seat cushion fixed to the seat frame on which a user sits;
a low friction journal bushing connected the base frame, a journal post connected to the seat frame and rotatable mounted in the bushing for rotation of the seat frame and cushion on the base frame;
the low friction bushing supporting the weight of a user sitting on the seat cushion and the journal post being located at about 30% to about 42% of a distance from a rear end of the seat cushion to the front end of the seat cushion so that the coccyx of a user sitting on the seat cushion is substantially vertically aligned, with the bushing and post;
an arm connected at each side of the base frame, each arm having a pair of extensions connected to the base frame;
each arm having a U-shaped handhold lying in a plane extending at an acute angle of about 30 to about 80 degrees to a horizontal plane on which the base rests, a pair of pulleys mounted for rotation near a rear end of the base frame and on opposite sides of the base frame;
a springs with a resilient sleeve thereover engaged to each pulley, the springs being connected between the base and back frames for biasing the back frame toward the upright position.

7 more elements

An abdominal exercise device comprising:

a base frame for lying in a horizontal plane on the floor, the base frame having a pair of side members;
a back frame having a pair of side members pivotally mounted near respective rear ends of the side members of the base frame for movement between a forward upright position and a rearward recumbent position;
a plurality of back cushions connected between and spaced along the side members of the back frame;
a seat cushion mounted to the base frame;
an arm detachably connected to each side member of the base frame and on opposite sides of the seat cushion;
a pair of side-by-side tandem pulleys mounted for rotation at each side member of the base frame near a rear end of the base frame;
a pair of tension springs connected between the base frame and the back frame side members on each side of the base and back frames for biasing the back frame toward the forward upright position;
and
a resilient sleeve covering each spring, each resilient sleeve engaged with one of the pulleys.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.