EP2998005B1

EP2998005B1 - Bench with adjustables pedals at various heights

Info

Publication number: EP2998005B1
Application number: EP15002009.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Olivieri Giacinto
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: GIACINTO, OLIVIERI
Priority date: 2014-05-13
Filing date: 2015-07-06
Publication date: 2019-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 2035-07-06
Also published as: EP2998005A1

Description

Field of the invention.

The invention is related to a bench with pedals with the function of permitting a pedaling adjustable at various heights from the ground, usable both with legs and hands, as it allows to adapt the position of the pedals according to the length of the limbs and to place the pedals at different heights both under and over the horizontal bench. The bench related to this invention is equipped with backrest and seat adjustable at different angles in order to pedal with upper or lower limbs, and with the body and pedals in different positions compared to traditional exercise bikes and any known equipment used for exercising upper limbs.

Background of the invention.

Actually, exercise bikes are divided into two categories based on the position of the pedals, that is to say vertical or horizontal bikes.
Belonging to the first category are the bike with pedals placed at the base of the supporting frame, the pedals are positioned vertically below, in line with the saddle, as it is with traditional bikes.
In this type of stationary bike, in order to regulate the distance of the pedals according to the legs length, it is necessary to adjust the saddle height. To the category of horizontal bikes belong those technically called recumbent bicycles. In these, pedals are located about the same height of the hips or a little lower. The seat is composed of a saddle which slides along horizontal rails, in order to place pedals at the right distance depending on the legs lenght, the seat slides and is then locked in the position required. Some of these stationary bicycles, for example the one described in the patent US2008318738 , permit pedaling also with arms, but always in a fixed position and at the same height from the ground of the pedals and the accessory means linked to the pedals. Stationary bikes to pedal with legs in a vertical position are also known, as the one described in the patent IT2011U000011 , but also on this type of bike the pedaling is permitted only with legs in a higher position than the chest. Other bikes allow the pedaling with the body laid on a bench in horizontal position and are designed for obese people, in this case pedals are on a vertical rod at the foot of the bench, and the person sitting on the bench slides on it to find the ideal position to pedal, keeping their legs horizontal or a little higher. These stationary bikes, as the one described in the patent US2006189451 do not permit to pedal both below and above the plane of the bench or in any other desired position, the same applies for the bikes previously
Document US5160305 A describes a bench according to the preamble of claim 1

Summary of the invention.

According to the invention, a bench as claimed in claim 1 is provided.
Consequently, the first aim of this invention is to realize an exercise bike on a bench that can have adjustable pedals and pedaling accessories in any position permitted by the bench and the floor, and the pedals can be positioned at a variable distance from the body depending on the lenght of arms and legs. Pedals are placed along a hundred and eighty degrees, depending on any pedal disposition in radial coordinates decided by the user of the bench, so that the pedaling is adjusted in function of the exercise to perform. The pedal-equipped bench which is the object of this invention comprises at least one telescopic arm connected to the bench with a pin and accessory means which are normally found in ordinary exercise bikes, such as a flywheel, ball bearings, mechanical transmission and breaking device; these elements are placed in a containment body fixed to the telescopic beam, the telescopic beam is connected with pin equipped with fastening elements to rotate the telescopic beam and position it at different angles and different heights from the ground, the mentioned telescopic beam is adjustable according to the limbs lenght, for pedaling at the height set with the arms or the legs. With one device we can obtain all the advantages knows for all types of bikes, with the further advantage of using arm pedaling at different heights. As known, with the pedals positioned under the chest, which is to say with an erect chest and pedaling with the legs under the horizontal plane on which the bench seat is located, as is the traditional vertical stationary bike, only the muscles of the legs are exercised. In this position the cardio arterial circulation is favored, because the force of gravity contributes to take the blood downwards, but not the same for the venous return and the lymphatic drainage which have to go against the gravity force. Pedaling in a sitting position with the pedals at hip level, as in the recumbent bikes, has the advantage of having the working position with the back against the backrest of the bench. In particular, according to the invention of the bench with adjustable pedals at various heights, progressive inclinations of the backrest in order to have the back completely or almost horizontal and the legs higher than the heart correspond to advantages to the spinal cord which is progressively stretched, released from gravity and moved by the pedaling movements. Moreover, pedaling with the pedals higher than the heart favors venous return and lymphatic drainage. This is a further advantage as it favors the improvement of emptying the vessels, and corresponds to a benefit for swollen or tired legs, as after a run, an intense training or long standing periods. Pedaling with legs in a high position also contributes to cellulite reduction because the lymphatic return is combined with the activation of microcirculation deriving from the pedaling.
With the pedals above the bench there is also the stimulation of muscles that are not normally exercised, such as the abdominal muscles. The same advantages are obtained with the arm pedaling, with which the muscles of the upper body are exercised, such as back, pectoral and all shoulder muscles. According the the pedal height, the other muscles are lined differently in order to sustain the pedaling limbs, because they have to oppose both the gravity force on the pedaling limbs and the resistance to the pedaling rotation. Further characteristics and advantages of the bench with adjustable pedals at various heights will be more evident in the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of non-limiting the exercise bike according to the invention.

Brief description of the drawings.

Figure 1 is side view of the bench as invented, with the telescopic beam in a high position. Figure 2 is perspective view of the bench with pedals, still with telescopic beam higher than the seat. Figure 3 is the upper view of the telescopic beam to be connected to the bench. Figure 4 is side view of another realization with electric components for setting the lenght and angle of the telescopic beam connected to the bench through a pin, when used to exercise upper limbs.

Detailed description.

The bench with adjustable pedals at various heights comprises at least a telescopic arm 1 adjustable in lenght by means of fastening elements 2 as a function of the length of the lower or upper limbs of the user of the bench, having a combination of at least one telescopic arm 1 adjustable in length by means of fastening elements 2 with the pin 3 of the telescopic beam 1, connected to the side of the bench, and further fastening means 4 in which the pedals 5, external to a containment body 6 fixed to the telescopic beam 1 allow to pedal with the lower or upper limbs to the height and the angle set by the fastening means 4, both above and below the horizontal plane of the bench. The containment body 6 contains within the flywheel, the ball bearings, mechanic transmission and the device to motion resistance, as it is normally in the already knows exercise bikes. It is preferable to use a flywheel with aerodynamic resistance. Outside the containment body 6 a speedometer and a cyclometer are present and linked to the flywheel with the usual technique.
The bench has angle-adjustable backrest and seat. The seat has a triangular shape, similar to a bike seat. The telescopic arm 1 is made of tubular frame 1A and tubular frame 1B, with one sliding into the other, realized for instance with pipes of rectangular section to prevent relative rotation. The pipe IB is provided with through hole 7 in which is threaded a plug with knob 8 in correspondence with one of the through holes 7A placed on the tube 1A to adjust the telescopic arm 1 in function of the length of the legs of the bench user depending on the result. The mentioned telescopic arm 1 is perpendicularly connected to pin 3 tubular by means of welding, with a threaded final part. Pin 3 is threaded through plain bearings 9 with internal coating made of low-friction plastic material, for instance nylon. Plain bearings 9 are fixed under the bench in correspondence with the bench frame 10. In a technically equivalent form the plain bearings 9 can contain ball bearings inside them, with a pin 3 placed between them. The pin 3 is held in position between the plain bearings 9 by nuts 11 and washer 12, with nuts 11 screwed on the end part of the telescopic arm 1, where a threading is present.
The fastening elements 4 of the telescopic arm 1 to the bench are constituted by at least a plate 13 of metal material secured to the frame 10 of the bench by means of welding. The telescopic arm 1B is provided with through hole 14 in correspondence with through holes 15 placed equidistantly on the plate 13 along the circumference. To fix the telescopic arm 1 to the desired angle, a plug with knob is threaded in through hole 14 and in one of the through corresponding holes 15, that is to say, aligned with through hole 14. Consequently, the pedals 5 are placed at the height desired by the manageable bench user. Plate 13 and telescopic arm 1 can be equipped with a pawl device 17. The bench frame 10 had legs placed so that their distance reaches a sufficiently large base to contain the telescopic arm 1 at its maximum extension and avoids the tipping of the bench. The tubular frame 1A is shaped in an angle to form the transversal part on which the containment body 6 is placed with the pedals 5 placed in a central position to the bench seat. In another embodiment of the invention there are two telescopic arms 1, parallel to each other, equal to the ones previously described, connecting and supporting the containment body 6 with the pedals 5 adjustable at the required heights. In the further embodiment of the invention, the angle of the telescopic arm 1 is realized with the electric motor, as for instance the electric motor 18, while the lenght of the said telescopic arm 1 in function of the lenght of the limbs is obtained by other electric means, for instance the cylindrical linear actuator 19. The electric motor 18 and the cylindrical linear actuator 19 are managed by an electronic chip 20 with buttons. This electronic chip 20 is connected to a connecting electric wiring, to the electric motor 18 and to the cylindrical linear actuator 19 with a known technique and able to be done by any average technician of this field. The electric wiring is net connected. In a complementary form the resulting bench can be equipped with a supporting body 21 for electronic devices, that can be placed on the backrest of the bench. While functioning, through the buttons of the electronic chip 20 it is possible, also in this embodiment, to adjust the angle of the telescopic arm 1 according to the lenght of the limbs of the user to place the pedals at the desired height. The invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all within the inventive concept. All the details can be also replaced with other technically equivalent without departing from the purpose of protection as set out in the following claims.
In a complementary form the resulting bench can be equipped with a supporting body 21 for electronic devices, that can be placed on the backrest of the bench. While functioning, through the buttons of the electronic chip 20 it is possible, also in this embodiment, to adjust the angle of the telescopic arm 1 according to the lenght of the limbs of the user to place the pedals at the desired height. The invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all within the inventive concept. All the details can be also replaced with other technically equivalent without departing from the purpose of protection as set out in the following claims.

Claims

Bench with adjustable pedals (5) at various heights comprising at least one telescopic arm (1) supporting said pedals (5), said telescopic arm (1) being adjustable in length as a function of the length of the lower or upper limbs of the user by means of fastening elements (2) with pin, characterized in that the telescopic arm (1) is connected to a side of the bench, and in that the bench further comprises fastening means (4), so that the telescopic arm (1) and the pedals (5) can be rotated hundred and eighty degrees to set an angle, wherein the pedals (5) are external to a containment body (6) which is fixed to the telescopic arm (1), allowing to pedal with the lower or upper limbs to the height and the angle set by the fastening means (4), both above and below the horizontal plane of the bench.
Bench with adjustable pedals at various heights as claimed in the preceding claim, characterized by the fact that the telescopic arm (1) is connected to the bench by means of the pin (3) with the angle of the telescopic arm (1) realized with an electric motor (18), and the setting of the length of the telescopic arm (1) adjustable to the length of the limbs is obtained by a linear cylindrical actuator (19).
Bench with adjustable pedals at various heights as in claims 1 and 2, characterized by the fact that it is further provided with a support body (21) for electronic devices, which can be placed on a backrest of the bench.