US20110009250A1

US20110009250A1 - Torso pushup assistance device

Info

Publication number: US20110009250A1
Application number: US12/803,243
Authority: US
Inventors: Jack Eugene Barringer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-07-08
Filing date: 2010-06-22
Publication date: 2011-01-13

Abstract

A torso pushup assistance device for assisting a user in performing pushups is disclosed. The torso pushup assistance device is comprised of a base component, a torso support component rotationally attached to the base component, and an elastic system that connects the base component to the torso support component in one or more optional configurations. In a first embodiment, the elastic system is comprised of a set of one or more pairs of matched elastic bands that removably connect the rear end of the torso support component to the rear end of the base component. The user lies on the torso support component with his or her feet on the floor, and does pushups in the usual way. Depending on the configuration of the matched elastic bands installed on the torso pushup assistance device, the user's effort varies from a small percentage to a large percentage of the force required to do an unassisted pushup.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/270,434 filed Jul. 8, 2009 by the present inventor. This provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention presented herein applies to devices for assisting in doing pushups, more particularly to devices that provide upper body assistance in doing pushups

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Upper body strength is an important part of overall health. Pushup exercises are one of the best ways to build upper body strength. A problem with pushups is that if the user doesn't already have upper body strength, then pushups are very hard to do and the user inevitably does them incorrectly or not at all. For many people, the end result is to give up.
There is a market for devices that provide assistance to users for doing pushups. The pushup assistance devices fit into several categories. In the first category are devices that are variations of individual handgrips for users. Typically, they allow the users to have a comfortable grip and often allow a user to rotate their hands while doing pushups.
The second category of pushup devices provides devices that control the angle that the user's body makes to the floor while doing pushups. The greater the angle between the user's body and the floor, the less effort is required to do the pushup. These devices come in various forms; some position themselves on a stair step, others provide base platforms that are angled relative to the floor so that the user's body, when using the device, is also angled relative to the floor.
The third set of devices allow the user to do pushups while in an approximately horizontal position, but assist the user to make the pushup effort easier. While several such devices exist, there is lacking a simple device that accomplishes this objective.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The torso pushup assistance device presented herein provides torso support that reduces the effort required for the user to perform pushups. The torso pushup assistance device is positioned on the floor; the user rests his/her torso on the present invention and starts doing pushups. The torso pushup assistance device, configured with elastic bands, assists the user in performing the pushups. The elastic bands come in matched pairs and different pairs may have different levels of elasticity. The user may install one or more matched pairs of elastic bands. By selecting the levels of elasticity of each matched pair and the number of matched band installed, the user may vary the amount of assistance in doing the pushups over a wide range.
The torso pushup assistance device is comprised of a torso support component that provides torso support, a base component that rests on the floor, and an elastic system. The torso support component is pivotally attached to side brackets that are securely attached to the base component. One or more graduated elastic band matched pairs are attached to the rear of the torso support component and the base component. These elastic bands allow the user to perform pushups requiring less effort than when done without the support. As an example, the user can gradually start his/her exercise routine by using the torso pushup assistance device to initially lift only twenty five percent or less of his/her weight. As strength increases the user may progress to lifting fifty percent of his/her actual weight. As the upper body strength further increases, the user may start lifting seventy five percent of his/her body weight. Finally, the torso pushup assistance device may no longer be needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a left side perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a left side exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate a left side perspective view of the parts comprising the torso support component, the base component, and the elastic system respectively of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a left side view of two positions of a user doing pushups using the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a left side perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a left side perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate a left side perspective view of the components of the third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description and in the appended claims, the terms left side, right side, front and back refer to the embodiment as it appears to a user doing pushups using the torso pushup assistance device. In the figures, front occurs on the left in the figures, back occurs on the right in the figures, left occurs in the foreground and right occurs at the rear of the figures. If there are multiple identical parts, only one part may be indicated by a numeral in the figure. The terms “torso” and “upper body” as used in this specification and the appended claims have the same meaning, and generally refers to the human body excluding the head and limbs. However, based on the specific design parameters of a commercial implementation of the torso pushup assistance device, the term “torso” may also include portions of the upper legs.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3A, 3B, and 3C, first embodiment 100 is comprised of a base component 102, a torso support component 104 including two hex nuts 108, and an elastic system 105 comprised of one or more pairs 106P of matched elastic bands 106.
FIG. 1 illustrates a left side perspective view of a first embodiment 100 of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a left side perspective exploded view of first embodiment 100. FIG. 3A illustrates the parts comprising the torso support component 104. FIG. 3B illustrates the parts comprising the base component 102. FIG. 3C illustrates the parts comprising the elastic system 105.
Base component 102 is constructed using a bottom frame 110 with a bottom frame front 110F, a bottom frame left side 110L and a bottom frame right side 110R. Bottom frame 110 has a left bottom knob 114L of diameter slightly larger than the diameter of bottom frame 110 that is located at the left side of the base back end 112B of the bottom frame left side 110L. Bottom frame 110 has a right bottom knob 114R the same size as the left bottom knob 114L that is located at the right side of base back end 112B of the bottom frame right side 110R. Base component 102 has two side brackets 116R and 116L composed of flat plates as shown in FIG. 1. Side brackets 116L and 116R are permanently attached to bottom frame 110 at the bottom frame left side 110L and the bottom frame right side 110R. The left and right side brackets 116L and 116R respectively have bracket circular holes 201L and 201R going through each bracket near the top center of the bracket.
Torso support component 104 has a first top frame 124 constructed out of a rigid tubular material configured as illustrated in FIG. 3A. First top frame 124 has a rigid left cylindrical shaft 208L with a threaded end 210L attached to the left side of the first top frame 124 and has a rigid right cylindrical shaft 208R with a threaded end 210R attached to the right side of the first top frame 124. Threaded ends 210L and 210R accommodate hex nuts 108. The first top frame 124 left side has a left top knob 126L and the right side has a right top knob 126R positioned at the left and right sides respectively of the first top frame 124 located at the torso back end 112T of the frame. These top knobs 126L and 126R have the same dimensions as the left bottom knob 114L and right bottom knob 114R.
Elastic system 105, comprised of one or more pairs 106P of matched elastic bands 106, are composed of an elastomeric material such as rubber. They all have substantially the same shape, and come in matched pairs. Different matched pairs may have different levels of elasticity. Each of the elastic bands 106 has a top band circular hole 204T, a bottom band circular hole 204B, and a central cavity 206. The top and bottom band circular holes 204T and 204B are dimensioned so that they will fit over the top and bottom knobs 126L, 126R, 114L, and 114R when a user forces them so they fit securely on the first top frame 124 and bottom frame 110. They can be removed by applying force in the reverse direction. The central cavity 206 is configured so the elastic bands 106 functions similar to a rubber band, stretching when force is applied to opposing ends, and contracting when the force is relaxed.
Torso support component 104 has two front semi-rigid solid cylinders 128FL and 128FR, two middle semi-rigid solid cylinders 128ML and 128MR and a back semi-rigid solid cylinder 128B. Each semi-rigid solid cylinder has a cylinder circular hole 202 centered and extending through their lengths. These five semi-rigid solid cylinders are mounted on the first top frame 124 as shown in FIG. 1 so they support a user's body comfortably.
Base component 102 has legs 122 attached to the bottom frame 110 that keep the frame slightly elevated above the floor, and left and right handgrips 120L and 120R attached to bottom frame 110 on the bottom frame left side 110L and bottom frame right side 110R near the bottom frame front 110F. Base component 102 has a counter 134, located on the bottom frame front 110F that counts the number of pushups done during a session. Counter 134 is incremented when it is depressed by torso support component 104 pressing against reset button 136 on each downward motion of the user doing a pushup. The user may manually reset counter 134 at the start of a session by grabbing the reset button 136 and exerting an upward force.
The apparatus components are dimensioned and assembled as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Torso support component 104 is pivotally attached to base component 102 as follows: The rigid left cylindrical shaft 208L passes through bracket circular hole 201L of the left bracket 116L and is secured by hex nut 108. The rigid right cylindrical shaft 208R passes through bracket circular hole 201R of the right bracket 116R and is secured by second hex nut 108.
At least one matched pair 106P of elastic bands 106 are mounted on the torso pushup assistance device, one on left side of the torso pushup assistance device and the other on the back of the right side of the torso pushup assistance device. To install an elastic band on the left side, the bottom band circular hole 204B is mounted on the bottom frame 110 and the top band circular hole 204T is mounted on the first top frame 124 on the left side. Similarly, to mount an elastic band on the right side, the bottom band circular hole 204B is mounted on bottom frame 110 and the top band circular hole 204T is mounted on the first top frame 124 on the right side. Additional matched pairs of elastic bands 106 may be added to the torso pushup assistance device, and a different matched pair with different levels of elasticity may replace a given matched pair.
The handgrips 120L and 120R shown in first embodiment 100 are optional. They may be rotated around its attachment point to allow the user to use various positions in doing pushups. Alternately, handgrips 120L and 120R may be omitted and the user places his/her hands directly on the floor.
The precise configuration and dimensions of the parts of torso support component 104, base component 102 and the matched pair elastic bands 106P are chosen so that when a user attempts to lift his/her upper body doing pushups, the torso pushup assistance device provides an appropriate amount of assistance in lifting the user's upper body. By properly selecting the number and the elasticity characteristics of the matched pairs of elastic bands 106P, the effort required for lifting the user's body when doing a pushup can range from a first percentage of effort, e.g. twenty five percent, to do the pushup with assistance to an amount requiring a second percentage of effort, e.g. eighty percent as compared to performing an unassisted pushup. For example, a user may start so a pushup using the torso pushup assistance device requires only twenty five percent of an unassisted pushup. This may be achieved by installing several bands on each side. Over a period of weeks or months when the user's upper body strength improves, the user can remove a pair of matched bands to provide less assistance.
FIG. 4A shows a user U positioned to do a pushup in a rest position on the torso pushup assistance device. FIG. 4B shows a user U positioned on the torso pushup assistance device doing a pushup in an extended position. To use the torso pushup assistance device, the user U places one or more matched pairs of elastic bands 106P on first embodiment 100. The user lies face down on torso support component 104 and places his/her left hand on the left handgrip 120L and his/her right hand on the right handgrip 120R with user's feet touching floor F. The user's body remains substantially rigid throughout the exercise. With a proper selection of matched elastic bands 106 installed on the torso pushup assistance device, first embodiment 100 compresses towards the floor as shown in FIG. 4A. When the user starts lifting his/her body, the torso pushup assistance device reduces the effort required as compared to an unassisted pushup. Depending on the number and elasticity of the elastic band matched pairs chosen, the amount of assistance the torso pushup assistance device provides may be varied.
FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment 300 of the present invention. Second embodiment 300 is similar to first embodiment 100; therefore, only the differences between the first and second embodiments are presented herein. Referring to FIG. 5, the two front semi-rigid solid cylinders 128FL, 128FR of first embodiment 100 are replaced by a single front semi-rigid solid cylinder 302F. The two middle semi-rigid solid cylinders 128ML and 128MR of first embodiment 100 are replaced by single middle rigid solid cylinder 302M. The first top frame 124 of first embodiment 100 is replaced by a second top frame 304 that accommodates the single front semi-rigid solid cylinder 302F and the single middle rigid solid cylinder 302M. The knobs 114L, 114R, 126L and 126R of first embodiment 100 are not present, so elastic system 105 removably attach directly to the second top frame 304. The rigid left cylindrical shaft 208L and rigid right cylindrical shaft 208R and hex nuts 108 are not illustrated in second embodiment 300, these attachment means exists but are hidden; embedded within side brackets the two side brackets 306.
FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a third embodiment 500 of the present invention. FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate the components of third embodiment 500. Third embodiment 500 is similar to first embodiment 100; therefore, only the differences between the first and third embodiments are presented herein.
Referring to FIGS. 6, 7A, 7B and 7C, the base component 502 is similar to base component 102 the first embodiment 100. The main differences are that no legs or handgrips are used in base component 502; the side brackets 508L and 508R in third embodiment 500 have a smaller height H then the height of the two side brackets 116L and 116R of first embodiment 100; the knobs 114L, and 126L, 126R of first embodiment 100 are replaced by knobs 510TL, 510BL, 510TR, 510BR on third embodiment 500 that allows springs to be attached in third embodiment 500. Knobs 510TR, 510BR are hidden in FIGS. 6 and 7B. The elastic bands 106 of first embodiment 100 are replaced by matched springs 506 of third embodiment 500.
The torso support component 504 of third embodiment 500 differs from torso support component 104 of first embodiment 100 in the following ways. The first top frame 124 and five semi-rigid solid cylinders 128FL, 128FR 128ML, 128MR and 128B of first embodiment 100 is replaced by a rigid curved plastic sheet 512 shaped as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A. The left and right back tubular sides 514L, 514R of torso support component 504 in third embodiment 500 are attached to the rigid curved plastic sheet 512 and contain three knobs 510TL on the left side and three knobs 510TR on the right side (not shown in the figure). Matched springs 506 of third embodiment 500 are used instead of elastic bands 106 of first embodiment 100. FIGS. 6 and 7C show only one set of matched springs 506 being used; more than one set may be used simultaneously to increase the amount of the assistance to the user. Furthermore, different matched pair springs may have different levels of elasticity.
Various modifications to the two embodiments presented herein are possible. Elastic system 105 comprised of elastic bands 106 or matched springs 506 may be replaced by other mechanisms with similar tension/compression properties such as, but not limited to, rubber belts, bungy cords, shock absorber devices, and torsion assemblies. Elastic system 105 may be placed toward the front of the torso pushup assistance device, rather that at the rear of the torso pushup assistance device. The handgrips 120L and 120R are optional, and other handgrips may be used such as free standing handgrips. Different materials may be used in construction of torso support component 104 and base component 102. Torso support component 104 may be rotationally secured to base component 102 devices such as, but not limited to, rivets instead of nuts and threads. The base component 102 of the torso pushup assistance device may have a mat or a plate that is associated with it, so that the user places his or her toes on the plate rather than directly on the floor. Therefore, the term “floor” in the claims covers this situation also.
The disclosure presented herein gives two embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments are to be considered as only illustrative of the present invention and not a limitation of the scope of the present invention. Various permutations, combinations, variations, and extensions of these embodiments are considered to fall within the scope of this invention. Therefore, the scope of this invention should be determined with reference to the claims and not just by the embodiments presented herein.

Claims

1. A torso pushup assistance device for assisting a user in doing pushups, the torso pushup assistance device comprising:

a base component;

a torso support component rotationally attached to the base component, the torso support component supporting the user's torso while doing pushups;

an elastic system, the elastic system having at least one configuration, the elastic system for each configuration elastically connects the torso support component to the base component wherein an effort the user exerts in doing a pushup when the user is positioned with the user's torso positioned on the torso support component and the user's toes positioned on the floor varies from a first percentage of effort as compared to effort the user exerts in doing an unassisted pushup to a second percentage of effort as compared to effort the user exerts in doing an unassisted pushup, the effort depending on the configuration chosen for the elastic system.

2. The torso pushup assistance device of claim 1; the base component having a base back end, the torso support component having a torso back end, and wherein the elastic system that removable and elastically connects the torso support component to the base component is positioned at the base back end and at the torso back end.

3. The torso pushup assistance device of claim 1 wherein the elastic system is comprised of one or more pairs of matched elastic bands wherein each pair of elastic matched bands may removably connect the torso support component to the base component.

4. The torso pushup assistance device of claim 1 wherein the elastic system is comprised of one or more pairs of matched springs wherein each pair of matched springs may removably connect the torso support component to the base component.

5. The torso pushup assistance device of claim 1 additionally comprising handgrips.

6. The torso pushup assistance device of claim 1 additionally comprising a counter having a reset button, the counter capable of counting the number of pushups performed by the user on the torso pushup assistance device since the reset button is activated.