Exercise devices – Sit up device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2002-08-13
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Exercise devices
Sit up device
C482S142000, C482S907000, C482S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06432029
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an exercise assembly designed to strengthen and/or stretch certain portions of a user's body including the muscle group of the abdominal area as well as the spine, neck, etc. The assembly facilitates moveable support of the head while eliminating harmful stress on the neck of the user during the performance of certain exercises, while being maintained out of engagement with any supporting surface on which the user is positioned. The exercise assembly can, therefore, be used with a variety of horizontal or inclined exercise benches to further facilitate strengthening and stretching of the user's body.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is now well understood that stretching and exercising are both important and beneficial to the well being of the human body. In recent years, it has become evident that when some form of regular exercise is incorporated into a person's daily routine, along with a healthy diet, it helps that person maintain a positive outlook, lead an active lifestyle and avoid many of the physical problems typically associated with old age. As a result, numerous devices intended to facilitate the performance of a variety of exercises have been developed in recent years. Some of the known devices are designed to provide a user with a cardiovascular workout, while others offer resistance types of exercise. Yet other exercise devices allow the user to isolate a particular muscle group such as the leg muscles or abdominal muscles and focus on exercising that particular muscle group. Because of the normal tendency of many people to build-up fatty deposits about the stomach and/or abdominal areas, particularly in people who do not exercise regularly, numerous exercise devices have been developed which are specifically intended to allow one to exercise and/or strengthen the abdominal muscle group. Many of these devices are commercially available in an effort to appeal to those members of the consuming public wishing to remove or reduce the accumulation of fatty deposits around the waist area.
Many such devices are designed to facilitate the performance of an exercise commonly known as “sit-ups”. People avoid these important exercises because of the strenuous effect on the neck muscles, which can be uncomfortable, and even painful at times. Such exercises, if not done properly, can cause undue stress and possibly trauma, particularly to the lower back region, and can also result in the abdominal or waist area of the body not being properly exercised. While numerous devices have been designed to perform this type of exercise, one common device involves a frame-like structure disposed in supporting relation to the head and upper body or torso region of a user, when the user is disposed in a substantially reclined, horizontal position on the floor or other supporting surface. This type of exercise frame also engages the floor or other supporting surface and is structured to “roll,” pivot or otherwise move relative thereto, as the user performs the “sit-up” type exercise by exerting a downwardly directed, pulling force on the device. Of course, it is intended that the pulling force applied to the device result in a lifting force being exerted on the back of the head or neck area of the user. However, due to the fact that this known type of a support frame contacts the floor or like supporting surface on which the user is positioned in a rolling manner, the intended sit-up type exercise is frequently not done properly. Exercise devices of this type are structured to rest on the floor, ground, or other supporting surface, using the supporting surface as a “fulcrum point,” and can therefore be said to have a “see-saw” effect. That is, when the user exerting the pulling force by pulling down with the arms, an opposite force in an upward direction is applied to that portion of the device which contacts the head, neck and upper torso, which serves to move these parts of the body upwardly as well. However, this upwardly directed force creates stress and a potentially harmful force on the neck and upper back of the user, and further, gives a false sense of strength to the user. In reality, devices of the type described above are structured such that most of the resistance force is being absorbed by the device itself and not by the user's abdominal muscles, and this gives the user a false sense of achievement. Therefore, the exercises are not performed as intended, nor as required to strengthen the abdominal muscle group nor to reduce the fat deposits that may be accumulated thereon. Devices of this type, which engage the floor or like supporting surface on which the user is positioned and which generally use the supporting surface as a “fulcrum point,” thereby encourage the user unknowingly to perform the intended exercises in an improper manner.
Other exercising or strengthening devices have been devised in an attempt to overcome some of the problems associated with the aforementioned, “roller type” of exercise device. Such known devices include flexible material straps that have a support padding or like structure positionable in supporting engagement with the back of the head or neck area of the user. With these types of devices, the user pulls on the opposite ends of the strap to help lift the neck and head in an upward direction, in an effort to accomplish a properly performed sit-up exercise. There are still other types of known devices intended to exercise the abdominal muscles, which allow for the mounting of weights thereon, so as to increase the resistance applied to the abdominal muscle group when the sit-up exercises are being performed. This is done in an attempt to even further strengthen or otherwise develop the abdominal area or other predetermined portions of the user's body being exercised.
In light of the inherent disadvantages associated with certain known exercise devices, there is a need in the art for an exercise assembly that is specifically designed to exercise, by strengthening and/or stretching, certain portions of the user's body, such as the abdominal area, the neck area, the back and cervical spine area, as well as other portions of the user's body. Any such assembly should be designed and structured to be mounted on or applied to the user's body in a manner which prevents the device from contacting the ground, floor or other support surface on which the user is positioned, during the performance of the exercise movements. Any such improved device should, as its primary function, at least aid with supporting the weight of the head during the “sit-up” or abdominal crunch exercise, a function normally carried out by the neck muscles of the user. With any such improved exercise device, potentially harmful stress to the neck should thereby be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, and in turn, a user of the device can isolate for exercise the abdominal muscle group, only, during the performance of “sit-ups” or related stretching exercises. In addition, any such exercise assembly should further be structured and designed so as to allow the user to properly perform a variety of different exercises in a manner which will minimize, if not eliminate altogether, potentially harmful stress forces that may be exerted on the body particularly in the area, but not exclusively, of the neck.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an exercise assembly that is designed to strengthen and/or stretch predetermined portions of a user's body, such as but not limited to, the muscle group of the abdominal area. An important feature of the present invention, when doing exercises designed to strengthen the abdominal area is to aid, at a minimum, the user's neck muscles in supporting the weight of the head during the performance of exercises such as “sit-ups” or abdominal “crunches.” As a result, stress on the neck muscles is greatly reduced, if not eliminated, and the user may therefore focus solely on the strengthenin
Amerson Lori Baker
Brown Michael A.
Malloy & Malloy P.A.
LandOfFree
Exercise assembly does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Exercise assembly, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Exercise assembly will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2887621