Exercise devices – Involving user translation or physical simulation thereof – Swimming
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-29
2002-03-05
Crow, Stephen R. (Department: 3764)
Exercise devices
Involving user translation or physical simulation thereof
Swimming
C434S254000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06352493
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a swimming simulation system and more particularly pertains to allowing swimmers to exercise and train out of the water while being able to monitor their progress on a computer display and provides a sculling action to strengthen those muscles used to scull.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of swimming aids of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, swimming aids of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of permitting athletes such as swimmers to exercise and train are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,320 to Huei-Nan Yu discloses a Swimming exerciser. U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,676 to Kenneth J. Cymbalisty discloses a Crawl Swim Exerciser. U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,472 to Paul Chen discloses a swimming exerciser. U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,564 to Michael P. Doane discloses an exercising apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,363 to Robert J. Kennedy discloses a dry land swimming training apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,740 to John F. Iams and Robson L. Splane, Jr. discloses a exercise machine for simulating swimming motions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,060 to John J. Murray discloses a swimming simulator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,634 to Harry C. Hopkins discloses a swimming simulator. U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,748 to Oscar L. Little discloses a swimming simulator. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,716 to Carl E. Mitchel and George F. Mitchel discloses a swimming instructing machine and exerciser.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe swimming simulation system that allows allowing swimmers to exercise and train out of the water while being able to monitor their progress on a computer display.
In this respect, the swimming simulation system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing swimmers to exercise and train out of the water while being able to monitor their progress on a computer display.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a swimming simulation system which can be used for allowing swimmers to exercise and train out of the water while being able to monitor their progress on a computer display. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of swimming aids of known designs and configurations now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved swimming simulation system. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a swimming simulation system and method which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a swimming simulation system. First provided is a base assembly. The base assembly includes an elongated central section in a rectangular configuration with a short front edge and a short parallel rear edge. The base assembly also has long parallel side edges between the front and rear edges. The base assembly also includes a planar upper surface and a planar lower surface with a generally v-shaped section. Legs extend upwardly from adjacent to the front edge of the central section. The v-shaped section has a central portion as an extension of the central section. Interior slopping faces extend upwardly from the central portion at angles of about
60
degrees from the horizontal. Next provided as part of the system is a table in a generally horizontal orientation. The table has an upper contoured surface to receive the torso of a user. The lower surface is overlying and supported above the central section intermediate to the front and rear edges of the central section. Next provided is a table support block in a rectangular configuration secured to the upper surface of the central section. The support block is spaced rearwardly of the v-shaped section. The support block functions to support the table. An upper air cylinder and a lower air cylinder are next provided. Each air cylinder has an exterior end and an interior end with a ball joint coupled to each associated interior sloping face for universal rotation. Each air cylinder has a reciprocable rod extending from within the exterior end of Its associated air cylinder. Coupled to the exterior ends of the reciprocable rods on each sloping face is a hand-receiving loop with an associated thumb-receiving loop. Next provided is a template beneath each ball joint constituting a template set for a particular stroke and with a slot through each template corresponding in shape to the arm movements of a particular swimming stroke with a finger secured to the ball joint extending through the slot to ensure proper arm movement of a user. Next provided is a horizontal pivot pin. The horizontal pivot pin couples the table and the table support block to allow for lateral pivoting of the table with respect to the table support. Laterally positioned springs Lo are provided to control the pivoting of the table with respect to the table support. The table also has a strap with an associated clamp to releasably retain the user on the table during operation and use. Lastly provided is a control assembly. The control assembly includes sensors operatively coupled with respect to each finger and a fixed portion of the housing. A display panel is provided on the upper surface of the base assembly between the legs of the v-shaped section within view of a user. The display panel allows the user to view the number of “laps,” and an “average” as a function of the rate of triggering of a sensor on a slot by a finger when a user moves through a full range of motion. Lastly provided is a computer system. The computer system functions to read the output from the sensors to effect a proper display.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a swimming simulation system which has all of the advantages of the prior art swimming aids of known designs and configurations and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a swimming simulation syste
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