Field of the invention.
[0001] 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.
[0002] Actually, exercise bikes are divided into two categories based on the position of
the pedals, that is to say vertical or horizontal bikes.
[0003] 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 mentioned.
Summary of the invention.
[0004] 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.
[0005] 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 for rotating the telescopic beam and positioning 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.
[0006] 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.
[0007] 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.
[0008] 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.
[0009] Moreover, pedaling with the pedals higher than the heart favors venous return and
lymphatic drainage.
[0010] 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.
[0011] 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 nonlimiting the exercise bike according to the invention.
Brief description of the drawings.
[0012]
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.
[0013] 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 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 fixing 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.
[0014] The bench has angle-adjustable backrest and seat.
[0015] 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.
[0016] The pipe 1B 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.
[0017] 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 manageble 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.
[0018] 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.
[0019] 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.
1. Bench with adjustable pedals at various heights comprising at least one telescopic
arm (1) adjustable in length by means of fastening elements (2) as a function of the
length of the lower or upper limbs of the user of the bench, characterized in that, it is constituted by a combination of at least one telescopic beam (1) adjustable
in length by means of fastening elements (2) with the pin (3) of the telescopic arm
(1) connected to 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 fixing means
(4), both above and below the horizontal plane of the bench.
2. Bench with adjustable pedals at various heights, as the previous claim, characterized in that the fastening elements (4) of the telescopic arm (1) to the bench are constituted
by a plate (13) of metal material secured to the frame (10) of the bench by means
of welding, with, perpendicularly to said plate (13), through hole (14) placed on
the tube (1B) of the telescopic arm (1), with the plate (13) provided with through
holes (15) in correspondence with the through hole (14) in which is threaded a plug
with knob (16) to fix the angle of the telescopic arm (1) with respect to the bench.
3. Bench with adjustable pedals at various heights, as claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the plate (13) and the telescopic arm (1) can be equipped with a pawl device (17)
for preventing an accidental fall of the arm telescopic arm (1).
4. Bench with adjustable pedals at various heights, comprising at least a telescopic
arm (1), characterized in that the telescopic arm (1) is connected to the bench through pin (3), with the angle
and the length of the telescopic arm (1) obtained by electrical means.
5. Bench with adjustable pedals at various heights, comprising at least a telescopic
arm (1), as in claim 4, characterized in that the telescopic arm (1) is connected to the bench through pin (3), with the angle
of the telescopic arm (1) realized with the electric motor (18), and the adjustment
of the length of the telescopic arm (1) in function of the length of the limbs is
obtained by cylindrical linear actuator (19).
6. Bench with adjustable pedals at various heights according to one or more of the preceding
claims , characterized in that it can be equipped with a support body (21) for electronic devices, that can be placed
on the backrest of the bench.