EP3954441A1

EP3954441A1 - Gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises

Info

Publication number: EP3954441A1
Application number: EP20382747.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Daniel Ernesto DE BURGOS BENGOECHEA
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2020-08-12
Filing date: 2020-08-12
Publication date: 2022-02-16

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, characterised in that it comprises a functional set consisting of a platform (1) made up of a body (2) made of soft material, such as foam rubber, with a covering (3) of rigid material, such as hard plastic, on the perimeter side contour and on the lower face, with a plurality of handles (4) and (5) being fixed on the sides, while two parallel rollers (7) are fixed on the lower face of said platform (1), which are, in turn, made of a soft material, such as foam rubber.

Description

Technical field

The present invention is related to the practise of exercises oriented to sports and health, proposing a multifunctional gymnastics apparatus that enables balance exercises to be carried out under advantageous conditions, both at home and professional level, to improve physical performance of the body or rehabilitation of injuries.

State of the art

The practise of functional gymnastics exercises is known to improve and maintain physical body conditions, having developed over time multiple types of apparatuses and machines that help to improve said conditions by means of muscle strengthening.
Currently, there are various types of devices for practising exercises in this sense, but most lack multifunctionality, generally being apparatuses designed for the practise of a specific action or function.
Thus, for example, in relation to the performance of functional balance exercises, document US 74944446 B2 describes an apparatus based on an inflatable semi-sphere, to perform balance exercises on an unstable support, this apparatus having good conditions for physical conditioning of sports performance, but with the disadvantage that it requires the semi-sphere to be inflated to a certain pressure for an adequate use of the apparatus, occurring that over time the inflation pressure is lost, which reduces the functional effectiveness of the apparatus, having to re-inflate frequently. In addition, the inflatable semi-sphere is made of latex or a similar material that is capable of withstanding the inflation pressure, which means that when it is supported on the ground it does not offer a good non-slip condition, and dangerous falls can occur due to uncontrolled sliding.
Furthermore, document US 6328680 B1 describes, an apparatus based on a wheel that enables the user's body to move back and forth, to perform stretching exercises, in this case being a rolling element that can only be used supported on the floor, which limits functional capacity to a single type of exercise.
In another embodiment, document US 1009908086 B2 describes an apparatus consisting of a structure which incorporates two rollers, on which a variety of boards designed to perform different types of exercises are selectively arranged. This apparatus comprises a complex component set, due to the variety of boards to select the adaptation to each type of exercise to be performed, in addition to the difficulty entailed by having to assemble and disassemble the boards on the structure carrying the rollers.
Therefore, there is no device with a simple and easy-to-use structure that allows different types of gymnastics exercises to be performed that are aimed at improving the physical conditions of the body in a multifunctional way.

Object of the invention

In accordance with the present invention an apparatus is proposed for performing balance gymnastics exercises, developed according to a simple and light embodiment, with features that allow usage, without structural changes or adaptation assemblies, to perform a variety of exercises, expanding the functional usage possibilities compared to existing conventional apparatuses.
This apparatus object of the invention consists of a platform, preferably a quadrangular one which comprises a body of soft or padded material, and preferably a lightweight one, such as foam rubber, which is covered by a rigid layer on the lateral contour and on the lower face, such as, for example, hard plastic that confers resistance, with handles being fixed on the sides, while two rollers are fixed to the lower face, which are, in turn, made of a soft material and, preferably, also a lightweight one, such as foam rubber.
By means of the apparatus it is possible to generate an unstable equilibrium by means of the two supports corresponding to the two rollers, as well as the support on the body made of soft material of the platform, due to the deformation or collapse of the soft material that unbalances the user. This makes it possible to perform exercises more effectively to compensate for such an imbalance.
Thus, an apparatus with a simple configuration is obtained, made up of a structural unit that is multifunctional to perform a variety of physical exercises, such as weight training, balancing supports with the feet, mobile handholds, abdominal rollers. etc., without requiring structural changes or adaptation assemblies for each type of exercise.
In the structural assembly, the platform incorporates on two opposite sides handles of greater length and smaller width than others incorporated in the other two opposite sides, which are of shorter length and greater width, which allows different types of grip to be performed in order to practice different types of physical exercises with the apparatus. Preferably, the handles are articulated, thus preventing them from hindering the performance of certain exercises such as jumping, stretching, etc.
Moreover, the material of the body of the platform of the apparatus determines that the upper face of said platform exhibits a non-slip surface to support the user in the exercises that require it, which prevents the risk of accidental falls due to sliding on the apparatus during exercise practices.
Furthermore, the material of the rollers that are incorporated into the lower face of the platform also makes them non-slip when resting on the ground, enabling exercises to be safely performed with the apparatus, without the risk of uncontrolled slipping that may cause dangerous falls.
Moreover, the lightweight material of the rollers allows the deformation thereof when resting on the ground, this deformation making it possible to practice balance exercises also in the longitudinal direction of the rollers, which increases the possibilities of using the apparatus to perform unstable balance exercises on a support equivalent to that of a semi-sphere, which is very useful for rehabilitation exercises.
The apparatus is complemented with a box-like cover, which can be arranged on the lower portion of the apparatus, the rollers thereof being housed in said cover, which are thus adequately protected for the transport and storage of the apparatus, while the protective cover (being or not arranged on the platform) can also be used as a unit for weight training exercises or step exercises. Likewise, the cover can be used to perform exercises in a complementary way to the platform, for example, by arranging the arms on the platform and the legs on the cover.
With all this, the apparatus object of the invention is of a very simple structural embodiment, light-weight and with small dimensions, such that it can be easily and safely transported and used, for domestic or sports use, thereby resulting in advantageous features that give it a life of its own and a preferential character over conventional devices that currently exist for the same function.

Description of the figures

Figure 1 shows a top plan view of the apparatus object of the invention.
Figure 2 is a profile view of the apparatus.
Figure 3 is a bottom view of the apparatus.
Figure 4 is an exploded profile view of the box-like cover before coupling to the platform.
Figure 5 is a view like the preceding one with the apparatus and the cover set assembled.

Detailed description of the invention

The object of the invention relates to a gymnastics apparatus, to perform exercises to strengthen and improve physical body conditions, comprising a platform (1), which consists of a body (2) made of a lightweight and soft material, such as foam rubber, with a covering (3), preferably made of hard plastic, on the perimeter side contour and on the lower face, which confers resistance to the structural assembly of said platform (1).
On the lateral sides of the aforementioned platform (1) handles (4) and (5) are fixed, which are fastened on the covering (3) made of hard plastic by means of respective supports (6), the handles (4) of two opposite sides being longer and narrower, while the handles (5) of the other two opposite sides are shorter and wider.
Moreover, on the lower face of said platform (1) two rollers (7) are fixed in parallel arrangement, which are fastened, in turn, on the covering (3) made of hard plastic, by means of supports (8) which establish a rotary assembly of said rollers (7) on respective shafts.
The aforementioned rollers (7) are, in turn, made of a lightweight and soft material, such as foam rubber, so that by placing the apparatus on the ground by means of said rollers (7), based on the weight that acts on the platform (1) these undergo a deformation, which can be in the longitudinal direction, such that these rollers (7) establish an unstable balance support, both transversely and longitudinally, as if it were a variable point support similar to that of a semi-sphere.
Therefore, the apparatus can be used in a simple way to perform gymnastics exercises of different types, such as balance exercises in standing position on the platform (1), balance exercises, stretching or weight training, by means of holding the handles (4) and (5) with the hands, being able to vary the effort and the way of action depending on the use of the handles (4) or the handles (5), and, for example, abdominal rolling exercises can also be performed, all this without having to make structural changes or adaptation assemblies of the apparatus for the different types of exercises.
In addition, both the upper face of the platform (1) and the rollers (7), offer non-slip conditions that prevent uncontrolled slipping on the supports and thus the risk of possible accidental falls during the practise of exercises, such that the apparatus offers optimal safety conditions for use thereof.
In another safety aspect, the corners and outer edges of the covering (3) made of hard plastic of the platform (1) are rounded, thereby preventing risks of cutting during handling and use of the apparatus.
Furthermore, the functional set of the apparatus is complemented with a box-like cover (9), which is intended to be arranged on the lower portion of the platform (1), covering the rollers (7), which are thus protected for transport and storage.
Said protection cover (9) has housings (10) in which the rollers (7) fit, establishing the connection between the cover (9) and the platform (1), preferably by means of elastic stops that retain the shaft of the rollers (7), while on the sides it is provided with grooves (11) which serve as handles for handling grip, these conditions further allowing the cover (9) itself to be used also in conjunction with the functional set of the apparatus to perform weight training exercises.

Claims

The present invention relates to a gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, characterised in that it comprises a functional set consisting of a platform (1) made up of a body (2) made of soft material, such as foam rubber, with a covering (3) of rigid material, such as hard plastic, on the perimeter side contour and on the lower face, with a plurality of handles (4) and (5) being fixed on the sides, while two parallel rollers (7) are fixed on the lower face of said platform (1), which are, in turn, made of a soft material, such as foam rubber.
The gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, according to the first claim, characterised in that on two opposite sides of the platform (1) handles (4) are arranged which are longer and narrower than other handles (5) arranged on the other two opposite sides of said platform (1).
The gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, according to claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the handles (4) and (5) are fastened by means of supports (6) which are fixed on the covering (3).
The gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rollers (7) are fixed by means of supports (8) on the covering (3).
The gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the outer corners and edges of the covering (3) are rounded.
The gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the functional set is complemented by a box-like cover (9), which is arranged on the lower portion of the platform (1) to cover the rollers (7).
The gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, according to claim 6, characterised in that the box-like cover (9) has housings (10) in which the rollers (7) fit.
The gymnastics apparatus for balance exercises, according to claims 5 and 7, characterised in that the cover (9) has grooves (11) on the sides which serve as handles.