Abstract:
A device for attaching to arms of the user including a pedestal for extending the length of the device so that the user can walk on the arms by keeping a back of the user substantially parallel to a horizontal plane, a wrist stabilizer to stabilize a wrist of the user and a body attached to the pedestal including a groove adjacent to the wrist stabilizer to allow a hand of the user to pass by the wrist stabilizer.

Description:
PRIORITY  
       [0001]     The present invention claims priority under 35 USC section 119 based on the patent application Ser. No. 60/659,272 filed on Mar. 7, 2005. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to exercise devices and more particularly to exercise devices that involve walking on arms and legs.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The world awaits, horrified, at the threat of a pandemic cause by the H5N1 avian influenza virus. However, nature has provided a unrecognized mitigating solution to this problem. If the pandemic does occur, not all humans may survive, but the number that survive can be increased if certain procedures in accordance with the teachings of the present invention which imitate nature are implemented. In order to implement these procedures, the difference between climbing muscles and walking muscles should be recognized. In the human arm and in the forearm of other animals, are located muscles which if used properly will determine the number of humans that survive this pandemic. In a more general sense, hardly a day goes by without a reminder that Americans and other world humans are obtaining insufficient exercise. This problem has resulted from widespread obesity throughout the world population and the associated health problems such as diabetes and hypertension. This lack of exercise results in part from the view that regular exercise is a chore and is unappealing. It is theorized that if exercise could be made fun, then regular exercise would become a popular pastime.  
         [0004]     The feline can switch from walking muscles to climbing muscles easily. The feline can, by extending its claws, engage the climbing muscles in the front and hind legs, and in a similar fashion by retracting its claws can engage its walking muscles in the same legs. The feline can swiftly shift from using its climbing muscles to walking muscles. In humans, the lack of the ability to engage our walking muscles in our arms has resulted in a vulnerability to heart trouble, stroke, the inability to develop a robust blood circulatory, ischemia, edema and a myriad of other disorders too numerous to categorize. It is these physical inabilities, amounting to a malady, that results in human beings being susceptible to asthma, allergies and other respiratory diseases which may result in the human race being unnecessarily susceptible to diseases such as the avian H5N1 flu virus if it should hit, and the human race has not taken sufficient precautions.  
         [0005]     It has been noted that the great apes, bonobo, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans walk on the soles of their hind paws and on the knuckles of the digits of their front paws. However, humans can not easily perform this type of locomotion simply because their human knuckles are not protected sufficiently to withstand the pressures and frictions involved in this type of locomotion. Furthermore, the arms of a human being are not sufficiently long to achieve this type of locomotion and to maintain their spine in a substantially horizontal plane.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention allows human beings to achieve the advantages of being able to easily and naturally walk on all four arms and legs. As a result of being able to perform these tasks, human beings are able to convert this activity into wellness and health energy which flows into all areas of the human being to improve blood circulation, respiration, digestion and the elimination of feces. This activity in conjunction with a effects of gravity facilitates the flow of blood to the human brain. In this way, the brain receives an additional amount of oxygenated blood, resulting in an overall feeling of well-being. This solution will allow hyperactive children to eliminate their dependence on various drugs and may aid in controlling deviant adult behavior such as road rage or drive-by shootings. Exercise in accordance with the teachings of the present invention can induce a sense of gentle nature-ness through the muscle walking exercises discussed herein.  
         [0007]     In addition to the gorilla walking on its knuckles, the gorilla employs knuckles stomping which is believed to be the reason why the gorillas are not susceptible to asthma and other upper respiratory illnesses.  
         [0008]     The ELEPHEET of the present invention allows human beings including preschoolers to walk and stomp in a manner similar to the great apes and will extend the reach of the arm to approximately match the length of the leg and to protect the knuckles with padding, support the wrist and lower arm with an air inflated support and shunt the pressure on the wrist to the elbow. Furthermore, the ELEPHEET of the present invention develops the chest and the upper respiratory region of humans including children and provides an addictive way to increase physical activity.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The invention may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which, like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates the user and the ELEPHEET of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of the ELEPHEET of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the ELEPHEET of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front view of the ELEPHEET of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the ELEPHEET of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of the ELEPHEET of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the ELEPHEET of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  illustrates a front view of the ELEPHEET of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]     In order to activate or use the walking muscles of the arms, it is necessary to inactivate the climbing muscles of the arms which should be inactivated by preventing the wrist and lower arm from moving while walking on all fours. Furthermore, it is advantageous to extend the reach of the arms with the ELEPHEET so that the length of the arms in conjunction with the ELEPHEET is approximately the same length as the legs of the user. This results in the back of the user being approximately parallel with the horizontal plane.  FIG. 1  illustrates this aspect of the present invention and shows the user  110  walking on all four arms and legs with the arms being extended with the ELEPHEET  100  of the present invention.  
         [0019]     The ELEPHEET includes an elephoot for each hand, right and left. Normally when one discusses an article to cover a wearer&#39;s hand, the article is a glove. In the case of the ELEPHEET, the article should be regarded as a groove, instead. The reason is significant. In the case of the glove, the wearer&#39;s hand is inserted into the open end of the glove in order to place the glove on the hand and arm of the wearer. This is not true in the case of the ELEPHEET; the wearer&#39;s hand and arm are inserted in a sideways manner with the hand encased in a groove simultaneously with the upper arm.  
         [0020]     Beginning at the area adjacent to the elbow, the groove, which is made of a double layer of material of which volleyballs are made, has a slit, vertically, across the end of the groove. The slit is continued down the length of the groove ending at the opposite corner, diagonally, from where the slit began. The purpose of the double layer of volleyball material is to enable a column of air to be formed under pressure for the length of the groove. This gives the cuff of the groove body and stability. It also shunts the pressure, that would be placed on the wrist joint by the increased reach of the arm length (the length that the ELEPHEET adds to the reach of the wearer&#39;s arms in order for the length of a wearer&#39;s arm to match the length of the wearer&#39;s legs) past the wrist and to the elbow. If the hand and arm were inserted at the open end of the glove, this protective shunt for the wrist would not be possible. Since the hand and arm are inserted sideways, the shunt protection for the wrist can be near perfectly tailored and maintained. It&#39;s protective area is not rendered useless by a hand passing through the area as would be the case of a glove.  
         [0021]     The body of the groove is also made of double layers of volleyball material and forms the wearer&#39;s hand into a protected fist so that the wearer&#39;s knuckles can be walked upon. At the point where the groove forms the wearer&#39;s fists, the groove is permanently attached to an air-inflated, pedestal or elevator type sole of volleyball material that strikes the ground as the wearer walks. This elevator type sole or pedestal makes walking on all four limbs and especially pleasant form of ‘elephant walk’ locomotion for preschoolers.  
         [0022]     Let us describe ELEPHEET from the ground up.  
         [0023]     Think of the elephoot as if it were a very, very, thick-soled boot, but a boot to be worn on the hand; the elephoot for the left hand and a elephoot for the right hand. This sole of each elephoot will be made of the same material of which volleyballs are made. It will be inflatable by hand pump and needle. When fully inflated, it will be approximately 12 inches in diameter, and 8 inches high and will have the shape proximally of a can in which Danish cookies are sold. This sole or foot of the elephoot is the part that will strike the ground as the wearer walks. The bottom of this elevator type sole will be spread with a coating of material that will prevent skidding of the soles on hardwood as well as tile floors.  
         [0024]     Moving upward, the part just above the sole is the body of the groove. The body of the groove is the area of the groove in which the hand of a wearer of the elephoot will be formed into a fist that will furnish the conditions for the wearer to walk on protected knuckles. The area where the knuckles of the wearer come in contact with the top of the sole is where the sole and the body of the groove will be permanently bonded. Since all of the walls are made of volleyball material, given body and sturdiness by the compressed air, protection for their wearer&#39;s knuckles are to some extent provided. However, additional protection will be provided by very soft material that will line the inside of the body of the groove.  
         [0025]     Walking on the knuckles of the front paws is the natural means of locomotion of the great apes, such as the gorilla, and when their knuckles strike the ground, and their wrist joint is just above the ground. When the knuckles of the wearer of the elephoot, press against the top of the sole or the foot of the elephoot, the knuckles of the wearer of the elephoot are eight or so inches above the ground. This added distance between the ground and the elephoot wear&#39;s wrist places a great pressure to flex upon the wrist. A woman senses the same sort of pressure upon the instep of her foot when she first begins walking on high heels.  
         [0026]     The points that allow the ELEPHEET to allow the wearer to walk with alacrity on four limbs are 1) they lengthen the reach of the arms so that they match the length of the legs, 2) cushion the impact on the knuckles and 3) shunt the pressure (caused by lengthening the reach of the arms) past the wrist and to the elbow where it can be controlled.  
         [0027]     Let us now take this shunt of pressure past the wrist into account as we continue our description and evaluation of the elephoot from the ground up. As was stated above, the next part of the elephoot is named the groove because the hand and arm are loaded into their proper place by being swung sideways and simultaneously into the groove instead of being shoved into position down the glove from its open end. This allows the air pillows that will maintain the integrity of the protective shunt of the wrist to exist unmolested by the loading and unloading of the hand, wrist and arm. The groove is the next part of the elephoot, and the position of the hand, wrist and arm within its confines and maintained by columns of air within a double layer of volleyball material. The parts of the arm are retained in their position by the pressure of the air-pressure-filled ridges.  
         [0028]      FIG. 2  illustrates the ELEPHEET  100  which includes a pedestal  204  and a body  206  having a groove  207 . The pedestal  204  as illustrated in  FIG. 2  includes spheres  202  which are connected together and sufficiently flexible to absorb the impact of walking from affecting the hand and arm of the user.  
         [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates the spheres  202  positioned in a pyramid shape and may be formed as volleyball or basketball. The body  206  is a hollow device to accept the hand and the wrist in the groove  207  and in some embodiments a portion of the arm below the elbow. The body  206  includes an open end to accept the hand and the wrist of the user into the groove  207 . The body  206  is positioned and connected at the upper end of the pedestal  204  and may be constructed from either rigid or flexible material. In one embodiment, the body  206  and the groove  207  may be similar to a boxer&#39;s glove having a strap across the wrist of the user to hold the wrist in place.  FIG. 3  illustrates the pedestal  304 , body  306  and a groove  307  with a support shaft  308  terminating in a pair of arms  310  which are in spaced relationship, substantially parallel, to accommodate the arm of the user so that the body  306  and the groove  307  are supported to achieve exercising the walking muscles of the arm. In this embodiment, the pedestal  304  could be formed from a relatively large hollow pipe while the support shaft  308  and the arms  310  could be formed from relatively small hollow pipe.  FIG. 4  illustrates a front view of the ELEPHEET shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the pedestal  504  is formed as a hollow sphere which may be constructed from flexible material such as the material used in a volleyball or other suitable material. A body  506  and groove  507  are formed as an hollow rectangular housing from a rigid material such as wood or steel or other suitable materials. The body  506  includes a wrist stabilizer  512  positioned on an internal side of the groove  507  and a handle  514  for the user to grasp. The wrist stabilizer  512  is positioned in a relationship with the handle  514  so that the wrist of the user is positioned opposite to the wrist stabilizer  512 . The wrist stabilizer  512  prevents the wrist from moving, for example twisting, allowing the walking muscles of the users arm to be used to provide the muscles for the walking.  FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 7  illustrates another embodiment of the ELEPHEET of the present invention. The ELEPHEET shown in  FIG. 7  includes a wrist stabilizer  712  which is inflatable to provide for a more secure stabilization of the wrist of the user and to allow for different sized arms of different sized users. The wrist stabilizer  712  includes a valve  718  to inflate or deflate the wrist stabilizer  712 .  FIG. 8  illustrates a front view of the ELEPHEET shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0031]     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed.