Abstract:
A system is provided for persons who must remain seated for extended periods of time, such as persons working in offices and the like. The system includes one or two support surfaces for the feet of the user, which are moved by a motor driven base. The support surfaces perform an alternating longitudinal movement, a lifting and lowering movement or a movement combining the two movements. The support surfaces are moved by, in one example, support rods hingedly connected to a central point of the support surfaces and at the other end to eccentric pivots allocated to respective toothed wheels which are mounted so at to rotate about their respective axis. An intermediate motor-driven pinion conveys rotational movement in the opposite direction to the wheels and are placed between the wheels. The support surfaces may be a bar that is transverse relative to the motor-driven base, which is preferably used in mass transit vehicles such as motor coaches, airplanes, etc.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is a Divisional Application of application Ser. No. 10/433,927, filed Oct. 9, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates generally to a system that has been specially designed so that a user who has to remain in the seated position on account of the nature of the user&#39;s work may exercise the user&#39;s lower extremities in the course of the working day with the resultant beneficial effect that this has on the user&#39;s general state of health and without impairing job performance.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     As is common knowledge, physical exercise is absolutely fundamental for maintaining a good state of health. Although certain working activities entail the necessary practice of physical exercise, there are however an increasing number of people who have to remain seated behind a computer, an office desk, etc. during practically the whole working day, performing wholly intellectual tasks with practically no physical exercise, especially at lower limb level.  
         [0006]     This physical inactivity has a negative impact on health in the course of time creating situations of discomfort, fatigue, leg pains, etc.  
         [0007]     The obvious solution to this problem is to carry out physical exercises outside working hours and in this respect there are people who devote a certain time every day to walking or performing different types of physical exercises, but obviously such person make up a minority group, as the vast majority do not have the time or means to perform such exercises.  
         [0008]     There are numerous kinds of gymnastic apparatus, but none of them allows a person to carry out a certain physical exercise while working.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The system proposed by the invention provides a fully satisfactory solution to the afore-mentioned problem inasmuch as it permits the lower limbs to be exercised on the job during working hours. As pointed out above, the system does not interfere with the normal performance of the job to be done insofar as it is designed for persons who remain seated, i.e. for people whose legs are not involved in the work being done and which may therefore be mobilized, within certain limits, without affecting body stability and, therefore, without affecting the individual work rate.  
         [0010]     For this purpose and more specifically the system consists of a motor-driven base for positioning under the desk, a motor-driven base which moves at least one support surface for the user t s feet, which are thus subjected to a mobilization that extends to the whole of the lower extremities.  
         [0011]     This mobilization may be simultaneous for both feet, i.e. they move together, specifically when they are resting on a single support surface, or their movements may be independent, alternating for instance, when two support surface, one for each foot, play a part in the system.  
         [0012]     At the same time, the movement may also be of different types, specifically a longitudinal sliding movement of the feet, a lifting movement, a rocking movement or a mixed movement resulting from the combination of the foregoing.  
         [0013]     In any case, the motor-driven base will conveniently support the bearing surfaces with freedom of movement for these and the driving element of the base will be connected to the support surface or surfaces by conventional type driving means which enable the desired movement to be performed.  
         [0014]     In the various embodiments it is possible to achieve new movements or movement which may already be known by new means.  
         [0015]     More specifically, one of the new possibilities envisaged consists of establishing on the motor-driven base a pair of longitudinally aligned vertical axles on each of which transverse and parallel rocking arms are mounted, which in turn are linked hingedly to the underside of the support surfaces, forming with these a deformable quadrilateral, while linked hingedly to one of these arms there is a connecting rod that links this quadrilateral to the motor-driven wheel eccentric to operate the assembly, thereby achieving an alternating longitudinal movement of the aforesaid support surfaces or, in other words, of the user&#39;s feet.  
         [0016]     Another alternative provides a lifting and lowering movement for the feet, accompanied by a lateral rocking movement of same, in which case the support surfaces are fixed to a transverse support integral with a longitudinal axle mounted with freedom of movement, by way of a pair of bearings, on the motor-driven base, the aforesaid axle, by way of an eccentric piece, a connecting rod and another eccentric mounted on the driving wheel, an alternating rotational movement which is translated into a lateral rocking movement for the assembly made up of the two support surfaces, which may optionally be embodied in just one.  
         [0017]     If the aim is for the movement of the bearing surfaces to be alternating and vertical only, i.e. without lateral rocking for such surfaces, a similar solution to that just described here may be used, with the exception that instead of using a rigid transverse connection support between the two bearing surfaces, two parallel arms should be used, hinged at their mid-point, one to the drive shaft and the other to a mere support shaft and linked in turn hingedly at their ends to lower vertical arms of the bearing surfaces, the latter forming a deformable parallelogram which permits the raising and lowering of the bearing surfaces without their losing, in turn, their horizontally.  
         [0018]     Lastly, the bearing surface or surfaces may be provided solely with a longitudinal rocking movement, i.e. a raising and lowering movement of the area corresponding to the anterior extremity of the feet, in which ease the bearing surface will be provided with a traverse shaft, offset to the rear, mounted with rotational freedom on the motor-driven base  
         [0019]     and integral with which there is a descending intermediate connecting rod, linked hingedly at its free end to another longitudinal connecting rod linked to the driving wheel eccentric.  
         [0020]     In the event of the system being applied on collective transport vehicles, instead of there being a single support platform for the feet or else separate platforms, the supports are composed of a single transverse bar, which is driven back and forth or else rocked, or in other words, is raised and lowered with a rocking movement.  
         [0021]     More specifically, in this alternative embodiment or application the principle of the system is that two separate parallel supports are mounted on the motor-driven base, preferably matching end parts of the base, and between the supports of which a traverse rotational shaft is mounted so that on this rotational shaft two side arms are mounted in turn, provided on the inside with supports, one of which is linked to a connecting rod, which is hinged eccentrically at its other end to a drive wheel, so that the alternating movement of this connecting rod entails the alternating movement of the arm to which the former is associated and thereby the rotation of the shaft between the base supports, at the same time bringing about the movement of the other arm, so that between both arms a bar is mounted which will form the support element for the feet, the bar being supplemented with an encasing tube turning freely on them, so that when rocking back or forth takes place it causes the casing to turn and thereby provides pennanent support for the user&#39;s feet without varying their position, i.e. moving back and forth in unison with their support on the bar.  
         [0022]     In another embodiment version, besides turning back and forth, the arms may carry out an upward and downward rocking movement as these arms are made up of two parts both connected to the transverse rotational shaft mounted between the supports.  
         [0023]     In the former case of the two solutions just referred to, the bar ad therefore the feet resting on it undergo a back and forth movement with a slight arching in that forward and backward longitudinal movement, while in the latter case the bar undergoes a raising and lowering movement, or in other words, rocking up and down, naturally in a slightly arched movement as in the previous case.The present invention provides an apparatus for. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]     To supplement the description being given and in order to assist a clearer appreciation of the features of the invention, in accordance with a preferential specimen of practical embodiment of same, a set of drawings is attached wherein, for illustrative and not restrictive purposes, the following is represented:  
         [0025]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  show a side elevational view and top plan view of a first practical embodiment of the system for exercising the lower extremities at static work stations which represents the object of the present invention, in which tow support surfaces take part and where the movement of the surfaces is longitudinal and alternating.  
         [0026]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  show a side elevational view and a top plan view, according to a representation similar to that of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , an alternative embodiment version in which a single bearing surface participates, provided also with an alternating longitudinal movement.  
         [0027]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  show a side elevational view and a top plan view of an embodiment version, according to a representation similar to that of the previous figures, in which two bearing surfaces participate, which in this case are subjected both to a longitudinal movement and to a raising and lowering movement.  
         [0028]      FIGS. 4A, 4B  and  4 C show two side elevational views and a top plan view of another embodiment version in which two bearing surfaces also participate, but in this case affected by a combined longitudinal and rocking movement.  
         [0029]      FIGS. 5A, 5B  and  5 C show two side elevational views and a top plan view of a representation similar to that of  FIG. 4A, 4B  and  4 C but corresponding to another way of obtaining movements similar to those of the last case.  
         [0030]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  show a side elevational view and a top plan view of a representation similar to that of  FIG. 3A and 3B  but corresponding to another way of obtaing movements similar to those of the aforesaid  FIGS. 3A and 3B   
         [0031]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  shows a side elevational view and a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the system.  
         [0032]      FIGS. 8A, 8B  and  8 C show two side elevational views and a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of the system.  
         [0033]      FIGS. 9A, 9B ,  9 C,  10 A,  10 B and  10 C in turn show two side elevational views and a top plan view similar to that of  FIGS. 8A, 8B  and  8 C, referring to respective versions of practical embodiments of the system.  
         [0034]      FIGS. 11A and 11B  shows a side elevational view and a top plan view of a practical alternative embodiment of the lower extremity exercising system, applicable primarily to transport vehicles, without ruling out its use or application anywhere else. In these figures we may see the direction of longitudinal forward movement of the bar forming the support for the feet.  
         [0035]      FIGS. 12A and 12B  shows the same side elevational and plan views as the embodiment represented in the previous figure, indicating the direction of backward movement of the foot support bar.  
         [0036]      FIGS. 13A, 13B ,  14 A and  14 B show respective pairs of elevational and lateral views, respectively, of another alternative embodiment in which instead of moving forward and backward the foot support bar rocks in an ascending and descending direction. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0037]     If we refer in the first place to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , we see that the practical embodiment of the system for exercising the lower limbs advocated here consists of a housing or motor-driven base  1 , on which are mounted, with the option of longitudinal sliding, a pair of support surfaces  2 , suitable in shape and size to take the users feet, moving longitudinally and in opposing directions in accordance with the arrows referenced with  4 , for which purpose and by way of the respective connecting rods  5 , linked hingedly at  6  to the mid-point of the support surfaces  2  are connected by respective toothed wheels  7 , mounted with rotational freedom by way of their shafts  8  on the actual base or housing  1 , toothed wheels  7  to which the connecting rods  5  are linked by way of an eccentric pivot  9 , the two toothed wheels  7  corresponding to the two support surfaces  2  being furthermore joined together by means of an intermediate pinion  10 , which is what receives the movement of the corresponding motor, not represented in the drawing and which supplies rotational movements to the wheels  7  in the opposite direction in order to achieve alternating movements at the support surfaces  2  of an extent close to the diameter of the wheels  7  and in opposite directions.  
         [0038]     The layout described is basically repeated in the practical embodiment represented in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , in which there is a single support surface  3  for both feet, with the evident difference that in this case there will be a single connecting rod  5  and a single wheel  7  as well, which in this case will not be toothed and which will receive the movement directly from the motor by way of its own shaft  8 .  
         [0039]     In  FIGS. 3A and 3B  another embodiment version is represented in which two support surfaces  2  participate, as in the case of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , although in this case the support bases  2  linked to respective supports  13  which are moved by a pair of transverse drive axles  11  and  12 , provided at their wheel ends with eccentric pivots  14  and  15 , whereby, in addition to the same longitudinal movement as in the case of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a vertical movement is achieved between the end situation shown with a continuous and dotted line in the lateral view in this  FIGS. 3A and 3B .  
         [0040]     With the participation also of two support surfaces  2 , the embodiment of  FIGS. 4A, 4B  and  4 C envisage the existence of a single motor-drive transverse shaft  16  terminated at each end with a wheel provided with respective opposing lugs  17 , by way of which movement is transmitted to the support surfaces  2  relatively close to one of their ends, while their other end rests on the actual motor-driven base  1  by way of sliding supports  18 , so that an upward/downward rocking movement of one of the ends of each support surface  2  is achieved, while the other end is kept at a constant height level, in parallel to a horizontal movement of the support surface.  
         [0041]     In the embodiment in  FIGS. 5A, 5B  and  5 C similar movements are achieved to those obtained in  FIGS. 4A, 4B  and  4 C, but more extensive in the horizontal or longitudinal movement of the support surfaces  2 , for which purpose the structure of the embodiment in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  is repeated, as regards the existence of the hinged pivots  6 , the toothed wheels  7  and the drive pinion  10 , but with the exception that in this case the swivel pivots  6  can rock sideways, for example by means of a cardan drive or 90°-hinged rocker arm, where the base or housing  1  has a ramp  19  and each support surface  2  has a pair of longitudinally spaced lower lugs  20  and  21 , the pivot being designed to coincide with the ramp  19  in order to make the support surface  2  rock, as represented in the two side elevational views in the afore-mentioned  FIGS. 5A, 5B  and  5 C.  
         [0042]     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , in which also two support surfaces  2  participate, each of the support surfaces  2  is connected to the housing or base  1  by means of two pairs of connecting rods  31 , hinged at their ends  32  both to the support surface  2  and to the housing  1 , as may be seen especially in the side view, there being linked to the mid-point of the foregoing connecting rods  31  and also hingedly a drive rod  33 , which is linked hingedly to a cross-arm  34 , rocking on the housing  1  at its mid point  35  and extended in a short arm  36  by which both drive rods  33  receive an opposing alternating movement from a drive wheel  37  provided with an eccentric pivot  38  for transmitting movement to a short rod  39  linked to the arm  36 . In this case the drive system described supplies a rocking movement to the connecting rods  31 , equivalent to a longitudinal and horizontal movement of the support surfaces  2 , which is combined with a raising and lowering movement, also generated by the actual rocking of the connecting rods  31 .  
         [0043]     In an embodiment version shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , on the motor-driven base  1 , in respect of which the support surfaces  2  have to be mobile, a pair of vertical shafts  40 - 41  are established, aligned longitudinally and centrally, on each of which an arm  42 - 43  is mounted, these arms  42 - 43  being parallel and identical and joined hingedly at their free end  44  to respective pivots  45  integral with the under side of the support surfaces  2 , forming with the latter a deformable quadrilateral in which the rocking of these arms  42 - 43  causes a longitudinal movement of the surfaces  2  in the same plane, as may be seen in any of the figures and in accordance with the arrows represented in them.  
         [0044]     This rocking movement of the arms  42 - 43  is carried out specifically on the arm  42  to which a connecting rod  47 , which links the arm  42  to the drive wheel  49  eccentric  48 , is attached hingedly by way of a swivel pivot offset in relation to the shaft  40 .  
         [0045]     Moving on now to the practical embodiment of  FIGS. 8A, 8B  and  8 C, in it and on the motor-driven base there are established a pair of supports  50  which, for instance with the aid of bearings, form supports for a longitudinal shaft  51  with which a transverse support  52  is integral, being integral in turn with the support surfaces  2 , so that an angular rocking movement of the shaft  51  causes a lateral rocking movement with parallel raising and lowering of the support surfaces  2 , which are shown by the two side elevational views of the aforesaid  FIGS. 8A, 8B  and  8 C. In order to achieve this rocking, the shaft  51  is terminated at one of its ends with a small radial extension  53  to which is attached hingedly the arm  54  which connects the shaft  51  to the drive wheel  56  eccentric  55 , so that the rotational movement of the wheel  56  becomes an angular rocking movement of the shaft  51 , which in turn is converted into the aforesaid rocking movement for the support surfaces  2 .  
         [0046]     Going on now to analyze the practical embodiment shown in  FIGS. 9A, 9B  and  9 C, relatively similar to that of the previous figures, in it with the shaft  51  that receives the movement of the drive wheel  56  there collaborates a second shaft  57 , parallel and below the shaft  51 , mounted like the former on supports  50 ′, somewhat higher than those in the previous case, so that with these shafts  51  and  57  there are associated respective transverse and parallel arms  58  and  59 , which are connected hingedly at their ends  69  to vertical arms integral with the under side of the support surface  2 , the arms  58 ,  59  and  61  forming a deformable parallelogram which keeps the arms  61  vertical all the time, permitting their vertical movement, as shown in the two side elevational views in the above-mentioned  FIGS. 9A, 9B  and  9 C, i.e. a vertical alternating movement of the a support surfaces  2  is achieved with the action of the drive wheel  56 , in which these are kept horizontal all the time.  
         [0047]     In the embodiment in  FIGS. 10A, 10B  and  10 C, a single support surface  3  is established on the motor-driven base, although obviously there could be two surfaces, specifically the surface being provided with a transverse eccentric shaft  62 , mounted on end supports  63  , the shaft  62  with which there is integral a lower radial arm  64 , which is attached hingedly at its free end  65  to a longitudinal connecting rod  66 , which is attached hingedly at its other end to the drive wheel  68  eccentric  67 , so that in this case the rotational movement of the drive wheel  68  is converted into a rocking movement of the arn or extension  64  of the support surface  3  and consequently into a longitudinal rocking movement of the former, between the limit situations shown in the two lateral views of the afore-mentioned  FIGS. 10A, 10B  and  10 C.  
         [0048]     In  FIGS. 11A and 11B  it may be seen that on the motor-driven base  1  in relation to which the support surfaces, composed in this case of a transverse bar  89  and a tubular casing  90 , which turns freely in respect of the bar  89 , have to be mobile, two supports  82  are established, arranged parallel to each other and adjacent to the sides of the aforesaid base  1  and matching up with one of the ends of same, between which supports  82  are mounted two arms  83 , one which is attached by way of one end  4  with a connecting rod  85 , which is hinged at the other end by means of an eccentric  86  on a rotating wheel  87 , as a driving element which is naturally operated by a motor not shown. The arms  83  are mounted on a rotating shaft  88  established between the side supports  82 , so that the bar  89  with its casing  90  is located between the opposite end of those arms  83 .  
         [0049]     In this way, the rotational movement of the wheel  87  produces the rotational and sliding movement of the connecting rod  85 , transmitting the movement to the arms  83  and thereby to the shaft  88 , causing the bar  89  mounted between the arms  83  to effect and back and forth movement, as shown by the arrows represented in the side elevational view in  FIGS. 11A, 11B ,  12 A and  12 B. This continuous to and fro movement by the bar  89  and therefore by the feet resting on it, will describe a small are, which will be formed by the turning of the arms  83  on the shaft  88 .  
         [0050]      FIGS. 13A, 13B ,  14 A and  14 B show an alternative embodiment so that, instead of being longitudinal to and ho, the movement is rocking up and down, so that in this case the components are the same, with the only exception that the arms are determined by the two sections  83 ′ and  83 ″ in order to make the sections  83 ″ rock up and down as shown in the side elevational views in  FIGS. 13A, 13B ,  14 A and  14 B.  
         [0051]     Both the movements described and the means for obtaining them are merely informative and any other kind of conventional drive transmission means may be used without this affecting the essence of the invention in any way at all.  
         [0052]     The invention is primarily applicable in the sphere of office jobs and the like, where an operator has to remain seated during the larger part of the working day, although it may also be used in rehabilitation tasks and in any other circumstances in which similar performance is required, as is the case of collective transport vehicles on long journeys during which passengers are immobilized because of the shortage of space available.  
         [0053]     Although other modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art.