Patent Publication Number: US-2018050232-A1

Title: Floor rotation exercise device

Description:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic representation depicting a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic representation depicting a top view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic representation depicting a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic representation depicting a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic representation depicting a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the exercise device  100  includes a support ring  101 , a bowl  102 , and a plurality of wheels  103 . 
     Many exercises involve equipment that helps or allows freedom of movement of certain parts of the body to isolate certain muscles or muscle groups. Exercise equipment is often costly or takes up a substantial amount of space. It is thus desirable to have a single piece of exercise equipment that offers a large range of modes of use, so that it can be used on many different muscle groups. 
     The present invention addresses this problem by providing a versatile exercise device that can be used in many different exercises but requires only a small amount of storage space. 
     One preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . This embodiment includes a bowl  102 , a ring  101 , and wheels  103 . The wheels  103  are attached to the underside of ring  101  and are positioned around ring  101  to provide support. Three wheels  103  are shown in  FIG. 1 , but the device may include any number of wheels (though at least three wheels are desirable for stability). Optimally, the wheels  103  are positioned equidistant from one another on ring  101  for optimal movement, but other embodiments are possible as needed. 
     Ring  101  may be made of any rigid material, such as plastic (ABS, HDPE, LDPE, or similar), metal, or any other suitable rigid material. Ring  101  may be solid or at least partially hollow; if portions (or the whole) of ring  101  are hollow, it may be filled with sand, water, weights, or other material to increase the mass of the ring  101  (and thus increase resistance of the entire device for exercising). Alternatively, ring  101  might include hooks or other fasteners to allow a user to attach weights to the embodiment for the same purpose. In some embodiments, ring  101  may be cushioned, including without limitation upholstery, durable soft foam, disposable foam covers, or other alternatives as suits the needs of a particular embodiment. 
     Bowl  102  may be made of a rigid material, such as stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, or other rigid material. Alternatively, bowl  102  may be made of a non-rigid material such as cloth, nylon, mesh, or rubber, with padding added to bowl  102  if desired. Bowl  102  could also take a variety of shapes, including regular geometric shapes (hemisphere, cone, square, etc.) or irregular shapes (two cup shapes for accepting the user&#39;s feet). The term “bowl” is used for reference to the component of the invention and is not intended to limit the shape of any embodiment. 
     Wheels  103  may be any sort of wheel, though the optimal embodiment would use casters that may rotate around their stems allowing the embodiment to be moved in alternating or different directions easily. Depending on the embodiment, the wheels may take on a number of forms, or arrangements. Greater stability may be achieved may positioned the wheels  103  radially further for the center of the device, using more wheels  103 , using larger wheels  103 , or using locking casters for some exercises that so require. Wheels  103  include stems; in some embodiments these stems may be of adjustable length to modify the difficulty of a particular exercise. Alternatively, a caster having adjustable resistance may be used to allow the user to increase or decrease the difficulty of moving the embodiment. 
     A user of the embodiment of  102  may place their feet in bowl  102 , allowing them to move their lower body freely using the wheels  103 . For example, a user might assume a typical “push-up” position and place their feet in bowl  102 , and then the user could exercise their lower body by moving the embodiment with their legs. 
     A top view of another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIG. 2 . The ring  101  and bowl  102  in  FIG. 2  are substantially similar to the ring  101  and bowl  102  in  FIG. 1 . The embodiment of  FIG. 2  also includes two handles  201  that are affixed to the outside of ring  101 . Such handles  201  may allow a user to hold on to the embodiment with his or her hands and exercise their upper body, for example, or the user might sit on the embodiment and use the handles  201  to stabilize themselves. The placement and number of handles is variable depending on the needs of an embodiment. In some embodiments, the handles are detachable, so that a single device may be configured by the user for exercises that require handles at some times and configured by the user for exercises that do not require handles at others. 
     A side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  is depicted in  FIG. 3 , showing ring  101 , bowl  102 , and wheels  103 . 
     Another embodiment of the invention is shown in side view in  FIG. 4 . The embodiment of  FIG. 4  includes, as described above with reference to  FIG. 1 , a ring  101 , bowl  102 , and wheels  103 . The embodiment of  FIG. 4  includes a removable lid  401  that covers bowl  102  and provides a flat surface on the upper surface of the embodiment. This may be used to increase or decrease the difficulty of an exercise, or it may be used to provide a seat surface for the user. The lid  401  may also be covered at least partially by a rough surface for providing frictional engagement. Lid  401  is depicted in  FIG. 4  as fitting over and around the entire ring  101 , but it could alternatively attach to the top of ring  101  or it could fit over bowl  102  within ring  101 . 
     Another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, the invention includes attachment elements  504  to attach the ring  101  and the base  501  to cord  503 . Cord  503  may be a rope, chain, elastic band, or other type of cord depending on the needs of the specific embodiment. A cord of fixed length allows the user to move the embodiment in a fixed circular path (whose radius is defined by the length of cord  503 ). A cord  503  of variable length, such as a resistance band or elastic band, may be used to allow exercise motions that provide increasing resistance as the ring  101  is moved further from base  501 . Base  501  optionally includes one or more handles  502  for certain exercises. For example, a user may hold on to handles  502  in a push-up position, place their feet in bowl  102 , and use their abdominal muscles to move the ring/bowl portion with their feet. Base  501  may be attached to the floor, such as with bolts, or its movement relative to the floor may simply be restricted, such as by adding weights to base  501  or by creating a high-friction surface on the bottom of base  501 . Base  501  may be padded, in part or entirely, providing a comfortable surface for the user to rest their hands, elbows, or other parts on. Handles  502  may be adjustable in height or distance from each other, or may be removable entirely, depending on the embodiment. 
     Attachment elements  504  and cord  503  may any of a number of different types as appropriate. Attachment elements  504  may be hooks, carabiners, or other attachment methods depending on cord  503  and the particular embodiment. 
     In some embodiments, the invention&#39;s height may be adjusted relative to the floor. For example, each of wheels  103  may include an adjustable height leg, such that the wheels  103  may be disposed closer to or further from ring  101 . If each wheel  103  is adjustable individually, as in some embodiments, then the ring may be adjusted vertically or even tilted (such as by lengthening one or more, but not all, wheels  103 ) to allow for more variety in different exercises. The adjustable height leg may comprise concentric cylinders and a locking mechanism, so that lengthening the leg involve disposing the outer and inner cylinders further apart, and shortening the leg involves disposing the outer and inner cylinders with greater overlap. Alternatively, the adjustable height leg may be detachable from ring  101 , such that spacers can be inserted between ring  101  and wheel  103 , such that lengthening is accomplished by increasing the number of spacers (or using larger spacers) between ring  101  and wheels  103 . 
     Alternatively, ring  101  may of adjustable thickness, allowing the top surface of ring  101  to have an adjustable height relative to the floor surface. For example, ring  101  may be comprised of two detachable ring sections, and spacers may be inserted to expand ring  101 . In another embodiment, the adjustable height of ring  101 is changed via one or more threaded rods, either central or at several points along ring  101 . 
     In another embodiment, ring  101  may include a scissor lift component, either internal to ring  101  or between ring  101  and wheels  103 . If the scissor lift is disposed internal to ring  101 , then ring  101  comprises two sections with the scissor lift between them. In still another embodiment, wheels  103  may be attached to a platform which is attached to bowl  102  via an adjustable linkage, such as a threaded rod or a rod with pin-locking holes. 
     The above descriptions are only examples and are not intended to be limitations of the invention.