Patent Publication Number: US-11389693-B2

Title: Bicycle exercise apparatus

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a bicycle exercise apparatus that enables a user to do bicycle exercise in a state that a saddle is supported by an elastic force of springs. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The benefits of cycling are strengthening a lower body and improving flexibility of a waist and an upper body. In order to achieve these benefits, exercise bikes for indoor use, which have no wheel and have certain resistance on pedals, are widely used. 
     In general, an exercise bike benefits on thighs and calves as a user pedals; in addition, as a user steps on both pedal alternatively, hips and a waist move from side to side, which lead to additional workout effects and weight loss. 
     The exercise bike consists of a saddle that a user sits on to exercise, a bicycle body connected to a bottom portion of the saddle through a saddle pipe, a base frame fixed to the bottom side of the bicycle body and supporting the bicycle body, a handle pipe attached to an upper portion of one side of the bicycle body with a certain angle, a handlebar fixed to the upper side of the handle pipe, and a pair of pedals installed on the sides in the center of the bicycle body. 
     Using the exercise bike consisted of the elements above, a user exercises by sitting on the saddle, putting his or her foot on the pedals, and spinning the pedals with his or her legs. 
     However, as a user only pedals sitting in the saddle, there is a limit to exercise of the whole body. 
     The related prior may be Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1564677. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment of the inventive concept provides a frame body installed to be supported by a floor of an installation site and having an exercise space in a center thereof; a plurality of spring members each having one end that is installed on the frame body and the other end that is extended to the exercise space, and an exercise saddle installed in such a way that a lateral side thereof is connected to the other end of the spring member, to be able to be moved by an elastic force of the spring member. 
     The frame body may comprise a bottom frame supported by the floor, and a plurality of support frames protruded from the bottom frame and connected to the spring members. 
     The bicycle exercise apparatus may further comprise a guard member that is installed between the support frames to protect a user. 
     The bicycle exercise apparatus may further comprise a post rid, wherein the post rid may be protruded from the bottom frame between the support frames and be connected to the exercise saddle through an elastic connecting part. 
     The elastic connecting part may be a spring member connecting between the post rod and the exercise saddle. 
     The bicycle exercise apparatus may further comprise a support spring that is installed inside the post rod, wherein the post rod comprises an opening that has a shape of a long hole at a lateral side and exposes the support spring. 
     One end of the elastic connecting part may be connected to the exercise saddle, and the other end of the elastic connecting part may be a connecting rod which is connected to the support spring through the opening. 
     One embodiment of the inventive concept provides a bicycle exercise apparatus that enables a user, in a state of siting on a saddle which is installed to be connected to a frame through springs, to benefit from pedaling exercise and additional exercise by an elastic force of spring. 
     According to one embodiment of the inventive concept, the saddle can be installed to be moved by an elastic force of the spring members when a user pedals in a state of siting on the saddle. Thus, the user can obtain additional exercise effect according to movements of the saddle by an elastic force of the springs, which can improve user satisfaction. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a perspective view of a bicycle exercise apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a front view of the bicycle exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a side view of the bicycle exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  schematically illustrates a top view of the bicycle exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  schematically illustrates a perspective view of a bicycle exercise apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  schematically illustrates a perspective view of a bicycle exercise apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  schematically illustrates a magnified perspective view of a connection portion of a post rod and a connecting rod. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTIONS 
     Hereafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that an ordinary person skilled in the art can properly understand it. However, the present invention can be embodied to various forms and is not limited to embodiments described here. 
     In accompanying drawings, some parts, which are not related to explanation of the present invention, have been omitted for clarity. Components are rendered the same reference number that are the same or are in correspondence throughout the specification. 
       FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a perspective view of a bicycle exercise apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a front view of the bicycle exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a side view of the bicycle exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4  schematically illustrates a top view of the bicycle exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , a bicycle exercise apparatus  100  according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a frame body  10  installed to be supported by a floor of an installation site and having an exercise space in a center thereof, a plurality of spring members  30  each having one end that is installed on the frame body  10  and the other end that is extended to the exercise space, and an exercise saddle  12  installed that a lateral side thereof is connected to the other end of the spring member  30 , to be able to be moved by an elastic force of the spring member  30 . 
     The frame body  10  may be installed to be supported by a floor of an installation site and having an exercise space in a center of the frame body  10 . 
     More specifically, the frame body  10  may comprise a bottom frame  11  which is supported by the floor, and a plurality of support frames  13  which are protruded from the bottom frame  11  and are connected to the spring members  30 . 
     The bottom frame  11  may be installed to be secure against movements, from top to bottom and from left to right, of the exercise saddle in the floor of the installation site. 
     Thus, the bottom frame  11  may be installed in a way that a plurality of frames are stably connected to each other by welding, or other methods, in the floor of the installation site and can support weights of the exercise saddle that a user sits. 
     The bottom frame  11  is described to be installed to have a square shape by connecting four frames, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The bottom frame  11  may be adjusted to have a polygon shape by connecting more than four frames. 
     The support frames  13  may be installed to protrude upward from the bottom frame  11 . 
     The plurality of support frames  13  may be installed to protrude at angular points of the bottom frame  11 , respectively, and may be made of metal material to stably support weights of the exercise saddle when a user sits. 
     A post rod  20  may be installed to protrude from the bottom frame  11  between the plurality of support frames  13 . Installation of the post rod  20  is in order to connect the post rod  20  with an elastic connection part, which is embodied to a spring member  30 , in the front and the rear of the exercise saddle  12 . 
     Meanwhile, the spring member  30  may be installed on the support frame  13 . 
     One end of the spring members  30  may be installed on the support frame  13  of the frame body and the other end is extended to the exercise space. 
     The spring member  30  may be installed to be extended toward a center of the exercise space, and the spring member  30  may be plural in order to lateral sides of the exercise saddle  12 . 
     Thus, one end of the spring member  30  is connected to the support frame  13 , and the other end is connected to the lateral side of the exercise saddle  12 . The plurality of spring members  30  may radially connect between the exercise saddle  12  and the plurality of support frames  13 . 
     In this embodiment, the four of the spring members  30  are described to radially connect between the exercise saddle  12  and the plurality of support frames  13 , but the present invention is not limited to this example. The number of spring members  30  may be more than four to stably support weights of the exercise saddle  12 . 
     Meanwhile, the exercise saddle  12  may be installed to be supported by an elastic force of spring members  30  so that the exercise saddle  12  can be moved freely in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction by weights or movements of a user when the user sits on the exercise saddle  12 . 
     The exercise saddle  12  may be installed in a way that a user sitting on the exercise saddle  12  and holding a handlebar  12   a  freely moves it in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction using an elastic force of spring members  30 . Thus, the user can gain proper exercise effects by causing movements using an elastic force of the spring members  30  in a state of sitting on the exercise saddle  12 . 
     Meanwhile, elastic connecting part may connect between the exercise saddle  12  and the post rod  20 . Hereafter, the reference number of the elastic connecting part is the same as that of spring member  30 . 
     A plurality of elastic connecting parts  30  may be installed in the front and the rear of the exercise saddle  12 , respectively. 
     As the elastic connecting parts  30  are connected to the post rods  20  located at the front and the rear of the exercise saddle  12 , respectively, the elastic connecting parts  30  may assist stable movements of the exercise saddle  12  while the exercise saddle  12  moves from front to back and side to side. The lengths of the elastic connecting parts  30  connected to the post rods  20  located at the front and the rear of the exercise saddle  12 , respectively, are the same as or similar to each other. 
     Meanwhile, the bottom spring  40  may be installed at the bottom portion of the exercise saddle  12 . 
     The bottom spring  40  may be installed to stably support weights in a state that a user sits on the exercise saddle  12 , from the bottom portion of the exercise saddle  12 . 
     As mentioned above, one embodiment of the bicycle exercise apparatus  100 , the saddle can be installed to be moved by an elastic force of the spring members when a user pedals in a state of siting on the saddle. 
     Thus, in addition to a pedaling exercise effect, a user can obtain additional exercise effect according to movements of the exercise saddle  12  by an elastic force of the springs, which can improve user satisfaction. 
       FIG. 5  schematically illustrates a perspective view of a bicycle exercise apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The reference numbers in  FIG. 5  which are the same as those in  FIGS. 1 to 4  refer to the same or similar elements having the same or similar functions. Hereafter, a detailed description of the reference number mentioned above will be omitted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the bicycle exercise apparatus  200  according to the second embodiment of the present invention may comprise a guard member  110 , which protects a user, between a plurality of the support frames  13 . 
     The guard members  110  may be installed to connect between the support frames  13  in order to stably support the exercise saddle  12  when the exercise saddle  12  is inclined at an excessive angle. 
     The guard members  110  may be an elastic band having an elastic force, which connects between the support frames  13 . Hereafter, the reference number of the elastic band will be the same as that of guard members  110 . 
     The elastic band  110  may connect between the support frames  13  or may surround a plurality of the support frames  13  to connect each other. 
     Thus, as the exercise saddle  12  may not be excessively inclined to one side and prevents from safety accident during exercising, user satisfaction can be improved. 
       FIG. 6  schematically illustrates a perspective view of a bicycle exercise apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 7  schematically illustrates a magnified perspective view of a connection portion between a post rod and a connecting rod. The reference numbers in  FIGS. 6 and 7  which are the same as those in  FIGS. 1 to 5  refer to the same or similar elements having the same or similar functions. Hereafter, a detailed description of the reference number mentioned above will be omitted. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , a post rid  220  of the bicycle exercise apparatus  300  according to the third embodiment of the present invention may be installed to receive a support spring  221  inside and comprise an opening  222  having a shape of a long hole at a lateral side. The support spring  221  is exposed through the opening  222 . 
     One end of an elastic connecting part  230  may be connected to the exercise saddle  12 , and the other end of the elastic connecting part may be a connecting rod. The other end of the elastic connecting part may be applied to the post rid  220  which is connected to the support spring  221  through the opening  222 . 
     Thus, one end of the elastic connecting part  230  may be connected to the exercise saddle  12 , and the other end may be connected to the support spring  221  through the opening  222  of the post rid  220 . Accordingly, as the exercise saddle  12  is supported by an elastic force of the support spring  221 , the support spring  221  supports stable movements of the exercise saddle  12 . 
     While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown. Many more modifications than mentioned above are possible within scopes of appended claims, specification, and drawings, and it would be apparent that the scope of the present invention includes these modifications and variations.