Patent Publication Number: US-9889335-B2

Title: Fully collapsible exercise device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to a lower body exercise device that is configurable between a collapsed configuration for easy transport and stowage and an extended yet compact configuration for use. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     More than 300 million people travel on long-distance flights (more than four hours) each year. Blood clots, also called deep vein thrombosis, can be a serious risk for long-distance travelers. Indeed, deep vein thrombosis kills someone every five minutes and responsible for more deaths than AIDS, breast cancer, prostate cancer and traffic accidents combined. During travel, blood clots can form in the deep (not visible) veins of the legs of a passenger. The longer the period of immobility, the greater the risk of developing a blood clot. Doctors thus recommend that passengers move their legs when on long trips improve the flow of blood. However, it is not always possible to move around during a flight due to turbulence and blockage of the aisles by passengers and crew, such as when carts are used for beverage and food service. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an exercise device that is compact enough for transportation and use on an airplane so that passengers can avoid deep vein thrombosis. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a compact exercise device that can be unfolded from a collapsed configuration for use in a small area, such as the floor in front of an airline seat, so that a user can perform exercises that reduce the likelihood of deep vein thrombosis. The exercise device comprises a crank housing supporting a pedal crank having a pair of opposing pedals that are pivotally mounted to the pedal crank. A pair of struts extends from the crank housing and one of the struts has a hinge that allows the leg to fold inward into a collapsed configuration against the opposing leg. A lock may be associated with the hinge for retaining the leg in the unfolded position. A cross-member is positioned at the end of each strut to form legs for supporting the pedal crank in an upright position for use by a operator. A strap may be coupled to one of the pair of legs for additionally securing the exercise device to an airline seat. A tensioner associated with the crank housing is connected to the pedal crank for selectively increasing and decreasing the force needed to turn the pedal crank so that a user can adjust the amount of force needed to operate the pedal crank. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan of an exercise device according to the present invention in an unfolded configuration; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of an exercise device according to the present invention in an unfolded configuration; 
         FIG. 3  is another side view of view of an exercise device according to the present invention in a folded configuration; and 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan of an exercise device according to the present invention in a folded flat configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, there is seen in  FIG. 1  an exerciser  10  comprising a base  12  formed from two opposing struts  14  and  16  that are interconnected to each other by an axle housing  18  and extend outwardly. Outward ends of struts  14  and  16  include cross-members  20  and  22  that define two pairs of legs for secure engagement with a planar surface, such as a floor. The ends of the legs formed by cross-members  20  and  22  may be capped with resilient caps  24  to increase frictional contact with the planar surface upon which exercise device is placed. Struts  14  and  16  as well as cross-members  20  and  22  are preferably tubular to maximize strength while minimizing weight, and may be manufactured from high strength polymers or light weight metals and metal alloys for the same reason. A strap  26  may be coupled to base  12  to allow exercise  10  to be attached to an external structure, such as an airplane seat, to restrict movement of exercise device  10  when in use. 
     Strut  14  includes a hinge  28  dividing strut  14  into first and second segments  30  and  32 . As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , hinge  28  allows segments  30  and  32  to move between a first, collapsed configuration and a second, extended configuration. Hinge  28  further includes a locking member  34  that may be engaged and disengaged to selectively lock and unlock segments  30  and  32  in their extended configuration and, optionally, the collapsed configurations. 
     Axle housing  18  supports a pedal crank  36  having an axle  38  extending through axle housing  18  to position user pedals  40  and  42  on opposite sides of axle housing  18 . As is known in the art, pedal crank  36  may be supported in axle housing  18  by a sealed bearing or similar structure for smooth rotation within axle housing  18 . A tensioner  44  may be coupled to axle housing  18  to allow a user to change the amount of force needed to turn pedal crank  36 . User pedals  40  and  42  are pivotally mounted to pedal crank  36  for movement between a folded position where pedals  40  and  42  are centrally stowed, and an unfolded position where pedals  40  and  42  are positioned so that a user can place their feet on pedals  40  and  42  to operate pedal crank  36  when exercise device  10  is placed on the floor in front of user, such as on the floor of an airplane in front of a passenger seat. 
     In one embodiment, exercise device  10  may be dimensioned so that it is 10 inches in width, 9.5 inches in height, and 15 inches in length and thus will fit within the standard floor space in the coach section of an airplane (approximately 17 inches in length and width). Collapsing strut  14  and folding pedals  40  and  42  inwardly will reduce the dimensions to just 5 inches in width, 12 inches in height, and 15 inches in length. As a result, exercise device  10  can be easily carried on and/or stored on an airplane in the collapsed configuration, and then unfolded and placed on the floor of the airplane for use. Using tensioner  44 , a user may establish a comfortable amount of resistance and proceed to perform exercises that will increase blood flow and reduce the risk of thrombosis without having to leave the passenger seat. After exercise, device  10  may be collapsed and stowed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , hinge  28  of exercise device  10  may be substituted with a coupling  50  that allows for rotation of struts  14  and  16  relative to each other so that device  10  may be positioned into a substantially planar configuration. More specifically, coupling  50  comprises two strut engaging tubes  52  and  54  positioned at right angles to each other. Each of tubes  52  and  54  have manually adjustable clamps  56  and  58  associated therewith for selectively fixing and releasing struts  14  and  16  therein. As seen in  FIG. 4 , releasing struts  14  and  16  allows rotation of struts  14  and  16  relative to each other so that device  10  may be folded flat into a substantially planar configuration. It should be recognized that this configuration may allow for each storage or transportation of device  10  in certain locations where a planar configuration is more advantageous, e.g., in a briefcase, under a seat, etc.