Patent Publication Number: US-2023149773-A1

Title: Balance board

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Pat. Application Serial No. 63/264,206, filed. Nov. 17, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to athletic equipment and, more particularly, to a balance board. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Balance boards have been used in physical therapy and as strength building equipment for years. They help strengthen a user’s lower limbs, upper limbs, and core. As balance boards affect and incorporate so many areas of the body, they have proven useful in a variety of treatments and training regiments that include improving balance, proprioceptive training, and the rehabilitation of muscles. 
     Current balance boards, however, operate along a single axis, making them easy to master. Thus, they quickly become obsolete in a training or rehabilitation regiment and are not useful for advanced users. Current balance boards also do not provide a direct relationship to real-life sporting applications. For example, a surfer or skateboarder will not find a balance board effective for their specific practice and training. 
     As such, there is a need for a more advanced balance board. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention improves upon existing balance boards by providing a combination of components that increases versatility and challenges with use. The system includes an elongated deck having an upper surface, a lower surface, and opposing ends, and wherein the lower surface of the deck includes a lengthwise recess. In context, “recess” should be taken to include channel, slot, cavity, groove, or the like. A ground-contacting apparatus received by the lengthwise recess facilitates movement of the deck relative to a ground surface, thereby enabling a user to practice balancing on the board while standing on the upper surface of the deck. 
     The ground-contacting apparatus received by the lengthwise recess is a spherical ball. The lengthwise recess may define a partial cylindrical cross section with a radius of curvature, and the ball may have a radius that matches or is smaller than the radius of the recess. The lengthwise recess may terminate in opposing ends with partial spherical surfaces that define radii corresponding to the radius of the ball. Alternatively, the ground-contacting apparatus may be a cylindrical pin that rolls from end to end as a user maintains their balance while standing on the upper surface of the deck. 
     As a further alternative, the ground-contacting apparatus received by the lengthwise recess may be an insert having a lower surface with wheels, rollers or non-rotational skateboard trucks. The recess in the lower surface of the deck may define a peripheral outline, and the insert may have a peripheral edge that corresponds to the peripheral outline in the recess. The insert may be held in position within the recess using one or more of hook-and-loop fasteners, magnetic elements, and threaded or other fasteners that extend through the insert and the deck. 
     In more dedicated embodiments, the lower surface of the insert includes skateboard trucks with rotating or non-rotating wheels, and the opposing ends of the deck may curve upwardly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a front view of a balance board according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective top view thereof; 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective beneath view thereof; 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective beneath view thereof; 
         FIG.  5    is a cross sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in  FIG.  5   ; 
         FIG.  7    is a front view showing a movement of the board shown in  FIGS.  1 - 6   ; 
         FIG.  8    is a side view showing a movement of the board of the board shown in  FIGS.  1 - 7   ; 
         FIG.  9    is a front view showing a movement of the board shown in  FIGS.  1 - 8   ; 
         FIG.  10    shows an embodiment of the invention utilizing a smaller ball; 
         FIG.  11    illustrates an embodiment of the invention utilizing a rolling pin; 
         FIG.  12 A  depicts the installation of an insert with front and back rollers; 
         FIG.  12 B  shows the rollers of  FIG.  12 A  installed; 
         FIG.  13 A  depicts the installation of an insert with front and back skateboard trucks; 
         FIG.  13 B  shows a skateboard embodiment fully assembled; 
         FIG.  14 A  illustrates an embodiment of the invention with stationary skateboard trucks during installation of the insert; and 
         FIG.  14 B  shows the embodiment of  FIG.  14 A  with the insert installed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention resides in balance boards and, in particular, versatile balance boards that are more physically challenging than existing devices. In some embodiments, balance boards according to the invention are modular, facilitating customization to particular sports or exercise regimes. 
     In preferred embodiments, the invention comprises an elongated board or “deck” having upper and lower surfaces, and wherein the lower surface includes a lengthwise groove to receive a separate ground-contacting element. As described in further detail below, the ground-contacting element may be a ball of different sizes, a front-to-back rolling pin, or an insert with rollers or skateboard trucks. 
     The deck may be constructed of any material capable of withstanding the weight of a heavy adult without breaking. Thus, the deck may be constructed from applicable plastics, various woods, metals such as aluminum, and/or composite materials such as carbon fiber. In preferred embodiments, the deck is of laminated construction, with bonded layers of wood or other materials to increase strength. It is acceptable that the decks flexes somewhat so long as it doesn’t break under normal use. 
     The dimensions of the deck are preferably such that a user  16  may stand with feet separated; for example, as depicted in  FIG.  1   . Thus, the length of the deck may be in the range of 24 to 36 inches, with the width of the board being on the order of 6 to 24 inches. The thickness of the deck should be in the range of ½ to 3 inches to enable a groove to be formed in the lower surface, whether during molding or machining after fabrication. 
     The upper surface of the deck  10  may be flat, as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 9   , or one or more ends may be contoured. For example, as shown in  FIGS.  10 - 13   , the ends of the deck  10  may be curved upwardly in keeping with more traditional skateboard designs. The ends and edges of the deck may be rounded to favor intended use over imbalance situations, and the upper surface may further be textured, or may include “grip tape” to enhance friction. 
       FIG.  1    is a view of one ball-and-groove embodiment constructed in accordance with the invention. The use of a separate ball  14  increases the difficulty of balancing on the board, while better simulating a board-type sport such as surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, and a variety of other sports. In this particular embodiment, the groove  12  is in a form or shape of a partial cylinder with spherical ends, and the radius of ball corresponds to the curvature of the walls and ends of the groove. The ball in this case (as well as other components described herein) is preferably constructed of a suitable hard plastic such as polyethylene. The ball may be hollow or solid and, where the radius of the ball matches the curvature of the groove, the radius may be in the range of ½ to 8 inches. 
     As shown, a portion of the ball is received by the groove, with the lower portion making ground contact. A user stands on the upper surface of the deck while the board is on top of the ball, making it difficult for a user to stand on the board without touching the ground and without assistance. An advanced use of the board may include moving the ball from one end of the board to another without touching the ground and without assistance. Another use of the ball may include rotating an end of the board to the other end without touching the ground and without assistance. 
       FIGS.  2  through  4    show different views according to an embodiment of  FIG.  1   .  FIG.  5    is a cross sectional view taken on the line of  5 - 5  in  FIG.  2   , and  FIG.  6    is a cross sectional view taken on the line of  6 - 6  in  FIG.  5   . These views show how the ball  14  fits into the groove  12 . 
       FIGS.  7  through  9    show movements of the board  10  and the ball  14  relative to each other.  FIGS.  7  and  8    shows the board  10  tilting at different angles with the ball  14  as a pivot.  FIG.  8    shows possible positions and movements of the ball  14  along the groove  12  of the board  10 . 
     Note that while the ball  14  typically rolls in groove  12  without sliding, slipping and sliding of the ball is not precluded by the invention, as both the outer surface of the ball and inner surface of the groove are generally smooth. Thus, depending upon the movements of the user, the ball may roll and/or slide within groove  12 . 
     The size of the ball and/or size of the groove may vary to increase or decrease the difficulty of riding the board. Changing the ball and/or groove would change also the rider’s experience.  FIG.  10   , for example, is a bottom side view of an embodiment of the invention using a smaller ball  20  than the one shown in previous figures. In this case the ball may have a diameter in the range of ½ to 8 inches. 
     The groove  22  may be the same as the one shown in previous figures, in which case the curvature of the sidewall  24  would not match the radius of ball  20 . Alternatively, the curvature of the sidewall may correspond to the radius of the radius of a smaller ball, in which case it may be advantageous to provide a flattened area between the inner curvature of the sidewalls  24 , enabling the smaller ball to roll from side to side as well as forward and back. As mentioned, the ends  28 ,  30  of the deck  32  may be configured for a flat or curved upper surface. 
       FIG.  11    illustrates a further embodiment wherein the ground-contacting element is a pin  40  that moves substantially forward and back as the user shifts their weight on the upper surface of the deck. In this embodiment, groove  42  may be the same as the groove shown in  FIG.  10   , or it may have a different shape, including the one shown in previous Figures to better correspond to the design of the pin. The pin  40  may have a central, cylindrical section  44  that rides within the groove  42 , with opposing bulbous ends  46 ,  48  with necked-down regions  50 ,  52  that ride on side edges  54 ,  56 . As with the ground-contact balls, the pin  40  may be made of any suitably durable material such as part plastic or hard rubber. While the pin  40  will largely maintain front-to-back tilting during use, a moderate degree of twisting is also possible depending upon user movement. 
     In addition to ground-contacting elements such as balls and pins that contact that move or ride on portions of the groove directly, the invention also contemplates the use of inserts received by the groove that provide other types of ground-contacting elements. The inserts disclosed herein may be held in position with and appropriate mechanism, such as hook-and-loop fasteners (not shown), magnets (not shown) or some combination thereof. The insert may have one or more finger holes and/or tabs or loops to assist with removal. As a further alternative, through bolts that extend through the insert and deck may be used. 
     As a first example,  FIG.  12    illustrates an insert  60  that provides front and back stationary rollers  62 ,  64 .  FIG.  12 A  shows the insert  60  being installed in groove  66 , and  FIG.  12 B  shows the insert  60  fully installed. Once installed, the rollers  62 ,  64  may be equidistant to their respective ends, facilitating symmetrical front/back/side usage, or the distances may be different for a different user experience. Like the decks themselves, inserts disclosed herein may be made from any suitable rigid or semi-rigid material such as hard plastic, wood, etc., without or without a laminated construction. 
       FIG.  13 A  depicts yet a different insert-based embodiment of the invention, in this case a panel  70  providing skateboard trucks and wheels  72 ,  74 .  FIG.  13 A  shows the insert  70  being installed in groove  76 , and  FIG.  13 B  shows the insert  70  fully installed. The insert may be held in position with and appropriate mechanism, such as hook-and-loop fasteners (not shown), magnets (not shown) or through bolts (not shown). Once installed, the trucks/wheels are preferably equidistant to their respective ends, and the ends of the deck preferably curve upwardly giving the user the fell and performance of a conventional skateboard. But unlike conventional skateboards, the insert  70  may be removed and replaced with a different insert, or a pin or a ball, as the case may be. 
     In addition to rolling wheels, there are stationary skateboard trucks that allow the user to practice skateboard tricks without worrying about the wheels rolling.  FIG.  14 A  illustrates such an embodiment of the invention having stationary skateboard trucks during installation of the insert, and  FIG.  14 B  shows the embodiment of  FIG.  14 A  with the insert installed.