Abstract:
A footrest which is adapted to be used by a person for exercise, enjoyment and relaxation. The footrest included an arcuate upper surface for contact by the feet of the user and motion enabling means for allowing the user to move the footrest virtually omnidirectionally. The footrest incorporates a mechanism to ground the unit if excessive force is applied to it exceeding a preselected amount. The grounding mechanism includes preloaded compressed springs which allow one element of the footrest to inhibit the motion enabling means upon application of a preselected force or a given displacement.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/993,929, filed on Jun. 8, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety hereinto by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This present invention relates to footrests, and more particularly, to a footrest of a type which is adapted to be movable, rather than fixed in place, for exercise and relaxation purposes, by a person using the footrest. 
         [0003]    Footrests typically are of the fixed variety in which no movement of the footrest itself is intended during the time the feet of the user are supported thereby. In the variety of footrests that are designed to be moved by the feet of the user, such movement is generally greatly limited to a small set of movements, typically, a simple and in-line, rocking motion which does little by way of providing exercise or relaxation or amusement to the user. 
         [0004]    In order to address the limited variety and ranger of motions generally provided to a user by footrests, the footrest of the invention is provided with structural parts which allow its user easily to move the footrest using his/her feet while being seated in a position generally above and to one side of the footrest. Movement of the footrest is accomplished by the user&#39;s application of a directed force through his/her feet to the top cover of the footrest. 
         [0005]    Even more specifically, the footrest of the invention is designed to be used by a person seated above and to one side of the footrest, with the feet of the user resting on the top of the footrest. In such position and as a result of the unique motion-enabling structure of the footrest of the invention as, will be described hereinafter, the user is empowered to move the footrest continuously and omnidirectionally from one position to another and, in addition, optionally to rock and/or tilt the footrest in a manner as will be described hereinafter. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The distinguishing features and advantages of the mobile footrest of this invention over previous attempts at providing analogous capabilities in like products will be apparent from an understanding of the operation thereof gleaned from the hereinafter description and the attached documents and supplemental information. 
         [0007]    In the soft or “air” version, the footrest of the invention will be seen to comprise a foot contacting upper cover. The cover is comprised of a mesh membtrane stretched tautly across a rigid support rim defining an oval central opening. The membrane allows air communication with the interior of the footrest and also provides a relatively soft and resilient surface for contact with the user&#39;s feet. The cover of the soft or “air” version further includes a foam insert to support and cushion the membrane on a contoured main body. The main body operates to tie together the cover on the upper side of the unit with a frame on the lower side of the unit. The frame of the product serves to support a set of standard motion enabling rolling devices for produce omnidirectional motion of the unit under the influence of the feet of the user. The omnidirectional motion generatring devices are shown as a set of casters for enabling the unit to be easily and omnidirectionally moved by the feet of a user located generally above and to one side of the unit. Many standard forms of these devices may be employed for this purpose. While omni directionality of motion is the preferred form, other motion enabling devices which produce a somewhat more restricted set of motions may be substituted. 
         [0008]    The air version of the footrest of the invention also includes a mechanism for grounding the unit when a preselected downwardly directed force is applied to it. This grounding mechanism takes the form of a resilient mounting arrangement, which when unstressed or stressed below a preselected force level or when subject to some other condition such as a not exceeding a specific displacement, allows the unit to move omnidirectionally and, when stressed at or above the preselected level or subject to a displacement beyond a preselected amount, prevents the unit from moving, by forcing a part of the unit into contact with the floor or other support surface or releasing into action some other grounding, braking or stopping mechanism that prevents the unit from moving. 
         [0009]    The hard version operates substantially the same way as the soft version. The main difference is that the user&#39;s feet in the hard version rest on a hard plastic shell. Friction increasing surfaces may be located on portions of the shell contacted by the user&#39;s feet to allow the user to maneuver the unit more easily. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a top, front, right side perspective view of a footrest according to the instant invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a bottom, rear, right side perspective view thereof; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view thereof, with the mesh membrane cut away to show the interior of the footrest; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a bottom plan thereof; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a side elevational view thereof, both the right and left side elevational views being identical; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a rear elevational view thereof, both the front and rear elevational views being identical; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  illustrates a user with feet positioned on the footrest of the invention in a position to move the footrest; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the footrest with portions thereof cut away to display internal features of the structure of the footrest including the caster frame and suspension; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the basis structure of the footrest for the purpose of understanding how the various elements are coupled together to form a unit; 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  shows a front view of the footrest; 
           [0020]      FIGS. 11 and 12  are sectional views along the lines shown in  FIG. 10  to illustrate the different positions of the footrest in response to stable and unstable conditions, as will be explained further hereinafter,  FIG. 10  illustrating the stable and  FIG. 11  the unstable positions, respectively; 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  shows an accessory that transforms the footrest from a device which undergoes translational motion along the horizontal support surface to one which rocks and tilts instead by the use of caster covers which suspend the action of the casters; 
           [0022]      FIGS. 14 and 15  show perspectives of the accessory of  FIG. 13  that show details of the construction of the accessory; 
           [0023]      FIGS. 16-18  further illustrate the structure of the accessory of  FIG. 13  in place over the casters of the footrest; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 19 and 20  illustrate the rocking and tilting action of the footrest with the accessory of  FIG. 13  in place on the footrest; 
           [0025]      FIGS. 21-23  show the details of a cooling accessory for the footrest of the invention; 
           [0026]      FIGS. 24-26  show the details of a heating accessory for the footrest of the invention; and 
           [0027]      FIGS. 27-33  show a simplified and less costly embodiment for carrying out the goals of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]    The construction and operation of the mobile footrest of the invention first will be generally described with reference to the  FIGS. 1-7 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the footrest  1  of the invention is intended for operation by a human user  10  who is usually seated on a chair  50  so that the user is located generally to one side and elevated with respect to the footrest. In this position, the user is able comfortably to rest his/her feet on the footrest generally as shown. The outer contour of the footrest  1  can be seen from the drawings to be roughly similar to that of a skateboard. 
         [0029]    The footrest includes a cover  11  which presents a soft, airy feel to the foot of the user. The cover  11  has a mesh, air penetrable upper contact surface  12  which is softened by an foam cushion  14  underneath and adjacent the mesh surface  12  in areas directly outside a central oval region of the footrest. The footrest includes a plurality of motion enabling means  24  that allow a user to move the footrest with a great degree of freedom. The motion enabling means  24  may comprise a plurality of casters  25  protruding from the bottom of the footrest so as to rest on the floor or other horizontal support surface. The casters  25  or equivalent structure provide a user with the ability to move the unit virtually omnidirectionally or at least in multiple directions to thereby create a large set of motions for the user to enjoy and experiment with while seated. By applying a force of appropriate magnitude and direction to the upper surface  11  of the unit with his/her feet, the user can control the direction, range and rate of movement of the unit. The movement of the footrest may be intermittent or continuous along the floor or the horizontal support surface in response to changes in direction and force applied by the feet of the user to the top surface of the footrest. The movement of the footrest is translational in nature, i.e., as a unit along the support surface. Alternatively, the motion of the footrest may be rotational in nature, such as by rocking or tilting of the unit, as will be explained hereinafter. The above flexibility of multi-directional translational motion along with rotational motion by the footrest provides a degree of exercise, amusement and relaxation for the user not found in footrests of the prior art. 
         [0030]    In greater detail and referring now to  FIG. 9 , the aforementioned cover  11  is carried by a main frame  15  having the shape of a saddle with a generally inverted U shaped cross section. The soft foam cushion  14  has the same general shape as the frame  15  and is located intermediate the frame and the mesh. The cushion  14  operates to soften the feel of the frame  15  to the user&#39;s feet. The frame  15  is of molded plastic and has a groove  16  located on its side facing the cushion and mesh adjacent the periphery of the top side of the frame  15 . The cushion  14  and mesh  11  are fixed to the frame by first arranging the mesh surface and cushion as shown and pulling them tightly over the frame  15 . A elongated, circular in cross section hard rubber spline  18  having an appropriate diameter is then arranged over the cover and forced into the groove  16  in the frame. The frame and foam cushion each have coaxial oval-shaped openings  22 . When assembled the openings  22  are aligned above one another with the openings being covered by the central portion of the mesh surface  11 . The oval opening  22  in the frame  15  is defined by a rim portion  23  the circumscribes the top of the opening. The membrane is made of a flexible, mesh material and is tautly supported over the oval opening by the rim  23 . In this fashion, the foam cushion  14  both supports and cushions the membrane on the main frame  15  from the areas adjacent the rim  23  outwardly to the periphery of the footrest. 
         [0031]    Opposite ends  16  of the arch or inverted U section of the saddle shaped main body  15 , along with corresponding adjacent areas of the of the frame  20 , are turned upwardly in the direction away from the casters so as to allow the user to tilt the unit by pressing down on one foot harder than the other, as illustrated in  FIGS. 19 and 20 . 
         [0032]    The main body  15  has appropriately shaped lands and shoulders that extend circumferentially and downward in the direction of the periphery of the unit to maintain the generally convex shape of the upper side of the product as viewed from above. The main body is generally in the shape of a saddle with a U shaped cross-section and forms a central oval opening that is generally concentric with the openings formed by the rim and insert. The casters  25  are supported in a caster frame  20 . For this purpose, the casters  25  each have an upstanding projection  26  which frictionally interfits, in a conventional fashion, into appropriately shaped cylindrical recesses in the underbody of the frame  20 . 
         [0033]    As mentioned hereinbefore, a grounding arrangement prevents the footrest from moving on its casters  25  if a downwardly directed force exceeding a preselected level is applied to the unit. The grounding arrangement is achieved by mounting the inner frame  20  a fixed distance from the floor by virtue of the caster/frame support explained above, but floating the main frame  15  with respect to the caster frame  20  on preloaded compressed springs  37 . As best seen in  FIGS. 10 to 12 , two springs  37  have their first or upper ends received in downwardly directed recesses in main frame  15 . In similar fashion, the other lower ends of springs  37  are received in upwardly directed recesses in the caster frame  20 . Washer  35 -retainer  40  pairs are passed through recesses  43  in the frame  20  with the screw end of the retainers  40  fixed in bosses in the frame  15 . The retainers  40  are screwed into the frame  15  to preload the compression springs  37  such that the frame  15  is held by the compressed springs  37  a small vertical distance  39  from the frame  20 . With no downward external force applied to the unit a relatively large gap or distance  39  is maintained between these members, the size of the gap being limited seating of the washer  35  of the washer-retainer pairs. The strength of the springs  37  is selected to maintain the gap under the normal force applied by the user in moving the footrest under conditions where a large part of his/her weight is supported by a chair or equivalent structure. As the force downwardly on the unit is increased (such as by the user attempting to ride the footrest like a skateboard), this gap  39  decreases as the force applied overcomes the preloading established by the springs. The preloading is established generally to be about equal to the weight of the user&#39;s legs alone, this being what is normally applied to the footrest under stable operation. Under this condition, the gap decreases, the frame  15  moving downward toward both the frame  20  and the floor  5 . When the force pushing downwardly on the unit exceeds a preselected value, the frame  15  moves downwardly sufficiently to “ground” itself on the floor  5 , with friction pads  55  touching the floor. The unit is thereby immobilized by preventing the casters  25  from rolling due to the increased friction resulting from the body member  15  contacting the floor. Other mechanisms may be substituted for the grounding mechanism shown herein to accomplish the grounding function. Any arrangement which senses a preselected condition of excessive force or displacement or the like and triggers into action a mechanism which disables the unit from moving may be used. 
         [0034]      FIGS. 13-15  are directed to an accessory attachment to the basic footrest described thus far to negative the translational movement of the footrest and to allow only a limited rocking and tilting motion. This is accomplished by means of plastic caps or covers  60  which are snap onto the underside of the footrest and over the casters  25 . The caps  60  fit tightly over by using complementary mating formations. As seen in the figures, the caps have alignment slots  62  which and a triangular projections which slip into lock the cap to the underbody of the footrest.  FIG. 13  shows one cap about to be snapped into place and the other already in place on the unit. Formations  66  may be molded onto the bottom most, outward surface of the caps to achieve additional stability for the unit by increasing frictional contact with the floor.  FIGS. 16-18  shows the cap in place on a footrest. The purpose of the caps is to convert the unit into a more limited motion device at the choice of the user. The rocking motion of the unit with the caps in place is shown in  FIG. 19 , while the tilting motion of the unit with caps  60  in place is shown in  FIG. 20 . 
         [0035]      FIGS. 21-26  illustrate accessory arrangements for cooling and heating the feet of the user of the footrest to make use of it more relaxation and comfortable under various ambient conditions. Referring to  FIGS. 21-23  there is shown the footrest of the invention having an cooling accessory in the form of an oval shaped attachment  122  to the footrest. The attachment comprises an air director or baffle  122 , a fan support wall  126  and two fans  128  attachable to the support wall.  FIG. 24  shows the attachment mounted in place on a footrest of the invention. To preassemble the attachment, the baffle  122  is first positioned over the support structure  126  and attached thereto with screws (not shown). The fans  128  are then attached to the support  126  in the openings  127  also with screws. The battery compartment  129  and switch  130  are also mounted to the support wall  126  on its underside, with perhaps a final plastic cover to complete the enclosure, if felt necessary. When completed the wall is finally attached to the footrest underbody surrounding the oval opening  22 . When in place and operating, the fans  128  move air from under the unit through the openings  124  in the baffle  126  Air is thereby circulated out of the openings  124  of the diffuser into contact with the feet of the user. 
         [0036]    A heating unit using the same structure as the cooling unit but with the addition of a heating coil  140  and suitable connections to the diffuser is shown in  FIG. 25 . The unit operates on battery power or residential power through plug  135 . The operation is self explanatory. 
         [0037]    Finally, an alternative construction which is less expensive and less complicated is shown in  FIGS. 27-33 . In view of the prior description, it is also quite easy to understand. Essentially, a simple tubular frame  100  in the form shown is provided to which is added a mesh material similar to the material described in the earlier embodiment. Cross bars  101  are attached to the frame  100  by suitable screws  103  and the casters are mounted to the cross members in a conventional manner. The mesh fabric sock is sock  112  in the form shown in  FIG. 33  is secured to the frame  100  and cross members by slipping it over the frame. The unit shown in  FIGS. 27-33  operates in a fashion similar to the earlier embodiment. 
         [0038]    This invention can be constructed using known materials and methods such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,368 and the patents made of record during the examination of that patent, which are incorporated hereinto by reference. One method and construction, among others, for attaching the mesh contact surface to a supporting frame is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,251,917, in the name of Sava Cvek, and the disclosure of that patent is incorporated hereinto by reference. 
         [0039]    While the preferred arrangement for the footrest is to use a soft mesh foot contacting surface, it is also possible to employ a hard upper surface which gives a more direct control of the footrest.