Patent Description:
Treadmills with armrests may enable functions such as placement of mobile phones and water bottles, which brings convenience to users. However, some treadmills have fixedly mounted armrests that cannot be folded and results in inconvenience for storage. In addition, the armrests need to be disengaged before transportation and then mounted again, which is troublesome. Some treadmills with folding armrests require operations at two sides of the armrests for folding, which is cumbersome. For some treadmills without armrests, the addition of folding armrest handles may be complex in structure, and it is inconvenient for ordinary purchasers to mount the armrest handles.

<CIT> discloses a folding mechanism for an armrest handle of a treadmill, comprising an armrest handle having left and right bottom ends that are configured to be connected to a treadmill, and a rotational assembly comprising: a first connecting plate, a first through hole being disposed on the first connecting plate, a second connecting plate, a second through hole being disposed on the second connecting plate, a rotation control plate, an arc-shaped sliding groove being disposed on the rotation control plate, one end of the sliding groove being provided with a limiting hole that is in communication with the sliding groove, the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate being fixedly connected to medial sides of the left and right bottom ends, separately, of the armrest handle opposite each other, the rotation control plate being fixedly mounted at one side of the first connecting plate, and the limiting hole being mounted opposite to the first through hole.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a folding mechanism for an armrest handle of a treadmill, which enables the armrest handle to be folded through an operation at one side of the treadmill, so as to achieve an easy operation, a simple structure, and convenience in mounting.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution.

A folding mechanism for an armrest handle of a treadmill includes: an armrest handle having left and right bottom ends that are configured to be connected to a treadmill; a rotational assembly, including: a connecting rod, a limiting member being provided on a left section of the connecting rod, and a diameter of the limiting member being greater than a diameter of the connecting rod; a first connecting plate, a first through hole being disposed on the first connecting plate, and a diameter of the first through hole being greater than the diameter of the limiting member; a second connecting plate, a second through hole being disposed on the second connecting plate, and a diameter of the second through hole being greater than the diameter of the connecting rod; and a rotation control plate, an arc-shaped sliding groove being disposed on the rotation control plate, one end of the sliding groove being provided with a limiting hole that is in communication with the sliding groove, a width of the sliding groove being greater than a width of the connecting rod and less than a width of the limiting member, and a diameter of the limiting hole being greater than the diameter of the limiting member; the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate being fixedly connected to medial sides of the left and right bottom ends, separately, of the armrest handle opposite each other; the rotation control plate being fixedly mounted at one side of the first connecting plate, and the limiting hole being mounted opposite to the first through hole; left and right ends of the connecting rod being connected to the left and right bottom ends of the armrest handle, respectively, through the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate; the connecting rod being not capable of sliding along the sliding groove in a case that the limiting member is positioned in the limiting hole; and the connecting rod being capable of sliding along the sliding groove in a case that the limiting member is moved left and out of the limiting hole.

Further, a limiting cap is provided at a lateral side of the second connecting plate, a right end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the limiting cap after passing through the second through hole, and a diameter of the limiting cap is greater than the diameter of the second through hole; a support sleeve is provided at a lateral side of the first connecting plate, a third through hole is disposed at one end of the support sleeve, a diameter of the third through hole is greater than the diameter of the limiting member, an abutting ring is provided at the other end of the support sleeve, a fourth through hole, which is in communication with the third through hole, is disposed at a center of the abutting ring, and a diameter of the fourth through hole is greater than the diameter of the connecting rod and less than the diameter of the limiting member; a left end of the connecting rod successively passes through the fourth through hole and the third through hole to be engaged to an eccentric cam handle; the limiting member is positioned in the limiting hole in a case that the eccentric cam handle is rotated to a closed state, and the limiting member is moved out of the limiting hole in a case that the eccentric cam handle is rotated to an open state.

A first spring is provided inside the support sleeve, with one end of the first spring abutting against an inner wall of the abutting ring, and the other end of the first spring abutting against the limiting member.

Further, a support sleeve is further provided at the lateral side of the second connecting plate, the diameter of the limiting cap is less than the diameter of the third through hole, and a second spring is provided inside the support sleeve, with one end of the second spring abutting against an inner wall of the abutting ring, and the other end of the second spring abutting against the limiting cap.

Further, a rotation control plate is further fixedly mounted at a medial side of the second connecting plate, and the limiting hole is mounted opposite to the second through hole; a limiting member is further provided on a right section of the connecting rod; the right limiting member on the connecting rod is positioned in the right limiting hole in the case that the eccentric cam handle is rotated to the closed state, and the right limiting member on the connecting rod is moved out of the right limiting hole in the case that the eccentric cam handle is rotated to the open state.

Further, a first mounting hole is disposed on the first connecting plate, a second mounting hole is disposed on the rotation control plate, and a fastener successively passes through the left bottom end of the armrest handle, the first mounting hole, and the second mounting hole so as to fixedly connect the first connecting plate and the rotation control plate to a left end of the armrest handle.

Further, a third mounting hole is disposed on the second connecting plate, a second mounting hole is disposed on the right rotation control plate, and a fastener successively passes through the third mounting hole, the second mounting hole, and the right bottom end of the armrest handle so as to fixedly connect the second connecting plate and the right rotation control plate to a right end of the armrest handle.

It can be seen from the analysis that the folding mechanism for an armrest handle of a treadmill disclosed herein enables the armrest handle to be folded through an operation at one side of the treadmill, so as to achieve an easy operation, a simple structure, and convenience in mounting.

The technical solution of the present invention reduces the operational difficulty, the replacement time, and the working intensity, as well as costs.

The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this application, are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The illustrative embodiments of the present invention, together with the descriptions thereof, serve to explain the present invention and do not constitute undue limitations on the present invention. In the drawings:.

Description of reference numerals: <NUM>-armrest handle; <NUM>-rotational assembly; <NUM>-connecting rod; <NUM>-limiting member; <NUM>-first connecting plate; <NUM>-first mounting hole; <NUM>-first through hole; <NUM>-rotation control plate; <NUM>-second mounting hole; <NUM>-sliding groove; <NUM>-limiting hole; <NUM>-fastener; <NUM>-eccentric cam handle; <NUM>-first spring; <NUM>-support sleeve; <NUM>-third through hole; <NUM>-abutting ring; <NUM>-fourth through hole; <NUM>-limiting cap; <NUM>-second connecting plate; <NUM>-third mounting hole; <NUM>-second through hole; <NUM>-second spring; <NUM>-treadmill frame tube; and <NUM>-fourth mounting hole.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments. The various examples are provided by way of interpretation of the present invention and not limiting the present invention. In practice, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is defined in the appended claims. For example, features shown or described as part of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. It is therefore desirable that the present invention encompass such modifications and variations falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the description of the present invention, the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom" and the like denote orientation or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings and are intended for ease of description only and not to require that the present invention is to be constructed and operated in a particular orientation and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the present invention. The terms "join", "connect", and "dispose" used in the present invention shall be understood in a broad sense, for example, which may refer to a fixed connection or a detachable connection; which may refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through intermediate components; which may refer to a wired electrical connection, a wireless electrical connection, or a wireless communication signal connection, and the specific meanings of the above terms may be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to a specific situation.

One or more examples of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description uses numeric and letter designations to refer to features in the drawings. Similar or like reference signs in the drawings and descriptions have been used to refer to similar or like parts of the present invention. As used herein, the terms such as "first", "second", and "third" are used interchangeably to distinguish one member from another and are not intended to denote the location or importance of any individual member.

As shown in <FIG>, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a folding mechanism for an armrest handle of a treadmill is provided, including an armrest handle <NUM>, two bottom ends of the armrest handle <NUM> being foldably mounted to a treadmill through a rotational assembly <NUM>. The rotational assembly <NUM> includes a connecting rod <NUM>, a first connecting plate <NUM>, and a second connecting plate <NUM>. The first connecting plate <NUM> and the second connecting plate <NUM> are fixedly mounted at medial sides of the two bottom ends, separately, of the armrest handle <NUM> opposite each other. A first mounting hole <NUM> is disposed on the first connecting plate <NUM> for fixed connection with the armrest handle <NUM>, and a first through hole <NUM> is further disposed on the first connecting plate <NUM> for an end of the connecting rod <NUM> to pass through. A rotation control plate <NUM> is further provided between the first connecting plate <NUM> and the connecting rod <NUM>, and a second mounting hole <NUM> is disposed on the rotation control plate <NUM>. An arc-shaped sliding groove <NUM> is disposed below the second mounting hole <NUM> with the second mounting hole <NUM> as a center. A width of the sliding groove <NUM> matches with a diameter of the connecting rod <NUM> such that the connecting rod <NUM> can pass through the sliding groove <NUM> and slide within the sliding groove <NUM>. Two ends of the connecting rod <NUM> are each provided with a column-shaped limiting member <NUM>, and a diameter of the limiting member <NUM> is greater than the diameter of the connecting rod <NUM>. Besides, the diameter of the limiting member <NUM> is greater than the width of the sliding groove <NUM>, such that the limiting member <NUM> cannot pass through the sliding groove <NUM>. Correspondingly, a limiting hole <NUM> is disposed on the rotation control plate <NUM> at an end of the sliding groove <NUM>, and the limiting hole <NUM> is in communication with the sliding groove <NUM>. A diameter of the limiting hole <NUM> matches with the diameter of the limiting member <NUM>, such that the limiting member <NUM> can pass through the limiting hole <NUM>. Further, a diameter of the first through hole <NUM> matches with the diameter of the limiting member <NUM>, such that the limiting member <NUM> can pass through the first through hole <NUM>. The first connecting plate <NUM> and the rotation control plate <NUM> are fixedly connected to an end at one side of the armrest handle <NUM> via a fastener <NUM> that successively passes through the bottom end of the armrest handle <NUM>, the first mounting hole <NUM>, and the second mounting hole <NUM> so as to fix the first connecting plate <NUM> and the rotation control plate <NUM> to the armrest handle <NUM>.

A third mounting hole <NUM> is disposed on the second connecting plate <NUM> for fixed connection with the armrest handle <NUM>. A second through hole <NUM> is further disposed on the second connecting plate <NUM>, and a diameter of the second through hole <NUM> is greater than the diameter of the connecting rod <NUM> and less than the diameter of the limiting member <NUM>. Likewise, a rotation control plate <NUM> is provided between the second connecting plate <NUM> and the connecting rod <NUM>. At an end at the other side of the armrest handle <NUM>, a fastener <NUM> successively passes through the armrest handle <NUM>, the third mounting hole <NUM>, and the second mounting hole <NUM> so as to fixedly mount the second connecting plate <NUM> and the rotation control plate <NUM> to the end of the armrest handle <NUM>. The left end of the connecting rod <NUM> successively passes through the limiting hole <NUM> and the first through hole <NUM> to be connected to the first connecting plate <NUM>, and the right end of the connecting rod <NUM> successively passes through the limiting hole <NUM> and the second through hole <NUM> to be connected to the second connecting plate <NUM>, thereby realizing the connection between the connecting rod <NUM> and the armrest handle <NUM>. When the limiting member <NUM> of the connecting rod <NUM> is positioned in the limiting hole <NUM>, the connecting rod <NUM> is in a locked connection with the rotation control plate <NUM>. As such, the connecting rod <NUM> cannot be moved into the sliding groove <NUM>, and the armrest handle <NUM> is in a rotation-locked state. When the limiting member <NUM> of the connecting rod <NUM> is moved out of the limiting hole <NUM>, the connecting rod <NUM> is in a limited sliding connection with the rotation control plate <NUM>, the connecting rod <NUM> can be moved into the sliding groove <NUM>, and as such, the armrest handle <NUM> is in a rotation-unlocked state.

When mounted, one end of the connecting rod <NUM> successively passes through the first connecting plate <NUM> at one side of the armrest handle <NUM>, the rotation control plate <NUM>, the rotation control plate <NUM> at the other side of the armrest handle <NUM>, and the second connecting plate <NUM> until the limiting member <NUM> at an extending end of the connecting rod <NUM> abuts against the second connecting plate <NUM>.

The two ends of the connecting rod <NUM> are separately provided with a first spring <NUM> and a second spring <NUM>. The first spring <NUM> and the second spring <NUM> are of the same size and each sheathed within a support sleeve <NUM>. A third through hole <NUM> with a diameter matching with the diameter of the limiting member <NUM> is disposed at an end of the support sleeve <NUM>, such that the limiting member <NUM> can be moved into the support sleeve <NUM> through the third through hole <NUM>. An abutting ring <NUM> is provided at the other end of the support sleeve <NUM> for abutting against the end of the first spring <NUM> or the second spring <NUM>. A fourth through hole <NUM> is disposed at a center of the abutting ring <NUM>. A diameter of the fourth through hole <NUM> matches with the diameter of the connecting rod <NUM> such that the end of the connecting rod <NUM> can pass through the fourth through hole <NUM>.

At the side of the armrest handle <NUM> with the second connecting plate <NUM>, the end of the support sleeve <NUM> with the abutting ring <NUM> abuts against the second connecting plate <NUM>. After the connecting rod <NUM> successively passes through the limiting hole <NUM>, the second through hole <NUM>, the third through hole <NUM>, and the second spring <NUM>, the end of the connecting rod <NUM> is fixedly connected to a limiting cap <NUM>. A diameter of the limiting cap <NUM> matches with a diameter of the third through hole <NUM> of the support sleeve <NUM> such that the limiting cap <NUM> can be moved into the support sleeve <NUM>. One end of the second spring <NUM> abuts against the abutting ring <NUM>, and the other end of the second spring <NUM> abuts against the limiting cap <NUM>.

At the side of the armrest handle <NUM> with the first connecting plate <NUM>, the diameter of the first through hole <NUM> of the first connecting plate <NUM> is greater than an outer diameter of the support sleeve <NUM>, such that the support sleeve <NUM> can pass through the first through hole <NUM>. The end of the support sleeve <NUM> with the third through hole <NUM> passes through the first through hole <NUM> of the first connecting plate <NUM> and abuts against the rotation control plate <NUM>. The connecting rod <NUM> successively passes through the limiting hole <NUM> of the rotation control plate <NUM>, the first through hole <NUM> of the first connecting plate <NUM>, the first spring <NUM>, and the fourth through hole <NUM> of the support sleeve <NUM>. The limiting member <NUM> successively passes through the limiting hole <NUM> and the first through hole <NUM> to abut against one end of the first spring <NUM>, and the other end of the first spring <NUM> abuts against the abutting ring <NUM> at an inner side of the support sleeve <NUM>. The end of the connecting rod <NUM>, after passing through the support sleeve <NUM>, is fixedly connected to an eccentric cam handle <NUM>. The eccentric cam handle <NUM> is an eccentric cam operation handle, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. As the eccentric cam handle <NUM> is rotated at different angles, a length of the connecting rod <NUM> that is pulled outwards can be adjusted, and the limiting member <NUM> can be moved out of the limiting hole <NUM>, thereby enabling control of rotation-locked and rotation-unlocked states of the armrest handle <NUM> by the eccentric cam handle <NUM>. The right limiting member <NUM> on the connecting rod <NUM> is positioned in the right limiting hole <NUM> when the eccentric cam handle <NUM> is rotated to the closed state, and the right limiting member <NUM> on the connecting rod <NUM> is moved out of the right limiting hole <NUM> when the eccentric cam handle <NUM> is rotated to the open state. In addition, the support sleeve <NUM> can also abut against the surface of the first connecting plate <NUM>, such that the limiting member <NUM> can be moved into the support sleeve <NUM> through the limiting hole <NUM>, the first through hole <NUM>, and the third through hole <NUM>, so as to abut against the first spring <NUM>. The length of the support sleeve <NUM> or the length of the first spring <NUM> at this side may be further adjusted, such that the two ends of the connecting rod <NUM> are moved by the same amount, thereby enabling the limiting members <NUM> at the two ends of the connecting rod <NUM> to be synchronously moved out of corresponding limiting holes <NUM>, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

When the folding mechanism for an armrest handle is mounted on a treadmill, fourth mounting holes <NUM> are first disposed separately at symmetrical positions on treadmill frame tubes <NUM> at two sides of the treadmill. At the left side of the treadmill, a fastener <NUM> successively passes through the through hole at the left bottom end of the armrest handle <NUM>, the first mounting hole <NUM> of the first connecting plate <NUM>, the second mounting hole <NUM> of the rotation control plate <NUM>, and the left fourth mounting hole <NUM> on the treadmill so as to engage the left lower end of the armrest handle <NUM>, the first connecting plate <NUM>, and the rotation control plate <NUM> to the left treadmill frame tube <NUM> of the treadmill. At the right side of the treadmill, a fastener <NUM> successively passes through the through hole at the right bottom end of the armrest handle <NUM>, the third mounting hole <NUM> of the second connecting plate <NUM>, the second mounting hole <NUM> of the rotation control plate <NUM>, and the right fourth mounting hole <NUM> on the treadmill so as to engage the right bottom end of the armrest handle <NUM>, the second connecting plate <NUM>, and the rotation control plate <NUM> to the right treadmill frame tube <NUM> of the treadmill. Then the connecting rod <NUM> enters the left side of the armrest handle <NUM>, successively passes through the first through hole <NUM> of the first connecting plate <NUM> and the limiting hole <NUM> of the rotation control plate <NUM>, and then successively passes through the limiting hole <NUM> of the right rotation control plate <NUM> and the second through hole <NUM> of the second connecting plate <NUM>, such that the end of the limiting member <NUM> at the right end of the connecting rod <NUM> abuts against the second connecting plate <NUM>. Next, the second spring <NUM>, the support sleeve <NUM>, and the limiting cap <NUM> at the right side of the armrest handle <NUM> are fixedly connected, and then the first spring <NUM>, the support sleeve <NUM>, and the eccentric cam handle <NUM> at the left side of the armrest handle <NUM> are fixedly mounted, thus completing mounting.

Further, the combination of the rotation control plate <NUM> with the limiting member <NUM> may be provided only at one side of the armrest handle, which may also achieve the rotation control of the armrest handle <NUM>. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the connecting rod <NUM> is provided with a limiting member <NUM> only on the left side, and a rotation control plate <NUM> is provided at the left end of the armrest handle <NUM>. Compared with the case where the rotation control plates <NUM> and the limiting members <NUM> are provided on two sides, this embodiment requires reduced component parts and material costs, and achieves simplification in mounting.

From the above description, it can be seen that the above embodiments of the present invention achieve the following technical effects.

Compared with the prior art, the folding mechanism for an armrest handle of a treadmill of the present invention enables the armrest handle to be folded through an operation at one side of the treadmill, so as to achieve an easy operation, a simple structure, and convenience in mounting.

Claim 1:
A folding mechanism for an armrest handle of a treadmill, comprising:
an armrest handle (<NUM>) having left and right bottom ends that are configured to be connected to a treadmill;
a rotational assembly (<NUM>), comprising:
a connecting rod (<NUM>), a limiting member (<NUM>) being provided on a left section of the connecting rod (<NUM>), and a diameter of the limiting member (<NUM>) being greater than a diameter of the connecting rod (<NUM>);
a first connecting plate (<NUM>), a first through hole (<NUM>) being disposed on the first connecting plate (<NUM>), and a diameter of the first through hole (<NUM>) being greater than the diameter of the limiting member (<NUM>);
a second connecting plate (<NUM>), a second through hole (<NUM>) being disposed on the second connecting plate (<NUM>), and a diameter of the second through hole (<NUM>) being greater than the diameter of the connecting rod (<NUM>); and
a rotation control plate (<NUM>), an arc-shaped sliding groove (<NUM>) being disposed on the rotation control plate (<NUM>), one end of the sliding groove (<NUM>) being provided with a limiting hole (<NUM>) that is in communication with the sliding groove (<NUM>), a width of the sliding groove (<NUM>) being greater than a width of the connecting rod (<NUM>) and less than a width of the limiting member (<NUM>), and a diameter of the limiting hole (<NUM>) being greater than the diameter of the limiting member (<NUM>);
the first connecting plate (<NUM>) and the second connecting plate (<NUM>) being fixedly connected to medial sides of the left and right bottom ends, separately, of the armrest handle (<NUM>) opposite each other; the rotation control plate (<NUM>) being fixedly mounted at one side of the first connecting plate (<NUM>), and the limiting hole (<NUM>) being mounted opposite to the first through hole (<NUM>); left and right ends of the connecting rod (<NUM>) being connected to the left and right bottom ends of the armrest handle (<NUM>), respectively, through the first connecting plate (<NUM>) and the second connecting plate (<NUM>); the connecting rod (<NUM>) being not capable of sliding along the sliding groove (<NUM>) in a case that the limiting member (<NUM>) is positioned in the limiting hole (<NUM>), and the connecting rod (<NUM>) being capable of sliding along the sliding groove (<NUM>) in a case that the limiting member (<NUM>) is moved left and out of the limiting hole (<NUM>).