US20120132877A1 - Bendable handrail assembly of an exercise apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A bendable handrail assembly of an exercise apparatus wherein the handrail assembly is divided into a fixed portion and a bent portion. The fixed portion is coupled with a tube and positioned at an inclined angle relative to the handrail support of the exercise apparatus. The bent portion includes at one end thereof an inclined shaft fitting into the tube, and the bent portion is positioned by means of an elastic element and a positioning element in a pivotable state. At that time, the bent portion can be brought in a nearly horizontal position relative to the ground. When the handrail assembly is bent, the bent portion can rotate on the inclined shaft along the inclined angle (Z-axis of space) in a vertical position relative to the ground.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Fields of the Invention
• The invention relates to a bendable handrail assembly of an exercise apparatus, and more particularly, to a structure that may avoid an unexpected false action and permit a constant and tight attachment of a bent portion. Moreover, the transport and the storage of the electric treadmill may be facilitated to a great extent.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• Not long ago, the U.S. administration bureau for safety control on the exercise apparatuses announced the requirements on the length of the handrails of the exercise apparatuses. The length of the handrail has to fulfill a certain criterion to achieve a basic safety protection during the exercise sessions. As a result, the packaging, the assembly, and the transport of the exercise apparatuses are affected to some extent. Regarding the impact on the packaging and the transport of the exercise apparatuses, the handrail and the handrail support have to be disassembled. Otherwise, the volume of the product will be substantially increased, thereby raising the transportation costs. At the same time, the self-assembly steps and their difficulty will be increased. Therefore, how to design the handrails without affecting the structural strength and under considerations on use safety, will become the serious issue for the manufacturing industry.
• According to the general principles of mechanical design, it is the easiest and the most economical way to the resolve the above-mentioned issue when the handrail can be freely bent. Most of the improved designs, as far as we observed, employ a structure capable of horizontally or vertically bending. In other words, the handrail includes a joint for bending in a horizontal direction (in X-axis of space) or in a vertical direction (in Y-axis of space).
• The above-mentioned improvement may fulfill the requirements on reduction of the volume and simplification of the assembly steps. However, the bending joint produces visible segments after the bending process. In addition to unsightliness, the inevitable defects on weakening the strength will also be created at the connection portions. Meanwhile, it is most likely to cause an unexpected false action in view of the holding and force-acting way. In other words, the handrail is easily rotated or moved by a lateral thrust or a longitudinal rotational force when the operator holds on the handrail. Therefore, the safety of the operator tends to be affected considerably. As a result, further improvements are required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• A primary object of the invention is to provide a bendable handrail assembly of an exercise apparatus. The handrail is divided into a fixed portion and a bent portion both of which are pivotably installed at an inclination on a handrail support of the exercise apparatus such that the bent portion is bendable along an inclined path in a vertical storage position. As a result, the bendable handrail assembly of the invention may avoid an unexpected false action and permit a constant and tight attachment of a bent portion. Moreover, the transport and the storage of the electric treadmill may be facilitated to a great extent.
• According to the invention, the handrail assembly is divided into a fixed portion and a bent portion. The fixed portion is coupled with a tube and positioned at an inclined angle relative to the handrail support of the exercise apparatus. The bent portion includes at one end thereof an inclined shaft fitting into the tube, and the bent portion is positioned by means of an elastic element and a positioning element in a pivotable state. At that time, the bent portion can be brought in a nearly horizontal position relative to the ground. When the handrail assembly is bent, the bent portion can rotate on the inclined shaft along the inclined angle (Z-axis of space) in a vertical position relative to the ground.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The accomplishment of this and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and its accompanying drawings of which:
• FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;
• FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of the invention according toFIG. 1 wherein the bent portion is bent in a vertical position;
• FIG. 3 is a an enlarged view of the encircled portion ofFIG. 1;
• FIG. 4 is a path diagram in bending the bent portion in a storage position; and
• FIG. 5 is a side view of the exercise apparatus ofFIG. 1 that is folded-up in a storage position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• The present invention will now be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings that show various embodiments of the invention.
• First of all, the invention can be applied to all exercise apparatuses such as treadmills, elliptical cross trainers, fitness bikes, steppers, etc. The treadmill is taken as an example for the following description.
• Referring toFIGS. 1 through 3, anelectric treadmill10 includes a treadmill'sdeck11 with ahandrail support20 at both sides thereof, afront support12, and a rear ground-touchingelement13. Moreover, a secondary ground-touchingelement14 for supporting the treadmill in a vertical position is disposed at the front end of thedeck11.
• Thehandrail assembly30 is divided into a fixedportion31 and abent portion32. Thefixed portion31 is coupled via atube33 to the top of thehandrail support20 of theelectric treadmill10 at an inclined angle. Thebent portion32 includes at one end thereof aninclined shaft34 fitting into thetube33. Thebent portion32 is positioned by means of anelastic element35 and apositioning element36 in a pivotable state. In this way, thebent portion32 can be brought in a nearly horizontal position relative to theground40.
• Based on the assembly of the above-mentioned components, as shown inFIG. 4, thebent portion32 can rotate on theinclined shaft34 along the inclined angle (Z-axis of space) in a vertical position relative to theground40 when thehandrail assembly30 is bent.
• Likewise, thebent portion32 can be bent along the reverse path from a vertical position into a horizontal position.
• Thebent portion32 and thetube33 are closely secured by use of the force of theelastic element35. Moreover, any parts of thebent portion32 and thetube33 won't be exposed to outside, thereby maintaining the overall appearance and the integrity at the interconnection section after the bending process.
• Theelectronic control console15 of theelectric treadmill10 can be installed at an extension part of thefixed portion31 of thehandrail assembly30. In this way, the bending action of thebent portion32 won't be affected at all.
• Thebent portion32 is moved only at a certain angle along an inclination path in a storage position or in an operation position. As a result, thebent portion32 is not easily shifted by a force in lateral or longitudinal direction. In this way, an unexpected false action can be avoided such that the safety of the operator in use may be fully ensured.
• As shown inFIG. 5, thedeck11 of theelectric treadmill10 is folded upward in a vertical storage position. Meanwhile, thebent portion32 of thehandrail assembly30 can be bent in a corresponding position. In this way, the total volume and the occupied space may be effectively reduced, thereby facilitating the transport and the storage of theelectric treadmill10 to a great extent.
• Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiment of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (3)

1. A bendable handrail assembly of an exercise apparatus, the handrail being divided into a fixed portion and a bent portion both of which are pivotably installed at an inclination on a handrail support of the exercise apparatus such that the bent portion is bendable along an inclined path in a vertical storage position.

2. A bendable handrail assembly of an exercise apparatus, the handrail assembly being divided into a fixed portion and a bent portion both of which are installed on a handrail support of the exercise apparatus,

wherein the fixed portion is coupled with a tube and positioned at an inclined angle relative to the handrail support of the exercise apparatus;

wherein the bent portion includes at one end thereof an inclined shaft fitting into the tube, and the bent portion is positioned by means of an elastic element and a positioning element in a pivotable state,

whereby the bent portion can be brought in a nearly horizontal position relative to the ground, and, when the handrail assembly is bent, the bent portion can rotate on the inclined shaft along the inclined angle in a vertical position relative to the ground.

3. A bendable handrail assembly of an exercise apparatus, the handrail assembly is installed on a handrail support of a electric treadmill,

wherein the electric treadmill includes a treadmill's deck with a handrail support at both sides thereof, a front support, and a rear ground-touching element;

wherein a secondary ground-touching element for supporting the treadmill in a vertical position is disposed at the front end of the deck;

wherein the handrail assembly is divided into a fixed portion and a bent portion;

wherein the fixed portion is coupled with a tube and positioned at an inclined angle relative to the top of the handrail support;

wherein the bent portion includes at one end thereof an inclined shaft fitting into the tube, and the bent portion is positioned by means of an elastic element and a positioning element in a pivotable state,

whereby the bent portion can be brought in a nearly horizontal position relative to the ground, and, when the handrail assembly is bent, the bent portion can rotate on the inclined shaft along the inclined angle in a vertical position relative to the ground.

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