Abstract
A machine that facilitates the performance of physical therapy exercises with or without the assistance of a physical therapist. The device allows a patient to sit upon a table, and connect the patient's body part to a cuff and pulling system. Then, via hand movements upon an article of the device cause body part flexion. Too, a patient can use the device for isometric like exercising via a series of stretch bands that attach to the cuff and table.
Claims
1. An exercise device comprising: a table; a bracket; a fastening mechanism; a bar connected between two legs of the table; the fastening mechanism being a group of screws; the bracket being attached to the table via the fastening mechanism; a force transferring mechanism; the force transferring mechanism being a plurality of gears; the force transferring mechanism being attached to the bracket; a handle; the handle being attached to the force transferring mechanism; the exercise device consists of a single cable; a cuff; the cuff having a cable connecting ring; the cuff having a band connecting ring; the single cable being attached at a first end to the force transferring mechanism; the single cable being attached at a second end to the cable connecting ring; the table capable of allowing a user to sit upon the table and attach the cuff to a body part of a user; and the handle being capable of altering a position of the body part as a position of the handle is altered by the user.
2. The exercise device according to claim 1 further comprising: at least one bar connecting ring being attached to the bar; at least one band; the at least one band having a first band end; the at least one band having a second band end; the first band end being connected to one of the at least one bar connecting rings; the second band end being connected to the band connecting ring.
3. An exercise device comprising: a table; a bracket; a fastening mechanism; the bracket being attached to the table via the fastening mechanism; a force transferring mechanism; the force transferring mechanism being attached to the bracket; a handle; the handle being attached to the force transferring mechanism; the exercise device consists of a single cable; the exercise device consists of a single pulley; a cuff, the cuff having a cable connecting ring; the cuff having a band connecting ring; the single pulley being attached to the table; the single cable having a first end; the first end being attached to the force transferring mechanism; the single cable passing through the single pulley; the single cable having a second end; the second end being attached to the cable connecting ring; a bar connected between two legs of the table; the bar located below the single pulley; at least one bar connecting ring being attached to the bar; at least one band; the at least one band having a first band end; the at least one band having a second band end; the first band end being connected to one of the at least one bar connecting rings; the second band end being connected to the band connecting ring; the table capable of allowing a user to sit upon the table and attach the cuff to a body part of the user; and the handle being capable of altering a position of the body part as a position of the handle is altered by the user.
4. The exercise device according to claim 1 or 3 wherein the force transferring mechanism is rotateably attached to the bracket.
5. The exercise device of claim 3 whereby muscles of the body part being stretched when the handle alters the position of the body part.
6. The exercise device of claim 3 wherein the device is useful for performing physical therapy exercises.
7. The exercise device of claim 3 further comprising the device adapted to exert pressure against muscles of a leg to increase flexion.
8. The exercise device according to claim 1 or 3 further comprising the body part being a leg, the leg capable of being moved posteriorly as the position of the handle is altered by the user increasing the flexion of the knee.
9. The exercise device according to claim 1 or 3 further comprising a stop protruding from and being attached to the handle whereby the stop is necessarily prevented from moving further than the space occupied by the bracket to prevent the handle from moving too far and causing injury.
10. The exercise device of claim 3 wherein the device is configured such that the handle can be moved in small increments while the body part is flexed in larger increments in comparison.
11. The exercise device of claim 3 wherein the device is capable of performing static and dynamic flexion on the body part.
12. The exercise device of claim 3 further comprising the device achieving static flexion of a muscle of the body part via a pin that retains the position of the handle.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the device in use by a patient.
(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention configured to use on two body parts simultaneously.
(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention in use by a patient and showing flexion of the patient's leg.
(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the device in use by a patient.
DESCRIPTION
(6) Overview.
(7) As shown in FIG. 1, a perspective view of an embodiment of the device in use by a patient comprises a patient 11 seated upon a physical therapy table 8. The patient operates a handle 5 that operates a gear 2, a force transferring mechanism, which is attached to a bracket 1 via a commonly known fastener (not shown). The bracket 1 is attached to the table 8 via at least one bolt 6, which is a fastening mechanism. A cable 3 is attached to the gear 2 via a connector located at a connection point 4. When the user exerts force 12 the handle 5 will move and transfer the moving force. The handle 5 is equipped with a stop 20 to prevent the user from pushing the handle 5 too far. The cable 3 is moved along its path, which includes at least one pulley 7 (or 13 if there is another cable which might occur in a left handed configuration of the device). The at least one pulley 7 being locatable in different positions on the table 8. The cable 3 is attached at one end to a cuff 10 via a cable connecting ring 9. The cuff 10 being removably attached to a limb 14 of the person 11. Operating the device as shown 12 allows the person 11 to control movement of the limb 14.
(8) Additionally as shown in FIG. 1, a bar 17 is connected between the rear legs of the table 8. There are bands 15, 16 connected to the bar via at least one bar connecting ring 18. These bands are best if they are the type that are stretchable and commonly used in muscle exercise movements. The bands 16, 15 can attach to the cuff 10 at one or more of the band connecting rings 19.
(9) As shown in FIG. 2, a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention configured to use on two body parts simultaneously comprises a patient table 39. The table has brackets 40 and 49 attached. It is useful, though not necessary, to have two brackets so a therapy patient can work on one leg and then the other leg in one therapy session without the need to reconfigure the inventive device.
(10) A gear like the gear 2 of FIG. 1 would be attached to each of the brackets 40, 49 though this is not shown in FIG. 2 because the brackets are enclosed. The inventive device of FIG. 2 has a bar 48 along its rear connected between the legs of the table 39. There are bar connecting rings 47 attaching the bar to bands 46, stretch bands used to exercise muscles for instance. A handle such as 35, 41 is connected to a cable 36, 37 that passes through a pulley 43, 42. At the end of the cable 36, 37 is a cable connecting ring 44, 45 attached to a cuff 38 (second cuff for left hand configuration not shown).
(11) The device in FIG. 2 is useful in that it allows a user (not shown) to approach the device and sit upon the table 39, don the cuff 38 to a body part, an ankle for instance, and perform flexion exercises by pushing forward on the handle 41.
(12) In FIG. 3, a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention in use by a patient and showing flexion of the patient's leg comprises a patient 50 seated upon a physical therapy table 58. The patient 50 operates a handle 51 that operates a gear 60, a force transferring mechanism, which is attached to a bracket 55 via a commonly known fastener (not shown) such as a rod and bearing or a bolt with a retainer clip that allows the gear to spin. The bracket 55 is attached to the table 58 via at least one bolt 62, which is a fastening mechanism. A cable 56 is attached to the gear 60. When the patient 50 exerts force and pushes the handle forward as shown by 52, this will move and transfer the moving force through the cable 56, running through a pulley 57, and up to a cuff 63 where the cable is attached to a cable attaching ring 64. This force moves a patient's body part, here a leg, from position 53 to position 54, causing flexion of the muscles.
(13) Too as shown in FIG. 3, the table 58 supports the attachment of stretch bands 59. The band being connected to the cuff 63 via a band connecting ring 65. This allows further exercise by the patient 50 that is different from flexion. If a patient desires to hold the flexion, they can engage a pin on the handle 66 that uses commonly known methods to hold the handle 52 in place. Additionally, the device has attached at a convenient location a counter 67, or some other metric measuring device, for the user to see an monitor.
(14) As shown in FIG. 4, a perspective view of an embodiment of the device in use by a patient comprises a patient 111 seated upon a physical therapy table 108. The patient operates a handle 105 that operates a gear 102, which is part of what I call a force transferring mechanism or pulley system, which is attached to a bracket 100 via a commonly known fastener (not shown). The bracket 100 is attached to the table 108 via at least one bolt 106, which is a fastening mechanism. The pulley system is comprised of a pair of sprockets, 103 and 102, that are interconnected, in this embodiment via a chain 107. A cable 101 is attached to one of the gears 103 via a commonly known connector (not shown). When the user exerts force as shown at 112 the handle 105 attached to the other gear 102 will move and transfer the moving force to the other gear 102 which in turn will turn the interconnected gear 103 via the chain 107. The cable 101 is moved by the movement of the gear 103. I sometimes refer to gears as sprockets and vice versa. The one gear 103, unlike the pulley 7 of FIG. 1, is located at a higher point on the table 108 than the pulley 7 is attached to the table 8 of FIG. 1. The cable 101 is attached at one end to a cuff 110 via a cable connecting ring 109. The cuff 110 being removably attached to a limb 114 of the person 111. Operating the device as shown at 112 allows the person 111 to control movement of her limb 114.
(15) Additionally as shown in FIG. 4, a bar 117 is connected between the rear legs of the table 108. There are bands 115, 116 connected to the bar 117 via at least one bar connecting ring 118. These bands are best if they are the type that are stretchable and commonly used in muscle exercise movements. The bands 116 can attach to the cuff 110 at one or more band connecting rings 119.
(16) It easily recognized that there is a benefit in such an exercise device as described in the figures generally. The device comprises a main portion made up of a plurality of gears, 102 and 103 in FIG. 4 for instance, a hold, 5 in FIG. 1 or 105 in FIG. 4. There is possibly a pulley, such as 42 in FIG. 2 or as 3 in FIG. 1. Although, a direct driven scenario is possible where the pulley's function becomes integrated in a gear of the main portion. There is a cable and a leg attachment, such as the cuffs 10 and 110 seen in the figures. The gears 102 and 103 being integral to the main portion and the leg attachment is attachable and detachable to a body part, 114 in FIG. 4 for instance which is a person's leg near the calf. The cable having a gear end, similar to the first end in FIG. 1. The cable having a distal end, similar to the second end in FIG. 1. The distal end being connected to the leg attachment. The cable traversing the pulley, if one is used, in a path to achieve maximum flexion. The plurality of gears being interconnected, by a chain, also part of the main portion, the chain as shown by 107 of FIG. 4 for instance. The gear end being connected to one of the plurality of gears. The hold being attached to another of the plurality of gears. The hold operating the gears and causing the gears to operate the cable which thereby moves the attachment.
(17) For instance, a user can move the hold in one direction, causing cable movement which moves the attachment. A user having the attachment connected to her calf would then experience flexion. The main portion being removably attached to a physical therapy table.
(18) Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with the reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
(19) Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6.
