US 2004/0116255 A1Application
Folding collapsible treadmill
Publication Date:2004-06-17
•8 Claims
•9 Drawing Sheets
Abstract
A folding collapsible treadmill is disclosed to include a base, two standing posts fastened pivotally with the base, an instrument panel fastened pivotally with the standing posts, screw bolts adapted to lock the instrument panel and the standing posts in the operative position respectively.
Metadata
Assignee
- SHINNYI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Inventor
- Tzu Chen
Application Information
Application Number:US 10/320,455
Filing Date:2002-12-17
Priority Date:2002-12-17
Patent Drawings (9 sheets)
Description
Background of the Invention
[0001] (a) Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a treadmill and, more particularly, to a folding collapsible treadmill that can be folded up to reduce its space occupation when not in use.
[0003] (b) Description of the Prior Art
[0004] A regular treadmill comprises a base on which the user treads, two standing posts bilaterally located on the front end of the base, an instrument panel fixedly fastened to the standing posts at the top for indicating distance, time, and other designated functions, and two handrails fixedly connected between the standing posts and the frame of the base at two sides. The instrument panel has a handlebar for holding by the user treading upon the base. The standing posts can be unlocked and turned to a collapsed position to reduce the storage space of the treadmill. However, because the instrument panel is fixedly fastened to the standing posts and disposed in a sloping direction for easy viewing by the user, the instrument panel cannot be closely attached to the standing posts or the base when the standing posts set in the collapsed position. Therefore, this design of treadmill still occupies much storage space when collapsed.
Summary of the Invention
[0005] The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a folding collapsible treadmill, which can be folded up and received in a collapsed position to reduce its space occupation when not in use. According to one aspect of the present invention, the folding collapsible treadmill comprises a base, two standing posts fastened pivotally with the base, an instrument panel fastened pivotally with the standing posts, and screw bolts adapted to lock the instrument panel and the standing posts in the operative position respectively. According to another aspect of the present invention, two detachable handrails are bilaterally coupled between the base and the standing posts.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0006] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a folding collapsible treadmill according to the present invention.
[0007] FIG. 2 is another elevational view of the present invention after removal of the cover shell from the base.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view in an enlarged scale of a part of the base and the standing posts according to the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing the standing posts fastened to the base according to the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing the standing posts fastened to the base according to the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of a part of the instrument panel and the standing posts according to the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 7 is a side view of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 7 but showing the handrails removed.
[0014] FIG. 9 is a schematic drawing showing the connection between the bottom plate of the instrument panel and the standing posts according to the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing showing the folding action of the folding collapsible treadmill according to the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 11 shows the folding collapsible treadmill collapsed according to the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, a folding collapsible treadmill in accordance with the present invention is shown comprised of a base 1 upon which the user treads, two standing posts 2, a first transverse mounting bar 21, a second transverse mounting bar 25, two handrails 3, and an instrument panel 4.
[0018] The base 1 comprises a treading belt 11, a transmission mechanism 12 located on one end, namely, the front end (see FIG. 2 ), a transverse locating frame 13 transversely provided at the front end and sloping in one direction, and two upright supports 14 disposed near the two distal ends of the transverse locating frame 13 (see FIG. 3 ). The transverse locating frame 13 has two mounting holes 131 respectively disposed near the two distal ends, and two screw holes 132 corresponding to the mounting holes 131. The upright supports 14 each have a mounting hole 141.
[0019] The standing posts 2 are respectively inserted into the mounting holes 131 of the transverse locating frame 13, each having a transverse mounting hole 22 near the bottom. Screw bolts 23 are respectively inserted through the transverse mounting holes 22 of the standing posts 2 and threaded into the screw holes 132 of the transverse locating frame 13 to fixedly secure the standing posts 2 to the transverse locating frame 13 of the base 1. The first transverse mounting bar 21 is fixedly fastened to the standing posts 2 at a lower side, having two end holes 211 axially aligned in the two distal ends and respectively fastened to the mounting holes 141 of the upright supports 14 by a respective screw 24 (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ). The second transverse mounting base 25 is fixedly fastened to the standing posts 2 at an upper side (see FIG. 6 ). The standing posts 2 each have a top mounting flange 26, which has a horizontal mounting hole 261 and a vertical mounting hole 262 for the mounting of the instrument panel 4.
[0020] The handrails 3 are bilaterally detachably coupled between the standing posts 2 and the base 1 (see FIG. 7 ). Preferably, each handrail 3 is formed of multiple detachable parts. If desired, the handrails 3 can be detached from the treadmill (see FIG. 8 ).
[0021] The instrument panel 4 is adapted to indicate distance, time, and other designated functions, having a handlebar 41 for holding by the user treading on the treading belt 11 of the base 1. The bottom plate 42 of the instrument panel 4 has horizontal mounting holes 421 and vertical mounting holes 422 respectively fastened to the horizontal mounting holes 261 and vertical mounting holes 262 of the top mounting flanges 26 of the standing posts 2 by screw bolts 43 and 44, two openings 45, which receive the top ends of the standing posts 2 (see FIGS. 6 and 9 ). Further, the horizontal mounting holes 421 are respectively formed in a respective lug 451 at one side of the corresponding opening 45 (see FIG. 6 ).
[0022] When not in use, the handrails 3 are detached from the treadmill (see FIG. 8 ), and then the screw bolts 44 are removed from the top mounting flanges 26 of the standing posts 2 and the bottom plate 42 of the instrument panel 4, and then the instrument panel 4 is turned about the screw bolts 43 through 90 and closely attached to the standing posts 2 (see FIG. 10 ), and then the screw bolts 43 are removed from the mounting flanges 26 of the standing posts 2 and the bottom plate 42 of the instrument panel 4, and then the standing posts 2 are respectively turned about the screw bolts 24 through 90 and closely attached to the base 1 (see FIG. 11 ). When collapsed, the treadmill requires less storage space. Further, screw bolts A, bushes B, and washers C are used with the screw bolts 23, 24, 43, and 44 for installation. A cover shell 15 is fastened to the base 1 to protect the transmission mechanism 12, and to keep the transmission mechanism 12 from sight. The cover shell 15 has two recessed portions 151, which receive the standing posts 2 in the collapsed position (see FIG. 11 ).
[0023] A prototype of folding collapsible treadmill has been constructed with the features of FIGS. 111. The folding collapsible treadmill functions smoothly to provide all of the features discussed earlier.
[0024] Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A folding collapsible treadmill comprising a base, two standing posts bilaterally located on one end of said base, and an instrument panel mounted on said standing ports, wherein said standing posts each have a top mounting flange, said top mounting flange having a horizontal mounting hole and a vertical mounting hole; said instrument panel comprises a bottom plate, said bottom plate comprising two horizontal mounting holes corresponding to the horizontal mounting holes of the top mounting flanges of said standing posts, and two vertical mounting holes corresponding to the vertical mounting holes of the top mounting flanges of said standing posts; two first screw bolts are respectively mounted in the horizontal mounting holes the top mounting flanges of said standing posts and the horizontal mounting holes of the bottom plate of said instrument panel for enabling said instrument panel to be turned about said first screw bolts between an operative position and a collapsed position; two second screw bolts are respectively mounted in the vertical mounting holes of the top mounting flanges of said standing posts and the vertical mounting holes of said instrument panel to fixedly secure said instrument panel to said standing posts.
2. The folding collapsible treadmill as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bottom plate of said instrument panel comprises at least one opening for receiving a top end of each of said standing post, and two lugs in which the horizontal mounting holes of said instrument panel are respectively formed.
3. The folding collapsible treadmill as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first screw bolts and said second screw bolts are respectively fastened with a respective screw nut, a respective bush, and a respective washer.
4. The folding collapsible treadmill as claimed in claim 1 wherein said instrument panel has a handlebar.
5. A folding collapsible treadmill comprising a base, two standing posts bilaterally located on one end of said base, two handrails bilaterally coupled between said standing posts and said base, and an instrument panel mounted on said standing ports, wherein:
said base comprises a transverse locating frame transversely provided at one end thereof, and two upright supports respectively disposed near two distal ends of said transverse locating frame, said transverse locating frame having two mounting holes respectively disposed near two distal ends thereof and two screw holes corresponding to the mounting holes of said transverse locating frame, said upright supports each having a mounting hole;
said standing posts are respectively inserted into the mounting holes of said transverse locating frame of said base, said standing posts each having have a top mounting flange, said top mounting flange having a horizontal mounting hole and a vertical mounting hole, a transverse mounting hole near a bottom end thereof;
a transverse mounting bar is fixedly fastened to said standing posts near said base, said transverse mounting bar having two end holes axially aligned in two distal ends thereof;
two first screw bolts are respectively inserted through the transverse mounting holes of said standing posts and threaded into the screw holes of said transverse locating frame to fixedly secure said standing posts to said transverse locating frame of said base;
two second screw bolts are respectively mounted in the mounting holes of said upright supports and the end holes of said transverse mounting bar to pivotally fasten said standing posts to said upright supports for enabling said standing posts to be turned about said second screw bolts between a vertical operative position and a horizontal non-operative position after removal of said first screw bolts from said standing posts and said transverse locating frame;
said instrument panel comprises a bottom plate, said bottom plate comprising two horizontal mounting holes corresponding to the horizontal mounting holes of the top mounting flanges of said standing posts, and two vertical mounting holes corresponding to the vertical mounting holes of the top mounting flanges of said standing posts;
two third screw bolts are respectively mounted in the horizontal mounting holes the top mounting flanges of said standing posts and the horizontal mounting holes of the bottom plate of said instrument panel for enabling said instrument panel to be turned about said third screw bolts between an operative position and a collapsed position;
two fourth screw bolts are respectively mounted in the vertical mounting holes of the top mounting flanges of said standing posts and the vertical mounting holes of said instrument panel to fixedly secure said instrument panel to said standing posts.
6. The folding collapsible treadmill as claimed in claim 5 wherein said transverse locating frame slopes in one direction.
7. The folding collapsible treadmill as claimed in claim 5 wherein said handrails are formed of multiple detachable parts.
8. The folding collapsible treadmill as claimed in claim 5 wherein said base comprises a transmission mechanism located on one end thereof, and a cover shell covering said transmission mechanism, said cover shell having two recessed portions adapted to receive said standing posts when said standing posts turned to said horizontal non-operative position.