Treadmill belt lubricating device for an electric treadmill

[0001] 1. Fields of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a treadmill belt lubricating device for an electric treadmill, and more particularly to a treadmill belt lubricating device that constantly lubricates a treadmill belt to ensure a smooth running of the treadmill belt.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] In general, an electric treadmill usually uses a motor (not shown in the figure) and a transmission belt (not shown in the figure) to drive a roller, and the roller drives the treadmill belt to run, so that a user can successfully perform a running exercise on the treadmill. To support the user's body weight, a running board is installed under the treadmill belt, such that when a user is performing a running exercise, the bottom surface of the treadmill belt produces a friction with the corresponding surface of the running board. Since there is a friction produced between the treadmill belt and the running board, manufacturers usually have to coat a layer of lubricant on the surface of the running board to prevent excessive frictions created between the treadmill belt and the running board that will wear out or damage the treadmill belt.

[0005] Since the running board and treadmill belt keep rubbing with each other, the lubricant will be used up gradually, and the lubricating effect will diminish. Therefore, users have to ask the maintenance people of the manufacturer or distributor to apply lubricants to the treadmill and maintain the normal operation of the treadmill belt, after the treadmill has been used for a while. The lubricating process has to be done by an experienced technician, since many components (such as the protective bottom chassis, the roller, and the treadmill belt) of the treadmill have to be removed before the lubrication can be made. To avoid damages to the treadmill during the process of disassembling and reinstalling the components of the treadmill, it is recommended to ask professional people or experienced technician to handle the lubrication.

[0006] In view of the inconvenient lubricating procedure of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches, and finally invented a treadmill lubricating device for an electronic treadmill. Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to add a retaining groove containing a lubricant, and use the retaining groove together with a wool felt having a good absorbability to provide a lubrication at the bottom surface of the treadmill belt, in addition to applying a lubricant to the surface of the running board before the electronic treadmill is shipped out of the factory. Such arrangement can greatly extend the effective lubricating time and reduce the trouble of lubricating the treadmill.

[0007] Another objective of the present invention is to allow users to add and refill the lubricant according to a simple and easy method to save unnecessary maintenance fee. In the present invention, an oil filling pipe is wrapped by a wool felt, and the oil filling hole of the oil filling pipe is disposed at an appropriate position on an external side of the retaining groove.

[0014] The technical characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawing.

[0015] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a transversal axle rod 30 is installed at an appropriate position on a frame 20 of a treadmill 10, and a swinging lever 40 is longitudinally coupled to the axle rod 30, wherein an end of the lever 40 includes an inertia weight 42, and the other end of the lever 40 is coupled to a transversal U-shape retaining groove 44, and the retaining groove 44 includes an appropriate quantity of wool felt 50 therein, and a lubricant is filled into the wool felt 50, such that after the foregoing components are assembled, the position of the weight 42 is situated precisely under the running board 12, and the other end of the wool felt 50 maintains an appropriate gap with the treadmill belt 14. If a user stands on the treadmill belt 14 and performs a running exercise, the weight repeatedly collides and vibrates the running board 12, and the vibration of the running board 12 indirectly drives the weight 42 to produce an inertia swing by transmitting the weight, such that the retaining groove 44 and the wool felt 50 at another end of the lever 40 swing upward and touch the treadmill belt 14. Such arrangement will repeatedly keep the wool felt 50 to be in contact with the bottom surface of the treadmill belt 14 and successfully coat the lubricant onto the bottom surface of the treadmill belt 14, so as to achieve the expected lubricating effect for a long time.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 4, a user can add and refill lubricants according to a simple and easy method to save unnecessary maintenance fees, and thus the present invention further comprises an oil filling pipe 52 wrapped by a wool felt 50, and the oil filling pipe 52 includes a plurality of oil outlets 54 penetrated into the oil filling pipe 52, and an oil filling hole 56 of the oil filling pipe 52 is disposed at an appropriate position on an external side of a retaining groove 44, and a stopper 58 is provided for stopping the oil filling hole 56. When a user wants to add or refill the lubricant, the user just needs to open the bottom protective chassis (not shown in the figure) of the treadmill 10 and remove the stopper 58 to apply the lubricant. The invention is very convenient and useful.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 5, a soft pad 60 is installed at a corresponding position to fully absorb the collision force in order to effectively prevent possible continuous collisions between the lever 40 and the running board 12 or the continuous shaking of the lever 40, and a resilient member 70 also could be installed between the lever 40 and the frame 20 to achieve the same effect.

[0018] Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiments 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.