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US-20260124494-A1 - HANDRAIL CONFIGURATION FOR A TREADMILL

US20260124494A1US 20260124494 A1US20260124494 A1US 20260124494A1US-20260124494-A1

Abstract

A treadmill is provided. The treadmill includes a frame; a first side support coupled to and extending substantially vertically upwards relative to the frame; a second side support coupled to and extending substantially vertically upwards relative to the frame; and a handrail assembly having a first side coupled to the first side support. The first side includes an upper and a lower member vertically spaced from one another and a front and a rear push member spaced apart from one another along a longitudinal length of the treadmill. The front and rear push members couple to the upper and lower members.

Inventors

  • Douglas G. Bayerlein
  • Nicholas A. Oblamski
  • Jose D. Bernal-Ramirez
  • Joseph Martin

Assignees

  • WOODWAY USA, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20260105

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A treadmill, comprising: a frame; a first side support coupled to and extending substantially vertically upwards relative to the frame; a second side support coupled to and extending substantially vertically upwards relative to the frame; and a handrail assembly having a first side coupled to the first side support, the first side comprising an upper and a lower member vertically spaced from one another and a front and a rear push member spaced apart from one another along a longitudinal length of the treadmill, the front and rear push members coupling the upper and lower members.
  2. 2 . The treadmill of claim 1 , wherein the handrail assembly includes a second side coupled to the second side support and comprising an upper and a lower member vertically spaced from one another and a front and a rear push member spaced apart from one another along a longitudinal length of the treadmill, the front and rear push members coupling the upper and lower members.
  3. 3 . The treadmill of claim 2 , wherein the lower member of the first side includes a first lower member coupled to the first side support and extending towards a rear end of the treadmill, wherein the lower member of the second side includes a second lower member coupled to the second side support and extending towards the rear end of the treadmill, wherein the upper member of the first side includes a first upper member coupled to the first side support, wherein the upper member of the second side includes a second upper member coupled to the second side support, wherein the rear push member of the first side includes a first rear push member that couples the first lower member to the first upper member, and wherein the rear push member of the second side includes a second rear push member that couples the second lower member to the second upper member.
  4. 4 . The treadmill of claim 3 , wherein the front push member of the first side includes a first front push member that couples the first lower member and the first upper member of the first side proximate a front end of the treadmill along the longitudinal length, wherein the front push member of the second side includes a second front push member that couples the second lower member and the second upper member of the second side proximate the front end of the treadmill along the longitudinal length of the treadmill, and wherein each of the first and the second front push member extend at least partly vertically above at least part of the first upper member and the second upper member, respectively.
  5. 5 . The treadmill of claim 4 , wherein the first front push member is coupled to the second front push member via a top member disposed at least partially vertically above the first and second front upper members.
  6. 6 . The treadmill of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the upper or lower members includes a sensor configured to collect data relating to a usage of the treadmill.
  7. 7 . A handrail assembly for a treadmill, the handrail assembly comprising: a first side support coupled to and extending at least partially upwards from a base of a treadmill; a second side support coupled to and extending at least partially upwards from the base of the treadmill and spaced apart from the first side support; an upper member coupled to the first side support and the second side support; and a lower front member coupled to the first side and the second side support on each of the first and second side supports that is facing a front of the treadmill, wherein the lower front member is coupled vertically below the upper member at each of the first and second side supports.
  8. 8 . The handrail assembly of claim 7 , wherein the lower front member extends at least partially towards the front of the treadmill and includes a top member positioned vertically above the upper member.
  9. 9 . The handrail assembly of claim 7 , wherein the upper member, the first side support, and the first lower rear member define a first space, wherein the upper member, the second side support, and the second lower rear member define a second space positioned on a substantially opposite of the treadmill than the first space.
  10. 10 . The handrail assembly of claim 7 , wherein the upper member and the lower front member extend vertically upward and away from the first side support.
  11. 11 . The handrail assembly of claim 10 , further comprising: a first lower rear member coupled to the first side support and extending at least partially towards a rear of the treadmill; and a second lower rear member coupled to the second side support and extending at least partially towards the rear of the treadmill, wherein each of the first and second lower rear members extend at least partially vertically upwards such that the first lower rear member couples at a first location to the upper member and the second lower rear member couples at a second location to the upper member.
  12. 12 . The handrail assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first location is disposed on a substantially opposite of the treadmill relative to the second location.
  13. 13 . The handrail assembly of claim 12 , wherein the upper member includes a first end portion extending towards the rear of the treadmill from the first location, and wherein the upper member includes a second end portion extending towards the rear of the treadmill from the second location.
  14. 14 . A treadmill, comprising: a frame; a first side support coupled to and extending substantially vertically upwards from the frame; a second side support spaced apart from the first side support, the second side support coupled to and extending substantially vertically upwards from the frame; a first upper member coupled to the first side support; a first lower member coupled to the first side support, the first lower member coupled to the first side support vertically below the first upper member; a second upper member coupled to the second side support; a second lower member coupled to the second side support, the second lower member coupled to the second side support vertically below the second upper member; a first push member coupled to the first lower member and extending upwards towards the first upper member; and a second push member coupled to the second lower member and extending upwards towards the second upper member.
  15. 15 . The treadmill of claim 14 , further comprising: a third push member coupled to the first lower member and extending vertically above the first upper member; and a fourth push member coupled to the second lower member and extending vertically above the first upper member.
  16. 16 . The treadmill of claim 15 , wherein the third push member is coupled to the fourth push member via a top member disposed at least partially vertically above the first and second upper members.
  17. 17 . The treadmill of claim 14 , wherein the first side support, the first upper member, the first lower member, and the first push member define a first space, and wherein the second side support, the second upper member, the second lower member, and the second push member define a second space positioned on a substantially opposite side of the treadmill relative to the first space.
  18. 18 . The treadmill of claim 14 , wherein the first upper member includes an upper front portion and an upper rear portion, the upper front portion extending away from the first side support toward a front end of the treadmill and the upper rear portion extending away from the first side support toward a rear end of the treadmill, wherein the upper front portion is at least partially angled upward relative to the upper rear portion.
  19. 19 . The treadmill of claim 14 , further comprising a display device coupled to the first and second upper members.
  20. 20 . The treadmill of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the first lower member, second lower member, first upper member, second upper member, first push member, or second push member includes a sensor configured to collect data relating to a usage of the treadmill.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/242,449, titled “HANDRAIL CONFIGURATION FOR A TREADMILL,” filed Sep. 5, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/379,318, titled “HANDRAIL CONFIGURATION FOR A TREADMILL,” filed Jul. 19, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/485,341, titled “HANDRAIL CONFIGURATION FOR A TREADMILL,” filed Aug. 12, 2019, which is a U.S. national stage application of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2018/017777, titled “HANDRAIL CONFIGURATION FOR A TREADMILL,” filed Feb. 12, 2018, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 62/458,178 , entitled “HANDRAIL CONFIGURATION FOR A TREADMILL,” filed Feb. 13, 2017, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/640,180, entitled “MOTORIZED TREADMILL WITH MOTOR BRAKING MECHANISM AND METHODS OF OPERATING THE SAME,” filed Jun. 30, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to treadmills. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to handrail configurations suitable for use with treadmills. BACKGROUND Treadmills enable a person to walk, jog, or run for a relatively long distance in a limited space. Treadmills can be used for physical fitness, athlete training and therapeutic uses for the treatment of medical conditions. It should be noted that throughout this document, the term “run” and variations thereof (e.g., running, etc.) in any context is intended to include all substantially linear locomotion by a person. Examples of this linear locomotion include, but are not limited to, jogging, walking, skipping, scampering, sprinting, dashing, hopping, galloping, side stepping, shuffling etc. The bulk of the discussion herein is focused on training and physical fitness, but persons skilled in the art will understand that all of the structures and methods described herein are equally applicable in medical therapeutic applications. A person running generates force to propel themselves in a desired direction. To simplify this discussion, the desired direction will be designated as the forward direction. As the person's feet contact the ground (or other surface), their muscles contract and extend to apply a force to the ground that is directed generally rearward (i.e., has a vector direction substantially opposite the direction they desire to move). Keeping with Newton's third law of motion, the ground resists this rearwardly directed force from the person, resulting in the person moving forward relative to the ground at a speed related to the force they are creating. While the prior discussion relates solely to movement in the forward direction, persons skilled in the art will understand that this can mean movement in any direction, for example side to side, backward/reverse, any desired direction. To counteract the force created by the treadmill user so that the user stays in a relatively static fore and aft position on the treadmill, a running belt of a treadmill is driven or rotated (e.g., by a motor). Thus, in operation, the running belt moves at substantially the same speed as the user, but in the opposite direction. In this way, the user remains in substantially the same relative position along the treadmill while running. However, many users may want to engage in different exercises and therapeutic programs than provided by conventional treadmills. SUMMARY One embodiment relates to a handrail assembly for a treadmill. The handrail assembly includes: a base having a first side and a second side; a first portion extending from the first side of the base; a second portion extending from the second side of the base; and a member coupled to the first portion and the second portion, the member including at least one lower section and at least one upper section. The base defines at least one compartment. At least a part of the member is configured to receive a pushing force from a user during use of the treadmill. Another embodiment relates to a grip assembly for a treadmill. The grip assembly includes a base having a first side and a second side, and a member extending from the first side of the base to the second side of the base. The member includes: a first lower section coupled to and extending substantially inward towards a longitudinal center portion of the treadmill and away from the first side of the base; a second lower section coupled to and extending substantially inward towards the longitudinal center portion of the treadmill and away from the second side of the base; a first vertical section coupled to and extending at an angle substantially upwards from the first lower section; a second vertical section coupled to and extending at an angle substantially upwards from the first second section; and an upper section coupled to the