Body-shape correction apparatus

Abstract

The present invention is a body-shape correction apparatus comprising: a left foot-associated rotation unit on which the left foot of a user is loaded and supported, and which rotates in the counter-clockwise direction and returns in the clockwise direction; a right foot-associated rotation unit on which the right foot of the user is loaded and supported, and which rotates in the clockwise direction and returns in the counter-clockwise direction; and a pair of spring units and a pair of deformation distribution units arranged to correspond to the pair of left and right foot-associated rotation units. Hand-associated rotation units are also provided along with left and right elastic units that apply restoring forces to resist displacement of the left right hand-associated rotation units.

1 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A body shape correction apparatus comprising:
 a left hand-accompanying rotator rotating together with a left hand of a user who has let a left arm hung from a left shoulder joint and has stretched a left elbow joint, wherein the left hand-accompanying rotator rotates forward in counterclockwise direction following external rotation of the left hand, and returns in clockwise direction;   a right hand-accompanying rotator rotating together with a right hand of the user who has let a right arm hung from a right shoulder joint and has stretched a right elbow joint, wherein the right hand-accompanying rotator rotates forward in clockwise direction following external rotation of the right hand, and returns in counterclockwise direction;   a left elastic unit applying clockwise restoring force against counterclockwise rotation of the left hand-accompanying rotator; and   a right elastic unit applying counterclockwise restoring force against clockwise rotation of the right hand-accompanying rotator.   
     
     
         11 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein each of the left and right elastic units comprises a spring. 
     
     
         12 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the spring comprises one of a spiral spring, a torsion coil spring, and a torsion bar. 
     
     
         13 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 10 , having first to mth exercise levels at which different amounts of the restoring force is applied to each hand-accompanying rotator, where m is a natural number equal to or greater than 2, wherein the restoring force is greater at a kth exercise level than at the (k-1)th exercise level, where k ranges from 2 to m. 
     
     
         14 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein each elastic unit has an initial deformation at the kth exercise level, wherein the initial deformation is greater at a k′th exercise level than at the (k′-1)th exercise level, where k′ is k satisfying the relationship: k≧3. 
     
     
         15 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 10  further comprising:
 a left foot-accompanying rotator rotating together with a left foot of the user who has let a left hip joint in a neutral position and has stretched a left knee joint, wherein the left foot-accompanying rotator rotates forward in counterclockwise direction following external rotation of the left foot, and returns in clockwise direction; 
 a right foot-accompanying rotator rotating together with a right foot of the user who has let a right hip joint in a neutral position and has stretched a right knee joint, wherein the right foot-accompanying rotator rotates forward in clockwise direction following external rotation of the right foot, and returns in counterclockwise direction; and 
 a pair of spring parts and a pair of deformation distributing units corresponding to the pair of foot-accompanying rotators, 
 wherein each spring part comprises first to nth springs, where n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2, the first to the nth springs are deformed following forward rotation of each foot-accompanying rotator, where n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2, such that clockwise restoring force resisting the counterclockwise rotation of the left foot-accompanying rotator is applied to the left foot-accompanying rotator and counterclockwise restoring force resisting the clockwise rotation of the right foot-accompanying rotator is applied to the right foot-accompanying rotator, 
 wherein each deformation distributing unit distributes net-deformations required for applying a required amount of the restoring force to each foot-accompanying rotator to the first to the nth springs. 
 
     
     
         16 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 15 ,
 wherein a spring constant of a jth spring is greater than a spring constant of the (j-1)th spring, where j ranges from 2 to n.   
     
     
         17 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 15 , having first to mth exercise levels at which different amounts of the restoring force are applied to each foot-accompanying rotator, where m is a natural number equal to or greater than 2,
 wherein the restoring force is greater at a kth exercise level than at the (k-1)th exercise level, where k ranges from 2 to m.   
     
     
         18 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 17 ,
 wherein a spring constant of a jth spring is greater than a spring constant of the (j-1)th spring, where j ranges from 2 to n,   wherein each deformation distributing unit distributes the net-deformations such that the net-deformation of the first spring is smaller at the kth exercise level than at the (k-1)th exercise level and the net-deformation of the nth spring is greater at the kth exercise level than at the (k-1)th exercise level.   
     
     
         19 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein at least one of the first to nth springs has an initial deformation at the kth exercise level, wherein the initial deformation is greater at a k′th exercise level than at a (k′-1)th exercise level, where k′ is k satisfying the relationship: k≧3. 
     
     
         20 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein
 each deformation distributing unit comprises a lever arm,   the lever arm rotates about a first point, and has a pulley on a second point,   the n is 2,   one end of each second spring forms a fixed end regardless of the forward rotation of each foot-accompanying rotator, the other end of each second spring is connected to each foot-accompanying rotator to form a movable end which moves following the forward rotation of each foot-accompanying rotator, an intermediate part of each second spring between the one end and the other end is looped over the pulley such that each second spring rotates the lever arm in a first direction following the forward rotation of each foot-accompanying rotator, and   each first spring is connected to the lever arm at a third point between the first and second points, and resists rotation of the lever arm in the first direction.   
     
     
         21 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 20 , having first to mth exercise levels at which different amounts of the restoring force are applied to each foot-accompanying rotator, where m is a natural number equal to or greater than 2,
 wherein the restoring force is greater at a kth exercise level than at the (k-1)th exercise level, where k ranges from 2 to m, and   wherein an angle of rotation of the lever arm rotating following the forward rotation of each foot-accompanying rotator is smaller at the kth exercise level than at the (k-1)th exercise level.   
     
     
         22 . The body shape correction apparatus according to  claim 20 , having first to mth exercise levels at which different amounts of the restoring forces are applied to each foot-accompanying rotator, where m is a natural number equal to or greater than 2,
 wherein the restoring force is greater at a kth exercise level than at the (k-1)th exercise level, where k ranges from 2 to m,   wherein each second spring has an initial deformation at the kth exercise level, and an initial position of the one end is set such that the initial deformation is greater at the k′th exercise level than at the (k′-1)th exercise level, where k′ is k satisfying the relationship: k≧3.