Treadmill belt support deck

Abstract

A treadmill for walking exercise or medical testing has the the usual frame mounting rollers around which an endless belt is driven through a lower course and an upper course, the upper course of the belt being supported by an improved deck particularly adapted to rest on longitudinal support members of the frame. One improvement lies in connecting one end of a planar deck to a anchor member by a flexible hinge, the member being attachable to the frame and the flexibility of the hinge allowing the deck to yield to the impact of a user's tread both vertically and longitudinally of the deck. Many available treadmills are designed to receive a standard deck which is essentially a rectangular plank bounded by flat surfaces which enclose a prismatic volume. The present deck is rectangular and planar but has recesses rabbetted along its underside opposite the supporting frame members, the recesses being filled with strips of compressible, elastomeric material located within the cubic volume of the standard deck. Consequently the present deck can fit in the standard volume and further provide shock absorption. The deck is therefore useful, without modification, in treadmills of different manufacture.

1. For use in an exercise treadmill with a frame supporting rollers and a belt driven around the rollers through an upper course and a lower course, a deck for supporting the belt in its upper course, the deck comprising:
 a rigid planar member adapted to extend under and adjacent the upper course;  
 means adapted to anchor the planar member on the treadmill frame;  
 and a flexible hinge yieldingly connecting one end of the planar member to the anchor means and adapted to resiliently absorb the shock of treading normal to and along the upper course.  
 
     
     
       2. A deck according to  claim 1  wherein the hinge spaces the planar member from the anchor means. 
     
     
       3. A deck according to  claim 1  wherein the hinge is connected to the planar means at the end of the upper course. 
     
     
       4. A deck according to  claim 1  wherein the planar means and anchor means have upper surfaces flush with each other along the underside of the upper course. 
     
     
       5. A deck according to  claim 1  wherein the planar member has elastomerically compressible strips extending along the underside of the planar member. 
     
     
       6. A deck according to  claim 5  wherein the planar member has a solid prismatic volume bounded by planes and the elastomerically compressible strips are attached to the planar member within the bounds of the planes. 
     
     
       7. In an exercise treadmill having a frame supporting drive rollers, a belt guided by the belt around the rollers through an upper course and a lower course, a deck for supporting the belt in its upper course, the deck comprising:
 a rigid planar member adapted to extend lengthwise under the upper course and including means to anchor;  
 an elastomerically compressible strip along the underside of the deck;  
 and a flexible hinge resiliently supporting one end of the planar member on the anchor means.  
 
     
     
       8. A deck according to  claim 7  wherein the elastomerically compressible strips are bodies of elastomeric foam rubber. 
     
     
       9. A deck according to  claim 7  wherein the planar member is bounded by prismatic planes and the elastomerically compressible strips are attached to the planar member within the bounds of the planes. 
     
     
       10. A deck according to  claim 7  wherein the planar member has lengthwise rabbets in its underside edges parallel to the upper course, the elastomerically compressible strips being respectively secured in the rabbets. 
     
     
       11. An exercise treadmill comprising:
 a frame supporting rollers;;  
 a belt guided around the rollers through an upper course and a lower course;  
 a deck supporting the belt in its upper course, the deck including: 
 a rigid planar member extending under and supporting the upper course of the belt;  
 means to anchor the planar member on the treadmill frame including means to fasten the anchor means to the frame; and  
 a flexible hinge resiliently connecting one end of the planar member to the anchor means.  
 
 
     
     
       12. A treadmill according to  claim 11  wherein the hinge spaces the planar member from the anchor means. 
     
     
       13. A treadmill according to  claim 11  wherein the frame has parallel support portions at a fixed spacing on the frame at each side of the upper course and the hinge is narrower than the spacing. 
     
     
       14. A treadmill according to  claim 11  wherein the planar member has elastomerically compressible strips extending along the underside of the planar member against the frame. 
     
     
       15. An exercise treadmill comprising:
 a frame;  
 two spaced rollers rotatively mounted on the frame;  
 an endless belt guided by the rollers through an upper course and a lower course;  
 parallel support portions at a fixed spacing apart on the frame at each side of the upper course;  
 a rigid planar member resting on the support portions of the frame and extending under and supporting the upper course of the belt;  
 elastomerically compressible foam strips recessed in the outer edges of the underside of the planar member and resting on the parallel support portions;  
 an anchor member means under the upper course spaced from and parallel to one end of the planar member;  
 means to fasten the anchor means to the support portions of the frame;  
 and a flexible rubber hinge narrower than the spacing of the parallel frame support portions connecting one end of the planar member to the anchor member so as yieldingly to hold the planar member in a fixed horizontal position on the frame, but allowing the planar member to spring on the foam strips;  
 the planar member and anchor member constituting a separate, integral deck unit removable and replaceable in the treadmill, and secured in the treadmill solely by the anchoring means.  
 
     
     
       16. A deck according to  claim 11  wherein the frame includes parallel portions at fixed spacing apart at each side of the upper course, and the hinge is narrower than the spacing of the support portions. 
     
     
       17. For use in an exercise treadmill with a frame supporting rollers and a belt driven around the rollers through an upper course and a lower course, a deck for supporting the belt in its upper course, the deck being disposed between side rails of the frame and including:
 a rigid planar portion adapted to extend under and adjacent the belt upper course to provide a support surface extending toward a rear end of the treadmill, on which upper course a user of the treadmill can tread while facing a front end thereof;    an anchor portion extending between the side rails for securing the rigid planar portion on the treadmill frame, said anchor portion and said planar portion being generally coplanar; and    a hinge portion more flexible than the rigid planar portion for forming a hinge yieldably connecting the rear end of the rigid planar portion to the anchor portion.    
     
     
       18. A deck according to  claim 17 , wherein the deck comprises a plywood board whereby the rigid planar portion and the anchor portion have upper surfaces flush with each other along the underside of the upper course.  
     
     
       19. A deck according to  claim 17 , wherein:
 the rigid planar portion includes a separate planar member;    the anchor portion comprises separate anchor means adapted to anchor the planar member on the treadmill frame; and    the hinge portion comprises a separate flexible hinge that spaces the planar member from the anchor portion and connects the end of the planar member to the anchor means for resiliently absorbing the shock of treading normal to and along the upper course.    
     
     
       20. A treadmill according to  claim 19 , wherein:
 the planar member comprises a plywood board disposed between the side rails;    the anchor means comprises a plywood anchor board spanning the side rails; and    the flexible hinge comprises a rubber sheet.    
     
     
       21. An exercise treadmill having a frame supporting drive rollers, a belt guided around the rollers through an upper course and a lower course, and a deck for supporting the belt in its upper course, the deck comprising:
 a rigid planar member extending lengthwise under the belt upper course and including an anchor portion, wherein the planar member provides a support surface for the upper course extending toward a rear end of the treadmill, on which upper course a user of the treadmill can tread while facing a front end thereof, and the anchor portion extends between side rails of the frame and is generally coplanar with the planar member;    plural elastomerically compressible members supporting the underside of the deck on the frame; and    a flexible hinge resiliently supporting the rear end of the rigid planar member on the anchor portion.    
     
     
       22. A treadmill according to  claim 21 , wherein the elastomeric members support the underside of the rigid planar member on the side rails at locations spaced from the rear end of the rigid planar member.  
     
     
       23. A treadmill according to  claim 22 , wherein said elastomeric members comprise compressible strips.  
     
     
       24. A treadmill comprising:
 a frame supporting rollers;    a belt guided around the rollers through an upper course and a lower course;    a deck supporting the belt in its upper course, the deck including: 
 a rigid planar member extending under and supporting the upper course of the belt to provide a support surface for the upper course extending toward a rear end of the treadmill, on which upper course a user of the treadmill can tread while facing a front end thereof,  
 an anchor portion extending between side rails of the frame and anchoring the planar member on the frame, said anchor portion and said planar portion being generally coplanar, and  
 a flexible hinge resiliently connecting the rear end of the rigid planar member to the anchor portion; and  
   means for fastening the anchor portion to the frame.    
     
     
       25. A treadmill according to  claim 24 , wherein:
 the frame has parallel support portions at a fixed spacing; and    the treadmill further comprises elastomeric members supporting the underside of the rigid planar member against the frame.    
     
     
       26. A treadmill according to  claim 25 , wherein:
 the anchor portion comprises anchor means separate from the rigid planar member to anchor the rigid planar member on the treadmill frame; and    the flexible hinge spaces the rigid planar member from the anchor means and connects the end of the planar member to the anchor means.    
     
     
       27. A treadmill according to  claim 26 , wherein:
 the rigid planar member comprises a plywood board disposed between the side rails;    the anchor means comprises a plywood anchor board spanning the side rails; and    the flexible hinge comprises a rubber sheet.