Apparatus for rehabilitative exercise of feet

Claim 2

Apparatus for rehabilitative exercise of feet comprising: a pair of pivotally supported footboards on which are to be placed the feet of a rehabilitant, said footboards being disposed in side-by-side relationship and being capable of swinging in the alternatingly opposite directions; a backboard extending upwardly from near the backward ends of said footboards, said backboard being adapted to support the back of the rehabilitant; means for moving Said footboards in the alternatingly opposite directions, said means including a motor and transmission means interposed between the output shaft of said motor and said footboards, said transmission means being capable of dividing the rotational power produced by said motor in such a manner that said footboards swing in the alternatingly opposite directions; means for adjusting the angle through which each of said footboards is permitted to swing; and means for adjusting the angle between the centerline of the angle of swing of said footboards and the plane of the horizon.

Claim 3

The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said backboard is attached to a cabinet containing said means for moving said footboards, said means for adjusting the angle of swing of said footboards and said means for adjusting the angle between the centerline of the angle of swing of said footboards and the plane of the horizon.

Claim 4

The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which said means for moving said footboards are attached to a carriage installed within said cabinet so as to be slidable toward and away from said footboards.

Claim 5

The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which said means for adjusting the angle between the centerline of the angle of swing of said footboards and the plane of the horizon is comprised of a worm rotatably installed within said cabinet and extending through a threaded hole of said carriage, a motor for rotating said worm, and motor control means capable of reversing the rotational direction of said motor, whereby said carriage is moved toward and away from said footboards by means of said motor via said worm so that the relative location of said footboard moving means on said carriage with respect to said footboards varies thereby to swing both of said footboards correspondingly.

Claim 6

The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said footboard driving means further comprises speed control means adapted to controllably vary the rotational speed of said motor thereby to correspondingly vary the swinging speed of said footboards.

Claim 7

The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said transmission means of said footboard moving means comprises a crank to be rotated by said motor of said footboard moving means, a crank arm connected to said crank, a swingable lever which is pin jointed with said crank arm so as to be moved back and forth by the rotation of said crank, an arm connected to said swingable lever so as to be swung with relation to the swing of said lever, a first shaft secured to one of the ends of said arm so as to be turned in alternating directions by the swing of said arm, a second shaft disposed in side-by-side relationship with said first shaft, a gearing for conveying the alternating turns of said first shaft to said second shaft with their directions reversed, a first link having one of its ends secured to said first shaft, a second link having one of its ends secured to said second shaft, a first rod interconnecting the free end of said first link and one of said footboards, and a second rod interconnecting the free end of said second link and the other of said footboards.

Claim 8

The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which said means for adjusting the angle of swing of said footboards comprises a worm rotatably installed lengthwise in said swingable lever, a motor mounted on said swingable lever for rotating said worm, a nut member fitted on said worm, said nut member being moved longitudinally of said worm by the rotation of the same, a pin secured to said nut member and extending through an elongated slot of said arm, and motor control means capable of reversing the rotational direction of said motor.

Claim 9

The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which said backboard is provided with a pair of handrails for supporting the hands of the rehabilitant.

Claim 10

The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which said backboard is inclined backwardly.