Treadmill exercising device with yieldable belt support

Claim 2

A treadmill exercising device comprising: an endless belt looped around horizontally spaced roller support means, thereby providing a lower belt section and an overlying upper belt section on which a person may run or walk; a low friction sheet of pliable material lying under said upper belt section and serving as a contact surface against which said upper belt section slides, said low friction sheet being freely displaceable upwardly and downwardly over its entire area and sufficiently pliable as to yield downwardly under the weight load of a person on said upper belt section, and said upper belt section being in direct contact with said low friction sheet and supported entirely thereon over the entire area of said upper belt section in its unloaded state; and resilient and yieldable support means disposed under said sheet of pliable material over its entire area in supporting relation thereto and depressible therewith under the weight of a person walking or running on said upper belt section.

Claim 3

A treadmill exercising device as defined in claim 1 wherein: said resilient and yieldable support means comprises a gas cushion in the form of a plurality of collapsible bellows cells having a gaseous medium therein, each of said bellows cells having a flexible side walls abutting at their bottom ends against a fixed base with their upper ends bearing against the underside of said low friction sheet of pliable material in supporting engagement therewith, said sheet of pliable material being supported over its entire area entirely on said bellows cells, whereby the downward deflection of said upper belt section under load compresses both the underlying bellows cells and the gaseous medium therein, the pressurized gaseous medium resisting further downward depression of said upper belt section and giving upward support thereto.

Claim 4

A treadmill exercising device as defined in claim 2 wherein: said gaseous medium in each of said bellows cells is air; and further including an air intake check valve in each of said bellows cells communicating with the atmosphere, said check valves being closed upon the compression of said bellows cell and the air therein, and said check valves opening to permit a predEtermined air inflow into said cells upon the upward movement of said upper belt section and the expansion of said bellows cells.

Claim 5

A treadmill exercising device comprising: an endless belt looped around horizontally spaced roller support means, thereby providing a lower belt section and an overlying upper belt section on which a person may run or walk; a low friction sheet of pliable material lying under said upper belt section and serving as a contact surface against which said upper belt section slide; a resilient and yieldable support means in the form of a gas cushion under said sheet of pliable material, said gas cushion comprising a plurality of collapsible bellows cells having air therein as a gaseous medium, said bellows cells having their bottom ends resting upon a fixed base with their upper ends bearing against the underside of said low friction sheet of pliable material in supporting engagement therewith, whereby the downward deflection of said upper belt section under load compresses both the underlying bellows cells and the air therein; an air intake valve in each of said bellows cells communicating with the atmosphere, said check valves being closed upon the compression of said bellows cells and the air therein, and said check valves opening to permit a predetermined air inflow into said cells upon the upward movement of said upper belt section and the expansion of said bellows cells; and a plurality of apertures in said low friction sheet in fluid flow communication with each of said bellows cells, the sliding contact of said upper belt section with said low friction sheet under load providing a slow leaking air seal at each of said apertures, thereby permitting a limited amount of pressurized air to leak out of said bellows cells through said apertures during compression of said cells to provide an air bearing in the form of a thin film of pressurized air between said upper belt section and said low friction sheet.

Claim 6

A treadmill exercising device comprising: an endless belt looped around horizontally spaced roller support means, thereby providing a lower belt section and an overlying upper belt section on which a person may run or walk; a low friction sheet of pliable material lying under said upper belt section and serving as a contact surface against which said upper belt section slide; a resilient and yieldable support means in the form of a gas cushion under said sheet of pliable material, said gas cushion comprising a plurality of collapsible bellows cells having air therein as a gaseous medium, said bellows cells having their bottom ends resting upon a fixed base with their upper ends bearing against the underside of said low friction sheet of pliable material in supporting engagement therewith, whereby the downward deflection of said upper belt section under load compresses both the underlying bellows cells and the air therein; an air intake valve in each of said bellows cells communicating with the atmosphere, said check valves being closed upon the compression of said bellows cells and the air therein, and said check valves opening to permit a predetermined air inflow into said cells upon the upward movement of said upper belt section and the expansion of said bellows cells; and a plurality of apertures in said low friction sheet in fluid flow communication with each of said bellows cells, the sliding contact of said upper belt section with said low friction sheet under load providing a slow leaking air seal at each of said apertures, thereby permitting a limited amount of pressurized air to leak out of said bellows cells through said apertures during compression of said cells to provide an air bearing in the form of a thin film of pressurized air between said upper belt section and said low friction sheet.