GB2593502A

GB2593502A - Personal Training Aid

Info

Publication number: GB2593502A
Application number: GB2004307.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tom Huggins Stuart
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2020-03-25
Filing date: 2020-03-25
Publication date: 2021-09-29
Also published as: GB202004307D0

Abstract

Apparatus to help a user to stand in a position that can be reproduced next time the apparatus is used comprises: a first portion 11 able to sit, in use, on the floor or surface on which the user is to stand; a second portion 12, adapted to engage, a side portion of the user’s foot once that foot is placed in contact with the first portion 12; and means 13, on the first 11and/or second 12 portion, adapted to resist any tendency of the user’s foot to move forward and/or backward on the apparatus once the user has positioned the foot in contact with both the second portion 12 and the movement-resisting means 13. The apparatus preferably includes a plate 11 which a user stands on and at least one protrusion 12, 13, 18 which may have an adjustable position.

Description

PERSONAL TRAINING AID

Field of the invention

The invention relates to personal training aids and is particularly, although not exclusively, applicable to recreational activities such as darts, archery, rifle shooting or golf, in which it is important for a competitor to be able to stand with at least one foot in an attitude which can be reproduced accurately each time the competitor stands to address a target.

Summary of the invention

In its broadest aspect the invention is embodied in apparatus intended to help a user to stand with at least one foot in an attitude which can be reproduced next time the apparatus is used; the apparatus comprising: a first portion able to sit, in use, on the floor or other surface on which the user is to stand; a second portion, adapted to engage, in use, a side portion of the user's foot once that foot is placed in contact with the first portion; and means, on the first and/or second portion, adapted to resist any tendency of the user's foot to move forward and/or backward on the apparatus once the user has positioned the foot in contact with both the second portion and the movement-resisting means.

Brief description of the drawings

Figures 1 through 5 of the accompanying drawings each show a respectively different form the apparatus might take in practice. These are not the only forms in which the apparatus could be embodied; they are given by way of example only. But the form shown in figure 1 represents the best way currently known to the applicant of putting the invention into practice.

Figures 2 through 5 are each drawn to a scale smaller than that of figure 1

Description of the Illustrated embodiments

The apparatus of figure 1 as illustrated is intended to be used by a darts player to help his or her front foot stance be reproduced accurately each time the user stands at the oche to address a target dart board. A first part 11 of the apparatus comprises a substantially flat lightweight metal plate, rectangular when viewed from above and in place on the floor on which its user intends to stand. The underside (not shown) of the plate 11 is substantially flat and preferably surfaced with a slip-resistant sheet of rubber. The metal plate 11 is large enough for a user of the apparatus to stand on it and is made of material which is lightweight enough to be easily carried to and from its intended place of use.

A first portion in the form of an elongate L-section rectangular metal strip 12 sits on the upper (in use) surface of the plate 11 A second thin metal strip portion 13 rises at a right angle from the front (as intended in use) edge of the plate 11 and is integral with it, thus forming a lipped front surface extending across the width of the plate 11.

Respective elongate linear slots 14; 15 are cut into the plate 11 and extend as illustrated across almost the whole of its width. They are parallel one with another. Lever-action toggles 17, each identical and of known kind, are attached to the second portion strip 12 and engage the side walls of each respective one of the slots 14; 15 so that a user can deploy the sliding but lockable interaction between each toggle and its respective slot side walls to fix the strip 12 in any desired one of a number of angles relative to the lip 13.

As shown in figure I, the toggles are locked into each of their respective slots to fix the strip 12 at approximately a right angle (as illustrated in exaggerated perspective) to the upstanding lip 13 A second elongate L-section thin metal strip 18, identical to the ship 12, is also connected between the slots 14; 15 by respective toggles 19; 21 each of which is identical to the toggles 16; 17. The strip 18 can therefore, like the strip 12, be fixed at any desired angle within a wide range in relation to the lip 13 and as shown, it is fixed at an angle of approximately 30 degrees to the strip 12 with a minimum distance between them at the plate 13 which is wide enough to accommodate the front foot -shown in broken line -of a user.

In use of the apparatus, it is placed by its user with its front lip 13 hard up against the substantially vertical back (in use) surface of a conventional timber oche 22 -part, only, of which is shown in broken line in figure 1 -thus positioning the apparatus in a way which will not move to any appreciable extent -and certainly not forwards -once the user stands on the plate 11 without his or her weight substantially shifting to any appreciable extent In that position, the user's front foot as shown will have part at least of its side portion pushed up against -and thus engaged with -the strip 12, whilst the front portion of that same foot will be pushed up against the lip 13 which thereby will resist any tendency of the user's foot to move forward on the plate 11.

In addition, in this particular embodiment of the apparatus, the essentially triangular constraint formed by strip 12, lip 13, and strip 18 not only prevents the user's foot from moving forward but also enables it to be positioned -as shown -with a majority of a side portion of the foot engaging strip 18. Thus, in this illustrated embodiment, within the terms of the inventive concept, plate 11 forms the necessary first portion on which the user is to stand in use; strip 18 forms the necessary second portion against which the side portion of the user's foot engages once the foot is placed in position on plate 11 and in contact with lip 13; and lip 13-with (in this instance) or without the assistance of strip 12, forms the necessary means on (in this instance) plate 11, resisting any tendency of the user's foot to move (in this instance) forward once the foot has been positioned in contact with both lip 13 and strip 18 as shown.

Figure 2 shows a modified version of the apparatus of figure 1. This consists of a plate lla and single strip 12a -the strip 18 of figure 1 is absent, as is the upstanding lip 13.

Instead, the unlipped front edge 23 of the plate Ila is pushed, in use, hard up against the vertical back face of the oche 22a so that it forms -in conjunction with that oche back face 22a -the necessary means resisting forward movement of the user's foot; whilst the strip 12a this time is so angled, as shown, as to form the required 'second portion' engaging, in use, a side portion of the user's foot. Between them -and provided of course the user inclines his or her weight if anything towards the strip 12a rather than away from it -they form the restraints which enable that foot position on the plate to be reproduced next time the apparatus is pushed up against the back surface of the oche.

Figure 3 shows a version of the apparatus in which the upper On use) surface of plate 1 lb has two portions carried on it. The first portion 13b is fixed to one right angled corner of plate 1 lb and is so shaped to that, as shown in broken line, when a user's front foot is pushed hard up against the rearward (as shown when in use) pre-shaped surface of the portion, that surface of portion 13b acts simultaneously both to engage a side portion of the user's foot and also resist any tendency of the foot to move forward once in position on the plate.

As figure 3 shows, the bottom portion (when viewed as in figure 3) 12b of the pre-moulded portion 13b jets out from the side of plate llb in order to force the user's foot to assume the necessary angled stance in relation to -ultimately -the oche 22b.

A slot 14b accommodates lever-action toggles respectively 16b and 17b and, once fixed in position, the protruding upstanding part-surfaces of these toggles form effectively a side stop against which the outside of the user's back foot can be positioned so that front foot and back foot are simultaneously fixed in positions that can be repeated next time the apparatus is used.

In a modification of the figure 3 apparatus -not shown in the drawings -the toggles lob and I 7b could be replaced by fixed upstanding posts whose spacing and positioning are not alterable on the plate 1 lb and are fitted specifically to the back foot size and positioning in use of a given user.

In another modification -again not shown -of that same figure 3 apparatus, the upstanding portion 13b could be made moveable about, and fixed as desired in, a range of angles about the corner region of the plate 1 lb. Means to do this are known in themselves, and ways to make them work in the context of the invention will become apparent to the intended skilled addressee of this specification.

Figure 4 shows yet another modification in which the figure 3 apparatus has been reduced to a minimum within the requirements of the inventive concept. Here, plate 1 1 c has a side strip 12c and front lip 13c moulded into it to form one continuous shaped upstanding wall against which the user's foot is positioned once the front edge of lip 13c has been pushed hard up against a vertical back surface of the oche 22c. This particular embodiment has been pre-designed and pre-formed to the needs of a uniquely specific user and so is unadjustable in any aspect. In use, as shown, side strip 12c will form an angle of approximately 30 degrees with the back surface of the oche 22 c.

Finally, figure 5 shows an essentially minimalist apparatus embodying the invention where, again, strip 12d and lip 13d have inside surfaces pre-moulded to the requirements of one unique user and the elongate 'tail' 11d of lip 12d effectively forms the required first portion sitting, in use, on the floor; lip 12d itself forms the second portion engaging, in use, a side portion of the user's foot once the foot is placed in contact with the first portion 11d, and the moulded inside surface of lip 13d forms the necessary means resisting any tendency of the user's foot to move forward once the foot has been positioned in contact with both portions 12d with the oche contacting surface of portion 13d hard up against the vertical back surface of the oche 22d.

As in the figure 4 embodiment, lip 12d of figure 5 forms in use -as shown -an angle of approximately 30 degrees with the back surface of the oche 22d A rubber suction cup 24 is fixed to the tail of portion l Id and, once pressed, helps the apparatus not to move when in use. It is optional -it could be dispensed with if the under surface of the apparatus of figure 5 is appropriately coated with slip-resistant material, and/or the surface on which the player stands immediately behind the oche is itself of a slip-resistant nature, e.g. rubber matting.

Any one of the protrusive surfaces -including lip 13 etc -rising from the plate 11 could be of a kind adapted to be quick -released in known manner.

The numbered claims which now follow form an integral part of this disclosure.

Claims

CLAIMS1 Apparatus intended to help a user to stand with at least one foot in an attitude which can be reproduced next time the apparatus is used; the apparatus comprising: a first portion able to sit, in use, on the floor or other surface on which the user is to stand; a second portion, adapted to engage, in use, a side portion of the user's foot once that foot is placed in contact with the first portion; and means, on the first and/or second portion, adapted to resist any tendency of the user's foot to move forward and/or backward on the apparatus once the user has positioned the foot in contact with both the second portion and the movementresi sting means.
Apparatus according to claim 1 and in which the first portion comprises a plate on which, in use, a user can place his or her foot and from whose foot-receiving surface a protrusion rises, the protrusion constituting in use the said means resisting forward and/or backward movement of the foot in use.
Apparatus according to claim 2 and in which the protrusion comprises a lip rising from the foot-receiving plane of the plate and extending at least partway across the width -when the plate is viewed as straddling the axis of the foot -of the plate.
Apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3 and in which the protrusion is adjustable on the plate between respective positions in which its position on the plate can be fixed.
Apparatus according to claim 4 and in which means are provided to allow a user of the apparatus to fix the position of the protrusion -or any one of the protrusive surfaces rising from the plate if there are more than one -in a manner which allows it to be subsequently quick-released. 2. 3. 4.
6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim and in which the second portion of the apparatus is adjustable in position on the plate in relation to the first portion.
7. Apparatus according to claim 5 and in which the second portion is releasably adjustable in increments.
8 Apparatus according to any of claims 1, 2 and 3 and in which the second portion and the movement-resisting means comprise a protrusion rising from the foot-receiving plane of the plate and integral with it.
9. Apparatus whose features comprise those shown respectively in figure 1 or figure 2 or figure 3 or figure 4 or figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim and in which any one or more of the integers of the apparatus is replaced with a variant which either would infringe the claim as a matter of normal interpretation or infringes because it varies the defined invention in a way or ways which is or are immaterial and in either case would have resulted from a person -skilled in the art of personal training aids of the kind to which the invention relates -reading the disclosure herein and concluding that the variant achieved substantially the same result in substantially the same way as the invention and that the applicant did not intend strict compliance with the literal meaning of the claim to be an essential requirement of the invention.