Ergonomically designed, individually adapted 360-degree rotatable and mounted seat for rowing boats, canoes, ergometers and other sports equipment.

Abstract

The seat can be rotated 360 degrees.

Description

[0001] In Olympic sports such as rowing, canoeing, and other sports, the athlete performs a seated and complex movement.

[0002] The active rower and canoeist uses their feet, buttocks and hands as connecting elements to the sports equipment boat and ergometer.

[0003] Almost all boats in rowing and canoeing are designed and engineered for maximum speed through optimized boat shapes; therefore, the boats are constructed and developed to be very narrow and on the edge of controllability for the athletes.

[0004] Unlike the hands and buttocks, the feet are enclosed in appropriate shoes. The shoes are firmly screwed to the footplate. The footplate is firmly screwed to the footboard. The footboard is screwed to the exercise equipment, either a boat or an ergometer.

[0005] The hands, on the other hand, are loosely positioned and grasp an oar, several oars, a paddle, or a handle.

[0006] The buttocks rest loosely on the respective seat.

[0007] The active person sits on the seat, supported by the sacrum, hip bone, coccyx, and primarily by the gluteus maximus muscle. The gluteus maximus, in turn, is intricately connected to other posterior and anterior leg muscles, terminating in the lower extremities.

[0008] The right and left pelvic bones are spaced at different distances from each other in men, women, and are genetically determined.

[0009] Due to manufacturer limitations, the seat currently consists of wood, carbon fibers, and CFRP fibers.

[0010] The seat is usually in two parts. It is typically pre-shaped. One part of the two-part seat consists of a seat plate that makes contact with the user's buttocks. The second part is a component that connects to the respective piece of sports equipment, such as a boat, canoe, ergometer, or other sports equipment.

[0011] The boat gains stability and travels straight ahead through the feet of the active person, which are connected to the footplate, and the central and axial position of the active person in the boat.

[0012] The footplate and seat are absolutely essential. Without them, boats, ergometers, and other sports equipment are unusable. The positioning of the footplate and seat—including their height and angle—in the boat or on the ergometer, as well as their shape and construction, are extremely important.

[0013] The footplate and seat therefore not only fundamentally influence the speed of the boat or the output of the ergometer, but are also responsible for the stability of the boat in the x / y / z axes.

[0014] The footplate and seat generate directional stability and are an essential aid in difficult water conditions, as well as in difficult wind conditions, and extremely helpful in gusty crosswinds.

[0015] In rowing, both in a boat and on an ergometer, the seat is connected to the boat or ergometer via a chassis with rollers. These rollers glide and run on rails, known as roller tracks, which are permanently attached to the boat or ergometer. In canoeing, the seat is fixed to the boat, without rollers or roller tracks.

[0016] The problem is that, due to the fixed seat, the buttocks and lower extremities of the active person in the boat, even on an ergometer, cannot be moved at all or only to a limited extent due to the fixed connection with the sports equipment and cannot rotate freely.

[0017] The necessary and unrestricted mobility and rotation in the lower extremities during rowing in a boat, on an ergometer, and during canoeing are either not possible or only possible to a limited extent. Damage to the skeletal and muscular systems of the active individual is a likely consequence.

[0018] The possible angles in the extended and final positions are not achieved. The angular velocity and the throughput velocity are not optimally utilized.

[0019] The tendons and joints of active athletes wear out and are irreparably damaged.

[0020] Conventional seats lack rotation capabilities.

[0021] The force applied by the active person to move the boat is insufficient.

[0022] The special feature of the invention is: In rowing and canoeing, rotation of the athlete's upper and lower extremities is required. Since the conventional seat is fixed to the boat either directly with screws or indirectly via a roller system or other adapter, and is not rotatable, the athlete cannot rotate their upper and lower extremities as the human body's genetics dictates.

[0023] The special feature of the invention is that the individually genetically determined anatomically different conditions of the active person in their extremities, buttocks, and pelvis are significantly taken into account and are now possible through a rotating seat when practicing the sports of rowing, canoeing and other sports.

[0024] Another special feature of the invention is that the seat is not only rotatable, but can also be additionally mounted, which greatly relieves the back, lower extremities, buttocks and muscles, prevents cramping and is described in patent (8).

[0025] Another special feature of the invention is that the contact area of ​​the active's buttocks on the seat is increased by the invention, and measurable pressure peaks are reduced while simultaneously improving the contact of the active with the seat to the sports equipment.

[0026] The seat is depicted in patent (2) as two-part, three-part or multi-part, the parts of the multi-part seat are connected to each other in any way, with any materials, in any type of material, in any length and width, at any distance from each other, in any material thickness and are described in patent (4,7).

[0027] The buttocks of the active person rest on the first part, which is the upper part of the seat. The buttocks are depicted as being flat or pre-shaped, with or without holes, with or without contours, in any material thickness, shape, size, and width.

[0028] The second part of the seat, and thus the middle part of the seat, is located between the first part of the seat and the third part of the seat and consists of any rotatable one-piece or multi-piece component, supported or unsupported in any way, made of any material, in any material thickness, which rotates in any range, is connected to the first part of the seat and the third part of the seat in any way and at any distances.

[0029] The innovation described in patent (1,3,6) is such that a horizontal 360 degree rotation of the seat is enabled, thereby allowing a continuous body rotation from the lowest extremities of the active person's body, the toes, to the highest extremities of the active person, the fingers, without interference.

[0030] The third part of the seat is manufactured in any way, in any size, in any contour, in any material thickness, and in any material in order to be connected in any way to any chassis in the sport of rowing, to any chassis of ergometers, to any chassis of canoes, and to any boats, ergometers, and sports equipment. A novelty is that the plates used in the multi-part, 360-degree rotatable seat described in patent (1), as shown in patent (7), can be individually and precisely connected to each other in any way and with any material, supported by buffers, springs, rubber, or any other materials, with the purpose of not stressing or damaging the lower extremities, back, buttocks, fascia, muscles, and the structures of the sacroiliac joint, as described in patent (8).

[0031] One effect of this innovation is that the athlete can generate larger and optimized launch and pull angles. Angular velocities, and therefore the power transfer speeds of the boat or ergometer, increase because the movement is more uniform, consistent, and smoother thanks to the athlete's muscle coordination and rotation. The forces exerted by the athlete are greater and are transferred more effectively to the boat and ergometer, significantly increasing boat speed and ergometer output. The risk of injury, particularly in the lower extremities, is reduced. The risk of injury and wear and tear on the athlete's tendons and joints is also minimized. Athletes with limited mobility in their lower extremities especially benefit enormously from this invention and can finally participate in these sports.Even athletes with physical disabilities can use the sports equipment and meet the associated demands for body rotation thanks to the rotating seat. This invention closes and optimizes the interface between their individual physical disabilities in sensory and motor skills and the sports equipment. Depending on the degree of the athlete's physical limitations, this invention allows access to the sports of rowing, canoeing, and their ergometers for the first time.

[0032] The innovation lies in the fact that previously, the user's buttocks were resting on the conventional, commercially available seat without any possibility of rotation or free movement of the muscles, ligaments, fascia, and sacroiliac joint of the lower extremities. This resulted in restricted movement, limited mobility, and immobility. With the new design, the user experiences less resistance when propelling the boat, requiring less effort to pull it through the water. During coasting, the reduced speed loss due to the improved hydrodynamic resistance is noticeable. Conversely, the user needs to expend less force and energy on the next stroke to maintain a high average speed and output for the boat and ergometer.Furthermore, it is still considered an advantage that the boat can be moved in a directionally stable manner by the active person, especially during the free-running phase, using the active person's lower body strength with less effort.

[0033] Another novelty, unique feature and difference of the invention compared to conventional and previous seats is that the rotating seat can also be used in other boats and ergometers that are only used temporarily; a further immense advantage is the cost reduction due to multiple uses and increased durability.

[0034] Another advantage is that the 360-degree rotatable seat can be optionally restricted and locked to suit the user's individual usage profile, genetic predispositions and capabilities, and the range of free rotation can be determined, thus adapting to the specific use of the boat, as shown in patent (3).

[0035] The seat, including its length, width, contour, and material thickness, is individually adapted to ergonomically varying factors from person to person and to the boat itself – another innovation. Unlike conventional seats, this new design allows for individual adjustment of the seat to the user and their specific needs.

[0036] A further special feature of the invention is that the use of the rotating seat facilitates the optimization and synchronization of the different active members of the crew boat, thereby increasing the boat's speed. The movement sequence is more easily controlled by the individual member.

[0037] Another advantage of the innovation is that the various parts of the seat are complexly embedded within the seat, requiring minimal maintenance and protecting them from dirt and damage.

[0038] The advantage of this invention, unlike previously known seats, lies in the biomechanically optimal and measurably improved adaptation of the user to the sports equipment, which can be demonstrated in terms of aerodynamics and increased speed. Because the rotating seat can be individually adjusted to the prevailing conditions, the user sits straight and aligned along the x, y, and z axes in the boat and on the ergometer.

[0039] The back pain and postural problems in muscles and skeleton, which are very frequently diagnosed in rowing and canoeing, are at least reduced or even completely eliminated by this invention. This is because the boat sits more stable in the water along the x / y / z axes and is therefore more economically controllable by the athlete. As a result, the available muscles and joints can be used for effective propulsion. This, along with the increased comfort, generates higher output and improved performance for the athlete. The isolation of individual muscles and their dysfunctions is eliminated.

[0040] This results in improved blood flow to the muscles, connective tissue, and extremities.

[0041] The positive effect can be demonstrated through biomechanical measurements of the active participant, force measurements during the introduction of force from the boat to the oar, paddle, and with comparable measurements of travel times and output on the ergometer.

[0042] These factors combined increase the boat's speed.

[0043] Naturally, the athlete's well-being greatly influences their athletic performance.

Claims

[1] The seat can be rotated 360 degrees. [2] The seat, as shown in the patent (1), is 2 parts, 3 parts or more parts. [3] The seat, as shown in patent (1), (2), is manufactured with all possible limitations in the sense of 360-degree rotation. [4] The seat, as shown in patent (1), (2), (3), is made of any aluminium alloys, metal alloys, carbon fibers, CFRP fibers, any materials of any length, thickness, width, shown round, square, curved and in any shape, produced by milling, printing, casting, laminating. [5] The seat, as shown in patent (1), (2), (3), (4), is manufactured to fit any adapter plate for connection to any boats, ergometers and any other sports equipment. [6] The seat, as shown in patent (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), is equipped with any rotating mechanism in any shape, in any material, in any size, width, length. [7] The seat, as shown in patent (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), is produced in any plate thickness, any format and any distance between the plates. [8] The seat with the associated plates, shown in patent (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7) can be mounted on ball bearings, rubber bearings, buffer bearings or in any way.