Finger strength exercise device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a finger strength exercise device with which a horizontal balance can be easily trained. [Solution] A balance body 30 has the configuration in which the surface is an approximately spherical surface as a convex shape protruding upward and has a board body 20 in which a finger rest 21a for a finger to be placed thereon and a palm rest 22 for a palm to be placed thereon are formed, wherein the lower surface has a convex shape protruding downward from an edge portion of the finger rest 21a of the board body 20, and each surface portion forms a convex surface. Even when a finger strength exercise device 10 is inclined, at least part of the finger strength exercise device 10 is always grounded on a floor surface or the like, and the body trunk can be strengthened simultaneously with the finger strength through exercise performed while keeping balance in addition to finger strength exercise.

Description

Finger strength training device

[0001] The present invention relates to a finger strength training device that can vary the angle of load on the fingers of a hand.

[0002] A known finger strength training device that can change the load angle on the fingers is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This finger strength training device has a disk body with an upwardly convex, approximately spherical surface that forms a finger rest on which the fingers are placed and a palm rest on which the palm is placed.

[0003] It also has a balance part that protrudes from the center of the back of the disc. The balance part is disclosed to be a cone shape or a semi-cylindrical shape that is smaller than the outer shape of the medium, as well as a cone shape that matches the outer shape of the medium. By placing your hand on the surface of the disc, you can train your horizontal balance.

[0004] Patent No. 7043018

[0005] When training for horizontal balance using finger strength training devices disclosed in prior art documents, the medium is supported only by the top of the balance part unless the top of the balance part and the edge of the plate contact the floor. Because this state is unstable, strong finger strength is required to maintain horizontal balance, making training difficult for beginners. Furthermore, since the device can be tilted in any direction (360 degrees), tilting toward the palm rest can lead to deep bending of the wrist, which can cause pain. Even with a semi-cylindrical shape, it is easy to tilt toward the palm rest, resulting in deep bending of the wrist.

[0006] The present invention provides a finger strength training device that facilitates training of horizontal balance.

[0007] The present invention comprises a disk body having an upwardly convex, approximately spherical surface, on which a finger rest for placing fingers and a palm rest for placing a palm are formed, the disk body having an approximately semicircular portion when viewed from above, and an underside that is convex downward from the edge of the disk body, and a balance body in which each portion of the surface of the approximately semicircular portion is convex, and the balance body is shaped so that the palm rest side of the disk body is less inclined than the finger rest side.

[0008] In another embodiment of the present invention, the balancer has a support portion that serves as a support to prevent the plate body from tilting.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the support portion is detachable from the balancer and a plurality of support portions can be attached to the balancer. In another embodiment of the present invention, the support portion is detachable from the balancer and a plurality of support portions can be attached to the balancer, thereby making it impossible for the plate body to tilt.

[0010] In another embodiment of the present invention, the balance body has a larger curvature on the side of the central portion of the disc body than on the outside. Furthermore, in another embodiment of the present invention, the balance body has a fixing device for fixing the palm to the disc body.

[0011] In another embodiment of the present invention, an air chamber is formed inside to allow elastic deformation. In another embodiment of the present invention, the underside of the balancer is formed with countless small protrusions, and the curve connecting the apex of one protrusion with the apex of the peripheral protrusions is configured to be convex downward.

[0012] The balance body of the finger strength training device of the present invention has a convex shape extending downward from the edge of the finger rest portion of the board body, and each portion of the surface is convex, so that the underside comes into contact with the floor or other surface at any position, and even at any inclination, it does not become extremely unstable, and training to maintain horizontal balance can be performed even when finger strength is insufficient.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a front view of a finger strength training device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the finger strength training device. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the finger strength training device. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a balance body of the finger strength training device. FIG. 5 is a front view of a finger strength training device according to a modified example. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the finger strength training device. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional front view of a balance body of the finger strength training device taken along line A-A. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional front view of a balance body of the finger strength training device taken along line B-B. FIG. 9 is a front view of a finger strength training device according to a modified example. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the finger strength training device. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a balance body of the finger strength training device according to a modified example. FIG. 12 is a front view of a finger strength training device according to a modified example. FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the finger strength training device. FIG. 14 is a front view of a deformed state of the finger strength training device according to the modified example.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a front view of a finger strength training device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 shows a side view of the same finger strength training device, Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the same finger strength training device, and Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the balancing body of the same finger strength training device. In the figures, the finger strength training device 10 has a circular outer periphery, spherical upper and lower surfaces, and a protruding portion of the upper surface. When divided horizontally at the outermost periphery, the upper portion is called the disk body 20 and the lower portion is called the balancing body 30.

[0015] The board 20 has an inclined surface 21 that resembles a portion of the curved outer surface of a ball-sized sphere cut away, and a portion of this inclined surface 21 serves as a finger rest 21a on which the fingers are spread and placed. For example, as shown in Figure 3, for a left hand, the positions where the fingers can rest are area S, area I, area M, area R, and area P. Because the inclined surface 21 is spherical, the positions of area S, area I, area M, area R, and area P will change depending on the shape of the user's hand, the length of the fingers, and whether the user is right-handed or left-handed.

[0016] The raised portion is a base on which the palm is placed and is called the palm rest 22. The palm rest 22 has a cylindrical lower portion and a roughly spherical upper portion, and is fixed by embedding the cylindrical portion into a circular hole formed in part of the inclined surface 21 of the board 20. The protruding height of the palm rest 22 is formed to be higher by a step d than the highest zenith portion of the finger rest 21a.

[0017] In this embodiment, the ball that serves as the reference for the curved outer surface of inclined surface 21 is preferably a ball used in sports that involve handling the ball with one's hands, such as basketball, volleyball, handball, rugby, American football, baseball, etc. Finger strength training device 10 is disc-shaped, and the bulging dome surface is sometimes referred to as upper surface 11, and the opposite side is sometimes referred to as lower surface 12.

[0018] As described above, the finger strength training device 10 has a disc body 20, and the upper surface 11 of the finger strength training device 10 is formed as a roughly spherical surface with a convex shape facing upward, with a finger rest 21a on which the fingers are placed and a palm rest 22 on which the palm is placed.

[0019] 3, the position of the center of gravity when the body is supported with fingers placed on parts S, I, M, R, and P is referred to as the finger rest central axis 21a1. As shown in the figure, the finger rest central axis 21a1 is offset from the main body vertical central axis 21b, which is the center of the circular outer periphery of the disc body 20, and the palm rest vertical central axis 22a of the approximately spherical palm rest 22 is also offset from the main body vertical central axis 21b.

[0020] In this embodiment, the palm rest 22 is higher than the top of the board 20 by a step d, but it may be the same or slightly higher. Also, the upper end of the palm rest 22 is spherical, but it may also be flat.

[0021] The underside 12 of the finger strength training device 10 is a balance body 30, which is formed to have the curved outer surface of a sphere with a diameter of φ0, as shown in Figure 4. In other words, the underside of the finger strength training device 10 has a convex shape that extends downward from the edge of the disk body 20, which has a circular outer diameter, and the surface is a spherical surface.

[0022] Since it is a spherical surface, all parts of the surface are convex. In this embodiment, since the disc 20 has a circular outer diameter, the balancer 30 also has a circular outer diameter overall. However, as will be described later, if the disc 20 does not have a circular outer diameter, it is sufficient that at least the edge of the finger rest 21a portion of the disc 20 is convex downward, and all parts of the surface are convex. This balancer 30 is formed for horizontal balance training, which is one type of finger strength training.

[0023] In addition, a belt-like fixing device 23 can be attached to the board body 20, and the finger strength training device 10 can be worn on the hand by inserting the fingers and palm between the belt-like fixing device 23 and the finger rest 21a.

[0024] Next, we will explain how to use the device. When using the present invention, use one device with only one hand, or two devices with one device on each hand simultaneously. Place the entire pads of your fingers on the finger rests 21a, which are part of the inclined surface 21 of the board 20, and place your palm on the palm rest 22. The palm rest 22 prevents your wrist from bending at an unnatural angle. (a) By applying part of your body weight from above while in a push-up position or while kneeling, the load is distributed not only to your palm but also to your fingers, maintaining balance and training the strength and sensation of your fingers.

[0025] (b) Furthermore, by placing the present invention within easy reach and using it while standing upright, finger strength and sensitivity can be trained safely with less strain. (c) The balance body 30 ensures that even if the finger strength training device 10 is tilted, it always touches the floor somewhere, so that in addition to finger strength training, training while maintaining balance can also train the core at the same time as finger strength.

[0026] That is, all portions of the surface of at least the underside of the finger rest 21a of the balancer 30 are convex, so that when the finger strength training device 10 is tilted, it comes into contact with the floor or the like at the lowest point where balance is possible.

[0027] For example, with the balance parts disclosed in the prior art, if the balance part loses balance, it stops when two points—the top of the balance part and the outer edge of the finger strength training device—contact the floor. Therefore, training that involves gradually tilting the balance part is not possible. In contrast, with the balance part 30, whose underside is convex downward from the edge of the finger rest 21a on the board 20 and whose entire surface is convex, the load on the tilt is reduced at any point on the underside, resulting in a stable balance, making it possible to perform balance training or core training. While the board 20 with an inclined surface is the main body, the inclined surface 21 may be curved or flat. Furthermore, the board 20 is not limited to a disc-shaped body and may be a three-dimensional object made of various materials, including wood, resin, and metal. The inclined surface 21 has a finger rest 21a, which guides the fingers and prevents excessive and unnatural stress on the finger joints. This allows stress to be applied to the entire finger, not just specific areas such as the fingertips.

[0028] In addition, a stand for placing the palm, i.e., a palm rest 22, is provided so that the palm is positioned higher than the fingers, and a step d is provided between the finger rest 21a and the palm rest 22, so that a load can be applied to the fingers with the angle of the wrist relative to the palm naturally widened.

[0029] Thus, according to the present invention, the entire underside of the main body has a curved, inclined surface, which changes the contact point and the angle of the main body's horizontal axis, changing the angles between the central axes of the main body, palm rest, and finger rest and the main body's horizontal axis in all directions, front to back, left to right, and the distance between the central axes of the main body, palm rest, and finger rest also changes, allowing a load to be applied to the fingers.

[0030] In addition, by installing a fixture on the top of the main unit to secure the palm, the main unit can be worn on the hand, and in addition to doing finger push-ups on the floor, the inclined surface allows training by tilting the body against the wall. By tilting the body angle, the load can be changed, and therefore the training intensity can be varied.

[0031] Figure 5 shows a front view of a modified finger strength training device, Figure 6 shows a bottom view of the same finger strength training device, Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the balance body of the same finger strength training device taken along line A-A in Figure 6, and Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the balance body of the same finger strength training device taken along line B-B in Figure 6.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5 , the finger training device 110 includes a disc 120 and a balancer 130. While the upper surface of the palm rest 22 of the disc 20 was spherical, the palm rest 122 is cylindrical overall with a flat upper surface. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the finger training device 110 is not entirely circular, but is semicircular at the finger rest 121a and rectangular elsewhere. The inclined surface 121 on the upper surface of the disc 120 is also approximately spherical in the semicircular portion, but cylindrical in the rectangular portion. As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 5 , the disc 120 on the upper surface of the finger training device 110 may be spherical with a circular outer diameter, similar to the disc 20.

[0033] The balancer 130 has a semicircular outer diameter at the portion corresponding to the finger rest 121a and a rectangular outer diameter at the other portion. The semicircular portion has a roughly spherical shape, while the rectangular portion has a cylindrical surface as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG.

[0034] Because of its cylindrical surface, it is possible to rotate it so that it swings left and right along a straight line passing through the palm rest vertical central axis 22a, the main body vertical central axis 21b, and the finger rest central axis 21a1. However, as shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 7, the area extending from the main body vertical central axis 21b toward the finger rest central axis 21a1 is linear, and when placed on a floor, the contact surface and the linear bottom surface come into contact, preventing tilting.

[0035] The provision of the palm rest 122 would normally prevent the wrist from bending at an unnatural angle. However, when the balancer 30 is provided, the shape of the board 120 is such that the palm rest 122 side is not as inclined as the finger rest 121a side, in order to prevent the wrist from bending at an unnatural angle.

[0036] Specifically, the balancer 130 has a section that is linear in cross section in the direction from the palm rest 122 to the finger rest 121a on the board 120. The direction from the palm rest 122 to the finger rest 121a does not need to be a straight line beyond the finger rest central axis 21a1, and may be just before the finger rest 122, closer to the finger rest central axis 21a1. During training, weight may be applied to the palm rest 122, so in order to prevent the wrist from bending at an unnatural angle at that time, the linear line needs to be linear up to around the palm rest vertical central axis 22a.

[0037] Compared to the spherical balancing body 30 shown in Figures 1 to 4, the balancing body 130 shown in Figures 5 to 8 has an additional part to prevent the wrist from bending at an unnatural angle, and this part serves as a support part. This support part acts as a support to prevent the disc body 120 of the balancing body 130 from tilting.

[0038] This support portion is located on a line extending from the finger rest 121 a to the palm rest 122 on the board 120 .

[0039] In this embodiment, the finger rest central axis 121a1 is also offset from the main body vertical central axis 121b, and the palm rest vertical central axis 122a is also offset from the main body vertical central axis 121b. Because the finger rest central axis 121a1 is offset from the main body vertical central axis 121b, balance is achieved when the finger training device 110 is tilted slightly forward. In contrast, when the finger rest central axis 121a1 and the main body vertical central axis 121b are aligned, balance is achieved when the finger training device 110 is in a nearly horizontal state. In this case, balance training can be performed by tilting the device forward from a horizontal state, and by not tilting it backward, the wrist can be protected.

[0040] FIG. 9 shows a front view of a finger strength training device according to a modified example, and FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the same finger strength training device.

[0041] The support portion may be formed by modifying the shape of a portion of the balancing body 130, or as shown in Figure 9, the finger training device 210 has a disk body 220 and a balancing body 230, and the balancing body 230 may be formed as a spherical body with a support portion 232 that protrudes from the side farther from the palm rest vertical central axis 222a with respect to the main body vertical central axis 221b, up to the same height as the apex of the balancing body 230. By having the support portion 232 protrude to the same height as the zenith of the balancing body 230, the balancing body 230 will not tilt even if weight is applied to the palm rest 222, for example. In other words, the wrist can be prevented from bending at an unnatural angle.

[0042] 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a balancing body of a finger strength training device according to a modification. Up until now, the bottom surface of the balancing body 30, 130, 230 has been convex downward, and each portion of the surface has been assumed to form a part of a sphere, as an example of a convex surface.

[0043] However, the bottom surface may be convex downward, with each portion of the surface being convex, and the diameter may be varied in parts. That is, the bottom surface of the balancer 330 is a spherical surface with a diameter φ1 near the center of the disc 320, and a spherical surface with a diameter φ2 on the outside, with φ1 > φ2. In other words, the bottom surface is formed so that the curvature is greater near the center than on the outside.

[0044] In FIG. 11 , the inner surface has a diameter of φ1 and the outer surface has a diameter of φ2. In this way, each portion of the surface can be made convex while the curvature is greater on the inside than on the outside. By making each portion of the surface convex, when the finger training device 310 is gradually tilted from a nearly horizontal position, it initially begins to tilt with a slight difference in force, allowing balance training to begin. After training begins, as the user gradually becomes accustomed to it, it becomes possible to tilt the balance body 330 while keeping it in contact with the floor, but the force required to tilt gradually increases. In other words, balance training can be performed by applying gradually greater force.

[0045] Fig. 12 shows a front view of a finger strength training device according to a modified example, Fig. 13 shows a bottom view of the same finger strength training device, and Fig. 14 shows a front view of the modified finger strength training device in its deformed state. In this embodiment, a finger strength training device 410 includes a disc body 420 and a balance body 430.

[0046] 9 and 10, the number of support parts is increased, and a total of eight support parts 432 are provided on the balancer 430. The eight support parts 432 are provided so that the lines connecting the main body vertical central axis 421b with the main body vertical central axis 421b are equidistantly spaced apart relative to the balancer 430. The support parts 432 are detachable from the balancer 430.

[0047] Because the main body vertical center axis 421b protrudes not only toward the palm rest 422 but also below the finger rest 421a, it can be prevented from tilting freely when placed on the floor. In other words, for beginners who do not want to do balance training, it is as if the balance body 430 were not present, and training can be performed focusing only on finger strength training. In this way, by attaching multiple support parts 432, the board body 420 can be made non-tiltable. Furthermore, by removing the support part 432 on the finger rest 421a side, it is possible to tilt the board body 420 from the palm rest 422 toward the finger rest 421a, but to prevent tilting in a direction that bends the wrist more deeply, thereby allowing for variations in training.

[0048] To achieve the above-described shapes, the finger training devices 10, 110, 210, 310, and 410 can be formed from a variety of materials, including but not limited to wood, resin, and metal. All or part of the device can also be formed from an elastic material. The elastic material can be, for example, an inflatable material that inflates by filling it with air, or a material that is sufficiently hard but also moderately soft so that it can bend during training. It can also have an internal air chamber, so that the air chamber is the main portion that deforms. In other words, it can be elastically deformable. It can be designed to deform significantly to allow for compact folding for easy storage, or it can be designed to deform only slightly to allow for variations in training. Alternatively, some parts can be rigid, while other parts can be inflatable.

[0049] The underside of the balancing body 30, 130, 230, 330, 430 has a downwardly convex shape, but it may also have an overall convex shape with numerous small protrusions formed on it. In this case, it is sufficient to arrange the balancing body so that the curve connecting the apex of one protrusion and the apex of the peripheral protrusions is downwardly convex.

[0050] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It goes without saying that a person skilled in the art would understand that the following are disclosed as embodiments of the present invention: - Applying mutually replaceable components and configurations disclosed in the above embodiments by appropriately changing their combinations; - Applying mutually replaceable components and configurations disclosed in the above embodiments by publicly known techniques that are not disclosed in the above embodiments, and applying such combinations by appropriately changing them; - Applying non-disclosed components and configurations that are not disclosed in the above embodiments but that a person skilled in the art could conceive of as substitutes for the components and configurations disclosed in the above embodiments based on publicly known techniques, and applying such combinations by appropriately changing them.

[0051] 10... finger strength training device, 11... upper surface, 12... lower surface, 20... disc body, 21... inclined surface, 21a... finger rest, 21a1... finger rest central axis, 21b... main body vertical central axis, 22... palm rest, 22a... palm rest vertical central axis, 23... fixing device, 30... balance body, 110... finger training device, 120... disc body, 121... inclined surface, 121a... finger rest, 122... palm rest, 130... balance body, 210 ...Finger training device, 220...disk body, 221b...main body vertical central axis, 222...palm rest, 222a...palm rest vertical central axis, 230...balancing body, 232...support part, 310...finger training device, 320...disk body, 330...balancing body, 410...finger training device, 420...disk body, 421b...main body vertical central axis, 422...palm rest, 430...balancing body, 432...support part.

Claims

1. A finger strength training device comprising a disc body having an upwardly convex, approximately spherical surface that forms a finger rest for placing fingers and a palm rest for placing the palm, said disc body having an approximately semicircular portion when viewed from above, an underside that is convex downward from the edge of said disc body, and a balance body in which each portion of the surface of said approximately semicircular portion is convex, said balance body having a shape that is less inclined on the palm rest side of said disc body than on the finger rest side.

2. A finger strength training device according to claim 1, wherein the balance body has a support portion that serves as a support to prevent the plate body from tilting.

3. A finger strength training device according to claim 2, wherein the support part is detachable from the balance body and a plurality of support parts can be attached.

4. A finger strength training device as described in claim 3, characterized in that by attaching a plurality of said support parts, it is possible to make said disc body unable to tilt.

5. A finger strength training device according to claim 1, wherein the balance body has a larger curvature on the side of the central portion of the disc body than on the outside.

6. A finger strength training device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the disc body has a fixing device for fixing the palm.

7. A finger strength training device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an air chamber is formed inside to make it elastically deformable.

8. A finger strength training device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the underside of the balance body is formed with countless small protrusions, and the curve connecting the apex of one protrusion to the apex of the surrounding protrusions is convex downward.

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