Exercise Harness with Swivel Pulley for Cervical Muscle Loading

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing exercise equipment often causes injuries during rotational repositioning and muscle loading due to uneven tensioning forces, which can lead to axial loading and muscle strain.

Innovation Solution

An exercise harness with a band that partially encircles the body, utilizing a pulley system with a swivel connection to equalize tensioning forces and two-part fastenings that break under excessive load, providing audible and visual warnings of unsafe conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a band partially encircles the user's body for muscle loading, then muscle loading capability is improved, but uneven tensioning forces cause injury risk

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemuscle loading capabilityVSAvoidinjury risk from uneven tensioning
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A pulley system acts as an intermediary mechanism between the band ends and the user's body. The pulley equalizes tensioning forces by redirecting the force vector, ensuring both ends of the band experience equal and opposite forces during muscle loading and rotational repositioning movements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the force distribution parameters by introducing a pulley that redistributes tension forces. This transforms the force application from uneven direct pulling to equalized forces through the pulley mechanism, maintaining force balance during dynamic movements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Stability of the object's composition

If retention means are attached to the band, then band positioning stability is improved, but excessive load can cause fastening failure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveband positioning stabilityVSAvoidfastening reliability under excessive load
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The retention means are designed with controlled failure characteristics that provide beforehand cushioning against excessive load. When load exceeds safe thresholds, the retention means fail in a controlled manner, preventing transmission of damaging forces to the user's body while maintaining stability during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The potential harmful effect of excessive load is converted into a beneficial safety feature. The retention means are designed to fail at predetermined load thresholds, transforming the harmful excessive force into a protective mechanism that prevents injury by releasing load before it can cause damage to the user.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Significantly reduces the risk of injury by ensuring equal tensioning forces and providing a safety mechanism to prevent overloading, thus ensuring safe and effective muscle loading and exercise.

Implementation Method 1

The means for equalising the tensioning forces applied to the two ends of the band may takes the form of a pulley system in which a cord or other line that is attached to the two ends of the band passes through a pulley of the system so that tensions in the line either side of the pulley, and thereby the tensioning of the two ends of the band, are equalised.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPulley: Pulley

Data Source

PatentEP2421619B1Exercise harnesses
Publication Date: 2018.06.06 GATHERER DONALD WILLIAM
  • EP2421619B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2421619B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4
  • EP2421619B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

An exercise harness has a band (1) that is retained partially encircling the user's head, by a chin-strap (3) and interconnected head-straps (4). The straps (3, 4) are attached to individual spaced locations of the band (1) by press-studs (6, 7) or two-part fabric fastenings. A cord (13) extending through a pulley-block (14) is clipped at its ends (12) to rings (11) at respective ends of the band (1). Load from a weight or from reaction to head movement is applied to the pulley-block (14) via a swivel connection (15) for equalisation and balancing out of asymmetrical tensioning of the two ends of the band (1) for extension exercise of muscles of the spinal cervix. Unsafe or inappropriate loading causes break-out of one or more of the press-studs (6, 7) or other fastenings to give audible warning of it and a measure of relief.