Glider Gloves

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/457,173 filed Aug. 28, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present disclosure relates generally to exercise devices for exercising the upper and lower body of a user. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an exercise device in which a user can add fluidity and versatility to exercise movements by reducing friction between the user (e.g., a user's foot) and a surface. This type of training may allow the user to create deeper muscle engagement during exercise.

Traditional exercise equipment is typically intended to target a specific muscle group and may also require auxiliary equipment in order to complete various exercises. Traditional exercise equipment may also present various challenges and dangers to users. For example, a user performing exercises outside of a gym setting may require certain equipment to activate specific muscle movement. Further, a user training with various exercise equipment outside of a gym setting (e.g., at home) may risk damaging areas of their home by using the equipment.

Traditional exercise equipment may also be intended for use in a specific range of motion or performing a specific exercise. As such, a user intending to engage in training one or more muscle groups using multiple exercises and/or ranges of motion faces the challenge of using multiple different types of exercise equipment. In some instances, a user may implement a training technique intended to minimize rest time between exercises, which presents a challenge when multiple types of different exercise equipment are required and may require set-up or other assistance prior to use, thus interrupting such a training technique.

Therefore, an exercise device that addresses one or more of the aforementioned challenges may be desired.

One embodiment relates to an exercise device. The exercise device includes a glider and a glove that covers at least a portion of the glider. The glove includes a grip disposed on an inner surface of the glove that engages with the glider. The glider and the glove can slide along a surface responsive to a force applied to the glider.

Another embodiment relates to a glove that covers a glider. The glove includes a grip disposed on an inner surface of the glove. The grip engages with the glider. The glider and the glove can slide along a surface responsive to a force applied to the glider.

Another embodiment relates to a method of using an exercise device. The method includes providing the exercise device including a first glider, a first glove, a second glider, and a second glove. The method includes placing the first glove over the first glider, placing the second glove over the second glider, and applying a force to move at least one of the first glider or the second glider along a surface. The first glove includes a first grip disposed on an inner surface of the first glove to fix the first glider relative to the first glove. The second glove includes a second grip disposed on an inner surface of the second glove to fix the second glider relative to the second glove.

This summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the devices or processes described herein will become apparent in the detailed description set forth herein, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Before turning to the figures, which illustrate certain exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.

Referring generally to the figures, an exercise device described herein allows a user to easily and safely exercise in various settings (e.g., at a gym, at home, etc.). The exercise device includes at least one glider having at least one surface formed of a hard material (e.g., plastic) capable of gliding along a soft surface (e.g., carpet). A user can step on the glider at the ball of their foot, or another portion of the user, to add fluidity and versatility in exercise movements along the soft surface (e.g., such that the user can slide their feet along the surface with reduced or minimal friction). The exercise device includes at least one glove that can at least partially surround and/or enclose the glider. The glove can be formed of a soft fabric material (e.g., fleece, cotton, etc.) such that the glove surrounding the glider can allow the glider to slide along a hard surface (e.g., wood flooring, tile flooring, etc.) with minimal or reduced friction in comparison to the surface of the glider. Therefore, the exercise device allows a user to engage in various deep muscle engagement exercises in a variety of settings including, but not limited to, soft floor settings (e.g., carpet flooring, rugs, etc.), and/or hard floor settings (e.g., hard wood flooring, tile flooring, vinyl flooring, etc.). The one or more gloves of the exercise device can include at least one grip on the inner surface of the exercise device to engage with the glider and fix the glider relative to the glove such that the glove does not slide off when a user uses the glider and glove.

Referring to, an exercise devicecan be used by a userto exercise. For example, as described herein, the exercise devicecan include a slidable glider that a usercan step on (e.g., with one or more feet). A usercan push on the exercise deviceto cause the exercise deviceto slide over a surface (e.g., the ground, a floor, etc.). The exercise devicecan slide to allow the userto perform various exercises including, but not limited to, stationary running, lunges, planks, push-ups, stationary climbing, or other movements without the userhaving to take their feet off the exercise device. Such movements can facilitate adding fluidity and versatility to exercise movements by reducing friction between the user(e.g., a user's foot or hand) and a surface. This type of training may allow the userto create deeper muscle engagement during exercise.

depict various views of a set of exercise devices. For example,depicts a partially exploded top view of a pair of exercise devices(e.g., a first exercise deviceand a second exercise device),depicts a partially exploded bottom view of the pair of exercise devices,depicts a bottom view of the pair of exercise devices, anddepicts a top view of the pair of exercise devices. As depicted, each exercise deviceincludes a gliderand a glovethat can couple with the glider. For example, the glidercan fit within the glovesuch that the glovecovers at least one side of the glider.

The gliderincludes a first surfaceand an opposing second surface. The first surfaceand/or the second surfacemay be at least partially curved (e.g., not planar) to facilitate receiving a portion of the user(e.g., a ball of a user's foot). The first surfacecan include one or more materials that facilitate gripping a portion of a userto use the glider. For example, the first surfacecan be made at least partially of one or more foam materials (e.g., Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA), polyurethane foam, etc.) to facilitate gripping a portion of the user(e.g., a body part such as a hand, knee, or foot, or an article of clothing such as a sock, shoe, etc.). The first surfacecan be made from various other materials including, but not limited to, plastic, rubber, or metal.

The second surfacecan include one or more materials that have a lower coefficient of friction on soft floors (e.g., carpet rugs, etc.) than the material of the first surfaceof the glider. For example, the second surfacecan be made of one or more hard plastics (e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), etc.). In other words, the second surfacecan be formed of one or more materials that are slidable on soft flooring, such as carpet, rugs, or other soft floors.

With this configuration, a usercan place at least one glideron a soft floor (e.g., carpet or rug) with the second surfacefacing the floor and the first surfaceopposing the floor. The usercan step on the first surface(e.g., via a foot, knee, hand, etc.) and can apply a force on the glidersuch that the glidercan easily slide along the soft flooring surface by the smooth second surfaceof the gliderwhile a user's foot, knee, hand, or other portion touching the second surfacecan maintain engaged with (e.g., in contact with) the first surfaceto perform various exercises described herein.

To use the glideron hard flooring (e.g., wood, vinyl, tile, laminate, etc.), the glidercan be at least partially placed into a corresponding glove. For example, the glovecan include at least one openingon a first side of the glove. The openingcan receive the glidersuch that the glovecan at least partially or substantially cover the glider. For example, the glovecan cover an entirety of the second surfaceof the gliderand/or at least a portion of the first surfaceof the glider. In some implementations, at least a portion of the first surfacecan be exposed to an external portion of the glove, as depicted in at least, such that the gripping material of the first surfaceis at least partially exposed for the userto grip the exercise device. In some implementations, the glovemay enclose the entire glider, or substantially the entire glider.

The openingcan be smaller in diameter or width than the gliderin at least one direction to facilitate surrounding the glove. For example, the openingcan include at least one elastic material (e.g., elastic band integrated within the material of the glove) that allows the openingto stretch open to receive the entire glider. The elastic band can facilitate biasing the openingat least partially closed once the glideris placed into the gloveto facilitate preventing the gliderfrom falling out of the glove. In some implementations, the openingmay include a shape that substantially matches a shape of the glider. In some implementations, the openingmay include a different shape or profile than the glider.

The glovecan include one or more soft fabric materials to facilitate allowing the gliderto slide along a hard surface (e.g., wood, vinyl, tile, etc.) with less force as compared to the second surfaceof the glidersliding along the same hard surface while reducing or eliminating the risk of scratching the hard surface. For example, the glovecan be formed of various fabrics including, but not limited to, fleece, cotton, neoprene, polyester, velvet, or other materials that allow the gliderto slide along hard flooring. In other words, at least one material of the glovecan include a lower coefficient of friction against a hard flooring surface as compared to the coefficient of friction of the second surfaceof the gliderto facilitate allowing the gliderto slide against the hard flooring surface.

depict various views of the gloveanddepict various views of the glovein an inside-out state (e.g., flipped inside-out at the openingsuch that the inner surface of the gloveis facing outward). For example,depicts a top view of the glove,depicts a top perspective view of the glove,depicts a bottom view of the glove, anddepicts various side views of the glove.depicts a bottom view of gloveflipped inside out,depicts a top perspective view of the gloveflipped inside out,depicts a top view of the gloveflipped inside out, anddepict various side views of the gloveflipped inside out.

The inner surface of the glove(e.g., the surface that directly receives and contacts the glider) can include at least one grip. The gripcan include at least one material that can grip and/or stick to the second surfaceof the gliderto prevent the glovefrom moving relative to the gliderwhen the glideris placed in the glove. For example, the gripcan be formed of various gripping and/or elastomeric materials including, but not limited to, silicone rubber, an adhesive, and/or various other similar materials. The gripcan be a different material than the rest of the glove.

The gripcan include various shapes or sizes at various positions on the inner surface of the glove. For example, as depicted throughout the figures, the inside surface of the glovecan include a plurality of independent gripsforming concentric rings around the center of the glove. In some implementations, the gripcan include one, monolithic grip that extends in various patterns throughout the inside surface of the glove. The one or more gripscan include various additional or alternative shape patterns along the inside surface of the glove. For example, the one or more gripscan extend in a wave-like pattern, a rectangular pattern, an arch pattern, a triangular pattern, a pentagonal pattern, a zig-zag pattern, a serpentine pattern, an asymmetrical pattern, or various other types of shapes or patterns.

The gloveand/or the corresponding glidercan include various different types of shapes. For example, as depicted throughout the figures, the glidercan include a generally round or disc-like shape and the glovecan substantially match at least a portion of a profile of the glider. The gliderand/or glovecan include various additional or alternative shapes including, but not limited to, a rectangular shape, an arch shape, a triangular shape, a pentagonal pattern, a hexagonal shape, a heptagonal shape, an asymmetrical shape, or various other shapes.

The gloveand/or the corresponding glidercan include various sizes. For example, the glidercan include a diameter (e.g., width) in the range of 10-30 cm (e.g., 12-25 cm, 15-20 cm, etc.). The glidercan include a larger or smaller diameter. For example, the glidercan include a diameter that is greater than or equal to 30 cm or less than or equal to 10 cm.

depicts a methodof using one or more of the exercise devices. The methodincludes placing a first gloveon a first glider, as depicted in step. For example, an openingof a first glovecan expand by the elastic band of openingto receive a first glider. Once the first glideris placed into the first gloveat the opening, the elastic band of the openingcan bias the openingtowards a center of the opening to at least partially enclose the first gliderwithin the first glove. The first glidercan be placed in the first glovesuch that the one or more gripsof the first gloveengage with (e.g., contact) the second surfaceof the first gliderand such that the first surfaceof the first glideris at least partially exposed to an exterior of the first gloveto engage with (e.g., contact) or portion of a user.

The methodincludes placing a second gloveon a second glider, as depicted in step. For example, an openingof a second glovecan expand by the elastic band of openingto receive a second glider. Once the second glideris placed into the second gloveat the opening, the elastic band of the openingcan bias the openingtowards a center of the opening to at least partially enclose the second gliderwithin the second glove. The second glidercan be placed in the second glovesuch that the one or more gripsof the second gloveengage with (e.g., contact) the second surfaceof the second gliderand such that the first surfaceof the second glideris at least partially exposed to an exterior of the second gloveto engage with (e.g., contact) or portion of a user.

The methodincludes apply a force to at least one of the first glideror the second glider, as depicted in step. For example, a usercan apply a force to the partially exposed first surfaceof the first glideror the second gliderto cause the corresponding gliderand gloveto slide or glide along a surface (e.g., a hard flooring surface) by contact between the surface and the outer surface of the glove. The one or more gripsof the corresponding gliderscan facilitate fixing the gloveswith the corresponding glidersuch that a force applied to the glidercauses movement of the gliderand glovetogether (e.g., such that the glovedoes not slide off the glider).

are illustrations of embodiments of a glove of an exercise device, according to exemplary embodiments. More specifically,is a bottom perspective view of a glove of an exercise device in a right-side-out state where the glove includes one or more interior grips,is a front view of the glove in a right-side-out state,is a rear view of the glove in a right-side-out state,is a left view of the glove in a right-side-out state,is a right view of the glove in a right-side-out state,is a bottom view of the glove in a right-side-out state, andis a top view of the glove in a right-side-out state.is a top perspective view of a glove of an exercise device in an inside-out state where the glove includes a plurality of interior grips,is a front view of the glove in an inside-out state,is a rear view of the glove in an inside-out state,is a left view of the glove in an inside-out state,is a right view of the glove in an inside-out state,is a top view of the glove in an inside-out state, andis a bottom view of the glove in an inside-out state.

As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”, and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.

It should be noted that the term “exemplary” and variations thereof, as used herein to describe various embodiments, are intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, or illustrations of possible embodiments (and such terms are not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).

The term “coupled” and variations thereof, as used herein, means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members coupled directly to each other, with the two members coupled to each other using a separate intervening member and any additional intermediate members coupled with one another, or with the two members coupled to each other using an intervening member that is integrally formed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. If “coupled” or variations thereof are modified by an additional term (e.g., directly coupled), the generic definition of “coupled” provided above is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional term (e.g., “directly coupled” means the joining of two members without any separate intervening member), resulting in a narrower definition than the generic definition of “coupled” provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical, electrical, or fluidic.

The term “or,” as used herein, is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is understood to convey that an element may be either X, Y, Z; X and Y; X and Z; Y and Z; or X, Y, and Z (i.e., any combination of X, Y, and Z). Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z to each be present, unless otherwise indicated.

References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below”) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the Figures. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.

Although the figures and description may illustrate a specific order of method steps, the order of such steps may differ from what is depicted and described, unless specified differently above. Also, two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence, unless specified differently above.