US3544256A - Weight reducing belt - Google Patents

Description

' 1970 J.V.FEA THER 3,544,25

WEIGHT REDUCING BELT Filed Dec. 22, 1969 irTL m I WJ U IN VEN'TOR.

JACK VINCENT FEATHER United States Patent 3,544,256 WEIGHT REDUCING BELT Jack Vincent Feather, 11293 Kerrigan Drive,

Oakland, Calif. 94604 Filed Dec. 22, 1969, Ser. No. 886,880 Int. Cl. A61f 7/00 US. Cl. 128-293 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An inflatable waist encircling relatively wide belt to be worn during exercising for weight reducing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to weight-reducing appliances and more particularly'to an inflatable wide belt of adjustable length.

Description of the prior art There are many weight-reducing belts presently on the market which are designed to be worn while exercising, but none of them include the feature of being inflatable by the wearer after they have been placed on the wearers body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a weight-reducing belt. It is comprised basically of an elongated inflatable belt between seven and twelve inches wide constructed of a material having a non-porous and non-absorbent exterior surface.

The belt includes means for an adjustable length s ecurement thereof around the wearers waist. This perinits the belt to fit various sized waists and overlapping of the two ends of the belt to insure encircling contact of the belt with the waist of the wearer. An inflating means is provided to permit the entire length of the belt to be inflated by the wearer while the belt is being worn. Means are also provided to permit the belt to be maintained in an inflated condition without attention from the wearer.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide an inflatable belt whereby continuous encircling contact of the belt with the body of the wearer is assured.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a weight-reducing belt which has a non-porous and nonabsorbent exterior surface to insure heavy sweating of the wearer during exercise.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a weight-reducing belt which can be inflated by the wearer after the belt has been placed in operative position around the waist of the wearer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention in operative position on the waist of the wearer.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the exterior side of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The weight-reducing belt of the present invention is an elongated adjustable length inflatable belt 11 which is generally between seven and twelve inches wide. The width can vary depending upon the size of the wearer,

with the wider sizes being for the taller person having a longer torso.

The preferred embodiment of the belt is constructed from a rectangular piece of pliable non-porous plastic sheet material and having a non-absorbent exterior surface typical of plastic. The sheet material is folded over and the three free edges 13, 15, 17 thereof are sealed together by heat and pressure. The edges can also be sealed together by any suitable adhesive. With the edges sealed together, the material forms an elongated rectangular piece of double-thickness inflatable material which comprises the body portion of the belt.

The belt includes means for adjustable length securement of the belt around the wearers waist to permit the belt to fit various sized persons and shrinking waistlines. To effect this, a multiplicity of straps 19 are secured to one end of the belt by a suitable adhesive or other means on the sealed edge 17, and strap engagement means, such as D-rings 21, are secured to one side of the belt at a point spaced from the other end thereof.

Placing the D-rings at a position spaced from the end of the belt leaves a portion of the belt as a flap 23 which can be wrapped around the body of the person, and then overlapped by the other end of the belt having the straps, to insure encircling contact of the belt with the waist of the wearer. In the preferred embodiment a series of D-rings are captured on loops which are secured to a plastic strip which in turn is secured to one exterior side of the belt. Of course, many other adjustable securement means can be envisioned, such as stick material which engages when overlapped and pressed together. This material is utilized on the cuff or arm band portion of a sphygmomanometer or blood pressure tested. The cufl is similar in construction to the invention but differs in important detail.

An inflating means is provided for permitting the wearer to inflate the entire length of the belt While he is wearing it. While any small air pump could be utilized, the volume of the belt is so small that the preferred embodiment includes simply a long flexible tube 25 secured to the belt and which communicates with the interior thereof to permit the belt to be inflated by the breath of the wearer. The length of the tube is suflicient to reach the mouth of the wearer while the belt is secured around the wearers waist.

The inflating tube is also provided with a means for maintaining the belt in an inflated condition without attention from the wearer. This can be etfected by simply a spring clip which permits the tube to be sealed by compressing it. When the tube is pinched closed, it can be tucked inside the belt during exercise.

While other equivalent means can be substituted for certain portions of the described construction of the present invention, the preferred embodiment disclosed herein has many advantages over the prior art and other weight-reducing belts currently on the market because the pressure the muscles have to work against during exercise can be varied by varying the amount of air put into the belt. When a person begins to exercise, his muscles are relatively weak and cannot overcome much resistance without strain and resulting ache and pain. As his muscles become conditioned to exercise, they can withstand greater resistance and require such muscles to develop further. The present invention permits this progressive exercise. When the wearer begins exercising, he utilizes only a small amount of air pressure in the belt, but as his muscle tone becomes stronger, more air pressure is put in the belt to cause greater resistance during exercising.

Another advantage of the inflatable belt is that it insures continuous contact of the belt with the body of 3 the wearer the full width of the belt. This increases the sweating rate of the wearer under the belt to help reduce the wearers waist-line.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of the invention in its preferred form that it will fulfill all ,of the objects attributable thereto. While the invention has been illustrated and described in considerable detail, it is not to be limited to such details as have been set forth.

I claim:

1. A weight-reducing belt comprising an elongated inflatable belt between 5 and 12 inches wide, said belt being constructed of a pliable plastic material having a non-porous and non-absorbent exterior surface, said belt including means for adjustable length securement of the belt around the wearers waist, said means permitting said belt to fit various sized waists and overlapping of the two ends of said belt to insure encircling contact of the belt with the waist of the wearer, and

inflating means to permit said belt to be inflated by the wearer for full encircling contact of the waist of the wearer by an inflated portion of the belt, while said belt is being worn, and maintained in an inflated condition without attention from the wearer.

2. The weight-reducing belt of claim 1 wherein said belt is constructed of a rectangular piece of plastic material folded over and sealed together along the three free edges thereof.

3. A weight-reducing belt comprising an elongated inflatable belt between 7 and 12 inches wide, said belt having an inflatable portion of suificient length to fully encircle the waist of a wearer of the belt and being constructed of a pliable non-porous plastic sheet material,

a multiplicity of straps secured to one end of said belt and strap engagement means secured to one side of said belt at a point spaced from the other end of said belt, said straps of a length to permit said belt to fit various sized waists and overlapping of the,ends of said belt to insure encircling contact of the belt with the waist of the wearer, and

inflating means including a flexible tube secured to said belt and communicating with the interior of the inflatable portion of said belt, said tube being of such a length as to reach and be insertable in the mouth of the wearer, said inflating means capable of inflating the entire length of said belt and also including means for maintaining the belt in an inflated condition without attention from the wearer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,275,647 8/1918 Bjerre n 9315 1,501,672 7/1924 Lawton 128-293 1,646,590 10/ 1927 Mildenberg 128 Splint Digest 2,621,342 1.2/1952 Boyle 9-316 3,186,404 6/1965 Gardner 128- Splint Digest 3,307,554, 3/1967 Thornton et al 128-293 3,434,469 3/ 1969 Swift 12878 CHARLES F. ROSENBAUM, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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