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[0001] I hereby claim benefit under Title 35, United States Code, Section 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/518,330 filed Mar. 3, 2000. This application is a continuation of the 09/518,330 application. The 09/518,330 application is currently pending and has received a Notice of Allowance. The 09/518,330 application is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to exercise mats and more specifically it relates to an exercise alignment mat system for providing reference to an individual performing an exercise such as yoga.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Exercise mats have been in use for years. Typically, a conventional exercise mat is comprised of a flat structure. The conventional exercise mat is typically constructed of a foam rubber material. Most conventional exercise mats have a rectangular shape, however various other shapes are also utilized.
[0006] The main problem with conventional exercise mats is that they do not provide a reference point for the individual during exercises. Hence, if an instructor informs a class to rotate their bodies 90 degrees it is often times difficult for the individual to accurately rotate their body.
[0007] Examples of patented mat devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,913 to Bott; U.S. Pat. No. 355,226 to Wadley; U.S. Pat. No. 393,499 to Brown; U.S. Pat. No. 397,269 to Kawamoto; U.S. Pat. No. 291,586 to Bourret and U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,494 to Dione et al.
[0008] While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for providing reference to an individual performing an exercise such as yoga. Conventional exercise mats do not provide a reference point for the individual exercising leaving the individual to estimate or guess the relative positions of their body during an exercise such as yoga.
[0009] In these respects, the exercise alignment mat system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing reference to an individual performing an exercise such as yoga.
[0010] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of exercise mats now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new exercise alignment mat system construction wherein the same can be utilized for providing reference to an individual performing an exercise such as yoga.
[0011] The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new exercise alignment mat system that has many of the advantages of the exercise mats mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new exercise alignment mat system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art exercise mats, either alone or in any combination thereof.
[0012] To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a mat having a first center line, a second center line orthogonal to the first center line, a plurality of first lines parallel to the first center line, and a plurality of second lines parallel to the second center line. The mat is a flat structure which may be comprised of a resilient and cushioned material. A plurality of markers may be positioned at the intersection of the lines for increased visual references. The student is able to have a visual reference regarding the respective position of their feet, hands and body during an exercise. In an alternative embodiment, the mat includes a first extended portion and a second extended portion on opposite sides of the mat.
[0013] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
[0014] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0015] A primary object of the present invention is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
[0016] A second object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system for providing reference to an individual performing an exercise such as yoga.
[0017] Another object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that is self-contained within a single structure.
[0018] An additional object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that increases a yoga student's awareness of their relative body positions.
[0019] A further object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that allows a yoga student to correct their body alignment without guessing their position.
[0020] Another object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that makes it easier for a yoga student to follow instructions from an instructor such as “turn your left foot 90 degrees” or “keep your feet parallel to one another”.
[0021] A further object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that increases the accuracy of a yoga student's foot placement and body movement.
[0022] Another object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that maintains the placement of feet, hands and body in correct alignment during an exercise.
[0023] An additional object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that makes it easier for a teacher to insure that all of the students are correctly positioned and aligned during an exercise without requiring the instructor to individually correct each individual student.
[0024] A further object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that is a visual tool to practice technique safely and correctly.
[0025] Another object is to provide an exercise alignment mat system that can be utilized by teachers and students of various types of exercises.
[0026] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
[0027] To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.
[0028] Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034] Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views,
[0035] As shown in
[0036] As shown in
[0037] As shown in
[0038] As shown in
[0039] As shown in
[0040] As shown in
[0041] In an alternative embodiment shown in
[0042] In use, the student positions their hands and/or feet upon the upper surface of the mat
[0043] As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
[0044] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed to be within the expertise of those skilled in the art, and all equivalent structural variations and relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
[0045] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Index of Elements for Exercise Alignment Mat System □ ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS □ 40. Second Extended Portion □ □ 41. □ □ 42. □ □ 43. □ □ 44. □ □ 45. □ □ 46. □ □ 47. □ □ 48. □ □ 49. □ 10. Exercise Alignment Mat System □ 50. □ 11. □ 51. □ 12. □ 52. □ 13. □ 53. □ 14. □ 54. □ 15. □ 55. □ 16. □ 56. □ 17. □ 57. □ 18. □ 58. □ 19. □ 59. □ 20. Mat □ 60. □ 21. □ 61. □ 22. First Lines □ 62. □ 23. □ 63. □ 24. Markers □ 64. □ 25. □ 65. □ 26. Second Lines □ 66. □ 27. □ 67. □ 28. First Center Line □ 68. □ 29. Second Center Line □ 69. □ 30. First Extended Portion □ 70. □ 31. □ 71. □ 32. □ 72. □ 33. □ 73. □ 34. □ 74. □ 35. □ 75. □ 36. □ 76. □ 37. □ 77. □ 38. □ 78. □ 39. □ 79.