Exercise device
A exercise ball device can include a ball and one or more panels supported by the ball. The ball can be substantially rigid and the at least one panel can be soft or resiliently deformable. The exercise ball can include a belt for guiding and positioning the one or more panels on the ball.
1. An exercise ball device configured for physical exercise use, the exercise ball device comprising:
a hard rigid ball;
a belt connected to the ball and located on an outer surface of the ball; and
one or more panels connected to the ball and located on the outer surface of the ball, the one or more panels comprising one or more edges abutting one or more edges of the belt, wherein the one or more panels comprise an inner support panel and an outer cover panel, wherein the inner support panel is made of rigid plastic material and the outer cover panel is made of resilient or deformable material,
wherein the belt and the one or more panels define an outer surface of the exercise ball device,
wherein the belt and the one or more panels are securely connected to the ball in a manner to prevent disconnection from the ball; and
wherein the exercise ball device is configured to withstand the physical exercise use.
2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the exercise device is a sphere-shaped exercise device.
3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt is configured to guide or align the one or more panels.
4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more panels are multiple panels.
5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein two or more of the multiple panels are of different size and shape.
6. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the belt and the multiple panels fit together edge-to-edge on the outer surface of the ball.
7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein an edge shape of the belt matches an edge shape of the one or more panels.
8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more panels are multiple panels, and an edge shape of the belt matches an edge shape of the multiple panels when the exercise ball device is assembled.
9. The device according to claim 8 , wherein the belt defines unique shaped regions on an outer surface of the ball, and each panel fits a particular region on the outer surface of the ball.
10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the belt is less than a thickness of the one or more panels.
11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the belt is the same as a thickness of the one or more panels.
12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the belt is more than a thickness of the one or more panels.
13. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt comprises multiple belt elements connected together at one or more belt nodes.
14. The device according to claim 13 , wherein the belt comprises multiple narrow belt elements connected together at multiple belt nodes configured to envelope the ball within the belt.
15. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the hard rigid ball is made of rigid plastic material.
16. The device according to claim 15 , wherein the plastic material is one selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, acrylic, fiberglass, carbon fiber, boron fiber, and composite material.
17. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid ball is a solid rigid ball.
18. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt and one or more panels are adhered to the outer surface of the ball.
19. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt and one or more panels are overmolded onto the outer surface of the ball.
20. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt and one or more panels are injection molded and adhered onto the outer surface of the ball.
21. The device according to claim 1 , wherein each outer cover panel is overmolded onto each respective inner support panel.
22. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt and the one or more panels are connected to the ball using an adhesive suitable to prevent disconnection from the ball during the physical exercise use.
23. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt and one or more panels are overmolded onto the outer surface of the ball in a manner to prevent removal from the ball during the physical exercise use.
24. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt is a continuous belt.
25. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt comprises one or more narrow belt elements having a width less than the width of the one or more panels.
26. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the belt is a plastic injection molded belt.
27. A method of making an exercise ball comprising:
providing a hard rigid ball;
applying a belt to a surface of the ball to define multiple unique-shaped regions on the surface of the ball; and
fitting multiple unique-shaped panels into the multiple unique-shaped regions on the surface of the ball edge-to-edge with the belt, wherein the panels comprise an inner support panel and an outer cover panel, wherein the inner support panel is made of rigid plastic material and the outer cover panel is made of resilient or deformable material.
28. An exercise ball device, comprising:
a hard rigid ball;
a preformed belt adhered to an outer surface of the ball; and
one or more preformed panels adhered to the outer surface of the ball adjacent to the performed belt, the one or more performed panels comprising one or more edges abutting one or more edges of the performed belt, wherein the one or more preformed panels comprise an inner support panel and an outer cover panel, wherein the inner support panel is made of rigid plastic material and the outer cover panel is made of resilient or deformable material,
wherein the performed belt and the one or more performed panels define an outer surface of the exercise ball device.
29. An exercise ball device, comprising:
a rigid ball;
a belt connected to the ball and located on an outer surface of the ball; and
one or more panels connected to the ball and located on the outer surface of the ball, the one or more panels comprising one or more edges abutting one or more edges of the belt, and the belt and the one or more panels providing an outer surface of the exercise ball device,
wherein the one or more panels comprise an inner support panel and an outer cover panel, and
wherein the inner support panel is made of rigid plastic material and the outer cover panel is made of resilient or deformable material.