Integrated tilting display for exercise equipment consoles

Abstract

An exercise console is disclosed as including a housing and a display incorporated into the housing. The display is adapted to align substantially parallel to the top surface of the housing. A tilt mechanism connects the display to the housing and is operable by a user to tilt the display to a nonparallel angle with respect to the housing. In another aspect in accordance with the invention, the exercise console includes a substantially fixed array of buttons incorporated into the housing. The buttons provide to a user various input options which are selectable in a pre-determined sequence by operation of the buttons to program the exercise console. Various indicators are associated with the buttons and inform the user which input options are next available for selection after the user has selected one or more input options.

1 . An exercise console comprising: 
 a housing having a top surface;    a display incorporated into the housing and adapted to align substantially parallel to the top surface; and    a tilt mechanism connecting the display to the housing and operable by a user to tilt the display to a nonparallel angle with respect to the housing.    
   
   
       2 . The exercise console of  claim 1 , wherein the tilt mechanism is selected from a hinge, a pin, a slide, and a land with a groove.  
   
   
       3 . The exercise console of  claim 2 , wherein the tilt mechanism tilts the display with respect to a single axis of rotation.  
   
   
       4 . The exercise console of  claim 2 , wherein the tilt mechanism tilts the display with respect to multiple axes of rotation.  
   
   
       5 . The exercise console of  claim 1 , further comprising an adjustment mechanism to adjust the angle of the display with respect to the housing.  
   
   
       6 . The exercise console of  claim 5 , wherein the adjustment mechanism is continuously adjustable between a first position and a second position.  
   
   
       7 . The exercise console of  claim 5 , wherein the adjustment mechanism is adjustable at discrete intervals between a first position and a second position.  
   
   
       8 . The exercise console of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is rigidly mounted to an exercise machine.  
   
   
       9 . The exercise console of  claim 1 , wherein the display is selected from the group consisting of a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a touchscreen, a plasma display, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, and a digital light processing (DLP) display.  
   
   
       10 . The exercise console of  claim 1 , further comprising a handle integrated into the display to facilitate gripping and tilting thereof by a user.  
   
   
       11 . A method for displaying exercise and entertainment content to a user while exercising, the method comprising: 
 providing a housing having a top surface;    incorporating a display into the housing, the display aligning substantially parallel to the top surface; and    connecting the display to the housing with a tilt mechanism, the tilt mechanism operable by a user to tilt the display to a nonparallel angle with respect to the housing.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tilt mechanism is selected from a hinge, a pin, a slide, and a land with a groove.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising tilting the display about a single axis of rotation.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising tilting the display about multiple axes of rotation.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising continuously adjusting the angle of the display with respect to the housing between a first position and a second position.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising adjusting the angle of the display with respect to the housing in discrete intervals between a first position and a second position.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising rigidly mounting the housing to an exercise machine.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the display is selected from the group consisting of a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a touchscreen, a plasma display, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, and a digital light processing (DLP) display.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising integrating a handle into the display to facilitate gripping and tilting thereof by a user.  
   
   
       20 . An apparatus comprising: 
 an exercise machine;    an exercise console rigidly mounted to the exercise machine, the exercise console comprising:    a housing having a top surface;    a display incorporated into the housing and adapted to align substantially parallel to the top surface, the display and housing comprising a single integrated unit; and    a tilt mechanism connecting the display to the housing and operable by a user to tilt the display to a nonparallel angle with respect to the housing.