- SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. has received Chinese utility model patent authorization for a “leg press-squat integrated machine,” with authorization number CN224370585U.
- The patent’s core innovation is a single-lever limit-stop mechanism, designed to reduce the difficulty of operating safety stops on strength-training equipment.
- The design addresses a practical safety issue in leg press and squat machines, especially for beginners, unfamiliar users and high-load training scenarios.
- The patent supports SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd.’s broader expansion from leisure sports equipment and trampolines into home fitness, light-commercial fitness, professional strength equipment and rehabilitation-related products.
- From an international perspective, the patent reflects a wider industry shift: global fitness equipment competition is moving from manufacturing scale alone toward safety engineering, user experience, compliance and product specialization.
- Continued product development remains important for SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. as the company works to upgrade its portfolio and strengthen long-term global competitiveness.
SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. has been granted a Chinese utility model patent for a “leg press-squat integrated machine,” marking a new step in the company’s ongoing efforts to improve safety, usability and functional design in strength-training equipment.
According to information from China’s National Intellectual Property Administration, the patent was authorized on June 19, 2026, under authorization number CN224370585U. The invention focuses on a limit-stop mechanism for lower-body strength equipment, allowing users to activate the stopping function through a single operating lever rather than coordinating handles on both sides of the machine.
A Safety-Focused Redesign for Strength Training Equipment
The patented machine consists of a frame, moving components and a limit assembly. The limit assembly includes a drive seat, operating lever, limit seat and limit rod. Through a linkage structure, the user can move the limit rod between different positions, enabling the equipment either to allow normal motion or to provide a stopping function when needed.
The core improvement lies in simplifying how users engage the safety stop. Traditional leg press or squat machines often rely on two-sided rotating handle structures, which require the user to operate both handles simultaneously. This can be inconvenient for beginners, unfamiliar users, or people training under heavier loads. SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd.’s design allows the same safety function to be completed through one lever, reducing operational complexity and improving user control.
In strength-training equipment, safety systems are not secondary features. They are central to product performance. Machines such as leg press and squat trainers involve heavy resistance, large movement ranges and high biomechanical load. A more intuitive limit-stop design can help users secure the equipment more quickly, especially in commercial gyms, rehabilitation facilities, hotel fitness centers and home training spaces.
Why Single-Lever Operation Matters
The single-lever structure addresses a common usability challenge in strength equipment: the gap between professional-grade mechanical design and everyday user experience. As fitness equipment moves beyond professional gyms into homes, communities, corporate wellness spaces and senior-care facilities, machines must be easier to understand and safer to operate.
For international buyers, distributors and facility operators, equipment safety is increasingly evaluated not only by structural durability, but also by how intuitively users can engage safety features. A mechanism that reduces the need for synchronized two-hand operation may help lower barriers for new users and support broader adoption of strength-training equipment across more diverse fitness environments.
This is particularly relevant as the global fitness equipment market shifts from simple hardware supply toward scenario-based solutions. Consumers and institutional buyers are paying closer attention to ergonomic design, injury prevention, ease of assembly, user guidance and maintenance efficiency. In this context, the newly authorized SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. patent reflects a broader industry trend: safer and more user-friendly mechanical design is becoming a competitive differentiator.
From Trampolines to a Broader Fitness Portfolio
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Qingdao, SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. is a Shenzhen-listed manufacturer of leisure sports and fitness equipment. The company’s product portfolio spans trampolines, treadmills, elliptical trainers, exercise bikes, strength-training systems and other sports equipment.
While SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. has long been known for its strength in trampoline and leisure sports products, it has been expanding into home fitness, light-commercial fitness, professional training equipment, rehabilitation-oriented products and smart fitness devices. The newly authorized leg press-squat machine patent fits into this broader transition from a product manufacturer to a more comprehensive sports and health equipment solutions provider.
The company has also built a global customer base. Public company information shows that SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. products are sold to markets including North America and Europe, and the company has worked with international retailers and sports brands. Its overseas market presence has made product compliance, safety design and supply-chain reliability increasingly important to its long-term competitiveness.
Global Supply Chains and Product Upgrading
The business development of SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. also reflects a larger shift among Chinese fitness equipment manufacturers. For years, many Chinese companies built their global position through manufacturing scale, cost efficiency and OEM or ODM partnerships. Today, leading players are increasingly competing on design capability, proprietary technology, product safety and international supply-chain flexibility.
According to public financial disclosures, SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. has been developing a dual supply-chain structure combining domestic production capacity with an overseas manufacturing base in Vietnam. This strategy is intended to improve delivery efficiency, respond to international trade uncertainty and better serve global customers.
The company’s newly authorized patent comes at a time when the global fitness equipment industry is becoming more segmented. Home users, professional gyms, schools, hotels, rehabilitation centers and community wellness spaces all require different combinations of safety, durability, footprint efficiency and ease of use. For manufacturers, the ability to adapt product design to these varied use cases will be increasingly important.
Innovation Amid Market Pressure
The latest SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd. patent also comes against the backdrop of a challenging operating environment. In 2025, the company reported revenue of approximately RMB 458 million and a net loss attributable to shareholders of about RMB 69.5 million, reflecting pressure from international trade conditions, softer end-market demand, channel investment and inventory-related adjustments.
Against this backdrop, continued patent activity and product development remain strategically significant. Rather than treating the new patent as an isolated technical update, it can be understood as part of the company’s attempt to strengthen its product pipeline, move into higher-value fitness equipment categories and improve its competitiveness in more specialized training scenarios.
For global fitness equipment manufacturers, the next phase of competition is likely to center on product reliability, safety engineering, user experience and compliance readiness. SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd.’s single-lever limit-stop design reflects how incremental mechanical innovation can support those priorities.
A Broader Signal for the Fitness Equipment Industry
The authorization of the leg press-squat integrated machine patent highlights a broader direction in fitness equipment design: professional strength-training machines are becoming safer, easier to operate and more adaptable to different user groups.
As fitness participation expands worldwide, manufacturers are under increasing pressure to design equipment that can serve both experienced athletes and general consumers. In this environment, safety-focused engineering is not merely a technical detail. It is part of how brands build trust with distributors, gyms, retailers and end users.
For SPORTSOUL Co., Ltd., the patent strengthens its technical portfolio in lower-body strength training equipment and supports its broader push into diversified fitness and health-related product categories. For the wider industry, it underscores the rising importance of usability-driven safety design in the global fitness equipment market.
About Qingdao SPORTSOUL
SPORTSOUL CO.,LTD is a joint venture founded in 2004, with seven wholly owned subsidiaries in China and United States.
Sportsoul specializes in R&D, design, production and sales recreational sports and fitness equipment. Its main products are trampolines, treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, integrated training machines and barbell racks. The company is also committed to the development of family sports and fitness products, such as kids’ trampolines, stepping machines and other home fitness equipment.
The company has captured international market renown for years, and its products are sold to the United States, France, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries and regions. Currently, the company is actively exploring the domestic market, to create an independent sports brand to align with the needs of Chinese families.
For more information about Sportsoul, visit sportsoul.com
