Exercise machine

Abstract

An exercise machine for providing a motion, climbing a hill with hand weights, includes single swing arms with fixed foot platforms and forwardly extending substantially horizontal handles. The swing arms and foot platforms are interlocked through a flexible link and pulley arrangement. The machine has provision for adjusting the length of the travel arcs, which changes length of stride of the foot platforms, and the climbing effect, which alters the workout intensity. The machine of the invention is readily foldable for storage.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

The present invention relates generally to a novel exercise machine that provides a motion that generally simulates climbing a hill with hand weights. There have been many prior art exercise machines for providing motions that simulate walking, stepping, stair climbing, gliding, etc. A major consideration in designing exercising machines is that of minimizing impact on the user's knees ankles and back. For the home market, considerations of importance are cost, variability of the intensity of workout attainable, size of the apparatus, ease of use, stability and storability, i.e., can the machine be easily collapsed and moved out of the way, if desired.

The powered treadmill exercise machine has proven very popular. The treadmill, like walking itself, has a significant downside, namely it subjects the user's body to fairly large impact forces. Glider type exercise machines, on the other hand, can approach near zero impact. However, in order to achieve a good workout, a glider may require large movements, which many users find beyond their capabilities.

Glider exercise machines having single swing arms with rigidly attached foot platforms are relatively simple and effective for many users, yet they lack inherent stability. Some gliders have a stationary handlebar to offer balance. In many gliders the swing arms and foot platforms are interlocked so that they always move in opposite directions. Many glider type machines have dual swing arms that support the foot platforms in a parallelogram for adding stability to the machine and flattening the foot platforms' travel arc.

The art also includes many stepper type exercise machines, some with interlocked foot platforms. Stepper machines generally enable only up and down foot platform motion.

Another class of machines constrains the foot platforms to an elliptical motion, resulting in a modified bicycle type action that is favored by some users. These machines usually include upright handles that are movable with the foot platforms for providing balance and enabling upper body action. All of these types of exercise machines have certain advantages, which their advocates stress.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,244 to Simonson describes an exercise machine that includes interlocked foot platforms that are suspended from multiple swing arms with upright handles. The interlocking may comprise a soft link, such as a rope, cable, chain, etc., or a hard link, such as a rocker lever. The user, of course, can adjust his length of stride within the fixed range of the arc. The suspension of the foot platforms from the multiple swing arms keeps the foot platforms substantially parallel to the ground throughout the majority of their travel. The patent describes arrangements for changing the machine loading. The loading mechanisms may comprise alternator resistance, resistance devices, such as shock absorbers or hydraulic devices, as well as means for relocating the resistance devices so as to change the mechanical advantage. The foot platforms of the system, and therefore the user's weight, are biased out in front of the swing arm pivots. As the foot platforms reciprocate through the travel arc, they reach a position where they are alongside each other (the handles also align at this point) and the foot platforms pass each other as the motion is continued. The position of alignment is referred to in the patent as the neutral position. The neutral position is in front of the position defined by an imaginary vertical line through the swing arm pivot. This latter position is directly below the swing arm pivot, where gravity would bring the foot platform to a stop when a user puts weight on only one of the free swinging foot platforms. As will be described below, Applicants' exercise machine, while similar in many respects to the patented machine, offers a significantly different motion to the feet, ankles, hands and arms of the user and gives rise to other benefits to be described.

A contemporary popular machine in club gyms is the Arc Trainer by Cybex® International, Inc. as described in a Giannelli Patent Application Publication US 2004/0224285 A1. (Both the Simonson patent and the Giannelli publication are assigned to Cybex® International, Inc.) The Giannelli publication uses similar multiple swing arms for keeping the foot platforms parallel. The machine includes upright handles that are interconnected by a crank arm with the foot platforms. While the crank mechanism is movable on the frame for adjusting the climbing effect of the machine, the stride length is constant.

With the present invention exercise machine, a novel motion is achieved which simulates a combination of walking uphill with small hand weights. The machine includes single swing arms with fixed foot platforms and forwardly extending, substantially horizontal, handles that are affixed to the swing arms. The swing arms and foot platforms are interlocked through a flexible link and pulley arrangement. The flexible link may comprise a cable or a rope, or any other similar type connection. A user may add an upper body workout by simultaneously pulling or pushing on the horizontal handles while moving the foot platforms. The machine also has provision for adjusting the length of stride and the climbing effect. The machine of the invention is well suited for the home market due to its low cost, ease of use and stability. Additionally, its design lends itself to be readily broken down for shipping and storage.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

A principal object of the invention is to provide a novel exercise machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a desirable device motion with a low cost, small machine suitable to home use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stable exercise machine having interlocked single swing arms.

A further object of the invention is to provide an exercise machine with a simple arrangement for changing workout intensity.

A feature of the invention resides in the horizontally forwardly extending handles interlocked with the foot platforms for enabling vigorous upper and lower body exercising, as well as moderate lower body workouts or low intensity shuffling.

Another feature of the invention resides in enabling the length of the flexible link to be readily changed to alter the length and height of stride.

A still further feature resides in the positioning of the pulleys close to the ground at the front of the machine to enable the foot platforms to pass thereover to reduce the machine's foot print and to enhance its foldability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a left front perspective view of the exercise machine of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the exercise machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the exercise machine of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is partial view of one form of a pulley arrangement taken along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating the load changing mechanism;

FIGS. 6-11 illustrate differences between Applicants' inventive device and the prior art;

FIGS. 12-15 illustrate foot platform movement paths for the inventive device and the prior art;

FIG. 16 shows the pulley arrangement in the inventive device that enables a “fold up” design;

FIG. 17 is a top view of the exercise machine of the invention modified to function with a single pulley; and

FIG. 18 is a partial view of FIG. 17 illustrating the flexible link adjustment in an exercise machine having a single pulley arrangement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises an exercise machine including single swing arms with fixed foot platforms and forwardly extending, substantially horizontal, handles that are affixed to the swing arms. The swing arms and foot platforms are interlocked through a flexible link and pulley arrangement. The machine includes means for adjusting the maximum travel arc of the foot platforms, which also changes the climbing effect of the exercise machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description is best read in conjunction with FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings. A left front leg 12 and a right front leg 14, connected by a cross tube 17, cooperate with a U-shaped rear leg 15 to provide a frame for exercise machine 10. The open ends of U-shaped rear leg 15 are pivotally connected to front legs 12 and 14 (slightly more than half way up legs 12 and 14) and are joined thereto by a pivotal connection 24 in plates 20,20′ and a pivotal connection 26 in plates 22,22′, respectively. The legs are preferably constructed of tubular steel. The plates 20,20′ and 22,22′ are preferably welded to front legs 12 and 14, respectively. It will be appreciated that all rigid mechanical connections on the exercise machine are preferably accomplished by welding, although any other appropriate form of connecting the parts is acceptable. Cross tube 17 is connected, by welding, to front legs 12 and 14 near their lower ends. A left swing arm 28 and a right swing arm 30 are pivotally mounted on pivots 40 and 42, which are secured, by any well-known means, to the upper ends of front legs 12 and 14, respectively. Foot platforms 32 and 34 are affixed to two extensions 32a and 34a that are welded to the bottoms of respective ones of swing arms 28 and 30.

Two forwardly extending horizontal handles 16 and 18 are secured to pivots 40 and 42, respectively. Thus, handle 16 and swing arm 28 are rotatable on pivot 40, and handle 18 and swing arm 30 are rotatable on pivot 42. A pair of flexible braces 36 and 38 (affixed to front legs 12 and 14, by suitable fittings such as fittings 36a,36b) connect legs 12 and 14 together to provide an “A frame” type of support for machine 10. The flexibility of braces 36 and 38, as will be seen, contribute to the foldability of machine 10. In this connection, it will be appreciated that the term flexibility also includes pivotable linkages such as those employed in folding step stools, and the like. Pivots 40 and 42 include extension plates 44 and 46, respectively, for providing pivotal connections to first ends of resistance devices, such as conventional shock absorbers 48 and 50, respectively, with the other ends of the resistance devices being pivotally connected to plates 20,20′ and 22,22′ at hinge points 52 and 54, respectively. Suitable bushings 48a,48b and 50a,50b couple the ends of shock absorbers 48 and 50 to hinge points 52 and 54, respectively.

A pair of pulley devices 56 and 58 is secured behind cross tube 17 to the inside lower portions of front legs 12 and 14, respectively. A flexible link 19 engages pulley devices 56 and 58 and is attached at one end to the heel of foot platform 32 via a pivotally mounted guide 60. The other end of flexible link 19 is passed over a pivotally mounted guide 62 on the heel of foot platform 34 and secured to an adjustment mechanism 70, that is affixed to the lower end of swing arm 30. Finally, two rollers 64 and 66, which are normally out of contact with the floor, are secured to the base portion of U-shaped rear leg 15 to facilitate movement of the exercise machine.

FIG. 4 is a partial view showing pulley device 56. It includes a U-shaped frame 56a, housing a pulley 56b, that is rotatably mounted on an axle pin 56c. Frame 56a is, in turn, rotatably mounted on a cylindrical rod 56d that is welded to the inside of front leg 12. Flexible link 19 passes over pulley 56b and is captivated within frame 56a. It will be appreciated that a similar arrangement obtains for pulley device 58 with respect to front leg 14. The hinging movement of pulley device 56 on cylindrical rod 56d permits its angular alignment to the flexible link 19. The arrangement allows the front portion of foot platform 32 to overlap pulley device 56 and enables the exercise machine to be constructed with a smaller “footprint”, which is an important feature for home use. It also makes it feasible to fold the machine for shipping and for storage.

FIG. 5 is a partial view illustrating adjustment mechanism 70 which consists of a block 72 that is secured along the lower portion of swing arm 30. Block 72 includes a number of spaced apertures 74 along its length. A conventional pin arrangement 76, to which the end of flexible link 19 is connected, is removably engageable with any of the apertures 74 in block 72. The aperture 74 in which pin arrangement 76 is secured thus determines the effective length of flexible link 19 that interconnects the foot platforms 32 and 34 and therefore establishes the maximum stride length. When pin arrangement 76 is in the topmost one of apertures 74, the effective length of flexible link 19 is at a minimum, whereas its effective length is at a maximum when the pin arrangement is in the lowermost one of apertures 74. As will be discussed, machine stride height is also impacted by changes in the adjustment mechanism.

The arrangement whereby the foot platforms are interconnected through the flexible link and pulley devices is described as a bias system which, as will be discussed further, establishes a “coincident position” in which the foot platforms are side-by-side. The location of this point, which is adjustable by repositioning the pulley device or devices, is always in front of a “zero position” that is determined by a vertical line through the axis of the pivots. With the single swing arms of the inventive device, a novel motion is obtained that simulates a combination of walking and stair climbing While in the two pulley implementation of the invention the pulleys need to rotate about a single axis, in the single pulley implementation, movement is required about multiple axes. It will also be appreciated that, while in the implementation of the invention the pulley devices are rotatably mounted to accommodate changes in angle of the flexible link during operation of the machine, such changes in angularity may also be accommodated by the use of pulleys with wide spool sheaves. While the machine layout described is preferred, it will also be readily apparent that other implementations of the invention are contemplated.

FIGS. 6-11 are referenced to explain the unique motion achieved with Applicants invention. FIG. 6 shows Applicants' coincident position. This position is attained by the user standing with his weight distributed equally on the foot platforms of the exercise machine. It will be seen that the user's center of weight, i.e., a vertical line through the user's center of gravity, is biased in front of pivot 42 of the exercise machine. It will be seen that Applicants' coincident position corresponds to the neutral position discussed in the Simonson patent. In FIG. 7, Applicants' zero position is attained when the user places all of his weight on only one of the foot platforms. In Applicants' machine, the zero position is attainable by the user at all times, which is an important aspect of the invention.

While the Applicants', the Giannelli publication's and the Simonson patent's exercise machines all bias the user's weight out in front of the swing arm pivots, Applicants' use of single swing arms with fixed foot platforms, versus the Giannelli' publication's and the Simonson patent's use of parallelogram type multiple swing arms for keeping the foot platforms generally parallel to the ground, yields significantly different effects on the user's calf muscles, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Specifically, with Applicants' single swing arm system, the user's calf muscles are activated to a much greater extent than they are with the Giannelli publication's and the Simonson patent's parallelogram type multiple swing arms. Whereas, for example the user's ankles are flexed between approximately 100® and 80° in Applicants' machine, the user's ankles barely flex at all in the Giannelli publication's and the Simonson patent's machine, remaining at approximately 90° throughout.

Applicants' forwardly extending horizontal handles also have a marked impact on the operation of their machine. As shown in FIG. 11, with the invention, should a user desire a strenuous arm workout, he may readily use his body weight to counter his pushing and pulling on the horizontal handles, thus enabling a significant working of his triceps. On the other hand the user may opt to gently pull up on the handles to help propel the machine, resulting in a hand motion very similar to walking with small weights. Specifically, the hands move in an arc that is centered just below the user's elbow. The user is also lifting against his feet, which maintains an upward pull during the eccentric and concentric motions of the biceps (extension and contraction of the muscle). Also, positioning the handles horizontally at about the hip level of an average user allows the user to use a very natural motion, specifically to put his weight on his hands, similar to what people on crutches (or older folks with walkers) must do to maintain a continuous load in one direction. In the Giannelli publication and the Simonson patent, (FIG. 10) the handles are out front and upright, and each arm must counter the other, alternating between pushing and pulling with each stroke. This results in considerable twisting of the user's torso, which is uncomfortable, and generally discourages the user from working his arms very much.

Another important aspect of the invention is its bias adjustment system. Reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, representing the Giannelli system and FIGS. 14 and 15 representing the present invention system, will illustrate this aspect of the invention. The Giannelli system uses a momentum wheel that is connected by a crank to the multiple swing arms. The momentum wheel is adjustable, back and forth, in order to change the angular position of the arc that the user's feet move in, namely, lower in the arc (closer to the zero position) for less climbing motion and higher in the arc for more climbing motion. However, the Giannelli system has a fixed length of stride that is dictated by the crank. Therefore, adjustment of the crank wheel position changes both the top and bottom points of the stride. This is clearly illustrated by FIGS. 12 and 13.

Applicants' system, to the contrary, has a variable stride length, which the user chooses. Changes in the length of the flexible link or changes in pulley position (as is shown FIG. 17) result in changing the coincident position of the foot platforms; but the user can still stride all the way to the zero position (or even past the zero position if he pushes back at the end of the stride). The tendency to follow each step to the zero position is a natural one, which gives the user the feeling of a complete step. At the bottom of the stride the user feels the foot platform smoothly bottom out, signaling that it is time to transfer his weight to the other foot. If he does not step back to the zero position, the sensation is unnatural, like walking with bent knees. Therefore, with the invention an adjustment in the coincident position also results in an effective change of stride length when the user naturally follows through to the zero position.

Applicants have learned from long experience with their commercial glider exercise machines that many less-fit users prefer a short shuffling action. Shuffling is a relatively low effort movement that depends upon stepping only a short distance to and from the zero position, and is readily achieved with the inventive machine by adjusting the coincident position rearward (toward the zero position). Conversely, adjusting the coincident position forward (away from the zero position) results in a longer stride. This produces a much higher step at the top of the stride, thus working the quadriceps harder and intensifying the cardio workout. It will be noted that when shuffling is achieved by effectively lengthening the flexible link, a longer stride is actually achievable by the user pushing back past the zero position, although this is an unnatural movement and will probably be avoided by most users, therefore resulting instead in a shorter stride.

In operation, a user steps on the foot platforms 32 and 34 while grasping the handles 16 and 18. When the user is in a rest or idle position, i.e., standing with weight equally distributed on the foot platforms, his center of weight will be biased forward of the horizontal axis defined by the pivots 40 and 42 (the coincident position). This relationship is determined by the effective length of flexible link 19 and is selected in this invention to produce this bias even at its maximum length setting, which is with pin arrangement 76 in the lowermost aperture 74. As the user performs his exercise, he may elect to engage his arms by simultaneously pushing down or pulling up on the horizontally extending handles 16 and 18. This is not only beneficial for the user's upper body, but provides a feeling of stability in normal use of the machine, similar to the effect experienced with a conventional walker, where the user uses his arms to aid his walking movements. It will also be appreciated that the single swing arm arrangement provides a distinct travel arc, which exercises the user's ankles and feet more than is possible with foot platforms suspended in a parallelogram from multiple swing arms. Also, it will be seen that the pulleys are positioned below the travel arc of the foot platforms, which enables the foot platforms to pass thereover without interference. This makes for a very compact design which also lends itself to foldability, which is often desirable for home use.

This feature is better illustrated in FIG. 16 where the positioning of the pulley device is low to the floor and below the travel arc of the foot platforms. The small machine footprint and the “A frame” construction also enhance the machine's foldability. For example, provision for removable (or inwardly rotatable) handles and a fold up arrangement for the foot platforms results in a very compact machine for shipping or storage.

In FIG. 17 a single pulley implementation of the exercise machine is shown. The single pulley 66a consists of an elongated U-shaped frame 66b, with aligned apertures in each leg, connected to cross tube 17 by a conventional swivel connection 66c that enables up and down and rotational motion. A pulley sheave 66d is removably secured in one of the apertures by a pin mechanism 66e. Adjustment of the coincident position is obtained by repositioning the pulley in the U-shaped frame apertures. The flexible link 19 has its ends coupled to the inside heels of the foot platforms 32 and 34 for clearance purposes.

FIG. 18 illustrates an alternative technique for adjusting flexible link 19. In this embodiment, the apertures 74a are formed in the side of foot platform 34 and flexible link 19 is guided along the side by fitting 62. A pin arrangement 76a secures the end of flexible link 19 in the desired one of apertures 74a. It should be noted that only a single one of the two methods of adjusting the bias will be employed in a given machine, although both may be used, if desired. It will be appreciated that the invention is not dependent upon such details and is to be limited only as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. An exercise machine comprising:

a frame supporting vertically elevated and horizontally displaced pivots, a vertical plane through the horizontal axis of said pivots defining a zero position;

a pair of single swing arms, each including a foot platform rigidly secured thereto, rotatably coupled to respective ones of said pivots;

said single swing arms being interconnected to cause alternating movement of said foot platforms through a coincident position defined by said foot platforms being alongside each other; and

a bias system for biasing said swing arms such that said coincident position is in front of said zero position.

2. The machine of claim 1, further including a pair of handles, each movable with a respective one of said swing arms, which extend substantially horizontally beyond said coincident position.

3. The machine of claim 1, wherein said bias system includes:

a pulley arrangement coupled to said frame in front of said coincident position; and

a flexible link traversing said pulley arrangement and engaging said foot platforms.

4. The machine of claim 3 wherein the length of said flexible link is adjustable.

5. The machine of claim 4, further including an adjustment mechanism for enabling a user to change the effective length of said flexible link.

6. The machine of claim 5, wherein said adjustment mechanism includes:

a movable pin on one end of said flexible link; and

a plurality of apertures, located adjacent a corresponding swing arm, engageable with said pin.

7. The machine of claim 6, further including a pair of handles, at substantially the level of said pivots, said handles being movable with a respective one of said swing arms and extending substantially horizontally beyond said coincident position.

8. The machine of claim 3, wherein the distance between said pulley arrangement and said coincident position is adjustable.

9. The machine of claim 3, wherein:

said pulley arrangement is rotatably mounted on said frame below said arcs; and

said flexible link engages the heels of said foot platforms, whereby said arcs may substantially overlap said pulley arrangement.

10. The machine of claim 9, wherein said frame includes:

front and rear supports hinged to form an “A” configuration; and

a pair of flexible tension braces connecting said front and rear supports.

11. The machine of claim 3, wherein said bias system is adjustable for changing the distance between said zero position and said coincident position.

12. The machine of claim 3, wherein said bias system is adjustable for changing the length of said arcs.

13. The machine of claim 3, wherein said bias system is adjustable for independently changing the distance between said zero position and said zero position and changing the length of said arcs.

14. The machine of claim 13, wherein said bias system is adjustable for simultaneously changing the distance between said zero position and said coincident position and the length of said arcs.

15. An exercise machine comprising:

a frame supporting vertically elevated and horizontally displaced pivots, a vertical plane through the horizontal axis of said pivots defining a zero position;

a pair of single swing arms, each including a foot platform rigidly secured thereto, coupled to respective ones of said pivots;

said single swing arms being interconnected to cause alternating movement of said foot platforms in arcs through a coincident position defined by said foot platforms being alongside each other;

a bias system, for biasing said swing arms such that said coincident position is in front of said zero position, said bias system including:

a pulley arrangement mounted on said frame below said arcs in front of said coincident position;

a flexible link traversing said pulley arrangement and engaging said foot platforms; and

said flexible link engaging the heels of said foot platforms, whereby said arcs may substantially overlap said pulley arrangement.

16. The machine of claim 15, wherein said frame includes:

front and rear supports hinged together to form an “A” configuration; and

a pair of flexible tension braces connecting said front and rear supports.

17. An exercise machine comprising:

a frame supporting vertically elevated and horizontally displaced pivots, a vertical plane through the horizontal axis of said pivots defining a zero position;

a pair of single swing arms, each including a foot platform rigidly secured thereto, rotatably coupled to respective ones of said pivots;

said single swing arms being interconnected to cause alternating movement of said foot platforms in arcs through a coincident position defined by said foot platforms being alongside each other; and

a bias system for biasing said swing arms such that said coincident position is in front of said zero position, said bias system including:

a pulley arrangement rotatably mounted on said frame; and

a flexible link traversing said pulley arrangement and engaging said foot platforms.

18. The machine of claim 17, wherein said bias system is adjustable for changing the distance between said zero position and said coincident position.

19. The machine of claim 18, wherein said distance between said zero position and said coincident position is adjustable by changing the length of said arcs.

20. The machine of claim 18, wherein said distance between said zero position and said coincident position is adjustable by changing the location of said pulley arrangement on said frame.