Elliptical walking exercice machine
An elliptical walking exercise machine, an apparatus comprising: a base assembly standing on a floor and having a base frame which supports a base upper pivot and a base crank pivot. An embodiment further comprises a right crank arm, a left crank arm, and a main pulley pivotally engaged to the base frame at the base crank pivot. The right crank arm and the left crank arm each having a mechanical engagement point, a roller, for respective links, a right second link and a left second link that are parts of respectively a right pedal linkage and a left pedal linkage. The rollers are attached over a right crank step of the right crank arm and a left crank step of the left crank arm. Both the right and left crank arms are fixed to each other to maintain their relative position of about 180 degree offset angle from each other, and both arms are fixedly attached to the main pulley to rotate together at the base crank pivot of the base assembly. The main pulley, also called a main wheel, transfers the user's power to a force unit through a belt. The force unit can be a simple flywheel with a brake mechanism to provide a resistance to the exercise.
This application is entitled to the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/921,999, filed 2007 Apr. 4.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fitness exercise machines for training upper body and lower body exercises simulating walking motion with handles and pedals having resistance.
2. Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Many elliptical motion walking exercise machines have been introduced in the market. Some are simple and some are more complicated in their mechanism to simulate the walking motion of a person. Proper stride simulation is possible in both simple and complicated mechanisms, but often simple mechanisms require a large structure and smaller machines require many linkages to achieve the same movement. A couple of early concepts are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,622 to Swenson (1980) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,526 to Rogers, Jr. (1996) in which a crank is placed behind the pedals or a user, therefore they require a structural support in front of and behind the user, making the machines less accessible to the user and large in size when a proper stride of the pedals is set. U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,756 to Miller (1997) shows another elliptical machine that has a crank arm in the front. The overall size of the machine may be reduced with the same stride length of the pedals compared to the above disclosures but the linkage in Miller's is more complicated. U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,227 to Lee (1998) shows a stepper with an elliptical stride utilizing a crank in the front. This is a relatively simple mechanism but in order to create a proper walking stride, the overall structure must be large compared to Miller (1997). The same mechanism for more proper walking stride is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,239 to Stearns (2006). Again the size of the overall structure must be large in Stearns (2006) in order to have a proper walking stride of the pedals. U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,020 to Stearns (2004) shows an apparatus relatively small in overall size but displays two cranks with a pair of linkage mechanism to create the proper stride. There are many more prior arts that have been disclosed and introduced in the market. Each one of them has advantages and disadvantages compared to the others.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use, which give rise to the objectives described below.
The present invention is an exercise machine to be used mainly for walking and jogging type exercises with pedals and moving handles that provide different levels of resistance for the user's preference in a compact apparatus. The pedal motion combines a motion of a crank arm, a motion of an arc, and a substantially linear motion of a predefined path to produce an elliptical path at the pedals with the horizontal direction substantially being a major diameter. A first embodiment includes a base assembly that stands on a floor and has right and left handles pivotally attached to the base assembly that also pivotally supports a crank with a right crank arm and a left crank arm at a base crank pivot. The right crank arm is mechanically engaged with a right second link that supports a right pedal, and the left crank arm is also mechanically engaged with a left second link that supports a left pedal. A right first link is pivotally placed between and connects the right crank arm and the right second link. A left first link is pivotally placed between and connects the left crank arm and the left second link. Each handle is pivotally fixed to the respective second link at a point between the second link's engagement point with the respective crank arm and the position of the respective pedal.
The advantage of this mechanical arrangement is that the pedals' vertical displacement in a cycle of the motion is determined by the distance between the engagement point of each second link with the respective crank arm and the base crank pivot. And the pedals' vertical displacement can be set independently from the size of the crank arms that sets the pedals' horizontal displacement in the cycle. This main advantage of this apparatus helps the apparatus have a relatively smaller footprint compared to those of other elliptical walking machines available in the field and yet provides an ergonomically good motion with a full stride for the user. Also the arrangement of the links is simple and easy to manufacture.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus having advantages not taught by the prior art.
Another objective is to provide such an apparatus that is compact in size and footprint.
Another objective is to provide such an apparatus that offers the user a full stride with an ergonomically good walking motion while having the compact size of the apparatus.
Another objective is to provide such an apparatus for the user to get on the pedals with an easy access through the rear end by placing the crank arms on the fore side.
A further objective is to provide such an apparatus to make its manufacturing easy and simple, employing simple parts and connections between the parts.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:
The above described drawings
A right third link 54 and a left third link 154 are pivotally connected to base assembly 12 at base upper pivot 24. The first embodiment shown in
The first embodiment shown in
The second embodiment shown in
To use the apparatus, the user gets on the machine by placing each foot on the respective pedal, and places each hand on the respective handle. Either by moving the pedals or handles or both simultaneously, the machine is actuated and guides the user to move her/his body in a walking or a jogging motion. The user may adjust force unit 40 built in with an adjustment mechanism, not shown, to change the level of the resistance against the movement. Handles 56, 156 move in a swing arm motion going back and forth and pedals 46, 146 move in an elliptical path with the horizontal direction being a major diameter. The user may get on or off the machine from the sides or from the rear end of the machine.
Although the invention has been disclosed in detail with reference only to the embodiments shown above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other embodiments can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is defined only by the claims set forth below.
Claims
1. An elliptical walking exercise machine comprising:
- a. a base assembly for supporting the elliptical walking exercise machine on a floor;
- b. a base upper pivot connecting a right handle and a left handle to the base assembly, wherein the base upper pivot provides a pendulum like motion for the right handle and left handle, wherein the right handle and left handle are above the base upper pivot;
- c. a right third link connected below the right handle and a left third link connected below the left handle, wherein the right third link and the left third link are substantially upright and are provided a pendulum like motion about the base upper pivot, the right third link having a right bottom end and the left third link having a left bottom end;
- d. a right second pivot connected at the right bottom end and a left second pivot connected a left bottom end;
- e. a right second link connected to the right second pivot, and a left second link connected to the left second pivot, wherein the right second link and the left second link are somewhat horizontally oriented and also received a pendulum like motion relative to the base;
- f. a left pedal connected to the left second link and a right pedal the right second link;
- g. a main wheel receiving force from user movement of the left third link, the right third link, the left second link and the right second link;
- h. a base crank pivot for mounting the main wheel, wherein the main wheel rotates about the base crank pivot;
- i. a right crank arm fixed to the main wheel, and a left crank arm fixed to the main wheel, wherein the right crank arm and the left crank arm are fixed to have the same angular position as the main wheel, wherein the right crank arm and the left crank arm are mounted at an offset of each other of approximately 180°;
- j. a right first link connected to the right crank arm at a right crank pivot and a left first link connected to the left crank arm at a left crank pivot;
- k. a force unit providing resistance to the main wheel;
- l. an elliptical movement mechanism comprising: i. a right first link connected to the right first pedal, and a left first link connected to a left first pedal, wherein the right first pedal is mounted to slide along a length of the right second link, and wherein the left first pedal is mounted to slide along a length of the left second link; ii. a right crank step connected to a forward end of the right second link, and a left crank step connected to a forward end of the left second link, wherein the right crank step is located between the base crank pivot and the right crank pivot; iii. wherein a rear end of the right second link and a rear end of the left second link have substantially circular motion while the left first pedal and the right first pedal have substantially elliptical motion.
2. The elliptical walking exercise machine of claim 1, further comprising: a belt connected between the force unit and the main wheel for transmitting force between the force unit and the main wheel, wherein the surface of the main wheel forms a pulley for engaging with the belt.
3. The elliptical walking exercise machine of claim 1, further comprising: a chain connected between the force unit and the main wheel for transmitting force between the force unit and the main wheel, wherein the surface of the main wheel forms a pulley for engaging with the chain.
4. An elliptical walking exercise machine comprising:
- a. a base assembly for supporting the elliptical walking exercise machine on a floor;
- b. a base upper pivot connecting a right handle and a left handle to the base assembly, wherein the base upper pivot provides a pendulum like motion for the right handle and left handle, wherein the right handle and left handle are above the base upper pivot;
- c. a right third link connected below the right handle and a left third link connected below the left handle, wherein the right third link and the left third link are substantially upright and are provided a pendulum like motion about the base upper pivot, the right third link having a right bottom end and the left third link having a left bottom end;
- d. a right second pivot connected at the right bottom end and a left second pivot connected a left bottom end;
- e. a right second link connected to the right second pivot, and a left second link connected to the left second pivot, wherein the right second link and the left second link are somewhat horizontally oriented and also received a pendulum like motion relative to the base;
- f. a left pedal connected to the left second link and a right pedal the right second link;
- g. a main wheel receiving force from user movement of the left third link, the right third link, the left second link and the right second link;
- h. a base crank pivot for mounting the main wheel, wherein the main wheel rotates about the base crank pivot;
- i. a right crank arm fixed to the main wheel, and a left crank arm fixed to the main wheel, wherein the right crank arm and the left crank arm are fixed to have the same angular position as the main wheel, wherein the right crank arm and the left crank arm are mounted at an offset of each other of approximately 180°;
- j. a right first link connected to the right crank arm at a right crank pivot and a left first link connected to the left crank arm at a left crank pivot;
- k. a force unit providing resistance to the main wheel;
- l. an elliptical movement mechanism comprising: i. a right first link connected to the right first pivot, and a left first link connected to the left first pivot, wherein the right first pivot is located on the right second link behind the right second pivot and wherein the left first pivot is located on the left second link behind the left second pivot, a forward end of the right first link connecting to the right crank pivot, and a forward end of the left first link; wherein the right first pedal is mounted not to slide along a length of the right second link, and wherein the left first pedal is mounted not to slide along a length of the left second link; ii. a left roller mounted on a left crank step and a right roller mounted on a right crank step, wherein the right second link has a right contact surface and the left second link as a left contact surface, wherein the right contact surface is adapted to engage the right roller, and wherein the left contact surface is adapted to engage the left roller; iii. wherein a rear end of the right second link and a rear end of the left second link have substantially elliptical motion while the left first pedal and the right first pedal have substantially elliptical motion.
5. The elliptical walking exercise machine of claim 4, further comprising: a belt connected between the force unit and the main wheel for transmitting force between the force unit and the main wheel, wherein the surface of the main wheel forms a pulley for engaging with the belt.
6. The elliptical walking exercise machine of claim 4, further comprising: a chain connected between the force unit and the main wheel for transmitting force between the force unit and the main wheel, wherein the surface of the main wheel forms a pulley for engaging with the chain.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 4, 2008
Publication Date: Oct 9, 2008
Inventor: Yong S. Chu (Glendale, CA)
Application Number: 12/080,590