Multipurpose Exercise Machine Utilizing Vacuum Springs
A multipurpose exercise machine comprising a compact movable frame, a large diameter pulley and a plurality of novel low friction vacuum springs for generating a force is disclosed. The vacuum springs are comprised of two rigid end pieces that are movable relative to each other. A flexible membrane couples the two rigid end pieces to each other and encloses a hermetically sealed region in between the movable bodies and the flexible membrane. A user operating the machine exerts a force that pulls the two end pieces are apart which forms a vacuum that opposes the motion.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/352,601, now U.S. Pat. No. ______ [fill in later], granted ______ [fill in later]. The parent application is incorporated in its entirety by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMost exercise machines utilize weights that rely on gravity to create a force that the user of the equipment must overcome. This method of generating a force is reliable however it has many drawbacks, including the high cost of the raw materials of the weights and the high costs of shipping the heavy weights.
Many exercise machines also use elastic materials to generate a desired force. Unfortunately however, elastic materials degrade over time and the cost of a sufficient amount of the elastic material to generate a large force can be high.
It is also known in the prior art to create an exercise machine that creates a vacuum to generate a force. Most such exercise machines are comprised of slidable pistons disposed within a cylinder. As the piston moves away from the base of the cylinder a vacuum is created and a force is generated that pulls the piston towards the base of the cylinder. Rubber gaskets typically surround the piston to create an airtight seal between the piston and the cylinder.
This piston and cylinder arrangement works however it has several drawbacks. For example, to maintain a seal of sufficient quality to keep air from entering the cylinder the seals around the piston have to be very tight and thus they generate a lot of friction. This means that the force of the return stroke will not be as great as the force of the forward stroke. Also any air that does enter the cylinder past the seals must be purged from the cylinder. So such devices often utilize expensive vacuum pumps to maintain the vacuum in the cylinder.
It has also been disclosed in the prior art to use a bellows like structure to create a vacuum. Unfortunately, however to make a bellows like structure withstand the pressure forces created by a high quality vacuum the material that the structure is made from has to be very rigid. And distorting the rigid material would not give the user of the machine a smooth consistent force that would effectively simulate the workout a user could achieve using free weights. Furthermore, the inventions disclosed in the prior art that utilize bellows like structures are unable to deliver a constant resistive force to the user.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly it is an object of this invention to create a multipurpose exercise machine that generates a force by creating a vacuum spring that does not have the drawbacks of a slidable piston disposed within a cylinder or of a bellows like structure.
Briefly described in a preferred embodiment, the disclosed invention is an exercise machine comprising a compact movable frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, a large diameter pulley coupled to a shaft, four cams coupled to the shaft, and four novel vacuum springs having one end coupled to the frame and one end that can be coupled to the cams via a flexible linkages such as a strap or cable.
The vacuum springs are comprised of two rigid end pieces that are movable relative to each other. A flexible membrane couples the two end pieces to each other and encloses a hermetically sealed region in between the two end pieces and the flexible membrane. The flexible membrane has a concaved shape wherein the bases of the concave are coupled to the end pieces and the apex of the flexible membrane points towards the center of the vacuum spring.
The two end pieces both have dome shaped surfaces in their center. The apexes of the domes both point in the same direction allowing the domes to interlock with one another and eliminate any open space between them when they are in the closed position.
When the end pieces move apart no air is able to move into the space between them and a powerful vacuum is created almost instantaneously. The force exerted by the vacuum on the end pieces is almost constant. However as the end pieces move further apart the geometry of the flexible membrane changes and the tensile force exerted by the flexible membrane on the end pieces increases. To compensate for the increasing force and deliver a smooth constant force to the user, the movable end of the vacuum spring is coupled via a strap to a cam that is integrated into shaft. The distance between axis of rotation of the cam and the point where the cam surface and the strap separate decreases as the cam is rotated through the forward stroke. And that distances increases as the cam is rotated through the reverse stroke.
The four vacuum springs are all made to be different sizes so they each generate different resistances. Likewise, the sizes of the four cams are also made in different sizes to match the different stroke lengths of the four vacuum springs. One of the vacuum spring and cam combinations provides 15 lbs of resistance to the user, another provides 20 lbs, another provides 25 lbs, and the largest spring provides 30 lbs. One or more of the vacuum springs can be coupled to the cams at any one time. This enables to the user to adjust the resistance of the machine in 5 lb increments from 15 lbs all the way up to 90 lbs. Other size combinations are also possible.
The base of the frame is mounted on a hinge that allows the machine to tilt about a horizontal axis. The base of the frame of the machine is then mounted to a foundation that the user can stand on or a bench or seat can be placed on. Two of the disclosed machines are utilized in the preferred embodiment so that the user can exercise two arms or legs at one time. Also the foundation has multiple mounting locations so that the two instances of the machine can be positioned in different locations allowing for different types of exercises and to accommodate people of different sizes.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description and claims when read in light of the accompanying drawings.
The technology described herein will be better understood by reading the detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, in which like reference numerals denote similar structure and refer to like elements throughout, and in which:
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A base 7 is positioned beneath the frame. A hinge 8 couples the bottom of the frame to the base 7. The hinge 8 allows the frame to tilt about a horizontal axis so that the user of the invention can pull the cable 3 in multiple directions. Two springs 10 (only one is visible here) are positioned on both sides of the hinge 8 and keep the exercise machine completely upright when no force is exerted on it.
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When a user pulls on the handle 2 the pulley rotates and provides a resistance to the user that opposes his motion. However on the return stroke the pulley pulls the cable away from the user and effectively simulates a workout that can be achieved with free weights. The arrow 11 shows the additional range of motion provided by the hinge 8.
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A bench 40 can be positioned on top of the foundation 43 so that exercises like bench presses can be performed. The bench also has two attachment structures 41 that the bases of the exercise machines 1 can be mounted on. Footrests 42 also protrude from two of the benches legs for use in exercises like seated lat rows.
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An optional leg curl attachment could be added to the bench. And one or both of the exercise machines 1 could be drivenly connected to the leg curl attachment. One or more of the mounting holes in the middle of the foundation could be used for that purpose.
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Of course a huge number of alternative embodiments of the present invention could also be created. In one alternative embodiment adhesives could be used rather than a mechanical fastener to couple the membrane to the end pieces. Also an enormous number of different configurations could be used to engage the vacuum springs could be employed. For example the user could connect the hooks to the movable ends of the vacuum springs manually. In another embodiment the components of the frame and the stationary end pieces of the vacuum springs could be integrated into one solid piece. Furthermore all of the vacuum springs could be permanently attached to the cams and valves could be used to control air into and out of the vacuum springs. The valves could be opened to essentially eliminate the resistance created by the vacuum springs. Also the fixed end pieces of the vacuum springs could be welded, bolted, clamped, etc. to the frame. Also the shaft, cams and pulley could all be created from one solid piece of material. Additionally, the multiple filament segments used in the flexible membrane could be made from one long filament that is looped back and forth from one base of the membrane to the other wherein the segments of the filament are still oriented parallel to each other. A guard to cover the pulley could extend outward from the frame.
Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the technology described herein, it should be noted by those skilled in the art that the within disclosures are exemplary only, and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the technology described herein. Accordingly, the technology described herein is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated herein, but is limited only by the following claims.
Claims
1. An exercise device comprising:
- a. a frame;
- b. a plurality of vacuum springs, wherein each vacuum spring, independently, comprises: i. two rigid end pieces configured to interlock with each other and to be movable relative to each other, wherein a first end piece is securably attached to the frame, and a second end piece is movable and attachable to a flexible linkage; and ii. a flexible membrane coupled to the two rigid end pieces so as to provide a hermetically sealed region between the two rigid end pieces and the flexible membrane;
- c. a rotatable shaft mounted on the frame;
- d. a plurality of flexible linkages wherein each flexible linkage is independently wrappable around the rotatable shaft and attachable to a movable end piece of one of the plurality of the vacuum springs;
- e. a pulley having a diameter larger than the diameter of the rotatable shaft coupled to the rotatable shaft wherein rotating the pulley rotates the rotatable shaft;
- f. a cable wrappable around the pulley, wherein the cable is configured to allow a user to engage the vacuum springs by pulling on the cable.
2. The exercise device of claim 1, comprising 4 vacuum springs.
3. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second end pieces of the vacuum springs comprise interlocking dome shaped structures.
4. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the flexible membrane comprises an elastic material and a plurality of high tensile strength filament segments that traverse the flexible membrane from the first end piece to the second end piece, thereby transferring tensile forces exerted on the flexible membrane to the end pieces.
5. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein each of the vacuum springs, comprises a valve, thereby allowing air to be purged from the vacuum spring.
6. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of vacuum springs are positioned on generally opposite sides of the rotatable shaft.
7. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cams coupled to the rotatable shaft, wherein the cams provide a curved surface for the flexible linkages to wrap around as the rotatable shaft is rotated whereby the variable strength forces created by the plurality of the vacuum springs are converted to more constant strength forces.
8. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a hinge, thereby allowing the frame to tilt about a horizontal axis.
9. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the frame is mounted on top of a bearing, thereby allowing the frame to rotate about a vertical axis.
10. The exercise device of claim 9, further comprising a locking device to prevent the frame from rotating around a vertical axis during use.
11. An exercise machine comprising;
- a. at least two of the exercise devices of claim 1;
- b. a foundation suitable to support the weight of a user; and
- c. connectors suitable for attaching the two devices to the foundation.
12. The exercise device of claim 12, wherein the pulley is of a diameter large enough to allow a user to complete a stroke of an exercise without rotating the pulley more than 360 degrees.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 12, 2010
Publication Date: Apr 7, 2011
Inventor: Eric Scott Carnahan (Smyrna, GA)
Application Number: 12/965,896
International Classification: A63B 21/008 (20060101);