Pulley Apparatus for Resistance Exercises
The present invention is a pulley apparatus for resistance exercises comprising: a housing with an upper end, a lower end, an interior channel extending through the housing, and an exterior surface; a weight stack movable within the housing; and a pulley system comprising in the interior: at least two upper pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing, and at least one lower pulley attached to the weight stack; and on the exterior surface: at least two swivel pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing, and first and second outer pulleys, the first outer pulley located below the swivel pulleys and the second outer pulley located below the first outer pulley; and a pulley rope received by the upper pulleys, the lower pulleys, the swivel pulleys and the outer pulleys such that a first end of the pulley rope is secured to one of the outer pulleys and a second end of the pulley rope is received lastly by the other outer pulley, whereby force exerted on the second end of the pulley rope moves the weight stack. The pulley apparatus may also contain an upper and lower housing that may be disassembled and may be joined to form a combined housing.
The invention relates generally to a pulley apparatus for resistance exercises, and specifically to a pulley apparatus that may be used to warm up, practice a movement and improve physical movements including those in high velocity sports, such as hitting, swinging, throwing, kicking, as well as for use in physical rehabilitation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONResistance and weight training are used to improve and rehabilitate muscle strength. Resistance can be created using the individual's own weight or through ropes or bands with tension. Tension bands have been used in the field of sports rehabilitation and strengthening, particularly for shoulder injuries. Tension bands may be made of elastic, latex and rubber tubing of different lengths and sizes for different parts of the body, e.g. shoulder, wrist, legs. Home gym systems have been made using pulleys and resistance or weights for exercising all parts of the body.
Conventional exercise pulley machines typically have a large footprint from the dual guide rods set about six to ten inches apart with rectangular weights of eight to twelve inches long. The pulley systems of conventional exercise pulley apparatus also limit the range of motion of its users.
What is needed is a compact and adjustable pulley apparatus, which is capable of modulating the amount of resistance and that may be used for various body motions to simulate actual sports movement or as needed to rehabilitate an injury. What is also needed is a pulley apparatus that avoids the ballistic effects of a single axis pulley system and provides a wide arc of motion, resistance in a full circle, a superior means to test the range of motion of a particular body part, and provides injury rehabilitation motions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a pulley apparatus for resistance exercises.
In a first embodiment of the invention there is a pulley apparatus for resistance exercises comprising:
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- a housing with an upper end, a lower end, an interior channel extending through the housing, and an exterior surface,
- a weight stack movable within the housing, and
- a pulley system comprising in the interior
- (a) at least two upper pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing,
- (b) at least one lower pulley attached to the weight stack,
- and on the exterior surface
- (c) at least two swivel pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing,
- (d) first and second outer pulleys, the first outer pulley located below the swivel pulleys and the second outer pulley located below the first outer pulley, and
- a pulley rope received by the upper pulleys, the lower pulleys, the swivel pulleys and the outer pulleys such that a first end of the pulley rope is secured to one of the outer pulleys and a second end of the pulley rope is received lastly by the other outer pulley, whereby force exerted on the second end of the pulley rope moves the weight stack.
In the first embodiment of this pulley apparatus the weight stack is comprised of individual weights and additionally includes a weight selection means to adjust the amount of resistance by increments of the individual weights.
In the first embodiment of this pulley apparatus there are additionally one or more weight alignment rods in the channel of the housing and holes in the individual weights, whereby the weight alignment rods pass through the holes in the individual weights.
In the first embodiment of this pulley apparatus there is additionally a top plate that is secured to the upper end of the housing and a bottom plate that is secured to the lower end of the housing, and the weight alignment rods are secured to the top plate and bottom plate.
In the first embodiment of this pulley apparatus there is additionally a guide rail on the exterior surface of the housing and outer pulley positioning devices, wherein the outer pulleys are affixed to the pulley positioning devices, and the pulley positioning devices are capable of being moved along the guide rail or fixed in position on the guide rail.
In a second embodiment of this invention there is a pulley apparatus for resistance exercises comprising:
-
- an upper housing detachably connected to a lower housing that forms a combined housing with an upper end, a lower end, an interior channel extending through the combined housing, and an exterior surface,
- a weight stack movable within the housing, and
- a pulley system comprising in the interior
- (e) at least two upper pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing,
- (f) at least one lower pulley attached to the weight stack,
- and on the exterior surface
- (g) at least two swivel pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing,
- (h) first and second outer pulleys, the first outer pulley located below the swivel pulleys and the second outer pulley located below the first outer pulley, and
- a pulley rope received by the upper pulleys, the lower pulleys, the swivel pulleys and the outer pulleys such that a first end of the pulley rope is secured to one of the outer pulleys and a second end of the pulley rope is received lastly by the other outer pulley, whereby force exerted on the second end of the pulley rope moves the weight stack.
In the second embodiment of this pulley apparatus the weight stack is comprised of individual weights and additionally includes a weight selection means to adjust the amount of resistance by increments of the individual weights.
In the second embodiment of this pulley apparatus there are additionally grooves in the individual weights and one or more weight alignment rods in the upper housing and an equal number of weight alignment rods in the lower housing, whereby in the combined housing, the weight alignment rods are aligned and glide along the grooves in the individual weights.
In the second embodiment of this pulley apparatus the weight alignment rods in the upper housing are secured to the interior of the upper housing and the weight alignment rods of the lower housing are secured to the interior of the lower housing.
In the second embodiment of this pulley apparatus there is additionally a guide rail on the exterior surface of the lower housing and outer pulley positioning devices, wherein the outer pulleys are affixed to the pulley positioning devices, and the pulley positioning devices are capable of being moved along the guide rail or fixed in position on the guide rail.
The pulley apparatus of this invention may additionally include a base.
The pulley apparatus of this invention may additionally include mounting attachments on the housing whereby the pulley apparatus may be secured to a surface.
In the drawings which illustrate by way of example only, preferred embodiments of the invention:
Referring to
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The weight bars 90 of the weight stack 80 have two or more holes for the insertion of the weight alignment rods. In one aspect of the present invention, there are nylon bushings (not shown) placed in each hole; one on top, and one at the bottom, to help minimize friction and improve alignment. The weight alignment rods are extended all the way to the top disc plate allowing for a wider range of motion.
A lower pulley U-bracket 290 with two lower pulley wheels 300 is attached to the uppermost weight bar 370. An adjustment pin 100 is used to choose the amount of weight bars selected and the weight bars 90 are held in at the lower end by the bottom plate 420. As shown in
Mounted on the housing 15 is guide rail 120. One or more pulley positioning devices 130 is slidably mounted on the guide rail 120.
Referring to
Mounted on the guide rail 120 by way of a bracket 190 is a pulley wheel bracket 200 containing an outer pulley wheel 210. The outer pulley wheel 210 of a first pulley positioning device is off-set to the plunger barrel 150. A second outer pulley wheel 210 of a second pulley position device is off-set to the plunger barrel 150 in a different direction than the first pulley positioning device, thus preventing tangling of the pulley rope 320.
By moving the guide tube along the guide rail via the rotation of the knob, the outer pulley wheel may be moved along the guide rail thereby accommodating different heights of its user's or positioning of the outer pulley wheel relative to the user's body part that will be pulling the weight, for example, the users' ankle, knee, or wrist.
It is understood that different mechanisms may be used to move the guide tube along the guide rail. For example, the plunger barrel may contain a coil spring, for example those plunger barrels 150 shown in
Referring to
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Three upper weight alignment rods 260 are fixed in the upper housing and three lower weight alignment rods 270 are fixed in the lower housing. The upper and lower weight alignment rods are positioned so that when the upper and lower housings are connected to one another by way of the protuberance and J-slot, each of the three upper and lower weight alignment rods align with one another. It is understood that different manner of attaching the upper and lower housing may be used.
The weight bars 90 that form the weight stack 80 contain grooves 280 (
Referring to
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The ratio of three upper pulley wheels to two lower pulley wheels has the effect of lightening the amount of weight being lifted by the user so that the user of the pulley system does not lift, swing, kick, etc. the full weight that is being raised from the weight stack. The lifting of a smoothly liftable weight is desirable in a sport training setting as the user may still move quickly, for example, to swing the baseball bat or tennis racket that is attached to the handle, or may still quickly kick their foot that is attached to the pulley system by the strap.
The liftable weight load is also more desirable when the pulley system is being used in a physiotherapy setting or other therapeutic/rehabilitation setting as the injured party often starts recovery training with lower weights in order to build muscle strength for recovery or initial resistance training.
Referring to
In an aspect of the present invention the pulley apparatus shown in
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The present invention may be transformed from the pulley apparatus of
The pulley apparatus of the present invention is adjustable to accommodate different users' heights and body parts.
The pulley apparatus of the present invention may be used for sports training, rehabilitation, warm up and also general physiotherapy for light muscle workouts, for example, patients experiencing scapular retractors injury, rotator cuff injury and knee injury. The pulley apparatus of the invention avoids the ballistic effects of a single axis pulley system. It also provides a wider arc of motion, resistance in a full circle, and superior means to test the range of motion of a particular body part on an individual by the individual doing different exercises or patterns on the pulley apparatus.
The pulley apparatus may be constructed of lightweight materials such as nylon, rope, aluminum housing, and powder coated steel components.
In one example of an embodiment of the present invention the housing may be made of steel or aluminum tube and may have an outside diameter of 1 inch and a wall thickness of 0.123 inches. The top plate and swivel pulley bottom plate may also be constructed of a steel or aluminum plate with a thickness of ¼ inch. All of the pulley wheels are constructed of delrin, aluminum or nylon having an outside diameter of 106 inches and a thickness of 19/32 inches. The swivel pulley bracket 50 is constructed of a steel sheet having a thickness of 0.048 inches. The pulley wheel bracket 200, upper pulley bracket 220 and lower pulley bracket 290 are constructed of a steel sheet and have a thickness of 0.065 inches. The bracket 190 is also constructed of a steel plate having a thickness of 3/16 inches. The weight alignment rods 255 is steel or stainless steel having an outside diameter of 5/16 inches. The upper and lower weight alignment rods 260, 270 are nylon, steel or stainless steel, also having an outside diameter of 5/16 inches.
In this example of an embodiment of the present invention each weight bar is steel or cast iron having an outside diameter of 3.5 inches and a thickness of 1 9/32 inches. The uppermost weight bar 370 is made of steel, aluminum or both. The spacers are nylon and the weight bearing shaft 400 is constructed of aluminum with an outside diameter of 0.75 inches. The top disc plate 410 and bottom disc plate 420 are similarly constructed of aluminum with an outside diameter of 3.75 inches.
The guide rail 120 is constructed of steel or stainless steel and measures 0.75 inches by 0.75 inches with a wall thickness of either 0.125 inches or 0.083 inches. The guide tube 140 is made of steel telespar and measures 1 inches by 1 inches with a wall thickness of 0.105 inches. The plunger barrel 150 and internal supporting cup 160 are constructed of steel round bar, and the plunger barrel has an outside diameter of 0.75 inches and the internal supporting cup has an outside diameter of 0.632 inches. The pulley rope 320 is synthetic or steel wire having an outside diameter of 5.00 millimeters. Both the base and mounting attachments of this example are of steel construction.
The pulley apparatus is lightweight and compact in design allowing for easy transportation with other sports equipment. It is self contained and easy to transport for indoor and outdoor use, for example, at batting cages for injury prevention and warm up purposes.
The pulley apparatus is easy to transport, for use by a clinical practitioner for patient rehabilitation in a clinical setting, as well as a sports trainer for training athletes in sports facilities.
Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A pulley apparatus for resistance exercises comprising:
- a housing with an upper end, a lower end, an interior channel extending through the housing, and an exterior surface,
- a weight stack movable within the housing, and
- a pulley system comprising in the interior (i) at least two upper pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing, (j) at least one lower pulley attached to the weight stack, and on the exterior surface (k) at least two swivel pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing, (l) first and second outer pulleys, the first outer pulley located below the swivel pulleys and the second outer pulley located below the first outer pulley, and
- a pulley rope received by the upper pulleys, the lower pulleys, the swivel pulleys and the outer pulleys such that a first end of the pulley rope is secured to one of the outer pulleys and a second end of the pulley rope is received lastly by the other outer pulley, whereby force exerted on the second end of the pulley rope moves the weight stack.
2. The pulley apparatus of claim 1, wherein the weight stack is comprised of individual weights and additionally includes a weight selection means to adjust the amount of resistance by increments of the individual weights.
3. The pulley apparatus of claim 2, which additionally includes one or more weight alignment rods in the channel of the housing and holes in the individual weights, whereby the weight alignment rods pass through the holes in the individual weights.
4. The pulley apparatus of claim 3, which additionally includes a top plate that is secured to the upper end of the housing and a bottom plate that is secured to the lower end of the housing, and wherein the weight alignment rods are secured to the top plate and bottom plate.
5. The pulley apparatus of claim 4, which additionally includes a guide rail on the exterior surface of the housing and outer pulley positioning devices, wherein the outer pulleys are affixed to the pulley positioning devices, and the pulley positioning devices are capable of being moved along the guide rail or fixed in position on the guide rail.
6. A pulley apparatus for resistance exercises comprising:
- an upper housing detachably connected to a lower housing that forms a combined housing with an upper end, a lower end, an interior channel extending through the combined housing, and an exterior surface,
- a weight stack movable within the housing, and
- a pulley system comprising in the interior (m) at least two upper pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing, (n) at least one lower pulley attached to the weight stack, and on the exterior surface (o) at least two swivel pulleys attached to the upper end of the housing, (p) first and second outer pulleys, the first outer pulley located below the swivel pulleys and the second outer pulley located below the first outer pulley, and
- a pulley rope received by the upper pulleys, the lower pulleys, the swivel pulleys and the outer pulleys such that a first end of the pulley rope is secured to one of the outer pulleys and a second end of the pulley rope is received lastly by the other outer pulley, whereby force exerted on the second end of the pulley rope moves the weight stack.
7. The pulley apparatus of claim 6, wherein the weight stack is comprised of individual weights and additionally includes a weight selection means to adjust the amount of resistance by increments of the individual weights.
8. The pulley apparatus of claim 7, which additionally includes grooves in the individual weights and one or more weight alignment rods in the upper housing and an equal number of weight alignment rods in the lower housing, whereby in the combined housing, the weight alignment rods are aligned and glide along the grooves in the individual weights.
9. The pulley apparatus of claim 8, wherein the weight alignment rods in the upper housing are secured to the interior of the upper housing and the weight alignment rods of the lower housing are secured to the interior of the lower housing.
10. The pulley apparatus of claim 8, which additionally includes a guide rail on the exterior surface of the lower housing and outer pulley positioning devices, wherein the outer pulleys are affixed to the pulley positioning devices, and the pulley positioning devices are capable of being moved along the guide rail or fixed in position on the guide rail.
11. The pulley apparatus of claims 1 and 6, which additionally includes a base.
12. The pulley apparatus of claims 1 and 6, which additionally includes mounting attachments on the housing whereby the pulley apparatus may be secured to a surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 2, 2010
Publication Date: Jun 7, 2012
Inventors: Mardig Sevadjian (Burlington), Chester Lake (Ajax), Yousef Ghandour (Santee, CA)
Application Number: 12/959,335
International Classification: A63B 21/062 (20060101);