U.S. patent number 3,747,924 [Application Number 05/176,092] was granted by the patent office on 1973-07-24 for out-of-phase pedals oscillated exercising device.
Invention is credited to Edmond J. Champoux.
United States Patent |
3,747,924 |
Champoux |
July 24, 1973 |
OUT-OF-PHASE PEDALS OSCILLATED EXERCISING DEVICE
Abstract
Leg exercising device for improving a person's balance having
two pedals for accepting the feet, each pedal being hinged on a
four-bar mechanism. The pedals are interconnected by a cable
passing over a pulley combination so that, by transferring weight
from one pedal to the other the pedals oscillate in a vertical
plane in 180.degree. out-of-phase relationship, the pedals
remaining horizontal throughout oscillation. Change in length of
the cable changes the amplitude of oscillation.
Inventors: |
Champoux; Edmond J. (Vancouver,
B.C., CA) |
Family
ID: |
22642946 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/176,092 |
Filed: |
August 30, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/52 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
22/0056 (20130101); A63B 2225/30 (20130101); A63B
2022/0053 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
23/04 (20060101); A63B 23/035 (20060101); A63b
023/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;272/79R,79A,79B,79C,79D,57D,57A,57B,70,80,81,57R,58,73,DIG.4,DIG.6,8
;128/25R,25B |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pinkham; Richard C.
Assistant Examiner: Kramer; Arnold W.
Claims
I claim:
1. An exercising device adapted primarily for use by a person for
leg exercise and balance improvement, the device having a base
having a longitudinal axis, right and left pedals to accept right
and left feet of the person exercising, each pedal being supported
above and coupled to the base through a hinge means including:
a. forward and rear pedal hinges secured to a lower face of the
pedal,
b. forward and rear base hinges secured to an upper face of the
base,
c. forward and rear links extending between and journalled on the
forward and rear pedal and base hinges respectively, the forward
and rear links forming opposite links of a closed mechanism, the
device further including:
d. a roller means secured to a portion of the device fixed relative
to the base,
e. a flexible tension link having one end secured to one pedal and
an opposite end secured to the other pedal, the tension link
passing around the roller means, the hinge means being adapted so
that when weight of the person is transferred from one foot to the
other, the pedals oscillate within parallel planes extending
normally to the base, the pedals oscillating in a 180.degree.
out-of-phase relationship.
2. An exercising device as claimed in claim 1 in which:
f. the roller means has a pulley combination disposed so as to
permit the flexible tension link extending between the pedals to be
turned through an angle of about 180.degree. in a horizontal plane,
and through an angle of about 30.degree. in a vertical plane, in
order to accommodate the 180.degree. out of phase oscillations of
the pedals.
3. An exercising device as claimed in claim 1 in which:
g. the pedals have upper and lower limits of travel and
h. the roller means is positioned so as to be between the upper and
lower limits of travel.
4. An exercising device as claimed in claim 3 in which:
i. the roller means is positioned half way between the upper and
lower limits of travel on the pedals.
5. An exercising device as claimed in claim 1 in which:
j. the flexible tension link is a cable, and the roller means
includes:
k. a first upper pulley journalled for rotation in a plane
perpendicular to the base and containing a portion of the cable
extending from a first pedal to the upper roller,
l. a first lower pulley journalled for rotation in a plane
perpendicular to the base and perpendicular to the plane of the
upper pulley, the lower pulley being peripherally aligned with the
upper pulley,
m. a second lower pulley, coplanar with, and spaced from, the first
lower pulley,
n. a second upper pulley peripherally aligned with the second lower
pulley and journalled for rotation in a plane perpendicular to the
base and containing a portion of the cable extending from a second
pedal, the pulleys being aligned so that the cable extending from
the first pedal passes over the first upper pulley, around the
first lower pulley, extends transversely to the second lower
pulley, and passes upwards over the second upper pulley, after
which it is secured to the second pedal, thus coupling the pedals
together for oscillation in a 180.degree. out-of-phase
relationship.
6. An exercising device as defined in claim 5 including:
o. length adjustment means of the cable to vary length of the
cable, to permit change in length of cable for adjustment of the
stroke of the pedals.
7. An exercising device as defined in claim 6 in which the length
adjustment means includes:
p. a turnbuckle.
8. An exercising device as claimed in claim 1, in which the hinge
means has:
q. a forward link having upper and lower ends hinged to the forward
pedal hinge and the forward base hinge respectively,
r. a pair of spaced parallel rear links having upper and lower ends
hinged to the rear pedal hinges and the rear base hinges
respectively, the rear links partially straddling the forward link.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an exercising device particularly adapted
for, but not limited to, exercising legs and improving balance of
players of ball games.
2. Prior Art
Many types of exercising devices are available, some of these being
used to strengthen particular muscles by permitting the muscles to
work against a controllable force. Rehabilitation exercisers, such
as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,316,898, issued to J.W.
Brown in 1967, and 2,892,455 issued to L.L. Hutton in 1959, include
devices having pedals to carry feet of a person exercising, the
pedals being powered by an electric motor for oscillation through a
particular motion between fixed limits. These are ingenious and
effective devices, however, they are not easily portable, are
relatively expensive, and limits of movement are not easily
adjustable to persons of different sizes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention reduces difficulties and disadvantages of prior art
exercisers known to the present inventor, by providing an
exercising device, operable by the person to be exercised, thus not
requiring external power, and having limits of pedal travel that
are easily adjustable for persons of different sizes. The device is
relatively compact, portable and inexpensive, and is intended
primarily for improving balance and leg co-ordination.
One embodiment of the invention includes a flat horizontal base and
a pair of pedals, each pedal being supported by, and forming, one
link of a four-bar mechanism. The mechanisms are inter-connected by
a cable running over pulleys. The pedals are restricted to swing in
a vertical plane, in limited arcs about the base, remaining
parallel to the base and oscillating in a 180.degree. out-of-phase
relationship.
A detailed description following, related to drawings, gives
exemplification of apparatus according to the invention which,
however, is capable of expression in structure other than that
particularly described and illustrated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified fragmented side elevation of an exercising
device according to the invention,
FIG. 2 is a simplified plan of the exercising device, one pedal
being removed,
FIG. 3 is a perspective of the device.
DETAIL DISCLOSURE
Figs. 1 and 2
An exercising device 10 according to the invention has a horizontal
base 11 having a central longitudinal axis 12. The base has a
vertical frame 13 at a forward end, the frame being supported by
inclined braces 14, 15, and 16 extending from longitudinal
stiffeners 17, 18 and 19, respectively. The vertical frame 13 has
transverse members 20 and 20.1 to provide support for a plurality
of pulleys, described with reference to FIG. 3.
Left and right pedals 21 and 22 accept left and right feet 23 and
24, shown in broken outline, of a person using the device. The
pedals are supported above and coupled to the base 11 by left and
right four-bar mechanisms 26 and 27.
The left mechanism 26 is described as follows. The left pedal 21
has on a lower face a forward pedal hinge 31 on a pedal axis 32,
and spaced rear pedal hinges 33 and 34 straddling the pedal axis,
the pedal hinges being secured to lower face of the pedal. A
forward link 36 is hinged at an upper end of the forward hinge 31,
and is hinged at a lower end on a forward base hinge 37 secured to
the base 11. Spaced parallel rear links 39 and 40 are hinged at
upper ends to the rear hinge 33 and 34, and are hinged at lower
ends to rear base hinges 42 and 43 respectively, the rear links
appearing partially to straddle the forward link when viewed from
above as seen in FIG. 2. The base hinges are secured to an upper
face of the base. The forward and rear hinges at opposite ends of
the links are pin joints providing sufficient articulation to
permit swinging of the links through arcs of about 30.degree..
The forward and rear links 36, 39, and 40 have equal lengths, and
horizontal spacing between pins of the forward and rear hinges of
the pedal and forward and rear hinges on the base are also equal,
thus forming a closed four-bar mechanism having opposite sides or
links of equal length -- i.e., arranged as a parallelogram. The
four-bar mechanism serves as a hinge means for the pedal, a portion
of the pedal between the pedal hinges forming one link, and a
portion of the base between the base hinges forming an opposite
link. When the pedal 21 swings about the base it describes an arc
about the forward and rear hinges on the base, the pedal 21 being
maintained parallel to the base. Loci of hinge pins of the hinges
31, 33 and 34 are shown as broken lines 46 and 47 (FIG. 1 only). A
cable 48 (broken line) secured to the pedals has upper and lower
portions 50 and 49, and passes around a roller means 51 (broken
outline) on the frame 13, the cable 48 serving as a flexible
tension link coupling the pedals together (see FIG. 3).
The right four-bar mechanism is also as above.
Figs. 2 and 3
The roller means 51 has four pulleys, disposed so as to turn the
cable 48 through 180.degree. in a horizontal plane and about
30.degree. in a vertical plane without derailing the roller means.
With reference to FIG. 3, a first upper pulley 52 has a horizontal
axis disposed perpendicularly to the axis 12 of the base, and is
spaced above a first lower pulley 53 having a horizontal axle
parallel with the axis 12. Thus the upper pulley is journalled for
rotation in a plane perpendicular to the base and containing the
lower portion 49 of the cable, and the lower pulley is journalled
for rotation in a plane perpendicular to the base and perpendicular
to the plane of the upper pulley. As seen in FIG. 2, the pulley 52
is aligned with the lower portion 49 of the cable 48, one portion
of the cable passing over the pulley.
Peripheries of the upper and lower pulleys are aligned thus
permitting a taut cable to extend between the pulleys, such
alignment hereinafter being referred to as peripheral
alignment.
A similar pair of second upper and lower pulleys 55 and 56 are
mounted on the frame 13, the pulley 55 being aligned with the upper
portion 50 of the cable 48 extending from the pedal 21. All four
pulleys are mounted on undesignated brackets. One end 59 of the
cable 48 is secured to the pedal 21 and passes over the upper
pulley 55, downwards and around the lower pulley 56, then extends
parallel to the frame 13 to the pulley 53 and upwards to the pulley
52 as shown in FIG. 3. An opposite end 62 of the cable 48 is
secured to a turnbuckle 63 which is hinged to the pedal 22.
Coupling of the platforms by the cable 48 results in simultaneous
oscillation of the pedals about the limited arcs, movement being
180.degree. out of phase, the pedals moving in opposite directions.
The turnbuckle 63 is used to change effective length of the
coupling cable, adjustment of the turnbuckle changes amplitude of
motion of the pedals, which amplitude is between two limits of
travel. A lower limit of travel of a particular pedal is governed
by contact of the pedal with the base 11, and an upper limit, when
the pedal is weighted, is set by length of the cable and relative
position of the roller means 51. Within limits set mainly by the
base and the relative positions of the pulleys 52 and 55, when the
cable 48 is shortened, the amplitude of oscillation of each pedal
is increased. This permits the device to be easily adjusted for use
by persons of different sizes.
Best results have been attained when the upper pulleys 52 and 55
are in a position about half way between a maximum upper limit of
the pedal stroke and the base, which serves as a lower limit of the
pedal stroke. This results in the pedals describing arcs, disposed
essentially equally above and below a horizontal plane (not shown)
passing through the axles of the upper pulleys.
OPERATION
The base 11 is placed on level ground and the person using the
device faces the frame 13 and stands with one foot, for example his
right foot 24, on the pedal 22 which is resting on the base. The
left foot 23 is then lifted and placed on the left pedal 21 which
is at an upper limit on its stroke. The person's weight is then
transferred from the right foot to the left foot and the left pedal
then descends, causing the right pedal simultaneously to rise in
the out-of-phase relationship described. The left pedal contacts
the base at the end of its downward stroke, simultaneously the
right pedal reaching an upper limit of its stroke. The above
procedure is reversed by transferring the weight back onto the
right foot, which causes the right pedal to descend to the base
again. Thus, by transferring weight alternately from one pedal to
the next, the pedals oscillate over the limited arcs and the person
exercising maintains balance. In this manner, the person practices
a technique of maintaining balance when positions of the feet
oscillate -- speed of oscillation being controlled by the person
exercising.
ALTERNATIVES AND EQUIVALENTS
The roller means 51 as described and illustrated has four pulleys
52, 53, 55, 56, disposed so as to permit the cable extending
between the pedals to be turned through 180.degree. in a horizontal
plane and a limited angle of about 30.degree. in a vertical plane
in order to accommodate 180.degree. out-of-phase oscillations of
the pedals as described. Other roller means adapted to attain the
same result are known.
Other means to change lengths of cable are known, such as an eye
screw provided with a swivel to reduce twisting of the cable. The
cable can be secured to the links instead of the pedals, and, if
desired, semi-permanent cable securing means such as cable clamps
can be used.
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