U.S. patent number 3,782,721 [Application Number 05/151,693] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-01 for physical training device.
Invention is credited to Franco Ugo Passera.
United States Patent |
3,782,721 |
Passera |
January 1, 1974 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
PHYSICAL TRAINING DEVICE
Abstract
A physical training device comprising a casing from which two
movable rods are extending and have a pedal or handgrip at their
free ends, the lower ends being mounted in ball joints for movement
in all directions within a certain angle or only in a substantially
vertical angular direction, the movement of the ball of the ball
joints within the casing being restrained by appropriate adjustable
means.
Inventors: |
Passera; Franco Ugo (Lecce,
IT) |
Family
ID: |
11314632 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/151,693 |
Filed: |
June 10, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/117;
482/79 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
21/4047 (20151001); A63B 22/16 (20130101); A63B
21/012 (20130101); A63B 21/015 (20130101); A63B
21/00069 (20130101); A63B 22/18 (20130101); A63B
2022/185 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
21/012 (20060101); A63B 22/00 (20060101); A63B
21/015 (20060101); A63B 22/16 (20060101); A63B
22/18 (20060101); A63b 021/00 (); G01l
005/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;73/379R,38R,381R
;272/79R,79B,79D,8R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Goldstein; Herbert
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oberlin, Maky, Donnelly &
Renner
Claims
I claim:
1. A physical training device comprising
a. a parallelepiped portable casing provided with a plurality of
arms extending therefrom, each of said arms carrying at its free
end a sucking vessel for securing the casing to a supporting
surface,
b. at least two rigid rods extending upwardly from the casing and
secured thereto by ball joints each located in a conical recess in
the casing so that each of the rods can assume any desired angle
within said conical recess, said rods being readily disengagable
from said ball joints for storage within said casing when the
device is carried or in storage,
c. means restraining the movement of said ball joints within said
conical recesses in the casing,
d. means at the upper free end of each of said rods adapted to be
engaged and moved by the hands or feet of a training person,
e. a ball joint connecting said means at the upper free end of each
of said rods to the associated rod, each of said ball joints
comprising a ball screwed to the free end of said rod received
within a sheath forming part of said means adapted to be engaged
and moved by the training person, said ball being traversed by a
central hole having the shape of an inverted double cone, and a
shaft extending through said hole and said sheath and being
provided with screw means to enable the sheath to be tightened on
the ball, and
f. handle means on the exterior of said casing for permitting the
same to be carried conveniently to the point of use.
2. A physical training device comprising
a. a portable casing provided with a plurality of arms extending
substantially therefrom at each bottom corner thereof so as to
firmly anchor said casing, each of said arms carrying at its free
end a suction member for removably securing the casing to a
supporting surface,
b. at least two rigid rods extending upwardly from the casing and
secured thereto by ball joints each located in a conical recess in
the casing so that each of the rods can assume any desired angle
within said conical recess, each of said ball joints comprising a
ball and a pair of adjustable jaws on either side of said ball,
said jaws being formed with recesses which cooperatively define
said conical recess, said rods being threaded to and thus readily
disengageable from said ball joints for storage within said casing
when the device is carried or in storage,
c. means for restraining the movement of said ball joints within
said conical recesses formed by said jaws, comprising a pair of
rods extending through said jaws mounting said jaws between spaced
support members, and spring means for engaging one of said jaws for
urging said jaws together to clamp said ball,
d. means at the upper free end of each of said rods adapted to be
engaged and moved by the hands or feet of a training person,
and
e. handle means on the exterior of said casing for conveniently
carrying the same to the point of use.
3. A physical training device comprising
a. a portable casing provided with a plurality of arms extending
substantially therefrom at each bottom corner thereof so as to
firmly anchor said casing, each of said arms carrying at its free
end a suction member for removably securing the casing to a
supporting surface,
b. at least two rigid rods extending upwardly from the casing and
secured thereto by ball joints each located in a conical recess in
the casing so that each of the rods can assume any desired angle
within said conical recess, said rods being threaded to and thus
readily disengagable from said ball joints for storage within said
casing when the device is carried or in storage,
c. means including resilient biasing means for restraining the
movement of said ball joints within said conical recesses in the
casing,
d. means at the upper free end of each of said rods adapted to be
engaged and moved by the hands or feet of a training person, said
means being connected to said rods by means of a ball joint and
including means permitting rotation of said means at the upper free
ends of said rods about axes through said ball joints, and
e. handle means on the exterior of said casing for conveniently
carrying the same to the point of use.
4. The physical training device as claimed in claim 3 wherein
further means are provided adjacent said conical recess in the
casing for limiting the movement of said rods to an arcuate
movement in a substantially vertical plane.
5. The physical training device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said
means at the upper free end of each of said rods comprises a
petal.
6. The physical training device of claim 3 wherein each of said
ball joints located in said conical recess in the casing comprises
a ball and a pair of adjustable jaws on either side of said ball,
said jaws being formed in the areas thereof with recesses which
cooperatively define said conical recess.
7. The physical training device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said
means for restraining the movement of said ball joints within said
conical recesses comprises a pair of rods extending through said
jaws for mounting said jaws between spaced support members, and
spring means for engaging one of said jaws for urging said jaws
together to clamp said ball.
8. The physical training device as claimed in claim 7 wherein at
least one of said jaws is adjustable from outside the casing to
move along said rods and clamp the ball of the ball joint with the
cooperation of the other jaw, a threaded shaft associated with said
adjustable jaw and extending through one of said support members
and having a control knob at its free end located exteriorly of
said casing, said spring means comprising a helical spring inserted
between said adjustable jaw and said one support member.
Description
This invention relates to a physical training device suitable for
making physical exercises for medical or orthopedical purposes as
well as for practising gymnastics or body building.
Various types of such physical training devices are already known
and available in commerce, such as the rowing machines, cycling
machines, chest expanders etc.
However, all these devices have a well defined purpose in that each
of them is designed to cure or develop and given group of muscles,
for example, the cycling machines are designed to develop the
muscles of the legs, the expanders those of the arms and chest, or
when these devices are more complex such as the rowing machine,
they take up very much space so that they can only be kept in a
gymnasium but not in a flat or apartment.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a physical
training device which is of simple construction and relatively
small handy size and permits the execution of a plurality of
exercises both with the upper and lower limbs.
The physical training device according to the invention
comprises
A. a parallelepiped casing provided with a plurality of arms
extending therefrom in the manner of the legs of a spider and each
carrying at its free end a sucking vessel for securing the casing
to the ground or a wall,
B. a pair of rigid rods extending upwardly from the casing and
secured thereto by ball joints each located in a conical recess in
the casing so that each of the rods can assume any desired angle
within said conical recess,
C. means at the upper free end of each of said rods, adapted to be
engaged and moved by a training person, and
D. means restraining the movement of said ball joints within said
conical recesses in the casing.
In other words or more particularly, this physical training device
comprises
A. a parallelepiped casing adapted to be secured to the ground or a
wall by appropriate arms (of the spider leg type) extending from
the casing and provided with sucking vessels;
B. two rigid rods likewise extending from the casing and having one
end secured thereto by a ball joint located in a conical recess in
the casing, each of the rigid rods being movable to the desired
position within the solid angle of the conical recess and carrying
on its other end a handgrip or pedal likewise secured thereto by a
ball joint to carry out physical exercises either with the upper or
lower limbs, the ball joint between each of said rods and the
casing substantially comprising a ball connected to the end of the
rod and enclosed in the hemispherical recesses of two jaws secured
to the casing, the pressure exerted by the jaws on the ball being
adjustable from outside of the casing and being determined by
appropriate spring means, for example, a torsion spring; the ball
joint between each rod and the handgrip or pedal likewise
substantially comprising a ball connected to the end of the rod and
enclosed in the hemispherical recess of two jaws firmly secured to
the handgrip or pedal, the pressure exerted by the jaws on the ball
being adjustable from outside and determined by appropriate
clamping means, for example, a through bolt;
c. two straight guide members adapted to be secured to the casing
at the base of each of said rods above the ball joint between each
rod and the casing in predetermined positions for limiting the
movement of the rods to a predetermined vertical plane to permit
the execution of particular exercises, for example, bending and
extension or abduction of the upper or lower limbs;
d. a handle for the casing to enable it to be carried in the manner
of a suitcase, and
e. at least two indicators, one for each of said rods, for
indicating the force exerted during each exercise.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by
way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a physical training device
according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a ball joint mounting a pedal of the
physical training device;
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line A--A in FIG. 4
and showing a ball joint mounting the pedal supporting rods on the
casing, and
FIG. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line B--B in FIG.
3.
FIG. 1 shows a casing 1 having a parallelepiped form and a handle
1'. The casing 1 can be mounted on the ground or a wall by four
sucking vessels 2 carried by arms 2' extending from the four
corners of the casing 1. The sucking vessels 2 may be movably or
rigidly mounted on the arms 2'. Two rigid spaced rods 3 extend
upwardly from the casing 1 and the lower end of each of them is
screwed into a ball 4 enclosed by two jaws 5 and 6 each provided
with a hemispherical recess with the two recesses facing each other
to receive the ball 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the two jaws 5 and 6 are
shiftably mounted on a pair of rods 7 secured to support members 8
and 9. The jaws 5 and 6 clamp the ball 4 under the action of a
helical spring 10 whose clamping force can be adjusted from outside
the casing 1 by turning a knob 11 having a shaft threadably engaged
in the support member 9 to thereby adjust or vary the frictional
force exerted between the ball 4 and the jaws 5, 6 and thus the
resistance encountered in carrying out the physcial excercise.
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper end of each rod 3 is also threaded
and screwes into a ball joint essentially comprising a ball 12
provided in its centre with a through hole 13 having the shape of
an inverted double cone. A shaft 14 extends through the hole 13 and
a spherical sheath 15 surrounds the ball 12 and is provided with
screw means to tighten the spherical sheath 15 on the ball 12 and,
if desired, lock it thereon. The sheath 15 forms part of a pedal 16
which, if desired, may be replaced by a handgrip.
The casing 1 is further provided with an indicator 17 for each rod
3, which indicates the force exerted during each physical
exercise.
Further, a bifurcated straight guide member 18 may be secured to
the casing 1 adjacent each rod 3 by means of a screw 19 adapted to
be threaded into appropriate holes in the casing 1 after the
bent-over ends of the bifurcate portion of the guide member 18 have
been inserted in corresponding holes 20 in the casing 1. The
movement of the rod 3 is thereby limited to an arcuate movement in
a vertical plane to permit the execution of particular exercises as
mentioned before.
Obviously the arrangement of the various members and the details of
construction may be different from what has been described and
illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention.
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