Hand Muscle Developing Apparatus With Counter Enclosed In Housing

Abstract

A hand muscle developing apparatus comprising a pair of arms, one of which is normally urged in the opposite direction to the other and a counter indicating the number of times the one arm is moved. One arm is fixed to a cylindrical housing and the other arm extends through, and is guided by, a slot in a peripheral wall of the housing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a hand muscle developing apparatus and and more particularly to a hand muscle developing apparatus capable of easily indicating the number of hand grips.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A hand muscle developing apparatus according to this invention comprises a pair of arms, at least one of which is fixed to a housing and the other of which movable relative to the first arm and which is normally urged in the opposite direction to the first arm. The movable arm extends through and is guided by a slot in the housing. A counter is provided for indicating the number of times the movable arm is moved. This hand muscle developing apparatus has the advantage that the effect of the twisting moment on the arms is reduced and that a user easily finds the number of times the movable arm is moved, namely the number of his hand grips, without remembering said number by himself. As used herein, the term "grips" is used to denote the squeezing or moving together of the arms by the operator of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a hand muscle developing apparatus embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the counting and driving means of said apparatus; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on line III--III of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the hand muscle developing apparatus of this invention includes a flat cylindrical housing 1 and a V-shaped spring 2 received in the housing 1. The spring 2 has a coil section 3 fixed to the housing 1, and a pair of extensions 4 and 5 which extend from both sides of the coil section 3 and are arranged at a progressively broadening interval (i.e. spacing) toward the outside. The extensions 4 and 5 protrude from the peripheral wall of the housing 1 and are respectively provided at the end with handles 6 and 7. The extensions 4 and 5 and handles 6 and 7 are coupled together to form a pair of arms 8 and 9. One arm 8 is fixed to the housing 1 and the other arm 9 is made rockable (i.e., movable) in the direction of the indicated arrow I through a slot 30 bored in the side wall of the housing. On the upper surface of the housing 1 are mounted a graduated disc 28 bearing divisions of graduation and a needle 29 rotatable over said disc 28 along a circular graduated scale. The housing 1 contains the later described drive means 10 (FIG. 1) for causing the needle 29 to rotate in accordance with the movements of the arm 9.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive means 10 is received in a casing 11 (FIGS. 1 and 2) fixed to the inner wall of the housing 1. From a slot 12a (FIG. 2) bored in the side wall of the casing 11 protrudes a bar 12 pressed by the arm 9 when it is gripped. The bar 12 has a plurality of projections 13 provided on both upper and under sides respectively. These projections 13 are fitted into an elongate guide slot 14 formed in the casing 11 so as to allow the bar 12 to be guided therethrough in the direction of the indicated arrow II. A tension spring 15 is engaged at one end with the bar 12 and casing 11 normally to urge the bar 12 to the position of FIG. 2. At the other end of the bar 12 is integrally formed a pawl 16, which engages a ratchet wheel 17 rotatably supported by the casing 11 so as to rotate said ratchet wheel 17 only in one direction. Further, a stop 18 abuts against the ratchet wheel 17 to prevent its rotation in the opposite direction.

The ratchet wheel 17 has a cog wheel 19 concentrically fitted therewith. Said cog wheel 19 engages an intermediate gear 20 which is also provided with another cog gear 21. All these gears constitute a reduction gear system. The latter cog gear 21 engages a master gear 22, which is rotatably fitted to a rotary shaft 23 (FIG. 3) pivoted to the casing 11. The upper end of said shaft 23 projects outside of the housing 1. Concentrically with the rotary shaft 23 is fixed a spring washer 24, which is fitted with a plurality of elastic arms 25 extending radially from the axial center for frictional engagement with the underside of the master gear 22. The master gear 22 and rotary shaft 23 frictionally engage each other normally to make a joint rotation. The upper side of the master gear 22 and the underside of the spring washer 24 are contacted by rings 26 and 27 fixed to the rotary shaft 23. The top of the rotary shaft 23 is fitted with the needle 29 which is made rotatable therewith over the graduated disc 28.

When a user grips the handles 6 and 7 of the arms 8 and 9 to move the arm 9 in the direction of the indicated arrow I (FIG. 2), then the arm 9 presses one end of the bar 12 to move it in the direction of the indicated arrow II against the force of the tension spring 15. Since, at this time, the ratchet wheel 17 is prevented from rotation by the stop 18, the pawl 16 jumps over one tooth of the ratchet wheel 17. When the user loosens his grip to cause the arm 9 to be retracted by the coil 3 in the opposite direction to that of the arrow I, said bar 12 is returned by the tension spring 15. At this time, the pawl 16 rotates the ratchet wheel 17 by one tooth. As a result, the master gear 22 is rotated through the gears 19, 20 and 21, causing the needle 29 to rotate by one division of graduation. Thus, each time the user grips the arms 8 and 9, the needle 29 rotates by one division of the scale, recording the number of the user's grips.

The return of the needle 29 to its original position has only to be effected directly by hand from outside of the housing 1. Since, as described above, the master gear 22 and rotary shaft 23 frictionally contact each other through the spring washer 24, the radial arms 25 of the spring washer 24 slide on the underside of the master gear 22 even when it does not rotate. Thus the washer 24 acts as a clutch, and the needle 29, when forcefully moved by hand for return, makes a rotation independently of the master gear 22.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A hand muscle developing apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical housing having a slot in a peripheral wall thereof;

a pair of grip arms each having one end inserted in the housing and the other end projecting from said wall of the housing, one of said arms being fixed to the housing and the other of said arms passing through the slot of the housing and adapted to be rockably moved toward said one arm in the peripheral direction of the housing when the arms are gripped;

means for urging said other arm away from said one arm, said urging means being fixed in the housing and connecting one end of the arms to each other;

drive means disposed in the housing and operated by said other arm; and

a counter driven by said drive means to indicate the number of times the arms are gripped;

said drive means including a bar movable in the lengthwise direction by said other arm when the arms are gripped; a guide for guiding the movement of said bar; a spring for retracting said bar to its original position; a pawl fixed to said bar; a ratchet wheel rotated by said pawl when said bar is retracted by said spring; and a transmission mechanism connecting said ratchet wheel to said counter to operate said counter, said transmission mechanism including a reduction gear system coupled to said rachet wheel, said gear system having a plurality of spur gear wheels, and a master spur gear wheel engaged with said gear system, said master wheel having a rotary shaft penetrating the center thereof and one end wall of the cylindrical housing to extend outside said housing; and

said counter including a rotating needle fixed to that portion of said rotary shaft which extends outside said housing so as to rotate over the outer surface of said end wall; and a graduated disk mounted on said outer surface of said end wall.

2. The hand muscle developing apparatus according to claim 1 including a clutch member for connecting said master gear to said rotary shaft.

3. The hand muscle developing apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said clutch member comprises a spring washer concentrically fixed to said rotary shaft and provided with a plurality of radially extending elastic arms frictionally abutting against the underside of said master gear.

4. The hand muscle developing apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said urging means comprises a coil spring, and said grip arms include two extensions extending from said coil spring with a progressively broadening spacing therebetween, and handles fixed to the outer ends of said extensions.