Push-pull Type Exercising Device

Abstract

The exercising machine has a pulley and a cable with a body engaging end and a force resistance end. The pulley has wheel of non-circular configuration whereby movement of the cable by the user will cause cyclic sidewise movement to be imparted to the cable and vibration motion will be set up in the cable and transmitted to a user.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to exercising devices, and particularly to an isotonic device having a vibrating isometronic function indirectly powered by the user.

2. Discussion of Prior Art

A wide variety of exercising devices are known. Isotonic weight devices are in large measure designed to build and tone muscle tissue. Isometric exercising was at one time highly promoted as a method capable of achieving results equivalent to those achieved by complex exercising devices but without special equipment or appliances. However, some medical authorities have suggested that isometric exercising creates certain hazards due to the immobility or lack of movement of the body during strenuous work. Muscle building apart, many authorities are concerned with the debility of those who, due to lack of interest, time or energy, neglect physical activities.

Medical and other authorities increasingly stress the desirability of physical exercise not only for the young and normally active persons, but for older persons of all ages. Stimulating blood flow and building muscle tone, if not muscles per se, are considered highly desirable. Of course, there are countless ways of exercising -- the usual way being physical exertion by moving one's self and/or some object. Less strenuous methods include alternate stretching and relaxation as by yoga exercises; isometronic devices of various sorts including powered bicycle machines, vibrators, etc.

Vibrators are useful stimulators of blood flow. However, I accept the opinion of some authorities that vibrators fail to yield benefits because the body is normally relaxed when the vibrator is applied. To obtain maximum benefit from vibration, the body muscles to which the vibrator is applied must alternately be stressed and contracted, not necessarily in a strenuous way, but in a rhythmic continuous manner.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide apparatus for superimposing vibrations upon the body at the very time that the body muscles are moving to expand and contract them. By so doing, maximum benefits are achieved without requiring strenuous efforts. Another object of this invention is to provide an extremely simple mechanism for achieving this function -- so simple in fact, that it involves, in its simplest form, the mere replacement of a standard component with a special component.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to accomplish the foregoing objects, I provide a pulley exercising device in which the pulley wheel instead of being circular, is eccentric or polygonal. The pulley cable moves laterally or radially of the pulley center at a cyclic rate corresponding to the spacing of the lobes and the speed of movement of the pulley cable. A lateral movement is imparted to the cable and the cable tension pulsates. The result is vibration imparted to the hands or arms manipulating the pulley cable, the intensity of vibrations corresponding to the amplitude of lateral movement of the cable.

In one embodiment of the invention, the pulley yoke is hand-held, and the ends of the cable are conformable stirrups engaged by the feet. In this embodiment, vibrations are imparted not only to the feet at the ends of the cable, but also to the arms through the hand-held pulley yoke. An extremely compact effective exerciser is provided whereby vibration is imparted to the legs while the legs are in motion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of the invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals designate corresponding parts in the several figures. These drawings, unless otherwise indicated, are to scale.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an exerciser incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the pulley and yoke taken axially of the pulley and along a plane corresponding to line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the pulley taken transversely of the pulley axis to show the configuration of the seat provided by the pulley, the view being taken along a plane corresponding to line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view illustrating the device of FIG. 1 being used.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing a pulley wide enough to accommodate a cable in the form of a tape or strap.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show various exercising devices utilizing a non-circular pulley structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. Structural and operational characteristics attributed to forms of the invention first described shall also be attributed to forms later described, unless such characteristics are obviously inapplicable or unless specific exception is made.

In FIG. 1, there is illustrated an exercising device including a pulley assembly 10 and a cable 12.

The pulley assembly 10 includes a block or pulley yoke 14, a pulley wheel 16 and a bearing pin 18. The yoke 14, which may be made of molded plactic material has a bifurcated part at one end to receive the pulley wheel. The bearing pin is force fitted or otherwise secured to apertured embossments 20 formed on the outer sides of the bifurcated part.

The pin 18 passes with slight clearance through the bore 22 of the pulley wheel whereby the pulley wheel is journalled thereon for rotation.

A short length of rope 24 is attached at opposite ends to the pulley yoke 14 and a handle bar 26, as by knotting the ends of the rope.

In the present instance the cable 12 is passed around the pulley wheel 16. In order to move the cable along the pulley, the ends of the cable are attached to stirrups 28. In the present instance, the stirrups are formed as reinforced fabric straps closed to form loops. The loops are tied to loops formed at the ends of the cable 12. The stirrups are conformable to the bare foot for comfortable operation thereby.

In use, the handle bar 26 is grasped between the hands as shown in FIG. 4, and the stirrups are engaged by the feet for pedaling movement as the user lies on his back. The movement of the cable tends to twist the pulley as the feet alternately move toward and away from the user's head. This twisting is permitted by virtue of the short rope 24.

As the user moves the cable 12 along the pulley wheel 16, a vibration is imparted. This is achieved by virtue of a non-circular configuration of the pulley wheel itself as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, in the present instance, the seat formed by the pulley wheel is octagonal rather than round. In the present instance, the pulley is substantially square, providing four equiangularly spaced lobes 30.

The square pulley wheel carries the cable 12 outwardly and inwardly. In the position shown, the opposite runs of the pulley are spaced by an amount corresponding to the length of the side of the square pulley. However, after an eighth of a revolution, the cable runs will be spaced from each other by an amount corresponding to the diagonal of the square. The result is a sidewise movement of the cable and a change in the tension of the cable all at a rate corresponding to the distance between the lobes 30 and the rate of movement of the cable 12. A gentle and invigorating vibration is imparted to the legs. In addition, the vibration is in the present instance transmitted through the yoke 14 to the handle 26 and the arms of the user. A number of authorities claim that muscle and vascular tone is improved by the conjoint action of muscle flexure and vibration.

The particular device illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 is exceedingly compact, foldable into a small package for shipment, storage, boxing and for transport with the user.

In the form illustrated in FIG. 5, an identical arrangement is provided except that the pulley wheel is wide to accommodate a cable in the form of a strap.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate various pulley exercising devices that may incorporate a non-circular pulley wheel for imparting vibration. FIG. 6 shows a rowing machine in diagrammatic form. FIG. 7 illustrates a typical wall pulley but in the present instance, having a non-circular pulley wheel. FIG. 8 illustrates a floor pulley resisted by a spring rather than by movable weights, the pulley also being non-circular to impart vibrations.

The pulley wheel can take a variety of configurations. The pulley lobes need not be uniformly spaced. Optimum results can be achieved by avoiding a pulley wheel that is either too large or too small. The number of lobes may be changed so as to keep relatively constant, the spacing between successive lobes. A single-lobed or eccentric pulley could be provided if desired. I have found the square configuration quite satisfactory, the side measure of the square being about 1 inch. In the form of FIGS. 1-4, the rope 24 is desirably short enough effectively to transmit vibrations to the hands. However, the rope must be long enough to allow the pulley to twist back and forth.

Claims

Intending to claim all novel, useful and unobvious features shown or described, I make the following claim:

1. In an exercising machine:

a. a pulley assembly, for receiving a cable;

b. a cable extending around the pulley assembly and having attachments at opposite ends, at least one of the attachments being engageable by a user for moving the cable along the pulley assembly;

c. said assembly having a means which is non-circular so that as the means is rotated by a user acting on the cable a cyclic sidewise movement will be imparted to the cable, causing vibration motion to be set up in the cable which is transmitted to a user during an exercise program.

2. The exercising machine as set forth in claim 1 in which said cable has stirrups at opposite ends for engagement by feet of a user, a handle attached to the pulley assembly, and there being a flexible member joining the handle and the pulley assembly whereby the pulley assembly may twist as the cable is asymetrically moved.

3. The exercising machine as set forth in claim 2 in which said stirrups are made of fabric and said flexible member is a short rope.

4. The exercising machine as set forth in claim 1 in which said cable is attached at one of its ends to means for resisting movement of the cable away form a normal relaxed condition.

5. The exercising machine as set forth in claim 1 in which said cable has a resilient connection means for connecting one end of the cable to an immovable member; said pulley assembly being fixedly anchored to a base member so as to resist movement of the cable away from a normal relaxed condition to a position where the resilient connection means is elongated.

6. In an exercising machine:

a. a pulley assembly for receiving a cable, said assembly including a non-circular pulley wheel means for developing vibration motion during rotation thereof by a user;

b. a cable having user engaging attachments at opposite ends thereof, said cable extending around the pulley wheel means;

c. at least one of said attachments being engageable by a user for moving the cable along the pulley wheel means;

d. said vibration motion is transmitted to a user through said one of said attachments.

7. The exercising machine as set forth in claim 6 in which said cable is in the form of a fabric tape.

8. The exercising machine as set forth in claim 6 in which said pulley wheel is substantially polygonal in configuration to provide a series of spaced wheel lobes.

9. The exercising machine as set forth in claim 6 in which said pulley wheel is substantially square, the measure of the side of the square being approximately 1 inch.