AU593813B2

AU593813B2 - A new and improved exercise apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU593813B2
Application number: AU57830/86A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Robert Kasigkeit
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-05-22
Filing date: 1986-05-22
Publication date: 1990-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 2006-05-22
Also published as: AU5783086A

Description

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I It 4 1 I ii it iii t it it t fit i The Patent~s Act 1952 Name of Applicant Address of Applicant Actual Inventor Address for Service *ROBERT KASIGKET 32 Kate Street, Kedron, Queensland, 4031, Australia ROBERT KASIGKET GRANT ADAMS COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 333 Adelaide Street, BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND 41000

AUSTRALIA.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENT'-ON ENTITLED: C C "1A NEW AND IMPROVED EXERCISE APPARATUSI? p The following statement i a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us: -1r THIS INVENTION relates to a new and improved exercise apparatus.

Exercise devices are available in a very wide range for improving body tone by moving arms, legs or other parts of the body against resistance offered by the machine. The resistance to be overcome is applied generally by springs, which must be tensioned, or by weights which must be raised, by the person using the machine.

The present invention has been devised with the general object of providing an exercise machine in which the resistance to be overcome by the person using it is varied, in a predetermined manner, during the course of each stroke or action by the user, for example by being progressively increased. Another object a-hieved in preferred embodiment of the invention is to provide such a machine in which the whole range of O forces necessary in using the machine can be quickly and easily varied to suit the physique and present needs of 20 the user.

r F c With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides broadly in an exercise machine comprising: a frame; a seat mounted on the frame; a weight which is vertically movable in relation to the frame behind the seat; an exercise member which is downwardly angled and pivotally supported on the frame for angular 30 movement, the pivot being posit:oned forwardly of the seat between the knees of a seated user, the exercise t, member being provided with transverse coaxial posts at a point remote from the pivot; and actuating means connecting the movable i exercise member to the weight; the actuating means including a cam means to vary the force required to be exerted at the exercise member so as to move the weight, the force being -2- C L i^ 1 1 w 1 1 continuously varied during movement of the exercise member; the cam means being associated with a first sprocket in a unitary arrangement mounted for rotary movement on the frame; the exercise member being combined in a unitary arrangement with a second sprocket; a continuouls first drive chain about the first and second sprockets to cause rotary movement of the cam upon actioning the exercise member; a second chain extended from the periphery of the cam means and connected to the weight; and the second chain being attached at a point on the cam effective to wrap thereabout on rotation of the cam and vary the torque at the cam established by the weight as the cam rotates.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

In order that a preferred embodiment of the invention may be readily understood and carried into i't practical effect, reference is now made to the accompi t.

-,4 S2a anying drawings, wherein:- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a leg exercise machine according to the invention, and FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the cam device of the machine.

The exerc.se machine illustrated includes a sturdy main frame 10 having a pair of back uprights 11 rigidly connected by top and bottom cross-members 12 and 13 and by a further cross-piece 14 a short distance below the top cross-member. The base of the main frame comprises, in addition to the bottom cross-member 13, a pair of forwardly convergent side members 15 intero.oo', connected by a cross-piece 16, the whole being supported on feet 17.

15 A pair of parallel body support carriers 18 extend forwards from the top cross-member 12 and then extend obliquely down to the front of the base side Smembers A cam carrier frame 19 has a U-shaped top extending rigidly forwards from the back uprights 11, its front being connected by a pair of parallel oblique bearing bars 21 to the cross-piece 16 of the main frame base.

Mounted in front of the body support carriers 18, in vertically adjustable manner if desired, is a body support 22 comprising a padded back-rest 23 and a padded seat consisting of cushions or padding 24 on a rectangular metal seat frame 25-, the front of which is supported by a pair of oblique struts 26 from the body support carriers 18.

A paii of parallel cheek plates 27 are fixed to and extend forwardly from the front middle part of the seat frame 25, and may be formed integrally with or fixed to the oblique str-uts 26.

A shaft 28 between the cheek plates 27 carries, -3between these plates, a fairly large sprocket 29, and fixed to this sprocket, and extending radially downwards therefrom, is a hanger 30 consisting of an elongated U-shaped bar, the front and back arms of which are bifurcated at their upper parts and fixed to the sides of the sprocket. A transverse shaft 31 centrally fixed in the loop at the bottom of the hanger 30 is fitted, at both sides of the hanger, with cushioned cylindrical leg pads 32.

Bearing blocks 33 are mounted on the bearing bars 21 of the cam carrier frame 18, and a shaft 34 rotatable therein carries a sprocket 35 and an adjacent 0tt* °Z cam 36. An endless drive chain 37 is engaged on the e sprockets 29 and 35, the upper run of the chain engag- 15 ing a jockey sprocket 38 between the struts 26, the 9 p.

r. lower run of the chain engaging a jockey sprocket (not t o: shown) between the body support carriers 18.

The periphery of the cam 36 is channelled to receive part of a lift chain 39, which has one end fixed S R 20 in the cam channel, the lift chain being carried up from -r the cam, over a small sprocket between lugs 40 depending from the top cross-member 12 and down to be secured to a lift rod 41.

The lift rod 41 passes down through central holes formed through a stack of similar rectangular weights 42. These weights are vertically slidable on a pair of parallel guide rods 43 having their ends fixed in the cross-piece 14 and the bottom cross-member 13 of the main frame 10. All of the weights have small central front-to-rear holes 44 formed through them, and any n;elected number of the weights 42 may be connected to the lift rod 41 by a retaining pin 45 passed through the hole 44 of the lowermost of the weights selected, and through the lift rod 41, which has a series of diametral holss corresponding to those of the stack of weights. To reduce -4-

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-4 V' friction when the weights are lifted, the uppermost of the weights has upwardly extending bushes 46 slidably engaged on the guide rods 43.

A person using the machine sits on the body support 22 with ankles behind the leg pads 32 and holding a pair of hand-grips 47 on the sides of the seat frame 25, the knees then being fairly sharply bent. The legs are exercised by forcing the lower legs forward and up so the hanger 30 rotates the sprocket 29 and consequently the sprocket 35 and cam 36 are turned by the drive chain 37, and the lift chain 39, wound part-way on the cam 36, lifts the selected number of the weights 42. With increased rotation of the cam 36, increased resistance to b the leg movement is experienced, owing to the increasing radial length of the cam; but after the cam's maximum radial length has been passed by the lift chain 39, the effort required of the user is decreased, as will be seen from the configuration of the cam shown particular- I ,t 20 ly in FIG. 2.

1 t e The invention is applicable, with aporopriate modifications, to a very wide range of exercise machines.

Such machines may, for example, bu devised for exercising by various motions of the arms so as to lift weights through a cam action of th(, type described, the two arms operating a single cam or individual cams if preferred.

Various motions of the legs, bending of the body and so on may, in modifications of the inventions, cause selected numbers of weights to be raised through such cam 30 actions. Such modifications to suit the invention to different applications will be readily apparent to arm persons skilled in the art, and are considered to lie within the scope and ambit of the invention. c s ge ubr fwihst b asdtruhsc a

Claims

1. An exercise machine comprising: a frame; a seat mounted on the frame; a weight which is vertically movable in relation to the frame behind the seat; an exercise member which is downwardly angled and pivotally supported on the frame for angular movement, the pivot being positioned forwardly of the seat between the knees of a seated user, the exercise member being provided with transverse coaxial posts at a point remote from the pivot; and actuating means connecting the movable exercise member to the weight; the actuating means including a cam means to °e vary the force required to be exerted at the exercise member so as to move the weight, the force being continuously varied during movement of the exercise member; the cam means being associated with a first sprocket in a unitary arlangement mounted for rotary movement on the frame; the exercise nember being combined in a unitary arrangement with a second sprocket; a continuous first drive chain about the first and second sprockets to cause rotary movement of the cam upon actioning the exercise member; a second chain extended from the periphery Sof the cam means and connected t) the weight; and S 30 the second chain being attached at a point

4- on the cam effective to wrap thereabout on rotation of the cam and vary the torque at the cam established by 1 the weight as the cam rotates. 2. An exercise machine according to Claim 1 wherein: 6 y0a, ri t e weight comprises a stack of superimposed weight units viutically slidable on guide rods, the chain or the like from the cam is connected to a lift rod slidable through the stack of weight units, and a retaining pin is passed through any selected weight unit and th6 lift rod so that raising of the rod lifts that weight unit and those superimposed thereon. 3. An exercise machine substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this twenty-ninth day of November, 1989. ROBERT KASIGKEIT By his Patent Attorneys GRANT ADAMS COMPANY i 4 v C,; C~s r s