EP0086913B1

EP0086913B1 - Pulley operated exercising device

Info

Publication number: EP0086913B1
Application number: EP82304419A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Edgar Heinrich Lais
Original assignee: Global Gym and Fitness Equipment Ltd
Current assignee: Global Gym and Fitness Equipment Ltd
Priority date: 1982-02-22
Filing date: 1982-08-20
Publication date: 1988-01-07
Also published as: ZA826137B; JPS58143768A; AU8749682A; BR8206278A; ATE31630T1; DE3277900D1; CA1187523A; EP0086913A1; MX155337A; AU563269B2

Abstract

The device relates to variable resistance execise machines. A weight stack 18 is movable along a substantially vertical guide 23, 24 and a carriage, connected to the weight stack, is movable along a second guide track 19 inclined to the substantially vertical guide 23, 24. The user power is applied to the weight stack through a cable 52 and pulley 28, 31 system and a guide 51 is provided to maintain the variable resistance throughout the motion.

Description

This invention relates to variable resistance exercising machines.
The exercise of different muscle sets requires different motions and it has been extremely difficult to translate the requisite muscle motion to a weight stack while maintaining a variable resistance to the operator's motion.
In machines which have been employed for excercising chest and pectoral muscles the various mechanisms of the prior art have resorted to cams or levers. As a consequence the parts have been difficult to fabricate, complicated to assemble, and difficult to maintain.
As an illustration the provision of cams has led to asymmetrical structures and these have been particularly difficult.
In other structures where the structures are simple they have not provided a variable resistance throughout the workload travel and, as a consequence, the user of the machine has had to start with greater, loads than required. This requires a greater weight stack and greater expense.
In EP-A-0021557 there is provided a variable resistance exercise machine which is dependent on rigid linkages and in U.S-A-3640527 there is provided a cable and pulley exercise machine which provides a fixed resistance.
In the structure of the present invention no levers or cams are employed. Accordingly, the present invention provides an exercise machine for chest and pectoral muscles comprising a frame provided with vertical guide means, a weight stack movable up and down said vertical guide means, a second guide extending upwardly in a direction inclined to said vertical guide means, a carriage movable up and down said second guide, a rigid link pivotably connected to the weight stack and carriage, movable user means connected to the carriage and operable to raise and lower the weight stack with the carriage, second guide and rigid link providing a variable resistance to movement of the user means, characterised in that the user means comprise mounted cranks pivotable about vertical fulcrums, the cranks having arcuate guides to which opposite ends of a pulley cable are secured, the pulley cable passing around first pulleys rotatable about vertical axes in engagement with said crank guides to maintain the cable at a constant distance from said fulcrums, around second pulleys rotatable about horizontal axes, and around a third pulley secured to the carriage and rotatable about an axis perpendicular to said second guide and to the axes of said second pulleys to maintain the variable resistance to movement of said user means.
A specific embodiment according to the present invention, as employed in a chest and pectoral exercise machine, will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a general perspective view from the front, partially broken away, of a chest and pectoral muscle exercise machine embodying the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an exploded perpective view of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1 and shows the relative positions of the different components;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a weight stack and pulley system of the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2; and
Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of a pulley system and user arm as employed in the machine of previous figures and serves to illustrate the relative motion of the several parts illustrated.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 and 2 an exercise machine in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated at 10.
As shown the machine comprises a frame 11 with a base 12 on one side of which a pedestal 13 with a seat 14 is secured.
From the base 12 vertical members 15, 16 and 17 rise to support a weight stack 18, a carriage track 19 and a user arm frame 20. Weight stack 18 comprises a series of vertically aligned weights such as 21 and 22 which ride on vertical rods 23 and 24 and which are removably and selectively connected by a pin 25 to be moved by the user.
Weight stack 18 is connected by a linking arm to a carriage 27 which rides on the inclined track 19. Carriage 27 is provided on its upper surface with a puley 28. Adjacent the upper end of track 19 a second pulley 29 is mounted at right angles to pulley 28.
Guide rods 23 and 24 are secured at their lower end to base 12 and at their upper end to user arm frame 20, and adjacent their respective tops to further pulleys 30 and 31.
The user arm frame 20 comprises a pair of vertically spaced rectangular frames 32 and 33 mounted on vertical member 15 and 16. On the user end of user arm frame 20 a pair of spaced apart user arms 40 and 41 are pivotally mounted for movement about a vertical axis on pintles 70 and 71. Each arm is secured in a depending manner from a crank 50 which is in turn pivotally mounted between the members 32 and 33 so that they may rotate freely in their respective pivots. On each of cranks 50 an arcuate channel 51 is provided and at the outer end a collar and nut are provided to effect securement of the respective adjacent ends of a pulley cable 52. On the lower ends of 40 and 41 pads 42 and 43 are provided and a back pad 53 is mounted on a post 54 which extends from pedestal 13.
Cable 52 as shown in Fig. 1 and 2 extends around their respective arcuate members 51, round pulleys 30 and 31, over pulley 29 and pulley 28. When arms 40 and 41 are pivoted by the user then the rotation of the arms causes the pulley cable 52 to raise carriage 27 and weight stack 18.
As the weight stack 18 rises by virtue of the relationship between the inclined track 19, arm 26 and carriage 27 the resistance will be increased to the user as the weight travels up the carriage and the pivoted link 26 whose angle relative to the weight stack varies as the carriage moves up the track 19. However, it is essential that the cable 52 be maintained at a constant distance from the respective fulcrums 70 and 71.
In Fig. 4 the two arms 40 and 41 are shown in solid outline in the initial starting position and the dotted outline shows the arms 40 and 41 in actuated positions. The lower position is a half rotated position and the upper position is fully rotated. As the arms are rotated by the user cable 52, it is engaged with a channel on the arcuate member 51 and is pulled round. Arcuate member 51 maintains cable 52 at a constant distance from the respective pivots 70 and 71 apart from maintaining cable 52 in true alignment with the pulleys 30 and 31. It has been found that if the cable distance from the pivots is not maintained the variable resistance of the weight stack is not maintained. The crank form of the arms 40 and 41 may be varied however it will be apparent that the lever length from the main axis of the arms to the fulcrum or pivots 70 and 71 will vary the force required to lift the weight stack and this should not be so great as to preclude use by persons of lesser strength.

Claims

1. An exercise machine for chest and pectoral muscles comprising a frame (11) provided with vertical guide means (23, 24), a weight stack (18) movable up and down said vertical guide means, a second guide (19) extending upwardly in a direction inclined to said vertical guide means, a carriage (27) movable up and down said second guide, a rigid link (26) pivotably connected to the weight stack and carriage, movable user means (40, 41) connected to the carriage and operable to raise and lower the weight stack with the carriage, second guide and rigid link providing a variable resistance to movement of the user means, characterised in that the user means (40, 41) comprise mounted cranks (50) pivotable about vertical fulcrums (70, 71) the cranks having arcuate guides (51) to which opposite ends of a pulley cable (52) are secured, the pulley cable passing around first pulleys (30, 31) rotatable about the axes in engagement with said crank guides to maintain the cable at a constant distance from the fulcrums, around second pulleys (29) rotatable about horizontal axes, and around a third pulley (28) secured to the carriage (27) and rotatable about an axis perpendicular to said second guide (19) and to the axes of said second pulleys to maintain the variable resistance to movement of said user means.

2. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the force required of a user varies increasingly in response to upward movement of said weight stack (18).