US20120322623A1

US20120322623A1 - Exercise machine

Info

Publication number: US20120322623A1
Application number: US13/160,507
Authority: US
Inventors: Ying-Chou Lai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-06-15
Filing date: 2011-06-15
Publication date: 2012-12-20

Abstract

An exercise machine comprises an oval-shaped structure, two driving arms, two swing handles and two slidable bars. With the above-mentioned embodiments, following benefits can be obtained, the fly wheel of the oval-shaped structure utilizes the assembling section to be connected an adjusting member, such that the movement strokes can be adjusted.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercise machine having an oval-shaped mechanism, and more particularly to an oval-shaped mechanism having driving arms, which can provide a longer and variable stroke with respect to the fly wheel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, a prior art exercise machine, as shown in FIG. 27, comprises: an oval-shaped structure 50, two swing handles 60 and two slidable bars 70. The oval-shaped structure 50 comprises a base 51 having a fly wheel 52 and a standing rod 53 attached to a front end of the oval-shaped structure 50. The fly wheel 52 has a shaft 521 extending from opposing sides of the flywheel and a pivoting shaft 531 extends from opposite sides of the standing rod 53. The two swing handles 60 respectively have a gripping portion 61, a linking arm 62 and a connecting tube 63 jacketed onto the pivoting shaft 531 of the standing rod 53. The linking arm 62 has an assembly portion 64 at an opposite end of the gripping portion 61. The slidable bars 70 each have a first pivoting portion 71 for attachment onto the assembly portion 64 of the respective swing handle 60, a second pivoting portion 72 with a ring for jacketing onto the shaft 521 of the fly wheel 52, and a pedal 73 disposed on a predetermined position of each slidable bar 70. When the user wants to operate the exercise machine, he or she stands on both of the pedals 73 of the slidable bars 70 and holds both of the swing handles 60; by swinging both arms and stepping with both legs, the fly wheel 52 provides a continuous movement and identically travelling strokes for the swing handles 60 and the slidable bars 70.
However, the prior art exercise machine has the following drawback: since the second pivoting portion 72 with a ring is directly jacketed onto the shaft 521 of the fly wheel 52 and the first pivoting portion 71 is attached onto the assembling portion 64 of the swing handle 60, the oval-shaped structure 50 has a travel stroke limited by the fly wheel 52 such that the slidable bars 70 and the swing handles 60 have the same travel stroke as the fly wheel 52.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an exercise machine to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide an exercise machine, which can provide a longer and variable stroke with respect to the fly wheel.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives An exercise machine comprises an oval-shaped structure, two driving arms, two swing handles and two slidable bars. The oval-shaped structure comprises a base having a fly wheel. The fly wheel has an assembling section eccentrically extending from two opposing sides and a corresponding adjusting member. The adjusting member has an assembling portion for connecting to the assembling section of the fly wheel. The assembling section of the fly wheel is a non-circular raised member, and the assembling portion of the adjusting member is an aperture with a corresponding shape. The adjusting member is a circular disk or rectangular bracket. An outer side of the adjusting member has a protruding rod and a corresponding sliding sleeve, and the sliding sleeve has a limiting track. A standing rod is attached to a front end of the oval-shaped structure. The two driving arms are respectively attached to two sides of the oval-shaped structure. An end of each driving arm has a securing portion and another end has a first pivoting portion with a ring for assembly with the corresponding adjusting member. The two swing handles are installed onto the standing rod. Each swing handle has at least one positioning portion that is disposed on the swing handle for coupling with the securing portion of the driving arms, and an assembling portion at a lower end of the swing handle. Each slidable bar is a long bracket narrower than the limiting track of the sliding sleeve and respectively has a second pivoting portion for attaching onto the assembling portion of the respective swing handle. A pedal is disposed at a predetermined position on each slidable bar.
With the above-mentioned embodiments, following benefits can be obtained, the fly wheel of the oval-shaped structure utilizes the assembling section to be connected an adjusting member, such that the movement strokes can be adjusted.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of an adjusting member according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating operation of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating continuous movement of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is another side view illustrating continuous movement of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is another side view illustrating continuous movement an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an adjustment schematic drawing of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is another adjustment schematic drawing of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is another adjustment schematic drawing of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a local detailed view of a fly wheel and an adjusting member of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of an adjusting member with a passive rod of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates usage of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is another local detailed view of a fly wheel and an adjusting member of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a swing handle of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a local detailed view of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is another perspective view of a swing handle of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a local detailed view of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is another perspective view of a swing handle of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a local detailed view of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is another perspective view of a swing handle of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a local detailed view of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a schematic drawing of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a prior art device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. An exercise machine comprises an oval-shaped structure 10, two driving arms 20, two swing handles 30 and two slidable bars 40. The oval-shaped structure 10 comprises a base 11 having a fly wheel 12. The fly wheel 12 has an assembling section 121 eccentrically extending from two opposing sides and a corresponding adjusting member 13. The adjusting member 13 has an assembling portion 131 for connecting to the assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12. The assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12 is a non-circular raised member, and the assembling portion 131 of the adjusting member 13 is an aperture with a corresponding shape. The adjusting member 13 is a circular disk or rectangular bracket as shown in FIG. 3. An outer side of the adjusting member 13 has a protruding rod 132 and a corresponding sliding sleeve 14, and the sliding sleeve has a limiting track 141. A standing rod 15 is attached to a front end of the oval-shaped structure 10. The two driving arms 20 are respectively attached to two sides of the oval-shaped structure 10. An end of each driving arm 20 has a securing portion 21 and another end has a first pivoting portion 22 with a ring for assembly with the corresponding adjusting member 13. The two swing handles 30 are installed onto the standing rod 15. Each swing handle has at least one positioning portion 31 that is disposed on the swing handle 30 for coupling with the securing portion 21 of the driving arms 20, and an assembling portion 32 at a lower end of the swing handle. Each slidable bar 40 is a long bracket narrower than the limiting track 141 of the sliding sleeve 14 and respectively has a second pivoting portion 41 for attaching onto the assembling portion 32 of the respective swing handle 30. A pedal 42 is disposed at a predetermined position on each slidable bar 40.
For assembly, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The assembling portion 131 of the adjusting member 13 jackets onto the assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12. Furthermore, the adjusting member 13 provides an adjustable stroke for the slidable bar 40 by adjusting a relative position between the protruding rod 132 and the fly wheel 12. The driving arms 20 are respectively attached to opposing sides of the oval-shaped structure 10, the first pivoting portions 22 at the rear ends are pivoted onto the protruding rods 132 of the adjusting members 13, and the protruding rods 132 are jacketed with the sliding sleeves 14 for supporting the corresponding slidable bars 40. The two swing handles 30 are also respectively coupled to two opposing sides of the oval-shaped structure 10 and secured onto the standing rod 15. Furthermore, the positioning portion 31 of the swing handle 30 is secured with the securing portion 21 of the driving arm 20. The two slidable bars 40 are also respectively attached to two opposing sides of the oval-shaped structure 10, the second pivoting portions 41 are pivoted with the assembling portions 32 of the swing handles 30 and rest on the sliding sleeve 14 jacketed onto the protruding rod 132 such that each slidable bar 40 is limited by the corresponding limiting track 141.
For actual use, please refer to FIG. 4 with FIG. 5 to FIG. 7. A user stands on both of the pedals 43 of the slidable bars 40 and holds both of the gripping portions 31 of the swing handles 30; the user then swings both arms and employs a stepping motion with both legs. The pivoting portion 22 of the driving arms 20 are jacketed onto the protruding rod 132 of the adjusting member 13, while the securing portion 21 is mounted onto the positioning portion 31 of the swing handle 30, such that each driving arm 20 is connected to both the fly wheel 12 and the respective swing handle 30. The slidable bars 40 utilize the second pivoting portion 41 for attaching onto the assembling portions 32 of the swing handles 30, such that the slidable bars 40 and driving arms 20 utilize different pivoting points for swinging movements and both overlap the sliding sleeves 14 of the protruding rods 132 of the adjusting members 13; therefore, when the user steps with both feet and swings with both hands, with the free joints formed by the second pivoting portions 41 of the slidable bars 40 and the assembling portions 32 of the swing handles 30, the movements of the slidable bars 40 are extended by the sliding sleeve 14 of the protruding rod 132, such that the swing handles 30 and the slidable bars 40 are capable of having travel strokes that are different than the travel stroke of the fly wheel 12. When the protruding rod 132 of the adjusting member 13 is disposed on an inner side of the assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12, the protruding rod 132 rotates around with the assembling section 121, having a smaller rotational movement than the rotational movement of the fly wheel 12. On the other hand, when the protruding rod 132 of the adjusting member 13 is disposed on an outer side of the assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12, as shown in FIG. 8, the protruding rod 132 rotates around with the assembling section 121 with a larger rotational movement than the rotational movement of the fly wheel 12. In addition, each adjusting member 13 provides an adjustable stroke for the corresponding slidable bar 40 by adjusting a relative position between the protruding rod 132 and the fly wheel 12, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.
An embodiment of a combination of the fly wheel 12 and the adjusting member 13 is shown in FIG. 11. The assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12 is a rod, and the adjusting member 13 is a Z-shaped member. The assembling portion 131 of the adjusting member 13 is a sleeve corresponding to the assembling section 121 for jacketing onto the assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12. The first pivoting portion 22 of the driving arm 20 is assembled with the assembling portion 131 of the adjusting member 13 and pivoted onto the assembling section of the fly wheel; and the protruding rod of the adjusting member is jacketed with the sliding sleeve for supporting the slidable bar. The assembling portion 131 is a sleeve corresponding to the assembling section 121 and used for jacketing onto the assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12. The first pivoting portion 22 of the driving arm 20 is assembled with the assembling portion 131 of the adjusting member 13 and pivoted onto the assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12. Moreover, the protruding rod 132 of the adjusting member 13 is jacketed with the sliding sleeve 14 for supporting the slidable bar 40.
Another embodiment of a combination of the fly wheel 12 and the adjusting member 13 is shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. The adjusting member 13 further has a passive rod 16, the passive rod 16 has a third pivoting portion 161 at a side for attaching onto the protruding rod 132 of the adjusting member 13 and connecting to the first pivoting portion 22 of the driving arm 20 and a connecting rod 162 at an opposite side jacketed with the sliding sleeve 14 for supporting the slidable bar 40. The adjusting member provides an adjustable stroke for the slidable bar, and the different locations of the passive rod 16 on the adjusting member 13 can also provide different adjustments.
Another embodiment of a combination the fly wheel 12 and the adjusting member 13 is shown in FIG. 14. The assembling section 121 of the fly wheel 12 is a threaded aperture, and the adjusting member 13 and the corresponding assembling portion 131 of the assembling section 121 form a screw, such that the adjusting member 13 is screwed onto the fly wheel 12.
For another embodiment of the exercise machine, please refer to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16. A plurality of the positioning portions 31 are disposed on a side of each swing handle 30 such that the securing portion 21 of the respective driving arm 20 is adjustable for connection to any of the positioning portions 31 of the linking arm 30.
For another embodiment of the driving arm 20 and the swing handle 30, please refer to FIG. 17 to FIG. 21. The positioning portion 31 further has a positioning ring 311 and a positioning member 312; the positioning portion 31 is jacketed onto the swing handle 30 such that the positioning portion 31 can freely move along the swing handle 30 with the positioning ring 311, and the positioning member 312 attached onto the swing handle 30 engages with the securing portion 21 of the driving arm 20. The positioning member 312 is a quick-release member, a locking member or a tightening member, as shown in the respective figures.
For another embodiment of the exercise machine, please refer to FIG. 23 and FIG. 24. A distance between the base 11 of the oval-shaped structure 10 can be shortened, and the length of the slidable bars 40 can also be shortened corresponding to the oval-shaped structure 10 to reduce the entire size of the machine. Furthermore, please refer to FIG. 25 and FIG. 26. Another embodiment of the standing rod 15 and the swing handles 30 is shown in FIG. 25, and an adjustment of the protruding rods 132 of the adjusting members 13 is shown in FIG. 26.
With the above-mentioned embodiments, following benefits can be obtained, the fly wheel 12 of the oval-shaped structure 10 utilizes the assembling section 121 to be connected an adjusting member 13, such that the movement strokes can be adjusted.
Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. An exercise machine comprising:

an oval-shaped structure comprising a base having a fly wheel, the fly wheel having an assembling section eccentrically extending from a plurality of sides and a corresponding adjusting member, the adjusting member having an assembling portion for connecting to the assembling section of the fly wheel, an outer side of the adjusting member having a protruding rod and a corresponding sliding sleeve, and a standing rod attached to a front end of the oval-shaped structure;

a plurality of driving arms respectively attached to a plurality of sides of the oval-shaped structure, an end having a securing portion and another end having a first pivoting portion with a ring for assembly with the adjusting member;

a plurality of swing handles installed onto the standing rod and at least one positioning portion disposed on the swing handles for securing the securing portion of the driving arms, and having an assembling portion at an lower end of the swing handle; and

a plurality of slidable bars overlapping the sliding sleeve covering the protruding rod and respectively having a second pivoting portion for attaching onto the assembling portion of the respective swing handle, and a pedal disposed at a predetermined position on each slidable bar.

2. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembling section of the fly wheel is a non-circular raised member, and the assembling portion of the adjusting member is an aperture with a corresponding shape.

3. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the adjusting member is a circular disk.

4. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the adjusting member is a rectangular bracket.

5. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving arms are respectively attached to sides of the oval-shaped structure, the first pivoting portion at the rear end is pivoted onto the protruding rod of the adjusting member, and the protruding rod is jacketed with the sliding sleeve for supporting the slidable bar.

6. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the adjusting member further has a passive rod, the passive rod having a third pivoting portion at a side for attaching onto the protruding rod of the adjusting member and connecting to the first pivoting portion of the driving arm and a connecting rod at an opposite side jacketed with the sliding sleeve for supporting the slidable bar.

7. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembling section of the fly wheel is a rod, the adjusting member is a Z-shaped member; the assembling portion of the adjusting member is a sleeve corresponding to the assembling section for jacketing onto the assembling section of the fly wheel; the first pivoting portion of the driving arm is assembled with the assembling portion of the adjusting member and pivoted onto the assembling section of the fly wheel; and the protruding rod of the adjusting member is jacketed with the sliding sleeve for supporting the slidable bar.

8. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjusting member provides an adjustable stroke for the slidable bar by adjusting a relative position between the protruding rod and the fly wheel.

9. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembling section of the fly wheel is a threaded aperture, and the adjusting member and the corresponding assembling portion of the assembling section form a screw, such that the adjusting member is screwed onto the fly wheel.

10. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding sleeve has a limiting track, and the slidable bar is a long bracket narrower than the limiting track of the sliding sleeve such that the slidable bar is limited by the limiting track.

11. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein one side of the swing handle has a plurality of positioning portions, and the driving arm of the securing portion can be attached onto any one of the positioning portions of the swing handle.

12. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning portion further has a positioning ring and a positioning member, the positioning portion is jacketed onto the swing handle such that the positioning portion can freely move along the swing handle with the positioning ring, and the positioning member attached onto the swing handle engages with the securing portion of the driving arm.

13. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein the positioning member is a quick-release member, a locking member or a tightening member.

14. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between a base of the oval-shaped structure and the can be shortened, and the length of the slidable bar can also be shortened corresponding to the oval-shaped structure.

15. The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving arms are attached to respective sides of the oval-shaped structure, the first pivoting portion of each driving arm is pivoted onto the assembling portion and then again pivoted onto the assembling section of the fly wheel with the assembling portion of the adjusting member, and the protruding rod of the adjusting member has a corresponding sliding sleeve for supporting the slidable bar.