US3235255A

US3235255A - Bar bell exercising device with slidable carriage

Info

Publication number: US3235255A
Application number: US258387A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lewis D Leflar
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-02-14
Filing date: 1963-02-14
Publication date: 1966-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 1983-02-15

Description

L. D. LEFLAR Feb. 15, 1966- BAR BELL EXERCISING DEVICE WITH SLIDABLE CARRIAGE Filed Feb. 14, 1963 LEW/5 D. LEFLAI? lNVE/VTOR.

BUG/(HORN, BLO/FE, KLA/POU/ST 8 SPAR/(MAN United States

Patent

3, 35,25 BAR BELL xnnersmo DEVICE WITH SLIDABLE CARRIAGE Lewis Dilhefiaig 142s sw. zs'nve, rental-ta, 059;;- Filed Feb. 14; 1963, s t. No. 258,387 Claims; or; 272- 81) This invention relates to improvements in gymnastic equipmentand apparatus.

It is com'nion practice for persons performing bench press exercises to lift a heavy barbell, frequently as heavy abanbell'aspossible. Because-of the necessity of assuming a prone position on the bench, it is not possible or at least practical for'the person to support the heavy barbell while he assumes his bench position. Usually, there is afi'xed'levelrestatthe head of the bench, and two other persons assist the exerciser by lifting the heavy barbell off the rest and'into the extended-arm grasp of theperson on the bench. After the person carries out the bench press exercises, the two assistants grasp the barbell and lift it back onto the rest. Even with these precautions, there is danger of injury to the exerciser, because if his arms collapse during the bench'press exercises, the heavy barbell will fall on his ch est. There are other exercises, such as the leg press, deep knee bend, etc., which cause in'jurytb the exerciser shoultlhis legs or arms collapse at the low position;

It is amain object of the present invention to provide a gymnastic apparatus which enables the bench press and other exercises to be carried out without any assistants and without the above dangers, and specifically which positively limits downward movement of the barbell so that injury to'the exerciser can not occur, and yet which facilitates ready upand downlifting movement of the barbellwithoutinterference by the apparatus.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the type described above which permits'and facilitates a wide variety of arm, body and leg exercises to be safely carried out.

A further object of' the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above type that provides both vertical and inclined guides for barbell movement to enable a wide range of exercises to be carried out.

Another object of theinvention is to provide an appa'ratus of the type under discussion that facilitates both isotonic and isometric exercising.

Various other objects of the invention willbe apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gymnastic apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlargedfragmentary view of part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, witlrparts broken away for convenience in illustration;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a guide member, with parts broken away and-parts in section to better show details of construction; I

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 4-4=of"FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken along line 55 of FIG. 3; and

FIG; 6 shows a person doing a stomach exercise on the apparatus.

Referringto FIG. 1, the apparatus comprises a frame in the form of an open framework structure generally indicated by the letter "P which includes a rectangular base generally entitled B, two identical side structures 11 and 13, and a top connecting'member 15. Each side structure includes a vertical leg 17 and an inclinedleg 19 joined at their upper ends by a connecting piece 21. The lower end of each leg is equipped with a saddle 23 which alignment with the holes to receive the bolts which secure the saddles 23 in place.

The top connecting member 15inc1udes across mem-- her, which for convenience is also given-the reference numeral 15; The cross member has a saddle 25 at each end which is bolted to the associated connecting piece 21 of the associated side'structure.

Each of the legs 17 -and 19 is in the form of a tubular member (FIG. 2) of special cross sectional shape as is apparent from FIG; 4. Since the

tubular legs

17 and 19 are of identical cross sectional shape, it will only be necessary to describethe cross'sectional shape of the member 17. The member 17 in cross section has a semi-cylindrical inner wall portion 17a (FIG. 4), flat side walls 17b, and a flat outer wall 17c. The flat outer wall 17c is formed medially with a longitudinal slot 31 which terminates just short of the opposite ends of the member.

There is a carriage C for each of the

guides

17 and 19 and since each of the carriages is of identical construction, it will only be necessary to describe the carriage disclosed in connection with FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5, which is associated with a leg 17.

Each carriage comprises a body assembly generally entitled 33 contained within the guide, and a bracket 35 projecting through the slot 31 of the tubular guide. Each bracket includes a hat strip 3'7 having a lower end portion reversely bent to provide an eye 39- to receive the bar 41' of a barbell.

The body assembly includes a channel-shaped body 51 (FIG. 4) which accommodates a pair of ball bearing rollers or wheels 53 which are mounted one above the other for rotary movement about horizontal shafts 55.

Each roller has a generally flat periphery with rounded corner portions so that it has line contact at two places with the curved wall portion 17a of the tubular guide as is apparent from FIG. 4. This construction tends to center the rollers or wheels relative to the tubular guide.

The base portion of the channel-shaped body 51 is wider than the slot 31 (FIG'J l) so that such base portion engages the inner surfaces of the outer wall 17c of the tubular guide in flanking relation to the slot 31. It is further apparent from FIG. 4 that the body 51 is narrower than the interior of the tubular guide 17 so that the side portions of the body are spaced from the opposed walls 17b of the tubular guide 17. The bracket 35 has a thickness less than the width of the slot 31 so that it rides or moves quite freely within the slot.

The body 51 includes a bumper holder 61 (FIG. 3) to which is secured an elasto-mer pad as which acts as a bumper.

An adjustable stop S is provided for the carriage of each guide to support the carriage in various positions along the guide. Referring particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, the stop has a body which-includes a horizontal bumperengaging portion 73 (FIG. 2) anda vertical guide-engaging portion "75' permanently joined to the horizontal portion. The face ofthe vertical portion 75 remote from the horizontal portion 73 is of semicircular cross sectionalshape, asis apparent from FIGS. 3and 5, for mating sliding engagement with the curved wall of the asso ciated guide.

A stop pin 79 is secured to the guide-engaging portion 75 of the stop member and is adapted for selective engagernent in any of a plurality of equally spaced holes 81 formed in the curved wall of the associated guide.

It isapparent from FIG. 3 that the portion 73 of the stop member is at a level above that of the hole-engaging 3 pin 79 and that the member 73, together with the member 75, has a width slightly less than that of the interior of the guide. Thus the stop member is precluded from counterclockwise movement. It is further apparent that the body of the stop member is curved at 82 and 83 to enable the stop member to be rotated in a clockwise direction as the parts are shown in FIG. 3 to enable the pin 79 to be retracted from the hole 81 in which it previous ly fit. The length of the stop pin and its fit within the hole 81 are such as to enable the pinto be so retracted.

The stop member has a handle 85' which is secured to the portion 73 and which is narrower than the portion and projects through the slot 31 and outwardly to a position for ready engagement by the hand of the person using the machine. It is also apparentfrom FIG. 2 that the portion 73 is substantially wider than the width of the slot 31 so as to engage the inner wall portions of the tubular guide 17 in flanking relation to the slot 31.

When the stop member is in its operative active position, as shown in FIG. 2, the bumper .63 rests against the body portion 73 to support the carriage and therefore the barbell on the stop member. It is further apparent that if the barbell is accidentally dropped from a level above that ShOWn in FIG. 2, that the bumper 73 will come into cushioning engagement with the stop member to absorb part of the impact and avoid placing too great a stress on the outer wall of the tubular guide:

Each carriage also includes a slidable stop pin which has a first part 86 (FIG. 3) slidably received through the base portion of the body 51 of the carriage, and a larger diameter stop pin portion 87 slidably received by a block 89 secured to the carrier body 51. The stop pin is shown in full line as engaging in one of the holes 81, and in dotted lines in a retracted position. Because the part or portion 87 is of larger diameter than the portion 86, it is apparent that the portion 87 cannot be retracted from the body 51 since it will not pass through the hole which accommodates the part 36. The part 86 projects through the slot 31 and has an outer portion reversely bent to provide an eye 91.

In the operative engaged position of the slidable stop pin, the eye 91 is disposed above the upper end of the strip 37 as shown in full lines in FIG. 3. When the slidable stop pin is pulled outwardly, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, the stop pin may be rotated 180 so that the eye assumes a position behind or to the left of the strip 37 to be releasably held in its inoperative position.

Returning now to the overall apparatus, as the apparatus is disclosed in FIG. 1, it is apparent from the positions of the carriage C that each of the

legs

17 and 19 is disposed. with its slot facing outwardly. It is further apparent that the two carriages for the tubular legs or guides 17 support the bar 41 of a barbell, the barbell comprising the bar and weights W and conventional weight retaining devices D. Additional weights may be added and a supply of these weights can be stored on upwardly projecting stub shafts 97.

In order to enable a person to do a leg press using the barbell on the leg 17, the base B is provided with a platform P which may comprise a section of heavy plywood. If desired, the central portion of the base B at the end of the base adjacent to leg 17 can be recessed to accommodate the exerciser.

At the opposite end of the base B, the cross member 99 of the base has a raised portion 143]. to provide traction for the exerciser E when he desires to perform inclined raises.

In FIG. 1, the exerciser E is shown as performing an inclined raise or an inclined deep knee bend. The stop members S are shown below the barbell and in positions to bring the barbell to a halt prior to the exerciser reaching a position of collapse.

In FIG. 6, the exerciser is shown as performing a stomach exercise to strengthen the stomach muscles. To perform this exercise, the left dumbbell is located at a level to enable the heels of the exerciser to be brought 4 against the bar 41 to restrain the legs of the exerciser from rearward movement and to assist in supporting the; exerciser. The stomach of the exerciser rests on the? cross member 15. The stop members for the right-hand barbell in FIG. 6 are concealed by the weights W because the arms of the exerciser E are fully extended and thus the barbell is almost against the stop members.

the tubular guides 19, by contracting his arm muscles.

There are various other exercises which can be performed. by an exerciser making use of the barbells on both of the sets of legs. For instance, an exerciser may lie on the platform P and perform extended leg raises with the left barbell and overhead arm raises with the right barbell.

It will be appreciated that a large variety of exercises can be carried out with the gymnastic apparatus shown and described in the application and that only a few exercises have been mentioned. For instance, the apparatus of the present invention is ideally suited for deep knee bend exercises, either vertical or inclined, since the exerciser is assured that he can perform this exercise without danger of collapse at the bottom of the bend. He can also perform leg presses, either inclined or verti cal, without concern that he will be unable to support the barbells in the lower position thereof. The apparatus also lends itself readily to the performance of military presses or inclined bend presses, bicep curls, upright rows, wide grip rows, dead lifts, heel raises and the like. The apparatus is ideally suited for high school use since many persons first become acquainted with weight lifting in high school and, are unfamiliar with its limitations and are prone to irijury if the safety devices incorporated in the present apparatus are not present.

It is pointed out in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 that the carriages are remarkably free from binding, because the employment of upper and lower rollers which have line contact with the guides, enables the carriages to accommodate offset loads which would cause binding with other constructions.

Having described the invention in what is considered to be the preferred embodiment thereof, it is desired that it be understood that the invention is not to be limited other than by the provisions of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An exercising device comprising:

an open framework including a base and two {P 05 guide members projecting upwardly therefrom,

one pair of guide members being vertical and the other pair of guide members being inclined toward said one pair of guide members,

the guide members of each pair being laterally spaced and said guide members providing therebetween a space to accommodate a person,

said framework including rigid means between the upper ends of said pairs of guide members,

a first barbell arranged transversely of said one pair of guide members and a second barbell arranged transversely of said other pair of guide members,

mounting means mounting said barbells for movement along said guide members,

means for releasably holding said first barbell in various fixed positions along said one pair of guidemembers,

said rigid means being so located relative to said guide members that a person may double himself over said rigid means with his legs engaging and being restrained by said first barbell and his hands engaging said second barbell to enable him to move the latter back and forth along said inclined guide members.

2. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and a pair of parallel; up-

wardly extending tubular guide membe a carriage for each guide member,

The exerciser will pull the barbell upwardly, sliding it along;

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof with the slots facing away from a plane defined by the guide members.

each carriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide member and movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in such guide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relation thereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining said carriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members.

3. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and a pair of parallel upwardly extending tubular guide members,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

eachcarriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide member and movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in such guide member,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining said carriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members,

each guide member, in cross section, having a curved Wall portion remote from the slot in said member, and flat wall portions flanking said slot,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curved Wall portion and fiat slide means slidably engaging the associated flat wall portions.

, 4. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and .a pair of parallel up- Wardly extending tubular guide members, a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each brackethaving means for engaging a barbell in supporting relation thereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

each guide member, in cross section, having a curved wall portion remote from the slot in said member, and fiat wall portions flanking said slot,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curved wall portion and flat slide means slidably engaging the associated flat wall portions,

each roller means having line contact with the associated curved wall portion at two places.

5. A training apparatus comprising:

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

each guide member, in cross section, having a curved 6 Wall portion remote from the slot in said member, and flat wall portions flanking said slot,

each roller means having line contact with the associated curved wall portion at two places,

each roller means including a pair of vertically spaced rollers rotatable about horizontal axes and simultaneously engaging the associated. curved wall portions.

6. A training apparatus comprising:

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

each guide member having a plurality of vertically spaced holes formed therein in the wall portion there- .of remote from the slot of such guide member,

each adjustable stop means comprising,

a single unitary leement having a body portion for engaging said wall portion and also the wall portions of said guide member that flank said slot,

said body portion having a pin for selective engage ment in said holes;

said body portion also engaging said guide member in flanking relation to saidslot at a place above the level of said pin to preclude downward swinging movement of said stop element but to permit upward swinging movement thereof,

a handle projecting through said slot from said body portion to facilitate upward swinging movement of said stop element to enable retraction of said pin fromitsrhole and subsequent reengagement with anotherhole at another level. i

7 A training apparatus comprising:

a carriage for each guide member,

each. guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

other adjustable stop means for each carriage and carried by the body assembly of the associated carriage and engageable in said holes for releasably precluding upward movement of said carriage to facilitate use of said apparatus for isometric and other exercises,

each said other adjustable stop means comprising,

a horizontal pin slidably supported by said body assembly for movement from an operative hole-engaging position to an inoperative retracted postion, said pin projecting through the associated slot and having a portion coacting with the associated bracket to releasably retain said pin in one of its positions. 8. A training apparatus comprising:

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slot-ted longitudinally thereof,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

each said other adjustable stop means comprising,

a horizontal pin slidably supported by said body assembly for movement from an operative holeengaging position to an inoperative retracted position,

said pin projecting through the associated slot and having a portion coacting with the associated bracket to releasably retain said pin in one of its positions,

said pin having a stop precluding its complete retraction from said body assembly.

9. An exercising device comprising:

an open framework including a base and two pairs of guide members projecting upwardly therefrom,

said framework including a cross element between the upper ends of said pairs of guide members,

mounting means mounting said barbells for movement along said guide members,

means for releasably holding said first barbell in various fixed positions along said one pair of guide members,

said cross element being so located relative to said guide members that a person may double himself over said cross element with his legs engaging and being restrained by said first barbell and his hands engaging said second barbell to enable him to move the later back and forth along said inclined guide members,

said mounting means including,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curved wall portion and fiat slide means slidably engaging the associated fiat wall portions.

10. An exercising device comprising:

said framework including a cross element between the upper. ends of said pairs of guide members,

mounting means mounting said barbells for movement along said guide members,

said cross element being so located relative to said guide members that a person may double himself over said cross element with his legs engaging and being restrained by said first barbell and his hands engaging said second barbell to engage him to move the latter back and forth along said inclined guide members,

said mounting means including,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each carriage having a body assembly disposed with-in its guide member and movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in such guide member,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curved wall portion and fiat slide means slidably engaging the associated flat wall portions,

the slot in each guide member facing outwardly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,783,045 2/1957 Bosch 27281 FOREIGN PATENTS 456,790 3/ 1928 Germany.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN EXERCISING DEVICE COMPRISING: AN OPEN FRAMEWORK INCLUDING A BASE AND TWO PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS PROJECTING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, ONE PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS BEING VERTICAL AND THE OTHER PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS BEING INCLINED TOWARD SAID ONE PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS, THE GUIDE MEMBERS OF EACH PAIR BEING LATERALLY SPACED AND SAID GUIDE MEMBERS PROVIDING THEREBETWEEN A SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE A PERSON, SAID FRAMEWORK INCLUDING RIGID MEANS BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID PAIRS OF GUIDE MEMBER, A FIRST BARBELL ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID ONE PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS AND A SECOND BARBELL ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID OTHER PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS, MOUNTING MEANS MOUNTING SAID BARBELLS FOR MOVEMENT ALONG SAID GUIDE MEMEBERS, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID FIRST BARBELL IN VARIOUS FIXED POSITIONS ALONG SAID ONE PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS, SAID RIGID MEANS BEING SO LOCATED RELATIVE TO SAID GUIDE MEMBERS THAT A PERSON MAY DOUBLE HIMSELF OVER SAID RIGID MEANS WITH HIS LEGS ENGAGING AND BEING RESTRAINED BY SAID FIRST BARBELL AND HIS HANDS ENGAGING SAID SECOND BARBELL TO ENABLE HIM TO MOVE THE LATTER BACK AND FORTH ALONG SAID INCLINED GUIDE MEMBERS.