US3511499A

US3511499A - Ski exerciser having rollable carriage

Info

Publication number: US3511499A
Application number: US778353*A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert Schawalder
Original assignee: AMF Inc
Current assignee: AMF Inc
Priority date: 1965-07-06
Filing date: 1968-08-19
Publication date: 1970-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 1987-05-12
Also published as: GB1043769A; CH440074A; CS150528B2; DE1971430U; AT273764B

Description

1 197-9 A-SCHAWALDER 3,511,499

SKI EXERCISER HAVING ROLLABLE CARRIAGE- Original Filed Aug. 26, 1965 r 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Ive/euro Awe" JC/MA/IIL 05 3 May 12, 1970 H A. sc AwALo F; 3,511,

SKI EXEBCISER HAVING ROLLABLE CARRIAGE Original Filed Aug. 26, 1965 l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l mien/10R II 71 0101/ VJ SKI E XERCI-SER HAVING ROLLABLE CARRIAGE Original Filed Aug. 26', 1965 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I Nvenrrox 4166" 3014 um D67? United States Patent Office 3,511,499 Patented May 12, 1970 US. Cl. 272--57 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The ski exerciser comprises essentially a curved guide track, a carriage roller guided along the track, and elongated resilient means extending along the track and connecting each side of the carriage to corresponding ends of the track. The carriage is adapted to carry the full weight of the user and has a foot rest thereon adapted to directly receive solely both feet of the user. The resilient means is adapted to return the carriage to an at rest position adjacent the center of the track which slopes therefrom down to its opposite ends. The device is used by the user standing on the carriage and alternately shifting his weight to right and left. The track extends to the right and left of the user so that the users feet shift in unison with the carriage to right and left as the body weight is alternately shifted right and left.

This application is a'streamlined continuation of application Ser. No. 482,666 filed Aug. 26, 1965, now abandoncd.

The present invention relates to a body training device. A great number of body training devices are known that serve to provide physical exercises or training at home for determinate sports. Examples of such body training devices are dumb-bells, simulators for cycling and rowing and the like.

The prime object of the present invention is to realize a body training device for home use, with which the body may be trained for skiing and with which more particularly the so-called wiping or wagging, which is a particular type of curving created by Austrian skiers under the name of Wedeln, may be learned and trained.

To this end the present invention provides a body training device comprising handle means, a rail, a carriage slidable on said rail, resilient tension means attached to said carriage and resiliently holding same in a middle position on said rail, said carriage being formed as 2. foot plank adapted, when stepped on, to be displaced along said rail against the action of the tension means out of its middle position by the user through movements thereof, consisting of a shifting and discharging of the load of this user acting on the carriage. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description now to follow, of three embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, and in which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of a first embodiment of a body training device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view of a second embodiment of such a device.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the device of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a top view of the third embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings the body training device represented in FIGS. 1 and 2 consists of a rectangular frame, the legs of which are designated by

reference numetals

1, 2, 3 and 4. The

legs

1, 2 and 3 are formed by a rod or tube bent to U-shape. The free ends of the two

legs

2 and 3 are rigidly connected with each other by a rail forming the fourth leg 4 of the frame. At the leg 1 there is arranged a leg support 5, by means of which the frame 14 may be supported in approximately upright position with the rail 4 lying on the floor. Preferably the support 5 is arranged to be pivotable into the plane of the frame 1-4 and to be locked in its operational position by an abutment. A carriage 6 is movable on rolls 7 along the rail 4. To this carriage 6 there are attached at its forward and rearward end with respect to its direction of movement on the rail resilient tension or drawing

members

8 and 9, respectively, which run each around a roll 10 in the lower corners of the frame 1-4 and the free ends of which are anchored by means of a hook in an opening 11 in leg 3 for the member 9 and in an opening 12 in leg 2 for the tension member 8. In the represented embodiment the tension or drawing

members

8, 9 consist of rubber ropes but of course draw springs would also be usable for the same purpose. The two

tension members

8, 9 maintain the carriage 6 in a middle position on rail 4. To displace the carriage 6 in the one or in the other direction of the longitudinal extension of rail 4 as shown by arrow 13 in FIG. 1, the tractional force of the one or the other of the

members

8 or 9, respectively, must be overcome.

In order to carry out body training with this device the user of the represented device places the balls of the feet onto the carriage 6, which to this end is constructed as a foot plank, and seizes with the hands the handle means constituted by the upper leg 1 of the frame. The exercise consists in displacing the carriage 6 against the action of the

members

8 or 9, respectively, to the one or to the other side along the rail by simply discharging the load of the body acting onto the carriage and simultaneously displacing the center of gravity of the body. The movements required to this end, and more particularly the movements of the hips and in the ankles closely correspond to the movements necessary when effecting in skiing the wagging or wiping. Thereby the return movement of the carriage produced by the corresponding tension member after each displacement of the carriage out of its middle position also corresponds to the conditions occurring in practice when wagging or wiping with skis on the snow.

In the two

lateral legs

2 and 3 additional openings 14 are provided in addition to the openings 11 and 12 serving to anchor the

tension members

8 and 9. By anchoring the tension members in different of these openings the tractional force exerted by the

members

8 and 9 onto the carriage 6 may be modified and adapted to the weight of the user of the device.

When not used as training device the represented device may serve to suspend one or several bags 15 at its upper leg 1 and thus be used as bag holder as indicated in interrupted lines in FIG. 2.

The embodiment represented in FIGS. 3 and 4 differs from that of FIGS. 1 and 2 by a more compact construc-. tion owing to which it may be stowed away for example under a bed or in a wardrobe. The rail 4 of this second embodiment does not extend horizontally as the rail of the example of FIGS. 1 and 2 but is convexly curved, i.e. it lowers from a crest point in its middle towards each of its ends. Due to this construction the weight of the user produces when the carriage is displaced out of its middle position, a force component directed towards the corresponding end of the rail, and this force component counteracts the tractional force exerted by the opposite tension member which is increased by the higher extension so that this arrangement prevents a too fast return of the carirage from the end of the rail to the middle thereof.

With a total length of the rail of about 150 cm. it has been found appropriate for the use of the device by an adult person to place the crest point about cm. above of the level of the ends of the rail.

Instead of a frame that has to be placed in upright position as the one of the first embodiment the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 shows a rectangular tubular frame 20 the short legs 21 of which are connected by the convexly curved rail 4 for the carriage 6. The

tension members

24, 25, which maintain the carriage in the represented middle position are guided over

rolls

26, 27 and 28, 29 respectively, and anchored with the ends in openings 30 of one leg 22 of the frame. At one of the longer sides 22, 23 of the frame 20 there are welded two upright open-ended sleeves 31 adapted to removably receive rods 32 serving as handle means for the user. When the device is not used these rods or handle means may be removed so that again this device is very compact.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 finally has the substantial advantage over the two preceding embodiments that this device reproduces for the user even more truly the situation on the snow When wagging or wiping. In this operation with the skis on, the skis are pivoted approximately about their tips as center by discharging of the rearward portion of the skis and displacing the center of gravity of the body. This is reproduced in the embodiment of FIG. 5 in that the carriage does not effect straight to and fro movements on a straight rail but effects pendulum movements on a rail curved in a horizontal plane about a center point in front of the user. To this end a tubular frame 40 is provided in the shape of an isosceles triangle, the legs 41 of which are bridged by an arc-shaped rail 42 with the center of curvature in the-apex 43 of the triangle. This apex 43 is formed as a bearing for a pivot 44 carrying a pendulum arm 45 to the opposite end of which is secured the carriage 46 running on the rail 42. The tension members attached to the carriage and holding same in the represented middle position between the ends of rail 42 are designated by 47 and are secured at 48 to the legs 41 of frame 40. The length of the pendulum arm 45 and correspondingly the radius of curvature of the carriage movements is selected approximately similar to the middle distance separating the foot of the skier from the tip of the ski.

Reference numeral 49 designates two upright openended sleeves welded to the legs 41 and adapted to removably receive as shown for the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4 rods serving as handle means.

Of course the rail 42 of the embodiment of FIG. 5

could additionally be convexly curved in a vertical plane as shown for the straight rail of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.

I claim:

1. A skiless ski exercise device, comprising essentially a frame which is adapted to be positioned on a horizontal fiat support surface, said frame including an elongated guide track comprising a pair of parallel spaced guide rails for guiding a carriage therealong in opposite directions, said track being curved from its opposite ends towards its center whereby its center is elevated and slopes therefrom down towards its opposite ends, a carriage on said track, roller means between said carriage and track and in contact with said guide rails for rolling said carriage along said track, said carriage alone being adapted to carry the full weight of a user of said exercise device, said carriage having a single foot rest thereon for directly receiving solely both feet of the user of said device when in standing position on said carriage, said carriage having an at rest position adjacent said center and elongated resilient means connected to a central portion of said carriage and extending therefrom along said track in a location between said guide rails to opposite ends of said track to bias said carriage to said at rest position, said track extending from its center to the right and left of a user standing on said carriage whereby said carriage will alternately shift to the right and left of said center along said track against the tension of said resilient means as said user alternately shifts his body to the right and left, and said feet being on said foot rest and moving in unison with said carriage as it is alternately shifted to the right and left.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,682,402 6/ 1954 McCarthy 27257 FOREIGN PATENTS 632,029 12/ 1961 Canada. 710,685 6/1965 Canada. 675,742 7/1952 Great Britain. 902,675 8/ 1962 Great Britain. 204,939 8/ 1959 Austria. 832,295 9/1938 France.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner R. W. DIAZ, 111., Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 272-82