Exercise apparatus with automatic variation of provided passive and active exercise without interruption of the exercise
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Exercising apparatus, which comprises:
- (a) track means,(b) first and second oscillating support elements mounted for movement on said track means and respectively adapted to support two limbs of the exerciser using the exercising apparatus,said track means and said support elements being so related that said first and second support elements can oscillate along substantially parallel paths relative to each other,said paths being spaced apart a distance generally corresponding to the distance between the supported limbs of the exerciser,(c) means to oscillate one of said support elements with harmonic motion, with no abrupt changes in speed,(d) means to connect said one support element to the other of said support elements to cause said other support element to oscillate with said one support element in master-slave relationship and 180 degrees out of phase relative to said one support element, and(e) means to change the amplitude of oscillation of said one support element to thereby simultaneously change the amplitude of oscillation of said other support element by the same amount.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The apparatus comprises reciprocating footpads to which are coupled a D.C. electric motor. A D.C. power supply and control means are assocated with the motor to vary the voltage delivered to it. A load sensor and isolator sense the voltage supplied by the power supply, and also sense the voltage present at the motor terminals during periods when no power is being supplied to the motor by the power supply. The sensor and isolator also isolate the motor from the power supply during certain periods, namely when the power supplied to the motor by the exerciser is greater than that supplied by the power supply. An electrical load circuit and load set vary the motor load.
-
Citations
39 Claims
-
1. Exercising apparatus, which comprises:
-
(a) track means, (b) first and second oscillating support elements mounted for movement on said track means and respectively adapted to support two limbs of the exerciser using the exercising apparatus, said track means and said support elements being so related that said first and second support elements can oscillate along substantially parallel paths relative to each other, said paths being spaced apart a distance generally corresponding to the distance between the supported limbs of the exerciser, (c) means to oscillate one of said support elements with harmonic motion, with no abrupt changes in speed, (d) means to connect said one support element to the other of said support elements to cause said other support element to oscillate with said one support element in master-slave relationship and 180 degrees out of phase relative to said one support element, and (e) means to change the amplitude of oscillation of said one support element to thereby simultaneously change the amplitude of oscillation of said other support element by the same amount. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. Exercising apparatus, which comprises:
-
(a) movable means adapted to be engaged by one or more limbs of an exerciser, (b) a D. C. electric motor coupled with said movable means to drive the same or to be driven thereby, (c) a D. C. power supply for said motor, (d) control means to vary the voltage delivered by said power supply to said motor, said control means being adjacent said movable means for operation by said exerciser, (e) means to provide an electrically resistive load across the terminals of said motor, (f) means to cause said resistive load to be part of a dynamic braking circuit for said motor when said control means is set to cause said power supply to deliver a relatively low voltage, and (g) means to cause said motor to act as a generator when said exerciser is forcing said movable means with greater power than is provided by said power supply. - View Dependent Claims (12)
-
-
13. An exercising apparatus, which comprises:
-
(a) an elongate platform, (b) first and second parallel tracks mounted on said platform longitudinally thereof and generally parallel thereto, (c) first and second footpads movably mounted on said tracks for oscillatory movement thereon, said footpads being adapted to be stood upon by the exerciser, with one foot supported on each pad, (d) motor means to oscillate said pads on said tracks, (e) means to incline said platform and thus said tracks to any one of various inclined positions, and from said inclined positions, (f) hand rail means mounted above said platform in spaced relationship therefrom for grasping by the hands of the exerciser, said rail means including a front hand rial in advance of the exerciser, and (g) means provided to move said hand rail in a direction away from the exerciser when said platform is inclined. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. Exercising apparatus for use at different inclinations, comprising:
-
(a) a platform, (b) movable means on said platform adapted to be stood upon by the exercise for movement of and exercising of the legs of the exerciser, and (c) elevation means to raise or lower one end of said platform progressively, to thus change between simulated walking and running, and simulated climbing, said elevation means comprising a motor, an elongate lead screw driven by said motor, a nut threadedly associated with said lead screw, and means to pivotally connect said nut to said one end of said platform for relative rotation therebetween about a horizontal axis to raise or lower said one end of said platform when said motor is operated to rotate said lead screw. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. Exercising apparatus, comprising:
-
(a) an elongate platform, (b) movable means on said platform adapted to be employed to exercise limbs of an exerciser, (c) an elongate upstanding mast disposed at one end of said platform, the lower end of said mast being supported by the floor, (d) means to pivotally connect said one end of said platform to said mast, (e) means to move said pivotal-connector means to different points along said mast whereby to vary the inclination of said platform, and (f) a yoke pivotally connected to a lower portion of said mast and also pivotally connected to a portion of said platform spaced from said one end of said platform, said yoke, the region of said mast between said pivotal-connector means and said yoke, and the region of said platform between said pivotal-connector means and the pivot points where said yoke connects to said platform, comprising a three-element linkage, said linkage being so shaped as to keep said mast substantially vertical regardless of the inclined position of said platform. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. Apparatus for exercising on supports at various inclinations, with maximum safety, said apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an elongate platform having movable means thereon to support the feet of the exerciser when the exerciser is in standing position, (b) means to progressively raise and lower the front end of said platform so as to incline said platform to a large number of inclinations ranging from the steep to the gently inclined or horizontal, said means including motor means to effect said inclination automatically, (c) rail means mounted on said platform in spaced relationship above said platform and in front of the exerciser, said rail means being located for grasping by the hands of the exerciser while in said standing position, and (d) means to move said rail means forwardly as said platform inclines to greater and greater angles, and rearwardly as said platform inclines to smaller and smaller angles, whereby said rail means remains in position for convenient grasping by the exerciser regardless of the degree of incline of said platform. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
-
-
34. A self-contained automatic exercising apparatus for effecting multipurpose active or passive exercising of an exerciser, said apparatus comprising:
-
(a) elongate platform means, (b) first and second track means mounted on said platform means longitudinally thereof, (c) first and second footpads movably mounted on said respective track means for movement therealong in opposite directions, (d) motor means to effect harmonic motion of said footpads in 180-degree out-of-phase relationship to each other, (e) means to adjust the amplitude of said harmonic motion to thereby adjust the stride length of the exerciser using the apparatus, and (f) means to raise and lower the front end of said platform so that said platform and said track means are at any one of a large number of inclinations to the horizontal from substantially horizontal to relatively steep. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
-
-
39. Exercising apparatus, which comprises:
-
(a) reciprocating footpads adapted to be engaged by one or more limbs of an exerciser, (b) a D. C. electric motor coupled with said footpads to drive the same or to be driven thereby, (c) a D. C. power supply for said motor, (d) control means to vary the voltage delivered by said power supply to said motor, (e) a load sensor and isolator to sense the voltage supplied to said motor by said power supply, and to sense the voltage present at the terminals of said motor during periods when no power is being supplied to said motor from said power supply, and to isolate said motor from said power supply during periods when the power supplied to said motor by exerciser is greater than the power supplied to said motor by said power supply, (f) an electrical load circuit to presenting load to said motor, and (g) a load set to control said load to vary the magnitude of said load.
-
Specification