Exercise device

• US 5,626,545 A
• Filed: 12/19/1995
• Issued: 05/06/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Newmac International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Catherine Mcwilliams, Geraldine Newman
• Inventors: McWilliams, Catherine, Newman, Geraldine
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWNE, LYNNE HAMBLETON
• Application Number:
  US08/574,814
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 482/121, 482/122, 482/124, 482/126, 482/127
• US Class Current: 482/127
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0004 Exercising devices moving as a whole during exercise bar bells or dumb bells A63B21/072; on wheels A63B22/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00043 Exercising devices consisting of a pair of user interfaces connected by flexible elements, e.g. two handles connected by elastic bands skipping ropes A63B5/20; resilient elements A63B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00069 Setting or adjusting the resistance level; Compensating for a preload prior to use, e.g. changing length of resistance or adjusting a valve
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/028 made of material having high internal friction, e.g. rubber, steel wool, intended to be compressed resistance provided by plastic deformable materials A63B21/00189
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0421 the ends moving relatively by a pivoting arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0428 the ends moving relatively by linear reciprocation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0455 having torsion element around its longitudinal axis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/05 Linearly-compressed elements A63B21/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0552 Elastic ropes or bands
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0555 Details of the rope or band, e.g. shape or colour coding
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0557 Details of attachments, e.g. clips or clamps
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0204 Standing on the feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/03508 For a single arm or leg, A63B21/0726 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0482 primarily by articulating the hip joints A63B23/0211, A63B23/0405, A63B23/0476 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0488 by spreading the legs

Abstract

A thigh and buttocks exercising device includes a pair of hook shaped or curved clamp members terminating in linear inner legs connected to respective knuckles of a torsion spring-loaded hinge to bias the clamp members to a contracted position with their free ends in relatively vertically offset overlapping positions. Each clamp member is formed of a rigid metal tube preferably covered by a soft plastic or elastomeric sheath. The biasing torsion spring may terminate in tangentially projecting hook shaped cores of the clamp members. In alternative constructions, the clamp members are biased by resilient devices, such as a flexible-compressible member, a compression spring, or an elastomeric cord adjustably extending between the free ends of the clamp members.

Claims

1. An exercising device comprising a pair of hook shaped thigh engaging clamp members, means supporting said clamp members for lying and swinging in parallel planes about an axis perpendicular to said planes for relative movement between a closed contracted condition and an open extended condition, said parallel planes being mutually axially spaced, said clamp members having opposite confronting inside concave faces and outer free end sections which overlap when said clamp members are in said contracted condition, and means biasing said clamp members to said contracted condition.

2. An exercising device comprising a pair of hook shaped thigh engaging clamp members, means supporting said clamp members for lying and swinging in parallel planes about an axis perpendicular to said planes for relative movement between a closed contracted condition and an open extended condition, said clamp members having opposite confronting inside concave faces and means biasing said clamp members to said contracted condition, said clamp members include inner end sections which terminate in tangentially extending straight legs from said supporting means and which diverge outwardly, said clamp member supporting means including a hinge member means including a hinge member means swingably connecting the inner sections of said legs, said hinge member including a pair of end-to-end knuckles having axially aligned axial bores and a pivot pin rotatably engaging said bores, said knuckles include annular outer walls having an inner circular opening and cylindrical walls projecting axially inwardly from the inner and outer peripheral edges of said annular walls into mutual end-to-end engagement, said walls delineating an annular axially extending cavity, said biasing means including a helical torsion spring housed in said cavity and terminating in outwardly radially projecting opposite legs engaging respective of said knuckles.

3. The exercising device of claim 2 wherein an abutment is formed in each end of said cavity proximate the outer end thereof, said spring legs bearing on said abutments.

4. The exercising device of claim 3 wherein said clamp members are formed of tubular rods and each of said knuckles including an outwardly radially projecting stub engaging a respective clamp member leg.

5. An exercising device comprising a pair of hook shaped thigh engaging clamp members, means supporting said clamp members for lying and swinging in parallel planes about an axis perpendicular to said planes for relative movement between a closed contracted condition and an open extended position, said clamp members having opposite confronting inside concave faces, means biasing said clamp members to said contracted condition, said clamp members being relatively axially offset and having free end portions which overlap in said contracted condition of said clamp member.

6. The combination of an exercising device and a mat wherein said exercising device comprises a pair of hook shaped thigh engaging clamp members means supporting said clamp members for lying and swinging in parallel planes about an axis perpendicular to said planes for relative movement between a closed contracted condition and an open extended condition, said clamp members having opposite confronting inside concave faces and means biasing said clamp members to said contracted condition, said clamp members include inner end sections which terminate in tangentially extending straight legs from said supporting means and which diverge outwardly, said clamp member supporting means includes a hinge member means swingably connecting the inner sections of said legs, said hinge member including a pair of end-to-end knuckles having axially aligned axial bores and a pivot pin rotatably engaging said bores, said mat having s plurality of foot sole representations on a face thereof, said foot sole representations indicating the left and right feet in pairs, each foot sole representation being shown in different angular positions, the distance between the representations of each pair of different amounts, a plurality of said pairs of representations in which the distances between the representations of each pair being of different amounts.

7. An exercising device comprising a pair of hook shaped thigh engaging clamp members, means supporting said clamp members for lying and swinging in parallel planes about an axis perpendicular to said planes for relative movement between a closed contracted condition and an open extended condition, said clamp members having opposite confronting inside concave faces and means biasing said clamp members to said contracted condition, and a mat having foot sole representations on a face thereof, said foot representations indicating the left and right feet in pairs, each foot sole representation being shown in different angular positions.