Exercise device

• US 6,537,185 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1999
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Young-Baek Hur
• Original Assignee: Young-Baek Hur
• Inventors: Hur, Young-Baek
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAKER, LORI LYNN
• Application Number:
  US09/402,300
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 482/142, 482/121, 482/122, 482/123, 482/125, 482/126, 482/129, 482/130, 482/72, 482/148
• US Class Current: 482/142
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00065 by increasing or reducing the number of resistance units
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00072 by changing the length of a lever
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0428 the ends moving relatively by linear reciprocation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0615 pivoting about a fixed horizontal fulcrum
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/151 Using flexible elements for reciprocating movements, e.g. ropes or chains
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/153 wound-up and unwound during exercise, e.g. from a reel
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/156 the position of the pulleys being variable, e.g. for different exercises
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/159 Using levers for transmitting forces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/16 Supports for anchoring force-resisters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4031 with parts of the bench moving against a resistance during exercise
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4035 for operation by hand
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4043 Free movement, i.e. the only restriction coming from the resistance A63B21/00043, A63B21/072 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/4047 Pivoting movement weight pivoting A63B21/0615
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0204 Standing on the feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0233 in 90/90 position, like on a chair
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0252 supine
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/00 Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body A63B22/00 takes precedence; force-resisting aspects A63B21/00; electric or electronic controls therefor A63B24/00; devices for exercising or strengthening of fingers, or arms in teaching operation of keyboards G09B15/06
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/03525 Supports for both feet or both hands performing simultaneously the same movement, e.g. single pedal or single handle A63B21/0724 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/03541 Moving independently from each other A63B22/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/03575 Apparatus used for exercising upper and lower limbs simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/12 : for upper limbs or related muscles, e.g. chest, upper back or shoulder muscles bench press exercises A63B21/078; for teaching music G09B15/06
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/1209 : Involving a bending of elbow and shoulder joints simultaneously

Abstract

An exercise device having a simple and inexpensive configuration including an exercise load unit connected to a movable knee hold unit, and a seat unit having a seat plate and a back plate which are selectively or completely movable during an exercise, irrespective of whether or not a leg support unit having foot holders is in a fixed state or in a movable state, thereby being capable of achieving a variety of exercises for the whole part of the human body using the upper body or lower body, or using both the upper and lower bodies.

Claims

1. In an exercise device comprising a seat unit having a seat plate, a back plate, support legs and associated frames completely or selectively assembled together, a leg support unit having foot holders, and a knee hold unit having knee holders, the exercise device carrying out an exercise using the leg support unit and the knee hold unit in a sitting or lying status of a user, further comprising means for allowing the knee hold unit to be movable, and exercise load means connected to the movable knee hold unit,

further comprising means for allowing the leg support unit to be selectively movable or fixed during an exercise, and means for allowing a selected one or all of the seat and back plates of the seat unit to be selectively movable or fixed during an exercise,

the exercise load means is selectively connected to the weight of the user applied to a movable one of the frames or separate load means during the exercise, and the exercise load means is connected to the knee hold unit by a load transmission unit,

wherein the exercise load means is adapted to selectively transmit an exercise load to the foot holders or the knee holders in accordance with the direction of an extension or flection exercise to be carried out about the wrist joints of the user.

2. The exercise device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an initial exercise thrust generating unit arranged between a movable frame and a fixed frame of the seat unit at operatively connected portions of the frames.

3. The exercise device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a distance adjusting unit adapted to adjust the distances between the foot holders and the knee holders, between the knee holders and the seat plate and between the foot holders and the seat plate in accordance with the lengths between the foot and the knee of the user, between the knee and the wrist joint of the user and between the foot and the wrist joint, thereby being capable of meeting the body length and shape of the user.

4. The exercise device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the distance adjusting unit comprises a connecting member comprised of a wire or a rope and connected between the foot holders and the seat plate and between the foot holders and the knee holders via a movable member to vary the distance between the foot holders and the seat plate and the distance between the foot holders and the knee holders in a desired ratio, and a locking member provided at a selected one of the operatively connected foot holders, seat plate, knee holders and connecting member to lock those elements in a distance adjusted state.

5. The exercise device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an upper body flection/extension exercise unit connected to a back plate frame of the seat unit and adapted to achieve a flection or extension exercise for the upper body of the user.

6. The exercise device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a repeated extension/retraction exercise unit connected to a selected frame of the seat unit, the repeated extension/retraction exercise unit comprising a rope, as the load transmission unit, extending via a pair of direction change rollers and having grips at opposite ends thereof, respectively, the rope decreasing in length at one end thereof when it is drawn at the other end thereof by drawing the associated grip while decreasing in length at the other end thereof when it is drawn at one end thereof by drawing the associated grip, thereby enabling the user to carry out a repeated extension/retraction exercise while optionally adjusting the exercise load at each end of the rope.

7. The exercise device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a knee holder moving unit adapted to temporarily move knee holders, thereby providing a space for allowing the user to sit down on the exercise device to carry out an exercise or to rise up from the seat plate after the exercise.

8. The exercise device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a foot holder pressure adjusting unit adapted not only to achieve a flection exercise only using the knees of the user, but also to achieve an exercise for the crook muscle of the user.

9. The exercise device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a shift preventing unit adapted to prevent the seat and back plates of a seat unit from being spaced from each other when the angle defined between the plates varies.

10. In a repeated extension/retraction exercise device comprising a rope, as the load transmission unit, extending via a plurality of direction change rollers adapted for a rope length variation and a direction change and having grips at opposite ends thereof, respectively, the rope decreasing in length at one end thereof when it is drawn at the other end thereof by drawing the associated grip while decreasing in length at the other end thereof when it is drawn at one end thereof by drawing the associated grip, thereby enabling the user to carry out a repeated extension/retraction exercise while optionally adjusting the exercise load at each end of the rope,

the repeated extension/retraction exercise device in accordance with the above said, wherein the load transmission unit comprises a pair of ropes extending via a pair of rollers adapted for a rope guide and a direction change in a crossing manner, each rope having a grip and a foot holder fixed to opposite ends of the rope, the movement directions of the grips crossing the movement directions of the foot holders while the foot holders being configured to carry out linearly reciprocating movements or to repeated rotating movements in a circumferential directions;

and further comprising a seat plate configured to be laterally movable or rotatable.

11. The repeated extension/retraction exercise device in accordance with claim 10, further comprising a load adjusting unit operatively connected to the rope.

12. The repeated extension/retraction exercise device in accordance with claim 10, further comprising;

a roller type holder adapted for a variation in the length of the rope or a storage of the rope;

an outer casing;

a drum coupled to the holder and rotatably mounted on a central shaft fixed to a central portion of an outer casing;

the rope fixed at one end thereof to the holder and at the other end thereof to a grip having the form of a foot holder;

a load unit having the form of a spiral spring, the load unit being fixedly mounted at one end thereof to the drum; and

a load adjusting unit connected to the other end of the load unit;

whereby an exercise load of the load unit is transmitted to the grips while the rope is unwound from the holder or wound on the holder as the user pulls or releases the rope.

13. The repeated extension/retraction exercise device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the load adjusting unit comprises;

a control plate fitted at a central portion thereof around a central portion of the drum and fixedly connected at a lower end thereof to the load unit, the control plate having an upper end thereof a circular plate having a plurality of radial slots;

a ring-shaped slider having a rack at an inner surface thereof, the rack engaging with a pinion fixedly mounted to a middle portion of the central shaft, the slider also having a through hole at one end thereof; and

a control knob having a locking pin extending through a radial slot formed in the outer casing and serving to engage in a selected one of the slots of the control plate.

14. The repeated extension/retraction exercise device 30 in accordance with claim 10, further comprising a rope length adjusting unit operatively connected to the rope.