Exercise machine
DCFirst Claim
1. An exercise apparatus for use by a user performing a striding exercise with the user moving the user'"'"'s feet with striding steps, comprising:
- a right foot engagement member having a first portion and a second portion, and a foot engagement portion to support the right foot of the user thereon during the striding exercise with the user moving the user'"'"'s right foot with striding steps;
a left foot engagement member having a first portion and a second portion, and a foot engagement portion to support the left foot of the user thereon during the striding exercise with the user moving the user'"'"'s left foot with striding steps;
right and left rotatable crank arms supporting and reciprocally lifting and lowering the first portion of the right and left foot engagement members, respectively, with an upward-downward reciprocating motion in response to the user moving the user'"'"'s feet with striding steps during the striding exercise to rotate the right and left crank arms, the first portions of the right and left foot engagement members being decoupled from the respective ones of the right and left crank arms to allow movement thereof in forward and rearward directions relative to the right and left crank arms in response to the user moving the user'"'"'s feet with striding steps during the striding exercise sufficient to permit the first portions of the right and left foot engagement members to move with a user variable length of forward-rearward travel determined by the length of the striding steps used by the user during the striding exercise within a maximum range of forward-rearward travel and variable in response to changes in the length of the striding steps used by the user during the striding exercise within the range; and
a second portion support guiding the second portions of the right and left foot engagement members to follow a forward-rearward reciprocating motion in response to the user moving the user'"'"'s feet with striding steps during the striding exercise as the right and left crank arms reciprocally lift and lower the first portions of the right and left foot engagement members.
13 Assignments
Litigations
1 Petition
Reexaminations
Accused Products
Abstract
An exercise device providing a fore and aft horizontal component of striding motion that is dynamically user-defined, while providing a vertical component of the motion that is maintained on a predetermined vertically reciprocating path in some embodiments. The exercise device guides the user'"'"'s foot in a pseudo-elliptical stride path, while providing a dynamically variable stride length that allows the user to move with a natural stride length. The exercise device allows tall and short users to extend or curtail the stride length to match their natural stride lengths. The length of the reciprocating path is dynamically adjusted during the exercise operation without equipment adjustments by changes in the length of the stride input by the user at a pair of foot engagement pads disposed on laterally spaced apart foot support members.
335 Citations
22 Claims
-
1. An exercise apparatus for use by a user performing a striding exercise with the user moving the user'"'"'s feet with striding steps, comprising:
-
a right foot engagement member having a first portion and a second portion, and a foot engagement portion to support the right foot of the user thereon during the striding exercise with the user moving the user'"'"'s right foot with striding steps;
a left foot engagement member having a first portion and a second portion, and a foot engagement portion to support the left foot of the user thereon during the striding exercise with the user moving the user'"'"'s left foot with striding steps;
right and left rotatable crank arms supporting and reciprocally lifting and lowering the first portion of the right and left foot engagement members, respectively, with an upward-downward reciprocating motion in response to the user moving the user'"'"'s feet with striding steps during the striding exercise to rotate the right and left crank arms, the first portions of the right and left foot engagement members being decoupled from the respective ones of the right and left crank arms to allow movement thereof in forward and rearward directions relative to the right and left crank arms in response to the user moving the user'"'"'s feet with striding steps during the striding exercise sufficient to permit the first portions of the right and left foot engagement members to move with a user variable length of forward-rearward travel determined by the length of the striding steps used by the user during the striding exercise within a maximum range of forward-rearward travel and variable in response to changes in the length of the striding steps used by the user during the striding exercise within the range; and
a second portion support guiding the second portions of the right and left foot engagement members to follow a forward-rearward reciprocating motion in response to the user moving the user'"'"'s feet with striding steps during the striding exercise as the right and left crank arms reciprocally lift and lower the first portions of the right and left foot engagement members. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
Specification